Grandeur or Rhapsody?

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I've never paid much attention to the Vision class ships, and now it's coming back to bite me. 😉 We're looking at planning a 2026 cruise out of Tampa, so those two ships are our options. For those who have done both, do you have a preference? I know they're both older, smaller and not as well maintained as their younger, bigger sisters--I'm just wondering if there's any reason to choose one over the other. We would probably book a Junior Suite, if that makes a difference. 

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

[firefly333]

I've done both but grandeur more recently and it wasnt my favorite experience so I lean toward rhapsody. Be careful with those JS as I seem to remember hearing 2 different couples who booked one and were below where they serve pizza at night. They werent happy. We were full, they couldnt move. 

 

I'd pick rhapsody but I'm biased. 

[Another_Critic]

I've sailed Grandeur 7 times (7,10,7,10,12,8,8 nights) from 2013 to 2020 and Vision (Rhapsody's twin sister) 1 time (16 nights) in 2017.  Grandeur was inside or ocean view.  Vision was 2BR GS.

 

The only real difference that I noticed was the Vision windjammer had a better layout.  Same size, but better organization.

 

My daughter sailed on Grandeur 4 times from 2013 to 2020 and Rhapsody 1 time in 2017.  Her only comment was regarding the windjammer.

 

Neither of us visited specialty restaurants.

[iuki]

The MDR staff on Grandeur was the BEST of ALL the cruises we’ve been on.  However, the ship needs to be salvaged or sold.  The condition of the ship was awful.  We sailed on the Grandeur in 2022. Never been on the Rhapsody.

Edited March 24 by iuki
typo

[cruzinisgood]

We booked the Rhapsody out of Tampa 2026! We are getting a GS. Just got off the Jewel as it was our first smaller boat in that class. And we loved it. So much more personal.

[PhillyFan33579]

4 hours ago, iuki said:

The MDR staff on Grandeur was the BEST of ALL the cruises we’ve been on.  However, the ship needs to be salvaged or sold.  The condition of the ship was awful.  We sailed on the Grandeur in 2022. Never been on the Rhapsody.

What is wrong with the ship? I sailed on Grandeur twice last year and thought the ship was in great shape for its age. I have another cruise on her this July. Super Mario was on Grandeur the first time I cruised on her last year. I figure if it’s good enough for RCI’s number one passenger, it’s good enough for me. 

[jean87510]

Both are vision class.  I'd go with the itinerary that has Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel.  I'd also get an aft JS on Vision it's 8588.  

[onthewater51]

It depends on your expectations and wants/needs.

 

We have sailed on Grandeur since she was new in 1996 more times than I can count at the moment.  My wife and I love the smaller ships.  We are late 60s but still fit and active, and we don't enjoy the indoor facing design and mall atmosphere of larger class ships, and we don't make use of their features.

 

 We love the intimacy of Vision and Radiance class ships.  The ability to always feel and see you are at sea with outdoor views and natural light everywhere is why we cruise, not for rock walls and water slides.   When we bring our adult children and grandkids that's a diff story.  We book a ship that caters to them, such as the Oasis class.

 

But as I said in the beginning, know your expectations.  These are older ships, 25-30 years old so don't expect the newest of anything 🙂, maybe see a little rust here and there or worn carpet, but that doesn't mean it's a bad ship.  We consistently find the staff and crew are much friendlier and happier on the smaller ships.

 

Whichever you choose, have a wonderful and safe trip.

 

Bob

 

 

[SRF]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:31 PM, Another_Critic said:

The only real difference that I noticed was the Vision windjammer had a better layout.  Same size, but better organization.

 

How is Vision WJ better?  I find it much worse as everyone has to be up and back and up and back along the sides for hot food.  On Grandeur, the hot food is in the center and the sides are salads and such.  So much less traffic.

 

I am 7 on GR and 2 on VI.  1 on EN and did not particularly like that ship

[cruisingjandb]

I know this is a little off topic but what can anyone tell me about Adventure of the Seas. Anyone on it recently?

[Tlbecker1]

On 3/24/2024 at 1:04 AM, jean87510 said:

Both are vision class.  I'd go with the itinerary that has Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel.  I'd also get an aft JS on Vision it's 8588.  

We were on both the Rhapsody & Grandeur last year.  They are very similar.  We also booked AFT balconies on both the Rhapsody was fine, but the Grandeur had awful sulfur smells most of the time.  We were on the Grandeur for 3 weeks and the smell was terrible.  Rhapsody was fine for our TA.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

51 minutes ago, cruisingjandb said:

I know this is a little off topic but what can anyone tell me about Adventure of the Seas. Anyone on it recently?

You will probably have better luck asking your question in a separate thread, since people aren't likely to click on a thread asking about Vision class ships looking for a question about Voyager class. 😉 

[Tlbecker1]

1 hour ago, cruisingjandb said:

I know this is a little off topic but what can anyone tell me about Adventure of the Seas. Anyone on it recently?

I was just on it for B2B2B Jan/Feb. We enjoyed it. 

[Another_Critic]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

 

How is Vision WJ better?  I find it much worse as everyone has to be up and back and up and back along the sides for hot food.  On Grandeur, the hot food is in the center and the sides are salads and such.  So much less traffic.

 

I am 7 on GR and 2 on VI.  1 on EN and did not particularly like that ship

 

I don't remember the exact layout of each, but I do remember that my daughter commented that she liked the WJ layout better on Rhapsody (vs Grandeur) and I thought the same when I sailed Vision.  Obviously, YMMV.  It's also possible that Vision layout has changed since I sailed her in Aug/Sept 2017.

 

I am 7 on GR (62 nights) and 1 on VI (16 nights).  1 on EN (8 nights) and I preferred GR over EN.

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, cruisingjandb said:

I know this is a little off topic but what can anyone tell me about Adventure of the Seas. Anyone on it recently?

My first Voyager class cruise was on Adventure - 10 night one way Cape Liberty to Quebec - Sept. 2019.  I really liked the ship.

[iuki]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:35 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

What is wrong with the ship? I sailed on Grandeur twice last year and thought the ship was in great shape for its age. I have another cruise on her this July. Super Mario was on Grandeur the first time I cruised on her last year. I figure if it’s good enough for RCI’s number one passenger, it’s good enough for me. 

Maybe it’s been refurbished.  We sailed in May/June last year on a B2B.  Someone also posted recently with photos how bad the ship was.  Table linens were stained, and the bed skirt was torn, the shower had mold stains, etc.  If I find the post of photos from the other member, I’ll let you know.

[iuki]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:35 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

What is wrong with the ship? I sailed on Grandeur twice last year and thought the ship was in great shape for its age. I have another cruise on her this July. Super Mario was on Grandeur the first time I cruised on her last year. I figure if it’s good enough for RCI’s number one passenger, it’s good enough for me. 

See the photos posted by Big Papi 21 with the topic Grandeur OTS Be Wary 12/17-12/27.

[Jingerwoppy]

Rhapsody. (The first cruise I ever took was on Rhapsody in 2004 on my 40th birthday. Turned 40 in Key West and spent an evening with a number of the Royal Caribbean entertainment staff at a bar in Key West.)

 

We were on Grandeur in May 2022 and it was ok but the service and food were very spotty. It was so "off" compared to other ships that we thought it was being used as a "training" ground for new employees. It was our 3rd cruise in 2022 after 2 cruises on Liberty and Liberty was great.  

Edited March 26 by Jingerwoppy