Just off the Rhapsody - Wow!

[compman9]

It is remarkable what you learn on Cruise Critic

 

On this thread alone, that positive comments are ignored

 

That is is is really really important to know that RCI only own 50% of TUI

 

And that any criticism of RCI, its ships or cruises is worse than having a go at someone's children

 

Personally I don't think it's acceptable that photographic art displays have faded from colour to black and white and it should be pointed out on a site where 'critic'  is in the title, but I also think it adds to the debate when I say the Rhapsody had my favourite solarium area that I have visited

[goldfish65]

One good thing, Rhapsody seems like a great value, and if they did a lot of updating, it would cost more, and people would gripe even more about the cost of cruising!

[Nemomof3]

It's interesting how different people see things differently. We were on Rhapsody in February and didn't notice anything in disrepair. However we didn't love the layout.Our first cruise was on Enchantment our last few cruises were on Liberty and we missed the Promenade and people watching. The staff on Rhapsody was top notch and any day at sea is a good day.

[island lady]

We love the Vision and Radiance class ships.  More attuned to when cruising was a elegant affair...not a floating theme park.  

 

We are booked again on Rhapsody for B2B in February, and as always looking forward to it.  Sure she is older, but so are we all getting there.  Age happens.  😉 

[Mr305]

We did a family cruise out of Venice in July, large group.  While the crew does a good job of taking care of the ship, found our room to be extremely small for today's standards.  There was hardly any closet space, drawers were falling apart and rooms looked dated.  It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.  Public areas were in good shape, hit or miss.  On the return to Venice, we ran into a strong thunderstorm at sea while having dinner at the Windjammer, some of the windows were leaking.

 

I'm sure if you get a junior suite things would be completely different, however, that wasn't our case.  There's little to do on the ship, we had two sea days and found ourselves bored by the end of each day.  Food was repetitive on this ship and not very tasty, I know it is subjective but I wasn't the only complaining.  I'm guessing most folks that sail her are older and looking for a quiet cruise, with lower expectations.  But for the younger generation, it's an ok ship at best.  I definitely would not book again, prefer to try something else even if that means a small ship.

 

Agree, she's not a two star hotel but let's be honest when it comes to describing how she looks these days.  Shows were dated, you don't get the wow factor that you do on newer ships/productions.  Single dinning room, could be a problem for your time dinning if you plan to do so with a large group, tables go quickly.

[PCWalton1]

8 hours ago, compman9 said:

It is remarkable what you learn on Cruise Critic

 

On this thread alone, that positive comments are ignored

 

That is is is really really important to know that RCI only own 50% of TUI

 

And that any criticism of RCI, its ships or cruises is worse than having a go at someone's children

 

Personally I don't think it's acceptable that photographic art displays have faded from colour to black and white and it should be pointed out on a site where 'critic'  is in the title, but I also think it adds to the debate when I say the Rhapsody had my favourite solarium area that I have visited

You have almost a thousand post here on CC so you have been around for a while. What did you expect the response to be? 🙄

[fred30]

Maybe you could post some photos.

[249A]

My husband and I were on Rhapsody last January in the Royal Suite. I have cruised many ships and believe me Rhapsody was just a great, wonderful, elegant ship.  We loved it so much we are doing it again this February in the same Royal Suite.  We were treated like royalty the entire week.   

[BillieJ]

On 9/8/2019 at 5:40 AM, compman9 said:

 

Thank your for your passive aggressive comment - highly typical of social media interaction

 

No one goes to look for flaws - They were completely evident

 

It is a very old ship that has been cared for as best as it could be - Literally everything is dated. Very dated. Worst of all are the shiny arm rests on every single chair on public areas and those rubberised loungers. My goodness, why have they not got rid of these by now?

 

Older people might not notice as much because modern day tastes are completely different, but then you also get highly positive comments from loyalists that bare no relation to facts

 

As I said, I love the layout of the ship. I can fully understand why some would love a modern version of a similar design. I certainly would

 

 

 

 

Why. not posts pictures?

[jean87510]

I was on a November TA 2017 crossing on the rhapsody that unfortunately missed a stop so we had 9 sea days in a row. I had an inside cabin also. I found the staff really nice and the atmosphere was very friendly. I didnt really notice the wear and tear probably because I'm used to the older smaller ships. I just remembered having a great time. Yes, there is not much to do compared to the bigger ships. We spent a lot of time in gym, solarium, and out on the top decks relaxing, catching up on work, surfing the internet, and watching movies. They also opened up the theater to show movies during the day which was really nice. Only issue I had and this was not the ships fault was the disembarking at Tampa. That was the 2nd worst I've ever seen. One line for suites. One line for everyone else. Other than that, I loved it. But also, i like the smaller older ships.

[Big_G]

We were on her this past March. The ship was in great shape and the crew was outstanding.

[John&LaLa]

On 9/9/2019 at 9:22 AM, goldfish65 said:

One good thing, Rhapsody seems like a great value, and if they did a lot of updating, it would cost more, and people would gripe even more about the cost of cruising!

 

Michael Bayley mentioned something along those lines when asked why not put a Radiance ship in Baltimore vs Grandeur 

[island lady]

43 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Michael Bayley mentioned something along those lines when asked why not put a Radiance ship in Baltimore vs Grandeur 

 

I think RCI should build more Radiance series ships!  🙂

 

With both Serenade and Radiance doing Alaska and Down under, Brilliance doing Europe and sliding under the Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa, and Jewel doing Dubai...we sure could use another one on the east coast for sure IMHO.  Can get into the smaller ports or call and embarkation ports (like Tampa and Baltimore).   Take away a Vision class...give us a Radiance class to replace...I like that idea!  😉 

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I think RCI should build more Radiance series ships!  🙂...

 

Not enough passenger capacity for the current set of bean counters.

[DfDinLA]

Things must have changed a lot.  I was on Rhapsody 2 years ago and the ship was very clean and well-maintained.  I'd sail on it again without concern.

[Big_G]

On 9/9/2019 at 6:45 AM, compman9 said:

It is remarkable what you learn on Cruise Critic.

 

To be fair, I didn't agree with you that the ship is laid out well either but I let that one slide. 

[MISTER 67]

We sailed on the Rhspsody a little over 2 years ago out of Tampa.

We have sailed on 61 cruises and  I keep track of certain things with a rating system such as cleanliness and the shape of the ship. Checked my cruise log book and I gave the Rhapsody a 90 for shipshape and a 95 for cleanliness. Service was 94, entertainment and activities was 93 and food was 90.

My ratings are in relation to cruise ships, most ships most likely won't come anywhere near a Ritz Carlton Hotel or some of the great restaurants we have dined at down through the years. 

Anyway the Rhapsody wound up with 92.4 taking an average of the five categories I use. She wound up with a better score than Freedom of the Seas, the only other RCCL cruise we have been on. Worst cruise was on the Carnival Freedom which scored an 81 and the best was the Royal Princess with a 95. We sailed twice this summer on the Celebrity Equinox with a score of 93 both times. 

Back to the Rhapsody, I thought that she for her a age a wonderful ship, the public areas and lounges were beautiful, looked for worn out furniture and carpeting and didn't see any. The showroom looked brand new as did other areas of the ship like the Schooner bar and the MDR. Our cabin showed a little wear and tear but was very clean. It's hard to believe the ship has taken that much of a turn for the worst in only 2 years.

[josephmz]

I will celebrate my 76th birthday on Rhapsody in February. Like her I am a little worn around the edges, but I do clean up nice.

Looking forward to a great experience.

 

[RVfromAZ]

Looking forward to Rhapsody September 2020, we like the smaller ships. 

 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

On 9/9/2019 at 10:02 PM, fred30 said:

Maybe you could post some photos.

That would not help at all - people here will say they are only pointing out bad stuff - not true - not representing the truth..... no matter what you do here - the cheerleaders will try to mock you and personally attack you!🙄👎

[OSUZorba]

The ships with the roughest looking areas for me were on Oasis, when she was 18 months and Liberty 6 months after the most recent dry dock.

 

Everything on Oasis I noticed was fixed by the end of the week (basically all painting) and the worn carpet on Liberty had all been replaced by my next cruise on her.

 

My point? I've never really noticed age related roughness on RCL or DCL. There is always on going damage and maintenance, though.

 

I don't really care about things being dated on ships, I'm not one for trends, though.

Edited September 21, 2019 by OSUZorba

[ValerieJo]

It is my understanding that Rhapsody is going to have a 2 week refurbishment when it returns to the U.S. in a few weeks.  Can anyone confirm this?

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, ValerieJo said:

It is my understanding that Rhapsody is going to have a 2 week refurbishment when it returns to the U.S. in a few weeks.  Can anyone confirm this?

Hey Val,  I’m seeing that the 3 sailings prior to the TA are missing.  All sailings after the TA are available. 

[island lady]

On 9/20/2019 at 1:08 PM, Host Clarea said:

 

Not enough passenger capacity for the current set of bean counters.

 

So true...much more $$$ when they can pack them into one ship like sardines.  😉 

[SilkySal]

On 9/20/2019 at 3:35 PM, josephmz said:

I will celebrate my 76th birthday on Rhapsody in February. Like her I am a little worn around the edges, but I do clean up nice.

Looking forward to a great experience.

 

DH and I will celebrate my birthday too on Rhapsody February 8-15, 2020! I will be the reverse of yours; I'll be 67! Will you be on board that week as well? If so, join our informal roll call to meet your fellow cruisers!