Rhapsody Mediterranean review including compasses, photos, and more

[BermudaBound2014]

Lovcen national park

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

We stayed in Venice another 3 nights. This time we opted for Cannenegro neighborhood. Hotel was fine, nothing great like our pre-cruise stay but it was close to vaporetto stop for easy access. We made the most of our time in Venice with another free walking tour through Jewish ghetto. We also went punning one night and the grand finale to our trip was a private tour by walks of Italy called "alone in at marks". First we went to doges palace (bridge of sighs, prison, parliament, etc...) the we had a break and waited for mass to end at st marks. Once mass ended, we walked around the side of the building and security let our small group of 12 in!!! Can you imagine that? And then, they actually turned the lights on which caused the entire ceiling to come to life. I can't speak highly enough of this tour. We had time to actually sit and observe all the mosaics. We also has private access to the cript.

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

At $300 for 3 hours this was not a cheap tour, but it's positively a once in a lifetime experience I would highly recommend. You simply can't get the feel of the spirit of st marks when touring with 1,000s of others. In my mind there are just some things you have to do. In Alaska you have to climb a glacier. In Hawaii you have to take a helicopter over the active volcano. In Victoria you have to kayak with the orcas, and in Venice you really should consider alone in st marks after hours tour. This is how st marks looks to the public:

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

And this is the church with the lights on (they only turn them on for this private tour)

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

More of the gold leaf ceiling mosaic, pictures simply don't capture the spirit of the church

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

From the crypt (another area only visited on this tour). If this sounds at all interesting, they only offer the tour a few evenings so make reservations early.

 

 

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[smally]

Great to read your review as we were on this cruise with you! We had similar problems to you in the MDR on the first evening but otherwise enjoyed the cruise a lot. We found that some evenings were very high energy - we particularly enjoyed the 50's night, but some evenings were in our opinion quite quiet in comparison with RC cruises we have taken from Southampton. Perhaps because some people were getting up early for the port intensive itinerary, whereas we had already visited most of the ports on previous cruise holidays. We loved Mykonos, Santorini and Kotor, all visited previously, our favourite stops on this trip. We were travelling with several young people aged 18 - 20 who did miss the sports court on Rhapsody, and found the nightclub quiet some evenings. The adults in our party enjoyed the ship on the whole, although we did miss the champagne bar! I agree with you that the solarium cafe was very good, and certainly preferable to the Windjammer. The MDR lunch on sea days was also excellent. We have booked to cruise with RC again in 2017 but have opted for a larger ship for next time. Loved this itinerary though.

[Virtopia]

Thanks Bermuda, those are great shots. At least I won't look too awkward at those 2 tops.

 

I also booked that free Venice walking tour for the morning of the cruise. I'm really looking forward to it!

[Biker19]

Thanks Bermuda, those are great shots. At least I won't look too awkward at those 2 tops.

 

That was the pic of two tops downstairs where the traditional dinner is - if you have MTD, you'll be upstairs and the two tops are arranged a bit differently.

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks Bermuda, those are great shots. At least I won't look too awkward at those 2 tops.

 

I also booked that free Venice walking tour for the morning of the cruise. I'm really looking forward to it!

 

 

 

Which free tour did you book? There are 100s. My advice, do a google walking tour to find your meeting point. They are tricky and you don't want to be late. The first one we did started off academia and was easy to find. The one that started at saint Angeles was tricky. Cannenegro was easy and on the main drag. Each time we had a college student working for tips. :)

 

 

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[Virtopia]

That was the pic of two tops downstairs where the traditional dinner is - if you have MTD, you'll be upstairs and the two tops are arranged a bit differently.

 

 

Oh shoot thanks for that. I just don't want to feel like I'm on display in the middle of dining room by myself. I'll check it out the first day and if I don't feel comfortable, I'll just do Windjammer.

 

Which free tour did you book? There are 100s. My advice, do a google walking tour to find your meeting point. They are tricky and you don't want to be late. The first one we did started off academia and was easy to find. The one that started at saint Angeles was tricky. Cannenegro was easy and on the main drag. Each time we had a college student working for tips. :)

 

 

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I googled free Venice walking tours and it was the first one that came up. The meeting place is a 4 minute walk from my hotel and finishes at 12, so I expect to be on the ship by 1pm so I can go directly to my cabin.

[Biker19]

Oh shoot thanks for that. I just don't want to feel like I'm on display in the middle of dining room by myself. I'll check it out the first day and if I don't feel comfortable, I'll just do Windjammer.

You'll be fine and probably by the railing overlooking the lower level of the MDR. Also, you can work with the host to pick something more out of the way if you want.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Biker19

[Virtopia]

You'll be fine and probably by the railing overlooking the lower level of the MDR. Also, you can work with the host to pick something more out of the way if you want.

 

Thank you! Feeling better about this now :)

[Ocean Dancer]

Please tell me more about the ship itself, think of booking in January. How late is the Viking Crown open? How late can you get a drink? Can you get mini sanwiches and pizza until 2am? We are night owls, and may need a different ship, but really liked the energy that you said, and the dance parties.

 

Thanks and enjoyed your review and pictures.

[gagirl96]

Thank you so much for the review and all the pictures! Can you tell me what wines by the glass are included in the Select Beverage Package? I'm guessing its everything under a certain price point? Is it the same with the beer?

[Clarea]

Thank you so much for the review and all the pictures! Can you tell me what wines by the glass are included in the Select Beverage Package? I'm guessing its everything under a certain price point? Is it the same with the beer?

No price point for beer, all beers are included except Chimay Blue 750ml.

[smally]

The Viking Crown lounge turns into a nightclub at midnight (over 18's only) and is open until 2am. My husband and I were there a couple of evenings until 1am. One of the evenings it was lively, the other it was fairly quiet. Our boys were there most nights and said that on some occasions it was deserted - probably the evenings before port days such as Athens and Santorini. I'm not sure what time the Solarium cafe was open until - sorry.

[Biker19]

Can you tell me what wines by the glass are included in the Select Beverage Package? I'm guessing its everything under a certain price point?

I believe anything up to $8, but you can get anything above that and only pay the difference (+18% grats).

[BermudaBound2014]

No price point for beer, all beers are included except Chimay Blue 750ml.

 

All beers were included except Fosters in the large can (I didn't see Chimay Blue on our sailing). Boddengton, Guinness, Bells, Becks, Red Stripe, Heineken, and a variety of American beers were all included. Only beers on tap were in Schooner (Becks and Heineken). Greatly missed an IPA.

 

:)

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you so much for the review and all the pictures! Can you tell me what wines by the glass are included in the Select Beverage Package? I'm guessing its everything under a certain price point? Is it the same with the beer?

 

Price point for European Sailings was $8.00 for wine. In all honesty, the selection was very limited. One Zinfandel, one Chardonnay, one Rose, and one Red. Hubby made his select package worth while off the beer; he drank only one glass of wine before dinner a few occasions and then gave up. I would personally not recommend the select package for a wine lover. A beer lover is another story entirely. We purchased at the 20% off sale which made the package $31.00 plus gratuity ($365 total for 10 day package).

[BermudaBound2014]

The Viking Crown lounge turns into a nightclub at midnight (over 18's only) and is open until 2am. My husband and I were there a couple of evenings until 1am. One of the evenings it was lively, the other it was fairly quiet. Our boys were there most nights and said that on some occasions it was deserted - probably the evenings before port days such as Athens and Santorini. I'm not sure what time the Solarium cafe was open until - sorry.

 

HI Smally~! I think we may have seen your sons in Viking Crown the very last night. There were a group of young males (well behaved mind you lol). We closed that bar too. Last horrah and all that jazz :).

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you! Feeling better about this now :)

 

Sorry my friend, I thought you mentioned you had late seating. Had I know you had MyTime I would have shot the upstairs for you too :). As Biker said, I think mytime will be even better for solo dining. From what I remember, all the two tops surrounded the two story glass wall and were much more private than the two tops in the set dining time. You will be absolutely fine. I also travel solo at times and greatly appreciate being able to dine alone when I do. I think Rhapsody will be a nice fit for a solo trip :).

[BermudaBound2014]

Please tell me more about the ship itself, think of booking in January. How late is the Viking Crown open? How late can you get a drink? Can you get mini sanwiches and pizza until 2am? We are night owls, and may need a different ship, but really liked the energy that you said, and the dance parties.

 

Thanks and enjoyed your review and pictures.

 

Well OceanDancer; I don't think I can accurately give you solid comparisons since Mediterranean and Caribbean sailings tend to be quite different. I will say this, I think you may be happier with a larger ship. I loved the energy and the vibe of Rhapsody, but it was pretty darn quiet by midnight most nights (we had an extensive itinerary with early mornings). All the bars close by 1 a.m. except viking crown which was nearly deserted at that time most evenings (we did head up for last call a few times).

 

As far as late night snack goes, this is another area that Rhapsody could improve. Park Cafe is open only until 12:30 a.m. and the selections are very limited. Basically, anything after midnight you would need to order room service. We had late seating dinner so we were fine, but I did miss the opportunity to grab a slice of pizza after a late night at the bar.

 

For those who are active nightowls, I think vision class might be just a wee bit too small. You'd probably enjoy a ship with a Royal Promenade much better :).

[Virtopia]

Sorry my friend, I thought you mentioned you had late seating. Had I know you had MyTime I would have shot the upstairs for you too :). As Biker said, I think mytime will be even better for solo dining. From what I remember, all the two tops surrounded the two story glass wall and were much more private than the two tops in the set dining time. You will be absolutely fine. I also travel solo at times and greatly appreciate being able to dine alone when I do. I think Rhapsody will be a nice fit for a solo trip :).

 

Aww thanks! I'm booked for 7 nights for MTD and then the specialty restaurants the other 3 nights. Did you do any of them?