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Rhapsody review 15/09/18


Jowall1
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We recently returned from a 7 night rhapsody cruise and thought I’d do a review on it. May take a few days so bare with me!

 

This was our second cruise, the first was on jewel 2 years ago. We loved it and couldn’t wait to cruise again! Our first cruise took in Italy and the Greek islands and we really wanted to see more of this part of the med.

 

I plan to review each port and what we did when we were there as well as obviously the ship itself. Our cruise began in Venice, other ports were Kotor - Montenegro, Santorini - Greece, Katakalon - Greece, Split -Croatia.

 

We began by flying early morning from Dublin to Venice. On arrival at Marco Polo airport we were greeted by RC staff and shown straight away to the bus for our transfer. This whole process was quick and effecient. At our arrival at the dock, our bags were taken from us and we were sent upstairs for check in. The queue for check in was incredibly long. We stood in line for almost an hour. In comparison to check in for our last cruise this was awful. Last time we were on the ship within about 15 minutes of arriving at the dock!

 

After we eventually checked in and got our sea pass cards we were finally onto Rhapsody!

 

The ship itself is beautiful. She may be one of RC’s older ships but her age doesn’t show. The whole ship was kept incredibly clean and we saw no signs of general wear and tear. There was live music in the centrum and lots of people milling about, excited for their cruise.

 

We went straight to our room to leave off our hand luggage and get changed. We had inside cabin 3061. Although our cabin was below the centrum, we never heard any noise at all during our cruise. For us, the only time we really spend in our cabin is to sleep and so an inside cabin is perfect for us. Last time we had a window, but we didn’t even miss it. On the TV in the room there was a virtual window, where we could see a view from the bridge. Our room had lots of storage and a large king bed so was perfect.

 

After travelling and a very early start we were ready for lunch. We went to the Windjammer, but on embarkation day it was a bit of a nightmare. There were people everywhere! You would have thought some of the people had never seen food before! People become so rude when there’s food involved, and are prepared to do anything to get you out of the way! Apart from the crowd, the food was good and as always there was a good selection of food available.

 

Once we were fuelled up, off we went to explore the ship. I know rhapsody is a small ship but even after spending 7 nights on board I was still getting lost so I don’t know what I’d be like on a large ship!

 

We finished up our exploring on deck 10, were we got some drinks and a sun lounger each and people watched until sail away! Venice is an amazing city to sail out of. Sailing out past the canals, watching all the smaller boats dodging out of the way and seeing all the bridges and buildings was Beautiful. If you ever have the opportunity of sailing out of Venice, do not miss the sail away!

 

We had my time dining and I had made some reservations on cruise planner before sailing. I’m not sure if I hadn’t booked if we would have had to wait for a table or not but very night we arrived for dinner we were shown straight away to our table. We had a beutiful dinner and really enjoyed our dinner in the MDR.

 

Our experience of the MDR throughout our cruise was generally excellent. Every meal we had here was fantastic. Some of the best dishes we had were crispy prawns, Asian tacos, jerk chicken and rack of lamb. These dishes were outstanding! On our last night we both ordered the lamb, my husband even ordered a second one after he finished because it was so good!

 

Our waiter was Tahir, he was from Indonesia and was one of the best crew members we came across our whole cruise. He was incredibly funny but was also very knowledgeable about the menu and gave great recommendations every night. He always asked us about our day and shared with us about his and about his family back in Indonesia.

 

The head waiter was Maria from The Philippines. She was the other best crew member on board. She literally could have done no more for us! After meeting us the first night, any time she saw us anywhere she came to say hello! Every night at dinner she came over to chat And was always making us laugh! She truly was hilarious! There were also a few days at lunch in the Windjammer she found us a table when it was busy. Both Tahir and Maria are a credit to RC!

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Any questions anyone has, just ask away!

 

After less than 3hours sleep the previous night we were shattered and so were in bed by 9 our first night. The show the first night was a ventriloquist, so we weren’t too disappointed to miss out! The shows were a bit hit and miss throughout the week. There was a magician one night, he was fantastic, we really enjoyed him. There was also beatlemania, again, very entertaining. Our last night there was an acrobatic couple who we couldn’t take our eyes off! The other nights were the RC singers and dancers, who although they are all talented, the shows themselves have no story so are a bit boring!

 

Other entertainment on board was good. The orchestra played every day, we loved listening to them. There was also a group called L’ements who were really fun. There was also another guy and girl, not sure of their names, but they were great as well, and sang a great variety of songs. The piano guy in th schooner bar was so talented and took all sorts of requests.

 

Some of our favourite areas of the ship were the Schooner bar, shall we dance lounge, the solarium, and outside on the 5th deck. We loved walking out here every evening after dinner. There were always so few people about and it was so quiet. We always walked around to the back of the ship and enjoyed looking at the stars every evening.

 

Something different about this cruise and from reading on CC, I think this was an exception to many cruises, there were always free sun loungers during the day! Even on sea days. We didn’t lie out around the main pool or on deck 10 but generally stayed in the solarium. But even walking out through the pool or up on top, there was always empty chairs with no towels. We much preferred the solarium as it was quiet! My husband described the main pool as Benidorm! We’ve never been but it was very much was we imagine it to be!

 

We ate lunch a few days in the park cafe in the solarium. There was a good variety of food - roast beef sandwiches, soup, salads and sandwiches. It was a nice alternative to getting elbowed in the Windjammer!

 

The Windjammer was busy at peak times but was never as bad as embarkation day. We 3 nights for dinner and it was very quiet. We were very happy with the food every time in the Windjammer.

 

We went one morning for breakfast to the MDR. It was a very different experience to our usual Windjammer breakfast! It was nice being looked after at breakfast, the only issue would have been if you were in a rush. Breakfast took about an hour and 15 minutes. We weren’t in a rush off the ship so this was fine with us!

 

We also had lunch in the MDR on one of the sea days. Our biggest complaint was that 1pm is closing time! This is far too early. We both had a look at the menu but had already decided we wanted salad from the salad bar. It was great, I loved picking out exactly what I wanted and it was so tasty. The rest of our table hadn’t so much luck though. Not everyone at the table knew there was a buffet and thought you had to order from the menu. It was only after they ordered and then saw us returning with food they realised! The waiter hadn’t explained anything. One couple waited 30 minutes for their starters to come out. Literally 2 minutes later their mains came. The lady didn’t enjoy any of her food. We found out the next day she had been very ill later that day and unfortunately had been quarantined to her cabin for the remainder of the cruise. They were told there was multiple other people also sick after the lunch. At 1 the waiter came and said the buffet was closing, if we wanted anything else we were to go now. We literally got up and were at the buffet in less than 1 minute but already all the serving tongs had been removed from everything and food was already being taken away. There were people at our table who hadn’t even gotten any food yet. The head waitress and lunch came over to our table to check everything was ok with service and when she was told about all the issues she didn’t seem to do anything to resolve them.

 

Our only other issue during our cruise was on the first formal night. On our first cruise, both the formal nights there were men came into the MDR wearing bermuda shorts and flips flops. There were also girls very casually dressed. We therefore didn’t think formal wear was enforced for the MDR. So when we were packing my husband packed no trousers. He packed 2 pairs of smart shorts and a few smart shirts. The first formal night conincided with our wedding anniversary. We were really looking forward to a nice meal together to celebrate. I was dressed in a dress and my husband in his smart shorts, shirt and shoes. We arrived to the MDR and were told we couldn’t come in, no shorts of flip flops allowed. We were really upset. I explained why we didn’t believe formal dress was enforced and how it was our wedding anniversary. The crew member on the desk that night was the only member we came across our whole cruise who was extremely unfriendly. She told us we would have to go to the Windjammer. I could have cried. We left feeling upset and embarrassed as there were others waiting to go for dinner. As we were heading for the stairs a waitress came running after us and said she would help. She went in and spoke with the crew member we had already dealt with, I don’t know what she said but she changed her mind and let us in. Unfortunately we weren’t in our usual seats but somewhere else. Our meal was very rushed and we were disturbed 4 times during our meal to ask for our room number! We don’t know what was going on. While eating dinner, we saw 5people come in and walk past our table wearing flip flops! It seems the rule wasn’t enforced for everyone! We had ate 3 courses in 35 minutes and were out again! We felt our night was rushed to get us out and so our night was dampened. This was definitely the most negative experience we had during our cruise. The second formal night we were straight for the Windjammer and had it nearly to ourselves!

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I’ll move onto our ports of call. If there’s anything else about the ship I’ve forgotten, let me know!

 

Our first stop was Kotor, Montenegro. We weren’t in until 2pm but I think this was a good thing. It meant we were able to have a lazy first morning and then be on deck up top to watch the sail in! This has got to be the most spectacular port to sail into! The Bay of Kotor is said to be the most southern fjord in the world. It took about 2 hours to sail in from the mouth. The mountains are amazing and so beutiful! At some points it was so narrow and the mountains were towering over both sides of the ship. It truly was spectacular. The port required tenders, and so tender tickets were given out. I think it was 12 the tickets were to start being given out. We happened to walk past the spot at about 11to see a queue already formed! We went away and came back about 15 minutes later and got ticket 4 when they were given out. Tickets went up to 30something! We were off the boat about 2.30pm. We had a stroll through the small walled city and headed for St John’s Fortress. I had read about this part of the mountain to climb before travelling and really wanted to do it for the views. It was 31degrees though so we were worried doing it at the height of the sun. But we brought lots of water and started! It cost €8 each. The walk is 1300or so steps. The steps however are all different sizes and cobbled and very uneven! You need to have a certain level of fitness to climb. After climbing a short distance the views were amazing! There are 2 churches, 1 halfway and the other at the top. I got to the first and was very warm and puffed out so decided to stop there. My husband climbed the rest himself. If you can only make it as far as I did, the views are definitely great reward. You look down over Kotor, across the bay and see rhapsody in the middle. It was stunning. I’ll try adding some photos. There was water for sale here but I’d advise bringing some yourself too. Going down again was difficult as well, just because the steps are uneven and a bit slippy. I don’t think it would be very safe if it was raining! I really recommend this climb to anyone with some fitness. I am definitely not the fittest person around and I managed half way, it took about 35minutes to here.

 

Kotor itself is a walled city with lots of pretty buildings. There were lots of tourist shops and seemed to be a lot of bars and places to eat outside. We walked around for a short time but were very warm in the sun and so decided to head back to the ship and head to the pool.

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Our next day was a sea day. Again I was surprised to find empty sun loungers! The main pool area was obviously very busy all day but nowhere else on the ship felt crowded.

 

Our second port of call was Santorini, Greece. We were here 2 years ago on our last cruise and loved it, couldn’t wait to return! There were no tender tickets required today as the ship was in at 7am. First off the boat was 7.30, we were off for about 7.40. The tender boat is less than 5 mins to the dock. From here there are several options for getting to Fira, the main city which is just above the dock. It is pretty much a sheer cliff face up. The easiest way up is cable car, this costs €6 each way. The only problem is the queues at peak times which I will explain later! But this time in the morning we were straight on and into Fira in about 5 mins from stepping off the tender. There is also a path up which you can walk. This wouldn’t be for the faint hearted, I don’t know how long it would take, but I imagine well over an hour. The other way up the path is a a donkey! From memory this was also €6, in my humble opinion it is cruel using donkeys for this, it is a long way up, uphill the whole way, in hot weather, all while carrying a heavy person, multiple times every day. But I will admit they did look well looked after so everyone’s own personal decision! You can also get a speed boat directly from the dock to Oia, which is the pretty bit of the island everyone wants to go. It was €15, which included a bus transfer back to Fira. So this is also a very good option for those who just want to go to Oia and Fira - I imagine the vast majority of people.

 

After the cable car ride we walked a few minutes away and hired a scooter. This is what we did the last time and loved it. Of course this won’t be for everyone but for us was the best option. As well as scooters, there’s also quad bikes. We got a 125cc, including helmets for all day for just €25. Our only other expense was to refill with fuel before returning which cost €5! To get a larger engine like this you either need a motorbike lisence or have experience at riding before. My husband drove and I sat on the back!

 

We set off for Oia first, this is about 20/25 mins by road from Fira. I would say getting here early is a must. When arrived about 8.50 and it was still quiet, only a few tourists milling about. By the time we were leaving about 10.45 it was unbearably busy. There would have been no opptunities for photos without being spoiled by the crowds. Oia is the place everyone sees of Santorini or beautiful pictures and postcards. It really is as pretty as it looks. All the buildings are whitewashed and some with blue roofs. There are windmills as well. The sea is so blue and calm looking. I’ve been having trouble loading pictures so far but will try again to get some from here because it’s amazing! The streets of Oia are small and narrow, mostly cobbles. There are a lot of steps and hills! Oia isn’t very accessible for wheelchairs or prams, so be aware. There are lots of little shops, all selling local produce and then the usual touristy stuff. There are some really beautiful pictures to buy. After walking around for a while and getting our photos we stopped in for coffee. There are lots of places where you can sit out back looking over the sea, such a pretty setting for breakfast!

 

The day we were here there were 5 cruise ships in Santorini!!! RC had changed our schedule a few weeks before leaving due to port congestion at a few ports, so I don’t understand why Santorini wasn’t changed too. By the time we were leaving Oia, it was literally like a cattle market! We could barely move along the streets to leave. I felt sorry for anyone who had paid for a ship excursion, they only had about 90mins here and most trips seemed to just be arriving at this time. I can’t imagine they enjoyed their day with all the tourists.

 

We left here and drove back along the coast towards Fira. The drive is spectacular, the sea is beautiful and driving along the road there are lots of white churches, capped with blue roofs. We passed by Fira and headed for the middle of the island, to just above the airport where there is a mountain. It is a few thousand feet high and the views from on top are amazing. You can see right over the whole island. It seems to have some sort of disused military base on top and you can still see evidence of this. It was really windy when we were hear but it didn’t take away from the amazing views. It was a bit of a hairy ride up, the road is narrow and if you met something coming the other way there wasn’t much room to get past! I had to just close my eyes at these points! All in all, definitely worth coming up here for the views.

 

After this we headed for Kamari, another small town. It had lots of restaurants and cafes. Along its coast was a black sand beach. It was however mainly large pebbles and stones so you couldn’t walk bare foot. The views however were lovely and the sea crystal clear. We sat on a large rock just where the waves were breaking and it was lovely and peaceful.

 

While driving here we had noticed a zig zag road up a mountain so decided to go explore. The road zig zagged back and forward, at the top we were a few thousand feet over kamari. At the top was something called ancient thera. I don’t know any more about it as we didn’t go look but just enjoyed the views! If your afraid of heights this maybe isn’t the place for you as the road was just a sheer drop at parts. It was cobbled quite a bit as well so was a bit bumpy but was worth it for the views!

 

From here we drove further south around the coast, we didn’t stop again until we circled around the bottom of the Island back up to Fira. You could easily just spend the day driving around, taking in all you see. After returning to Fira it was time to refuel and return our scooter. We clocked up 84 miles! Not bad for a total cost of €30! For us this was definitely the best way to do Santorini. We love to explore and have an adventure so like to find new places and go off the beaten path. This way we got to explore most of the island and get away to the places that weren’t overcome with tourists. But as I said before this obviously isn’t for everyone! We did feel safe all day, and drivers here are used to lots of scooters on the roads and so always give space.

 

We returned the scooter about 3pm and all aboard was 4.30pm. On the cruise compass it had warned that at peak times,queues for the cable car could be up to 2 hours, we decided that with so many ships here we should head back that way. It was only a few minutes walk but when we got there the queue was crazy! It was at least 90mins long,maybe even longer. We decided it was too risky to join and that we would take the steps down instead. The steps down aren’t that bad, they are however uneven in size, cobbles and quite slippy in places. We stopped once about half way down for some water and it took us about 30 mins to get down in total. Once you get near the bottom there are literally about 100 donkeys! They are almost totally blocking the path in places and so you have to squeeze through hoping none will lift their leg either to relieve themselves or to give you a kick! We made it safely down but there were quite a few people struggling down and we even met someone the next day who had fell and broken her ankle! So unless you are fit and well, make sure you leave time for the cable car! When we got to the bottom, queue for the tenders was also crazy! We queued for 40mins!

 

By the time we were back on the boat we were wrecked! It had been a long, busy day with lots of sun! We were both ready for a rest!

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Our next stop was Katakalon, Greece. It is from here you can go to the ancient Olympic site. We have been to Athens and saw lots there so decided we weren’t interested in travelling there! Before we went I had done some research on local beaches and found a few. There was plakes beach, just 10minunte walk from the port or angio andreas, about a 10minute drive. I had thought the second one was for us. After getting off the boat we wandered through the small town, there are a few shops but not much more. There was a shop called Olivewood which I would definitely recommend going to. It is all locally sourced and handcrafted wooden products. There are some really quirky things, all reasonably priced. Apart from here everything else is just the usual tourist stuff.

 

It was really warm this day and when I looked at google maps to see the walk to the beach it said it would take 35mins to walk to. We both decided it was too warm and it didn’t look at though there would be anything to look at enroute. We decided instead we would go to plakes beach and if it was no use we would just go back to the ship. We walked just 10minutes to get here and saw a lovely sandy, clean beach. There were lots of sun loungers and umbrellas. We were met by someone from the bar at the back of the beach who told us if we bought just 1 drink each, we could have use of the sun loungers, umbrellas, changing rooms, toilets, showers, kayaks all day for free! Sounded good to us. We each ordered a coffee and set ourselves up on a sun lounger each. We enjoyed lying in the shade just watching the sea and the beautiful mountain views to the side. After a while we decided to go for a swim. The sea was crystal clear and so calm. It was really shallow for ages, we kept walking out further and further before it got really deep. It was so lovely and warm to swim in. There were loads of fish swimming round too! Later on we even took a kayak out, it was for 2 people, there were also single ones available. We went way out, there were no currents so it was safe. We could see more fish out here! Was great fun!

 

We were starting to feel hungry so ordered a club sandwich each with 1 large beer to share. The food came and was really tasty and even came with chips.

 

We both used the toilets inside and both male and female were very clean. There was a shower on the beach and a changing room as well. Great, clean, well maintained facilities. We stayed for just over 4 hours. When we went to pay before leaving, we were incredibly surprised that it was €16!!! This was our bargain of the entire trip! I had enquired earlier about a taxi to the other beach and it was going to be €30 return! I’m definitely glad we made the decision we did!

 

After returning to the ship and getting showered we heading up the deck 5 to watch the sail away. It is another beautiful place to sail out of!

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