Royal Caribbean's
Rhapsody of the Seas
December 14 - 21, 2003
Cruise Review
by
Deborah Lockhart
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 16:12:45 -0500
From: "Deborah Lockhart" <dlockhart@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Review
This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise and our third overall cruise.
It was also our first bad weather cruise. Nothing went as we had envisioned and
yet thanks to the wonderful staff of the Rhapsody, we had a great time.
While the ship is starting to show a bit of age, it was well kept and
always clean.
The food was generally very good and the service staff was always eager
to please. We ate in the Windjammer during the day where there was a large variety
and in the dining room every night. My husband ate at the solarium grill twice
which has a very limited menu. I prefer lighter fare, so the solarium grill menu
didn't appeal to me. We never used room service on this cruise.
The entertainment on board was just terrific. I don't think we missed
a single thing and enjoyed it all. Hats off to whomever is in charge of booking
entertainment!!
The cruise director, James and his assistant Simeon were great. I don't
know when they slept because they always seemed to be pulling something together
and keeping the guests upbeat and happy. Due to weather they had to do a lot of
"ad-libbing" and did a wonderful job.
We enjoyed being on a ship with several smoke free lounge areas. The
Shall We Dance Lounge is completely non-smoking, with a great view and it was
a wonderful place to enjoy a drink and some music. Also several special events
were held in there throughout the cruise which didn't make the smokers too happy,
but we all have to give a little. We couldn't enjoy the casino much because of
too much smoke.
If we had any complaints at all about our time aboard Rhapsody it would
be because of other guests. I can't tell you how many rude encounters we saw take
place. I have some big concerns about that. Cruise ships are filled with staff
from all over the world working very hard to please us. When we are rude, obnoxious
and just downright messy, I have to wonder what impressions they take back to
their countries about Americans. ?????
As I said, this was a bad weather cruise. We went to the caribbean
and only really saw sunshine one day. Seas were rough and the air was chilly and
we missed a port of call. Unfortunate, but things like that happen. I even heard
several people complaining because Royal Caribbean wasn't doing anything to compensate
them for it. I'm not sure why they thought Royal Caribbean was responsible for
the weather!
Cruise with an open mind...... We saw great entertainment, ate wonderful
food, were pampered daily, made new friends, played games, relaxed and all in
all had a very nice time. I look at it this way - now I just need a "do over"
since it didn't go quite right. It's a great excuse to sail again and I wouldn't
hesitate to book Royal Caribbean or Rhapsody of the Seas again.
I will be happy to try to answer any questions you may have about this
ship or itinery.
Happy Sailing to All
Deborah Lockhart
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