Rhapsody of the Seas Alaska June 15 review

[Jsim2011]

Hi all,

 

I have just returned from a week's cruise to Alaska on board Rhapsody of the Seas.

 

I travelled with my husband, and this was our third cruise.

 

Day 1 - Boarding

 

This was the quickest and easiest boarding we have experienced. We used the "Gold" members line and the whole process took no longer than ten or 15 minutes from arrival at port to boarding the ship. It was around noon and as the cabins weren't ready until 1pm, we spent a little time exploring the ship. As soon as we had access to the cabins we dropped off our bags and headed up to Windjammer for a snack. I had a Tuna Wrap (tasty) and Robert had vegetable curry (he said it was pretty good).

 

As it was one of those rare June days in Seattle that are clear and dry, we headed out onto the deck to take photos of the views of Seattle and Mount Ranier as we sailed away from port to begin our Alaskan adventure.

 

more to follow shortly.

[Jsim2011]

Our cabin was an outside staterooom on deck 3 - so far we have decided an outside suits our current needs,w e would rather spend the money saved on cabins, enjoying excursions and other things.:)

 

The cabin was clean and just about big enough. We had adequate closet/drawer space. The stprage in the bathroom was okay too although I had taken a plastic shoe storage hanger which we made use of too.

 

One HUGE drawback for me regarding this particular cabin was engine noise at night when I was trying to sleep, especailly when the ship was moving at a swift pace.

 

I will be sure to ask about cabin location and engine noise before booking any future cruise.

[Gordo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We sailed Rhapsody last November in Australia before she went into dry dock We are hoping to sail Alaska soon and your information will be very helpful.

[Jsim2011]

Will post more later

[Jsim2011]

Anyone that reads here will know by now that there are many differeing opinions about the food onboard cruiseships.

 

We have only sailed with Royal Caribbean, and this was only our third cruise, we do not have a lot to compare it to as far as cruiselines go, however, we do like to eat out on a regular basis and in our opinion much of the food served in the dining room is as good as food we have eaten in local restaurants and paid $40 - $60 per person(3 courses).

 

The prime rib was excellent, the duck was too. All of the appetizers I tried were delicious and some nights I tried two, some of my favourites were, oxtail broth, asparagus soup, seafood starter (can't remember what it was called but it was with garlic and butter), scallop risotto. My favourite two desserts were the pavlova (first night I think) and the chocolate souffle.

 

We had breakfast in the dining room most days as that is our preference. We did try windjammer breakfast one day and it was okay.

 

Most days we had a light lunch in the Solarium cafe, there they had a selection of sandwiches, pizza, soup, salads and roast beef,sliced and served with au jus on crusty rolls (yummy). They also had a selection of small deseserts and cookies.

 

Oh speaking of cookies, the coconut cookies are our favourites.

 

We did pay to do a galley tour with the executive chef - it was $30 and included a copy of the cookbook (chef siigned it). The proceeds went to the Make a Wish charity or at least part of the proceeds did.

[Jsim2011]

Day 2 - Sea Day

 

Unfortunately we woke to less than calm seas. Barf bags had been placed all around the ship and though I didn't need them myself, I did feel extremely dizzy and disorientated, and had to go back to bed for much of the day (I did take a dramamine). I heard that a lot of people were sick:(

 

Unfortunately, Day two is the first formal night and I am not sure how many people just did not feel up to it.

 

I did get dressed and made it to diinner, fortunately our table was in the DR on deck four, which I managed with the help of a lot of sleep and dramamine.

 

I dd not make it to the morning meet & mingle in the Viking Crown lounge. I got as far as deck 9 and felt so bad I had to return to the cabin.

 

Thankfully Day 6 - the other sea day was much better, although once again, barf bags had been placed around the ship.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the review of your cruise. Can't wait for the rest.

[Jsim2011]

Day 3 - Juneau

 

We opted for the Whale watching/wildlife and glacier photo safari. We saw about 6 whales, several eagles, lots of seals and then got to spend about an hour at the glacier.

 

We were happy with our choice but just wished we had longer at the glacier, we would have liked to have walked to the waterfall and spent more time at the visitor information center.

 

Day 4 - Skagway

 

I think we were amongst the few that chose not to take the train excursion, we decided instead to rent a car and drive up the Klondike Highway. It was quite misty when we left town and once we got close to the American border, the mist became thick cloud/fog but it was worth perservering and driving through as once got to the Canadian border it was clear and beautiful and the scenery was spectacular. We drove to Carcross where we stopped for coffee and a snack, then carried onto the Carcross Desert and Emerald Lake. On the drive back we saw bears by the side of the road, first one single bear, then a few miles down the road two bears together. We did get some photos from the safety of the car.

 

Day 4 - Tracy Arm Fjord

 

At least it should have been Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier, but as no ships have made it to the Sawyer Glacier so far this year becasue of thick ice, the captain made the decision to go to Dawes Glacier. Captain Rob got the ship to within 1.25 miles of the glacier and turned the ship 360 so the everyone got a good view and the chance to take photos.

 

It is difficult to imagine just how big the glaciers are from photographs, nothing prepares you for the sight of them, the size and colors, the shapes of the icebergs - amazing, just amazing.

 

Day 7 - Victoria

 

We decided to have a bit of a lazy day here, and just have a few hours exploring before returning to the ship. We walked to Beacon Hill park where we saw peacocks wandering around, blue heron nesting in trees, beatiful floral displays, ducks and squirrels.

 

From there we walked into town, then to the ineer harbor and fishermans wharf where we saw harbor seals and fed them. From there it was back to the ship where we intended to finish packing and have a lazy day, but as I mentioned earlier, my husband ended up spending most the day and night in the medical center after having a severe allergic reaction to something he ate.:eek:

[Jsim2011]

Entertainment:

 

We attended the welcome aboard show, the comedian was pretty good and we decided to watch his late night show later in the week, unfortunately for us, it wasn't as funny as we had hoped it would be though others clearly enjoyed the show.

 

We didn't go to any of the other production shows.

 

We enjoyed the Trivia Challenges that we were able to get too. Loved the Q & A with the captain (more about that a little later).

 

There were plenty of activities organized by the cruise director Anna and her team and though we didn't personally take part in many of them, we know that others enjoyed them.

 

By far our favourite entertainment on the ship was the Adult Day Care with Derek Lewis in the Schooner Bar. We had previously enjoyed Derek's "five minute party" and "kamikaze karaoke" on Voyager. Check him out, but be warned this is definitely for grown ups.

 

Derek is most definitely a superstar in our book.

[Jsim2011]

Crew:

 

Each time we have sailed we have doubted that the next crew could top the last but honestly, without wanting to take anything away from previous ship's crew, the Rhapsody Crew were wonderful, the happiest bunch of people working together I think I have ever encountered.

 

I wondered how much was at least in part due to Captain Rob Hempstead, as well as being a skilled and experienced seaman, Captain Rob is funny, he has a great sense of humour as he showed us at the Q & A, as well as at every announcement:D

[Jsim2011]

I will at a later date write about the experience at the medical center, but will wait until after I have written to Roayl Carribbean and had a response from them.

[Jsim2011]

Crew (continued)

 

Our stateroom attendant Dias, always had a huge smile and took very good care of us, oh and he makes great towel animals.

Our waiter Gregg, and assistant waiter Suyanta were just amazing. Tey greeted us like old friends, made great recommendations, noting was too much trouble, and on the last night when my husband was sick, they showed such care and concern that I cried. I went to the dining room to let them know that we would not be at dinner. I found the head waiter, gave him the gratuity envelopes and explained the situation, this was between the first and second sitting. I then went to our cabin before retutning to be with my H in the med center. Within minutes there was a knock on the cabin door and there was Gregg expressing his concern and asking if there was anything he could do. He also told me not to worry about anything and told me he would bring me dinner later. I was very really moved by his kindness. Fortunately, both my H and I were able to get to the dining room at about 10pm just in time to see the waiters sing their farewll song (we had gone for just that reason and to say goodbye). Gregg came right over to us after the song, put napkins on us and brought us food. He and Suyanta fussed over us more than they already had earlier in the week though I would not have thought that possible. Leaving that night felt like saying goodbye to family or old friends and I will not forget them, and yes, I have already informed Royal Caribbean of just how good those guys were.

If you are sailing on Rhapsody in coming weeks and you see Gregg or Suyanta, please tell them June says Hi and sends her love.

[Jsim2011]

one of the spectacular views along the Klondike Highway

 

[jjtt]

Hi and thank you for your review June. My husband and I would like to cruise to Alaska one day. I have to do alot of reseaching since I don't know a thing about the itinaries or the area. Looking forward to the rest of your review. Beautiful photo!!!

[golf43]

one of the spectacular views along the Klondike Highway

 

 

What a beautiful picture. We will be on this cruise next year. I am enjoying your review.

[Loggra]

Thanks for such an awesome review! My husband and I are traveling with others next May on this same ship and we all are in close proximity rooms on Deck 3, can you tell me where you were so I can know if we should expect the noise also?

 

Thanks again!

 

Kathy

[Gadiamond]

Thank you for the review! We will be on the Rhapsody in about 3 weeks. Were there any them nights/events we need to plan for?

 

We are counting down!

[seaofwonder]

Thanks for the review! We'll be on the same cruise in just a month!!!

[silentbob007]

Crew:

 

 

I wondered how much was at least in part due to Captain Rob Hempstead, as well as being a skilled and experienced seaman, Captain Rob is funny, he has a great sense of humour as he showed us at the Q & A, as well as at every announcement:D

 

I agree ... I love Captain Rob.

[klingoncruiser]

Thanks for the nice review.

[Jsim2011]

We were in 3130, and the noise from the engines somes nights was really loud, also the vibration.

 

As for events, there was a 70's night and a Rock and Roll night - on the day of the 70's night there was a disco line dance class :D they did the hustle, YMCA and one other dance.

 

We spent most nights after dinner (8.30 sitting) in the Schooner Bar with Derek Lewis, we met some great people that also congregated there. It was a lot of fun.

 

To those of you that have this cruise booked for a later date, I'm jealous, we might just have to do it again.

[Jsim2011]

[Jsim2011]

This photo was taken about 10pm

 

[buckirj1]

Those are great photos. If I ever take an Alaska cruise in the near future, I'm torn between the Rhapsody and the NCL Jewel. On the whole, I prefer NCL as a line (and really like the Jewel), but other factors such as port times and sea days go into consideration. Not sure I can put up with those puny RCI showers, though. Thanks again.

[critterchick]

Crew:

 

Each time we have sailed we have doubted that the next crew could top the last but honestly, without wanting to take anything away from previous ship's crew, the Rhapsody Crew were wonderful, the happiest bunch of people working together I think I have ever encountered.

 

I wondered how much was at least in part due to Captain Rob Hempstead, as well as being a skilled and experienced seaman, Captain Rob is funny, he has a great sense of humour as he showed us at the Q & A, as well as at every announcement:D

 

I agree ... I love Captain Rob.

 

Captain Rick Sullivan, who alternates with Captain Rob, is equally fabulous. So Rhapsody's crew is one lucky bunch in that regard.

 

OP, thanks for your review. Rhapsody was one of our favorite RCI ships even before her makeover. Can't wait to be onboard her again!