The service from the staff on the cruise is absolutely wonderful. Everyone is friendly and helpful even if they are not part of the team taking direct care of you. I liked having the pool, I was surprised however to find the indoor pool closed since it possibly could have been too cold to use the outdoor one. They could also have opened the roof of the solarium so that it was not quite so hot in the room. We had perfect weather for it on some days. It would be better if you did not have to have your bags packed the evening before disembarking and having to get off the ship too early. That is it, overall another wonderful experience.

We had trouble the 3rd day out - a water pipe broke just above us flooding 10 cabins. The purser's office outdid themselves getting us resettled. These things can happen at any time and I am mentioning it just to tell people that they will be well taken care of - including compensation. The cruise had lots of activities - whatever and how much you wanted to participate in. The food was plentiful as always. The staff throughout the ship were very helpful as, when first aboard, you do tend to lose your direction. The entertainment was varied and excellent - the musicals had great talent but, as seniors, we found it too loud. The land tours we took throughout the Islands were also very good especially the one to Pearl Harbor. I would highly recommend this cruise.

The cruise was wonderful. The most memorable thing was the disembarking from the ship in Honolulu. The line up for disembarking (express) was horrendous as the escalator in the terminal in Honolulu was broken down and we had to use the elevator (only one was in service). This made for long-long-long-long waits at the elevator. Once we got on the elevator then all went well. Have been on 5 Royal Caribbean cruises. On this one we found that the dining room food was not as good as usual. Not enough entree selections for the dinner meal. You spend too much time providing variety (like vegetarian meals, game, etc.) and not enough variety for American/Canadian style cooking. The steaks were not up to standard (seem like they were fried and not grilled) and were always overcooked, tasteless and tough. Should be more beef selections on the menu.

The service and food were wonderful! Most memorable: our personable and hard working waiters and cabin attendants. The headliner entertainers were a very high standard. To improve: the cabinetry in the cabins was due for renovation. Also not enough clear directions around the ship for getting around. eg. arrows indicating fore and aft should be easy to find. Also better directions in the lifts to various venues.

Best Thing --- staff---great customer service, friendly, happy, attentive and helpful Most memorable---shows and food Could be approved---very noisy rooms under dining room deck 3 ---not able to sleep every night casino could be updated---machines don't accept their own paper vouchers orchestra drowns out the singers in the show lounge wine too expensive not allowed to bring own wine on board no laundry facilities not allowed to bring iron on board buffet closes too early library not open enough and very small selection of fiction books carpets in staterooms could be cleaner

The best thing about our cruise was meeting new people and the fun activities that they had on board. The cruise staff were excellent. The most memorable thing about the ship was the Schooners Bar - they had kareokee in there every night and that was fun. Also, they held most of their trivia games there as well. The one thing that could be improved was the menu items in the dining room. There were some every strange dishes offered and most of the evenings it was hard to decided what I wanted because not a heck of all appealed to us. The cold soups and appetitizers were excellent. Also, on days on shore they shut down the hamburger/hot dog stand and did not offer these items in the Windjammer Restaurant.. The days was sea were perfect for getting to know people and the Cruise Director was awesome. She held chats every morning at 9:00 as a meet and greet. She shared about herself and really wanted to get to know the passangers and their thoughts on anything and I mean anything. Not just related to the ship or the cruise.

We have selected oceanview stateroom and in the brochure and website this one is described as large oceanview. The room was small and "cramped" as I was expecting a more spacious room. I would not mind so much but the word "large" was deceiving. Nevertheless, the whole cruise experience was very good and we both enjoyed this vacation. What could be improved..... maybe the ship needs a litttle updating. I do like a brighter atmosphere in the stateroom as with some of the other ships.

We have selected oceanview stateroom and in the brochure and website this one is described as large oceanview. The room was small and "cramped" as I was expecting a more spacious room. I would not mind so much but the word "large" was deceiving. Nevertheless, the whole cruise experience was very good and we both enjoyed this vacation. What could be improved..... maybe the ship needs a litttle updating. I do like a brighter atmosphere in the stateroom as with some of the other ships.

For me, the best thing about our cruise was the wonderful care and attention from all the Royal Caribbean staff we have interacted with. There are so many of them and they all make you very absolutely special. The food and dining options are also first class. The taste and presentaion of the dining room meals coluld not be better and the buffets in the Windjammer Cafe are extremely varied, eye catching and delicious. Every ship is different, each with its own personality, just like people. Rhapsody, being smaller than some of the other ships we have sailed, is perhaps more of a community because with fewer guests, I felt like we got to know more people, simply because you come accross them more. The larger ships tend to be perhaps more impersonal. We always enjoy the onboard entertainment. Much of the music was supplied by Spirit of Polynesia. Their music is beautiful and authentic. The members actually speak fluent Hawiian and are intimately familiar with the culture, history and geography. The dancers are excellent, and need I say, "beautiful". The evening shows in the theatre are great. Personally though, I would like to see the sound volume scaled back quite a bit. I and several other passengers found it quite a bit too loud, more suitable for heavy rock concerts for younger people. What could be improved? Well, I think the Internet charges could be reduced. Almost all shore based hotels have free Internet. I realize that ships at sea must use Satellite bandwidth, but does RCL need to charge that much? Also the price of drinks seems a tad high while at sea. I know that taxes must be charged on drinks while the ship is in port, but at sea, I feel drinks should be sold at duty-free prices. Finally, on previous cruises, dalily electronic editions of international newspapers were made available. That is no longer done, I am told because news stations are available on the TV in the staterooms. On this cruise, that consisted only of FOX News which tends to U.S. politics mostly from a Republican viewpoint; of little interest to passengers other than Americans. The electronic print editions previously allowed me to read about Canadian current events, politics, sports stock market news & etc.. I would like to see that brought back.

It was an old ship but a great crew, exscellent service treated the guests in the best way possible, very sociable crew The most memorable think about the ship was the lack of entertainment by the cruise director and her staff, worst we have been on so far, we definately go back to Celebrity. I woulod improve the above as we seemed to spend a great deal of time ffilling our time in..

the food and the staff, I loved the framed posters of the legends of rock and roll. I did not really care for the size of the ship, too big and too many people. The shore trips were really well done. Would have liked to spend more time in the Islands and no time in Honolulu, it has too many buildings, too much traffic and was excedingly hot, I thought I was in Miami or New York. I did not like the "no cash" rule on the ship it should be a choice for the passengers.

The staff was most accommondating and friendly, went out of their way to say hello and ask if there was any way they could improve your cruise. The atriam was beautiful, all other areas were just as nice considering the age of the ship. The arts and crafts were great, entertainment in the lounges were great with alot of Hawaian dancers (great since we were headed to Hawaii. Over all experience was great. The only improvement we would ask is in the night time shows. (They are not as good as they used to be).

We thouht the Whitepass Rail excursion out of Skagway was excellent. Tracy Arm Fjord was beautiful. We hit SS3 off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, wife was not aware that a ship that size may experience any movement due to wx. Would recommend that those that are not familiar with the seas come prepared for the possibility of being sea sick. Food was very good and the experience was excellent. Was aware that there would be expenses over and above the stateroom so I was prepared to pay more but was a little surprised at some of the incidental charge rates. 55cents/min for internet.$42 for pop package for an adult, large fees for alcohol etc. Sea pass card was very user friendly. Overall very good experience.

Stops - great things to see and easy access from Port to towns Great Staff Ice Cream machines were empty or broken far to often.

Most memorable - The scenery, the weather, the glaciers, the great time we had. The only suggestion for improvement we had was that the description on one of the excursions we took was not exactly accurate. The description said the walking was on a "level" path. To us this meant flat. In actuality it was uphill and downhill. Apparently they thought of "level" as having no rocks. My mother has a hip problem which makes walking difficult for her at times. She was ok on the trail, but we were both surprised at the uphill rather than flat trail. Everything else was just perfect and better than we expected.

THE MEALS ARE BECOMING LESS AND LESS DISTINCTIVE. THE LOBSTER TAILS WERE OBVIOUS;Y PRECOOKED AND ALLOWED TO SIT IN A GARLIC SAUCE TILL THEY WERE SERVED. NONETHELESS WE DID NOT STARVE AND WE ARE NOW ON A DIET TO REGAIN OUR FORMER SELVES. THE SOLARIUM IS THE BIG ,ATTRACTION FOR THIS CLASS OF SHIP, ESPECIALLY FOR TRIPS TO ALASKA. FORMAL NIGHTS WERE A WASTE AS FEW WORE TUXEDOS AND FEWER WORE SUITS. FROM FORMAL NIGHT ON DOWN THE DRESS OF THE PASSANGERS DETERIATED. I WILL NEED TO KNOW IF IT IS WORTH SCHLEPPING MY FORMAL WEAR AND SUITS FOR THE CELEBRITY CRUISE. THE MOST MEMORABLE PART OF THE CRUISE WAS THE VISIT TO VICTORIA BC. THIS WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WE CHOSE THIS SAILING. WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OFF THE SHIP AT VICTORIA AND SPENT A FEW DAYS SIGHTSEEING, ETC. OVERALL THE CRUISE WAS ACCEPTABLE. WE HOPE CELEBRITY HAS STILL MAINTAINED THE STANDARDS WE HAVE COME TO ENJOY. IN DECEMBER WE WILL BE GOING TO CRUISE ON NCL WITH FRIENDS.

Staff could do with training on how to smile and be polite (they were not people people!)...but the ship had everything we needed and we met some fantastic fellow travellers.

The best thing was getting very, very close to an active volcano (breath taking). The most memorable thing about the ship was the wonderful entertainment. I can't think of anything that could improve (except maybe the rocking of the boat).

We enjoyed the great food and the politeness of all the staff. The crew was superb. The children's activities were very well run and our kids had a lot of fun. Overall we found the cruise to be a big success. The few things we missed were the specialty restaurants that were not available on this ship and the Mystery dinner wasn't either. Also we found that having no coin operated laundry services and no access to an iron was disappointing based on the length of the cruise. Still, this is still one of the best ways to see the islands of Hawaii. We would do it again.

I enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend sailing with Royal Caribbean. I have previously sailed with Princess (Mexico) - good, Celebrity (Alaska) - better, and Royal Caribbean - Rhapsody (Hawaii repositioning) - best. The service on board was friendly and impeccable. Everyone from the Captain to the assistant stateroom attendant was approachable and helpful. The Captain even joined those supporting the Walk a Mile for Miracles for Children while at sea and chatted about his trips. We look forward to meeting some of our attendants when the ship comes in to Victoria for the rest of the year on its Alaska - Seattle run. The food and entertainment was outstanding. It was difficult to choose between the buffet on the top deck or the restaurant on the 4th and 5th deck. At 63 I had fun on the climbing wall, competing against the 8 year olds! Boarding and disembarking were well organized and the best of the mentioned cruise lines. One digression from the guidelines: I really liked Kona in Hawaii. It reminded me of Maui in the 70's. Lovely! If I can, my next cruise will be with Royal Caribbean. (Celebrity - owned by Royal Caribbean would be my next choice). Ted (Victoria)

Enjoyed it all. Just wish we had known that the steam room and sauna's were free. Somehow we didn't learn about that till the last day. As at the spa desk before entering everything was at a price so it wasn't clear about that area being free.

The boarding experience was a nightmare, 3 hours in line ups so departure was late. Once on board it was fantastic. Never imagined it would be as enjoyable. Weather was great, only rain was in Ketchikan. Ketchikan was the only stop didn't really enjoy. Crew was terrific, great service.

crew was very good as was the food. Boarding in Vancouver was horrible. Some of us stood in line for 3 hours,no consideration for handicaps.Once on board no more problems

The cruise was fantastic. Have never been on a cruise before I was very content with the outcome of this cruise and its staff on board. The food was terrific and service was extraordinary. Although the activities on board weren't the greatest due to maybe some certain factors... but nonetheless, was a very pleasant and relaxing cruise that exceeded my expectations. I would definitely do another cruise again as my next vacation.

The one thing that stand out on this cruise line is the service of the staff. I am very impress. One have to compare price to everything over all, so for the price we paid, its not too shabby. But next time I will try & pick a newer ship because they offer more choices of dinning etc. Thanks,

We really liked the My Time Dining experience because we were able to have the flexibility to take our time at each port and then go back to the cruise boat, shower and change without having to worry about rushing back just to make it for a specified dinner time. Also, it was a unique experience which allowed you to make new friends every night. I hope they continue to offer this package. The staff aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas were just amazing and helpful from the Room cleaning staff to dining staff to the cruise director. They gave you they impression they were really happy to be there and hope you would return for another cruise.

Well maintained ship. Excellent service from friendly, helpful crew. Lots of fun activities. Never a dull moment. I would recommend the balcony cabin to everyone, we used the balcony every day for a glass of wine. Crew was the highlight of the cruise, bartenders, waiters, cabin attendants, Captain and supervisory staff were all #1. I thought I wouldn't like the dessing for dinner, but it added a measure of class to the experience.

The service was excellent.The staff go overboard(LOL) to make sure everything is perfect. The island destinations weren't great.Due to weather conditions we had to miss Isle of Pines which was suppose to be the highlight of the whole trip. The seas heading out on the cruise were extremely rough. Perhaps this time of year isn't the best to visit these islands.The food was standard and we did not get a lobster dinner once on the cruise. We like to have a drink before dinner and the appetizers with our drinks were non existent. There should be hot canapes floating around the ship during happy hour and prior to your dinner.There were 250 kids on the cruise and it was extremely noisy and loud.The pool was packed with ill behaved children running,splashing and jumping everywhere. No supervision by parents or pool staff.The drinks were extremely expensive seeing as RC must buy their alcohol at duty free prices.All in all it will be a while before I cruise again and Royal Caribbean will not be my first pick.

Relaxed atmosphere. Charming stewards and waiters. Not deleting one port of call prior to departure and not telling passengers about it. Having staff aware of PCL service to Victoria from Vancouver Port Terminal. Excelent value nonetheless.

the food was amazing! could have been more activities during the day over the 5 sea days

snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef cuddling with a baby koala feeding the kangaroos watching the alligators leap out of the water seeing the 12 (now 9) apostles on the Great Ocean Road riding a camel meeting all the Aussies who remind me of Newfies It was a smaller ship so it didn't have all the amenities we are used to

We enjoyed the food and the dining - the service by the staff in the dining room was excellent. Portion sizes were good as was the selection. Checking and boarding in Sydney was excellent and very efficient. The stops around Australia were good with the exception of the international stop of Port Moresby Papua New Guinea - a real hell hole ( one of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world according to a recent Sydney newspaper article). The biggest disappointment was the computer system - the server was very slow whether using own laptop or ships computers. The price charged was excessive given the slowness of the sytem. The exchange rate to convert from Australian to New Guinea dollars and back was excessive. Cost $20 to convert $50 Aus back to $Aus. in a24 hr period. Finally the wine package only had US and European wines available on the online version and it was not until we got onboard that we found that Australian wines were available - but we could not substitute. - but not to leave a negative tone - we really enjoyed this cruise and the cruise line and would despite the concerns raised strongly recommend Royal Caribbean and the Rhapsody of the Seas ( ship could use an upgrade in the future but is still in pretty good shape).

Rhapsody prides itself on being the friendliest ship afloat and that is true. All staff onboard including behind the scenes personnel (deckhands), cabin steward, wait staff, pursers desk personnel, excursions desk personnel etc., were extremely friendly and pleasant. There were several things that could be improved. The buffet restaurant was always crowded because one side was always shut off so finding a table/seat was always a hassle. No trays are available so several trips were necessary to the various stations for food and drinks before sitting down. Cutlery was not always available at all the stations, ie napkins held a knife and fork only, so if you needed spoons you had to go searching where they might be. One morning we overslept and had to use the Buffet restaurant for breakfast and although it is advertised as being available until 11 am, breakfast food was being cleared away before 10.30 am. (We did use the Eidleweiss main dining room for all meals with only one or two exceptions, as it was much easier to be seated and waited on than hunting for a table in the Windjammer Buffet restaurant). This was a comment often heard in the Eidleweiss dining room by other passengers who shared your table. Entertainment on this cruise was really poor with the exception of perhaps 4 entertainers, ie the instrumentalist who played just about every instrument, a pianist/singer (advertised as a Mario Lansa type singer - not, but still pleasant to listen to), an illusionist who was advertised as a Magician but was really a very good comedian rather than a magician and the highlight of the whole entertainment, the Australian Abba group who were extremely professional and entertaining. The remainder of the entertainers were boring and amatuerish in comparison. One singer appeared to be either drunk or on some kind of drugs and had no audience rapor. Shore excursions on the whole were rushed and expensive. Would advise future passengers to make their own arrangements where possible which usually cost much less than the ship's tours. Of course when on ship's trips the ship will wait should your particular tour be late in returning to the dock which is just about the only advantage for booking with the ship.

We liked the openess of the ship..large windows and lots of nooks to have quiet moments. The liveliness and friendliness of ev eryone. Food most definitely...and drinks could be much cheaper....especially as they are priced in US$'s.

The ship was attractive inside and out food was great staff were friendly and went out of there way to please. New Zealand was a beautiful place we saw places you could only see by boat or plane. I enjoyed every moment of the holiday would travel with Royal caribbean again. The only improvement would be when traveling Australia and New Zealand to use Australian dollars. It did tend to put a strain on the Ozzy passengers being US dollars.

The ship seemed very well maintained for its age. The pools seemed too small for the number of passengers. The excursions on our trip seemed too hurried and not well planned. The suites on deck 8 are under the buffet and outside deck, so there is a lot of overhead noise.

This Cruise to New Zealand/Australia was one of our best. The most enjoyable thing about the trip was the people. The Australians are a wonderful bunch. They are friendly and love a good time. Ports of call were interesting with a good variety of activities for everyone. The ship was enjoyable as the age group was a good one. A good representation of all ages. I think Royal Caribbean has gone too far with their cutbacks. They have reduced a lot of the little things that set them apart from other cruise lines. Even something as small as a chocolate on your pillow at night is noticably absent. I miss the Lobster Tail (A Royal Caribbean trade mark) as well. Having said all that, I would not hesitate to recommend this Cruise to anyone who likes cruising as all in all we had 5 of the 14 Days at sea.

Relaxation plus! Rob and I both thoroughly enjoyed our first-ever cruise. The best thing was the possibility to do as much or as little as we pleased. There was a good variety of activities offered and plenty comfortable areas in which to relax. Despite the large number of guests on board, the staff did everything to make us each feel welcome and special. Captain Stein's friendly and personal approach contributed to a happy and relaxing experience.The food was plentiful and delicious. The sail into Milford Sound was awesome! Having a show in the theatre every night was one of the highlights.....we hardly missed one. There could be an improvement in the variety of meals offered in the Dining Room. The service, however, could not be faulted. Our stateroom was very comfortable and again the service was excellent. It might be helpful to have some laundry facilities for guests to use.

We had a great cruise. The weather wasn't that great, it rained everyday. But we still did our planned excursions. They were great. We went dog sledding, panned for gold, saw whales, dophins, sea otters and a bear, glaciers, iceburgs. We took tons of pictures. We did lots of shopping too. The best thing about our cruise was the breath taking view and scenery. The cruise ship staff told us when to look out for the whales and the glaciers. It was very exciting. Then I would say the food the meal were great. The most memorable thing about the ship was the casino and bingo games. I won at both. We travelled on the Liberty of the Sea on our last cruise it was hard not to compare the ships. The Rhapsody was much smaller and we experienced so much more motion sickness this trip as to none on the Liberty. The staff was great and we met people from around the world. The only comment my 23 yr old daughter had was there wasn't much on board to do to attract her age group. But she did have a good time with all the older folks.

We had a great cruise. The weather wasn't that great, it rained everyday. But we still did our planned excursions. They were great. We went dog sledding, panned for gold, saw whales, dophins, sea otters and a bear, glaciers, iceburgs. We took tons of pictures. We did lots of shopping too. The best thing about our cruise was the breath taking view and scenery. The cruise ship staff told us when to look out for the whales and the glaciers. It was very exciting. Then I would say the food the meal were great. The most memorable thing about the ship was the casino and bingo games. I won at both. We travelled on the Liberty of the Sea on our last cruise it was hard not to compare the ships. The Rhapsody was much smaller and we experienced so much more motion sickness this trip as to none on the Liberty. The staff was great and we met people from around the world. The only comment my 23 yr old daughter had was there wasn't much on board to do to attract her age group. But she did have a good time with all the older folks.

the staff were really friendly and the service was excellant:>)

We had a wonderful time with the dining staff and our room steward. The whole crew seemed to be a happy one and we were greeted each and every time we saw any of the crew -- and they seemed to be whereever we were. the only people we had any problems with were the photographers -- starting at the beginning when we were about to board, they were set up with signs that said photographs for security purposes, which made us stop and have a picture taken. They were not taking photos for security - they were taking pictures to sell. The security photos were taken just as we stepped on board. Later in the evening, a woman photographer came to our table and wanted to take pictures and when we said no thank you, got a snort of disgust and a "You people!" from her. Along with the initial deception this turned us all against the photographers and avoided them like the plague for the rest of the cruise. Although, they were hard to avoid. It is a smallish ship and they set themselves up to take pictures in the sitting areas, taking up most of the room and making chairs unavailable for relaxing in the Centrum. Other than them, the whole cruise was wonderful and we would go again.

The cruise is always special because of the scenery - weather is always subjective. We had fog and clouds but no rain. The ship is an older ship in need of upgrades and maintenance. Would not want to sail on this ship again. Otherwise, we were pleased with service, food and entertainment.

No smoking in the casino

The mini suite room 8088 that we had was so awesome - it had a wraparound the side so you had a 180 degree plus view at all times - the video I just reviewed that I took in Tracy Arm Fjord just gave me chills - it was so quiet because the boat was in glide mode - other times the noise of the wake is evident in my videos but who cares - the views were just spectular from the balcony and we saw whales two days before anyone else mentioned seeing them looking out the window from bed about 5:30 a.m. on the day we were on the inside passage - never shut the drapes - always woke up to beautiful scenery or the ocean - heaven on earth. The ship for being 12 years old is a beautiful ship - the centrum is the focal point of evening musical entertainment, daytime displays of jewellery, cake decorating, vegetable decorations and towel folding demontrations -- the theatre for the amazing night time entertainment was beautiful and I don't think there was a bad seat in the house - the motown group the Drifters entertained one night and had the whole place singing along with them -- I have travelled on Carnival on two other cruises and would rate Carnival's dinner room food more palatable than Rhapsody's - there was nothing wrong with it but one night the special was pork melldioins (sp) which the people at the table next to us had as well - we expected small pieces of pork - well it was two large pieces of dried pork that didn't please any of us --- other nights things were much better - casino was kind to me and didn't take all my money - at the end of the week I had about $30 more than I started with so that was good --- all in all this was a trip of a life time - from beginning to end - Victoria was a beautiful last port to stop at -- one add on - the ship has a low rumble sound at all times --- talked to people who were on the ship 10 years ago and they said it was there then but the scenery was so beautiful and they liked the Rhapsody so much that they were taking the cruise again --- being at the back of the ship the rumble was felt more but it put you to sleep at night with the gentle rocking!!!!

My only complaint on this trip was the menu choices for the last night's dinner in the main dining room. Really bad choices and even worse food. Of the four of us at the table, only one entree was eaten, 3 were sent back. Not a great way to end a wonderful cruise. Phapsody is older and smaller therefore the service was more personal, which I liked.

The itinerary was perfect, lots of land time, and fortunately for us the weather was perfect Loved the food, really liked cruising the fiord, and getting close to the glacier. They brought a piece of the glacier on board, and we were able to touch it. The captain had a really good sense of humor. Didn't like Chad the cruise director (didn't really meet him, but went to the shopping seminar.) I would say it was a total waste of time, but because he was so insistant that we only shop at the stores he recommended, we made it a point to not go to them, and we found some really quaint local shops that we loved. A few of us ran out of batteries while we were at the glacier, and even though the staff was there in the camera store, it was 8:45, and the store opening was 9:00, and the girl would not open even 1 minute early. A shame because we missed a lot of close shots of the glacier. Yes I know we should have been prepared.... but I brought 2 sets of batteries, and I have never run out before... but the scenery was that beautiful we went crazy taking pictures. It would have been no sweat off her back to open 5 minutes early....

It was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean and even though there were a few glitches, we had an amazing trip. First of all, Royal Caribbean has never sailed in this region before and secondly, some of the ports we visited had only seen small ships. Consequently there was alot of tendering and some of it was not very organized. The majority of the passengers were extremely unhappy with this and let anyone within earshot know about it. This in turn really seemed to affect most of the staff and crew who tried to keep everyone as happy as possible but it was difficult. We travel quite a bit and have learned to consider "glitches" part of the adventure. Perfect travel is boring travel. No stories to tell. The itinerary for this trip made up for any possible problems encountered. We don't normally book shore excursions, but because a lot of the ports were long distances from the major cities and we had some concerns about language barriers, we felt it would be a good idea this time. We were very happy that we did. They were informative, fun and gave us a good overview of each place we visited. We also found them to be very reasonably priced for what we got. In regards to the food, the buffets were always excellent but the dining room started out very poorly(food not hot enough, not very tasty). Fortunately, it seemed to improve daily and in the end was quite excellent. Service was very good. Activities on the ship were varied and I'd have to say "abundant" as there were over 800 in the 12 nights we were on board. Overall, we enjoyed the whole experience of our first Exotic" cruise.

some of the only negatives to this trip were the long distance from port to the city ie 4hr bus ride from port to pnom pen in cambodia both ways. the excursions in general were about 10 hrs off the ship, this left little time for shopping if you are llike me and like to shop . the hotels royal caribbean booked us into were exceptional. the people in cambodia , thailand and viet nam were great hosts.vietnam is an extremely safe country to visit and we look forward to returning someday. sincerley agnes p.s. i saw an elephant in someones back yard in thailand

We had an extremely likable captain, Rule Lokling. He kept us all laughing. Many passengers suggested they would take another cruise provided he was on board! The service was excellent. The shows in the theatre were first class, several starring Australian pros. We missed the intimate lounges/piano bars which we found on the Princess line. Not that there wasn't an opportunity to dance, but in the centrum area - very open and congested, but the music was great. We missed the complimentary toiletries we had found on other cruise lines. Only a very ordinary bar of soap was provided. Anything more had to be purchased. The dining room service was very good. The staff were all very friendly. However, the food didn't quite equal our previous experiences with Holland America and Princess. They did fish very well, but any roasted meats were quite dry and without any sauces or condiments. Very few vegetables presented with the entrees! Shore excursions were wonderful. New Zealand is a great destination for nature lovers.

Sorry to be late in replying, but both of us suffered from very bad colds on our return. Generally the cruise was very good but there were some items that concerned us somewhat, eg, 2 days at ULURU was almost too much, most could have been done in less [one day perhaps], with the remaining day used to visit Alice Springs ?. The time in Port Douglas/Barrier Reef was excellent. Flight to Sydney delayed 50 mins so it was very worrying whether we would make the ship in time, but we did and some good work done to achieve that. One item of concern was the cost of having to store our case at the airport [ 55 AUD]. Having a 15% 'gratuities' charge for everything was a suprise to us while on board ship in light of the fact we had paid full price for the package and in good time too. Missing Napier was a big dissapointment as that was to be one of our magor hi-lights but these things happen, we thought compensation was on the low side. The onshore trips we took were very good but too short at each venue, some of this could have been avoided by getting everybody on the buses earlier as loading time was extended due to passengers needing a little more time and assistance, wheelchairs etc. which is acceptable but should have been known by the operators. A great ship and crew, great experience but will make some changes and ask more questions next time.

Liked the number of ports of call and the nights at sea. Just enough. Loved Hawaii, great to get a good overview of several Islands, and the tours we took were really good. Gave us a sense of each Island and its history and commerce. All but one of the three tour guides were excellent, especially the guide in Honolulu. There were some things that we didnt care for, primarily the lack of organization on board in regards to :- 1. Our first port of call was Kona. The customs people came on board to clear us thru, the process started early, we didnt get off the ship by tender until 1.30. It was total chaos. I believe there were 4 customs people to clear 2000+ passengers, everyone was standing in lines all over the ship. Eventually one of the staff told us it was going to be awhile and they would call us by deck #. This step should have been taken right away to avoid, upset people and frustration with the process. U.S. passengers were definately given priority (or so it seems) Whatever!!! The whole experience getting off and on the ship left a lot to be desired. Maybe it was normal for this to take so long, but we seemed to lose quite a bit of time just getting back on the ship. The whole security thing was absolutely ridiculous. First off, with the technology today, our pics could be put on the sea passes just like gym cards and save us having to worry about always having picture ID with us. Second they could stream line the search system, we were searched in the line going back on the ship and screened with metal detectors on shore, then when we entered the ship the process was done all over, x-ray screening our bags and metal detector to walk thru. Seemed excessive. What do we know!!!. 2. Our second port was Lahaina, two of the tenders broke down, ok not the cruiselines fault but I dont think they ever got them fixed so two tenders for what 1500 people with obviously the people taking tours always first. I have no problem with that, all in all it did cut down our time in port. In the cruiselines defense they were able to secure a local vessel to tender people to shore in Lahaina, after that of course we were docked at Hilo and Honolulu. 3. BUT, our main complaint was the fact that there was a distinct lack of communication onboard. Apparently they took on a whole new crew of Chinese on in Galvaston, for their onward journey from Honolulu to Australia and then on to the Far East. They were brand new and were obviously cutting their teeth on us for this cruise. One hand didnt seem to know what the other was doing and the kids in the Windjammer cafe could barely wipe tables.(the men anyways). They were really really lazy and didnt seem to care about getting dishes clearned from vacated tables to make room for new people. Without a lie, we had to ask every time for someone to clean a table so that we could sit down. Anybody we talked to people that were long time Royal Caribbean customers said this was the worst cruise they had ever been on, they were furious. Anyways as I said this was our first so having nothing to compare it with, we were happy enough other than the few things I mentioned.

Upon arrival in San Diego we were informed that out departure for Ensenada would be at 1PM and we didn't depart until just after 3PM. Didn't arrive on ship until around 7PM. Very disorganized. Buffet - food was good the majority of the time but, cleaning staff were slow and sometimes confused. It was my understanding that this was the first cruise for the majortiy of this staff. On the morning of the second day I injured my back while walking. Fairly rough sea and lost my balance twisting my back. On Sep. 22nd the injury worsened and I had to attend the medical facility. Had to spend the majority of the rest of the cruise in bed and had multiple visits to the medical office. The staff - doctors and nurses were excellent. On arrival in Honolulu I was ambulanced to the emergency ward at Straub hospital where I remained until that same evening. On arrival at the ship I asked the port staff to contact ship security to secure a wheel chair for me. I was advised that they contacted ship security and that a wheel chair would be delivered once a porter was located. 35 mintues later, when the wheel chair didn't arrive, my friend went on ship and contacted security at which time he was advised that he was to attend at the pursers desk. He went to the desk and after a heated discussion and the filling out of several forms he was finally given a wheel chair. By the time that I arrived on the ship it was about 50 minutes later. I COULD NOT WALK. This was a very bad experience and the staff at the purser's desk were not very helpful and unprofessional. I might add that I had been wheelchair dependant since Sept. 22nd. The first wheelchair supplied was in poor condition. The tire on the right wheel was missing making it very difficult to push. The second chair, which was the one supplied upon return to the ship after the hospital, was as bad as the first one. The handles were covered with masking tape (very sticky) and the right front wheel just spun. Both wheelchairs were also very dirty. Again, very unprofessional. Should always be kept clean and in good repair. My overall experience on this cruise was one of disappointment, not because of my misfortune but, because the situations oulined above. Will probably not book this cruise line again.

I had an amazing experience on this cruise. Everything was met beyond my expectations. The one thing I would like to have had more information on was the gratuities. It seems there was a lot more to it then just the cruise staff, such as on outings and simply being off the ship, things I had not thought about and therefore misbudgeted on. Thanks!

Overall, the cruise was great, the only disappointment was that we didnt get to stop in Japan.