New to cruising!!

[TheSkipper]

Welcome Aboard.

We have sailed on Royal Caribbean about a dozen times and twice on the Rhapsody of the Seas.

Most of your questions have been answered already so will not repeat those answers. RCI is a little upscale of Carnival, but not much because Carnival has really moved up in the cruising world.

As someone else said most anything will work in the dining room for dinner except shorts and jeans. During the day, breakfast and lunch shorts are permitted.

The Rhapsody is a pretty ship and I'm sure you will enjoy your trip. Last time we had an aft (that's the back of the ship) balcony and it was great with the exception that it was a real hike from the nearest elevator.

Don't sweat hurricane season. Can't think of a better place to be, because the ship can track and move away from the storm. You may vist an unplanned port, but that's about it.

We will be on RC this week. Sailing the Legend of the Seas out of Rome.

We were in Cozumel about a month ago and went to a "day pass" resort which included the use of their beautiful pool, fantastic beach and all drinks and food for $40 per person. We did both breakfast and lunch there. There is even a inflatable "rock climbing" mountain in the water.

Keeping busy on sea days should not be a problem. Doing everything you want to do will be the problem.

And remember the only time better than today to book your cruise, was yesterday.

[SmooCruise]

LaurenLou...you can do as much or as little as you like on sea days! I'm assuming RC has something like Carnival's Capers, which have the days and evenings activities and schedule. It's good to take a highlighter along. They come the night before so one of my nightly things to do (while waiting for room service to bring a snack!) is to highlight the activities I want to do the next day. I usually like to spend one of the sea days just resting.....reading a good book, soaking up some sun, watching a movie, etc. One of the great things about cruising is that there is something for everyone! Different dining options, different activities, different lounges, etc.

[sailingrose]

Welcome aboard LaurenLou! You'll love cruising, it's the only kind of vacation I prefer. Sea days are my favorite. Your description sounds just about right for me.

RCI's daily paper is a Cruise Compass. I too read it each night before bed but know that you'll never do it all, just too many things to do. I haven't sailed on the Rhapsody but I've sailed on a few of her sisters and many others in the fleet so if you have questions feel free to ask on the boards or by PM.

Welcome aboard CruiseCrazies!