Rhapsody of the Seas Review
somewheretropical
6-10 Cruises • Age 30s
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Additional details
Sail Date: Oct 2017
Cabin: Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom
I chose this cruise for the ports of call. I've been interested in Greece for a long time. My passion for Greek history and culture began with two Classical Civilizations courses in college. This was to be a vacation of a lifetime for me. Athens was my number one bucket list destination.
This cruise was my first time aboard a Royal Caribbean ship. I researched a ton about this cruise and its ports. In my research I saw NOTHING about weather related issues in Venice, Italy. Future cruisers BEWARE of any cruise out of Venice. Heavy fog can and WILL delay your travel plans and arrangements. Our flight to Venice from Philadelphia had to be diverted to Milan due to heavy fog and poor visibility. We were required to sit on board the plane on the runway in Milan for around 2-3 hours. No one was allowed out of their seats because the plane was refueling. I was freaking out because our flight only left a cushion time of around 5 hours before the ship would be finishing up boarding. When we finally landed in Venice I was alerted through Royal Caribbean that the cruise was delayed due to fog.
The cruise terminal in Venice was horrible. If you are used to the comfort and amenities of Miami's cruise terminal you will be shocked at the terminal in Venice. It reminded me of a livestock auction house. There was not seating for 2400 people to wait for 6 hours for the ship to return. Not even enough seating for half that amount of people. There were inadequate restroom facilities for 2400 people. There was one place to purchase food and it looked sketch as hell. The security was laughable. There was a guard armed with an AK47 "guarding" the cruise port terminal entrance...he was actually just playing angry birds on his phone and not even looking at people's ship cards and passports. Royal Caribbean staff were begging people to go "see the city" while the ship was delayed. We decided to venture out into Venice. It was beautiful but difficult to enjoy after being awake for nearly 31+ hours due to traveling. Too exhausted to even sight see we immediately came back to the terminal and took a nap on the ground.
Cabin Review
Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom
The large oceanview cabin was a decent size but I wasn't a fan of the layout. The bed was under the window instead of against one of the walls. Due to this, you couldn't lay in bed and look out the window unless you put your head at the foot of the bed. We usually enjoy laying and bed and watching our arrival and departure from ports. The bathroom was modern and clean and had plenty of storage. The stateroom was lacking in storage compared to other ships we've been on.
Port Reviews
Kotor
You do have to tender in Kotor but its a very short boat ride. This is one of the most picturesque ports I've ever visited. I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful it was. We walked to old town and decided to hike up to the old fort and ramparts way up on the mountainside. It cost a few Euros per person. Make sure that you have water, GOOD shoes, and sunscreen. The stones you have to walk on are pretty slick, narrow, and uneven. If you make it to the very top you are in for the view of a lifetime. This was an inexpensive but challenging activity and was a wonderful memory with awesome pictures.
Athens (Piraeus)
We took a taxi to the Acropolis very early in the morning. We opted to get the expensive ticket at the Acropolis ticket booth that got us in to multiple other historic sites across town. I believe it came out to be over 100 Euros total. The views of Athens and Piraeus from the Acropolis were simply breathtaking. We really enjoyed walking around the grounds of the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, The Erechtheion, Theatre of Dionysus, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. We spent several hours at the Acropolis before leaving. By the time we left around lunch time, the line at the ticket booth had hundreds of people in it. We didn't even wait in line early in the morning. We walked to the site of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This structure was absolutely huge! It was simply amazing to walk around at sites that are over 2400 years old. From there we walked to the Athens Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. After lunch and some shopping in the Plaka we also visited the Roman Agora and the Horologion of Andonikos of Kyrrhos. I wish we would have had more time to go to a couple of the museums but we had to get back to the ship.
Argostoli (Kefalonia)
We took a taxi to Lassi Beach from the port. The beach itself was beautiful. The water was pretty chilly. We visited Argostoli on a day that originally wasn't suppose to have a ship at port. For this reason, a lot of places weren't open. There was a bar / restaurant at the beach that never opened. There was no place to get food or drinks at this beach and nowhere to rent chairs or umbrellas. We made due with the ship towels and still had a good time. There were plenty of places in the town and close to the port that were open. We had lunch at a restaurant that overlooks the ship. The food was very good. Try some Ouzo while you are there!
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