Rhapsody of the Seas

Rhapsody of the Seas is a Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International.

Areas of operation

After six years of sailing from Galveston, Texas, USA, Rhapsody of the Seas repositioned on a world trip in the autumn 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, South Korea. For the summer of 2008, Rhapsody of the Seas operated out of Seattle, Washington, USA, sailing to Alaska, USA, before repositioning back to Sydney, Australia for the winter of 2008/2009.

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 sailed from São Paulo, Brazil.

After her 2016 summer season, Rhapsody of the Seas sailed to Tampa, Florida conducting cruises to the Western Caribbean. She repositioned to Cape Liberty, New Jersey for the 2017 summer season, sailing to the Bahamas and Canada/New England, before repositioning back to Tampa.

Refit

Incidents

On 24 March 1998, 23-year-old passenger Amy Lynn Bradley disappeared without a trace aboard the ship when it was within two hours of docking at Curaçao, Antilles. Police investigations ruled out the possibility that she fell overboard and drowned or that she disappeared voluntarily, but failed to locate her.[5]

On New Year's Day, 2010, a 15-year-old American passenger was raped by a crew member. She had been seasick during the Australian–New Zealand round trip cruise and was resting alone in a cabin when a man wearing a bartender's uniform entered.[6]

In December 2013, an Australian passenger fell overboard during a round trip cruise to New Caledonia, with "an extensive search" eventually finding his body.[6]

On 25 April 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 on decks 2 and 3. No serious injuries were reported by Royal Caribbean, and the ship continued on its 10-day cruise from Venice, Italy.[7]

On 19 September 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.[8]

On 22 September 2019, a crew member died after going overboard while the ship was docked in the Croatian port of Dubrovnik. Royal Caribbean said the 35-year-old waiter had committed suicide but his family in India denied this.[9][10]

In April 2020, as the cruise industry was given a no sail order due to the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that at least one person had tested positive for the virus within 14 days after disembarking from the ship the previous month.[11]

In October 2023, the United States State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Israel chartered the Rhapsody of the Seas to evacuate United States citizens and their families from Israel after the outbreak of the Gaza war.[12]

In September 2025 a passenger jumped overboard as the ship docked in Puerto Rico, facing both a bill for losses of US$16000 in the onboard casino and a penalty for bringing $15,000 in cash (exceeding the $10,000 reporting limit) into the United States; the man was later arrested.[13]

country	Bahamas
owner	Rhapsody of the Seas Inc.‡R1R‡
operator	House Flag of Royal Caribbean International.svg Royal Caribbean International
registry	1997–2005: Oslo, 🇳🇴 Norway 2005–present: Nassau, 🇧🇸 Bahamas
builder	Chantiers de l'Atlantique Saint-Nazaire, France
yard number	E31‡R2R‡
laid down	11 December 1995‡R2R‡
launched	1 August 1996‡R2R‡
completed	22 April 1997‡R2R‡
maiden voyage	19 May 1997
in service	1997–present
identification	* * *
status	In Service

Rhapsody of the Seas

Areas of operation

Refit

Incidents

External links

References