Background Information: My wife and I cruised on the Rhapsody of the Seas from July 24th to July 31st. We were a part of a group of people who were brought aboard by an art gallery. We have cruised before, but always in the Caribbean. We were on this same ship a few years ago when we cruised out of Galveston. Hotel Info: We flew into Seattle the day before the ship sailed and stayed in the Hyatt in Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle. From the name, I expected Bellevue to be a quiet community, but it was very urban, modern, and hip. There were condominiums, high-rise office buildings, and good restaurants. In the lobby, a piano and bass player who had been playing together for years gave us some great melodies to start our trip. For $200 a night, this was a great hotel! Travel to Port of Embarkation: We took a bus to the Pier 91 and had a smooth embarkation. The process was fast and organized. Signs were clearly posted to direct us. Stateroom: We were in cabin 7048, a balcony room on the port side near mid-ship. The room had a king size bed, adequate closet, desk, couch, coffee table, and end tables. The bathroom was a little bit small, and I wonder how large people can effectively shower. We brought 4 large suitcases plus 2 carry ons and were able to stash all but one under the bed! Ship Info: As others have stated, the Rhapsody is beginning to look dated. I heard that they refurbished the ship a couple of years ago, but it is showing signs of wear. They do seem to constantly be cleaning and maintaining it, though. While we were in port one day, they re-varnished all the wooden banisters on the balconies of our deck. The ship is easy to navigate. Although the ship was full, the ship didn't seem overrun with people. The only time we had to wait in line was to get off the boat at the ports. Otherwise, traffic flowed smoothly. Others have mentioned the vibration on this ship, and I did notice it. For us it was most noticeable in the dining room - to the point that the glasses vibrate. The people in some of the cabins at the back of the boat said that the vibration made it hard to sleep. We were on this ship a few years ago, and I seem to remember some vibrating then too. But I agree that this should not be a normal thing. I should also note that on the first few days at sea (between Seattle and Juneau) the seas were a little rough. We kept ourselves drugged with antinausea medication and were okay. The ride back to Seattle along the Inside Passage was much smoother. Dining: Food is a very individual thing, and it is definitely hard to make everyone happy. Overall, there was plenty of food that ranged from edible to very good, and a few dishes that I would rate as outstanding. We were never hungry, but the food was a little disappointing. In the dining room, 90% of the time the food was hot and tasted good. Occasionally there was a dish that was overcooked. I was very impressed that every time we ordered a steak or prime rib it was delivered as requested, and there was a notable difference in medium rare to medium cooking. I'm not sure how they manage to do that with so many different dishes being plated all at once. Although the steaks were cooked as ordered, the texture of the meat was sometimes tough and chewy (the steaks were medium rare to medium, not well done). The desserts at dinner sounded good but didn't live up to their descriptions. Our table's favorites were the ice cream and the fruit desserts. The Windjammer, which is the buffet area, was stocked with an impressive array of food. Most of this food was better than I expected, considering the massive amount of food variety they have out at any given time. The standout dishes for me were the Indian dishes (they had a different curry dish most days that were fabulous), the salad bar, the crisp hashbrowns in the morning (never got an old-tasting hash brown!) and the omelets. The desserts continued to disappoint, though - again, looking good but being quite tasteless. Overall, the buffet was a pleasant experience. Finally, we ate at the pizza bar in the Solarium. I love the ship pizza, as it is my comfort food before going to sleep (you can only do that for a week, though!). The pizza was hot, fresh, and tasty. In the past I think they had calzones too, but I didn't see any on this trip. Activities: Since the art gallery brought us aboard, we did spend many hours in art auctions, which we enjoyed. The ship did seem to have a lot of activities scheduled, and it was not a ship that shut down at 9pm. My wife enjoyed the scrapbooking sessions, and we spent several hours in the card room playing board games with our friends (the ship does provide some games, but if you want to be sure your favorites are available then bring them from home). It always seemed like there was something to do. One thing that I had hoped to find, but didn't, was a naturalist. We were in a part of the world that was very different from our home, and I would have liked to learn about the wildlife, the terrain, the glaciers, and so on. There was a guest lecturer on board but her topics were more historical. I'm not sure how popular these types of lectures are, and maybe other cruise lines offer more in this department. We spent a few hours in the casino playing blackjack. The dealers were friendly. We would have played craps, but the table wasn't open during the day. The casino is smoke free, which was a great thing! Kudos to Royal Caribbean for making that change! Service: The service ranged from average to very good. Our stateroom attendant, who had only been on a ship for 2 months, made us feel at home. He was very attentive and learned our names within the first few hours of the cruise. That impressed me! The service in the dining room was average, and it is the little things that were overlooked that made a difference. Sometimes salads were served and it would take a while before the dressing bowl would come to the table. The waiters often could not answer questions about the menu, and would simply read us back the description printed on the menu. Water was not regularly refilled. I think that they were trying but seemed stretched thin. I wonder if waiters have to handle more tables than before. The Rhapsody bills herself as the "friendliest ship on the seas," and I do believe that the staff lived up to this motto. Every time I was in eye contact with a staff member, they said hello or asked how I was doing - even the maintenance men and baggage handlers, who are usually "behind the scenes" staff. I continue to be impressed with the sacrifices these people make for their families and how hard they work. Although they do the same thing week after week, they made me feel like the experience was new and exciting for everyone. Entertainment: We went to a few of the shows, and the singing and production numbers were enjoyable. There is a ballroom dancing theme show, a country tribute show, and a tribute to piano players (Elton John, Billy Joel, etc.). We only saw one individual entertainer who did impressions. He was okay - some of his impressions were "right on," and others were so far off that if he had not told us who he was impersonating I would not have known. I left thinking, "not bad for a free show, but I would have been irritated if I'd paid for it." The lounge music was also enjoyable, and the classical music (piano and strings) were quite good. Ports: Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria discussed separately. Tracy Arm Fjord was a "port" as well, although not a port in the traditional sense of the word. A fjord is a body of water between 2 mountains, and we entered the fjord at 5AM (not to worry - it is light at 4:30AM so you can see where you are going!). At first it was just mountains on either side of us, and then these incredible waterfalls - probably hundreds of feet long - appeared. As we got further in, we began to see chunks of ice floating, and at this point the boat slows to a crawl. There are crew at the front of the boat to help monitor the ice, and there was quite a bit of turning to get around ice. Eventually we ended up at Sawyer Glacier. It was a 4 hour trip to get there, but unlike anything I've seen. I definitely recommend getting up to see it. Then the boat turns around and leaves the fjord. The sun reflecting off the ice in the water turned the ice the deepest shades of baby blue I've ever seen. Very cool! Apparently it is entirely dependent upon the ice field as to how far the ship can get in. I think we got lucky because we seemed pretty close. Disembarkation: A very smooth and orderly process. Baggage was waiting for us and was even grouped together by cabin! Summary: We had been looking forward to this trip for many months and were not disappointed! Although there were some areas that could have been improved (some food, some service, and some entertainment), we found plenty to do and were able to do as much as we wanted. I have never talked to anyone who regretted an Alaskan cruise, and would highly recommend the experience.