| |
Far East - Exotic Asia - 3rd January 2008 |
| Reviewed By: Gilbert, Solihull on 13th May 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Rhapsody of the Seas |
Sailed:
January,
2008 |
| Destination: Far East |
Age: 56-65 |
|
Sailed on Rhapsody on 3rd January for 12 nights from Singapore, via Cambodia, Bangkok and 4 ports of call in Vietnam, disembarking at Hong Kong. Completed the check in process on the RCI website to get the ‘Set Sail Pass’ and went to the front of the queue at the cruise terminal at Singapore, but there were still some visa entry forms we had to complete.
Our first time with RCI, having previously sailed with P&O and Thomson; also the first cruise we have been on when Brits have been in the minority, which made for a pleasant change. It was also a first for RCI in some of these ports and there were some teething problems with the ship clearing customs/passengers getting ashore, but am sure they would have learned the ropes for future cruises. Overall the experience was fantastic; our inside cabin was fine (but no fridge), and our cabin steward was very helpful. We particularly liked the indoor/outdoor Solarium pool area and also the Viking Crown lounge bar, for a pre-dinner drink at the top of the ship. The menu catered for eastern and western tastes. The food was average but not exceptional.
We opted for organised excursions at all the ports of call, which were reasonable value given the US$ exchange rate; several we picked were extremely long owing to the distance from the port, eg: we went to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, arrived in time for a 5* lunch, visited the Royal Palace which was very interesting, the National museum, (which was not to my taste) and then returned (at least 6 hours on the coach!). The journey itself though was an education, from the millions of scooters and associated horns blowing, to the thousands of factory workers being transported home from their workplace aboard cattletrucks.
There was certainly room for improvement in the despatch of the tour groups from the ship. We opted for the overnight trip in Bangkok, which was excellent, despite a late departure owing to a fiasco with passengers missing passports (necessary for an overnight stay). Our accommodation at the Sofitel Siloh was very good. Bottled water was provided on all the coach trips.
Our final port of call in Vietnam was Haiphong. The ship berthed in HaLong bay amongst the limestone islands which was a highlight.
We were so busy with our excursions, we hardly had any time for evening entertainment, but we did very much enjoy several of the ‘at sea’ daytime lectures given by a retired US diplomat.
Gratuities – we prepaid our tips when we booked, and at the end of the cruise were provided envelopes to give to our cabin steward, waiter, under-waiter and head waiter, and these could not be swapped around. In future we will not opt to prepay. A great trip and one we will never forget.
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| Second seating dinner in main restaurant | | Entertainment | n/a |
| Only went to the lectures, which were very good | | Shore Excursions |  |
| They were all very good. We had a great guide and tour in Bangkok.
| | Staff |  |
| Our cabin steward and waiter were great. Our under waiter was not so good.Our steward brought ice every evening | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Yes, but too busy on trips generally! | | Cabins | |
| Cabin was fine, apart from lack of fridge, ice made up for it ! | | Overall Rating | |
|
|
|
