Rhapsody of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Favorite part was dining in the Chops's steakhouse and Giovanni s Italian, wonderful food and great friendly service. Our inside cabin was falling apart, absolutely horrible mattress and hallway to our room smelled like urine. Our sweet cabin steward did her best to lay foam on it but didn't help.  We went to the front desk to ask if we could possibly be moved to a different cabin we would have been willing to pay not the supper another night but they were very cold and unfriendly about dealing with the problem.   In many areas of the ship there was a distinctive sewer smell, like methane gas. Needless to say we will not be going on that shampoo ever again.

I am a victim of identity theft and fraud by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. I work in the technology industry and am very sensitive to protecting my identity. Royal Caribbean was where I became a victim of identity theft.

Background: In September of 2016, I reserved a cruise for my wife and I to celebrate our anniversary. I called Royal Caribbean to make the reservation. I gave the agent my credit card info and security code. Two days later, an address change was filed with the United States Post Office via the internet. This required a credit card with a billing address that matches the changing from address. This was the same credit card I provided Royal Caribbean. They also had my address from the reservation and the security code from the credit card. This was the ONLY transaction on my credit card making it obvious that the breach happened at Royal Caribbean. The address changed to is in Hialeah, FL which is a suburb of Miami where Royal Caribbean is based.

Impact: As I didn’t receive notification of the address change for a week, the impact this was far reaching. I had to close banking accounts and credit card accounts. Both my wife (an elementary school teacher) and I took time away from work and hours on the phone with USPS and the Hialeah Police Dept. I’ve had to secure credit protection. I was at a conference, had to leave two days early and drive 5 hours home in the middle of the night to fight this. Even worse, my elderly mother had mailed me a check which was rerouted in this fraud. Thus she had to close her checking about too. This was very trying for her as well. All of which is a result of Royal Caribbean’s inability to protect my credit card and address information. It’s hard to put into words the impact this has had on my family, it has been and continues to be significant.

Status: I have been pursuing this with Royal Caribbean for SIX months now. Royal Caribbean refuses to acknowledge their ownership in this issue. Other than two weeks ago, I have had no communication from Royal Caribbean since early December. Very unprofessional. After numerous emails and calls this month, I’ve finally made contact and the matter is pretty much being denied by Royal Caribbean and swept under the rug.

Royal Caribbean continues to refuse to acknowledge this incident or take responsibility. I am a Platinum member of their Crown & Anchor Society which means I’ve cruised with them a number of times. Yet, they continue to avoid this issue. Clearly they don’t value loyal passengers.

If you want to avoid Identity Theft, I recommend avoiding Royal Caribbean and its affiliate Celebrity Cruise Lines. Please use my experience to protect yourself. Find another company to cruise with, I know I will.

PLEASE SHARE via email and social media. Make everyone aware!

Rick Watson Tempe, AZ

Just got done with our first cruise on the rhapsody of the seas. The ship was nice not great and would go on again. The staff were Fantastic and friendly, the food in the dining room was very good and the other eateries were good. The room was in good shape and bed was ok only 1 electrical outlet and power bar was taken at check in and given back after trip. The wifi is not worth the money very spotty.pre paying for the drink package Was well worth it. We booked 4 excursions first was snorkeling in roatan and it was fantastic. In belieze we had another snorkeling trip planned but bailed on it due to weather concerns and received a full refund from RCCL with out expecting one. In costa maya (Mahahaul) we did the dune buggy and beach resort it was a lot of fun and in Cozumel we did the cooking class and beach resort which was fantastic. All in all would definitely go on this ship again and use RCCL. Also bought the photo package which will be a great memory of our trip

We had a wonderful time on the cruise, the ship is a little dated and small, but very nice none the less.

We cruised with 2 adults and 2 young teens 0 in an interior room.

The kids slept on the pull out bunk beds, which were roomy, but it was still cramped when we all stood up.  We probable will get 2 rooms next time for privacy.  

The food was excellent in the main dinning room.  Choices of escargot, steak and delicious fancy deserts are available every night.  The windjammer cafe is so so.  It's buffet style for the most part, with an omelet station at breakfast.

The Park cafe is pretty good, but the hours are odd.  It's open for 3 hours then closed for 3 hours.

Room service is good, but limited.  Service charge is added after 12, but free for the food.

The pool is tiny on the main deck, and so is the pool in the atrium.    The entertainment leaves a lot to be desired, luckily the scenery is amazing in the Caribbean.

Alcohol is expensive.  Beers are about 6.50 and well watered down mixed drinks are 8-12.  Suggest buying a bottle for 80 or try sneaking in some.

Getting on and off the ship wasn't too bad.  All in all we had a great first cruise.  We will definitely be looking for a larger boat next trip.  Looking for more options and more things to do.

From the time we entered the cruise port until we left, Royal Caribbean staff made our special anniversary trip enjoyable and as carefree as possible. Every staff we encountered was friendly, professional and willing to help us. The accommodations were comfortable and kept tidy, the food and wait staff were friendly and professional and the activities kept us busy on board.

AWFUL!!!!! Light your money on fire before taken this cruise ship!!!!! So disappointed in EVERYTHING! $4,000 dollars WASTED & gone for a missable week from hell!

Such a friendly cruise staff, everywhere we went!  The food-  everyone asks about the food. I think breakfast there is good. The pastries were lackluster, but everything else was pretty good. Lunch and dinner were average. Although, I ate in the main dining room for dinner one night,  and that was plenty. I ate in the edelweiss restaurant or the upgraded restaurants the rest of the time. The main dining room dinner I thought was pretty bad. On the last day,  I went for breakfast at 9 AM, right before departing the ship and it was closed already. That was a bummer. I thought the cruise director, Dan Dan was a lot of fun. The shows were good. I'm not sure why they had to devote a night to Elvis.  Overdone.   The juggler and the comedians and the piano man night were all great. I liked not having to reserve a seat for these events. That gave me the option of whether to go at the last minute or not. The casino was smoky, so that ruined the experience for me .   Getting on the ship was a breeze, and I found it to be shockingly quick. Getting off the boat took a little bit longer. I wish the camera  people made themselves more obvious on ship. There was formal night and we couldn't find anyone to take our picture. That was disappointing. I didn't think the costumes of the people off the boat were very good. I didn't particularly want  my picture taken with a girl dressed up in a sailor outfit. I have been on other ships that were better in this area. That being said, I thought the ports of call were all great. There was enough time to really spend some time at each location.   On the really long piers, there were rickshaws to help with the long walk in the heat. For a couple of bucks, you could get a ride which was a godsend at the end of a hot day. We enjoyed ourselves immensely, but I might pick a bigger Ship next time. Even though it had been renovated, it wasn't much to look at as far as the decor goes, and the schedule for things to do at night wasn't extensive.  Honestly, the staff is what made this ship great.  Otherwise, I would have rated it a 3.  

Great food, amazing show, and much more to enjoy for all ages, there is the kids center for you to leave you kids to have fun or go to shows..........

Great, great staff! This overshadows the dated furniture in the staterooms, and bland food. The upscale restaurants were well worth the money! We bought the $75 for three upscale dinners (each person) package. The cruise director, Dan-Dan was entertaining, and the shows were fun. There is a ballet dancer within the dancing group that is exceptional, and she is worth watching, alone. The casino was smoky and not so fun. Just our opinion. One of our tours was canceled as we arrived on Cozumel, so we had to find another one. There are so many people begging you to buy their excursion tours, that that is not a problem. My one tip is to bring cash with you when you get off the ship. Many vendors did not like to take Visa, and they did not accept American Express at all. So, we had to use our cash and it really put a strain on shopping. Next time, we will take all cash off the ship. We had a great time, but next time I would pick a bigger ship with more things to do.

Our first cruise and we loved the ports it offered and the ship was great for our first time we where not overwhelmed. The serve was great and the people too

The cruise was very fun for my first cruise but it seams like the ship was a little bit out dated and not to much to do after dark. But had fun. Time for cruise # 2.

This was a poorly functioning ship. The buffet was average at best, main dining food had small portions without any flavor, the cafe ran out of options early in the evening, and all meal service stopped by 11 pm. The wait staff did not check up on refilling beverages.

 Entertainment was below average. Entertainment was late by at least 5 minutes every night. The acts were very short- one comedian only had a 20 minute act! There was only one 'adult oriented' activity the whole week. The live music was performed by decent bands, but mediocre singers. 'Dance parties' were not live music, but soundtracks lead by people who didn't know the right moves to the songs. The staff for the daytime activities seemed confused by their roles sometimes.

The pool was disappointing. The pools were not heated, and the hot tubs felt like lukewarm bath water. The jets were not very strong. 

Excursions and the staff presence was poor.

Because of bad weather, an majority of shore excursions were cancelled at Belize; instead of having staff to potientally rebook people, we were left to figure out off shore expeditions on our own. 

The process of getting to RCI excursions was a little confusing and a cluster, because most met off the boat, in the same area.

The captain chose to not port at Costa Maya due to poor weather. The announcement was made that onboard entertainment would be available immediately, but there were no updates or schedule changes for over 4 hours! Poor planning on the activity director's part! 

The cabin service was average. We were not told when our room would be cleaned, so it was always a guessing game as to whether the attendant would be in our room or not! One day he came early, asked us to call him back when we were leaving the room. After we called, he didn't come back at all! 

While I understand most staff were foreign nationalities, the language barrier seemed difficult for over half the staff, especially at the customer service desk. 

As expected, anything ala carte on the boat is very expensive. Even items in the gift shops were above US store prices! 

And the decor. It felt like the 1970s! Busy wall paper, old art work, old, dated art work, and very big, bulky, dated furniture.

Had a blast at what was the viking bar at the time. The vet meet and greet was a nice touch. The entertainment staff was amazing.

The cruise weather and location of ports were incredible

The cruise was good and my wife and I enjoyed it, however at the cruise terminal at the end of the cruise we were ushered off of the ship with all of our luggage at 9.15am but our transfer to the airport was not until 1.45pm and our flight time 4.45pm.  The fact that we had to carry our luggage around with us for 7 and a half hours did not seem to concern Royal Caribbean crew at all. After this experience I will never travel with them again and i would recommend other people do not either.

Loved this cruise and the ship. The staff were friendly and helpful. Our room attendant was lovely and we've kept in touch while our waiters were fabulous and really made dining times enjoyable. I'm looking forward to doing another Mediterranean cruise with RCI.

I am a long-time cruiser, having cruised RC about a dozen times over the past 20 years.  While some RC cruise ships are a little better than others, they tended to be similar -- until I took the Rhapsody of the Seas.  This most recent cruise was an absolute shock.  The cost-cutting measures that RC have taken over the past year are extremely apparent and were thrown in our faces over the entire 10-day Mediterranean cruise.  For those of you who have cruised before, I'll let you in on a few of them:

* Nonstop (NONSTOP) upselling.  From internet options to beverage packages to premium restaurants to spa packages, RC is hounding you at all hours, at every activity, to buy something.  Yes, they've always offered additional packages, but I've never spent a cruise feeling like I was being hustled on a used car lot. * Major cutbacks on past benefits.  Did you enjoy lobster night?  Well, now RC offers lobster EVERY night -- for an upcharge of $30.  And both the menu and waiter will remind you EVERY night that you can buy these add-ons.  If you enjoyed complimentary prime rib and lobster before, be prepared to shell out cash for these and other benefits. * Limited activities.  On the back of your Daily Compass is a listing of the day's activities.  A few years ago, maybe 80% of the activities were complimentary, and many (albeit not all) of them could be pretty fun.  On the Rhapsody of the Seas, at most 50% of the activities were complimentary -- the rest were "activities" consisting of you paying for spa activities or buying overpriced art or learning about the excursions they sell.  (As a sidenote, even their excursions, which have always been more expensive than what can be purchased onshore, are now a solid 3x market price.  My wife and I consistently paid $50 for the same excursion offered by RC for $149.95.)  And of the activities that were complimentary, most of them were, well, pretty lame.  Lots of trivia and bingo (which, by the way, they profit from).  The evening shows weren't too bad, and my wife and I enjoyed a few of them. * Reduced staffing expertise (which probably costs less).  It's possible that we just had the most incompetent waiter on the planet.  But at our table of 8, every single night our waiter would mess up at least TWO orders, and the meals never arrived anywhere near the same time (leaving us to awkwardly wait several minutes for the rest of the table to be served).  He was very, very nice and very hardworking, but the service was atrocious -- and from speaking to others, this was not uncommon.  By the 6th day of the cruise, the running joke at our table was whether we should order a different entree than what we wanted, in the hopes we might actually get what we wanted! * The Rhapsody of the Seas is a run-down ship that's ready for retirement.  It has the feeling of a 2-star Vegas hotel.

The straw that broke the camel's back was during the "Love and Marriage" game.  All three men (understandably) wanted a drink on stage.  But the show was interrupted for a couple minutes while the contestants and the waitress fumbled around with their SeaPass card to make sure the drinks were paid for.  WHILE THE CONTESTANTS WERE ON STAGE.  Let that sink in.  RC was using its own paying customers to provide the show's entertainment, and wouldn't even comp their drinks while on stage!  It was awkward for the entire audience.

On the plus side, the Captain seemed to genuinely care about the ship and the staff was hard-working and friendly.  (It's not their fault they were understaffed!)  Also, they went out of their way to give us an additional hour at one of the ports of call.  Further, our room (while outdated) was clean and the housekeeping staff did a good job.

I think if this was a person's first cruise, they would enjoy the mediocre food, the ports of call, and many of the shows.  If they got the cruise for $50 or $70 a night (per person), it wouldn't be a bad deal.  But anyone who had cruised RC before and expected its past glory will be sorely disappointed.  Sadly, RC is a sinking ship at this point.  Clearly someone at the corporate helm made some decisions that will inevitably increase profits for the next year or two, but will soon morph RC into the KMart of the seas.

I really enjoyed the itinerary --- Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Greece and Montenegro.  My only complaint about the ship is that loudspeaker announcements could not be heard in staterooms, so we could not hear important information, such as changes in debarkation and all aboard times. In one port, we missed 90 minutes of a private tour because we did not hear the changes and, despite our twice calling to request the data, were never notified of the changes.  We were told emergency announcements could be heard in staterooms and saw the speaker controls in our cabin.  I believe the decision whether to hear announcements should rest with passengers not the ship.

This was the worst cruise. First night out we went into a storm with 12' seas and the ship sustained significant damage requiring a few extra hours in the first port to repair. Guest services staff were rude and unprofessional. Ship was in poor condition (even discounting the damage from the first night).

Great cruise. Meet a lot of wonderful people from Brazil. The ship is one of my favorite in the fleet. Food and entertainment first class!