Alaska, whales and glaciers have always been a destination we've wanted to experience. We had heard great things about Royal Caribbean, so we decided to take the 7 night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise from Seattle on the Rhapsody. My husband and I had cruised once before on another cruise line, but primarily do resort vacations for the all-inclusive style. We are in our late 30's/40's and we sailed this trip with another couple who are also our age; we didn't bring our children on this cruise. We also purchased the premium drink package because we prefer the feel of all-inclusive and there's no shock at the end of the week when the bill comes.
Embarkation was speedy and effortless, and the personnel who helped us with luggage and boarding were so friendly and helpful, it really set a great tone for the week.
The ship. The Rhapsody may be an older ship, but she is in great shape. We found the entire ship to be very clean and well cared for, and often saw maintenance doing touch ups and generally keeping things bright and clean. Our stateroom, 7080, had a balcony and was just off the Centrum, but still quiet enough that we slept well and had plenty of privacy. I would highly recommend a balcony for any Alaska cruise. There's too much to see throughout the trip, and often the upper decks were a little too chilly to spend long periods out there watching.
Stateroom 7080 is near the Centrum, a convenient location with only a little daytime noise from the shows there. At night, this didn't seem to be a problem. There's no balcony neighbor to the left, so it's a little more private. Overall conveniently located, spacious and no problems with this room.