0208 248 2355
Questions about your booking? Contact Us
Login Unlock bucket-list-worthy shores and take memory-making to the next level — on Rhapsody of the Seas®.
We’re talking about wander-filled itineraries to some of the world’s most breathtaking sun-soaked destinations. Plus, non-stop onboard thrills like rock climbing 40 feet above deck. Catch Broadway-style shows and dazzling entertainment, night after night. And indulge in delicious cuisine guaranteed to please even the pickiest eater in your crew. Go all out on adventure and unforgettable moments onboard Rhapsody of the Seas®.
Rhapsody of the Seas Cruise Review August 27-September 5 Southern Caribbean Embarkation: San Juan, Puerto Rico Ports: Tortola BVI, St. Marteen, Antigua St. Johns, St. Kitts, St. Croix We just got back from our 7 day cruise on Rhapsody, and I thought I would share my opinion on the cruise and what we did, in case it would be helpful to others on CC. This cruise was just my husband and I. Our very first cruise was on Rhapsody back in 2003 for our honeymoon, and we wanted to sail on her again. We were able to get a great price on an Oceanview Guarantee and decided to book it fairly last minute for us (about 3 months out–we typically book more than a year in advance). For those who may not want to read the entire review–we had a great cruise, wonderful ports, and enjoyed Rhapsody for what she is. We would not hesitate to sail on this ship or this itinerary again. San Juan, Puerto Rico We decided to fly into San Juan two days before our cruise, in order to give us a full day of site seeing in Old San Juan. We stayed in an AirBnB in the heart of Old San Juan, which was perfect for our needs. It was close to everything–no need to uber anywhere during our sightseeing day. It was also about half the price of the hotels we looked at in Old San Juan, making it a good value for us. On the Friday before our cruise, we started our day at El Morro. This is a must do for any history lovers. We spent about 2 hours exploring the fort, and could have spent even more time here. Beautiful views and fascinating history. I had downloaded an audio walking tour from Spotify on El Morro from “Free Audio Guides: Puerto Rico,” which really helped us understand what we were seeing at the fort. After touring for quite a while, we walked down the path in front of the fort and took a break on a bench with a grape snow cone. There are vendors set up on the street selling ice cream, fruit juices, and snow cones, as well as some souvenir type items. Bring cash–the snowcone vendor did not accept digital or card payment. WIth the heat and humidity of SJ in August, a break on a bench with an ocean view and a snow cone was wonderful! We then walked to the tomb of Ponce de Leon and Pigeon Park. Both of these were great. We had lunch at Barrachina, and tried the ‘original’ pina colada, which was delicious! Food here was good. I would recommend the “Puerto Rican delights” sampler. We also tried mofungo here—it wasn’t our favorite, but I was glad we sampled it! After our sightseeing, we took a few hour break in the afternoon and then went out for dinner and dessert at the Drunken Cookie. The cookie was fine, but it was probably more hyped than it deserved. Fun pictures, though. That was the end of our full day in Old San Juan. Saturday was our embarkation day. We scheduled an Uber to go to the port at 10:45 am. We arrived at the port around 11:00, and embarkation was very easy. We were on the ship in 10-15 minutes. We had enough time to do our muster drill and check out a few things on the ship before our Chops reservation at noon. We don’t love the chaos of the Windjammer on the first day, so we will sometimes book a specialty reservation for lunch. If you do this pre-cruise, it can be very inexpensive and a really nice way to start your vacation. I think for the two of us, Chops lunch cost about $25. Well worth it! I had the mushroom soup, filet, and key lime pie. All was excellent! By the time we were done, rooms were ready. We had an oceanview on deck 3, which served our needs well. There were a few problems with the room (a broken drawer that wasn’t able to be used, a plug that was so loose nothing would stay plugged in). Realistically, it is an older ship, so we weren’t terribly surprised by these issues. They didn’t affect our enjoyment of the cruise. There was plenty of storage space for two people. We typically bring magnet hooks and a charging extension cord (usb only–no outlets) and these helped with organization and use of the room. Because the ship is smaller, deck 3 did not feel very far away from anything else (compared to being on an Oasis class ship, for example). We were happy with our oceanview guarantee and wouldn’t hesitate to book this again. We knew that Rhapsody did not have some of the bells and whistles of other ships we have been on, and we were fine with that. We enjoyed music and trivia in the Schooner Bar (a beautiful location on the ship!). The only evening show we made it to was “Pure Country”--it wasn’t necessarily our favorite production show on RC, but we enjoyed it. We took advantage of the solarium quite a bit, which was nice. The pool was refreshingly cool to dip into after laying in the hot sun for a bit. We didn’t have an issue finding chairs in the Solarium at any point, but we do typically prefer shade to sun. As for dining, I thought Rhapsody was consistent with other RC ships we have sailed. Breakfast in the Windjammer was the typical offerings. The only thing I didn’t notice was smoked salmon and cream cheese. They did have bagel halves already topped with cream cheese and salmon, but no way to make your own, which I missed. We did eat breakfast in the dining room one day, which has the advantage of being less chaotic than WJ. We thought it was good. WJ lunch was also consistent with what we’ve experienced on other ships. Some of the offerings were very good, with others not being our favorites. Overall, it was good. Main Dining room dinner was very good. Service was great and our favorites on Royal did not disappoint. We also ate in Izumi our last night, which was very good. One of the things we enjoyed about this cruise was an itinerary that included five island ports that we had never been to. The islands were beautiful and weather was mostly good. Here’s what we did in each port, in case this information is useful for anyone. St. Marteen: We took the water taxi from the cruise port ($7 roundtrip pp, cash only) to Phillipsburg. My husband is a big Star Wars fan, and we visited the Yoda Guy Museum, which he enjoyed very much. There are some really interesting things in the collection, including some original Star Wars scripts. This museum is going to be of the most interest to big Star Wars fans who are willing to take the time to read the background of the exhibits. We had considered renting beach chairs here in Phillipsburg for the rest of our day, but the weather wasn’t the best, so we decided to go back to the ship. I enjoyed a guavaberry colada from the cruise pier–very refreshing! St. Johns, Antigua: We did the Royal Caribbean excursion “Bubby Pineapple Catamaran and Beach”. We booked this before our cruise at what we thought was a good price ($50pp). It included all you cared to enjoy sparkling wine, but they also had beer, soda, water, and rum punch included as well. For food, they served fresh island pineapple and finger sandwiches. The pineapple was delicious! We didn’t try the sandwiches, but others seemed to enjoy them, going back for seconds. The crew was excellent–very attentive and friendly. Sailing on the catamaran was very relaxing–plenty of space for everyone to enjoy sun or shade, as they wished. We got to swim for about 45-60 minutes at a point on the western side of the island. The water felt lovely, sandy bottomed and clear. We then sailed back to the ship. We had a lovely time and enjoyed this excursion–I would recommend it, especially at a good price booked pre-cruise. Basseterre, St. Kitts: For this port, we DIYed a beach day. We took a shared taxi from the cruise port to Friars Bay Beach. Because we were able to share with another family, it was $14 cash ($7 pp) to go to the beach. We were able to arrange with our driver to pick us up to go back to the ship, but because we did not share on the way back, it was a $28 flat rate. This was explained to us ahead of time, so it was not a surprise. The family we shared with wanted to go back to the ship much earlier than we did, so we were okay with the higher price on the way back. We rented two chairs and an umbrella from the Carambola Beach Club–$40 total (they did accept cards). I had read that there were other options further down the beach for chair rental, but because this is considered the off season, we did not see anyone else selling chairs. Carambola was nice–we were there at about 10:00 am, so we were able to get our pick of chairs from the front row. Bathrooms were clean. I brought my own snorkeling mask and enjoyed some snorkeling there on the sandbar and rocks right off the beach. I would bring water shoes. Food and drinks were available from Carambola, but both were pretty pricy, IMO. We had brought water with us and just waited to eat lunch when we got back on the ship. St. Croix: I had read that there was amazing snorkeling right off the cruise pier in this port, but I didn’t dare get my hopes up. Wow! If you want to snorkel, this is the place! We saw many sea turtles from the cruise pier, which was awesome! I brought my water shoes and snorkeling mask to the end of the pier. On the right, there was someone renting out snorkeling gear. There are concrete steps to get into the water. Water shoes are a must because of spiny sea creatures on the rocks. I saw literally thousands of fish, including tangs, tarpons, small bait fish, sea turtles, and more. Honestly an amazing place to snorkel. (As an aside, I bring my own inflatable snorkeling vest, which cost $15 on Amazon. Great investment. Choose a bright color so you can be seen in the water.) After snorkeling for about an hour, then getting cleaned up, we had a tour booked at the Cruzan Rum distillery. Taxis were not as well run here as in other ports. There are published amounts for how much a taxi should be ($50 round trip for the 10-15 minute drive to the distillery), but we were unable to find anyone willing to take us for this price. The first driver we spoke with wanted $80 roundtrip, which seemed very expensive to us. We were able to find someone to take us for $60 roundtrip. Only cash is accepted–so plan for that. We enjoyed the rum tour very much–their patio is a lovely place to spend some time. Two drinks were included in the tour–very good. They even made my husband a non-alcoholic fruit punch, which he said was excellent. Our last port was Tortola, British Virgin Islands, but we decided to just enjoy the solarium on the ship this day, so I don’t have any recommendations for there. We did self assist debarkation, which was very smooth. We were off the ship at 7:20 am and took a taxi to the airport for $35 cash. We were at the airport and through the agricultural check by 7:40 am. We had some time to kill before our 11:45 flight, but always better to be early than late. I had heard some nightmare stories about getting to the airport in San Juan from the cruise terminal, but for us, it was very smooth. All in all, this was another great cruise with Royal Caribbean. Rhapsody is a lovely ship and the southern Caribbean itinerary was wonderful. Happy cruising!
The smaller size Rhapsody is showing her age in several of the public spaces, but is still a pretty ship with a nice mid-size feel to it. We've sailed on her before and provide our insights here on the Good, the Needs Improvement, and the Awful. THE GOOD: Outstanding staff in all ship areas. These folks are genuinely interested in giving everyone great, friendly service. The ship is easy to navigate and except for boarding day when the elevators are slammed (which seems to happen on all of them), it was easy to get an elevator and move around the ship. The promenade deck (increasingly disappearing in newer builds) was refreshing and gives a real at-sea experience. The main dining room (though looking a bit threadbare in spots) delivers an upscale dining experience, especially at breakfast (when so many are surging around the Windjammer). Chops Grille, which never disappoints, delivering an outstanding meal at prices that manage to be better than a land experience. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: Our cabin was large and clean with plenty of storage and a lovely roomy balcony. But the small refrigerator in the room was not working and some of the furniture and cabinetry is looking a bit worn. The location of this cabin is off a hallway overlooking a live entertainment space and the noise from the band (which did, mercifully, end at 11) came into the room because the soundproof hallway doors kept being left open. We suggested posting a sign, but that did not happen during the cruise. Otherwise, it's a lovely suite with plenty of room to relax. Just be aware of this if you like early evening naps! The Windjammer: We were happy to see that a suggestion we made about crowding that happens around the egg station was instituted: people who want omelets and eggs cooked to order are given pagers. Excellent. But crowding in the Windjammer (we call it the Traffic Jammer) continues to be an issue, especially during sea days. The ice machines were out of service and the food with the exception of the freshly made burgers and hot dogs, was fairly "meh." Lots of dishes seeming like leftovers. Once again, it's the staff that make the difference with their cheerful service and their seemingly magical ability to clear tables and keep this crowded space looking clean and welcoming. THE AWFUL: We had achieved a status that gave us access to a special lounge with free drinks and snacks. Lovely! Except that this small space was located just aft of the Shall We Dance Lounge. The lounge is only partitioned off from the lounge, which is unfortunate. No sooner had we settled in than an ear-splitting noise erupted from the Shall We Dance Lounge. Karoke! We and others appealed to the on-duty concierge for the special lounge, but it was clear that nothing was going to be done. Lots of apologies in between the shrieking (singing?) from the Dance Lounge. So much for the "benefit." We shirked the lounge after that! The Schooner Bar, which sits in between the elevator hallway and the Shall We Dance Lounge, was once a cozy, dimly lit space that felt special and was often host to hilarious trivia contests has now become little more than a brightly lighted hallway itself. We did stop in for a drink one night, but waiters were few and the cozy vibe is gone. Finally, this smaller ship is trying hard to meet customer needs, but it just does not have the physical space to do that. So you'll see the entertainment lounge co-opted for kids entertainment during the day. Staff blow up a large balloon target and hand out Nerf bows and arrows. which they dash around to retrieve. We saw at least two people boinked by a Nerf arrow gone astray. No harm done. But dang! Staff also set up board games and Genga towers for kids to play. It's a nice gesture, but only underscores how the ship is not built to deliver family-friendly experiences in anything more than a makeshift way. The take-away: Would be sail this ship again? Hmmm. The docking ports were at what we consider lesser attractive areas, for example the port chosen for St. Thomas was miles away from Havensight and the downtown area. It was not as pretty and though there were some shops there, it all felt a bit sad. Even a fantastic staff can't, for us, overcome the shortcomings of Rhapsody now, so probably not.
If you were booking the Rhapsody of the Seas for the ship itself, then you might want to look elsewhere. Not that there is anything wrong with the ship, but there are better ships in the fleet. However, if you were looking for an itinerary that offers a lot of bang for the buck, then the Rhapsody has a lot to offer. In our case. Rhapsody was sailing from San Juan, which cuts out a lot of sea days for a Caribbean itinerary. As an example, we sailed a seven-day cruise that matched up with the Icon of the Seas. The Rhapsody did five Caribbean ports (6 if you include San Juan) with one sea day compared to the Icon, which just two Caribbean ports and CocoCay. We happened to be in St Maarten on the same day as the Icon and the people difference between the two ships was very apparent. At the other ports that we were in there were no lines, no crush of people, but here it was a different story. But as I said, the people who booked the Icon booked for the ship, and it definitely has a lot more to offer than the Rhapsody. We really didn’t notice any major deficiencies during our stay. Our room was very comfortable, no smells, with more than ample AC. We did not use all the storage we had. The balcony set up for whatever reason seemed larger than some of the other ships that we were on. We could sit out both on the balcony and watch the ocean go by and if it was too warm, it was easy to sit on the couch and watch out as well. It had a motion activated night light under the closet door. I would say overall the room met our expectations (not fans of the shower curtain). The Rhapsody being an older ship has a lot more ocean view rooms, and fewer balconies. The ship is smaller, which has its pros and cons. One of the biggest pros for us was that everything was close by. It didn’t matter if we were going to the restaurants or to the theater, everything was just minutes away. There typically were no issues with getting an elevator. A con was just 3 specialty restaurants to choose from, Regarding the staff, we had mixed feelings. Our room attendant did a good job, but we had better (and worse). The staff in the Windjammer were doing their jobs but maybe not the extra effort we saw on the other ships. The entertainment was just okay, probably due to the small size of the ship. There were a lot of activities that were going on throughout the ship, a lot of entertainment in the different venues, all of which were good, possibly even better than some we had seen on other ships. We were a bit disappointed with the food, across the venues. The Windjammer did not have much variety from day-to-day, and they did not fill things quickly. It was not uncommon for there to be no french fries in the hamburger grill. We ate in the main dining room and while the food was good, we were tired of the same menus on all the royal Caribbean ships. There is just not enough variety. We also ate in the specialty restaurants, Izumi, Giovanni‘s and Chops. Giovanni‘s was very good, Izumi was good and Chops was just okay. We had tried to book Chef‘s Table for our anniversary, but there were a not enough bookings for them to have it. In fact, we were told that over the seven-day cruise that they had only had the Chef‘s Table a couple of times. We also noticed that many of the specialty restaurants were not busy. Sailing out of Puerto Rico, there were a lot of Spanish-speaking cruisers on board. The cruise was tailored to accommodate them, but not to the extent, that as an English only speaker that I felt uncomfortable. Announcements were done in English and Spanish and during activities the instructions or guidance was provided in both. One exception was one of the evening shows but overall it was just like any other cruise. Getting on the ship was super easy. In fact, we never waited in a line for bag drop or security or check-in. We booked lunch at Giovanni’s and it was a peaceful way to start the cruise. Shortly after, our cabins were ready and our luggage came shortly. We traditionally book excursions through 3rd parties but on this cruise all of the excursions we did were through Royal as they had some good discounts on them. Since most of the other ships had departed for Alaska or Europle, many of the ports we stopped in only saw a ship every couple of weeks at this point. As mentioned, this cruise was port heavy so the next day we were in St Thomas. Having been there before, we elected to go to St John. The ride over was a bit rough over and back but short enough that everyone was okay. Once on St John, they took us by taxi (shared shutte) to Trunk Bay. Some cruisers did this on their own but I am glad we didn’t do this as the taxi situation would have been challenging. We had ample time to relax and snorkel and not have to worry about what time to head back. The next day was St Croix and we really didn’t see any excursions we liked. But it was easy to walk to the beach, rent a chair and umbrella, and it had good snorkeling and we saw several sea turtles. The next day was St Maarten and our original excursion was rescheduled to the afternoon. We knew it was going to be hot so we changed to a different one called Kim Shaw beach which was a nice swimming beach and included an excellent lunch but not memorable. The port area there had a lot of shops and beach chairs that are also an option, you just need to purchase from them. Having done 3 beach days, we decided to try a catamaran tour with snorkeling and it was fun. I would say that they assumed everyone knew how to snorkel as there wasn’t much guidance and the area while way to swim was a bit choppy. But everyone managed okay. We did stop at a beach but this was just 30 minutes to relax in the warm water. The final port day was Dominica and we booked a tour called Jaco Falls and Twin Falls. The description said it went to Trafalgar Falls but it was a different twin falls. Not sure whose fault this was but I pointed out that this was misleading to the excursion desk. The tour was great and very beautiful and very informative. For disembark, we had an afternoon flight. We looked into local tours to fill the time but they were expensive. Storing our luggage was an option and there were companies right at the port to do that and then we could have headed into town on our own. We elected to take a Royal excursion that provided a city tour and dropped us and our luggage off at the airport. This got us off the ship by 8:30 and we got our luggage and were through customs in minutes. The tour was simple with a number of quick stops around a few areas in town. But it served its purpose. In summary, we left happy and tired which is a key indication of a good time. The Rhapsody is not on our short list for ships we would want to book; but for our next Caribbean cruise, it would be an option and possibly as a back-to-back as it alternates ports from week to week.
AWARD-WINNING & AWE INSPIRING ACCOMMODATIONS
Redefining the cruising experience one room at a time. Our staterooms are an alluring escape from the non-stop action our cruise ships are known for. From our spectacular views to our deluxe amenities, a stay with us is like nothing at sea.
DESIGNED TO MATCH YOUR COMFORT NEEDS
We’ve thought of the details, so you don’t have to.
BABY FRIENDLY: Bringing a baby? Let us know and we'll provide a crib and supplies.
COUPLES RETREAT: Enjoy spa-like comfort in your stateroom, perfect for couples.
EXTENDED FAMILIES: Select staterooms can connect to accommodate more guests.
SPECIAL NEEDS: Our ships are equipped to accommodate you regardless of your special needs.
READY FOR YOUR STAY
All the creature comforts you’d expect to have during your vacation.
VOOM SURF & STREAM: Giving a new meaning to connected staterooms.
24-HOUR ROOM SERVICE: Indulge your midnight cravings.
DAILY CLEANING SERVICE: Sweet dreams are on the horizon.
DAILY STATEROOM ATTENDANT: A helping hand when you need it the most.
PLATED PERFECTION
Dial up date night with an elegant and intimate epicurean adventure at Chef’s Table, or dig into the fleet-famous Kummelweck sandwich at Park Café. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll find something delicious onboard to satisfy your cravings.
COAST THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN
Rhapsody of the Seas® is what vacation dreams are made of. Gather your travel squad for the ultimate tropical getaway across stunning Southern Caribbean islands including St. Lucia, Aruba, Barbados and more.
Discover new thrills onboard while sailing to shores like Croatia, Crete and Cozumel. Whether it’s grabbing hold of adventure at the top of the Rock Climbing Wall, or savouring hand-rolled sushi at Izumi. All while enjoying superior service and an intimate environment.
EXPLORE MORE BETWEEN SHORES
Sea days aboard Rhapsody of the Seas are as exciting as each day in port. Get ready for a world of new discoveries on deck — like world class dining, award-winning entertainment, electrifying nightlife and unforgettable activities for every kind of traveller.
ADVENTURE DRIVEN DAYS: Whether you’re on a romantic cruise with your partner or a family getaway, there’s no shortage of ways to keep the thrills going strong onboard, thanks to fan-favourite features like the rock climbing wall, an arcade filled with all your favourite games, and lots of space on the pool deck to lounge the day away.
ADVENTURE AFTER DARK: After a day spent exploring Caribbean islands or European capitals, there’s nothing like a night out on Rhapsody of the Seas. Head to the theatre for a showstopping original production, or raise a glass of your favourite vintage or cocktail at one of the many bars onboard.
Royal Caribbean knows the simple truth of family travel. If the kids are having a brilliant time, everyone else usually is too. That is why its holidays are packed with ways for little ones, big ones and every age in between to jump in and join the fun. Our ships have endless thrilling activities that our young sailors never forget, a dedicated space for teens to hang out and make new friends, and enough great food options to impress even the fussiest taste buds There are award-winning kids and teens clubs, family friendly dining spots, entertainment for all ages and plenty of chances to make a splash together.
