This was our third Caribbean cruise (all have been different ports of call). While we enjoyed our trip on the Independence of the Seas the most (primarily the central Promenade), the smaller Rhapsody was a pleasant experience.

We've come to find that booking excursions can be challenging, as the offerings and their prices can change over time between initial booking and actual trip. Check back occasionally to see if you're getting the best price. Also, be aware that some non-RC sponsored excursions can be a better deal than those offered by RC. We especially found this to be the case with a zipline vendor in Ruraton (Jungletop zipline) that offered a better experience at a lower price than one offered by RC. The RC-sponsored Coba pyramid excursion out of Cozamel was fun, but we were aware that time was of the essence most of the day...and made it to the ferry back to the ship literally minutes before it was scheduled to depart.

The port at Tampa was the least pleasant embarkation experience we've had with RC, with no evidence that Crown and Anchor Gold membership offered the slightest benefit during the nearly hour long ordeal. We had much better experiences out of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Disembarkation, on the other hand, went quite smoothly as we intentionally requested a late departure (planning to stay the evening in port before hitting the airport makes for a much more relaxed end to a journey). Read more