Margaret Kincannon

Age: 60
Occupation: Retired Teacher
Number of Cruises: 5
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Rhapsody of the Seas
Sailing Date: May 23rd, 2004
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

My husband and I have cruised several times out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean, but my mother had never taken a cruise. For her 81st birthday last year in May, I booked us on a 7-day cruise aboard Rhapsody of the Seas. And she LOVED it! Afterward she told me that it was the best vacation that she had ever taken in her life—“a once-in-a-lifetime experience”, as she described it. (Although I have told her that we can go again any time that she is ready.) Since her health is poor, I knew that a cruise would be the least strenuous and most enjoyable way for her to travel. I booked us in a Junior Suite, which was very comfortable for the two of us. (It always astonishes me that people book the smallest inside cabins and then complain about lack of space in their reviews.) Dwight, from Trinidad, was our stateroom attendant. He was always friendly and accommodating. He seemed to have a “sixth sense” about when we left the room and always had it clean and serviced by the time we returned from our meals or other outings.

In the dining room we had a lovely table near one of the starboard windows. The day before Mom’s birthday, I asked Victor, the headwaiter, if he could provide something special for her to celebrate the day. For a minimal fee, a small decorated birthday cake was prepared and ready to serve at the end of our meal, and the waiters gathered to sing a very loud and enthusiastic, if not particularly tuneful, rendition of “Happy Birthday”. She later told me that it was only the second birthday cake that she has ever had. Our table service was excellent, with Pani from India as our waiter and Linus from Lithuania as our assistant waiter. I have never been disappointed with the food aboard the Rhapsody (or any other Royal Caribbean ship), probably because I have always followed the recommendations of our waiters. (Trust your waiter’s suggestions, because he knows which dishes are the best each evening.) Victor sometimes brought several dishes for us to sample if he thought that they were especially good, such as the night that, in addition to the desserts that we each ordered, he also brought mango strudel and chocolate mousse cake for us all to sample. Another night Pani brought cheesecake and baked Alaska for the table.

We always ate breakfast at the Windjammer since we were both trying to limit ourselves to fruit, cereal, and yogurt, as well as a slice of the excellent, lean ham that the Rhapsody offers at breakfast. (I wonder why many of the other ships don’t have it.) For lunch we sometimes ate at the buffet and sometimes in the dining room. I found the waiters to be very accommodating with our "mix and match" requests in the dining room. We would often order a green salad (always on the lunch menu) and top it with the grilled fish, shrimp, or other seafood (also on the menu but served as an entree).

Our ports of call were Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Because of my mother’s health, as well as her poor eyesight (she is legally blind but can function fairly well), I tried to choose our excursions to accommodate her limitations. At Key West we took the trolley tour of the city, and then we stopped at the Mel Fisher museum on our way back to the ship. At Georgetown, Grand Cayman, we went to the turtle farm aboard a comfortable, air-conditioned bus. Our excursion at Cozumel consisted of the Mexican Folkloric show and a tour of the San Gervasio ruins. I had suggested the show, and she wanted to see the ruins. She did enjoy them both, but she became overly tired while touring the ruins and needed to stop occasionally to rest.

At home Mom often has trouble sleeping, but I kept her so busy while we were aboard the ship that she slept soundly every night. She was delighted with our table companions at dinner (two Chinese couples and a Texas couple who had cruised many times before). Although she had difficulty seeing the action at the production shows, she enjoyed the music. And she was impressed with meeting the captain at the “Welcome Back” party.

In all, it was a wonderful experience for both of us. All of the staff was exceptionally accommodating and responsive to our needs (and our gratuities reflected our appreciation for their efforts). It is impossible to imagine a better vacation.
 

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