Royal Caribbean
Rhapsody of the Seas
7 Day Western Caribbean

Scott McCullor

Age: 43
Occupation: tech support
Number of Cruises: 7

As I mentioned in my review 2 years ago “this could become an annual thing”. It has. This was our third year in a row on Rhapsody of the Seas. By now, we know the all of the deck layouts. We can identify many halls by the theme of the framed posters. We know when to use the elevators or the stairs, how to find our dinner table, where to look for our kids in the evening, and what time the fries are being served in the Solarium.

You might think we’re tired of it all now. Well, yes and no. Those fries are still unbelievable. Derek Lewis was back this year in the Schooner Bar and was always a good bet for light hearted fun and cutting up. The food was on par with our last 2 cruises on Rhapsody. The stateroom attendants still strike the perfect balance between privacy and service. The ship is still in excellent condition. (Even the solarium pool area has had the floor redone…with slippery tile though.)

As for “yes”, well if you sit around your own house long enough, you need to “get out there”. So yes it was convenient to know it all, but it wasn’t as exciting. But it was all about seeing the family and that at home feeling made the visiting that much easier.

Cons: Dining room service seems to have slipped. We had trouble getting our iced tea and soft drinks before mid meal for the first couple of days. One evening one of our tables was finished with the entrées 10 minutes before our other table (full of little ones) even received their entrées. The service did improve after some complaints.

Food: Again, don’t miss the fries in the Solarium. Soups were very good with the creamy ones being the best (sweet potato and pumpkin/apple with fried sage were my favorites.) Key lime pie was perfect and my wife tells me that the sugar free coconut pie was also good. I say it’s a sin to eat low fat on a cruise but I’ll not be judgmental. They’ve added a stand to sell Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream and Seattle’s Best coffee. Although there’s an extra charge for these, it was worth it. (One shot of espresso can turn the Windjammer swill into actual coffee!)

Excursions: Zion Bus Line’s Bob Marley tour was the most interesting I’ve done. No AC on the bus but the sound was great and the tour guide had plenty of stories to tell about the reggae king. You ride –with pit stops – for a couple of hours into rural Jamaica. You see what the non-resort part looks like and it’s beautiful, but it’s poor. The focus is the Bob Marley Foundation complex where you see the marble mausoleum where he lays, the house where he was born and the little 2 room shack where he retreated to write songs, meditate and partake of the ganja. (BTW, “herb” is legal in Nine Mile and you will be exposed to it. The minimum age of 18 on this tour is because of that.)

We’d done Stingray sandbar in Grand Cayman 3 times already so my wife and I walked off the pier and found a dive operation to give us the resort course….again. I recommend making reservations, but dealing directly with the operator is cheaper than the RCCL excursion. I’d recommend Rum Point as an alternative beach to Seven Mile beach and Pedro St. James Castle is really interesting.

Entertainment: The main show room still had the same song and dance shows as last year. I really hate Vegas or Broadway type stuff so you’ll have to read someone else’s review for a value judgment on those. We skipped them. Mike Wilson, comedian, was funny. They had a Beatles tribute show which was fantastic. There was also a Temptations tribute band that was OK but the ships orchestra was out of tune and the singers were a bit out of tune, but the show was still entertaining.

As mentioned before, Derek Lewis is the best bet for just plain fun. Kamakazee Karaokee (his T-shirts spelling)…..use your imagination. Now add tipsy passengers walking through being ambushed for said activity. Sure fire. You should also make sure to stay there long enough to hear some of Derek’s parody tunes and his guitar playing is well overqualified for this gig.

We also really enjoyed Rosario Strings. Imagine a classical guitar and an electric violin performing Santana, Beach Boys, The Pink Panther, Canon in D and a couple of classic hymns all in the same set. I bought all 3 CDs of them.

It did seem like there was less going on this year. Less things happening in the Shall We Dance, less general activities. Maybe I’ve learned to tune out all the announcements for bingo, sexy legs contests and beauty makeover sessions. BTW, I’m really getting tired of all of the ways they (all lines) try to pry a few more bucks from me…..art auctions, bingo, ice cream, latte, jewelry sales. At least the “orientation meetings” for the ports are more aptly names “shopping” guides, but it’s still a kickback thing.

On Deck: The main pool is still way overcrowded. The solarium pool is nice and peaceful. They still are a pool and a kiddie pool short of enough. They also have no programs for the non potty trained. I’m imagining some of you reading this thinking “Great, less toddlers, more grownups!”. I can appreciate that.

Finally, either RCCL or the Port of Galveston has done their homework regarding the terminal operations. Embarking and disembarking was astonishingly smooth. We expected, just as in previous years, to be sitting in a crowded area forever waiting for our color to be called to leave. Nope. We finished breakfast, moseyed down to the centrum for about 10 minutes, walked off the ship, through customs and to the curb a few minutes later. (Can’t say the same for EZ Park. They didn’t have their operation organized and we had to do an end-around to get out of there.)

Next year, we’ve voted to switch to the Elation. Yeah it’s a “fun ship”, but it still departs Galveston and we’ll get to see Belize. More on that next August.

Ask a Question About Royal Caribbean Cruises

Ever thought about becoming a home based travel agent? Check out my web site for home based travel and cruise agents located at;

Home Based Travel Agent