In September I spent a week on the Rhapsody out of Galveston. Overall it was a great trip. It was a bit rough at the start-up.

Embarkation was a most unpleasant series of unmoving lines snaking through a very hot temporary shed/terminal. Scheduled for a 12:00 embarkation, we arrived a little after that to find terrible traffic congestion around the terminal and a large number of people already crowded into the terminal. It seemed to be about 1 or 1:30 before the folks at the front of the lines were actually allowed onto the ship. We were told by a Royal Caribbean employee that a luncheon for travel agents was held on the ship that particular day and passengers could not board until that group was cleared from the ship. I wonder how often that happens? Needless to say, in the heat of that terminal, waiting in lines that did not move at all for a couple of hours, irritation among passengers was escalating. Some passengers had arrived by mid-morning, hoping for an early embarkation. Those were sorely disappointed. Royal Caribbean did provide water and lemonade and cookies that were set out about halfway through the line, but it was too little too late. Since the lines were not actually MOVING, by the time we advanced far enough in the line to get water it was gone. Further along in the line, we did find a water fountain where we could refill our own water bottles for a much needed drink. And of course, delaying all boarding till most of the passengers had arrived and were crammed into the terminal meant that once boarding did begin there was a mass flow to the buffet for what was now a quite late lunch fed to crabby masses. Repeat of the embarkation lines for food and for tables in the Windjammer. By the time we were actually settled in we were exhausted from the sweltering heat, needed showers and were VERY glad for the great air conditioning on the ship!

No problem getting bags to the room at least, although apparently some passengers never did get theirs and spent the week in RCI logowear! But by the time we set sail, most people were "recovered" and ready for that set-sail drink special, the poolside band and watch the shoreline disappear. Read more