Thursday Travels: The Voyager of the Seas

In 2011 we took a cruise that was a departure from the norm for us…a cruise minus our adult children. Our DD had married in the summer of 2010, and preferred to cruise sans parents for her honeymoon…I have no idea why…we are a lot of fun on a cruise! Our DS was starting a new job in law enforcement and chose to opt out as well. I admit this left me feeling a bit uneasy about cruising with just my DH. Now don’t judge…I love my husband dearly! However, 20 plus years of marriage had convinced me that we do not always see eye to eye on what constitutes a good time!

Luckily we did not have to contemplate this situation long! A couple we are friends with, E & D, came to our rescue and booked the same cruise. We had “Cruise Buddies,” yay!! It was made extra exciting as E had never cruised before…and I love sailing with newbies! We had almost as much fun planning our trip as actually taking it. It included a road trip, as we were sailing out of Galveston, and included a stop in Dallas to meet with a missionary family our church supports.

The trip to Galveston was a long day, but the stop in Dallas helped the drive seem shorter. I drove, of course…because I have control issues and hate it when other people drive as my life constantly flashes before my eyes. There…I have stated it publicly…don’t expect me to change…just move over and give me the wheel!

Our visit with our Albanian missionaries was wonderful, if short. They were in the USA for a few years while the husband attended Dallas Christian & obtained his masters degree. We visited and enjoyed an awesome home cooked Albanian meal. If you know what a foodie I am, you know I was in heaven!

Once in Galveston we checked into our hotel…and then made a bee line to a store on the beach that sold comfortable flip flops. E had made the mistake of choosing fashion over comfort for the 10 hour car ride. Her dogs were barking away! I just shook my head and wondered how she tolerates me as a friend. My idea of being fashion forward is when I wear jeans to the store instead of sweats! Then on to Joe’s Crab Shack…yes, I am sure there are better places to eat seafood in Galveston…but I am a Joe’s girl.

The next day a very friendly taxi driver took us to the port and we began embarkation. It was painless as always…except for the confiscation of D’s pocket knife, which he had checked to make sure he could bring. For our safety Royal Caribbean kept it tucked away until the last night of the cruise…when in their wisdom they felt the danger of D running amok and murdering us in our sleep had passed, and returned it to him.

Next Thursday Travels: Introducing the Voyager of the Seas

Bon Voyage! ~Marla

Thursday Travels: Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas

Our cruise on the Grandeur remains especially memorable for two reasons; It was the shortest cruise we have taken, and also the most enjoyable. This is particularly amazing considering the food and service were probably the worst we have ever experienced on a cruise. 

That said, it is my experience that the worst day while on vacation still rivals a great day at work! Therefore, I generally can overlook quite a bit when it comes to the food quality and service. The food was not terrible...simply not as good as on other cruises. The service in the dining room, however was amazingly poor for a cruise ship. We gave our server the benefit of the doubt, and assumed he was new to his role as a main waiter vs. assistant.

The cruise was only five nights, instead of seven, and was much too short! We were having such a great time that it was almost painful to disembark after such a short time! We only went to two ports, and we had an absolutely great time at both. This cruise also had the distinction of being the first for DD's boyfriend, now husband...so I will refer to him as DSIL. And of course our DDIL came with us, so we had two young couples with us, which makes it even more special!

We spent evenings playing Hand & Foot and Apple's to Apple's. We were so hooked on Hand & Foot that we even played it during our layover times at the airports. I have never enjoyed airports as much as this trip. The family time was priceless and really added to the vacation.

We also returned to winter cruising, which I much prefer. There is nothing better to beat the post Christmas blues and the bitter Kansas cold, than a Caribbean cruise. Not to mention you avoid hurricane season that way as well.

The down side? In order to score $160 round trip air fare to Tampa, Florida, we drove two vehicles to the Kansas City Airport. What should have been a three hour drive was stretched somewhat when we encountered a snow storm just outside Topeka. Despite watching other cars and trucks careening off the Kansas Turnpike, we made it safely to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Our flight was inexpensive because it was convoluted. We flew from Kansas City to Detroit, changed planes, and on to Florida. Luckily the weather in Detroit was better than in Kansas City, and the flights were uneventful. Upon arrival in Florida it was in the upper 40's and we enjoyed hearing the locals complain about the bitter cold...this after we left single digit temps in Kansas! After a quick bite at IHOP, it was off to bed for a few hours at the hotel. 

The Royal Caribbean pier in Tampa was the nicest I have seen, and boarding was very painless after a short wait in the lounge area. The Grandeur is a sister ship to the Rhapsody, both are Vision class, thus the layout was the same, which made navigating the ship very easy. And so began our cruise traveling to the ports of Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.


Next: Costa Maya, Mexico


Bon Voyage! ~Marla

Thursday Travels: Rhapsody of the Seas Wrap Up

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