WannaCruise Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 Ok...here's the situation.... We are regular cruisers and book when itineraries are released. Our son is now in university so the only time we can go the four of us is Xmas or New Years. I know...worst time pricewise for booking (which is our issue). This upcoming Xmas 2024 we splurged and booked Icon. Really wanted to go on Icon with both kids, and not sure how much longer our son will travel with us so booked it when it came out. For that cruise, our room is now sold out but other rooms have gone WAY UP so glad we booked when we did. Fast forward to recent release....cruises for Xmas/New Years 2025 pretty much start at what we paid for with Icon. Wow! That one was a splurge and not something we want to book at again. So....we booked connecting rooms on Rhapsody at what was our previous price range. It's a standard Caribbean cruise but one port is new to us, which looks nice. Our kids will be 16 and 20 then so won't need the full amenities. They mostly love just being able to eat in Windjammer and MDR for dinner, enjoy the shows, swimming, and enjoy the gym and cruise planner activities such as trivia, etc. DH and our kids aren't worried. I personally think our kids will get bored and keep looking at other options, but nothing is in the price range we are ok to pay (I'll still check when short cruises are released this week...but then if we switch, we'd lose a couple days being a short cruise). Even though I have second thoughts, we love Royal and it's still a cruise. So...for those that have been on Rhapsody (or Vision class), thoughts? Tell me positive things that you enjoyed. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 I really enjoyed Rhapsody last spring. I don’t think you have to worry about the kids getting bored. There are still activities, and there will be a number of other kids/young adults there with family as I’m sure you know, having sailed over Christmas before. They will meet people to hang out with if they want to. If they say they’re not worried, believe them! WannaCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Dan Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 I sailed on Rhapsody back in 98, enjoyed it a bunch! It is a little older now but I’m sure everyone will enjoy themselves. WannaCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted February 17 Author Report Share Posted February 17 Thank you both. Appreciate the feedback. And true, I'm sure they won't be the only ones in their age range. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biaggio Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 Sailed on her a few months ago. Small ship. I enjoy pickleball on the sports court, but the Rhapsody doesn’t have one. Did a lot of walking on the track to balance calories consumed versus calories spent. Boys might be bored. WannaCruise and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 I like vision class ships, but they are a slower experience than the newer ships. As long as you're aware of this, I'm sure you'll have a great time. That said, I have a couple suggestions. First, travelling over Thanksgiving may be a better option. Most schools and universities, at least in the USA, have the whole week off, so it works we'll time wise. However, most Americans prefer to celebrate with a family feast at home, so demand and prices are often more reasonable. My other suggestion is to consider voyager class ships. They're usually price competitive with Vision class but have far more amenities. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted February 17 Author Report Share Posted February 17 1 hour ago, steverk said: I like vision class ships, but they are a slower experience than the newer ships. As long as you're aware of this, I'm sure you'll have a great time. That said, I have a couple suggestions. First, travelling over Thanksgiving may be a better option. Most schools and universities, at least in the USA, have the whole week off, so it works we'll time wise. However, most Americans prefer to celebrate with a family feast at home, so demand and prices are often more reasonable. My other suggestion is to consider voyager class ships. They're usually price competitive with Vision class but have far more amenities. Thanks. We're actually Canadian so only get one day off. Nice you get the week off in the USA. Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at Voyager and Freedom class too (after Oasis class). Even these...with four of us in a single interior room...are very pricey. Indy is $2500 more than Rhapsody (and our ideal price range). Adventure is about $1000 more than Rhapsody ... but both of these prices are four of us in a small interior with the two pullmans. That's a bit tight. I saw some great itinerary ones, and with decent prices on Jewel, but the embarkment port isn't easy for us as it's not a direct flight, so scratched that one off the list. steverk and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fa-li Posted February 20 Report Share Posted February 20 We've sailed Rhapsody with our daughter when she was 16 and when she was 20. Loved it both times. Yes, it's smaller and more laid back, but the crew involvement was the best we've had. The shows in the centrum are fun, and it's an easy ship for the youngs to meet and then continue to meet up with people their own age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted February 20 Report Share Posted February 20 We sailed on her for our honeymoon in 2017 in Europe and had a fantastic time. Yes she's small, but if you aren't into all the modern bells and whistles of an Oasis or even Voyager class it's a lovely, low key time. We had a port intensive itinerary with only two sea days, but the time we spent on the ship was so nice and the crew is outstanding. Husband just asked if we could go back on her but I'm gunning for the Symphony next, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted February 20 Author Report Share Posted February 20 2 hours ago, fa-li said: We've sailed Rhapsody with our daughter when she was 16 and when she was 20. Loved it both times. Yes, it's smaller and more laid back, but the crew involvement was the best we've had. The shows in the centrum are fun, and it's an easy ship for the youngs to meet and then continue to meet up with people their own age. Thanks for the feedback. Funny as our kids will be 16 and 20 (i.e. your daughter travelled at both those ages). The Centrum actually looks kind of neat, and have heard they do an egg drop that would be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted February 20 Author Report Share Posted February 20 2 hours ago, Mrs. Regular said: We sailed on her for our honeymoon in 2017 in Europe and had a fantastic time. Yes she's small, but if you aren't into all the modern bells and whistles of an Oasis or even Voyager class it's a lovely, low key time. We had a port intensive itinerary with only two sea days, but the time we spent on the ship was so nice and the crew is outstanding. Husband just asked if we could go back on her but I'm gunning for the Symphony next, lol. We do prefer Oasis and larger classes, but honestly enjoy all classes so and appreciate all (mind you, I think DH can't wait to try a smaller class). Great to hear tha tthe crew stands out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.