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We are a family of 3, mom, dad and 9 year old son. Previously we have cruised on Carnival, Celebrity, Disney and Norwegian. Of those, the experiences on Carnival and Norwegian all but assured we won't be back. The RCL Vision 7 night Greek Island cruise made us solid fans of RCL and the Vision. On and off the ship went without a hitch especially since we only travel with carry on luggage. However departing at 7:15 am in Venice meant that the people mover shuttle wasn't operating yet and with a solid rain, we had to blow $20 on a taxi to go the 1.5 miles to the train station. The ship was clean as was our cabin. An inside cabin, #3015. It was clean, smelled clean and everything operated well. We selected a fixed time dining as we prefer to have the same waitress for service as it assures better quality care in our experience. The food was all very good and it arrived at the table at the correct temperature. Service for beverages was quick. We also ate in the main dining room a couple of times for breakfast. The service wasn't as attentive and much slower. Beverages weren't refilled unless you signaled for that to be done. We also had breakfast once in the cafe at the adult only pool. It was quick, simple and tasty. The buffet, Windjammer had good quality food with some variety each day. We enjoyed all 3 meals there but dinner only once. We just preferred the dining room. Food was the appropriate temperature, fresh and tasty. We enjoyed the evening theatre programs a few times. A magician, headline singer and one music/dance show with a disco theme. They were all very good. Our son went to the kids area daily and enjoyed playing with kids his own age and the organized activities. Overall the service was excellent. Crew readily greeted us with a smile and hello. Our cabin steward fulfilled any request and was very warm and friendly. We did not use and excursions but rather did our own thing. With the exception of Athens, all the other ports could be easily accessed on foot. In Chania Crete, we used the city bus between the port and downtown. Read Less

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This was our 1st cruise, we chose the ship due to the itinerary and as a 'taster' to see if we would enjoy cruising. Well it was amazing! in fact we've been home 2 weeks and we've booked our next one for May 17 for hubby's birthday and to introduce our son to cruising. We couldn't fault anything from embarkation to the beautiful locations we visited. Santorini had by far the most amazing scenery. The food and service were outstanding, we ate at Chops Grille and had the most amazing steak. The food in the main dining room was excellent every other night with great choices. Our waiters Kingsley and Edwin were superb. We had a large interior cabin on deck 8 which was ideal. Zoe our housekeeper did a fantastic job and was always willing to help. Entertainment onboard was pretty good most nights, they all worked very hard to put on these shows. All port excursions we did ourselves at a fraction of the cost offered by the ship. Dubrovnik, we took the local bus to the old town and walked the walls, stunning views Ephesus we took the local bus 4euros return and did the tour ourselves, beautiful architecture Santorini, we hired a quad and drove to Oia, wow!! Breathtaking views Olympia we shared a private tour with another couple we met on the ship, also went to the Virgin Mary Church built into the caves Fantastic ship, would definitely cruise with Vision again Read Less

We sailed out of Venice on 15 Aug for an eleven-night cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas. Our stateroom was 7580. We were celebrating our 25th anniversary. We have 60 nights of cruise experience on Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Our overall experience was very good. Check-in at Venice was very smooth and the lines were reasonable. The staff did a nice job with a ship full of people speaking different languages. In fact, I would say that the staff was the strong point of our cruise. Everybody was very friendly and helpful. They really went out of their way to make our anniversary special. This was our first major vacation without our kids (both are young adults now). When we booked our cruise only the early dining was available. We did not ask for My-Time dining. For us, the jet lag from flying from the states matched nicely with early dining. We typically went straight from dining to the early show being about 15’ late, we usually only missed the introduction by the cruise director. This schedule allowed us to be in bed before our jet lagged bodies gave out. We did purchase the 3 meal plan for the special restaurants and scheduled a slightly later time with them. Chops was excellent. Our dining table had 6 seats and the other 4 people were French speaking. One couple never showed up so we were paired up with a couple that spoke very little English-which is way more than the French we speak-none. My wife was very uncomfortable with the situation and kept trying to have a conversation with them. This effort was exhausting and a distraction. The head waiter was French speaking and did a little translating for us but sensed our issue and asked us if we would prefer a private table because we were celebrating our anniversary—this improved our dining experience (and I’m sure the other couple felt the same) dramatically and it is this kind of attention to detail that made me really appreciate the staff. Overall the size of the ship is nice (we have sailed on the Allure and really liked that too). It’s quick and easy to get around on the ship. The Windjammer restaurant was usually very crowded as was Deck 10 around the pool but we aren’t pool people and we just avoided the Windjammer for the most part. My biggest complaint is noise coming from the Centrum area. The Centrum has a stage on the 4th floor that is open all the way to the top of the ship. They have activities in the evening through about midnight that are very loud (music). Our stateroom is only a few feet from this area and it is EXTREMELY loud. Earplugs help very little. At 10:00 pm they close a door leading to the staterooms that helps but people are constantly going through the door allowing periodic blasts of noise. If you are a non-jet lagged, night owl this won’t be a big deal. But if you are craving an early sleep you better hope your cabin is not near the Centrum (ours was 7580). We love having a stateroom with a verandah but when I discovered that the smoking area for the ship was on Deck 5, starboard side, right below us (deck 5 outside area is “two stories” below us) I was worried but we very rarely smelled smoke. The size of our stateroom, including storage space was perfect for two people. You could add a small child and still be ok. Internet. This is the first time we purchased the internet plan on a ship (Voom Surf + Stream 1 device). If you manage your expectations its ok. When it works it works fine. But it was spotty. There were times that we could not connect at all (for example sea days when everyone is trying to research the next day’s port call. Best times were during late diner, first thing in the morning, or during a port call. One tip: when they say “1 device” this means one device at a time. So my wife and I took turns on our different devices-tablets, phones, and laptop. I feel like it was worth having the internet plan. Drink plan. I am not a big drinker, I like a beer occasionally, so the drink plan is not for me. However, my wife loves wine and martinis. We almost purchased the drink plan for her which would have been around $500 for 11 nights. I’m glad we didn’t. She didn’t even spend half of that. By the time you subtract the departure day and the large chunks of time you off the ship at the ports, you have to really drink a lot to make it worthwhile. Gift shop. Even on day 1 the only sizes available seemed to be small and XXXLarge. I guess they figure by the end of the cruise we will have eaten so much that we’ll need the bigger sizes? For a company trying to make money at every corner, it seems strange that they don’t have the popular sizes available. Water package. We paid 47 Euro to have some Evian water in our room. This is obviously ridiculously overpriced. At our first port, Katakolon, the duty free shop sold cases of water for 3 Euro and the staff had no problem with us bringing 2 cases on board. Of course they were hawking all of the liquids for liquor contraband. Ports. Katakolon, Chania, Mykonos, Santorini, Kusadasi, Piraeus, Venice. We did not use any of the cruiseline packages. We find that there are way better deals out there. We use Trip Advisor and have been happy with the results for years. Katakolon-- hire Nicolas at OlympiaTaxi and go see Olympia. Chania—walk around old town have lunch or a drink overlooking the bay. Mykonos—just walked around the city its nice but windy. Santorini-Amazing. We took the bus down to the ruins of Akrotiri and then up to Oia for lunch and shopping. Kusadasi--hired a private guide and went to House of Mary and Ephesus. Piraeus—hired a private guide and went directly to Acropolis at 7:30. We beat the crowds and the heat. We had been to Venice before so we just went and had drinks, diner and gelato. Read Less

My wife booked this cruise, we are a married couple, myself aged 62 and my spouse aged 56. We flew from Gatwick to Rome Leonardi de Vinci airport, then transferred to Civitavecchia port of embarkcation, a tirering first leg but we were well looked after, tip, make sure you carry with you all cruise documentation and have passports to hand, lost count as to how many times we had to show them. Our signing in procedure to board the ship was well organised and simple, any questions you have were quickly responded to in well spoken English, language was never a challenge througout as almost all staff seemed to be well versed with multiple well developed language skills. Finding our cabin was straight forward, one or two wrong turns on the way but with a big ship that is part of the fun and discovering what is around the next corner or on the next level. Plenty of guiding maps well located if you lose your way, which we did many times. Our cabin was roomy, very clean and had a lovely freshness smell, our luggage had arrived earlier and was quickly unpacked. Plenty of cupboard and wardrobe space. Empty cases stowed under beds. Ensuite shower, bathroom is well designed giving the guest the maximum area in the shower, gave top marks for this, as taking a shower was very enjoyable with plenty of room to move about. We booked the 'My Dining' option which gives the maximum flexabillity, I feel this is the best option as your not pinned down to an exact meal time schedule. We headed off to find something to eat and seek out the 'Windjammer' restaurant, it was quickly found, and huge. A super amount of food and beverages, from sausage, burger and chips to curries, rice, carvery, fish, salads and desserts and everything in between. A feast. All is well planned and exceptionally well organised with a superb service level offered by all the very friendly multi national assistant staff. Slept well in our cabin in well proportioned very comfortable beds, absolutely no noise even though the cruise partying had begun throughout the ship. Top marks again. Breakfast seemed to last for an age as there is so much choice, a very high standard of catering is maintained comprehensively during the cruise. Booked the restaurant for a couple of visits and the same very high standard was apparent. Top marks again. Ships activities are impressive well planned and delivers well into the early hours of morning, catering for all comers. The main swimming pools, both indoors with a very tropical personality and outdoor with a very much disco large viwing screen party time feel, are fairly large areas but like most cruise ships I have sailed need to be three times the size to accommadate thousands of guests on hot sunny days especially out to sea, non excurtion days. So plan an early rise, get some breakfast and head to the swimming pool area, all before 8am. Plenty of activities around the pools including superb barbecues. Ships evening theatre shows are of a very high standard. There are formal dress evenings, but everything is of a very casual comfortable laid back nature, just wondering around the ship in the early or late evening was highly enjoyable, plenty of late snacking, coctails, disco, casino or a cup of hot chocolate and bed, very chilled out for families, teenagers and young adults. Top marks again. Shore excursions are all value for money, very well timed and organised. There is plenty of choice for an arranged excursion or to go ashore and do your own thing, plenty of advice is available at a dedicated rather large advisery, excursions, booking centre. Top marks again. End of the voyage disembarkation is organised with exceptional detail and control. Best leaving a ship we have experienced. Top marks again. Summing up this cruise. One word , Excellent. Will definately try another with Royal Caribbean. Please add more cruise departures from the Port of Southampton. Read Less

We chose the cruise for the destinations. Which on 50% of the time was as expected. The others were not as advertised. We had to pay extra to get into the local towns, even when using their shuttle services. In Dubrovnik, they charged $12 per person, they told passengers they needed to purchase tickets before they left the ship, so passengers panicked and purchased. When in Dubrovnik you could get a taxi, seating 5 people for 13 euros, to the town. Something they didn't tell you. They did this on 3 destinations throughout the cruise. Drinks - When booking there cruise at Thomas Cook we were asked and agreed to pay all gratuities before embarking the ship. On arrival we found out we had to pay an 18% gratuity charge for every drink purchased, which they call a service charge, but is on the receipt as a gratuity. When sitting on the open decks not one bar member came around to offer drinks. We always had to go and get our own drink from the bar. Entertainment - In 11 days, we received 2 very poor shows from the show team. We never saw them around the ship socialising with other passengers and when asking about them was told they were rehearsing. If this was the case the show would have been a lot better than it was. On Thomson cruises, the show team do a show every day and a live cabaret or deck party. Even with that amount of shows, the quality is far superior to royal caribbean. The headliners weren't even that good either, the opening night consisted of a woman twirling a hoolar hoop and ribbons for 45 minutes, not entertaining. They also put on a mime act, that looked like he was stuck in an oversized condom for 45 minutes, this was also very poor. To top it off their farewell show consisted of the same lady who opened the cruise. They did have 2 headliners acts in the 11 days that were good, Four ever and a Motown group. Food and Dining - The service was good in both restaurants, but the food was far from adequate. I had to result eating the indian selection every evening and my mother, who can't eat cream or creamy food, was eating salad and the rubbery chicken breast as everything else was masked in sauces. They didn't cater from the British clientele onboard the ship. Crew and Staff - On 90% of the time the crew were rude and very unapproachable, when approached for a complaint about the bar service they were very invasive. We did approach the issue of the gratuities and they say it was down to royal caribbean who set the prices on the bar and this couldn't be changed. We are taking it further. The only people that were approachable and nice were Janette and Maria in the Windjammer restaurant and Roberta in the Schooner Bar. Disembarking - We were thrown off the ship at 9am and sent to the airport, even though our checkin wasn't open until 11.45 and we couldn't board the plane until 1.10pm. There were limited seating and way too many passengers in the airport for the size of it. If you wanted to stop on the ship, you had to pay $35 per person and then you could only sit in one place and couldn't get food or drink. When you pay over £1500 per person you expect more. Cabin - The Cabin and cabin steward was excellent, could not find any issues. Adult areas - Even though the solarium was advertised as adult only, children were still using the facilities and nothing was done by the crew. I think royal caribbean need areas, especially bar areas, where children aren't allowed. E.g the schooner bar. I have travelled with them now 3 times and it has got worse every time. They are adding costs on everything you do. I would not go with Royal Caribbean again. Read Less

I booked this cruise based on the ports and overall were very pleased. My mom joined my husband and I so we booked a Family Ocean View stateroom on deck 4. This was the perfect room for us with a separate sleeping area for my mom. The room had large black out curtains to help create privacy or have someone watch TV on the couch if others were sleeping. It is very close to the elevator, but had very little noise. I would book this room again. After booking, we realized we had been on this ship before in 2002 to Mexico and then again in Alaska. We were anxious to see the ship and the improvements. Everything was clean and in good working order in the cabin and throughout the ship. The common areas were nice, tastefully decorated and in good shape. We enjoyed getting to know the staff and were surprised at how quickly the staff learned our names and our preferences. My husband has an egg allergy and the head waiter came around nightly after dinner to help him preview the menu to ensure he had choices for each course at dinner. The bartenders in the Centrum and in the dining room remembered our drinks and always had them ready when we arrived. It was wonderful to get to know them and appreciate how friendly and ready to serve everyone was on board. We arrived in Venice 3 days before the cruise and enjoyed exploring the city. We arrived by 11:30 for embarkation and were pleasantly surprised to find out our ship was the only one in port. This made it easy to navigate and we were on board quickly. Disembarkation was just as smooth. We had an early flight out of Venice so we kept our luggage and walked off easily to our private transfer. Ports included Olympia (Katakolon), Crete (Chania), Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus (Kusadasi), Athens (Piraeus), and one day/night in Venice before disembarkation. We arrived on time at all ports. I had booked private excursions at 4 of the ports and had no lines exiting the ship. We did leave the ship early each time, within an hour of docking. I heard there were lines much later in the day. Tendering was also easy at Mykonos and Santorini. There were several crew members to help passengers get on and off safely. We lucked out and were the only ship in port at most of our stops. In Santorini, being the only ship is port meant a short line to ride the cable car! We ate breakfast and dinner in the main dining room daily. The quality of food was good, but the selection was limited with several entrees repeating nightly. I don't remember this on our previous trips. Lunch is the Windjammer was good with lots of choices. The service usually outdid the food. On cruise days, we enjoyed playing trivia, line dancing, the casino, sitting by the pool or bingo. There were plenty of choices and we also had fun just sitting and visiting with new friends. We also celebrated our 28th anniversary on board and were surprised by our room steward with swan towels, banners, and a door sign. With my pre-planning and the friendly staff, we enjoyed this cruise a lot. There were many small touches from the staff that made the trip even more special and one we will remember for many years. Read Less

We chose this ship because of the dates it sailed & the itinerary. The ports were great. We were able to see 7 experience so much history. The food was okay but was very similar every time. Even in the sit down dinner you were served the same food as the buffet, The were periods during the day where there was very little selections of food. Once for breakfast they had to cut 6 bagels before they could cut one. The cabin was nice .Our youngest one liked their kids camp. Entertainment was good & varied. Some of the performers were quite good. We did not use the fitness area or enrichment activities. We did not use the ship excursions as they were too expensive for 7 people. We hired personal guides who were excellent & very patient with the children. We enjoyed the food on land & tried many different cuisines Read Less

We stayed in Venice for a few days before joining the ship, & in fact saw it arriving the day before we embarked, when we were out walking. We are Diamond Plus members & decided to opt for an Owners Suite for this cruise. We have never been on the Rhapsody, but have sailed on other Vision class ships, as well as all other classes, except the newest ones. Charles, our room attendant was one of the best we have had, and we have been fortunate to have had good ones in the past. Our room was very close to the wing of the Bridge, so could see what was going on there, for arrivals & departures, if we looked over our balcony. The Captain, Johan, was marvellous & a joy to speak with, which we did almost daily. He was right when he always finished his reports by saying the the ship was "ever friendly & super happy"..... It all comes from the Master, Officers & Managers, down through the crew. The CD, Patricio, was excellent, the best we have encountered. At the Captain's Corner, which in our opinion was poorly attended, he kept good control of questions, especially when they were asked in Portuguese ! The Captain, on that occasion, demonstrated his good sense of humour & excellent command of English ( He's Swedish). He addressed questions posed, very well, and those that were not able to be solved on board, he, the Hotel Director & CD, said HQ would be advised....The main criticism being ....smoking in the casino. How many times has this been brought up...RCCL say they listen, but they are taking their time with this, although give them credit, it has been banned from balconies & indoor pubs. Just needs the Casino to be a clean air place and many people, including crew will be happy. It's not just a personal preference, but a health issue. When will they realise that passive smoking is as injurious to health as active smoking ? We feel for the crew, who have to be subjected to smoke daily, for long periods. We shall cease the rant on this subject, something about which we feel very strongly...if you haven't noticed, sorry ! We have cruised many times during the 12 years we have been cruising & think this cruise topped them all. We have to admit that we never join in with the activities, preferring to use the fitness centre on sea days, or sit on our balcony & read. On the couple of occasions when we did go up on deck to sit, we found it impossible to find a lounger because the majority of people booked their places from early morning. This is not a thought, but when we used to go to Park Cafe for early breakfast, towels were already on loungers ! On this ship, Gold Card holders did not have a reserved area. Park Cafe was an excellent choice for us as it was always quiet, the servers helpful & friendly & the place very clean & tidy, although we were normally the first people in the place ! The toasted English muffin with egg, ham & cheese, which was always hot, set us up for the day, along with a tub of fruit salad & yoghurt. We ate only once in the MDR for a few reasons...Firstly, we know the menu inside out, as we cruise several times a year, secondly, we always request a table for two, which we seldom get, but we did on this cruise... However, it was really a table for 20, as the tables were so close together and one side for seating was a long couch effect for all guests sitting at that side of the tables. Finally, it took an age to be served our cold starter, then even longer for our main course. We know some people like long intervals between courses, but when we do not normally have much, if anything, at lunchtime, we do not want to expect to fill up on bread & water. The food has always been good, but we know it so well, that we preferred to opt for somewhere else.The Head waiter did say she could improve the service, but we decided to go the Windjammer every evening where we could help ourselves to whatever & when we wanted. The Windjammer food was always tasty, hot & varied. The fact senior Officers dine there is testimony itself. It suited us to have one course consisting of several items. We did not normally have any sweets or puddings, although my husband did splurge one evening ! We did not go to any of the other restaurants for the reason just given. In the past we have been offered a table in Chops & Giovanni's, but declined as we could not do the menu justice...... The ports of call were good, and we were lucky to be one of the first off daily, thus avoiding problems with long queues for tenders, which evidently happened on one occasion, but did not affect us. Having never been to Zadar, we were pleasantly surprised by the old town & thoroughly enjoyed walking round the place,on a Sunday morning, visiting churches where Mass was being celebrated, the music so pleasant to listen to. We don't do any shore excursions,except shuttle buses if the distance to town is great, as we prefer to do our own thing, unless the places of interest are far from the ship. On this cruise we had no problems seeing everything we wanted by walking, or taking the paid shuttle in Zadar, the old town being very far from the port, not at all within walking distance by any stretch of the imagination. The Concierge was very attentive & pleasant, as was the barman in there. We could highlight people who were good, but suffice to say, everybody we encountered were top notch & it was good to meet senior officers in the lounge nightly...something that doesn't happen on every ship. We would happily return to this ship if Captain Johan & team are at the helm. Finally, we have never submitted a review on this site, but felt that others should know how good we found this cruise, especially those holding office within the company ! Read Less

We arrived in Rome 2 days before the cruise left and had an amazing time exploring the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Ahhhh... the food in Rome was to die for. We stayed at a small B&B, A View Or Rome, and loved it. Embarkation was a piece of cake. We arrived at Civitavecchia at 11:15 and we were on board at 11:45! Our stateroom was very clean and had plenty of closet space. We were a bit disappointed in the food in the main dining room, Tides. On other cruise lines there was always a night of where the menu had special choices. Filet Mignon or Lobster tails. They were available but for a surcharge. We did eat in Chops and Giovanni's. The food and service was outstanding. We will probably purchase the 5 dinner package for specialty dining the next time we cruise on RCI. I will say, however, that the service in the main dining room was exceptional. Both the waiter and head waiters were very helpful and very entertaining. The food in Windjammer for breakfast was good. Although I found the bacon to be extremely salty and didn't have it again after the 2nd morning. The choices for lunches was very good. We loved Messina. My husband's parents were from there. He remembered the astronomical clock from when he was a child. It brought back many fond memories for him. Mykonos was lovely. We went to the beach on our own. Beach transfer through RCI was $39 pp. We shared a cab over for 15 euros per couple. We took the bus back for 2 euros each. Royal Caribbean charged $12 pp for a shuttle into Mykonos. There was a water taxi right in port that charged 2 euros pp to head over. Big savings. Total cost going to the beach ourselves was 31 euros per couple as opposed to almost 80 euros per couple. Ephesus' country side was beautiful. My own insecurities with being in Turkey kept us from doing any tours there. We did go into town but the merchants were like vultures and made us very uncomfortable so we just went back to the ship and sat by the pool. Santorini was absolutely beautiful. We decided to explore on our own. We actually walked up to the top rather then using the tram. It was an adventure. Dodging donkey dung and then having to hug the wall when the donkey's came trotting down was a bit scary.. but I'm really glad we did it. We opted to take the tram down. The view from the top was spectacular. We booked the Ancient Athens tour and was very disappointed in it. The fact that it started pouring didn't help matters. I thought the cost of $59 pp was very steep for what we got...which wasn't much. A ride to Acropolis Hill and a ride to the Ancient Olympic Stadium. That was pretty much it. The tour guide was lovely, but there really wasn't much for her to talk about. We did get to shop in Plaka for an hour and a half. Athens on a whole was a big let down. A very cosmopolitan town with graffiti everywhere. If we stopped at this port again on a future cruise, I would probably opt to stay on board. We booked the Naples tour through Joe Bananas tour of Italy. It was 120 euros pp. Best money spent on entire cruise. We had a driver that took us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompei. Loved the shopping in Sorrento & Positano. The lunch that was included with the tour was the best meal we had the entire trip! We never thought the food would stop coming. It was beyond amazing. We enjoyed the tour of Pompei. Disembarking was smooth also. We had transfers through the cruise line to take us to the airport. That was very convenient. Our stateroom steward, Jose was a joy. Cabin was always kept clean. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise. We would most definitely do it again! Read Less

this was my least enjoyable cruise,I have gone with several companies with different ammenities and attractions but royalcaribbean international not the cheapest but very poor value ,no toiletieries very basic entertainment karaoka bingo.nd afteramy luugage was lost at the port and after three weeks of phone calls and paying one hundred and forty six euros to have my luggage returned I have not had my luggage. I have spent a fortune on phone calls which have not been returned. emails from myself and my son have been ignored. Iam71 years of age and recently uder gone major surgery this has been very stressfull for me and my family.the prices to have hair styled or to buy bottle of wine was very expensive,the staff in all the bars and resurants were all very polite and helpful las in most ships are.,the cabin was very small and getting out of bed you had to be carefull to mind your head on the tv Read Less

Not at all interested in Royal Caribbean's big ship activities. I'm not into sky diving, surfing, rock climbing or zip lining so I figured the 2000 person Rhapsody would be a good choice I like the smaller ships. Not good choice at all. Embarkation: They shared terminal space with Costa. Signage was so small our driver missed it first time by. Then they used 8 1/2 X 11" paper to label where to drop your luggage and to check in, so walking around in circles was the start. We arrived between 10:45 and 11:00 and had no delays in checking in. Once on board was another story. Enter deck 1 and nobody to direct you where to go, but they sure had people just inside the door trying to sell you something already. They had signs up only wanting you to use only half the elevators so they could bring up luggage. I guess they have no crew only service elevators. Try to find our cabin first only to find hallway doors closed and signs saying can't get to your cabin till 13:00. Find our way up to the Windjammer Buffet. I always circle once to get a feel for what's available. See some fish and tried to pick up a piece. It was so over cooked and dried out it could have been used to side your house, the sauce just ran off of it. Looked at the roast beef that looked over cooked and dried out and was cold. After deciding on salad we went to explore the ship until 13:00. Ship looked nice but did notice smell in the stairway between decks 4 to 6. Went down to our floor at 13:00 still couldn't get in until 13:15. For the first three mornings in the buffet they had pre-cooked fried eggs and omelets. They were so overcooked and cold you could play ping pong with them. Everything out on the buffet was cold. The bacon was so under cooked the fat hadn't even started to render yet and was grey. In fact the only rare to medium rare meet to be found was the bacon. Tried the lamb in the MDR one night, of course ordered med-rare came out well done, was so tough and strong smelling I think they were trying to pass off mutton as lamb. They have a bar in the back of the ship called Shall We Dance. I think the only thing it was used for was art auctions and trivia games. Every nigh they have to use the main atrium as their live performance/dance hall. Once that madness was over at 24:00 we got to listen to hydraulic pumps for the next 30 minutes. Main stage shows were good. Royal Caribbean dancers did a good job and the Elton John impersonator was good. Usually the volume worked it's way to the loud side by the end of the shows. They had no side entertainment other than musical type shows and they were in the atrium usually. Other than a magician main stage show one night, there was no comedian or other type shows throughout the ship. Disembarkation went very well. Coffee and rolls were available in the main theater and most all groups were called before their scheduled time. Our disembarkation time was 07:45 and I think we were off the ship by 07:40. They had people in the baggage area directing you to your luggage tag group which helped and was nice. I feel that between the poor quality of food, the fact that every night in the MDR they had people from the three specialty restaurants trying to sell you a meal there, and the fact they kept up with the hard sell even after you said no. It was $25.00 for the martini demonstration and $35.00 to take the galley tour. Their activities during the day were not that interesting and we skipped almost all of them. I don't see myself sailing on Royal Caribbean again. Read Less

This cruise included destinations I always wanted to visit: Mykonos and Santorini and started/ended in Rome which we also wanted to explore. We went on two shore excursions to Epheseus in Turkey (Kusadasi port) which we were delightfully surprised to enjoy as much as we did and Athens which was more hectic as the crowds at the Acropolis were huge. We had amazing weather in each port and despite reading other reviews, NEVER had an issue finding a lounge chair and chose a few nights in my time dining and the rest in the Windjammer Cafe buffet which we loved. We enjoyed the onboard shows, had a great oceanview room kept immaculately clean by the staff and truly enjoyed the experience from start to finish. In Santorini, we chose to get off the tender and take a speedboat to Oia for 10 Euros which included a bus transfer to Fira and then we took the cablecar down to the port/tender and had a great day away from the crowds/formal tours. In Mykonos, we just wandered the streets as well as Katakalon...enjoyed seaside dining, drinks and free wifi wherever we sat and ordered since we refused to pay the exorbitant wifi fees on board. We HIGHLY recommend this cruise! We did a full day in Rome before we left with half day golf cart tour with Roberto of www.tours-europe.com and then a 3 hour Vatican private tour he arranged and when we returned to Civitavecchia, he arranged a guide to meet us at the ship and take us to a day of touring in Tuscania, Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto which was amazing. Truly, a dream trip for us :-) Read Less

We had cabin 8100, a JS facing the back of the ship. The cabin and balcony size were outstanding BUT this is an older ship and it simply cannot handle speeds in excess of 15 knots even with calm seas without without causing severe shakes and rattles and where in the back of the ship, but worse in the cabins itself. The first night out at sea at over 20 knots with a calm ocean you simply could not sleep in the cabin, the rattle and shaking was like a 7.0 on the Richter scale. Worse, it would be calm and quiet for about 5 seconds and then the shaking would start for about 10 seconds and it did this all the time! I finally complaint in the early morning and it was perfectly calm for about an hour before it started back up again. When the ship slows down to about 15 knots there are no issues - I believe that there is an imbalance in the propulsion system that resonates like crazy when they crank up the engines! The food situation on Royal Caribbean ships like this one is becoming impossible! The main cafeteria shuts down between 3pm and 6pm and the only food available are snacks in the little cafe by the solarium - imagine 2000 people coming back from their excursions and wanting food! The cafe simply could not handle it and room service takes way too long, so if you like to eat on your schedule better look for another cruise line. In general, Rhapsody is a tired old ship. The shows at night were extremely mediocre and the entertainers 3rd rate at best. Good thing that the ports were interesting as the ship left a lot to be desired. Read Less

after reading some reviews on here about the rhapsody of the seas and the ports such as Santorini, Athens etc, we were a bit nervous but the reviews are a lot of nonsense. 10/10. can not fault our cruise, the ports, the boat nor the staff. EXCELLENT!!!! would highly recommend it to everyone. It is filled with excitement for all age groups. From pool parties and competitions to casinos, line dancing and all sorts. We were never left with nothing to do. Excellent value for money with the drinks package. Also we dined in the Edelweiss Restaurant and the staff there were amazing, kept us all entertained with their songs and dance for the whole restaurant. We are looking into booking our next one already and we are just back. 10/10 without a doubt!!! Read Less

Things that I didn’t like about Rhapsody of the Sea: Food- Food tasted like hospital food - it actually came out on the same type of covered plate they give you in a hospital. They brought fresh squeezed OJ to your table at breakfast, but you had to pay $5.50 for a glass- otherwise you got some other OJ?? Always ran out of coffee at breakfast buffet in morn. If you wanted a decent meal, you had to go to one of the three specialty restaurants, which cost additional $40 per couple. We felt it very unfair to have to pay to get decent food. The specialty rest. on other cruises were available if you wanted to try something different or more private- not to just get a decent meal. Excursions- 2 of our booked excursions were cancelled the night before- one reason was mechanical failure?? and the other was not enough response, although we were told they had 22 people sign up and it was an expensive tour $149.00 per person. The tours that we did go on , never started on time. On one occasion we were waiting around 30 minutes past the time. On one tour at the end we were brought to 1 store only (in Athens where there is a whole shopping area) The items in this 1 store were almost triple the price elsewhere . I bought a bowl for $10 the day before, and this shop had the exact same bowl for $25. I questioned the tour guide and she stated it was part of the tour. I asked her if they paid the cruise ship for the stop and she could not answer me. Stateroom- we never received any amenities (shampoo, condit, body wash etc) We were told that they started only giving them to suite staterooms. Water constantly ran out of shower into bathroom. We wound up taking showers in the Spa, because although they had the exact same type of showers, the showers in the spa had a door, unlike just a curtain in our room. Entertainment- below par- used to Broadway or Las Vegas type shows, and these were not of that quality at all. NEVER got a lounge chair by the pool- we sat in chairs we dragged from the dining room. If you ate lunch around pool, it was a long time before anyone came to clear them- both times I had to ask for someone to come. Positive- Our waitstaff and cabin attendant were very good and the Greek Islands were AMAZING!! Read Less

We just came off the Rhapsody and had a most enjoyable cruise. The ship is absolutely beautiful. While not new, she was recently refurbished and is very well maintained. Loved her color schemes and the overall decor. Plus she rides very smoothly. We had a GS which was excellent and really enjoyed the great space and large balcony, plus amazing bathroom. Food in the MDR and Windjammer were both excellent, well prepared and tasty. The crew was awesome, very hardworking and friendly. Entertainment was surprisingly good, there were two production shows with good singing, plus they had a string band from London one night and an Italian singer another night. While the ship was almost completely full, the ship is well designed and overall, we never experienced bottlenecks anywhere except sometimes when disembarking for shore excursions and once at the Windjammer. Overall, this ranks as one of the best cruises we have taken so far. We highly recommend the ship and would love to go back on her some day! Read Less

The Rhapsody of the Seas is showing its age. But so is it's crew. Compared to newer designs, Rhapsody of the Seas doesn't feel large enough for the capacity it holds. But beyond that, other gripes emerge. The food in the main dining room being of worse quality than the Windjammer buffet doesn't bode well for RCL. The crew tries hard but there are limitations. The saving grace for our cruise was the destinations themselves,. I've been on other cruise ships whose itinerary was repeated for me and we enjoyed ourselves on board. That would not be the case on the Rhapsody. Read Less

7 night cruise starting in Rome and stopping in Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Katakalon (ancient Olympia) with a sea day at beginning and end. You don't arrive at the first stop, Santorini, until 1 pm and we found the tender process very slow so we didn't manage to get off the ship until after 2 pm. By that time the queue for the funicular up to Thira was long and everyone was getting hot and fractious. Thira is a pretty town with lovely views, souvenir shops and bars and restaurants, but I'd definitely recommend a dip in the sea before going up there. We took a boat trip from the old port (not a RC trip - we found ourselves) around the volcano and swimming in the caldera, which was truly one of the best experiences I have ever had. Timing of other stops - morning to late afternoon, is much better. We didn't take any of the RC tours but all sights very accessible independently. Dining - we dined every night in the Edelweiss, early sitting. We were really happy with the food, standard of service (Demaciano and Frank) and very much enjoyed the company of our table companions. Our young teenagers were always made to feel very welcome, and some of the waiters also did a great sideline in magic tricks (Jaycee especially). Entertainment - there was something for everyone - my teenage daughter especially enjoyed the dancers and the acrobatics; my husband loved the piano bar and the singer Anthony Michaels, and the 70s disco inferno party was a spectacular and a real blast. The kids loved the rock climbing wall and Harriet and Stefan were very kind and encouraging. My one real gripe was the sunbed situation on sea days. On the first day we didn't even manage to get one sunbed between the four of us, so many beds were "reserved" with towels, despite notices on the poolside saying this was not allowed. On the second morning, staff did start putting post it notes on sunbeds, limiting "reservations" to 30 minutes, but this was too little, too late. On the last day we were up really early to get our spot and ended up behaving like a family of meerkats every time someone wanted to get up to get a drink or do something else - not very relaxing. The staff are so excellent every where else I do think there should be more focus on this aspect - e.g. staff helping people to find a spot, clearing items left on sunbeds themselves rather than leaving passengers to do this; and having more beds in reserve on sea days - there was additional deck space which could be used. The Windjammer is equally crowded, especially at breakfast times, with guests pretty rude, pushing and getting irritated. We mostly didn't get a table inside, but Windjammer is the only choice for breakfast if you wish to eat before 8:30 ( and you have to if you want a sunbed!). Contary to other reviews I've read, I thought the Windjammer food was ok for a mass produced buffet. Only other thing to mention is the wifi, which at 20 USD per day for one device is a complete rip off. I understand that service will be constrained at sea, but once in port, free wifi should be available - we are in the 21st century after all. Read Less

My wife and I have cruised on NCL and Celebrity and are really fans of cruising. This was our fourth cruise. However, our recent voyage on Rhapsody of the Seas is making us rethink going again soon. On our recent cruise to the Greek Islands there were not enough deck chairs. That meant that you could never sleep late because you had to get a deck chair or risk sitting on the deck on a towel. What was worse, the deck patrol went around putting postits on the chairs with the time you left them. Stay anywhere more than one half hour, they physically took your chair away. My wife and I ate our meals with one of us getting food and one guarding the chairs. If you have ever been in a meeting and worried about feeding the parking meter, then you know the ambiance of Rhapsody. Not relaxing. The buffet at breakfast and lunch magically transports you back in time. Close your eyes and you are back in your college dining hall. I have seen corned beef hash before, but never swimming in either water or grease on the bottom of the chafing dish. Bacon was a stuck together mass. Dinners in the main dining room were good, and Chops was as good as any NYC steakhouse. While the ship was always announcing things where you could spend money on an activity, there was not a word said when we cruised by what we later learned is one of the most famous active volcanoes in Italy. The ship smells of sewage at various places. A husband and wife told us the story of blaming each other for the smell and finally spraying hairspray in the room to cover the odor. Except for the "trapeze" act and battle of the sexes on the last night of the cruise, the entertainment that we saw was mediocre. (The violin ensemble was terrific, however.) Shore excursions were wonderful. Delos should not be missed. If you are going to go to Delos (when in Mykonos), skip the Akitari ruins shore excursion on Santorini. The tour of Olympia and the winery on Katakolon should not be missed. The staff tries hard. If you buy a restaurant package, don't expect Izumi to know you have already prepaid for your food. The maitre d' is a wonderful woman who cares about the guests, but there is a lack of communication somewhere. Read Less