Name Rhapsody of the Seas Laid down 11 December 1995 Length 297 m Launched 1 August 1996 | Yard number E31 Completed 22 April 1997 Construction started 11 December 1995 Beam 32 m | |
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Operator Royal Caribbean International Port of registry 1997–2005 Oslo, Norway
2005–Present Nassau, Bahamas Builders Chantiers de l'Atlantique, STX France | ||
MS Rhapsody of the Seas is a Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. Onboard amenities include a full-service spa, two swimming pools, six bars, a rock-climbing wall, and several dining options.
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After six years of sailing from Galveston, Texas, Rhapsody of the Seas repositioned on a world trip in the fall of 2007, traveling through the South Pacific to Australia where she remained for two months, before moving to Asia, operating cruises from Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Busan in South Korea. For the summer of 2008, Rhapsody of the Seas operated out of Seattle, Washington, sailing to Alaska before repositioning back to Sydney, Australia for the winter of 2008/2009. After returning to Seattle in the spring of 2009, Royal Caribbean has announced that Rhapsody of the Seas is to repeat her Australia/Alaska seasons at least through April 2012.
Rhapsody of the Seas sailed her final season in Australia during the winter 2014/2015 season, repositioning to Europe sailing from Rome in April 2015. During the 2015/2016 winter she will sail to São Paulo in Brazil. For the 2016 summer season she will be based out of Venice, Italy sailing to the Eastern Mediterranean.
2016 onwards
After her 2016 summer season, Rhapsody of the Seas will sail to Tampa, Florida conducting 7 Day cruises to the Western Caribbean. After she will reposition for the first time to Cape Liberty, New Jersey for the 2017 summer season, sailing 7 Day cruises to the Bahamas and Canada/New England, alongside the Anthem of the Seas, before repositioning back to Tampa.
Refit
In April 2012, the ship received a US$54 million dry dock refit which added additional staterooms, an outdoor movie screen near the pool, new dining venues, digital signage, Wi-Fi internet access, concierge and diamond lounges, and a nursery.
Incidents
On March 24, 1998, 23-year-old passenger Amy Lynn Bradley disappeared without a trace aboard the ship when the ship was about to dock at Curaçao, Antilles. Police investigations ruled out the possibility that she fell overboard & drowned or that she disappeared voluntarily, but failed to locate her.
On New Year's Day, 2010, a 15-year-old passenger was raped by a crew member. She had been seasick during the cruise and was resting alone in a cabin when a man wearing a bartenders uniform entered.
On April 25, 2016, Rhapsody of the Seas was hit by a rogue wave en route to Santorini, Greece. It struck at 4: AM, breaking the windows of six passenger cabins and partially flooded other staterooms from Deck 2-3. No serious injuries were reported by Royal Caribbean, and the ship continued on its 10-day cruise from Venice.
On September 19, 2016, the ship severely listed after strong winds blew against the ship. A dozen large windows in the Viking Crown Lounge were reportedly broken as well as other onboard fixtures; however, there were no reported injuries by the cruise line and Rhapsody of the Seas continued to Santorini, Greece as scheduled.