Rhapsody of the Seas

Variety is the spice of life

February

Pros: Less-traveled ports, consistent quality shows, everything easy to find, wonderful crew

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

This was my 30th cruise, most with Royal, and my first on a Vision Class ship (last ship was the megaship Wonder of the Seas). The Rhapsody perfectly represents what used to be innovative wow factors back in the 90s, especially the multi-deck Centrum with glass elevators - an area where so many of the ship's features and venues are located, or close to, including Guest Services, Shore Excursions, the Casino, Shops, Schooner Bar, Chops Grille, Cafe Lattetudes, R Bar, Photos, evening musicians. It made it easy to find so many places and things to do without having to go too far. One of my favorite things was the quality of the main theater shows and the number of shows. There were 6 different shows on my 7-night cruise, 1 for every night except the first night (the ship departed San Juan at 8 pm the first night). It was great looking forward to a high-quality show after dinner every night. There was a great variety, with something for everyone, but all were consistently excellent. For this cruise I booked a very reasonably-priced 2 bedroom/2 bath Grand Suite (for half the price of just a standard Grand Suite on Royal's newer and larger ships), located close to the elevators. While the suite holds up to 8 people, there were just 2 of us, so each had their own bedroom and bathroom and a large shared living room. Although a bit dated looking, it was probably my favorite of all the suites I've stayed in (including an Owner's Suite and Royal Suite), because of the spacious unique layout, the midship location, the 2 bathrooms that gave us independence, and again, the extremely reasonable low price. One of the perks of staying in a Grand Suite or above is access to the exclusive Concierge Lounge (also known as the Suites Lounge), located centrally on Deck 11 next to the Viking Crown Lounge. While we also had access to the Deck 6 aft Crown Lounge (for those at Diamond level and above), we always went to the Concierge Lounge because it was much closer and easier to get to from our midship suite and had a great view. And, every evening, complimentary appetizers and drinks were served (in the Crown Lounge you must pay for drinks or use your digital Crown and Anchor free drink vouchers). But, for us, the best thing about the Concierge Lounge was Suite Concierge Dmitriy Krasylnykov from Ukraine. By far, he was the best Concierge we've encountered, and I cannot say enough good things about Dmitriy. He made a point of constantly interacting with the guests and getting to know everyone on a personal level so you always felt welcomed. He also pre-cruise made Giovanni's dinner reservations for us (better steaks than in Chops Grille!), found and turned in my lost $140 casino voucher, and made arrangements for wheelchair disembarkation. He knew and greeted us by name whenever we saw him anywhere on the ship. For other positives, Rhapsody has what I think is one of the best-designed and larger Schooner Bars. I also really liked the aft's large and sideways Shall We Dance lounge, where many secondary shows and activities took place. We chose Rhapsody because of its itinerary, and leaving from San Juan allows it to go deeper into the Caribbean with less-visited ports. It was our first visit to St. Croix and St. Lucia, and we enjoyed all the ports. So many staff made it special too by always going above and beyond, always with a smile, and remembering us by name, and what we liked. Would I go on the megaships again? Yes (I'm booked on Quantum and Symphony later this year). Would I go on a Vision or Radiance class ship again? Yes. The variety of the layouts of each class of ships helps keep cruising interesting instead of immediately knowing where everything is. And, while Rhapsody doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the megaships' pool decks, those things don't interest us anyway. On Rhapsody, we always found plenty to do and plenty of room and we thoroughly enjoyed revisiting a smaller class ship after many years.

Ladies cruise 2024

August

Pros: Beautiful HOT weather/glorious water

Cons: None whatsoever

Recommended: Yes

We had an amazing trip to Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire! The weather was extremely HOT weather but glorious breezes and 90% FULL Sun ! Beautiful islands-amazing clear blue waters to swim in (one beach though the coral we had to walk on to get into the ocean was a bit difficult to walk on -would definitely encourage water/swim shoes) … just an amazing week ! Yes the ship is old ,but had absolutely no issue with it ! Amazing waiters and state room attendants!!!

Caribbean Experience

July

Pros: Small ship; Refurbished Common Areas; Good food in Dining Room; Good Entertainment;

Cons: Older Ship; Small Balcony; Stateroom Disrepair! ; Little Food Variety; Event Timing Overlaps

Recommended: No

We still like the Royal Caribbean line best, but would prefer to sail on a little larger and more updated ship.

Great Crew and Staff

May

Pros: Friendly staff and engaging activities

Cons: Overall entertainment could have been a bit more elevated. Too many shows relying on entertainment team as opposed to more headliners. A comedian would have been welcome to break up the consecutive music themed shows.

Recommended: Yes

Food and service at the main dining room and specialty restaurants were very good. We mostly kept away from the buffet due to crowds and commotion. Food at the buffet was generally what you’d expect at that type of venue and a bit sub-par. Activities were quite fun and the entertainment team did a great job engaging the audience and getting people out of their shells. Orlando, the activities director, was a riot and had the crowd howling at his antics and quips. We laughed a lot at these events and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Anniversary Cruise

April

Pros: It was a smaller ship

Cons: Older ship, needs updates

Recommended: Yes

We had a wonderful time. The staff and excursions were wonderful. We loved every minute of our time on the Rhapsody of the Seas. The weather was unbelievable and we really enjoyed the little piece of heaven! Our room attendant was awesome- Ready Freddy! And our dining staff greeted us with smiles and happy comments always eager to cater to us. Roman and Arismendy

Greece adventure

June

Pros: Dinners and the service were excellent. Entertainment was fantastic

Cons: Lunch and breakfast not so great

Recommended: Yes

I loved all the ports except Athens. I took one tour to Athens through the ship and was very disappointed. Our tour guide was awful. The dinning experience for dinner was excellent. The food for both breakfast and lunch was disappointing.

1st Cruise exceeded expectations!

February

Pros: Main dining room menu/quality, ease of embarkation and disembarkation, qualty of excursions, helpful friendly staff

Cons: Smell of Cigarette smoke from casino permeates the centrarium..didnt expect the old casino smell

Recommended: Yes

Really was better than I expected in most ways. Ship size was good for us. Not one of the larger ships so never felt crowded

Solo Traveler

December

Pros: Stingray in Grand Cayman, Room attendant was awesome

Cons: Room service food was cold and tasteless. Soda at bars was gross.

Recommended: Yes

Christmas was fun. Santa included. Room service was slow and food was cold and tasteless. Bought the soda package and it didn’t include water. Destinations were nice. Lady at coffee shop was not friendly. Was not able to go to Key West- port closed due to bad weather. Most bartenders were nice. Casino was good. Comedy show was good. Art auctions were fun. My time dinning called and checked on me- wonderful customer service. Overall pretty good!

Enjoyable Cruise - But

November

Pros: smaller ship get to know more people and crew

Cons: entertainment and things yo do limited by size of ship

Recommended: Yes

enjoyed the ports, weather was great, hygiene not so good a lot of guests did not seem to agree that it was as much down to them as anyone else to keeps as many germs at bay as possible by using hand sanitising provided by the cruise line. Crew were great in the bars, dining and staterooms, officers not very visible and had there own favourite guests or were only being nice to the moaners not sure which! Entertainment - have seen better on other ships i the fleet.

Rhapsody of the Seas

November

Pros: Great cruise experience! So happy with our room #3608 attendant Katut, our waiters and all programs line up for our entire stay.

Cons: Saltine crackers??? with cheese dessert

Recommended: Yes

Complimentary bottled water for each excursion would be a plus.

Excellent service

October

Pros: Friendly staff

Cons: We missed our dinner time bec of excursions

Recommended: Yes

Nice Ship but terrible Wifi and A/C

April

Pros: Nice ship, lovely Centrum area

Cons: Wifi was Awful, Room Temp Terrrible

Recommended: No

Specialty Cruise

January

Pros: Food good, staff excellent, loved the full access tour and making sushi

Cons: small shower area, even in a balcony suite

Recommended: Yes

Was a specialty music cruise, very accommodating to our group. Had occasion to visit medical on board - top notch treatment and people.

Rhapsody

January

Pros: Smaller ship which seems less crowded. Staff is friendly and professional.

Cons: Windjammer food was not as good as other RCCL Ships. Being a smaller Ship there were fewer activities and venues than the larger Ships.

Recommended: No

Overall ship review

October

Pros: Staffer responsible for cleaning my room was fantastic

Cons: Service was somewhat sparse. Food either undercooked or overcooked. No idea what (ethnic type) was where

Recommended: Yes

overall - ok.

Greek Islands

June

Pros: Royal staff as usual was friendly and helpful.

Cons: This ship seemed to be different from others even in same class. Somethings were missing amd rumors were that it was going to be sold.

Recommended: Yes

As usual Royal made this a wonderful vacation. Staff was great, food excellent, ship very clean and comfortable. I would never go on this ship again though. We have been on ships in this class but this was a little different. However we will definely be on Royal again next year.

Cruise Vacation

March

Pros: Great ship with attentive people

Cons: Ship a little dated on decorations and furnishings

Recommended: Yes

Very good cruise line and ship. The people on the ship were very good. The food was good with a lot of choices and a lot to do with shows and different entertainment every night. The ports we stopped at were good.

Great Cruise

February

Pros: Great service friendly staff easy departure

Cons: Food wasnt as good as previous cruises.

Recommended: Yes

I’m not sure why RC revamped their menu but it wasn’t very exciting or tasty. Our dining time (5:30 main)!was very crowded and waitstaff had too many tables. We barely finished up by 8:00pm. Spent a lot of time waiting between courses. The waitstaff was efficient just had too many large tables.

Western Caribbean Cruise

February

Pros: Friendly staff, good ports

Cons: Too many ships at one port

Recommended: Yes

Royal Caribbean staff was very concerned about the spreading of germs. There was hand sanitizer everywhere and staff cleaning handrails constantly. Our wait staff and stateroom attendant were great. Would recommend this ship anytime. Ports we're good. We only had one port where too many cruise ships were at and the tendering to shore took a long time.

Not the nice RCI cruise I have been on

January

Pros: Staff was awsome

Cons: The phone by the bed did not work/cord for handset was bad Intercom did not work could not here the announcments no matter how we turned the dial Black stuff came out of air vent and was falling on bed

Recommended: Yes

We really like Royal Caribbean have sailed on their ships numerous times about ten but this ship was the worse we have been on. I should say at least our cabin had more things wrong with it than any other cabin we have sailed in.

Rhapsody of the Seas

December

Pros: Great service,great food and entertainment, many great tours to choose from.

Cons: Pillows on bed are flat

Recommended: Yes

Enjoyed the tours that I took in all the Western Caribbean ports. This is my first cruise so I can't compare it to any other cruises or ships, but I really enjoyed this cruise.

Our wonderful cruise of the Adriatic

October

Pros: So well organized, terrific sevices, happy staff and happy tourists.

Cons: Shore excursions are overpriced for what they deliver.

Recommended: Yes

It was nice to see old folks like us, and many young people and even Well behaved children. Agreat mix. FOOD WAS TERRIFIC WITH MUCH CHOICE.

Review of Rhapsody of the Sea

April

Pros: Great Staff, very attentive. Smaller ship less people. Great Gallery Tour

Cons: Bad odor in the 2nd floor hallway leading to the elevator: nightly.

Recommended: Yes

I am a early riser, so I enjoyed all the activity outside my cabin window. I found it very interesting: Pilot boat, scrapping of metal & ropes being pulled outside my cabin window as we got close to port. Entrance & exit point off the ship. I can image someone else in that cabin might not be happy. I drink 100 plus ounces of water daily, I need to incorporate a bottle water package on my cruise.

Family Cruise

December

Pros: Variety of offerings for all ages

Cons: Rocking and shaking of the boat, loss of suitcase and handling at pier

Recommended: Yes

The cruise was enjoyed by all. However the cost of this cruise for this ship was overpriced since many of the amenities that young people enjoy were not on the Rhapsody. The rocking and shaking detracted from the enjoyment for some of the members of this family of seventeen. We realize this was beyond anyone's control but something we had not experienced on previous cruises. The loss of the suitcase on the pier could have been corrected had the port staff announced it immediately. We had to hunt it down ourselves.

Western Caribbean Cruise

January

Pros: Smiling attentive staff, great weather, plentiful good food, good shows, excellent variety of excursion choices

Cons: Too much emphasis on shopping for expensive items, 2 nights the loud dance party music from lower decks late at night kept us awake in our deck 7 cabin

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful time - Great Value

January

Pros: First rate staff, excellent food, fabulous entertainment

Cons: Pool area was cramped on the travel days

Recommended: Yes

Great value especially when traveling with family. Something for everyone to do.

Rhapsody of the Seas

December

Pros: Nice ship

Cons: Improvement needed with disabled passengers. Food quality in main dining area and Windjammer. There were no pool snacks..

Recommended: Yes

Not all staff were trained properly for their positions. Nice people without training does not make a valuable impression of Royal Caribbean as an employer.

Spain to Miami

December

Pros: Great trip, enjoyed being part of a group.

Cons: Flight connections. need more time for connecting flights

Recommended: Yes

Great group. Bobby and Camille did a great job of keeping the group entertained and organized.

Rhaposody roundup

November

Pros: friendly staff, upgraded bathrooms, beautiful theater, great staff shows, great dining room meals

Cons: ship seems a little worn, guest entertainers were poor, fewer buffet selections

Recommended: Yes

Staff went out of their way to be friendly and helpful. I would commend EMME dining room Assistant Manager? She was everywhere helping everyone.

Fun time

July

Pros: Speciality restaurants, activities, cruise director & staff we fantastic!

Cons: Main dining room food not too good!

Recommended: Yes

Main dining room needs to work on food quality. Twice my daughter didn't receive what she ordered. Pasta was so dry we had to keep asking for more sauce .

Extremely spolied

April

Pros: No worries. They have everything under control and supervision For travelers

Cons: You get extra weight.

Recommended: Yes

Everyone is 150% taking Care of You bring sure You are confortable This is My 2nd cruise with Royal and it has been the same experience. I have recommended to relatives and friends to try this experience. Thanks to all employees at Royal.

2015 Mediterranean Cruise

November

Pros: Clean, attentive & professional staff

Cons: Small ship lacking the amenities of larger ships

Recommended: Yes

Really enjoyed cruising on this ship. I would have like a few more amenities that are found on the larger ships. The staff was excellent and helpful. Great food.

ALASKA CRUISE

July

Pros: ship was easy to get around, great service and ease of embarking and disembarking

Cons: could have have more alternate choices in Windjammer cafe for breakfast, entertainment onboard only fair

Recommended: Yes

Overall great experience, Alaska tours were fantastic. Juneau tour was the Mendanhall Glacier/Salmon Bake Skagway tour was White Pass Railroad /Liarsville Mining camp Royal Carribean has really improved the ease of boarding and disembarking the ship. Very fast and efficient.

Alaskan Cruise

May

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

All in general was great!

Alaskan Cruise

June

Pros: Unequalled sights including glaciers, whales and seals. Friendly and attentive staff on ship. Clean staterooms. Fun activites. Captain with just the right touch of humor.

Cons: Expensive soft drink packages.

Recommended: Yes

Cruise departing Seattle, WA and docking at ports in Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, BC.

Royal Carribean International - Rhapsody of the Seas

June

Pros: Like the small ship atmosphere, it was more intimate. The captain was very nice and funny. Our wait staff for dinner were excellent. The food was excellent as well.

Cons: Wish there was a weather channel on TV for the ports we were going into

Recommended: Yes

I suppose the prevailing thinking now a days is the bigger the ships the better, but we actually liked the smaller ship atmosphere. At least we ran into some of the same people; giving us an opportunity to make friendships, some that we may go on to keep. The smaller ships are able to get closer to the glaciers and other land masses. If we had an opportunity to take this Alaskan cruise again, we would certainly take it, even thought the next time it would probably have to be on a much larger ship. I would certainly recommend this cruise, and I would recommend Royal Caribbean.

5/30-6/6/14 Cruise

May

Pros:

Cons: 3 days at sea, small showers

Recommended: No

Excellent

June

Pros: unforgettable

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

The most amazing cruise

Alaskan Cruise

May

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Overall the ship is in good shape, although getting a little frayed around the edges. However, we had problems with the plumbing backing up into our shower pan. They cleaned and disinfected the area, but that is still not something you want to happen.

A Grand-Slam Homerun!

May

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Everything was great, from the accomodations to the meals and entertainment. First Class.

Alaskan Cruise

June

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Alaskans beautiful and cruising is wonderful. Greatly enjoyed viewing the Daws Glacier while sitting comfortably on our balcony having breakfast and drinking coffee.

Comments on the Hawaiian cruise

May

Pros: Everything was wonderful. Food, entertainment & the people on the ship were so nice you really cannot find the words for them.

Cons: Since John is very hard of hearing, we commented on the ship that closed caption should really work on the TV. Such a small complaint I feel bad making it.

Recommended: No