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Rhapsody of the Seas

Rhapsody of the Seas
The Rhapsody of the Seas was launched in 1996, and was christened by Bodil Wilhelmsen, wife of Royal Caribbean principal shareholder Gjert Wilhelmsen in 1997.

The Rhapsody of the Seas is a Vision class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International.

The Vision class of cruise ships currently has six ships in this class, all of which are operated by Royal Caribbean International.

The Rhapsody of the Seas has five sister ships, all together the Legend of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

Passengers will love the Rhapsody of the Seas, the ship has been designed to provide plenty of open space and facilities to provide a cruise soultion for most people. The ship has a wide range of restaurant venues with both formal dining and cafes together with some speciality premium restaurants for those special occaisons. The main dining room can seat both set dining times and the new flexible dining.

The ship also boasts a state of the art gym with plenty of equipment and space together with a spa offering spa treatments such as massages and mannicures for passengers throughout the cruise.

The ships also has plenty of bars and lounges around the ship, which will allow passengers to sit and relax with a drink, why not try the Schooner bar, its great to people watch from here.

Other entertainment options include the Casino Royale, where you can try and win one of the jackpots. There is also The Broadway Melodies theatre, offering shows which will have you tapping away at the tunes.

Whatever your choice, and wherever you choose to spend your time whilst on board the Rhapsody of the Seas, you are sure to have fun and enjoy yourself.

Ship Stats

Launched: 1996
Start of service: 1997
Decks: 11
Lifts: 9
Length: 279.2 m
Beam (width): 32.3 m
Tonnage: 78,491 GRT
Speed: 22 knots
Capacity: 2,416 passengers
Crew and staff: 765
Registry: Bahamas

Ship Features

4 main restaurants
5 bars
air-conditioned throughout
2 swimming pools & 4 whirlpools
Library and card room
Internet access
beauty salon & Spa
stabilised worldwide satellite telephone, telex and fax
Fun Factory supervised children's club
Casino

Ship particulars

Food
The Rhapsody of the Seas has a large variety of dining options, to suit all tastes. There is a single main dining room called the Edelweiss Dining Room. This is a spectacular two level restaurant featuring a grand staircase, with columns and an overall elegant feel, passengers certainly feel in luxury. The restaurant has large windows which give passengers dining an excellent view of surroundng sights. This restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner as open seating, but in the evenings mainly operates on a two sitting traditional basis, but there is some seating available for passengers opting for the flexible dining. This carries a small additional fee but some passengers prefer to dine this way. The food is amazing and delivered to your tables by fast, friendly and efficient waiters.

For a more informal bite to eat, passengers can enjoy the Windjammer Cafe where breakfast and lunch are also served buffet style with a choice of indoor and outdoor seating. The Windjammer cafe has panoramic views on three sides, and its clean white walls and the odd plant ot two gives passengers a sense of space and relaxation. The cafe has plenty of serving stations with a wide choice of food types will keep everyone happy. The best part about the Windjammer cafe is that passengers will enjoy being able to just drop in for a bite whenever they want.

There is also free ice cream from a machine located just outside the Windjammer cafe. Alternatively, if you want a quick snack like hamburgers or pizza, there is the Solarium cafe. This is open most of the day (except between 6:30 p.m. and then again from 9 p.m) and is often a great place to meet new friends and grab a quick snack.

If all else fails to draw your interest and you prefer a quieter, more personal time, the ship does of course offer an excellent room service option.

Excercise

Whilst you enjoy your cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas, you may need to turn to the gym. The ship has a state of the art gym with machines as well as a Solarium.

The gym has a large number of training machines to help remove any additional calories gained through the fine food on board the ship or relax in one of the swiming pools. There are so many facilities on board the Grandeur of the Seas, which will make working out much more fun. There is a rock climbing wall, and a nine hole miniture golf course.

There is also a full size sports court for those wishing to participate in a good group game such as basketball or football. If you prefer something else, there is always the jogging tracks to burn that energy.

The Spa offers a wide variety of treatments, so that you can relax and unwind. Treatments are extremely popular, especially on days at sea, so its well worth visiting early and checking the prices and availability and booking in advance to ensure you get what you want.

Formal nights

The Rhapsody of the Seas usually has two formal nights on a seven night cruise and three on 10 day or longer cruises. During the day the ship’s dress code is entirely casual. You’ll need swimwear for the pool and sunbathing, plus a selection of t shirts, shorts, trousers or jeans, casual skirts and blouses and sundresses for all other areas of the ship.

You will also need a selection of casual, smart casual and formal clothes for evening meals in the main dining room. Casual dining clothes for men may include polo shirts and trousers, for example, and for women sundresses, trousers and casual skirts and blouses are all fine. A smart casual wardrobe for men would include sports jackets and ties and dresses or trouser suits for women. Formal attire comprises suits and ties or tuxedos for men and cocktail dresses for women. Tuxedo rentals are available for formal dinners and special occasions.

Smoking

For the comfort and enjoyment of all passengers, all Royal Caribbean International cruise ships are designated as non smokin, however, to provide an onboard environment that also satisfies smokers, RCI have designated certain public and private areas of the ship as "smoking areas".

Smoking in public areas is only permitted in designated smoking sections which vary from ship to ship. Generally, smoking is permitted outdoors on only one side of the ship; and smoking is permitted on all private ocean front balconies, including Loft Suite balconies on Oasis Class. To assist in locating areas where smoking is permitted, you will find visible signage posted within all smoking areas and ashtrays that are provided for your use. The location of all smoking venues can also be found in the daily Cruise Compass; or you may contact Guest Services once on board.

For your safety, smoking is not permitted inside any stateroom or on interior private balconies on Oasis Class that overlook The Boardwalk or Central Park. Smoking is not permitted in any dining venue, food outlet, theatre, hallway or corridor; nor in Central Park, The Boardwalk or The Jogging Track on Oasis Class ships; nor in the H2O Zone on Oasis and Freedom Class ships. A 250 US Dollar cleaning fee will be applied to the SeaPass account if smoking has occurred inside staterooms or on private interior balconies overlooking The Boardwalk or Central Park onboard Oasis Class ships. Royal Caribbean International kindly asks all guests to please observe the non smoking areas and to refrain from smoking pipes or cigars in any of the public areas. These requests are made to provide a comfortable shipboard environment for everyone. Guests who violate this smoking policy may be subject to further action pursuant to the "Consequences Section" of our Guest Conduct Policy.

Pipe and cigar smoking is only permitted within the Cigar lounge. (If no Cigar lounge exists on a particular ship, there will be a designated area for pipe and cigar smoking).

A guest must be at least 18 years of age to purchase, possess or use tobacco products onboard. Cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco must always be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard.

At times, RCI may have to adjust the smoking policy to comply with the laws of a country the ship is sailing from. This information will be provided once you board.