The memories of our cruise on the Rhapsody are some of my fondest. The crew was wonderful, and though the ship was one of the smallest we have cruised on, it remains a favorite. I am excited about the prospect of sailing on her again in 2013 on our Alaskan cruise.
The Royal Caribbean line fits my cruising style perfectly and we really enjoyed the activities on board. DD & I attended a Cocktail Seminar that wasn't quite what we expected, but very entertaining!
DS was accosted on his way through the karaoke area and forced on stage...upon realizing he was tone deaf they brought DDIL up on stage to help. While the rest of us were not there to see it...we did enjoy the CD they burned for them greatly! I will never hear the song "Summer Lovin'" again without thinking of DS hitting the high note at the end of the song!
DD and I enjoyed art auctions with complimentary champagne. DH and DS played ping pong daily. DS entered a rock climbing contest, and despite it being his first attempt at the activity, snagged 2nd place behind a young Air Force Lieutenant.
I learned a great deal about my DDIL...who was only dating my DS at the time. She was a riot! When they asked for volunteers at one of the shows, she was on her feet, hands in the air, yelling "Pick me, pick me!" Too funny! She also got this great pic of the entertainment after they waited for her to run down from the balcony to take it. I knew then that this little lady was a force to be reckoned with!
The Rhapsody really taught me how to enjoy my days at sea to the fullest. I will tell you from personal experience that bigger is not always better when it comes to cruise ships. The Rhapsody packed a big punch in it's smaller size. For reference, below is the size in tonnage and passengers (not including crew) of the ships we have sailed or have plans to sail.
Celebrity Millennium ~ 2004 91K tons 1,950 passengers 999 crew
RC Rhapsody of the Seas ~ 2007 78K tons 1,998 passengers 765 crew
RC Grandeur of the Seas ~ 2010 74K tons 1,950 passengers 760 crew
RC Voyager of the Seas ~ 2011 137K tons 3,114 passengers 1,180 crew
RC Adventure of the Seas (2012) 137K tons 3,114 passengers 1,180 crew
RC Jewel of the Seas (2013) 90K tons 2,112 passengers 842 crew
RC Rhapsody of the Seas (2013)
Out of all the Royal Caribbean ships, Rhapsody probably had the best all around service. However, size is not necessarily what makes this so...as you will see in my next Thursday Travels, as I introduce you to Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas.
Bon voyage! ~Marla
Ah, the Cayman Islands, home of the highest standard of living in the Caribbean. And it shows. No shanty's here...at least that you can see from the main road. Instead the island is filled with beautiful, well tended homes...often owned by beautiful, well tended people! Seriously, even the average Cayman home is cute and well kept.
The island of Grand Cayman, while attractive because of it's neatness and the gorgeous water surrounding it, is as flat as a pancake. It makes Kansas look mountainous. If a tsunami hits while you are there, you had better be right with the Lord! But what a fun island to visit!
Ships are tendered rather than ported in Grand Cayman. This means they anchor off shore and passengers take a ferry to and from the island. This also means there is no running to the ship to board at the last minute before sailing in the evening! (Yes, I have actually witnessed this phenomenon, and no, I have not had to do it myself). If you miss the last ferry then you are sadly out of luck!
The number one attraction in Grand Cayman is Stingray City. It is a natural sandbar located off the northern coastline where fisherman used to dump fish guts. Over time the stingrays decided this was a great place to chow down and started to hang out in the shallow waters waiting for food to arrive.
The boat engines signal food to them and over time the fisherman began to feed them by hand. Now generations of stingrays have endured crazy humans petting and kissing them, all for an easy meal.
These stingrays are not contained in any way and are free to come and go as they please. If they get tired of human interaction they simply swim away. They are very gentle and queue up quickly for the squid they are hand fed.
We booked an independent tour for our Stingray City and Snorkeling trip. It was cheaper, and had a fraction of the people the ship excursion had. We used Moby Dick Tours, and they were wonderful! The boat ride out to the snorkeling area and then to the sandbar was uncrowded and comfortable.
The area we stopped at to snorkel was great...I have included photo's of the nurse shark and eel that were in the area. I have to say, I had a blast teasing the eel out of his rock home!
The stingrays were out of this world! We joined the other nutty humans, feeding, petting, holding and kissing the creatures...and not once did I worry about getting barbed.
Back in town we ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville...overrated in my humble opinion. Expensive food that was nothing special, and they didn't even play his music!
The shops were fun and cute...especially The Rum Cake Factory...Grand Cayman's signature food. Then back to the ferry and the Rhapsody. Altogether a five star port and a five star day!
Next time; Cozumel, Mexico!
Bon Voyage! ~Marla
What the Western Caribbean lacks in scenery, it more than makes up for in fun! Jamaica is no exception. There are so many excursions and activities to choose from that it makes an excellent port to revisit. One of the most popular excursions is a trip to the Dunn's River Falls near Ocho Rios.
The falls are a national treasure in Jamaica, and climbing the cascading falls is an adventure not to be missed. I am so glad I had this opportunity before my back became such an issue, it would be impossibility for me now. It is not an easy trek up the falls, nor is it without some risk, but oh so much fun!
The climb begins on the beach, where the falls spill into the ocean. The climb is a total of 600 feet...all on very slippery rocks with ice cold water cascading down on you!
A human chain is formed in order to assist one another in the climb and guides are positioned along the way to help with the more difficult areas. Not for the faint of heart, many people turn and climb back down after the first 20 feet.
We had lots of picture ops and enjoyed the climb greatly. What was unexpected was how enjoyable the bus ride to and from Montego Bay was! This was a ship excursion and we filled an old school bus easily.
Our guide on the bus ride was a woman who insisted we answer everything with "Yes, Mon" and "No worries, Mon." We sang Jamaican music, especially that of Harry Belafonte, and learned a great deal of the social, government and education structure of Jamaica.
Along the way back we stopped at a roadside eatery for local food. This was NOT a place you would find in a Frommer's travel guide, but man it was good! Jerk Chicken fresh off the grill, Jamaican Meatloaf (more like a meat pie), and Rum Punch. Truly one of the best meals I have ever had!
They also had the bus pull over to buy some fruit from guys dangling the stuff from their hands along the road. No fruit stand...just guys waving fruit alongside the road! It was an odd fruit called guinep. You peeled back the thin green peel to expose a slightly gelatinous fruit. You basically suck this off until all that is left is the pit. They bought enough for everyone on the bus to try it...and those of us who actually enjoyed it were able to eat several.
Despite our local food foray, none of us suffered from any form of food poisoning or even indigestion. I will try the local foods anytime I get a chance on a cruise...after all...life is an adventure!
Bon voyage ~Marla
The cruise bug is a funny thing. Once bitten it just kind of niggles at the back of your mind until finally it can simply no longer be ignored. Our first cruise was in December of 2004. By fall of 2006 I simply could not bear it any longer, and another cruise was planned. This one, however, was to be a totally different experience.
Firstly we would be bringing an extra person...by this point in time my DS and his girlfriend had been dating for over two years and I had a feeling that this one was for keeps (yeah, mom's just know these things). So we decided it was time to introduce her to the cruising experience.
We also decided to try a new line; Royal Caribbean. As the sister line of Celebrity, at a more reasonable price, we felt it would be a good fit for us. Also we wanted to save a little money by sailing out of Galveston, Texas, a ten hour drive for us, versus paying for airfare. We chose an August 2007 sail date and a Western Caribbean itinerary...the only option when using Galveston as a embarkation port. We were in for a totally different experience...and an absolutely great time!
We decided to leave the day before and spend the night along the way. My DS celebrated his 20th birthday at a Buca di Beppo restaurant north of Houston. Even the trip to Galveston itself was fun! We were very lucky, cruising during hurricane season, to have beautiful weather throughout our trip.
And watching a new cruiser is always a good time! The Rhapsody was smaller, older, and not nearly as classy as the Celebrity Millennium, and the cruise experience on it was an absolute blast! There were overhead announcements, towel animals, lots of activity, and a very laid back atmosphere...I was home.
I learned a lot on my first cruise and used that knowledge to do things a little differently this time around. That is one thing I have noticed, I grow a little wiser with each cruise I take! For this cruise we booked adjoining cabins, which made touching base with one another so much easier. We also hung out with different family members depending on what our interests were.
The great thing about cruise ships is the wide variety of things to do, all in a fairly contained space. We could all get away from one another as needed, but still have plenty of good times together as well.
Another change was our dinner seating. On our first cruise we had been at a table for four in the middle of the main dining room. This time we were placed at a table for ten at a window, with another family of five. It was wonderful to get to know another family, whose children and a boyfriend mirrored our own!
It was their first cruise and we actually talked one of them into trying the escargot...which after sampling, two more of them ordered! After all, if you can't try new things and be adventurous on a cruise, then when can you?!
Next time; Montego Bay, Jamaica!
Bon voyage! ~Marla
