Great First Cruise

Rhapsody of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Verified Review
Rhapsody of the Seas

7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 28, 2018

Ship: Rhapsody of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2515

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Our cruise was good, the weather was not in our favor and i dont know that i will travel in the month of january for this itinerary again but i would love to be able to do this cruise again and visit some of the areas that we didnt get to see.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation was good getting on the ship was easy, once on the ship there was some confusion on where the cups were for our beverage package and what drinks were included, but at the bar a cast member informed us that our cups would be in our room. Drinks were still questionable, but we were never charged for any of our drinks. overall besides the weather that couldn't be controlled our first day was good

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Food was great as well as the beverages the areas were clean and food was fresh and tasty. Light on the salt which was great it allows people to add to their liking. We didnt try any of the specialty restaurants. There was some inconsistencies with the blended beverages at the bars. Our first day we were hanging out by the pool and got drinks from the bar and one of the drinks was the coconut mango daquari this was a great drink blended well and great flavor. As the trip went on this was one of the most frequently ordered drinks in our party and it seemed that as we got further into our cruise the less blended this drink was. there was one day that the drink looked more like it was on the rocks rather than blended.

Main Dining Room

5 out of 5

In the dining room we had an amazing time Ivan, Sanjiv, and Alxandru were all spectacular they took care of us beyond expectation. Dinner was always a fun time and if the food was not what we expected they were quick to offer something else. Drinks were always full and the recommendations by these 3 men were always spot on. It was very hard to say goodbye on our last night to our Waiter staff. From the beginning these 3 made us feel right at home. When we wanted multiple plates Ivan was always sure to bring one at a time so that the food didn't get cold. Sanjiv was always quick with the drinks and keeping them full. Alex always seemed to be everywhere but at the same time always made time for us to get to know us and give us his recommendations. The food that came out of the kitchen was always hot and enjoyable, I applaud the kitchen staff for being able to put out that amount of food from such tight quarters.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
The pools were nice. We attended quite a few events in the schooner bar and most of the shows in the theater. Did a couple of trivia events some game shows, and tours.

Photo Gallery and Shop

4 out of 5

The photo gallery was great i loved being able to see our photos daily from the day before. I think that the amount of pictures that are printed daily are overkill. Maybe get some kind of a digital program that allows guests to view their photos like the kiosks, or maybe just get more of the kiosks and not print photos that you don't know if a guest is going to purchase it seems like a lot of waste. I also think that if a guest is going to spend that kind of money on an all inclusive digital photo package they should be able to take 2 of the prints with them if you are going to have them printed it would be better than throwing them away. When it comes to the actual photographers I need to Praise Penny, she was able to capture my engagement with just a moments notice and i would have to say her photos are the reason that I purchased the package. Thank you penny for capturing one of the most amazing moments of my life so far!

Solarium

3 out of 5

I think that the adult only pool and solarium was to closed in maybe it could have some of the windows around the top that opened to allow some airflow through the area so it doesnt get so warm. There should also be more cocktail servers available in that area considering that is an adults only pool.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
All the entertainment was great, the comedians that came on board were great i was happy that they had family shows but also came back later to do some adult only shows. The singers and dancers were all great.

Broadway Theater

5 out of 5

On our last day at sea the performers in the theater had a backstage tour in the theater. What a great experience this should be on every cruise. We might not have been able to see everything backstage, but the performers answered a lot of questions that were asked and were very professional and entertaining while they did so.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone was so great, knowledgeable, friendly, and personable.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
every area that i visited was always clean and maintained, if there was something that needed attention there was always someone already cleaning.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
well the cabin was rather small as we expected going on a cruise ship which has limited space. I did like that there was lots of storage in all the nooks and crannies of the room which optimized the space. The beds were comfortable and our room was always clean. No matter the mess we left when we came back there was never a mess. Our room steward was great turn down service was great as well we appreciated that the beds above were folded up during the day and then brought back down before we returned in the evening.

Ship tip

This ship is great for first time cruisers its not to big but not small. Make sure if this is going to be your first time on a ship this size try to stick to a cabin somewhere in the middle of the ship as the front can get a little rocky.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

4 out of 5
This was our onboard and offboard port so we didnt spend much time here.

George Town, Grand Cayman Did not visit port

Port was closed by port authority for safety reasons

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5
Cosumel was great and pedro the ATV guide was great.

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5
The weather was not the greatest while we were here and had one and a half of our tours cancelled due to weather but the half tour of the Altun Ha ruins was great Rosie and her fellow cast member were very informative.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
By far my favorite and to me the most relaxing. We didnt need to go out of the port the shopping here was nice and lots of local artisans. The port pass was a pretty good value the Tequila tour and Kakaw tours were great. The stingray lagoon was rather lacking in stingrays.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
I understand that the ship has a quick turnover but the fact that the buffet closes so early and you have to sit in the theater and wait for disembarkation was a little weird.

Traveler Photos

Just Engaged Last night with Alex Last night with Ivan & Sanjiv
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