rccl-rhapsody9

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: eli aliga
Email: carmel@juno.com
Age: 49
Occupation: investment portfolio mgr.
NumberOfCruises: 10
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: feb. 27, 2000
Itinerary: mexican riviera
Cabin: 6004
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 70
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Apr 2000
Time: 15:12:25
Remote Name: cust1.scronline.com
Remote User:

Comments

Life's too short... Live it to the max...

That basically typifies our existence and the pursuit of happiness in this mortal world. Cruising is an
avenue that truly fills the description almost to a tee. It is nice to see happy and contented cruisers
enjoying life and not holding back on fun. It is enlightening to see older folks having glowing smiles on
their golden faces. We literally infected and motivated a cousin and her husband to come with us for
their 10th anniversary. It was their first cruise and they say 'It's no way our last'.

The Rhapsody experience was totally exhilarating and stress reducing.

Embarkation. It was fairly smooth amidst all the hordes of excited humanity. The stress level is there but
the hospitality staff kept it manageable and relaxing. This is a great opportunity to meet and joke n'jive
with people who you will party-hardy with in the next few days.

Food. Yes, it is plentiful and exemplifies opulence and extravagance especially at the formal dining
room. Double lobster tails and prime rib on the side, why not? It is somewhat pitiful and wasteful as the
side dishes are good for sample tasting. Yes, a cruiser have to pace her/himself with the food and
calorie intake.

However, the Windjammer food variety is cafeteria buffet look-alike. The custom-made omellettes are
good but the breakfast variety is like Uncle Jeb's plain n'simple stuff. The lunch/dinner are a little better.
To enjoy life's pleasure, head to the formal dining room where fine food, service par excellence and
great people go together.

The dining staff is just superb comparing to land service. The motivation for these hard-working foreign
employees are shown in their hospitable faces and attitudes. Such opportunities are rare in their
respective countries. Asif, the waiter, is commendable as he does his human best to please everyone.
Yes, they deserve all the gratuity and recognition you can give them.

Entertainment. My wife and I have been married for 27 years. We indulge on our blessings and cruises
are laced with entertainment. The 'Las Vegas' style shows are ok compared to the vibrant Carnival
cruise shows. We 'jazzercised' our cruise calories via dancing. With three kids (13,17,22 year olds), we
look forward to techno dancing at our cruises. However, wanna get down n'get funky? Go Carnival.

DJMoe kept the Royal Viking Lounge hoppin', rockin'n'rollin. Besides, it's great therapy to sea-sick
prone cruisers. When the ship is rocking, we try not to compound the agony and misery by staying at
the cabin. We joined new-found fun lovers at the disco and jiggy 'til the wee hours. The ship's other
impromptu entertainment are great to the cruisers who are in a fun mode.

Ship's management. While RCCL's stock price may have pulled back, the hotel manager and his staff
did not hold back on achieving their objective. Satisfying the cruisers the best way they can is still their
endeavor. We have always stayed in outside staterooms in all our cruises. But due to a group
reservation, we were assigned an inside one. No problem. Keith Sylvester, in behalf of Bob Tavadia
(hotel mgr) gracefully rendered us a super upgrade. Folks, do not demand but wholeheartedly request.
Somehow miracles will happen.

Stateroom: It was great and more spacious since it was at the front of the ship and there were no
pounding foot traffic. Rommel, the cabin steward was beyond compare. He almost single-handedly
represented the microcosm of RCCL's best hospitality. Way to go, Rommel.

In summary, 'you haven't lived until you have cruised' as the commercial states. Cruising is a medium
that our Creator brought forth in us to utilize and enjoy. We are going back next month at the May 7th
sailing of the Voyager of the Seas. Even though we confessed our loyalty to Bob Dickinson's Carnival
Fun Ships online previously, we look forward to RCCL's renowned hospitality.

Indeed, Life's too short. Cruise N E 1?

Name: Joan Giordano
Email: Joang@mailcity.com
Age: 53
Occupation: Office Manager
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: 3/26/00
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera
Cabin: 3106/H
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Apr 2000
Time: 16:20:13
Remote Name: joan.glmred.com
Remote User:

Comments

We cruised with another couple, our age on the March 26th cruise to the Mexican Riviera. This was our
9th cruise. We have sailed on Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Princess and RCI. We were on the Elation last
year with the same itinerary and repeated because we wanted to experience the Rhapsody of the Seas
and this cruise is so convenient for west coasters. Over all this was a great cruise and I would definitely
recommend it for any age group. I will try to make some comparisons with the Elation as I go along.
Embarkation was the easiest we ever had, some of this is based on the time you arrive and some of it
was because the staff was very organized. We were on the ship by 12:30 PM, so this really gave us an
extra day on board.

CABIN We found our own cabin; they do not escort you. The first impression of the
cabin is it looks just like the picture in the brochure. It is 159 S.F. but is laid out so well that as the week
went on you didn’t notice the smallness. You don’t realize it until you start to unpack but there is ample
storage room. We had several empty drawers as did our travelling companions in the cabin next door
(we are not light packers). There was a love seat which we enjoyed for visiting and watching TV and not
having to sit on the bed or in the vanity chair. The Elation cabin is bigger but this one was very
comfortable and nicely appointed with a remote controlled TV (no remote with the Elation TV). Royal
Caribbean also includes shampoo and conditioner (soap only on the Elation).

FOOD We had
embarkation lunch in the Windjammer. It was very good and they had a carving station with prime rib.
Breakfast in the Windjammer was monotonous every morning and we quickly make an effort to eat
breakfast in the dining room. There is pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries in the solarium area. The
pizza was not anywhere as good as the Elation pizza where you could also get a Caesar salad with the
pizza. The hamburgers/hot dogs, OK, fries better. Overall the dining room food was very good with some
dinner selections being excellent. The dinner room is two stories with a beautiful sweeping staircase. It is
just lovely! The gala midnight buffet was excellent and by far the most beautiful we have ever seen on
any of our cruises.

ENTERTAINMENT The shows were pretty good and one evening we had the
Osmonds entertain us, they were great! The music and singers in the lounges were very good. CASINO
I can’t believe what I saw in the casino, those were the loosest slot machines I have every seen. Our
travelling companions paid for their cruise with their winnings. The jackpots were large and several
people hit pretty good all week! The casino staff was very helpful and friendly. POOL AREA This is a
weak link on this beautiful ship. The lounge chairs are very uncomfortable. Two covered Jacuzzis’ are
next to the pool. This obstructs your view and gives the area a cluttered feeling. It also attracts children
in or around the Jacuzzis’. The solarium area is very pretty and probably works quite well when the ship
goes to Alaska, but in the warmer areas it gets muggy and gym like in there (they never opened the top
on this cruise), this is where the nice lounge chairs are.

SERVICE I believe overall that this was the best
service we have experienced on any cruise. The employees did not seem to be burned-out like I have
seen on previous cruises. They were all friendly, helpful, prompt, and courteous. OVERALL This ship is
beautiful. I loved the extensive use of glass. You could always see the ocean and never felt closed in.
The carpets in the areas where it was a lighter color is showing some wear but not to the point I would
call tacky. I felt like I got more for my cruise dollar with this cruise than on the Elation. It is definitely a
notch above. I would got on another RCI cruise in a heartbeat. Thank you Cruise Opinion for a
wonderful, informative web site!

Name: Carl Soranno
Email: csoranno@prodigy.net
Age: 40
Occupation: physician
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: 4/15/00
Itinerary: Ensenada-Hawaii
Cabin: 4540/F
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 88
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 82
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 92
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Apr 2000
Time: 17:50:46
Remote Name: d48-242.bbylny.optonline.net
Remote User:

Comments

I enjoyed this cruise with my wife and two children, ages 9 and 7. My biggest concern prior to this cruise was
the process of embarkation which sounded fairly harrowing when I read some of the reviews. This process
begins in San Diego and involves taking a bus to a pier for passenger processing. It is definitely beneficial to
have all your immigration paperwork and cruise contracts signed before entering the line to meet with RCL
clerks. It is here where cruise tickets, immigration papers, credit cards are processed and cabin keys/onboard
creditcards are processed and distributed. This was a fairly efficient process and moved quickly. After this was
completed we were directed to a line to wait for a bus to bring us to Ensenada, Mexico for the actual
embarkation. After waiting on line for approximately 40 minutes for the bus, we were taken for a 2 hr ride to
meet the ship. It sounds longer than it felt. I'm mentioning this because I heard several older people say that if
they were aware of what was involved in getting to the ship they may not have taken this cruise. There were
many people with disabilities on the ship, including lots of older people with knee replacements and several
wheelchair bound patrons who seemed to be tolerating the trip fine. The ship was lovely with great service
throughout. The food was mediocre at best with slighlty below average food in the Windjammer. The music
throughout the ship was great without exception and played an unbelievable variety. The nightly shows were
excellent with lively performers, including Charo who still is good although a little racey for kids. Considering
the ages of my children, we did take advantage of the kids club for a few hours in the morning while at sea
and after dinner when we wanted to see the show or have a cocktail alone. The kids looked foward to going
and made alot of friends on the ship. Generally there were not alot of children on the ship. Shore excursions
were good although we rented a car on most of the islands, except Kaui. We made our car reservatons before
we left and found that the rental companies had shuttles ready or available at every port. By having the rental
car we were able to save quite a bit compared to the expense of some of the shore excursions. Although some
of the excursions that we were able to price on our own were the same as those offered by the ship, ie.)
snorkle trips, Whale watching, atlantis submarine trip, etc.. Disembarkation was very smooth considering there
are almost 2000 passengers on this ship. At no time did I feel like i was being herded or that I had to wait an
inordinate amount of time to board one of the four launches which can carry up to 150 passengers at each
trip. Dress was generally casual although on the formal evening about 40 percent of men were wearing dinner
jackets or tuxedoes. Overall we had a great time. I wished the food was better and that we could spend about
a month longer in the islands.

Name: Sam Klessel
Email: mklessel@jnlk.com
Age: 47
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: April 16, 2000
Itinerary: Hawaii
Cabin: 3592H
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 78
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService: 93
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 93
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 93
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 93
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 May 2000
Time: 09:23:40
Remote Name: proxy1.jersey.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was our sixth cruise and our first to Hawaii. In fact, this was our second cruise on the Rhapsody. We
traveled with C&Bea Tours & Cruises, Inc. from Pilesgrove, NJ. A group of 21. One person in our group was a
representative from C&Bea. It was wonderful having him with us to keep us all straight getting to the ship and
home.

We have read many horror stories about getting to the ship once we got to San Diego Airport but we had no
problems. At the airport the C&Bea represntative and some of the men in our group claimed our luggage for
us and brought it out to the curb. A bus was waiting to take us to the San Diego Pier. We had to wait in line a
few minutes at the pier to check in and get our cruise card. A free luncheon buffet was provided and before
we knew it it was time to load on the bus. It was a long 2 hour bus ride to Ensenada, Mexico. We were very
tired-been traveling over 12 hours.

The first few days of our cruise was cool-lower 60's, windy and the ocean was choppy. We got some bonine
from the pursers office. This made us sleepy. Because it was not pool weather, we participated in a lot of
activities and in turn we earned enough Ship Shape Dollars for a free t-shirt. We thought there should have
been more cruise activities especially while we were at sea. We could always find something to do, but we
thought there should have been more of a selection. The balance of the cruise the weather was wonderful.
People were reserving chairs by the pool at 6:30am on their way to breakfast. It was impossible to get a pool
chair later in the morning. The sun was very intense. Alot of people were really getting sunburn. We were
disappointed there were not more pool games. There was a game each sea day at about 2pm.

The first few days we ate a buffet breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer. We were not very impressed with
the food. Keep in mind we do not eat meat (except fish) so that really limits our selection. We then started
eating all three meals in the dining room and the food was excellent. We just wished there were more
vegetarian selections. We are early risers (especially with the time changes) and would go to the Windjammer
to get coffee. This coffee was horrible. One of the coffee machines was broken and never got fixed the whole
cruise. The coffee in the dining room was better-at least it was hot. The coffee served in the Windjammer is
made from an instant where in the main dining room it is brewed. We don't know how many people we
overheard each morning say the first thing they are going to do when they get home is go out and buy a good
cup of coffee. If there had been a Starbucks franchise on board they would have cleaned up!

We were surprised at how many kids were on this trip. Guess its because it was over the Easter holiday. Most
of them seemed to be having a good time. Some of the teenagers looked bored towards the end of the cruise.
They all seemed to be well behaved. We only encountered one kid that was totally obnoxious. He was on one
of our tours and his big mouth ruined the tour.

There was a few people in wheelchairs. In fact, one lady had a room near ours. She had a friend pushing her
and they seemed to be getting around fine. In the dining room the waiters would help push her wheelchair to
her seat. We also saw her on some of our tours.

The shops on board were very nice. Everyday they had a sale. I bought a nice jacket at half price-a lot of
people bought jackets because it was so cold the first couple of days. The people working in the shops were
very helpful and friendly.

John Blair was our cruise director and his wife Katrina was his assistant. They are the best!! They were always
talking to everyone as if they had known them all their lives. Very friendly and warm. Before each show they
would walk around the theater and talk to people in the audience. One evening they put on their own show. It
was excellent! They are extremely talented.

Our waiter Ferdi from Turkey, his assistant Rene from Nicaragua and our head waiter from Turkey were really
great! Rene did not say much but always had a smile on his face so we called in smiley. Ferdi was always
saying something to make us laugh. Our head waiter was always checking with us to make sure everything
was going well. They all were very efficient.

Our cabin stewardess Yvonne was from Jamica and was extremely efficient. Our room was spotless. Our
pillows was arranged differently each day. My mother and her girlfriend also had Yvonne as their cabin
stewardess and each night their nightgowns was arranged differently-turtles, lobsters, flowers, hearts, etc. My
husband told Yvonne Mom and her friend needed a man in their room and the next night she made their
nightgowns to look like men laying in their beds. We all had a good laugh. A few nights she made our towels
into animals. One was an elephant and the other a monkey.

We were a little disappointed in the deck service. There were only a few waiters and none of them were
entertaining. Other cruises we have taken there was always one that was singing and dancing around. We
always got a kick out of that. They were efficient when we orderd our drinks. The band by the pool could play
just about anything. They were enjoyable to listen to while relaxing by the pool.

The ship was always clean. It is showing some wear on almost all the rugs and the cloth on the seats. In fact
they actually were quite stained. The chairs around the pool look old and some were coming apart. We heard
a rumor that the Rhapsody is going into dry dock to be renovated.

There was only a couple of times we felt the crowds. Usually it was when they were taking pictures in the
centrum. That was because 1st and 2nd seating were all there at once. The other was in the elevators. We
mostly used the stairs. The picture gallery was also crowded at times.

It seemed like a lot of people smoked. Most of the areas are non-smoking but it seemed we always had to walk
through a smoking area to get to where we were going. It was really bad sitting by the pool, outside the
Windjammer and the Schooner Bar. Also we went to a Luau in Maui and cigarette smoke always blew right in
my face.

Our cabin was very nice. Our bed was comfortable. There was plenty of drawer and closet space. I asked for
more clothes hangers and they were delivered within a few minutes. Shampoo, conditioner and soap was
provided by the ship. Our room was very noisy. We were located under a bathroom that was outside the
dining room. The door to the bathroom above slammed everytime someone entered and left. We also could
hear the toilet seats being put down and if someone was walking with high heels. We are sure it was the
location of our cabin. We did not have noise problems the last time we were on this ship.

After five wonderful days at sea, it was time to do some tours. Our stops were Hilo, Kona, Maui(2 days), Kauai
and Honolulu. We took a tour each stop. We enjoyed them all. Roberts Buses transported us on all our tours.
Their tour guides were very informative. There was a large selection of tour choices. Keep in mind to book the
tours you are interested in immediately. We could not get a couple of tours because we waited too long to sign
up. We also noticed in some brochures we picked up on the islands that the tours were half the price that we
paid on the ship. Might be worth trying to book the tours yourself ahead of time instead of going through the
ship. We had to tender in Kona and Maui. We encountered no problems tendering. We enjoyed riding in the
sunshine on top of the tender.

The entertainment we saw on the ship: Kenny James-singer, Wilde & Haines-comedy, Bobby Arvon-singer,
Craig Dahn-piano player, John & Katrina Blair-cabaret, David Orion-comedy, Charo-everybody knows Charo!,
and David Morgan & Chucky-comedy. All were very good shows. We also saw the show In the Heat of the
Night. This is the same show they put on two years ago when we were on this ship. We were disappointed that
they had not changed the show to something new. We missed a couple of shows. One night we were on deck
watching the volcano lava flow into the sea. What a sight to see!!

Before we knew it it was the last day of the cruise. We disembarked early because we took a tour of Honolulu.
Our plane did not leave until 4pm so the tour helped pass the time. Our plane ride home was uneventful-just
too long. We got home 9am the next morning eastern time.

We did have a wonderful time and would take this cruise again. We love cruising and are currently planning a
cruise for next June on the Zenith (Celebrity Line) to Bermuda.

Name: Margaret Slagle
Email: maslagle@zbzoom.net
Age: 48
Occupation: housewife
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: April 27, 2000
Itinerary: Hawaii-Vancouver
Cabin: 3585 L
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 100
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: 0
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 May 2000
Time: 11:04:53
Remote Name: lco227.zoominternet.net
Remote User:

Comments

Hi! This was our third cruise around the Hawaiian Islands, the second with Rhapsody of the Seas. We sailed
two years ago with Rhapsody and loved it. We felt the same on this sailing, just can't get enough of it. I am sad
to say that in the two years between sailings the Rhapsody is starting to look worn and somewhat tattered but
like the Velveteen Rabbit still quite lovable. There were four grownups sharing one room since it was more
economical to go that route. Although the room was quite small and sometimes quite congested it just added
to the fun. We opted for sharing and added a week in Honolulu prior to the cruise which helped even out the
jet lag and just simply was the thing to do. Our cabin steward was Yvonne and she was wonderful, always
around when you needed something but she was never in the way. Dining is a wonderful experience no matter
where you dine on this ship. I am a picky eater and I am glad to say there is always something I will eat. We
didn't feel like dressing up the second dress up night so we ate in the Windjammer for dinner and it was quite
good, a sit down meal not a buffet as we expected, the service was good and the food very tasty.

All the sun,
wind and sea water tends to do a number on your hair and I was not having a good hair week and to top it off
my curling iron broke. My sister in laws curling iron had a brush top and with my hair being longer all it did was
tangle and was impossible to use. Let me tell you that there are no curling irons for purchase on the ship so I
went up to the Beauty Salon thinking that they might have them for sale, no such luck. The girl at the desk
said that Claudia was free in 10 minutes and could maybe curl my hair for me so I said fine. Well Claudia had
to come an check my hair out first to see if she would work on it and I am sorry to say I didn't meet her
standards. She was very rude and insulted not only my style but everything about my hair and informed me it
would be impossible to curl my hair unless she cut it and styled it into a decent style. The girl at the desk said
to listen to Claudia since she was an expert. I was shocked since I do this all the time and it manages to curl
just fine and I am not an expert. Needless to say I spent no time or money in the salon.

This was and is the
only bad experience I have ever had on any RCCL ships. Since we have done the islands so many times we
have done most of the tours they offer. This time we took a 4 wheeler tour that was offered and it was the best
time we have ever had. It was the Safari Adventure Tour in Nawiliwili, Kauai and our tour guide and driver was
Francis(that is his English name, he is Hawaiian born and raised and I don't know how to spell his Hawaiian
name), if you plan to take this tour do your self a favor and ask for Francis to be your driver. We were in
Nawiliwili on a Sunday and they must change their route on the weekends due to an agreement with the island
and let me tell you that we were certainly not shorted in fact I think we had a better tour than normal. Don't
miss this one!!!!! This is my first cruise where I fell ill, the next to last day I came down with some throat
infection which I thought was strep. I went to the doctors and was quite impressed with the whole operation, in
fact I would love to make him my family doctor. They have everything there and do everything you need done,
1,2,3. I was worried about going but was quite glad I did. I could never express my gratitude in mere words.
Last but not least our dining room staff, Ferdi and Sarder were simply wonderful always there to please. We
will request them on our next cruise(which we already set up for 2001 for Rhapsody of the Seas
Hawaiian-Vancouver trip). The Head Waiter Robert Wood was also a very nice person and stopped and talked
to everyone, not like some we have had on other cruises that only stopped at the tables where you knew there
was money. I would certainly recommend this cruise ship and line to anyone interested in having a wonderful
time. If you have any questions please feel free to email me and I will answer the best I can.

Name: Dean Renner
Email: meandean@gateway.net
Age: 39
Occupation: Financial Planner
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: April 27, 2000
Itinerary: Hawaii
Cabin: 4034/I & 7602/AA
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 60
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 75
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 May 2000
Time: 21:06:40
Remote Name: 1cust240.tnt7.beaverton.or.da.uu.net
Remote User:

Comments

There were three of us on this cruise: my mother, a female cousin of mine, and I. We’ve cruised with RCCL
before, on the Legend of the Seas, last April, and were looking forward to a relaxing and enjoyable cruise, and
that’s what we had, despite a few glitches along the way.

Upon our arrival at the Portland Airport, the check-in staff informed us that Royal Caribbean had canceled our
originally scheduled 11am flight reservations, and that we had been reassigned to a 3pm flight. RCCL made
no attempt to notify us, nor inform our travel agent, of this. We managed to contact RCCL in Miami from the
ship while at sea, and their response was that a new employee had made a mistake rescheduling our flight. To
recompense us, RCCL sent two bottles of wine to our stateroom a few days into our cruise. A word of wisdom:
always confirm your flight numbers and times several days prior to departure, as we did not!

EMBARKATION / DEBARKATION:

We had arrived three days early in Honolulu to extend our holiday a bit longer, and arranged our own flights
through our travel agent for this. On embarkation day, we arrived by shuttle bus at the pier at about 11:30am
and were the first persons in line! RCCL had more than a two dozen computers arranged at the check-in
tables, where they activated our SuperCharge cards, and although boarding didn’t officially begin until 2pm,
within ten minutes we were aboard ship! This was the speediest embarkation we’ve ever experienced. By the
way, the SuperCharge card now doubles as your room key, thus eliminating the second room key card. RCCL
does not print your cabin number on the card, for your protection in case you lose it, so you’ll need to
remember your cabin number!

Debarkation was a little slow, but as someone else mentioned, there is no expeditious way to debark 2000
passengers. But on our cruise, the ship was debarking passengers at two places, up on deck 5 and down on
deck 2. This again was the speediest debarkation we’ve experienced, even if it did take until 10:30am until we
were off the ship. We would have been off the ship earlier, were it not for a couple of passengers tardily
reporting to the customs agents.

THE SHIP:

The ship is beautiful! Lots of brass and glass, in keeping with RCCL’s standard décor. In the Centrum there
hangs a beautiful wood sculpture gracefully courting planet Earth with long slender comforting fingers. The
Solarium is done in an Egyptian motif and again, is very pleasing to the eye. One day in the Solarium, the
water in the pool was sloshing about quite forcefully, due to the ship’s swaying in the seas, and the people
floating in there seemed really to be enjoying themselves, sloshing to and fro, and whooping with delight! The
Edelweiss dining room, encompassing two decks in height, is a pleasure to behold. The furniture is beautifully
upholstered in pleasing purples, pinks, and whites. The chairs are comfortable and have armrests. The
forward pool area is spacious, with lots of lounge chairs, and I never had difficulty finding a lounge chair to lay
upon. Even if I did, I could always stretch out on a lounge chair up on deck 10. People have complained about
RCCL’s lack of wooden decks on its ship’s forward pool areas, not liking the green ‘Astro Turf’ there. The
Rhapsody does have teak decking in the area immediately fore and aft of the pool. But I must say that if
you’ve ever cruised in the Southern latitudes, you know that the sun heats those teak decks to such an
unbearable degree that traversing them in bare feet is a very uncomfortable experience! Your feet will
appreciate the ‘Astro Turf’ if your eyes do not. There are four hot tubs at the forward pool and two in the
Solarium. The pools are filled with filtered and heated seawater and the hot tubs are filled with heated fresh
water. I spent a good deal of time in the hot tubs on our at-sea days because they were so darn relaxing, and
they offered a perfect vantage point from which to view the poolside activities. The ship also offers Internet
access up on deck 8, at the rate of 50 cents per minute, charged to your SuperCharge card. Utilizing this
service is quite easy, although the last few days of our cruise, this service was unavailable due to the ship’s
satellite antenna malfunctioning. The Internet service provides access to web-based e-mail services such as
Hotmail and Yahoo; and you should establish one of these accounts prior to your cruise, otherwise it will cost
you 50 cents per minute to do it from the ship! The ship’s stabilization was pretty good, although leaving
Honolulu; it rocked around a little. If you’re seasick on cruises, I recommend that you bring something just in
case. The purser’s desk offers complimentary Bomine, if you forget yours. The ‘Cruise Compass’ has been
changed from last year’s format. On this year’s cruise, the Compass comes in a two-part format: the usual
folded two-page part, and a ½ page card listing the daily activities. I suppose this new card is easier to carry
around, but I think I liked the older format better. The Broadway Melodies theatre, where the evening’s
entertainment is held, is beautiful! The seats are comfortable, with drink holders in each armrest. The stage
curtain is absolutely beautiful with wonderful designs; and each evening, before it was lifted, different colored
spotlights lit the curtain, transforming it into a new curtain each evening, color-wise. I know I’ve used the term
‘beautiful’ frequently in this paragraph to describe Rhapsody, but I can think of no better adjective with which
to describe her.

FOOD:

Seemingly everyone’s point of contention with RCCL – that and shower stall size! Well, you know the food on
our cruise was pretty good. On a scale of: (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent), our food ranged between
good and very good. The Italian and French dinner nights were the best. But you all have to understand that
food taste is a very subjective thing. What’s heavenly to the beggar may be unpalatable to the prince. So, I
can offer only my subjective opinion on our food. Our meals at main seating, appeared and tasted as one
would expect from a nice restaurant in your city. True, the meals may not have been what princes, kings, and
presidents are served, but then we were not paying exorbitant fares for this cruise. The chilled soups were
absolutely excellent! In fact, I think Raymond Southern, the ship’s executive chef, really nailed the soups and
deserts on this cruise! The salads, pastas, and entrees were more than satisfying to this person’s palate.
Also, I really enjoyed being serenaded by a wonderful piano, cello, and violin trio at dinner each night! Bravo!
We ate dinner in the dining room, and I being a late riser, (after being out late at night!) ate breakfast in the
Windjammer, and pizza and fries in the Solarium for lunch. The Windjammer offers buffet-style dining, perfect
for a single guy on the run. The food is cafeteria quality, but filling, as you can eat as much as you like,
without waiting for a server. The pizza in the Solarium is so-so, but the fries are truly excellent! I preferred
breakfast and lunch on the run so as to maximize my time at the pool or other fun activities. My mom and
cousin preferred the more relaxing breakfasts and lunches in the dining room. The Midnight Buffet was
beautifully done, although I didn’t eat there because I was still full from dinner. Many of the people I talked to
that night mentioned the same thing, and that might explain the sparse number of people actually eating at the
buffet. It seemed as though everyone turned out to see it and take photos, but then went off somewhere else
afterwards. The lines are long to view the buffet, so be in line early to take photos, or you’ll be in line quite
awhile!

SHOPPING:

I’m a single guy, so as you may expect I’m not the biggest shopper in the world! But all of our ports of call
offered more than sufficient opportunities to contribute to the local economy. Since this was a Hawaiian Islands
cruise, there are Hilo Hattie shuttles running every few minutes which will shuttle you to the local Hilo Hattie
store and back, free of charge. The Hilo Hattie stores are very large, with a tremendous selection of Hawaiian
shirts and other clothing, and prices ranging from $10 for a T-shirt, to $23 -$88 for Hawaiian shirts. They also
offer chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts……………… yum yum! The ship’s duty-free shops offered very
reasonable prices on their items – a little too reasonable in some cases! Liquor prices are truly reasonable
compared with Portland, Oregon’s. Here, a fifth of Bacardi Rum costs about $12, whereas on the ship you can
purchase a liter (larger than a fifth) for $9. And Absolut Vodka was on sale, two liters for $19. My mom stocked
up – and guess who had to carry them home?!

CABIN:

We were originally assigned an outside cabin, #4034, on deck 4, and spent our first three nights there. The
cabin was adequately sized, with enough closet space for all of us. The bathroom was a little cramped, but
was the standard size for RCCL’s ships. The shower, again, was a little cramped too, but with some
adjustments, it worked out fine. The ship was not fully occupied, however, and due to our flight mix-up, and
due to our request, and due to the fact that crews wanted to renovate our cabin, David in the purser’s office
upgraded our cabin to a suite on deck 7, #7602. This suite must be seen to be believed! It has a living room,
two bedrooms, two bathrooms – one with a bathtub, two televisions, a refrigerator, and a balcony. There was
no charge for us to relocate here, and one of the cabin stewards helped us move up there. I recommend that
anytime your ship is not fully occupied that you request an upgrade to a better cabin. If one is available, they’ll
move you up there. And hey, you didn’t have to pay for it. On the subject of cabin quietness, our suite was
very quiet. While in it, we had no idea that anyone else was aboard. However, the suite squeaked a bit while
the ship was under way. It was not annoying enough to keep us awake at night, but it was noticeable. Since
my schedule tended to the later hours compared with Mom’s and my cousin’s, I occupied the bedroom nearest
the suite’s front door, and used the bathroom just outside my bedroom, whereas Mom and my cousin
occupied the larger bedroom with the larger bathroom inside it. Their bedroom could be closed off by a large
sliding glass door, and so I would not disturb them when I came in late at night, and my bedroom had a door
also, so they would not disturb me in the morning. A very accommodating arrangement that suited us
extremely well!

SERVICE:

The service on Rhapsody was pretty good, but not quite as good as we had last year on the Legend. Our
waiter, Andie from Paris, and our assistant waiter, Kornel from Hungary, were very good and eager to please.
But it was my observation that the dining room seemed understaffed. The servers appeared to have too many
tables to service, and that seemed to slow down the timeliness of their service at our table. On the Legend,
our needs were learned the first night and then met very speedily. On the Legend, it appeared that our waiter
and assistant waiter had only two tables to serve, so their service to us was very prompt. On Rhapsody, due
to no lack of effort on their parts, the service by our waiters was not so prompt. Our waiters appeared to have
about four or five tables to serve. And with the wages RCCL pays it’s wait staff, surely it could have hired more
service staff in the dining room. These guys aren’t going to be millionaires any time soon!! Others have
commented in previous reviews that the waiters do not sing any longer. That was not the case with our cruise,
as our waiters sang twice, and we had a great time twirling our dinner napkins overhead in unison with them
while they sang! Also of note, was the service and shenanigans of our cabin steward for our suite, whose
name escapes me at the moment. He took very good care of us, and greatly entertained my mom and cousin
with the goofy characters he created for them in the bedroom. One night he created a person by stuffing
towels into a pair of my mom’s pants and a T-shirt. Other nights, he created characters with towels and other
articles of clothing. My mom and cousin could hardly wait for dinner to end, so they could rush back to the
cabin to see what he had done next. In other areas of the ship, the service seemed a little lacking compared
with the Legend. And the communication between the ship’s departments seemed to be nonexistent. The left
hand didn’t seem to know what the right hand was doing. This just required a little more oversight of things on
our parts, that’s all – it did not impede our pleasure on this cruise.

ACTIVITIES:

This cruise was kind of a two-part cruise, inasmuch as our first five days were spent at the various islands,
and our remaining five days were spent at sea, sailing toward Vancouver, BC. So, our first five days were
spent at the islands, and there really weren’t very many activities aboard ship on these days. And the nightlife
was virtually nonexistent after about 11pm on these days. I think this was due to the fact of an older crowd
(age 55+), and the fact that everyone needed to be up early for their tours. The tours were all kind of long,
and began about 8am. However, on Day Three, there was the ‘Dancing Under the Stars’ party and buffet
outside up on deck 9. That was lots of fun, and I had fun dancing out there under starlight, in 80-degree
weather! On our at-sea days, things picked up considerably. There were bingo tournaments, art auctions,
cooking demonstrations, horse races, golf tournaments, shuffleboard tournaments, Mr. Sexy Legs contests,
pool games, the Quest game, the Newlywed Not So Newlywed game, and the like. During the final day of the
bingo tournament, the lady right next to me won over $16,000! She was so excited!! There was Karaoke
singing some of the nights and it’s amazing how many of my fellow passengers were such good singers! My
good friend, Paul, from Vancouver BC, whom I met on the ship, was absolutely fabulous singing (after a few
beers!) as Elvis! One night up in the Viking Crown Lounge, it was ‘70’s Night’. This was the one and only night
that the lounge was packed to the gills! It was standing room only! And then the rest of the nights up there
were dead. Perhaps if they played 70’s music up there every night instead of 90’s music, it would be busy
every night -- and they’d probably sell more drinks too.

STAFF:

Our cruise directors were John and Katrina Blair, and the assistant cruise director was Marc Walker. John Blair
was good enough as a cruise director, although he never appeared outside of official functions, but seemed a
bit uppity and not very genuine, as did his wife. And no one can smile that much all the time. Marc Walker was
enthusiastic – a little too enthusiastic, actually – as the guy desperately trying to round up people for all the
activities. I found his constant announcements a little annoying, especially the day I was awoken by one at
8am! The commanding officer, Captain Kjetil Gjerstad was a good captain, but seemed somewhat aloof. He
didn’t seem to mingle much with the passengers, but always made his noontime announcements about the
ship’s status, which were very informative. Thank goodness for Andie and Kornel our waiters, our fun cabin
steward, and Simona a bar server who provided wonderful service and who was a great salesperson -- she
would make a fortune in any sales position if anyone out there needs to fill one! Without them and their
fun-loving cheerful attitudes, I would have rated the service on Rhapsody far lower – they are solely
responsible for the ratings I gave the ship.

PASSENGERS:

There were about 1800 passengers on our cruise, out of a capacity of about 2100. Mostly Americans, but with
about 400 Canadians, and lots of other nationalities. The ages of the passengers ranged from youngsters to
one lady who was 92! But the average age was about 55+, so I had difficulty finding people my age on the
ship -- I’m 38. It seems the longer and more expensive the cruise, the older the crowd. But our 14 day Panama
Canal cruise on the Legend last year had a lot of passengers my age – go figure. But I did make some great
friends: Paul and Lorraine from Vancouver BC, and Joe and Rachel from Chicago. Their friendship and
company made this cruise so much fun, I can’t begin to tell you!

ENTERTAINMENT:

The entertainment was a mix of Broadway, Las Vegas, and solo performers. We had the Wave Revue
Dancers a couple of nights, a piano player, four different comedians, and two solo singers. The two solo
singers were Lenny Welch, who had a few number 1 hits during the Motown era, and Charo, who needs no
introduction! She was great, and a very lively entertainer. She, after living in the U.S. all these years, still has
a thick accent, and I actually understood her Spanish better than her English! But she was great, as was
Lenny Welch. The comedians were OK, although I missed David Morgan & ‘Chucky’ because I was very tired
and went to bed early that night. Everyone said that he was absolutely hilarious, and by far the best comedian
on the cruise. I also enjoyed the Wave Revue Dancers, as the ladies were very attractive and great dancers!
Overall, the entertainment was very enjoyable and I always looked forward to going to the show every night
after dinner.

PORTS OF CALL / EXCURSIONS:

Honolulu, Oahu: We arrived three days early in Honolulu to extend our holiday a bit, and relax and enjoy the
sights of Honolulu without rush. I found Honolulu to be a big city with a beach – not really a resort town! My
lasting impression of Honolulu is these great big city busses and tour busses rumbling about the streets
desperately in search of boarders, belching diesel exhaust in prodigious quantities. The aroma of Honolulu is
this! But beyond the noxious odors, I met people from a multitude of nationalities and U.S. states. If there is
truly a melting pot of humanity, then Honolulu is it! You will meet people from all over the world there. We
visited Pearl Harbor, which was very memorable. Upon entering, the staff will give you a free ticket for entry
into the theatre and out to the memorial. There is a 20-minute movie in the theatre detailing the Japanese
attack, and then you tender out to the memorial itself, and spend about 30 minutes there. We, upon the
advice of other reviewers at this website, decided to partake in a luau at Germaine's here in Honolulu, rather
than do the one offered by the ship. And boy are we glad we did! First of all, the ship’s price was $81 per
person, and we paid $39 each. And Germaine's was a whole lot of fun. It ran over three hours and the food
was excellent. The entertainment and fire-stick tosser were excellent, and they provided us with three
complimentary drinks.

Lahaina, Maui: We were here for two days, anchored offshore. There were always three tenders in the water
here, one loading passengers at the ship, one loading passengers at the dock, and one in transit. There was
never more than a few minutes’ wait to catch a tender at either location. And the tenders ran 24 hours,
although with a little slower service after Midnight. Unfortunately, I can offer you no information on the tours on
Maui, as I was feeling ill in the morning from a stomach ailment, and did not make my snorkeling tour. Nicely
enough, the shore excursions desk refunded my purchase price for my missed tour. But Lahaina is beautiful,
as are all the rest of the islands. On the other islands besides Oahu, building ordinances exist such that no
structures can be built which exceed the height of the palm trees. So, the towns really have a resort town feel
to them that Honolulu didn’t. In Lahaina, there is the main drag, Front Street, where all the shops and
restaurants are located. It is a very short walk from the dock, and you will have no trouble locating it. And
traffic moves very slowly down the street, so you won’t have to worry about crossing the street, or worry about
the little ones being hit.

Nawiliwili, Kauai: Here we took the Waimea Canyon tour. Waimea Canyon is referred to as the ‘Grand Canyon
of the Pacific’ for good reason! It is beautiful! It is a very deep, green, craggy canyon, way up in the
mountains. It’s a bit of a drive up there in the bus, and then you have to walk up about a 100-foot long ramp to
the observation area, but it’s well worth it.

Kailua Kona, Hawaii: Kona on the big island is known for its Kona Coffee, which we sampled on our tour. Not
being a coffee drinker, it tasted like coffee to me, so I can’t offer you any comparison here! We took the Kona
Highlights tour and really enjoyed it. I especially liked seeing the Painted Church, which is an old Catholic
church, with the Stations of the Cross painted as murals inside the church. Make sure to bring your camera
and a flash for this, as they are beautiful. While talking with one of the local shop owners, we learned that the
volcano on the Hilo side of the ‘big island’ is just spectacular, and you can walk right up to the lava flows! Ours
was the 10 day cruise, which does not stop at Hilo, but the 11 day cruise does, so make sure to visit the lava
flows! After our tour, we tendered back to the ship, as it again was anchored offshore, and had lunch. After
lunch, my cousin and I tendered back to Kona and wandered around town for awhile and then headed off to
Hard Rock Café, as I wanted to purchase a tank top from there. Thirsty, we ventured upstairs to the balcony
for a beer and met a delightful young couple, Gertie and Steven from Belgium.

CONCLUSION:

Overall, this was a very enjoyable cruise, as they always seem to be on Royal Caribbean. With the exceptions
of our flight cancellation, slower service than we’ve come to expect, and the Internet center being out of order,
this was a fun cruise. Folks, your cruise is what you make of it! I’ve met more new friends, and had more fun
cruising than I’ve ever had doing anything else! There’s nothing like seeing passengers moping about and
complaining about things beyond their control. You’re paying with hard-earned money, so don’t let relatively
minor troubles spoil your cruise – go a little wild and have fun!!

I hope this cruise review has been of benefit to you, as I know the reviews I’ve read here have provided me
with valuable information, especially the tip about the luau at Germaine's. And please feel free to write with
any questions, or if you’re a fellow cruiser, just to say 'hi'.

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