Royal Caribbean
Rhapsody of the seas
Western Caribbean

Brian Jones

Age: 24
Occupation: Computer Technician
Number of Cruises: 3

I have been one two cruises before. Once with Royal Caribbean and once with Princess. I went on this cruise with my wife, Amy, as honeymooners. Getting on the ship was easy. We purchased a transfer from the airport to the ship. There was a RC rep waiting at the baggage claim. Once on the ship, we headed straight for the windjammer to get some lunch. The food at the windjammer is what you might find at a typical buffet restaurant. Generally it was pretty satisfying and well maintained. They have a frozen yoghurt machine but for some reason 3 of the 7 times we went up there, they were out of cones so we had to use cups & spoons. After eating lunch, we went to our room and our luggage was already at our door. This is great because usually you wait well into the evening. RC lost my mother’s bag last cruise. Our room staff came by and greeted us. She knew both our names all throughout the cruise even though we never formally introduced ourselves. We chose to do second seating at 8:30pm in the Edelweiss dining room. At that time, we got to meet our dinner guests and wait staff. Our waiters were Swaroop and Sunny, from India. The guests at the table were two other couples so it was very compatible. We were all sort of quiet during out first dinner, which is to be expected. I knew that by the end of the cruise we would have a hard time saying goodbye. After our nice dinner (I had the Alaskan Cod with some special wine sauce) we called it an early night and went to bed. This is probably not normal, but we had been up for over 24 hours at this point because of our wedding reception and early flight to Houston.

In the morning, we were refreshed and ready for a day at sea. We went up to the pool deck, had some drinks, soaked up some sun, watched the band play, stared at all the large untanned people, and watched all the funny pool games. There is a lot to do on the ship, but a lot of things cost money. We opted not to do too much spending since we were tight on cash because of the wedding. The spa is pretty nice I suppose, from what people said. After this day, we had another day at sea. Same sort of activities on the second day. Next up, we stopped at Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We were supposed to go to Montego Bay, but we didn’t due to “port issues” whatever that means. Ocho Rios looks nice from the pier, but don’t venture off onto the street or you will be physically grabbed by the people there that try to stuff you into their “taxi” which is written in duct tape on the side of their junk ride. We were also offered Marijuana and Cocaine. We literally ran back to the ship and hid until our tour took place. We did the river tubing which was pretty fun. The people are locals of course, and I always felt like they wanted to steal my wallet and I was not welcome. I felt like they tried to act like they liked you there but I get the impression that they hate tourists, which is totally understandable because life is ridiculous and easy in the USA while they are living in shacks and will never have the chance to leave the island. I feel ashamed of my life after seeing what they do every day.

Next day, we went to Grand Cayman. This is the total opposite of Jamaica. Nice shops, nice beaches, nice people, no unemployment on the island, and full of culture. Much like the USA, it is a cultural melting pot and the economy is very good. There are 100s of banks from all over the world on this small island. They don’t even have income tax because they don’t need it. We went to the seven mile beach, visited the turtle farm, and shopped around in the shops before heading back on the ship. Then we had dinner and went to the show. Every night there is a show, and each night the show is great. Next we went to Cozemel, Mexico. The people there want to make a deal with you. We ended up buying so much stuff because even though we genuinely didn’t want it, we couldn’t refuse their lowest price. I suggest buying a large bottle of vanilla. You can get it for about $7 and its 20oz of the good pure stuff. That st
uff is about $3.00 an ounce here. Nice marble chess sets sell for as low as $10, and other rock carvings that make great home decorations. You can also get good deals on t-shirts for $5 each. Silver is the big item there, and there are good deals on the metal if you like it. Our shore excursion was swimming with dolphins and snorkeling. We purchased the DVD afterward. Everyone there seemed to enjoy their jobs, and was friendly toward us. I always try to tell if they are acting, but I felt like he was genuine about his attitude toward us. This was our last stop, so getting back on the boat was kind of sad. So we ate more food, gained more pounds, watched the show again and headed for bed.

Our daily routine was pretty repetitive. I pretty much got used to it. They play good movies on the ship so we liked to watch them in our room then take a nice two hour nap. It seems like the most boring time is from 2:00pm-6:00pm so it’s a good time to relax. This night they had a midnight buffet which is on every cruise but is always amazing and wont let you down. Butter sculptures, ice carvings, and fruit carvings were all on display for an hour for picture taking, then everyone gets to eat. The next day, our last day which was at sea, was uneventful and almost frustrating and we felt kinda stuck on the ship and we did get pretty bored. Our stomachs hurt from eating ourselves sick, and we were burnt and tired. We headed for bed early that night too. We were a bit homesick I suppose. We had a great time though, and disembarkation was very easy. Our color was called at the right time, and we got off the ship with no problem, and customs didn’t even charge duty tax on all the liquor we bought on the ship. We even managed to catch an early flight home. Overall rating of this cruise: B. When compared to the princess cruise, it was a step down. When comparing it to my other RC cruise, it was also a slight step down. I was not disappointed though for the most part. I did feel like I expected a bit more, but it may be because I have been on two cruises before. Overall I am satisfied and on a scale of 1 to 5 of whether or not I would recommend it, I give it a 3.5. Happy traveling!

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