Just home from Rhapsody Christmas Cruise - Long Review!

[BrusselsGirl07]

We have just returned home from the December 18 to 27 2010 Christmas Cruise on board Royal Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas. My husband and I have cruised 3 times before – twice on Celebrity in the Mediterranean and through the Panama Canal and once before on the Rhapsody on the 18 day Christmas/New Year Cruise around New Zealand in 2009. This is my first review, so hope it is helpful!

I think the more you cruise, the fussier you get, but the Rhapsody would still be impressive to first time cruisers and does not let repeat cruisers down. Rhapsody is a smaller, older ship showing signs of wear and tear but she is still very beautiful.

We dropped our bags off around 11am and it was much more organised than last year with lots of people to hand out luggage tags, which you then had to fill in, and tell you where to take your luggage. There did not seem to be big lines. We then went and had coffee with a friend, before boarding at 12. There were lines, but only for around 30 minutes. The Windjammer was packed with happy excited people and we had lunch, before checking out our room and unpacking, as our bags had already arrived, and then walking around the ship.

Cabins – We had an inside room on deck 8. The inside rooms are very small, but comfortable for two people. There is no fridge, but there is an ice bucket that is kept filled and a kettle with milk capsules and tea supplied. You have to supply your own coffee, as no instant coffee sachets are on board.

We found the bed very comfortable, queen sized, and 4 comfortable pillows are supplied as well as a small bedside table each. There are reading lights above the bed. There is ample storage, both hanging space and drawers, and suitcases are stored under the bed. There is a desk and chair with a large mirror above it, and a sofa and coffee table. We found the coffee table to be in the way, but just pushed it against a wall.

Above the desk there was one European power outlet and 2 USA outlets. We bought 1 US and 1 EU adaptor and used them to recharge phones, camera batteries etc. There is a hairdryer in one of the drawers that plugs into the US outlet. The only power outlets in the bathroom were those funny ones for electric shavers. In our room, there was a small old-fashioned TV, which pulls out of the cabinet so you can watch pre-recorded US TV shows, movies, shows about other cruises and how the new ships are built, and CNN news. Glimpses into balcony and suite rooms (you can’t help but peep as you pass by, can you?) revealed that these older style TVs have been replaced with flat screens in some cases.

There is a small safe in the room. Our room attendant was friendly and did his job well. The shower is on the small side, and the only things supplied are tissues, small cakes of soap, and a multi-purpose shower/hair gel, which we did not use, in a container on the wall of the shower. There are no clocks or wake-up alarms in the room. There is a small retractable shower line in the shower. Towels, hand towels and face washers are supplied and will be changed if you leave them on the floor of the bathroom. We had a towel animal in our rooms each night.

Dining and food – We had second seating in the Edelweiss Restaurant, which was at 8.30pm. There is also early seating at 6pm and a limited number of places for My Time Dining. There are two other areas for dining – the Windjammer Buffet and the Solarium Cafe. The Windjammer Buffet was open 6.30 to 7am for early bird coffee, 7 to 11am for breakfast buffet, 11.30 to 3pm for lunch, 3 to 5pm for afternoon snacks and 6.30 to 9pm for dinner. It was always busy, but we did not have trouble finding a table for 2. The food was always varied, with lots of fresh fruit and salads available as well as many other choices. We did not eat dinner there.

The Edelweiss Restaurant was open for breakfast (7.30 – 9.30am) and lunch (12 to 1.30pm) on sea days. There was always a huge line to have breakfast and lunch here, which we did not see last year. The advantage of breakfast and lunch in the Restaurant is that there is table service, but the menu is limited and not as varied as the food available in the Buffet. There is a salad bar in the restaurant at lunchtime, which is very nice – they have chefs behind the counter and you tell them what you want and they assemble it for you. To me, the quality of the salad bar was much better than the buffet, but the other food available was similar to the buffet food.

The Solarium cafe has a continental breakfast from 8 to 10am (which we did not use or see) and at other times they had pizza, burgers, hotdogs and, once, I saw sausage rolls, which seems to be a new attempt to cater to a majority Australian guest list. Seems they are learning the nuances of their clientele – they even had vegemite every day at breakfast. They also seemed to allow people to take their bottles of beer and drink them – last year all beer had to be poured into plastic cups by pool bar staff.

Around lunch time, the Solarium would have various salads such as potato and pasta. They also had cookies, cake and fruit. They were closed from 2pm to 4pm and they even took away the tea and coffee, water and juices during this time. I found that very annoying as this was usually the time we were relaxing and reading in there and to get a drink you had to walk up to the Windjammer and bring it back through the crowded outdoor pool area. I can understand not having any food at this time, but they should have the drinks there all of the time.

We ate every night in the Edelweiss Restaurant. We had 7 casual nights and 2 formal nights. I once saw a man turned away for trying to come in wearing shorts and flip-flops, but we often saw people wearing shorts, sandals, flip-flops, t-shirts etc. In the restaurant even on formal nights. This cruise was much more casual than any we had been on – casual nights were casual to the extreme and formal nights were not as formal as our other cruises. Our waiter, waiter’s assistant and maitre d’ were very professional and nothing was too much trouble. Twice the item I had ordered for dessert had run out (which I had not come across before) and the next night, the waiter would bring me the dessert I had ordered for that night, plus a specially prepared one from the night before.

There is a coffee shop called Latte-Tudes, which also sold Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream. Lines for coffee were often long; I waited for 30 minutes once, but after that chose to buy when there was not a line. There were usually only 2 people working. I found the coffee quite nice, and a million times better than the free coffee. They also made cold drinks such as milkshakes. The pastries, cakes and cookies available at the coffee ship were better than you could get elsewhere, as well. There was always free coffee and tea, non-fizzy lemonade, unsweetened iced tea and various limited juices to drink. There were 2 soft serve ice cream machines, one in the outdoor pool area and one in the solarium, but the ice-cream tasted very powdery and not sure why it was so popular.

One evening, there was a chocolate buffet and there was a small opportunity to try and take photos – try being the operative word, as people were gathering around the tables ready to dig in as if they had not seen food before! Within minutes it seemed that everything had been snatched up. We were not hungry and just wanted to take photos. We saw people with around 20 chocolate covered strawberries on their plates, eating them really fast! So many people would have missed out as so many people were really greedy.

There was a tropical BBQ on the 2nd sea day in the outdoor pool area and on the last sea day there was a Mexican themed outdoor lunch with a Paella demonstration, tacos and burritos.

Drinks – The two busiest bars were the Champagne Bar and the Schooner Bar. The schooner bar only had one menu, but the champagne bar had 3. In busy times, it was always hard to find a seat in the bar areas unless you got there early. Service in the Schooner Bar was noticeably slower this cruise. They did not seem to have more than 1 or 2 staff taking orders and the drinks could take as long around 10 minutes.

If you were sitting at the bar in the Champagne Bar, service was very quick and efficient. Last year, a 15% tip was added to each drink that you ordered and the menu still said this. This year however, this tip was not added on, and made me wonder if there was no incentive for the staff to take orders and bring your drinks quickly to then get more orders and so more tips. We asked about the ‘missing’ tips and were told that they had been included in the price of the drink, but the drinks were the same price as last year. The exception to this was the drink of the day. Last Christmas, the drink of the day was $6 plus the 15% tip and a souvenir glass was included. The glass was very nice, and most people left with a set of 6 or 12 glasses. This time the drink of the day was $6.25 with no tip, but to get the souvenir glass you had to pay $3 extra. Other bars were the Viking Crown Lounge bar and the bar in the Shall We Dance lounge.

Pools – The pool area was always busy and with 650 children on board out of 2400 guests, the outdoor pool and 2 Jacuzzi s were always full. A new thing was a towel station. Last Christmas, towels were just available all of the time in big piles and guests were asked to just take one, but most people would take 2. This year, you had to hand over your sea pass card to get a towel. You could change your towel for a new one at any time. You would be charged $20 for not returning a towel by the end of the cruise.

The solarium pools and Jacuzzis were restricted to adults apart from limited times in a day and we saw security ask children to leave the pool. The pool lounges were the ones with the plastic strips, however new chairs with blue mesh had been delivered and by the end of the cruise all of the solarium lounges had been replaced with new lounges and chairs. The outdoor lounges remained the old style.

Shops – The shops were always popular and busy especially when there was a raffle on. There were 4 shops – one selling duty free alcohol (which was delivered to your cabin on the last night of the cruise) and various sundries such as sun cream and shampoo, as well as a limited range of lollies and snacks and some paperback books. Another sold perfume and makeup at duty free prices. Another sold beach clothes (no swimsuits), RCI branded clothes and gift items, sunglasses, watches, jewellery, boxed chocolates and toys. The last shop sold jewellery, scarves and belts. On the last day of the cruise there was a huge sale of t-shirts (2 for $20), sweatshirts ($20), handbags ($15) and watch and jewellery sets ($15). People were going crazy and buying armfuls of t-shirts and other things. I don’t remember seeing these items displayed during the cruise. They were just put out for the sales.

Christmas activities – This Christmas cruise was very different from last year, perhaps as there were more children on board and it was a shorter cruise – 10 days as opposed to 18 days. The ship was not decorated as beautifully as last year; however, it was still very festive. Santa made 2 appearances this year, once on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, when he arrived on the pool deck for photos and for sleigh races, and once on Christmas day where he sat in the Centrum and gave a gift to each child under 17. There was carolling on Christmas Eve and a special matinee show put on by the RCI singers and dancers on Christmas day. There was a festive Christmas day menu, but the tables were not as beautifully decorated as last year and there was no Christmas Pudding for dessert this year!!!

Shows – The theatre is really nice and would put some on land to shame! Special guests included a singer (we did not go and did not hear good reviews), an illusionist, who was entertaining, and an instrumentalist who played at least 8 instruments and also sang and got a standing ovation. The RCI singers and dancers did the Christmas show and a show called ‘Piano Man’, as well as the farewell show. There was also a ballroom dancing themed show. There were 2 aerial gymnasts, who were great, and I would have loved to see them in their own show, but they just featured as part of other shows.

The Captain – Captain Rick was very gregarious and we saw a lot of him. He came along to our Meet and Mingle and the activities director said she had never seen a Captain come along before. We saw him again at the Welcome Back Reception for Crown and Anchor members (this was a lovely hour, with free champagne and cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, chocolate covered strawberries and mini profiteroles). He also attended the welcome on board reception for all guests and hosted a questions and answers forum one day in the theatre. His noon announcements were entertaining. We ‘won’ a bridge tour during an auction to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation and met him again then.

Ports of call – After 2 days at sea (one rainy and one sunny), Isle of Pines was our first port of call and it was hot and sunny. We were tendered ashore and there was a display of dancing at the jetty by some locals. There were some stalls selling clothes and food, as well as hiring of kayaks and ocean pedal bikes. As far as we could see, no one hired snorkels and a few people we spoke to said they could not find anywhere to hire them (we had brought our own along). There was also a beach hut/cafe selling drinks, but we did not go in so not sure if it sold food. All sellers accepted Australian dollars.

The sandy white beach and shallow water on the jetty side was a small walk from the jetty and great for young kids. The sand was so fine and soft like icing sugar, so it stuck to everything! We crossed the island and snorkelled around a large rocky outcrop. On one side we hardly saw any fish at all, but on the other side we saw hundreds of brightly coloured tropical fish. There were so many, and were not scared of us at all. The water was warm to start with and after about 90 minutes of snorkelling and admiring the fish and the coral I was cold, so we went back to the ship for a shower and to relax for the rest of the day.

The next day we went to Mystery Island. It was a rainy day and, again, we walked across the island and snorkelled on the side opposite the jetty. People were hiring snorkels, masks and fins, but I did not see the price. We saw hundreds of varieties of brightly coloured fish again. There were hundreds of sea slugs. There was a lot of dead coral, but patches of bright coral. The water was a little cloudy as the sea was rougher, but we still had a great time snorkelling.

After 90 minutes, it started to rain, so we got out and headed back to the ship. There were lots of stalls selling all sorts of clothes and souvenirs and even fresh cooked lobsters. Australian dollars were accepted. As we left the island, we saw a huge Manta Ray and also a large turtle.

The next day we went to Noumea. You should definitely do a shore excursion. We did not, as we had not been to Noumea before, so decided to just walk around the city. We did not find anything exceptional about the city. There were lots of shops, but nothing super special. We walked around for a few hours and looked through a local meat, fish, fruit and vege market and then had lunch. We exchanged $50 into local currency and spent it all on drinks and a simple lunch. It is an expensive island. English was widely spoken in our experience. We wrote some postcards and went to the post office to buy stamps and send them.

The next day was our last island and it was the gorgeous Lifou Island. This was our favourite island. There were hundreds of butterflies everywhere! There were stalls selling souvenirs, clothes and food and a nice sandy beach for snorkelling and swimming on the jetty side. Lots of little local kids were diving off the jetty. I did not see snorkelling equipment being hired out. The locals sold car tours of the island and other tours. We walked up a big wide road and turned left to walk to the church on the edge of the island. It was a 15 minute walk up a hill to the church and there were beautiful views of the island, the ship and the church.

We walked back down the hill and turned left to go down to a great snorkelling place. There were big signs asking people to respect the coral reef. There was a grassy hill you could put your stuff on and a wooden jetty had been built with steep steps to get down to the water. Once in the water, it was shallow enough to stand and get your flippers and snorkel on, but it became quite deep not far out. This area is not a good place for kids to swim as there is no beach, just the coral and snorkelling.

The water became deep quite quickly and we saw beautiful coral and so many kinds of tropical fish. We saw huge Wrasse and also very big parrot fish. This was the best coral of the islands. We saw a line of cuttlefish swimming along and they were so cute. So many sizes and colours of tropical fish, I could have stayed all day if we had wetsuits, but I got cold after around 90 minutes.

We saw one teenage boy with a mask and reef shoes actually stomping on the coral trying to break it, so swam near and told him to stop it. Quite a few kids were standing on the coral in the shallow water and parents were telling them to stop it, but I think they should have explained the fragility of the coral before letting their kids in the water.

After I got cold, we got out and sat on the grass to dry. Locals were selling drinks, snacks and fresh coconuts that they chopped with machetes to leave a small hole to drink the juice. Once you finished, you could take the coconut back and they would chop it in half, cut a piece of the shell to make a scoop, and then you could eat the coconut flesh. We walked back to the jetty and there were lots of people swimming on the sandy beach on this side. We saw 5 turtles swimming around the jetty. Back on board we went back to relaxing again! The next 2 sea days were hot and sunny, so it was a shock to get back into cold, rainy Sydney!!

 

Hope this was helpful, I can answer questions if you have any!

[The_Big_M]

That's a very comprehensive review, and I had very similar experiences. Overall a nice cruise, with relaxing - though hot/humid - destinations.

 

We had an inside on deck 7 - I wonder if that's you we heard ;-) We had 4 in our room this time, so had no coffee table, but that's fine. We didn't have a lounge, but the cabin attendant moved the comfy chair, so the layout worked fine.

 

Their buffer was great - not quite the range of Celebrity, but much better seating, range and availability than P&O. For some reason they had real problems with the 'fruit drinks' (somewhat like cordial) and seemed to be not diluting the ingredients half the time, or it just wasn't getting mixed. Agree with you about the ice cream; it was quite disappointing, and the machines either broke down or were over used a lot, with vanilla often running out as well.

 

You had such a better waiter than ourselves. Our assistant and head waiter were great, but I seriously thought about not giving tips to the waiter; we just found him very odd and not interested in service at all. Unfortunately the downside of prepaid tips is that you can't adjust them to reflect that. He also half mumbled and was very difficult to hear, but he just generally did a poor job. There were numerous inconsistencies as well, with some things being forgotten, or done at different times. I had thought about trying to move on day 1, but at the maitre d' saw how full it was, so was basically impossible so didn't bother trying (we were in the 6 p.m. main slot).

 

The tip thing was a big thing to me. It hasn't changed elsewhere in the fleet, so it appears to be a soft introduction to adjust to the local market, especially as their competitors have removed other tips. All the literature still refers to the tipping though, I'm not sure how the staff are faring with it.

 

The towel station is a fleetwide initiative introduced a few months back - presumably there was too much theft going on. It seemed to work well enough this cruise though.

 

With the shops, someone from the last cruise mentioned the amount of out of stocks. They actually opened late this cruise to unpack a lot of new stock they loaded up in Sydney. However, while it was reasonably filled, I felt the range was still a bit lacking. Specials were limited as well, with many things just being RRP.

 

Regarding the last day sale, there was some false advertising there (what a surprise!) with banners saying today only for some stock that had been out since the beginning. All the bijoux terner stuff that was advertised as "Sale - $15" is their standard price, and had been stocked throughout the cruise at that price. It was just prominently put on the display tables on the last day. The new stuff was the jewellery sets and range of t-shirts and polo tops, but half of those were from their New Zealand cruises, so not greatly relevant to this cruise. I suspect they'd have those hanging throughout those cruises.

 

In the theatre, I saw the singer and I would say he was reasonable, although the musical styles were catering more towards the baby boomer generation. You could say that was represented by us getting "Piano Man" two nights in a row (once from him, and then from the Celebrity singer)! One other thing I thought odd was the amount of entertainers RCI are getting from Byelorussia - both the aerial artists and their lead dancer guests were from there... perhaps it's also cost cutting? I went to one of the dance classes which was surprisingly led by them instead of their own dancers, and the language barrier made progress very difficult for everybody.

 

Another bonus this cruise was the long talk and QandA by the ship's senior staff on different aspects, which was good (bonus points for the question about the toilets!). There was also a public backstage tour of the theatre, and destination lectures.

 

Regarding tours, in Noumea there seems to be some strong competition as I'd noticed a couple of tour companies actually had decreased their price substantially, and we took the hop on hop off which was good value, and spent some time at Tjibou, which is great for their culture (and the architecture!) as well as seeing the rest of Noumea.

 

In Lifou, we found some people hiring out snorkelling equipment at the snorkelling place you mentioned - there was also some at the stalls soon after you get off the jetty, although it wasn't cheap - $15 for the full set. (Actually, Lifou was dearer for most things - watermelon was $1 a small slice!)

 

For anyone interested, they had braiding at Mystery Island, Noumea and Lifou.

[susie2shoes]

Great review Yvette! Lucky you, being able to do two Christmas cruises in a row. Enjoy your Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos Islands.

[Debsta]

Thanks Yvette (and Big M) for writing a well written/balanced reviewed. Always appreciated. Can't wait! I'm starting to think my kids (18,20,21) are going to get bored at night!

 

Do they have a nightclub?

[Kinkacruiser]

Thanks Yvette...and Big M for sharing your experiences. Having never sailed on the ROS, it was good to get a feel of the inside. Hate to say it, but I'm still a Princess fan.;)

By the way if you want to really see Noumea, the train up to the panoramic lookouts and around the city and resort beaches is fabulous.

Anna:)

[aussie57]

Thanks Yvette & the Big M. Very interesting to hear about Rhapsody.

[The_Big_M]

Do they have a nightclub?

 

Yes, it's the crown and anchor lounge (up the top of the ship) during the day, and the nightclub from about 10 p.m. on (start time changed slightly depending on the other activities) - 18+ only with security. I thought the DJ was decent, and there's a good variety of spaces if you want to get on the floor or just chill a bit. There's a different theme each night, so some nights will probably be more appealing than others. It was pretty full on our cruise the nights I was there.

 

By the way, I had been planning to write a decent review of my own, but brusselsgirl did such a great job, I just added my comments on rather than repeating what she'd written again.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thanks Big M and everyone for comments. I meant to write reviews from my other cruises, but not sure what to say, so happy that this was helpful.

 

We are booked on the Radiance 19 Feb 2012 cruise, so looking forward to that.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Does anyone know if they have changed the dining format on Rhapsody because our friends have been told there are four dining times now for the traditional dining in the Eidelweiss Dining Room.

I'm wondering if My Time Dining is what has been changed to four time options to make it run smoother for everyone.

Can anyone confirm these new times?

Jillybean:)

[The_Big_M]

Does anyone know if they have changed the dining format on Rhapsody because our friends have been told there are four dining times now for the traditional dining in the Eidelweiss Dining Room.

I'm wondering if My Time Dining is what has been changed to four time options to make it run smoother for everyone.

 

Can anyone confirm these new times?

 

 

Traditional dining in Eidelweiss on Rhapsody still is running with two times for dinner - 6 and 8:30 p.m. Their evening shows are co-ordinated to run in conjunction with those two. I'm not sure if MTD on Rhapsody has been switched to 4 times (although that sounds a little odd) as we didn't use that.

[sjm1965]

We are heading off on Thursday 13th Jan - so thank you for that.

 

You were mentioning the electrical sockets.... I purchased one today as I recalled reading somewhere that there is a US socket... however when I went to purchase the adaptor I had no idea what I was doing. There are 2 types of US adaptors... a 2-prong and a 3-prong earthed. I bought the 3-prong - will it work or have I bought the wrong one? Should I also get the European one????

 

I do not understands the watts volts part AT ALL so really just plan on plugging in everything and seeing what happens.

 

Also, are there irons available on the ship or should we take our own?

I hate wrinkled cotton but cant justify laundering costs for every item I wear.

 

Any advice with these questions will be invaluable at this point!

 

Oh, and one last thing... the itinerary says we arrive at 7am... I presume that most cruises have the same ETA.... at what time were you actually off the ship, and were you towards the beginning, centre or end of the disembarkment process. We will be on level 4 if that makes a difference in getting off that you know of.

 

Thanks

Sonia

[tassie cruiser]

We are heading off on Thursday 13th Jan - so thank you for that.

 

You were mentioning the electrical sockets.... I purchased one today as I recalled reading somewhere that there is a US socket... however when I went to purchase the adaptor I had no idea what I was doing. There are 2 types of US adaptors... a 2-prong and a 3-prong earthed. I bought the 3-prong - will it work or have I bought the wrong one? Should I also get the European one????

 

I do not understands the watts volts part AT ALL so really just plan on plugging in everything and seeing what happens.

 

Also, are there irons available on the ship or should we take our own?

I hate wrinkled cotton but cant justify laundering costs for every item I wear.

 

Re electrical sockets. All you really need to take is a European and a power board. The US adaptor in bathroom is useless, only for shavers and in the cabin there is a US and European but for some reason the US doesnt really wor with our items, tried with our hairdryer and it was so slow, sounded like it was about to die, their hairdryer in the room is really good plugged into their US power point. So we plugged our power board into the European adaptor and all was good.. Fiona

 

Any advice with these questions will be invaluable at this point!

 

Oh, and one last thing... the itinerary says we arrive at 7am... I presume that most cruises have the same ETA.... at what time were you actually off the ship, and were you towards the beginning, centre or end of the disembarkment process. We will be on level 4 if that makes a difference in getting off that you know of.

 

Thanks

Sonia

 

 

 

 

Hi Sonia,

Re electrical sockets. All you really need to take is a European and a power board. The US adaptor in bathroom is useless, only for shavers and in the cabin there is a US and European but for some reason the US doesnt really wor with our items, tried with our hairdryer and it was so slow, sounded like it was about to die, their hairdryer in the room is really good plugged into their US power point. So we plugged our power board into the European adaptor and all was good.. Fiona

 

p.s re- irons, they are a no-no, mind you if you took one and used in your cabin noone would know :p they do not have ones for the passengers to use.

[rkmw]

We are heading off on Thursday 13th Jan - so thank you for that.

 

You were mentioning the electrical sockets.... I purchased one today as I recalled reading somewhere that there is a US socket... however when I went to purchase the adaptor I had no idea what I was doing. There are 2 types of US adaptors... a 2-prong and a 3-prong earthed. I bought the 3-prong - will it work or have I bought the wrong one? Should I also get the European one????

 

I do not understands the watts volts part AT ALL so really just plan on plugging in everything and seeing what happens.

 

Also, are there irons available on the ship or should we take our own?

I hate wrinkled cotton but cant justify laundering costs for every item I wear.

 

Any advice with these questions will be invaluable at this point!

 

Oh, and one last thing... the itinerary says we arrive at 7am... I presume that most cruises have the same ETA.... at what time were you actually off the ship, and were you towards the beginning, centre or end of the disembarkment process. We will be on level 4 if that makes a difference in getting off that you know of.

 

Thanks

Sonia

 

Sonia, as tassie cruiser said irons are not allowed as they are a fire hazard and when you disembark they send around a form a few nights before the end of the cruise and it depends on your travel arrangements....people that have flights to catch normally are first off.....you could be off between 7.30am and 10am

 

rkmw

[thied]

Thanks Yvette , great review and I would have to say the best on I have read on here in a very long time. Glad to see another person enjoying there cruise.

[The_Big_M]

there is a US and European but for some reason the US doesnt really wor with our items, tried with our hairdryer and it was so slow, sounded like it was about to die, their hairdryer in the room is really good plugged into their US power point. So we plugged our power board into the European adaptor and all was good..

 

That would mean that your hairdryer isn’t dual voltage. The US voltage is lower than the European one, which is closer to ours. Both sockets are working, but the appliance is the issue – your appliance should be able to handle US and Euro voltages as well, to work properly.

[Vader1111]

It's worth noting that the European plug/socket is at the same voltage as the Australian system. It's only the US plug/socket which is at the lower voltage.

 

The hairdryer should work normally if plugged into the European socket. Cabins on the Rhapsody have both sockets.

[The_Big_M]

It's worth noting that the European plug/socket is at the same voltage as the Australian system. It's only the US plug/socket which is at the lower voltage.

 

Not the same, but as said, it is closer. Normally, it will be within acceptable tolerances - it's not a good idea plugging in an appliance rated for a different electrical system.

[robinph]

We are heading off on Thursday 13th Jan - so thank you for that.

 

You were mentioning the electrical sockets.... I purchased one today as I recalled reading somewhere that there is a US socket... however when I went to purchase the adaptor I had no idea what I was doing. There are 2 types of US adaptors... a 2-prong and a 3-prong earthed. I bought the 3-prong - will it work or have I bought the wrong one? Should I also get the European one????

 

I do not understands the watts volts part AT ALL so really just plan on plugging in everything and seeing what happens.

 

Also, are there irons available on the ship or should we take our own?

I hate wrinkled cotton but cant justify laundering costs for every item I wear.

 

Any advice with these questions will be invaluable at this point!

 

Oh, and one last thing... the itinerary says we arrive at 7am... I presume that most cruises have the same ETA.... at what time were you actually off the ship, and were you towards the beginning, centre or end of the disembarkment process. We will be on level 4 if that makes a difference in getting off that you know of.

 

Thanks

Sonia

Hi sonia, when we travelled on the Rhapsody, we purchased the US 3 pronged adaptor which worked perfectly. We also brought a dual voltage travel hairdryer from K Mart for around $19, a Vidal Hair Sraightener dual Voltage around $20 and a Sunbeam dual voltage travel iron $29, I know they say you can't use irons but I take it with me and just press things on the bed if necessary (don't use it very often but always handy to have), these three things have become constant travel companions wether I am on an Aussie ship or American for a small outlay. Robin

[robinph]

Hi sonia, when we travelled on the Rhapsody, we purchased the US 3 pronged adaptor which worked perfectly. We also brought a dual voltage travel hairdryer from K Mart for around $19, a Vidal Hair Sraightener dual Voltage around $20 and a Sunbeam dual voltage travel iron $29, I know they say you can't use irons but I take it with me and just press things on the bed if necessary (don't use it very often but always handy to have), these three things have become constant travel companions wether I am on an Aussie ship or American for a small outlay. Robin

Forgot to mention that on Rhapsody I used all these appliances on US voltage and they worked fine.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi Sonia - sorry I missed your questions, but looks as though they have been answered very well! My advice would have been to buy an Australian to Europe plug adaptor, and plug a normal Australian powerboard into that. You could then use all of your Australian appliances in the powerboard without worrying.

 

Thied, thanks for the comments on the review, I am glad it was helpful.

[Kazwal]

Great review Yvette, I'm booked for Christmas this year so it's good to hear all about it. When you say the water is cold should I take wetsuits I did inquire when is the nicest time to cruise for warm waters, I too love snorkelling and sick of spending thousands to not snorkel, I was hoping the water would be quiet balmy, the TA recommended December. How was the seas in December not to rough. What sort of foods did they serve for Christmas dinner. Also can you still hire mini scooters at isle of pines still. Sounds like a lovely boat. Cheers kaz