08/19/2026
Just returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas, visiting several places in the southern Caribbean. We’ll be sharing our experiences over the next few weeks, starting with the ship.
Rhapsody is in Royal’s smallest class of ships. Knowing many people frequent Royal because of the family-friendly environment, if you have tweens or older, we would not recommend this ship. It is not set up to entertain kids of that age. This ship is great for couples and families with young kids.
Pros:
-Smaller ship=easier to get around, smaller crowd
-Great itinerary (St Thomas, St Croix, St Maarten, Antigua, Dominica)
-Great servers in main dining, although that seems to be pretty standard across Royal
-Contracted theater productions were entertaining
Cons:
-Not for families w/kids certain ages
-Smaller ship=feeling the waves, if you’re prone to seasickness
-Depending on where your cabin is, docking at the ports can be very loud. Book higher and away from aft.
-Royal productions in the theater were pretty weak (PureCountry was AWFUL!!)
We did an ocean view (pics below) room for the first time, mainly because it was only an extra $50. To be honest, we wouldn’t suggest spending the extra $$ unless you’re claustrophobic, in which case the ocean view might be a cheaper option to solve that than a balcony.
https://youtu.be/spLZkC8uRvw?is=wVMsvQ2ONJ83toxl