What a wonderful cruise. Background, 51yrs & 47yrs, 3rd cruise, 1st on RCCL. We flew into Bush/Houston on Saturday, staying at the Clear Lake NASA Hilton. We hired a Limo service for pick-up. Very nice Black Lincoln Towncar, was waiting for us as we got to the baggage area. We visited Johnson Space Center on Saturday. Not impressed, seemed to be geared towards young children. We would have been better off staying in Galveston and touring the city.
Lincoln Towncar picked us up from hotel at 10:00am to take us to Galveston Port. I was amazed at the Longshoreman who moved our baggage from the curb to the area for transportation to the ship. My DH gave him a few dollars tip (he only moved it 2-3 feet!), and he actually counted it in front of us and grunted. DH works for Philly Cruise Terminal and knows these guys make something like $35.00 per hr, how much tip did he expect for 3 feet? Checked in very quickly & waited in an area with other pax for boarding. This was delayed slightly because of a mandatory safety inspection. We met another couple who had been on Rhapsody 5-6 times previous, they became fast friends. We were finally allowed to board, but directed to the Windjammer, as cabins would not be ready until 1:00pm. We had so much fun talking with Dan & Chris, we didn't get to our cabin until around 3:00pm.
Grand Suite #8518 was just huge. Bathroom was to die for. Cabin Steward Dwight was amazing, always keeping the refrigerator filled with Cokes & Water. Room was kept spotless and full a Ice Bucket. After unpacking we toured the ship.