The destinations made the cruise. The ship was dated. The cabin was very dated. The food in all of the "sit down" restaurants was poor. Nothing (food-wise) was exceptional and the meat dishes were terrible. I paid for the 3 meals in specialty restaurants - the food was no better there. The food in the buffet met expectations and was better. The ship started in Haifa and a good percentage of the cruisers were Israeli. A good percentage of them were rude and annoying to be around. US and Western European potential passengers should be aware of this prior to booking any cruise out of Haifa. The crew on the ship was very, very good.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Long process at the Port of Haifa. Added about a mile of walking to start the trip. Many of the non-RC employees at the port were rude and not helpful - almost to a comical effect.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
The food in the main dining room was poor. Food was plated well before being ordered. The meats were not fresh and were sub standard. The specialty restaurants were no better - complete waste of money. The buffets provided the most edible food on the trip.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Not enough activities. The casino smelled like a rancid ashtray. Betting minimums were too high. Need more classes and things to do on sailing dates.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The shows were OK and the cast did the best they could. The outside acts brought in were entertaining. The audience often hurt the shows by not being responsive.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff did their best in a bad situation They were responsive and friendly.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Casino smelled really bad (smoke). The common areas were kept in decent condition given the age of the ship. Time to re-think some of the locations on the ship given that it is slated to cruise mostly out of Haifa for 2023. Several bars and specialty restaurants were very under utilized because of the passenger demographics. Maybe they could be re-purposed.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The cabin was a disappointment. The hot water never worked in the bathroom sink. The interior was dated. The various plastic panels hadn't aged well. Many panels didn't match (color wise). There were not enough electrical outlets and none near the bed. For sailings that have an older demographic - with CPAP machines - this was a pain. The curtain to the balcony had a black substance on it (might be mold). While looking for an electrical outlet near the bed, I looked behind the light fixtures. My suggestion "don't!". Very dirty/dusty. If you read the ship was overhauled 5 years ago - that only goes for the sea worthiness of the ship. The cabins are vintage 1997 with no visible upgrades or refreshes.
This was the port of departure. The process to board was long and added about a mile of walking and schlepping of carry-on luggage. The process just seemed to go on forever.
Booked RC excursion to Monaco. Tour guide was not well informed. Did not lead the group well. We were often left standing in a location waiting for instructions on what to do next. She didn't speak much English and repeated the same story about Princess Grace 5 times and was rude when asked questions she couldn't understand.
We went on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2018 and the ship was dated back then and showing wear and tear. The food was terrible as you said and the buffet was small and limited and food was bad. The crew seemed like they hated being on the ship and service was poor. We decided to never take RCCLs ships that are that small and old. Rhapsody has a few sister ships as well and it's a big NO for us.
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