We just returned from a seven-day cruise from Galveston on the Rhapsody of the Seas. There were four of us (husband, wife, teenager, grandmother) and this was our third cruise and gramma's tenth.

We had two connecting rooms with balconies on Deck 7 toward the rear of the ship. The rooms were always kept meticulously clean, though the couch and beds were extremely low to the ground. As in our other cruises the beds weren't exactly the most comfortable. But the pillows were very nice. And the room attendant, Mack, was always eager to please and did a wonderful job.

All of the crew on the ship were very good and very friendly and helpful.

Our main dining room waiter, Sirrup (spelling?) and assistant waiter, Michael (from South Africa) were excellent. Sirrup was more serious, while Michael was more outgoing and just fun to talk to. But they were both very, very good and I would highly recommend them.

Our previous cruises were on Disney's Magic and Celebrity's Infinity. And the ROS was absolutely no comparison to those two ships.

ROS is an old ship and it shows. It's had a lot of wear and tear and needs to be dry docked for some basic maintenance and a little cosmetic work.

Perhaps if we had never been on another cruise we would have thought it was fine. But immediately upon entering the ship it looked a little shabby around the edges.

And there was a constant (and I mean daily) smell of sewage on the hall on Deck 7 just aft of the Centrum elevators. And sometimes the carpet was even wet in that area! I don't even want to think what the dampness was from.....

Apparently this odor was coming from some of the rooms because one night we discovered it in both of our rooms.

After three calls and about three hours it was somehow fixed from some other location. While our stateroom absolutely reeked, the bathroom itself did not. The chief purser explained to me the next day that it was sewer gas coming up from the shower or sink when the bathroom door was opened and the air lock was released, thereby allowing it to escape into our statement. No matter. It shouldn't have happened. And NEVER happened on our other cruises.

One other night both of our toilets didn't work and that took about an hour to fix.

These things never, ever happened on the other cruise lines any of us had sailed on. And in my opinion there's no excuse for it.

Getting back to the main dining room, the food there was good but not great, though the presentation was beautiful. There weren't that many and varied selections, though alternatives are offered, such as chicken and salads. But overall, the food in the main dining room was nothing to rave about. Better on other cruises.

Windjammer food was good, but it was always very crowded, floors always wet due to the proximity to the pool and flies everywhere, even in the middle of the ocean!

The spa pool is beautiful but don't get a massage. Three of us had a massage and they were all nothing more than 55 minutes of getting oil rubbed on us, with about the same amount of pressure you'd put sun block on. And for a mere $99. Rip off big time. When we complained, no comp was made and nothing was offered to us.

I've read a lot of reviews about the casino being a place where you can't win, but we had good luck on the black jack tables and most dealers were friendly and outgoing. And very few gamblers were drinking so it made it very nice and jovial.

The Broadway Melody Theatre is the prettiest any ship has to offer, though the quality of the entertainment was mediocre at best and not half as good as other cruise lines. The one exception was the magic act, Laraf, (Larry and Raffi.) They were absolutely fabulous so don't miss them if they're on your next cruise.

Getting back to bathrooms, the ones in common areas were always dirty, with used paper towels overflowing their receptacles and floors often wet. And they would remain that way for hours at a time.

Overall, the best part of the ROS is the staff. They are exceptionally helpful, friendly and eager to please. But other than that, I would NOT recommend this ship.
Admittedly, things can go wrong any time, any place, but