Our New Year's Cruise included four stops for scuba diving plus New Year's Eve celebrations! What a fantastic way to spend New Year's Eve - you can dance all night then walk a few steps to your cabin. This Western Caribbean trip has four international ports of call, so plenty of scuba diving for us. The two days at sea at the beginning and end are the perfect way to begin and end the vacation. Rhapsody of the Seas is a wonderful ship; you never feel crowded, it has the best Diamond Lounge in the fleet, and plenty of areas for everyone to spread out and have their own spot overlooking the sea. Overall, a fantastic value and beautifully maintained ship. See more about our scuba diving excursions on my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com where I review all our dive operators!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Surprisingly easy - we stopped by the ship and dropped our bags off, parked, got on the ship, and our bags were at our door in record time!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining room was wonderful as always. So many delicious choices. We also ate in the Windjammer when we needed more flexibility. The options were varied and surprising - plenty of international foods to try, unusual dishes to sample, and incredible selection of fruits and desserts.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the Solarium pool and hot tub. The gym is well-stocked and has a great view. I always like to use the sauna and steam rooms to relax after a workout.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We were scuba diving during the day, so didn't stay up late to see the performances. The comedian that I caught a bit of the show was good - not great, but solidly good. The New Year's Eve party and celebration was fantastic. I can't imagine spending New Year's Eve any other way now!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As always, service and staff were over the top in all venues.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
We stayed in an Embassy Suites two nights before the cruise, and I couldn't wait to get to the ship where things are so much cleaner. They must use those vacuums non-stop, because you never see any lint anywhere!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a balcony cabin, and it had more than enough room for all our clothes, luggage, and scuba diving gear. The balcony size was great, and I used the vanity daily for photo uploading and getting ready for evenings.
Ship tip
To the sides of the Solarium are tiny decks with about six to eight lounge chairs - it's like your own personal ship!
We loved Tampa; toured Ybor City on our own, as well as Big Cat Rescue and the Florida Aquarium. Their aquarium visit combined with dolphin watch boat ride is a fantastic deal.
We scheduled our own excursion, scuba diving with Blue XtSea Diving. You can read my review of them at my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com - they were wonderful, and the diving was beautiful.
This was our first time to Roatan, and boy, were we excited! We went scuba diving with Wikkid Divers, Ecologic Adventures. They put the six of us on our own private 50 foot sailing catamaran. We were fortunate to get to dive the world-famous Mary's Place dive site; some of the best scuba diving of my entire life. And yes, full reviews are on my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com.
We always enjoy Costa Maya. This time, we were scheduled to dive with Alux Divers. We had some new divers in our group who were a bit unsure about windy conditions at this port. So, we decided to scratch the dive, and Alux Divers gave us a full refund. They are right next to Nohoch Kay where we had the best fish tacos ever, as well as seaside 45 minute massage that was top notch. We walked the shoreside promenade, shopped the vendors, and even had fruity cocktails at a bar with swings. Mahahual is so much nicer than Tulum; the ocean is not blocked by hotels.
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