Rhapsody of the Seas Review

3.5 / 5.0
1,502 reviews

Rhapsody of the Seas - USA

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas
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tocanada
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2007
Cabin: Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

This was my 9th Royal Caribbean cruise and probably my best one. I am from Toronto and was traveling alone. Check in at Galveston, Texas was quick and efficient. Due to hurricane season, we were told that our first port was going to be Key West rather than Jamaica. The only people who appeared to be upset with this were the Jamaican crew members who had hoped to see their families one more time before the ship goes to Asia. Being Canadian, I was told that my passport would be retained. A receipt was given but then oddly, my passport returned with my Seapass card. Not sure what would have happened if I had later presented the receipt. This was the last time the Rhapsody was sailing from Galveston and there was a great farewell. Many of the crew were relatively new and as a result, things did not go quite as smoothly as usual. No chocolates on the pillow the first night. No bathrobe (I am a Diamond member). Some of the crew appeared to have limited English language capabilities. The Rhapsody is a beautiful ship and well maintained. I can certainly understand why Texans are sad that the ship will no longer be sailing from Galveston. Olav Gunnar Nyseter was the Captain. He epitomized everything that is good about Royal Caribbean. He was certainly the most visible, professional and knowledgeable Captain that I have encountered. At the Captain's question period, he devoted the whole time to answering questions in a very forthright and proper manner. He exuded confidence and you could see that he had the total respect of his officers and crew. During the question period, a few German speaking passengers expressed concerns about the lack of the use of the German language. His response was professional, correct and courteous. A Cruise Critic member asked why the Cock a Leekee soup included prunes. With an executive chef from Germany and a Scottish/Australian Hotel Director, this caused much hilarity. One thing that surprised me was that there were no hand sanitizers in use anywhere on the ship. There were never any greeters at the Windjammer for breakfast or lunch. It is hard to find much other fault with this ship. The spa is one of the best (the sauna and steam room doors actually work and keep the heat in). The entertainment was very good especially Tribute - (a salute to the Temptations), the vocal impressions of Jonathan Clark, the energy of Kenny James and the great tenor voice of JC Fisher. The Ballroom Fever and Piano Man shows were fantastic. Certainly, the highlight for me was the Antonio Ramirel's Mexican Folkloric Festival show that came onto the ship while we were docked in Acapulco. Tim Seivert was the Cruise Director and did a good job. His wife and in-laws were onboard to keep him on his toes! We had a number of time changes on this cruise and many of the ship's clocks showed incorrect times (notably in the spa, solarium and 5th level promenade). The dining room food was generally very good and considering the length of this cruise, they did a great job in providing a variety of menus. I was pleased to see that the waiters now use trolleys rather than carrying large trays of plates balanced on their wrists. Windjammer food was good but there were problems with supplies. They were forever running out of plates, cutlery etc. At breakfast, one often had to go to numerous stations to find all the items required. Presumably, this was due to the large number of new staff. I was pleased to see that they have almost completed the installation of video cameras throughout the public areas. At the end of the cruise on arrival in San Diego, non US citizens were required to present themselves to US customs at 4.30am. This early time clearly upset many of the passengers. This review sounds a bit negative but it was an excellent cruise. The ports of call were great, we got to see whales off the coast of Mexico, going through the Panama Canal was an amazing experience and I was blessed with wonderful table mates. Our waiter, Collin Nickie was terrific and a great asset to RCL. The Diamond/Platinum party was fantastic with excellent food and plenty of drinks. Would I go on Rhapsody again? Probably not. It is a lovely ship but it does not have a Concierge Club and I still prefer the Radiance Class of ships. Will I go on another RCL cruise? Well, I have 9 more cruises booked - all on Royal Caribbean.

Cabin Review

Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin D1
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