Thread: Rhapsody Refurbishment?

I have been told that the Rhapsody has undergone some refurbishment in the last couple of weeks. Does anyone know what they actually did?

I'll be on it in 14 days, so I'll let you know what I see!



Erin

Erin, thanks much. Our last one in Dec...the furniture was really showing a lot of wear.
And the windjammer, well...it left a lot to be desired. Please let us know.

Originally Posted by hanna

Erin, thanks much. Our last one in Dec...the furniture was really showing a lot of wear.
And the windjammer, well...it left a lot to be desired. Please let us know.

I'm looking at the Port of Galveston schedule, and it looked like the Rhapsody had scheduled cruises throughout January and February. Except for one 9-day stretch, there was one scheduled departure every Sunday. So I guess I'm not sure if it's been refurbished or not?

In either event, I'll let you know!

Erin

Yes, please do.

Hanna -

They are indeed refurbishing. We received a notice the first day that they would be replacing the carpet during our cruise - they didn't get to our room, but we saw a few rooms having carpet replaced. The furniture in our stateroom did look fairly new - or at least, it didn't look worn by any stretch. We did have the brand new high-thread count bedding. On another deck, I saw new sinks getting ready to be installed. I can also report that I did smell "new carpet smell" around the Broadway Melodies theater.

The only thing I noticed in the Windjammer was that some of the furniture was in need of replacement. The carpet, tables and other parts seemed fine to me. Of course, I'm comparing the Windjammer to the casual dining area on Carnival's Ecstasy, so it stands to reason that it was going to impress me anyway. I wouldn't have noticed the furniture had I not been looking specifically for signs of wear.

Erin, who thinks she has found her cruise line. . .

Erin, thanks for the update. I wasn't fond of the Windjammer. Did it give you the feel of "cafeteria" style dining?

Originally Posted by hanna

Erin, thanks for the update. I wasn't fond of the Windjammer. Did it give you the feel of "cafeteria" style dining?

Well, it was a buffet - so it could have a "cafeteria" type feel for that reason. But from where I was coming from, it was done in excellent fashion. My previous cruise on Carnival sported a casual dining area that felt more like a cross between Luby's and McDonalds. The seating was hard-type booths done in some composite/plastic material. We carried food to our tables on trays as if we were at Luby's or McDonalds, and there was nothing about the place that offered anything remotely feeling like "atmosphere". So consider me impressed when I entered the Windjammer, with nice, cushiony chairs, wood tables, and a fantastic view from the front of the ship! When we decided we were too worn out to do the second formal night, we went to the Windjammer for the first time during dinner - we were greeted with a Windjammer staff that was decked out in the same duds as the dining room staff, a wine list at the table with someone going around offering various house wines, lights turned down to create a more intimate atmosphere, and a guitarist playing my some of our favorite pieces (and music was something we didn't have even in the dining room on the Ecstasty). And there were no trays to carry your food in the Windjammer (THAT would have screamed cafeteria)!!

So given my previous experience, the Windjammer just felt like another buffet. The cafeteria was on the Ecstasy.

What has your experience been regarding the Windjammer on other ships? Was it just that on the Rhapsody that didn't impress you or is it the Windjammer in general? I'm curious because Voyager OTS is coming to Galveston at the end of this year and we'll probably check it out for our next one.

Erin, thanks for the report.

We had only sailed on Radiance class ships before our Rhapsody cruise. The Radiance had a much bigger area for the foods. A complete section for salads, a complete section for hot foods, ditto pasta and of course deserts. Waaay bigger than the Rhapsody. I did like the seating arrangement on the Rhapsody but not as much as the Radiance class.
I think I'm a bit spoiled having sailed the Radiance first. They are absolutely the most gorgeous RC ships going.
Did they still have the go in one door and go down the line to get your food? If you know what I am saying.

Originally Posted by hanna

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Did they still have the go in one door and go down the line to get your food? If you know what I am saying.

If I understand you correctly, then no. If it wasn't a busy time, then they might close down one door (since there was one person at the door to greet/make sure you were wearing more than a bathing suit), but you weren't "herded" in a particular direction or in a particular order. I could pretty much go for what I wanted when I wanted.

Did I catch your meaning correctly?