Rhapsody

[datree14]

I am a college student. My family wants to go on a cruise this summer for a vacation. We were looking predominately at Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruise lines however we are about narrowed down to Royal Caribbean because of the emabarkation port. The ship we would be on is the Rhapsody of the Seas. I just would like to ask a few questions since we are all first time cruisers. First of all are there interior rooms that can accomodate 5 people (all 18 yrs or older)(i.e. 3 beds in one room and two in the other? preferably the rooms side by side)? Also what is the service like, from what I've read and heard we were attracted to celebrity becaue of it's impecable service and high end amenities. Does RC offer such nice things as well? What about the atmosphere aboard ship, does it vary from ship to ship, is it crowded with loud children, is it crowded with drunk 20 yr olds, or is it nice and energetic but quiet? Are the swimming pools usually crowded or is it easy to enjoy a dip? On the ship are you under U.S. law or Maritime law? On the itenerary we have picked we will be spending 3 full days on the ship, is this too much time or just right so you can shop and stuff on the ship too? Anything else that you think would be helpful would be great we are all first time cruisers and are predominately concerned with the atmosphere aboard ship and the service. THANKS!!

[Sandy]

Hi Datree,

I don't think you'll find a room that can hold 5 people, but as you mentioned, you could divide up into 2 room with 2 in one room and 3 in the other. There may well be interior rooms right next door to each other. Some rooms that connect to each other may be available as well.

Celebrity is generally considered to be more upscale than Royal Caribbean. As such, it tends to be a bit more sedate. If you travel during the summer or other school vacation times, both cruise lines will have families onboard. Hopefully, neither cruise line will have "drunk 20 year olds."

The swimming pool(s) onboard ships tend to be small, but not very crowded. You should have no problem using the pool when the ship is at sea. Having 3 days at sea will be a lot of fun, as there is a lot to do onboard a ship, or you can choose to do nothing at all. It's up to you. You will receive a full list of activities, and you can do whatever appeals to you.

Sandy

[datree14]

thanks

[Cruise Fan]

I don't believe an interior cabin can accomodate more than four. I suggest three in one room and two in another.

Our first cruise was on the Rhapsody and we emjoyed it. Service is outstanding and the crew goes out of the way to help with any questions or concerns. I don't think you will be dissapointed by choosing the Rhapsody especially as a first cruise.

There are two formal nights on a seven day cruise. The dinning room is always nice and service is good. You also have the options of the buffet or snack area.

The shows are good don't expect Vegas quality but are still very nice. There is always live music and other forms of entertainment and other nice ways to keep busy.

The three sea days are perfect in my opinion. This time allows you to relax and just enjoy yourself without any worries. If you want to keep busy with ship activities then you can do so from morning until late late night. There is plenty to do. We brought books and iPods and just relaxed on deck during parts of the sea days.

We never used the pool but they always seemed to have plenty of people. The one thing I was surprised about was the ease of ability to find quiet areas of the ship if we wanted to.

As far as kids go, we went in mid November and there were about 180 kids onboard according to the crew. They were never a problem and have certain areas just for them. Honestly some of the adults are worse than kids because they gripe and complain all of the time. Unless you just don't like kids don't worry about them...

Book your excursions early because the good ones sell out. Explore the ship as soon as you can so you don't miss anything.

[theotherchad]

Wait a minute. You're a college student, and you're concerned about drunk 20 year olds? )

Actually, a cruise is probably not much different from any resort destination where alcohol is served. As far as drinking goes, there was quite a bit of it on board the Rhapsody when we sailed last September, but nothing that caused a problem. This ship sails from the Texas coast and is usually (as I understand it) at least 50% Texan. Texans (I am one, so I know whereof I speak) are known to get their sip on, on occasion.
In any event, our cruise (not in the summer and not at Christmas) was a nice mix of mostly couples from their 20s to their 50s, some singles, some teens and a relatively small number of kids.
The thing is, there are so many different areas of the ship, the pools, the spa, the casino, the various lounges featuring different types of music, that if you want a quieter crowd, you can find that and if you want to party like your mama won't find out, you can find that scene too. ) Have fun! We'll be sailing that itinerary in May this year.

[Art]

We really enjoyed the Rhapsody, and thought the pool(s) were great. One of them was had a retractable roof in case of rain. Of all the ships Ive been on, this one gave me everything I wanted in a cruise. Good food, good service, and a nicely designed and decorated ship.
I have been on only one Celebrity cruise, the food was better, but I wouldnt say by alot, but RCCL kicked its butt in service. I could go on, but the best place to read about The Rhapsody would be on the cruise reviews.
Have fun!

Art

[donnavb5]

I'm 50 Plus years old. My first cruise was when I was around 38. I've always sailed Carnival and been very pleased. I've read reviews about drunks etc., but we've never gone during spring break or dead of summer. Anyway I think you should check out Carnival also, since the rooms are bigger. Oh and YES I would think three days out to sea is too long for anyone. We were out two days on the Mexican cruise and it was a bit much for me.