Dear Critics,We had heard so much about Alaska and decided to save our pennies, book early and visit "The Last Frontier..." however, I have to say that "The Last Frontier" did not live up to our expectations.The weather did not help... low cloud, fog, rain, snow and COLD... obviously in this part of the World the weather is going to be unpredictable (dont believe the brochures!!) We were fortunate to experience a number of sunny spells which demonstrated the magic of the landscape. If you are from Europe and also plan to travel many miles to visit Alaska, our advice would be to select a cruise to Norway and the Baltic States. The landscape is pretty much the same and I would argue more panoramic in Norway.As for the cruise... Well despite the weather we had a FANTASTIC time, as always the crew, their hospitality together with the many new friends that we have made during the last week made our holiday!Embarkation/Disembarkation in Seattle:The Rhapsody of the Seas was located at Pier 91. Despite previous reports of problems at the pier getting on/off the ship we have to say that our experience was very good. Max .15mins to get on (arrived around 12 noon) and via the Express Departure we managed to be off the ship, in a taxi and on our way to the airport in .25 mins.Rhapsody of the Seas:Smaller than other Royal Caribbean ships that we have cruised on but very, very friendly... we would agree with all previous reports that the crew on this ship are very friendly!!As per previous reports, the Rhapsody of the Seas is looking her age. Clean and Tidy BUT... decor in certain parts of the ship is starting to look dated. Our Cabin was 2519 and we noted rust around the floor of the bathroom, the door was also rusty and the shower curtain looked like it had seen many a cruise!! Not much room for luggage either (especially when x 4) we asked for the coffee table to be removed which would have at least created some space but were informed that the Management would not allow this!! - In our opinion, when 4 x guests are in a room, the option should be available to remove the mini sofa and the coffee table. This would create a considerable amount of space. Our only interest is to sleep and shower in the cabin, we do not plan to spend hours watching t.v  The large T.V does not help either or the Tea and Coffee, Ice Bucket, Snickers Bars, 6 bottles of water etc... which clutter up the dressing table. All should have the option to be removed, the T.V should be a flat screen T.V as per other Royal Caribbean ships.2519 does not have a balcony, window etc... so why would anyone really want to spend their entire cruise in this type of room???? - The option to remove the above would be a plus in our opinion. Alfredo did an excellent job looking after our cabin given the circumstances of having to cope with our luggage etc.Food - As we are 'Frequent floaters' - The name assigned by Royal Caribbean to repeat customers, I would suggest that between ships that they mix the menu. We were able to predict the meal each night to our waiter before viewing the menu. The luncheon menu in the dining room is also the same each day, this should be changed too.In general the food was very good but often looked better than it tasted. Many of the cakes looked fantastic but were actually bland and had very little taste. Others were so full of sugar that they tasted awful!!! Ice cream was always a good option.Table 11 - Uzi and Christopher looked after us during dinner. Both were professional, friendly and worked hard.Around the ship... The interior is well maintained, perhaps a little dated but none the less clean and tidy. Parts of the upper decks are in need of attention. We noted work parties varnishing the deck rails but were suprised to note that the decor has been allowed to become so tired.Entertainment: The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers were good but not as good as their counterparts on other RCI ships. We enjoyed the Sha, Na, Na (Grease) night and have to say that the Argentinians are FANTASTIC on the last night of the cruise. The first night was a male comic - he was okay but that's about it. Second night was a female comic who will shortly have her own T.V show in the U.S - The Theatre was filled with laughter however, we didn't laugh once so I assume it was the American V European sense of humour in this case.The Cruise Director was Keith Williams... Compared to Cruise Directors on other RCI ships Keith is quiet BUT we appreciated this as we find that many Cruise Directors are 'Over the Top!' - Keith is polite, warm and at times very funny. We also found him very approachable around the ship, he remembered our names etc. His Team were also good, we enjoyed the various Trivia games, Love & Marriage and ofcourse "The Quest" which on our cruise was probably the funniest Quest that we have seen to date.Adventure Ocean: HalfPint007 is our 'Critic' for the Kids Club. She attended the 12+ session and after 2 days requested to join the 11yr old group. She reports that the 12+ is very poor, the Tutor spent more time on her laptop than working with the group who she advised 'Do what you want...' - According to HP007, RCI need to plan activities for 12-14yr olds, 15+ can 'Do their own thing...' The 11yr old group had many activities and HP007 reports that she had a Fantabalistic time with the Tutors in this group especially "Motor Mouth Michelle!"Cruise Critic Meetings: After a slow start, our Roll Call finally managed to achieve the required numbers for a Cruise Critic meeting. We actually held a Sailaway Party in addition to the official Cruise Critic Meeting on Day 2. Both were well attended and we made a number of new friends who we hope to meet and sail with again on a future cruise.The Cruise Director and the Captain attended the Cruise Critic Meeting. Having the Captain attend was a first for us with RCI (they always attend on Norwegian together with many of the other Officers of the ship) and was appreciated. Both of the above stayed for the best part of an hour chatting with "The Critics!" and we very much appreciated them taking the time to do so.Ports of Call and Excursions: We visited Jeanu, Skagway, Tracy Arm and Victoria. By far the best port of call was Victoria!! (but it had 82F, clear blue sky, lots to see and do) In Juneau we took the White Water Rafting trip... expecting a 'Thrill ride' the river/rapids were a flop!!! - The river was low, we spent much of the trip 'Bump, Bump, Shimmy, Shimmy' in order to get off the bottom of the river bed. I would say that whilst a nice boat ride, this is not value for money given the current water conditions. The Glacier was interesting, the town is small but nice to walk around for an hour or two. Skagway - This town looks like something out of a Disney set. Very small, not much to see or do given the length of time you spend in Skagway. The excursions were expensive, the train ride can be repeated by coach for $30 if you shop around in the town. Due to the cost, we could only afford for 2 of our party to participate in the heli-excursion to the top of the glacier and Husky camp. Both reported that despite the cost, the experience was fantastic and although expensive the trip is worth the money.Tracy Arm - It appears to be a regular 'No go!!' part of the cruise. We were informed that we would not be able cruise in the Tracy Arm fjord... and that arrangements were being made to visit an alternate location. The alternate was a 5 a.m. up on deck to take a look... visit!!!!! - We spent approx 2hrs in the alternate venue which at 5 a.m. was covered in thick fog/drizzle... and you could see very little of the landscape. We arrived at the glacier, indeed the view was amazing with ice surrounding the ship. The Captain rotated the ship and subsequently set course for Victoria. As we left Dawsons we noted other RCI ships waiting to enter. The weather during our early morning visit was not ideal but gave a unique image of "The Land that Time Forgot" - very strange, quite unique.Victoria - Fantastic day, beautiful city - We had a really good time in Victoria.Wildlife: Part of the reason for visiting Alaska was to see the wildlife which the brochures indicate is freely walking around. Well.. we heard reports of bears but never got to see any, we did see a couple of whales, a school of Dolphins on the approach to Victoria and a number of eagles in Juneau. For us, we were disappointed that we did not see more wildlife. The weather probably didn't help... Weather: Day 1 departing Seattle was beautiful however, the Captain warned of more 'bumpy' weather to come during the night and our first day at sea with 3 metre waves expected. The best thing about Cabin 2519 was that it was on Deck 2!! Day 2 of the Cruise - Awoken in the early hours with items flying around the room (Deck 2!!) the ship was in a full blown gale in the middle of the NW Pacific. The 3 metre waves were actually 8+ metres (Around 25ft) which were pounding the ship. Needless to say, many guests were ill and spent the day in their cabin.Day 3 - Awoke early to find the upper deck covered in ice. Hail, Sleet and Snow followed as we approached Juneau. We were lucky in that approx 1hr after our arrival the weather improved and the sun came out (not forecast to do so) the afternoon was very pleasent. Back at sea... the clouds rolled in again, more rain and wind.Day 4 - Low cloud, fog, sunny intervals in Skagway but cold.Day 5 - Following the early morning fog in the Tracy Arm area, the weather improved during the day and became warmer as we sailed south towards Victoria.Day 6 - Hot and Sunny, a glorious day in Victoria B.CDay 7 - Hot and Sunny in Seattle too.We expected the mixed weather pattern and have no complaints. Overall we probably had good conditions other than Day 2 which appears to have been the worst 'sea day' weather that the Rhapsody has experienced during the current Alaska season.Overall Experience: We had a most enjoyable cruise, made lots of new friends  and will probably cruise with Royal Caribbean again however, I doubt we will return to Alaska. From Europe, it is a long, long way to travel for something that we have in our own back yard. Disappointingly, 'The Last Frontier' did not live up to our expectations.DUNKINDONUT