Great Cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas

I read the awful reviews in advance and they were all wrong. This was a wonderful cruise on a perfect sized ship. No ice rink, no bumper cars, no ropes course, and I didn't want that nonsense. The ship is old, but well taken care of and clean. We were on the ship and having fun before noon on embarkation day (San Juan), and it was easy on and off at all the ports. The main dining room was just okay, the specialty dining (Chops and Giovanni's) much better. Our cabin (junior suite) was wonderful and our cabin steward top notch. Don't bother getting off at St. Croix or St. Kitts, you won't miss anything. Barbados was great (Carlyle Beach) and St. Thomas (we took the ferry to St. John's and went to Trunk Bay) and St. Maarten (Orient Beach, as always) were wonderful. The Rhapsody of the Seas and her sisters (Vision, Enchantment, and Grandeur) will be gone in a year or two, so go now, while you still can.

Amazing cruise, fantastic crew, great itinerary

This ship is the 2nd smallest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet and one of the oldest. Because of this- it often receives a bad "rap". This was out second time cruising on the Rhapsody in 2024 and the intimate-ness of the ship and the fantastic CREW on board. We've been on many cruises and cruise lines and this ship has the BEST crew- their attention to detail and how they care and look after the guests is TOP NOTCH! By mid-week the crew knew our name, and was greeting us everywhere we went (not just our fabulous room attendant!). The food on the ship - we did the Ultimate Dining package which included Giovanni's, Chops, and Izumi. All three were amazing for the service and the food. Does it have all the bells and whistles of the newer Oasis class or Icon? No. But because it doesn't have water slides there aren't as many children running around and the vibe on the ship is much more laid back. Because it's a smaller ship, it can go into port in fabulous destinations that the bigger ships cannot. The itinerary was fabulous island hopping every day and is one of our favorites. And because it's a smaller ship, my FEET didn't hurt like it did on an Oasis class ship! ;)

Ports, Ports and even more Ports!!!

This was a great cruise. The ship was good the ports were great. If you went on this ship looking for a great ship with lots of things to do, this is not the ship for you. But if you are looking for a cruise that basically gives you 6 ports in 7 days, then you came to the right place. Being able to go to so many ports in so few days is a huge benefit over those 7 day cruises that only makes it to 3 ports and one of them being Royal Caribbean's' private island. I mean coco cay is great and all but i rather see St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Barbados over coco cay, but thats just me. I look forward to doing another cruise one day out of San Juan and hopefully it is with a slightly newer ship but if not, its ok. It's all about the PORTS!!

Beautiful Island destinations

Been to a few Southern Caribbean cruises, but chose this one with the Aruba and Bonaire destinations...with 2 days in Aruba, which was everything I've hoped for, been twice before but first time doing tours on the island, learned so much about its history on a historical walking tour on day 1 and a scenic tour with stops at the natural bridge, ruins, lighthouse and their famous eagle beach on day 2...Bonaire another dutch island quaint and move at your own pace sort of town, lovely shopping and restaurants in a small but affordable capital. Grenada is always wonderful and welcoming, the one island I look forward to on any itinerary, the friendliness and charm of the people is always authentic, the tour to the Fort and Falls was everything I expected, and our tour guide/bus driver was informative and funny RHAPSODY...has everything you could hoped for..even though it's an older and smaller ship, beautiful interior with tasteful artwork and lovely lounges with nightly entertainment both around the ship and in the main theatre, I especially enjoy the Schooner bar, for daytime trivias and the piano entertainment in the evening For lunch and dinner the main dining room is my go to as Windjammer is very repetitive, so booking a few specialty restaurants is a must... Giovanni's..is really lovely for all your favorite Italian dishes, also for the Taste of Royal lunch which was well represented by the wait staff, service was superb Izumi...their Japanese restaurant is a must on every cruise for me, quality food and service everytime Chops Grille...their main Steakhouse, been on every cruise, but is always a disappointment at the end of the meal, decided to do lunch this time around, the result was the same, except for the steak which was cooked superbly, service was basic Water and coffee package prepaid is value for money, before getting on board Crown and Anchor Society...their loyalty program is probably one of the best in terms of perks and I take full advantage of it everytime My cabin was spacious and comfortable with all the comforts of a great accommodation To sum up my cruise on this ship was lovely and is on par with their bigger and more modern ships, with friendly and smiling staff all around