OT: desperately seeking cruise help

[N&B4PSU]

ok... so mister wonderful (moi) booked this cool adriatic cruise next year. even got himself and da missus a refurbished floor to ceiling window cabin (hey, it's 2G's less than a balcony) with a good jolt of square ftg. And then i got us a bunch of discounts and lmao all the way past the point of.. if it's too good to be true...

see, i never sailed on a "smaller" ship. Every ship we've done has its lido deck around 14. So when i booked an 8th deck i never gave it a second thought.. until i saw the deck plan today and pretty much hurled. blew chunks. etc.

we're smack under the lido deck, with all due consideration to the pool and atrium and whirlpools and all sorts of nasty stuff.

then again, all the big butt suites are also on this deck and you'd think those folks wouldn't be thrilled to hear the pitter patter of little big foots above their noggin for 10 nights. so maybe i worry needlessly??

then again, i did also notice that most of deck 7 is above the disco or theatre (which i've heard can be an ongoing noise machine).

so... all knowing board.. has anyone sailed on RCC's rhapsody of the seas and am i right to be mega worried that sleep might be an over-rated commodity on that 10 day tour? should i run (swim) like hell to another cruise line and try to do better? the wife does not seem to be inclined to throw $ at a balcony and i'm not inclined to step down to an inside space eater cabin.

of course, i have not had the courage to tell me wife what lurks ahead just yet... fear.. is not an option...

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

ok... so mister wonderful (moi) booked this cool adriatic cruise next year. even got himself and da missus a refurbished floor to ceiling window cabin (hey, it's 2G's less than a balcony) with a good jolt of square ftg. And then i got us a bunch of discounts and lmao all the way past the point of.. if it's too good to be true...

see, i never sailed on a "smaller" ship. Every ship we've done has its lido deck around 14. So when i booked an 8th deck i never gave it a second thought.. until i saw the deck plan today and pretty much hurled. blew chunks. etc.

we're smack under the lido deck, with all due consideration to the pool and atrium and whirlpools and all sorts of nasty stuff.

then again, all the big butt suites are also on this deck and you'd think those folks wouldn't be thrilled to hear the pitter patter of little big foots above their noggin for 10 nights. so maybe i worry needlessly??

then again, i did also notice that most of deck 7 is above the disco or theatre (which i've heard can be an ongoing noise machine).

so... all knowing board.. has anyone sailed on RCC's rhapsody of the seas and am i right to be mega worried that sleep might be an over-rated commodity on that 10 day tour? should i run (swim) like hell to another cruise line and try to do better? the wife does not seem to be inclined to throw $ at a balcony and i'm not inclined to step down to an inside space eater cabin.

of course, i have not had the courage to tell me wife what lurks ahead just yet... fear.. is not an option...

I have sailed on the Rhapsody many times, but I can't say that I've stayed just below pool deck. My guess though -- the spacing between that deck and your cabin is likely to be different than on most other decks. I have stayed just below the Schooner Bar, for example, and was driven crazy by the foot step noise. My advice ....

Always check your room against a map of the ship. The safest rooms for noise are on the outside of the ship. Utilities and service areas/elevators that tend to be noisy are on the inside. Check to ensure that the rooms adjacent and above are not equipped with bunk bends (you'll hear anyone jumping from the top bunk). If you can avoid them, rooms that adjoin with other rooms are often the choice of families with small children. Try to select a room that is away from the elevators and not across from service areas. A service area is likely to be any area that is not a cabin. Unless you can sleep easily with motion, avoid the bow of the ship. I usually choose an upper deck but not the very top. I like having cabins above and below so that I'm not adjacent to a public area, and I like to be able to use the stairs to go either down to the theatre/dining room or up to the pool deck.

If you don't have school-aged kids, try to avoid sailing in the summer. That's when there are more kids.

The Rhapsody of the Seas is an older ship, so the rooms will tend to have a creaking sound when at sea. You'll notice it at night unless you are a really heavy sleeper. I strongly suggest taking along ear wax just in case. A little wax can turn what would be a miserable experience into a trip that is rather pleasant.

The smaller, older ships do not have the same quality of stabilizers when compared to the more recent ships, which also tend to be larger. You may need some Dramamine. The Purser's desk will usually supply a few tablets for free if the sea gets rough, but it can't hurt to have your own.

I have noticed that the quality of the entertainment is slightly better on the larger ships. Some even have an ice arena / ice dance show.

On the plus side, the smaller ships tend to be a bit more personable. I like the Centrium entertainment before/after dinner. It's a nice place to be close to the show and even mingle with the entertainers. Also nice about the smaller ships is that it is not a hike to get from place to place. There will be less of a crowd getting on/off the ship at ports. And the smaller ships were designed with public areas that enable a view of the sea. The newer ships have tended to be designed with more balcony rooms and less public areas (with a view), so if you're on one of these newer/larger ships, a balcony room adds considerable value.

Consider the second-seating, which will probably be at 8:30 PM on RCC. The first seating is now a bit early (5:30 PM) -- right when the ship tends to sail from the various ports-of-call. If you're like me, that's when you'll want to be on your balcony or up on the upper decks to get a view.

Enjoy. We will be doing the southern Caribbean again later this year.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Knight gave you some great advice.....I would especially reiterate the later dinner, otherwise you're racing to get to dinner as soon as you get back on the ship after a day ashore. Having the later dinner also helps cut down the calories from midnight buffets!

 

[N&B4PSU]

Knight gave you some great advice.....I would especially reiterate the later dinner, otherwise you're racing to get to dinner as soon as you get back on the ship after a day ashore. Having the later dinner also helps cut down the calories from midnight buffets!

i probably should have mentioned we are very experienced cruisers (wife in particular has been at sea over 25 times).. unfortunately, all of it for me has been on the larger vessels. best advice of all remains... bring ear wax (not simple plugs, but the good stuff.. it really helps). and yeah, i shouldda been wiser and at least checked the deck plan and not just assumed.... at least we can cancel and get our $ back if needed.

my biggest question is just how much spacing there is between the 8th and 9th decks.. i keep thinking it odd that the luxury cabins are on 8 but they'd be underneath all the commotion on 9... so possibly i'm worrying needlessly. possibly.

that said... when i was on the phone with a celebrity consultant (that luggage matter that, finally, was resolved) and mentioned the location issue.. . well, she let loose with that laugh you reserve for... 'y'all in deep poodoo'... maybe i was being overly sensitive...

 

[ForesterGump]

I've cruised many a time under the pool area and Lido deck. I do Holland America, and mid-winter cruises, so can't comment on RCL. However, we never had too much problem with noise at night. Most of the noise comes during the day when you're at sea. Lido on Holland is carpeted, so there isn't much noise, but under the pool area you'll hear when people slide the plastic chairs around. It isn't a constant thing, but sporadic. A lot depends on how much time you intend to spend in your room. We also do balcony rooms and there is a bit more noise on the balcony then in the room. But, it isn't a constant thing.

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

You have good reason to be concerned. We don't cruise anymore, but we once stayed in an outside cabin under the pool deck and it was noisy. People scraping their chaise loungers across the steel decking and little kids running....forget trying to find some quiet time in your cabin during the day or early evening.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/rhapsody-of-the-seas-deck-plans/dp/?shipID=79&deck=8

Hit the link above and read the reviews of various cabins on Deck 8. I don't think there are any reviews of the cabin type you selected, but read through the 73 reviews for the nearby Jr. suites and you'll see that noise is a recurring issue/complaint. The big buck suites are all located towards the front if the ship and don't have people walking overhead, or if they do, it's not on steel decking. After posting this info, I just went and read the reviews of the grand suites...they are under the windjammer cafe and noise is also an issue there.

I'd change decks (move down to 7), but it's your call. An equally concerning issue is the location of these panoramic rooms....they are mid-ship close to the elevators so youre going to get a lot of noise from people talking, especially late at night.

 

[retsio]

i probably should have mentioned we are very experienced cruisers (wife in particular has been at sea over 25 times).. unfortunately, all of it for me has been on the larger vessels. best advice of all remains... bring ear wax (not simple plugs, but the good stuff.. it really helps). and yeah, i shouldda been wiser and at least checked the deck plan and not just assumed.... at least we can cancel and get our $ back if needed.

my biggest question is just how much spacing there is between the 8th and 9th decks.. i keep thinking it odd that the luxury cabins are on 8 but they'd be underneath all the commotion on 9... so possibly i'm worrying needlessly. possibly.

that said... when i was on the phone with a celebrity consultant (that luggage matter that, finally, was resolved) and mentioned the location issue.. . well, she let loose with that laugh you reserve for... 'y'all in deep poodoo'... maybe i was being overly sensitive...

Your first and most important mistake is RCL. Some will cruise 'cheap' with an inside room and the buffett line, and some will step up to the plate and have an outside balcony -- used mainly for relaxation away from the loud crowd. It does not matter how many times you have 'experience' on cruise ships of any size and in any sea -- your immediate selection of a tour, a cruise line and your room dictates how you will remember the good or bad for a long time.

If you can afford that once in a lifetime thrilling adventure -- why be a cheapskate? We have sailed on Holland and considered other cruise lines with only 1200 guests tops, why be one of 6000+ visitors with 2 ships in port at St. Thomas. Good luck.......

 

[N&B4PSU]

If you can afford that once in a lifetime thrilling adventure -- why be a cheapskate? We have sailed on Holland and considered other cruise lines with only 1200 guests tops, why be one of 6000+ visitors with 2 ships in port at St. Thomas. Good luck.......[/QUOTE]

Well, i guess in part because we typically cruise once per year (so they are just one of our vacations, not cruises of a liftetime).. this was alaska on celebrity(which is RCCL) next year in the Adriatic... when we cruise the carib, oasis is great because you rarely notice the 5,000+ people except in port... and we rarely bother getting off there.

I agree with your assessment about the crowd in general... and what we've noticed is a tier structuring with regard to many aspects of the sailing. Changing the tipping policy clearly changed the way service is delivered (still good, just not nearly as good as it used to b when they were scrambling hard for tips... but with so many cheapos stiffing them, the cruise lines have given up and just charge a daily rate so the kids get paid.

Meals.. well especially on RC there has been a clear drop in service and quality.. you want better, you pay for it. They've essentially created a first, middle, and steerage class and built that into the ticket.

As for Holland... well, as with all of them, it's subjective. Cruise Critic pays them high respect on the bigger ships (that don't travel where we're going) and much less so on the smaller ones that are comparable to the highly rated Rhapsody.

That said, our original cruise was on Celebrity Constellation (a touch bigger and very highly rated) but they canceled it when they repositioned the ship. The wife wants an Adriatic cruise that goes to very specific places, and this was pretty much all that fit the bill. [If I have my way, we'll scrap the cruise altogether, spend a week inside the walls of San Gimignano and up in Florence, bounce toward the Adriatic, drive around to Croatia, then scoot up to Austria. Big if there...

 

[N&B4PSU]

You have good reason to be concerned. We don't cruise anymore, but we once stayed in an outside cabin under the pool deck and it was noisy. People scraping their chaise loungers across the steel decking and little kids running....forget trying to find some quiet time in your cabin during the day or early evening.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/rhapsody-of-the-seas-deck-plans/dp/?shipID=79&deck=8

Hit the link above and read the reviews of various cabins on Deck 8. I don't think there are any reviews of the cabin type you selected, but read through the 73 reviews for the nearby Jr. suites and you'll see that noise is a recurring issue/complaint. The big buck suites are all located towards the front if the ship and don't have people walking overhead, or if they do, it's not on steel decking. After posting this info, I just went and read the reviews of the grand suites...they are under the windjammer cafe and noise is also an issue there.

I'd change decks (move down to 7), but it's your call. An equally concerning issue is the location of these panoramic rooms....they are mid-ship close to the elevators so youre going to get a lot of noise from people talking, especially late at night.

Pretty much did the same thing.. I'm guessing this is simply an older ship and it was built with an entirely different mindset... folks will want to cruise so badly they'll just tolerate the noise. On a 10 night cruise, i'm not so sure i want any part of that. When you look at the layout it's fascinating in that you're either under something noisy up above (windjammer, pools, spa) or below (disco, theatre).. very few locations that enable you to gain some peace and quiet.

Sure making me reconsider.

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

Pretty much did the same thing.. I'm guessing this is simply an older ship and it was built with an entirely different mindset... folks will want to cruise so badly they'll just tolerate the noise. On a 10 night cruise, i'm not so sure i want any part of that. When you look at the layout it's fascinating in that you're either under something noisy up above (windjammer, pools, spa) or below (disco, theatre).. very few locations that enable you to gain some peace and quiet.

Sure making me reconsider.

Your panoramic view room on Deck 7 would have a cabin above it, but would have the atrium stores below it, if I read the deck 6 layout correctly.

 

[retsio]

If you can afford that once in a lifetime thrilling adventure -- why be a cheapskate? We have sailed on Holland and considered other cruise lines with only 1200 guests tops, why be one of 6000+ visitors with 2 ships in port at St. Thomas. Good luck.......

As for Holland... well, as with all of them, it's subjective. Cruise Critic pays them high respect on the bigger ships (that don't travel where we're going) and much less so on the smaller ones that are comparable to the highly rated Rhapsody.
The wife wants an Adriatic cruise that goes to very specific places, and this was pretty much all that fit the bill. [If I have my way, we'll scrap the cruise altogether, spend a week inside the walls of San Gimignano and up in Florence, bounce toward the Adriatic, drive around to Croatia, then scoot up to Austria. Big if there... [/QUOTE]


I understand the compromise that all husbands have to make every once in awhile. Giving in only costs a little more to have peace and then quiet. I would much rather spend time on land taking in wonderful sights with down time spent in a hotel that really provides service. My knees will only take so much any more, so may I suggest the following -- http://www.exvitt.it/index-EN.html with side trips down the coast and then up to George's house on Lake Como and Bellagio before finding those little hamlets along the coast toward Monte Carlo........Zurich and Zug can be nice as well (for shopping).

 

[N&B4PSU]

Your panoramic view room on Deck 7 would have a cabin above it, but would have the atrium stores below it, if I read the deck 6 layout correctly.

exactly, and i could live with the atrium stores because they close... sadly, all are booked. so i am staying touch with my planning guy in hopes someone cancels. best option short of plunking down another 2200 for a balcony.