I read many reviews of Rhapsody of the Seas and to be honest was a little apprehensive about booking this cruise. We have considerable cruising experience and I can honestly say that my misgivings were unfounded. I can only conclude that those who bemoan this vessel must have phenomenally higher standards than mine! Sure it's a bit dated in parts but the bits that matter are perfectly OK - the state rooms are a decent size, well appointed and clean and the balcony is probably bigger than most. The dining rooms are without exception excellent - and that goes for the food as well although I have to say that we were somewhat disappointed with the Chops Grill and the Italian restaurant but this was probably due to our overwhelming satisfaction with the standards of service and food in the Eidelweis main restaurant. I don't think that any of our party of six had cause to complain about a single meal in this restaurant. The buffet restaurant was also very good - a vast array of food to suit all tastes and always well presented and piping hot. We did however tend to avoid breakfast times there as we preferred to be served in Eidelweis.
The theatre is superb but we only went to a couple of shows, the bars on the whole were very good with good service and the Captain takes enormous pride in referring to the "super friendly" Rhapsody of the Seas in every announcement and it sums it up perfectly - everyone goes out of their way to be pleasant and helpful. The major issue is the main swimming pool - it really should have benefitted from a refurbishment when everything else was updated. It is too small and is only suitable as a plunge pool! Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day trip and would recommend the vessel to anyone seeking a good value cruise.
Exceeded expectations