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Rhapsody of the Seas

Graduation Cruise - Helpful Tips

Rouen

We (my sister and I) chose this cruise because of the itinerary, with each of us coming from a different continent this made a change to meet and cruise in the Med rather than the Caribbean.  If we had known that embarking in Cyprus was an additional embarkation port we might have not chosen this. If we had known that Haifa was themain embarkation point we would definitely not have chosen this cruise.

The ship was ok, very similar to the Grandeur we sailed on last year, however the atmosphere onboard was unrecognisable.  It ws horrible.  It was bad enough for those of us who had paid to be there, but we felt so sorry for the crew who have to put up with this every week.

RC let us down as EVERYTHING was geared to those who boarded at Haifa.  By far the majority, this would be understandable, if we, who boarded in Cyprus, had been aware that we would be treated as second class citizens. We were unable to book excursions or have access to the app etc.  However, the worst problem was not realising that the whole cruise was geared towards a certain clientele.

Those clients were horrendous, with a lack of manners recognised by everyone else.  We saw so many 'disagreements' when people with manners objected to be pushed (literally) around.  The Windjammer was pergatory as people were pushing and shoving and being rude to other passengers and crew.  Even taking refuge in the adults only spa was limited as these 'entitled' folk brought their children in and nobody felt able to challenge them.  When I finally gave in and told a huge, able bodied bully on the last evening that he should get to the back of the queue his 'bodyguard' showed me his ID (meant nothing to me as it was not in a language I understand).  I told him I was not impressed (actually went a little Shania Twain :-) )  He pushed in front of the people behind us and my 5ft sister gave him a telling off.

The crew did try their best but they were so mistreated themselves by these clients that a smile and a kind word would light up their face.

RC need to look at their vegetarian offering.  A lot of meat eaters will eat vegetarian dishes, but vegetarians cannot eat meat dishes.  So a more varied vegetarian menu could benefit them.  In no way is it acceptable to have only one dish a day.  It cannot be considered a choice.  In the mayhem that was the Windjammer, there were the occasional bean dishes but labelled vegetarian dishes were not available and vegetarian burgers were on request.

Japhet on guest services and our cabin steward (Imongetaran apologies for the spelling) were lovely.

If I had known before .....

Our family of 7 + 2 (grandparents), Embarked from our home town Limassol, Cyprus for our last full family trip as 4 of my children are graduates this year. The embarkation process was swift and easy.  Then to the customer service desk to connect my visa card to the sea pass cards. Tip 1: Use a revolute type card to exchange Euro to USD to save bank and ship charges. Tip 2: virtual cards are not accepted. Tip 3:  Set a daily spending limit for your teenage kids sea pass cards, for peace of mind. 

F&B:  For some reason Dinner at the main dining room was much, much better than lunch at the Windjammer. Better off having lunch at a taverna on shore. Don't rely on the water dispensing machines or the coffee machines...Tip 4: opt for the water or coffee or even drinks package. Stock you refrigerator with canned water and enjoy decent coffees at the cafe Late-tutes.  Mind you, complimentary sandwiches and cakes were not so good.

Ship walks and land excursions:  Tip 5: Comfortable walking sports shoes is a must, and also take foot bandages for the odd shoes. Tip 6: try to make the most out of your time ashore, by confirming or even booking excursions before your trip whether organized by Royal Caribbean or by locals. The only setback here is if the ship is forced to change itinerary due to bad weather conditions.

Be sure to visit the Theater, and the bars. Tip 6:Crew members are very friendly and helpful, skip the managers and the customer service desk, ask for help directly from your waiter, bar tender, room attendant. If you have an issue with your cabin, press the maintenance button on your cabin phone. Tip 7: Note that all venues on the ship have internal numbers you can call for information directly from your cabin. Or the other way round. Remember your mobile phones will not work when at sea.

Last but not least take advantage of the duty free shops, (nice whiskey collection), and be sure to attend the arts auction for a chance to buy at a good price.

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