Just got back from Rapsody of the Seas Feb21-Feb 29,2004 cruise. Galveston to New Orleans for Mardi Gras , Cozumel and back. Major shipping accident/collision in Mississippi River, 5 dead, ship with 30,000 gallons of oil sunk in river. The river was closed for 5 days so we couldn't sail to New Orleans. RCCL tried other routes etc but US would not allow. Sailed to Gulfport, Mississippi and RCCL got buses ,24 hours a day for the 1.5 hour ride to Mardi Gras. Weather was not good. 50 degrees and showers or rain. One day of sun in the week.
RCCL sells duty free liquor that they'll hold untill the end of trip OR you can pay $9.50 "corkage fee" and take to your cabin for use on ship. First night of sailing corkage fee of $9.50 covers as many bottles as you buy. Thereafter it's $9.50 per bottle. Also they offer wine packages. One for $129 gets 7 bottles from a short but good list. Take 1 at each dinner or bring to cabin or whatever. I got the $129 package. Most wine that I got would have been $32/bottle so saved about $95. They also had a plan for $169. Longer list of the same wine plus better wine. Very fair wine/liquor policy in my opinion. Did not observe people trying to carry on liquor so don't know if they really enforce the official pol of no carry on liquor/wine. We bought the wine package and liquor on the first night (plus $9.50 corkage)
RCCL compensated each cabin with a $100 credit for the New Orleans trouble even though they had no control over it and they spent considerable extra money on buses etc too.
Many people were unhappy but I think RCCL hadled things well. They did not create the problem and people were able to get to New Orleans.
Ted