Rhapsody of the Seas Greece/Adriatic Review from a RCCL newbie!

[Bostonjetset]

Great review and looking forward to more. We are on a B2B in October. Have you seen any specials for the specialty dinner packages? I want to use OBC, but if no specials offered on board, I will go ahead and prepay! Do they offer specials for certain nights for

like Cagney's?

 

I am sorry but I can't recall if they have any specials on board for the specialty dining packages as this is not something we usually look for. I THINK they did but I don't want to give you wrong info. I know they had specials on the Cruise Planner pre-cruise though.

 

P.S. Cagneys is the steakhouse on NCL ships. It is Chops on RCCL hehe. We found the food in the MDR to be more than adequate, in fact quite good actually, and thus did not consider the specialty restaurants. The only line we ever paid extra on for food was NCL [well, I had lunch in the Pinnacle Grill on HAL but that was mostly due to the fact that the Bvlgari china and Frette linens seduced me in! Their MDR food was quite good already so it wasn't needed haha].

 

I'm loving this - thank you thank you thank you

 

You are very welcome! I hope it is helpful for you.

[Bostonjetset]

What a great review, day by day! I loved this. I want to do that itinerary for my birthday in a couple of years, and you really brought things to life for me.

 

I'm so happy you enjoyed the review. I like doing the day-by-day as it helps place everything in perspective and captures the mood I was in when I wrote it haha. You should not hesitate on this itinerary; it's fabulous!

 

Thank you, I enjoyed reading your review.

 

I am doing the 12 night Med/Venice on Brilliance in July, also stopping in Ravenna & Kotor. Do you remember approx. how much the Taxi in Ravenna from Port to Town cost? There will be 4 of us so this may be a good option for us when we do our DIY Ravenna tour.

 

Thanks.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed!! The taxi into town and back in Ravenna was 20-25 Euro each way total. Divided by four of you [we were a group of four also] it would be much cheaper than the ship's shuttle which is $22 per person roundtrip...almost half price to take a taxi and be on your own schedule. In Ravenna, the entrance ticket to one church includes entrance to 3 others in town. We went to all of them but if you only go to one, make it San Vitale. I would also recommend going to Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo as it, too, was wonderful.

[cc-riderslc]

Thanks for the review. I will be on the Rhapsody in September. There have been some remarks about toiletries in the staterooms, or lack thereof. What was your experience with the stateroom amenities? I would rather not have to pack my own if they are available. I have never been on a ship that didn't have the full array of soaps, shampoo and lotion.

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks for the review. I will be on the Rhapsody in September. There have been some remarks about toiletries in the staterooms, or lack thereof. What was your experience with the stateroom amenities? I would rather not have to pack my own if they are available. I have never been on a ship that didn't have the full array of soaps, shampoo and lotion.

 

You are welcome and thanks for reading!!

 

Our stateroom did have bar soap both on the vanity and in the shower. There was also a dispenser on the shower wall of whatever that mystery mix of shampoo/conditioner/shower gel is supposed to be. I do not recall any body lotion. It seems most ships have gone that route, at least for mainstream lines. The only ship I've been on recently that had proper toiletries in individual bottles was QM2 [and they were Penhaligons to boot!]. I usually pack my own toiletries with the exception of bar soap so I was pleased to find that; it was not the best quality but it was sufficient for 10 nights.

[lou2003k]

Thanks for the review I'm on rhapsody on 24th June for a 10 night greece and Adriatic after reading your review it really makes me look forward to it! Thanks

[abbflex]

Thanks for review. On Jewel in the greek islands in July so very interesting to read about Athen, Santorni and Mykonos:)

[mj]

Thanks for the wonderful review. Did two of the ports, Kotor and Ravenna on a med cruise last year and was pleasantly surprised by both. Next year, will be doing Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens and appreciate your comments on those ports.

 

Glad you got back safely home after your experience on the plane.

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks for the review I'm on rhapsody on 24th June for a 10 night greece and Adriatic after reading your review it really makes me look forward to it! Thanks

 

You are very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed reading. Have a blast on your cruise next month; it will be FABULOUS!

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks for review. On Jewel in the greek islands in July so very interesting to read about Athen, Santorni and Mykonos:)

 

You are welcome. Thanks for reading! Enjoy your trip!!

 

Thanks for the wonderful review. Did two of the ports, Kotor and Ravenna on a med cruise last year and was pleasantly surprised by both. Next year, will be doing Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens and appreciate your comments on those ports.

 

Glad you got back safely home after your experience on the plane.

 

You are very welcome! I'm happy your enjoyed reading it and thanks for the well-wishes regarding my nightmare flight!

 

Enjoy your cruise next year; it will be here before you know it! All Greek ports are wonderful but Mykonos was so beautiful and chic!

[BermudaBound2014]

This is a terrific trip report. I'm sure I'll have some questions if you don't mind. Right now, I can only think of one:

 

Did they offer MTD on your Rhapsody sailing? It's not a choice for us and we were forced to select a dining time. I'm wondering if it's an option I should ask to be waitlisted for, or if MTD isn't available on Rhapsody in Europe. TIA

[Biker19]

MTD is certainly available - all of the second deck of the MDR.

[Biker19]

If you don't want to get scammed by a taxi driver in Santorini and don't mind slumming it with locals and other tourists, the public bus is 1.80 Euro pp each way between Fira and Oia (every 30 min).

 

Similar in Athens - about 4 Euro pp (good for the day) for a bus (X80 line) from port directly to the Acropolis.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Biker19

[Biker19]

 

If you want some exercise and the weather cooperates, climb to the St. John church/castle in Kotor. This is the view from the top. That's a Silversea ship docked and Rhapsody at anchor.

 

BTW, the most movement in the ship occurred on the sail into Kotor (one of the most scenic in the world even if we got stuck behind that Silversea ship) - the ship taking a hard right turn at about 10 knots on the lake like sea.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Biker19

[lou2003k]

This is a terrific trip report. I'm sure I'll have some questions if you don't mind. Right now, I can only think of one:

 

Did they offer MTD on your Rhapsody sailing? It's not a choice for us and we were forced to select a dining time. I'm wondering if it's an option I should ask to be waitlisted for, or if MTD isn't available on Rhapsody in Europe. TIA

 

 

 

MTD is defo available im booked on it in a few weeks

[Bostonjetset]

This is a terrific trip report. I'm sure I'll have some questions if you don't mind. Right now, I can only think of one:

 

Did they offer MTD on your Rhapsody sailing? It's not a choice for us and we were forced to select a dining time. I'm wondering if it's an option I should ask to be waitlisted for, or if MTD isn't available on Rhapsody in Europe. TIA

 

MTD was available although on a very port-intensive trip such as this one you may want to consider fixed late dining. It is wonderful to always know your table is available for you right at 8.30 and not have the need to wait.

 

Whenever your other questions arise, please ask and I will do my best to answer. :D

[Bostonjetset]

If you don't want to get scammed by a taxi driver in Santorini and don't mind slumming it with locals and other tourists, the public bus is 1.80 Euro pp each way between Fira and Oia (every 30 min).

 

Similar in Athens - about 4 Euro pp (good for the day) for a bus (X80 line) from port directly to the Acropolis.

 

Thanks for the tips for future travel!

I try and avoid public transport as I hate being crammed in to a bus with tons of people, especially when it is a hot destination and air-con may not be as cold as I am used to. That said, we do use it on occasion when private cars are just too ridiculous. I found 20 Euro from Fira to Oia to be reasonable, especially since it was divided by 4 of us...In fact, I would not have even balked at the original price of 30 if it weren't for the fact that later on we were charged less [no one likes to feel scammed].

 

In Athens, we knew up front that the ship's excursion was overpriced but decided that since it was the only one we bought for the whole trip we would suck it up. Also, the fact that we avoided any lines at the Acropolis made it SLIGHTLY more palatable lol. If we ever go back to Athens, we would probably not go back to the Acropolis anyway and rather focus on seeing other sights...how many Parthenon pics does one really need? Good to know about the bus option for the future; I'm sure even a private taxi would have cost far less than the excursion.

[BermudaBound2014]

Is it possible MTD was fully booked by the time we did? We were not given the option. We currently have late seating. We are totally fine with just walking up whenever and waiting. Do I need to switch from late seating to mtd? I may be getting RCL confused with other lines :(. Basically, we want the "we don't mind waiting as long as we don't need a reservation" plan. Is that possible?

 

We do plan on the X80 in Athens (I've been there before). Here is my plan for Santorini, how feasible do you think this is? Take the $20.00 ferry from Fira to Oil first thing in the morning. Explore Oil and then WALK back to Fira. I've heard the views are breathtaking and it's only 3 miles (yes, I know it's 3 miles in the heat, but we are hikers and will hydrate).

 

As far as Kotor, we are great with exercise and the church is our plan B. I'd really like to get into the National Parks and do some hiking. Nothing outrageous, maybe just 5 miles or so. Did you hear of anyone that attempted this? The ship has two tours offered, but neither are quite what we are looking for. Same for Zadar, did you hear of anyone that got away from the coast and into the mountains?

 

Final question for the minute (haha, thanks so much btw)..... If we had one island to choose to do a boat tour with snorkeling, which would you choose? I'm leaning toward Corfu, but not entirely certain.

 

Thanks again!! Not a lot of active posters from Rhapsody (besides Cinnamon who did a terrific job but it was a different itinerary). The port of call section is pretty dead on Kotor, Zadar and Corfu. Even trip advisor is slow on these ports right now.

 

Did I mention thank you!

[Bostonjetset]

Is it possible MTD was fully booked by the time we did? We were not given the option. We currently have late seating. We are totally fine with just walking up whenever and waiting. Do I need to switch from late seating to mtd? I may be getting RCL confused with other lines :(. Basically, we want the "we don't mind waiting as long as we don't need a reservation" plan. Is that possible?

 

MTD as the "we don't mind waiting as long as we don't need a reservation" is an option. I suppose it is possible that it booked up but I'm not sure. Did you book with an agent? If so perhaps you can ask her to call RCCL and check. If you booked directly with RCCL, try calling their customer service and ask. We usually book 'traditional' dining on our cruises so I never really pay much attention to the MTD details. The only time we didn't [other than NCL which is all MTD] was on HAL's Veendam but that is a ship with about half the passengers Rhapsody has so waits were very minimal for everything.

 

We do plan on the X80 in Athens (I've been there before). Here is my plan for Santorini, how feasible do you think this is? Take the $20.00 ferry from Fira to Oil first thing in the morning. Explore Oil and then WALK back to Fira. I've heard the views are breathtaking and it's only 3 miles (yes, I know it's 3 miles in the heat, but we are hikers and will hydrate).

 

I was not aware one could feasibly walk from Oia to Fira but if you say it is only 3 miles, you should have enough time. It seemed like much further based on the route taken by the taxi driver...all through mountainous roads with very little shade. If they heat doesn't bother you, have at it and good luck! **This coming from someone who walked around with an umbrella all day in order to have some respite from the sun! HAHA**

 

As far as Kotor, we are great with exercise and the church is our plan B. I'd really like to get into the National Parks and do some hiking. Nothing outrageous, maybe just 5 miles or so. Did you hear of anyone that attempted this? The ship has two tours offered, but neither are quite what we are looking for. Same for Zadar, did you hear of anyone that got away from the coast and into the mountains?

 

I was not aware of anyone from the ship who went to the National Park on their own but there were excursions offered. Many people hiked up to the church though and the old-town itself is very pedestrian friendly. We did not call on Zadar during our sailing as we went to Ravenna instead...it was scheduled that way for just the May 13th sailing I believe.

 

Final question for the minute (haha, thanks so much btw)..... If we had one island to choose to do a boat tour with snorkeling, which would you choose? I'm leaning toward Corfu, but not entirely certain.

 

We are not really snorkelers so I'm not 100% sure about how good the fish-spotting is in any of the islands. However, Myknons and Corfu had the nicest beaches. We spent some time at the beach in Mykonos but missed going in Corfu due to rain. Based on pictures/brochures we've seen though, I would guess your plan of snorkeling in Corfu would be the best.

 

Thanks again!! Not a lot of active posters from Rhapsody (besides Cinnamon who did a terrific job but it was a different itinerary). The port of call section is pretty dead on Kotor, Zadar and Corfu. Even trip advisor is slow on these ports right now.

 

I was surprised at the lack of info on Kotor as well. In fact, we bought a travel guide for Med cruise ports before the trip and Kotor was not even mentioned...neither was Ravenna. They did have a section on Corfu but I've not seen a lot on CC about any of those ports. I don't think they are as popular, historically, as places like Santorini, Mykonos, or Dubrovnik though there seems to be more cruises calling there recently though.

 

Did I mention thank you!

 

Responses in red! I'm so glad you find my review helpful and you are very welcome! :D

[BermudaBound2014]

I don't think we will do a beach day in Mykonos (I've been there before also). I think we may try the ferry to Delos and then just wander the town.

 

It's funny you mentioned "enough time' in Santorini. We have a full 12 hour stop: 8:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. I've read that the sunset is a must see from the caldera. Any ideas on this? Were you back on the boat for sunset? I'm thinking we have lots of extra time in Santorini, so not sure how to fill the day.

 

Thanks again!

[Bostonjetset]

I don't think we will do a beach day in Mykonos (I've been there before also). I think we may try the ferry to Delos and then just wander the town.

 

It's funny you mentioned "enough time' in Santorini. We have a full 12 hour stop: 8:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. I've read that the sunset is a must see from the caldera. Any ideas on this? Were you back on the boat for sunset? I'm thinking we have lots of extra time in Santorini, so not sure how to fill the day.

 

Thanks again!

 

We also had the full 12 hours [8 to 8] in Santorini but the sun did not set until after 8pm so we were already back on the boat. It was still lovely to see the caldera from the sea at dusk, glowing red-orange with the town perched on top. The view of the lights and shadows at dusk against the caldera and buildings is really, IMO, what makes Santorini sunsets beautiful; more so than the actual sun setting in the sky a an glowing orange ball against the sky looks the same anywhere in the world.

 

Do keep in mind that as a tender port, you will not be on the island until 8pm. I think you must be waiting for the last tender at the dock by around 7.30ish [maybe 7.45? I can't quite recall the exact time as we went back aboard around 7 after an exhausting day in the heat].

[Biker19]

It might be 3 miles between Fira and Oia as the crow flies but it's much farther by any other route (also very hilly). We did notice a couple of folks up in the hills when went by on the bus but have no idea where they were going.

 

Biker, who doesn't mind a long trek but would likely skip the above walk.

[catmandu73]

Thanks so much for posting your lengthy review of the Rhapsody's cruise to the Greek Isles/Adriatic. I am booked on that same cruise in September and you have provided answers to alot of the questions i had. Glad that Rhapsody is still a good ship. I, too, am not going for the perks the ship can provide but for the itinerary.

 

Thanks again.

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks so much for posting your lengthy review of the Rhapsody's cruise to the Greek Isles/Adriatic. I am booked on that same cruise in September and you have provided answers to alot of the questions i had. Glad that Rhapsody is still a good ship. I, too, am not going for the perks the ship can provide but for the itinerary.

 

Thanks again.

 

You are welcome and thanks for reading! I'm glad I could be of some help!

 

Enjoy your Sept cruise! I believe you call at Zadar rather than Ravenna, right? All other ports are the same but I think our sailing date was an exception to the normal itinerary? If so, please report back on Croatia! It's on our "in the future" list. In fact, since we loved Kotor so much, we may plan a land-based trip in the future to see other areas of "Yugoslavia".

 

Rhapsody truly is a lovely ship and her crew, especially in the dining room, was phenomenal!

[heatherb1958]

Another huge thank you from me too:)

We are also sailing on Rhapsody in September , first time on her though we have sailed the sister ships.

We chose the itinerary as we have never been to Mykonos, Zadar or Kotor, all the places look stunning. We spent 2 weeks on Santorini for a land based vacation so that will be a sea day for us and have been to Corfu many times also for land vacations. Living in the UK we have Europe on our doorstep.:D.

Previously we have been to Dubrovnik and Split so this itinerary is a refreshing change.

Edited May 31, 2016 by heatherb1958

[Bostonjetset]

Another huge thank you from me too:)

We are also sailing on Rhapsody in September , first time on her though we have sailed the sister ships.

We chose the itinerary as we have never been to Mykonos, Zadar or Kotor, all the places look stunning. We spent 2 weeks on Santorini for a land based vacation so that will be a sea day for us and have been to Corfu many times also for land vacations. Living in the UK we have Europe on our doorstep.:D.

Previously we have been to Dubrovnik and Split so this itinerary is a refreshing change.

 

You are welcome and have a FABULOUS trip in Sept.!!!

Mykonos and Kotor were my two favourite ports [although all of them were wonderful]; be sure to go to the Our Lady of the Rocks in Perast when you call at Kotor...it's a really cool place to see.