Rhapsody of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because of the Itinerary. With the end point being Brazil, this offered us an opportunity to extend our vacation and see some additional sights (i.e.: Rio De Janeiro, Iguazu Falls. The logistics for getting to the embarkation and disembarkation points can be very expensive. A shuttle trip of 1 1/2-2hrs is needed in Valparaiso Chile and Santos, Brazil.
Overall Rhapsody staff did very well accommodating language differences. The Food in the Windjammer was acceptable, although at times impossible to obtain seating. The main dining room cuisine was great with a variety of choices. The portions were acceptable. Sometimes trying to obtain a second bread roll was met with a funny look. We Americans love our bread :) Chops Grille steakhouse was extraordinary.
The entertainment could have included a little more variety. I am not an opera or piano, violin aficionado so to have the entire evening performance with one discipline was a little trying for me. The disembarkation at ports was at time extremely difficult with my elderly parents. The were many ways of emptying into the small lower decks which made it impossible to know where the end of the lines were. Tempers were often an issue. Plus if a Royal employee with an excursion crowded in, all bets are off you will thrown off. Perhaps an earlier Excursion only exit would be more amenable to everyone.
Cabin Review
Junior Suite
Our cabin was at the entrance into the Centrum. The late night entertainment noise will wake you up. The solid door which is normally closed at 10pm is left open by those entering to go to their cabins, in addition to the laughter, stomping etc. The balcony view to the glaciers is awesome.
Port Reviews
Santiago (Valparaiso)
Quite a bit of confusion in the city of Valparaiso.
Punta Arenas
We rented a car at this port. The Alamo rental agency is the farthest one from the docks. Since Royal keeps your passport, its impossible to rent a car without at least a copy of your passport. Make sure you copy your passport prior to embarkation. We drove to Fort Buelnes, the sights alone were worth the 45 minute drive. Checking in to Fort Buelnes is tedious and slow at the gate, 20 minutes per vehicle. Make sure you have Chilean Pesos as this will make the process smoother.
Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)
There is not much to do in the city, other than the exhorbitant souvenir shops. I recommend getting out to Tierra Del Fuego National Park. The flora and Fauna of the area is a sight not to be missed. We got a taxi who took 4 of us out for 4 hours. The price paid equally the price of 1 person on Royal Excursion.
Montevideo
Beautiful City. Our tourguide, arranged the morning of arrival was great. He took us to the best sights of the city and recommended a place for lunch that surpassed all our expectations. We even had the opportunity to walk around the city after. The Captain, Dimas Manriquez arranged for us to have extra time at dock.
Buenos Aires
I was amazed at the beauty of this large bustling city. Here again we arranged for a local tour and were not disappointed. Adrian from Mejor Taxi tours knew exactly how to conduct the tour in an efficient manner so we could take in the entire city. He tailored the tour to our likes even stopping at a local Fire Department for pictures with the Firemen. Adrian was careful to inform us of precautions with our belongings.