Rhapsody of the Seas Review
Goldilocks ship - not too big, not too small, just right. But the food...
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This was a renewal of cruising for my family, our first in nearly 20 years, this time with our young son. The Rhapsody is older for sure, but it provides plenty of bang for the buck. Everything's easy to access, and scheduling is well aligned, with few lines for anything beyond port departure at the busiest times (and really, that wasn't just us, but 4 ships arriving in Cozumel on the same day).
Good: ship size, port variety, family-friendly (especially the Adventure Ocean program), good theater productions.
Bad: food (sub-par in the main dining room, about what you'd expect in the Windjammer, upcharges for anything worthwhile), drink (daily soda and alcohol package are ridiculously pricy, and the latter encourages people to get hammered at all hours). Belize as a port has very little to offer, though at least what's there is real. Costa Maya has an incredible dolphin experience, but nothing else worthwhile IMHO. Grand Cayman and Cozumel are both terrific though, with tons of variety in excursions and options.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Little frills, but absolutely functional, with tons of storage nooks for 3 people.
Port Reviews
Tampa
We drove in to Tampa after staying with family. The's port area is quite walkable, as I learned after dropping off my rental car a mile from RC's terminal 5 location. This was planned from the beginning, not a surprise. FWIW, I saw travelers boarding the Norwegian Dawn at terminal 2, and they had a line hundreds long. Royal did a great job with recommended boarding times by deck, as the line was non-existent, and we were aboard in no time.
Belize City
We weren't interested in RC's offerings, so spent little time. Standard tropical knick-knacks at the dockside.