Second part of our cruise, which started November 17. Disembarked and made our way into town on the People Mover. The city experienced some rain for the past two days and was flooded. They put up ramps about 1 1/2 foot high to walk on, not very wide, but did the trick of keeping dry. Loved the city, will go back to spend more time exploring in the future. The ship needs some updating. Captain Tobias Oster was great. Very visible and friendly. The Windjammer was really crowded and hard to find a clean table. They weren't that quick in cleaning tables. Getting to the food was another issue. The buffet is set up in a circle in the middle, which makes it hard to navigate. Not much variety for dinner. Went to the main dining room most nights. Breakfast was good, made to order eggs and waffles. Lunch was hit or miss. Service could have been better. Entertainment was good and non stop. The weather was cold and rainy, so no music at the pool. Read Less

I have been on this ship last year (Feb 2018)(Tampa/Belize/Roatan/Cozumel/Costa Maya) and it was an excellent experience overall. My partner and I booked this ship again and did a Mediterranean cruise (Venice/Dubrovnik/Kotor/Santorini/Katakolon). I was excited initially as I brought my brother and sister-in-law and it was their first time to cruise. Can’t really complain with the cabin as we booked an interior cabin and it served its purpose considering we will be out most days anyway. However, we have noticed that there are elements in the room that are really run down and needs replacing. But for the price we paid, didn’t really bother me that much. The embarkation was ok, no complaints, pretty smooth actually. So on the first day, probably due to the weather, there was no sail away party! Even an indoor party would’ve been nice to have set the mood. It was all a bit blah. Also disappointed that there was no lobster night! Was informed they don’t do lobster nights on a European cruise. Food was better, the food in the main dining room was excellent. Really enjoyed it. The cruise director Elvis got better towards the end. I like his sense of humour but there’s not enough of him! I only liked two cruise director staff - Tanya and Gianni. The rest needed some personality transplant. Ports of call could’ve been excellent, the weather was just a let down! Maybe do this cruise in the summer months or you’ll be experiencing rain!!! Having said that we still enjoyed it! Now to the biggest letdown - The entertainment! The headliner shows were alright. The production shows however are the same 21 months ago!!! Although the 4 singers were better than the last time, the faces of a couple of dancers were really distracting. It’s like “look at me and my showbiz jazzy robotic smile”. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. Also I had my LASIK surgery since I last cruised with Rhapsody and got better than 20-20 vision and I could not believe what I saw - the female dancers were wearing wigs with chin straps!!! They look horrible! And the amount of pirouette they have in each number was outrageous. It’s like I’ll stretch my legs to the right do a pirouette, move to the front and do a pirouette! My head was spinning watching. Defo need a new choreographer and wardrobe. Now with the costumes - I think it slightly got better the last time but I couldn’t help but chuckle in one number when the female dancers were dressed like red condoms with a glittery hand on their head! I mean what was that!!! Overall, it wasn’t my favourite. Not enough activities onboard either since we can’t sun bathe due to the weather. Just a shame as I loved this ship the first time around! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we got a good deal on it. We're long-time RCI sailers, so only go on their line. The ports were lovely; I had never been to Europe before except a land-based Italy tour, so it was good to see other sides of Europe. We didn't do any excursions, just wandered through the towns. As for the ship, it is showing its age with minor issues here and there, but it's still nice. The amenities are just right for the size of passengers. The food and the entertainment are awesome, up to RCI's high standards. I was pleasantly surprised, as the food quality had gone down in some of my previous cruises. Yes, they don't offer lobster any more on the formal night, but there are delicious entrees for everyone at each dinner. We ate at the MDR each night and the two lunches at sea, except at Chops the first night. Windjammer was good for breakfast and lunch, and is relatively large (compared to other RCI ships) for the number of guests, so you usually can find a table. The guest activities through the cruise director's staff were fun, and there was a great variety. I didn't use any of the fitness centers this cruise. It was nice to see that the cruise director's zumba classes were done in the Centrum rather than the little area in the fitness center. The thing I love best about this and all my RCI cruises is the variety of cruisers and the crew. Young and old, active and not, from all over the world. It will keep me coming back! Read Less

We chose this cruise as a before Christmas break, we anticipated cool weather being early Winter, however we hadn't expected the rain! Rhapsody is getting to look tired, the outside has yellow rust stains, the interior well worn in places. The previous cruise had an outbreak of Noro virus so boarding was delayed to allow a deep clean, the Ship was clean and crew were seen frequently washing down rails, tables, chairs in all public places. Outbreak measures were in place in dining rooms, salt & pepper pots were replaced with paper sachets for first 72 hrs. The Crew however are friendly and helpful. Smoking in the Casino makes it an unpleasant place to be for non smokers. The my time dining option is obviously very popular, however the tables in the my time area are crowded together which spoils the ambience. Service was a good standard and food quality was high. The windjammer can be variable and space is an issue on Rhapsody, despite cool weatjer we had no choice but to eat outside on a number of days as the insidd was jam packed. Shows were of the usual standard, entertainment in the Centrum was good, Breakfast in the main dining room was a big disappointment, food cold & limited choice, definately a drop in standard we have had previously on Rhapsody and other ships. Also the time that breakfast is served in main daining room is very limited, will not bother with it again. Chefs table was a great evening, high quality food and superb wine pairings. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary. The centrum is the common area where they have nightly entertainment. Seating is limited on the 4th floor. People hang over the balconies of higher floors to take part. On the 3rd day of the cruise, we were informed that a small percentage of guests had Norovirus. So no touching food in the Windjammer and extensive sanitizing around the ship. Was worried because we were continuing on this ship the next week. The food in the Windjammer was average. Had dinner in the dining room most nights. My Time Dining is great. You can go when you want, not early or late seating. Captain Tobias Oster was very engaging. Saw him many times throughout the cruise. The entertainment in the theatre was pretty good. Most nights had 2 show times. Itinerary was good and getting off at each port was organized and fast. Read Less

Awesome service awesome itinerary outdated ship. Not much onboard activity. Food quality wasn’t the best. We wound up eating at specialty dining 4 of the 7 nights. The specialty dining was awesome and thank goodness for that. The customer service was superb. All employees went above and beyond to make you feel welcome. The internet was pretty good up until our last day. This is an older ship so it lacks some of the amenities we are used to. Also the live music catered to. Much much older crowd. Overall I’d say it was a good cruise because we had an awesome itinerary. This ship definitely would not be my first choice but it would not be my last either. Maybe during the next refurbishment the rhapsody will get a few bells and whistles and also an updated windjammer menu. Lord it was chicken every day lol. Chops was worth every penny. Read Less

I have always wanted to go on a cruise, I saved money for a long time, in order to take my daughter on this cruise. I had been given very high expectations from family and friends who have cruised, regarding the level of service that I could expect and the quality of the food. My first disappointment was when we were met at Venice airport by Royal Caribbean staff, who told us that we had to wait half an hour for our transfer to the ship. The staff were rather abrupt and rude. When we got off the transport at the quay side, we were directly across from the ship, however we were told that we had to carry our own suitcases off the coach and take them to the crew who were about 10 paces away from us, in order for them to be delivered to our cabins. I felt that the staff should have got our luggage off the coach for us, given the supposed high quality of service that is allegedly offered. My experience of embarkation was of being herded like cattle by very rude staff. I booked an inside cabin because I was advised that they are very and that I wouldn’t spend much time in it anyway, my first impression was that it was dingy and dark. As the week progressed, we got used to the cabin, although we wished I had booked an outside cabin. There was adequate wardrobe and storage space and the bathroom was fine, it just felt too compact. The food in the main restaurant and the buffet restaurant was average, possibly the standard that you would expect to get in a three star hotel. The food in the fine dining restaurants was excellent, however it cost an additional 40 Dollars for each meal. The service at the bars eas slow, it took an average of ten minutes to get a drink, when the bar was empty, the staff would start getting my drink and then wander off and do something else and then come back to give me my drink. Waiter service for drinks was even worse, taking up to half an hour from ordering the drink to actually getting it. The entertainment was abysmal, I was expecting West end style shows but I certainly didn’t get anything like that, it was very disappointing as it was a film or the cruise staff putting on an amateur tshow. In all honesty, I think that the entertainment at Butlins was much better. Both the indoor and outdoor pools were freezing and I wasn’t able to use them, the jacuzzis were very nice. The main areas of the ship were lovely, particularly the atrium. I wouldn’t recommend the Rapsody of the seas to anyone, generally the service was atrocious, half of the staff were pleasant and the other half were downright rude. A member of staff informed me that his tips have halved over the last ten years, I informed him that I am surprised that anyone tips this poor level of service. If you fancy a trip on Rapsody of the seas, my advice is to try Butlins, the service, entertainment and food are far better. Read Less

We are just back from a 7 night cruise around the Greek Islands onboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas. All in all, it was a very pleasant cruise but there were definetly one or two things that could have been improved upon. We embarked in Venice and stayed the night beforehand in the Hilton Garden Inn Venice Mestre. This was very reasonably priced and in a perfectly fine location for getting from the airport and then to the port. There was a bus stop at the entrance to the hotel. Here we boarded a bus and it dropped us off at Piazzale Roma. From here we got the People Mover to the cruise port. All in all, this cost us just 3 Euros pp (1.50 for the bus and 1.50 for the People Mover.) Embarkation was very smooth. From our arrival at the luggage drop off point until stepping onto the ship, the whole process took less than 20 minutes. The luggage handlers/check-in staff/security staff were all friendly ad we found this to be the easiest embarkation we’ve had for any cruise so far. Venice is a BEAUTIFUL city to sail out of. Make sure you are outside for this. The sun had set by the time sail-out came, but Venice is still lovely to look at in the evening. The first port of call was Kotor in Montenegro. The sail-in was spectacular. Would happily return to view this sail-in again! Everywhere you looked, seemed like it could be a postcard picture! We spent the afternoon just meandering through the streets in Kotor. Up next was Corfu. We had a very short stop here, however. We arrived around 8am and all aboard was at 1.30pm. We decided to book the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour. On leaving the harbour terminal, it was just a short walk to the bus. In all honesty, there wasn’t an awful lot to this bus tour. We got off in the Old Town and spent some time perusing the shops and having a snack in a café. We then boarded another bus and returned to the ship. Next up for us was Piraeus, which is the port of Athens. We booked a sightseeing tour through Royal Caribbean. We rarely book with the ship but this excursion was a steal of £35. Too book independently wasn’t that much cheaper. This tour showed us the various sights in the city, and provided us the opportunity to stop for photos and browse some shops. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day on shore. The penultimate port of call was Mykonos. This is a real beautiful island. It was an extremely windy day which made coming in by tender VERY bumpy. There were some lovely shops, bars and cafés to peruse, and of course visit the windmills. They really are lovely to look at. Our final port of call was Argostoli in Kefalonia. This was the port of call I was least looking forward to beforehand. We did not spend long on land here. We browsed some shops but then returned to the ship fairly quickly. The weather wasn’t great this day – it was a lot cooler and rain showers. So on to the ship – Rhapsody of the Seas was on the whole a pleasant ship. The crew were tremendous. We had the best stateroom attendant that we have ever had. Our inside room was spacious enough for the two of us and there was plenty of storage. The Centrum was spectacular to look at and was seven decks high I believed. It was a nice place to gather for entertainment in the evening. The adult only Solarium was a really nice space. There was always plenty of seat/loungers available and the pool was reasonably quiet throughout. The food we received in the Edelweiss MDR was good-very good. The service was brilliant. Our waiter was attentive and remembered so many details about us throughout the week. There was always plenty of empty tables and chairs and in the Windjammer Buffet. Some not so positive notes: The Windjammer Buffet…oh dear oh dear…the food wasn’t good here. There wasn’t much in terms of variety and the food was often cold and lacked flavour. The layout of the buffet is also problematic. It sort of in a spiral in the middle of the space. This made the area around the food very cramped and crowded at times. The décor was also a bit out of date. Something circa 1985 I think! The centrum, whilst spectacular to look at, could become very crowded at night. There was limited seating and limited space to seat. If you are going to something in the Centrum, get there early. The theatre, whilst very comfortable and spacious for a ship this size, was very out of fashion. It needs a makeover fast. The adult-only Solarium also suffers from a logistical flaw. The Park Café is located within the Solarium. This means that children are able to walk through the Solarium to get to the Park Café. They can also sit within the Solarium as they eat. Again, not the best layout here from Royal Caribbean! All in all, it was a really great cruise and we really enjoyed it. The itinerary was exciting for us – we had never been to any of these places. I would happily return to Kotor and Mykonos again. The ship was ok, but had a few issues, as I’ve listed above. Read Less

The locations is why we picked this cruise. There was alot we liked and some we did not. The ship is old and worn It is small.. We had a Junior Suite with a balcony. Embarkation and disembarkation went very well. We bought deluxe dining and beverage packages. We did not do any excursions we explored on our own. That was wonderful. We walked allover and loved it. We visited Mykonos, Argostoli, Corfu and Athens. We ate in all of the specialty restaurants and they were good. The beverage was definitely worth it. All of the bottled water soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Definitely way to go. Entertainment was great.Illusionist Raven was amazing!!! Great show. sit up close. Band called Elements were amazing!! The staff were awesome!! Everyone super nice and attentive. Monica at the Schooner Bar always remembered us!! Great!! Sheila from Chop House was super helpful and nice!! The medical staff took care of a minor health issue superbly. The hair stylist was amazing although the spa manager was horrible. He brought it down from 5 star to 4. I did tell the guest services and not sure anything ever came of it. Avoid him and get the stylist services are worth it. I cannot remember her name but she is the best. Great cruise minus that one staff member. The locations were great. Seven day cruise out of Venice. We stayed a couple days before the cruise. That was awesome!! I recommend the cruise because of the ports but be ready for an old and small ship. Read Less

I have always wanted to go on a cruise, I saved money for a long time, in order to take my daughter on this cruise. I had been given very high expectations from family and friends who have cruised, regarding the level of service that I could expect and the quality of the food. My first disappointment was when we were met at Venice airport by Royal Caribbean staff, who told us that we had to wait half an hour for our transfer to the ship. The staff were rather abrupt and rude. When we got off the transport at the quay side, we were directly across from the ship, however we were told that we had to carry our own suitcases off the coach and take them to the crew who were about 10 paces away from us, in order for them to be delivered to our cabins. I felt that the staff should have got our luggage off the coach for us, given the supposed high quality of service that is allegedly offered. My experience of embarkation was of being herded like cattle by very rude staff. I booked an inside cabin because I was advised that they are very and that I wouldn’t spend much time in it anyway, my first impression was that it was dingy and dark. As the week progressed, we got used to the cabin, although we wished I had booked an outside cabin. There was adequate wardrobe and storage space and the bathroom was fine, it just felt too compact. The food in the main restaurant and the buffet restaurant was average, possibly the standard that you would expect to get in a three star hotel. The food in the fine dining restaurants was excellent, however it cost an additional 40 Dollars for each meal. The service at the bars eas slow, it took an average of ten minutes to get a drink, when the bar was empty, the staff would start getting my drink and then wander off and do something else and then come back to give me my drink. Waiter service for drinks was even worse, taking up to half an hour from ordering the drink to actually getting it. The entertainment was abysmal, I was expecting West end style shows but I certainly didn’t get anything like that, it was very disappointing as it was a film or the cruise staff putting on an amateur tshow. In all honesty, I think that the entertainment at Butlins was much better. Both the indoor and outdoor pools were freezing and I wasn’t able to use them, the jacuzzis were very nice. The main areas of the ship were lovely, particularly the atrium. I wouldn’t recommend the Rapsody of the seas to anyone, generally the service was atrocious, half of the staff were pleasant and the other half were downright rude. A member of staff informed me that his tips have halved over the last ten years, I informed him that I am surprised that anyone tips this poor level of service. If you fancy a trip on Rapsody of the seas, my advice is to try Butlins, the service, entertainment and food are far better. Read Less