Name: Vince Olewinski
Email: olewinsv@meijer.com
Age: 34
Occupation: Systems Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Rhapsody
SailingDate: March 28, 1998
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 92
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Apr 1998
Time: 15:46:11
Remote Name: 208.142.246.3
Remote User:

Comments

INTRO: This is my second time cruising with RCCL (3/94 Majesty - Western) and I was not disappointed. I feel compelled to share some thoughts
about the Rhapsody because I read several reviews from this site 3-4 weeks before cruising. There were several things I wouldn't have known about
had I not visited this site and the information ended up being very helpful. I traveled with my wife and in-laws. The first night at sea out of San Juan
the ship was rocking a bit, but after that the ride was totally smooth and the seas were like glass.

GOOD STUFF: Compared to my last RCCL cruise I thought the dining room food and service were far better this time. Our waiter and assistant waiter
(Victor & Tomas - Hungary) were the best. Victor made it clear the first night that it was his responsibility to make sure everyone at his tables were
100% happy when they walked out of that dining room each morning/day/night. Several times during the week people were not happy with
something they ordered and Victor promptly brought them something else. He was very professional and had a great sense of humor. In general all
the wait staff we crossed paths with were very friendly and helpful, including Luis (Honduras) Bartender in the Viking Crown Lounge. Different from
my last cruise was the grill in the Solarium. As mentioned in a few other reviews, it was a good place to grab a snack while lounging around the pool,
but each time we had to wait 10-15 minutes because most of the items were cooked to order. Chicken sandwich, pizza, and fries were good.
Hamburger was OK. There were more options for eating on this cruise compared to my last one, especially for lunch, snacks, and dinner. I consider
this a big improvement for RCCL.

ISLANDS - ARUBA - We stayed away from the ship sponsored excursions and did our own thing. This island may not be much to look at from the
ship, but we took a taxi to one of the resorts (Hyatt) on Palm Beach and found it a wonderful place to wander around. You can pay to use the
facilities here, although we did not. CURACAO - We were warned by other reviews and staff on the ship to not be shocked when we got that first look
outside after docking here. The dock is not far from a refinery and there was a heavy smell of oil. You could also see oil in the water around the ship.
We took a cab to the Sea Aquarium here. The ride was interesting, to see some of the island and hear about its history from our cab driver. Sea
Aquarium was interesting, but not worth the $13.25/person admission and most of the sea life you may be able to see at your local zoo. ST
MAARTEN: Beautiful island. All the main shopping is within walking distance, 75 cent beers/drinks on many corners, locals were very friendly, and
several bar/grill type places right on the water to take a break from shopping or sight seeing. ST THOMAS - Shopped downtown, quite a bit of car
and taxi traffic. Took a taxi to Megan's Bay. Fun ride with wonderful views of the cruise ships/harbor and Megan's Bay. I shot video from the taxi
and it turned out fairly well. We had been warned by our waiter that the beach at Megan's Bay would be crowded. There were lots of people, but we
found a spot on the beach no problem. The Bay view and water here are spectacular, although the bathrooms and areas up by the parking lot were
filthy.

NOT SO GOOD STUFF: In general I have no major complaints about my cruise on the Rhapsody, but with the good comes a few not so goods.
LUGGAGE: We did not get our luggage until 9:30-10pm the first night. We were told that it's normal for people to not have their luggage until 11pm or
later the first night. Needless to say, there were many people in shorts at dinner that first night besides me. TEENS: There were more teens than on
my last cruise and they seemed to take over areas of the ship especially at night. The drinking age was 18 on this ship and I saw several young
people that had more than their fair share. DINNER: The RCCL brochure states that main seating dinner is at 6:30pm. All our dinners were at 6pm
except for the last night, which was at 6:15. That extra half hour would have been nice. We requested a table of 4 for dinner and were seated at a
table of 10. It did not end up being a problem because our waiter was super and the people we sat with were all very nice. Dinners were 1:45-2
hours, but seemed to move along fairly well. SMOKE: Almost all of the lounge and some of the public/sitting areas we visited were smoke filled. There
were only a few areas where smoking was NOT permitted and I frequently smelled smoke (some of it funny) drifting into my cabin, even though I had
a non-smoking cabin. CARPETS: As mentioned in another review, I was also surprised how worn and dirty the carpets looked in my cabin and around
the ship, considering the Rhapsody was less than a year old. CABIN NOISE: Another reviewer mentioned their cabin rattled and creaked all night
long while the ship was moving. I experienced the same thing with my cabin (A deck inside) along with banging from above and other miscellaneous
sleep disrupting noises from the walls and hallway. DISEMBARK: I expected chaos getting off the ship so I was prepared, but the hour and 15 minute
wait outside the cruise terminal waiting to check in with the airline (can I say Northwest?) tried everyone's patience. After several complaints from
people to RCCL staffers walking around, the airline must have been convinced they needed more than 2 people handling 500+ passengers and
sent 6-8 reinforcements. I guess this was the payback for the easy time we had getting on the ship. We did not wait for a single person getting on,
but after finding my cabin and taking a quick look around, I got off the ship 45 minutes later to shoot some video and there must have been 300+
people waiting to check in and board the ship. Each time you board the ship you have to walk through a metal detector and they xray your carry
on's which slows things down a bit. SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Being 2nd time cruisers with RCCL we were supposed to receive special recognition
throughout the cruise according to the RCCL literature. The RCCL web site says this amounts to some special indication in their system and on your
cruise card. It also mentions something about an invitation to a special cocktail party during your cruise for previous RCCL cruisers. We told our travel
agent about this and were told it was noted on our reservations with RCCL, but we never heard anything about it until we asked a previous RCCL
cruiser that was at our dinner table. They told us that when you were checking in to board the ship you had to tell the agent that you were a
previous RCCL cruiser and they put a sticker on your cruise card.

MISC: As mentioned in another review, there was a duty/tax free store right in the San Juan cruise terminal that sold alcohol, pop and other items.
Some of the booze prices here were cheaper than any of the islands I visited. The catch is you can only buy stuff getting on the ship, not when you
get off. Whatever you buy here you can either drink on the ship(in your cabin) or save it and bring it home.

Back to RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas

Want to book your cruise at a great rate? Click here.
Questions or comments? Mail to webmaster@cruiseopinion.com.
Copyright ©1996-2001 CruiseOpinion.com. Last modified: January 17, 2000.