SEATTLE — Travel agents touring the revitalized Rhapsody of the Seas during Travel Weekly's CruiseWorld show here said the ship’s new amenities would make it easier to sell.
The Rhapsody’s upgrade is part of Royal Caribbean International’s $300 million "Royal Advantage" program, in which 11 of the line's older ships receive many of the features and services introduced on line’s two newest vessels, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas.
Touring the ship on Friday, travel agents said the ship’s new “bells and whistles” would help them to sell it.
“They did a nice job with it,” said Staci Fialkoff, president of Source International Travel in Laguna Niguel, Calif. “It’s another angle to get people interested in the older ship. ... With the new innovations, they are willing to overlook the older cabin styles.”
Yuki Battan, owner of A Trip to Remember in Seattle, said that seeing the upgrades in person makes a difference with clients.
“It’s different seeing it and feeling it than just seeing little pictures,” she said. “I can tell clients I got to taste the food and it was great, or the service was excellent.”
It took one month in Singapore and $54 million to upgrade the Rhapsody, which reentered service this spring. Royal Caribbean is calling the Rhapsody “a virtually new ship.”
The ship has several new dining options, including Royal Caribbean's signature steakhouse, Chops Grill, and two restaurants that debuted on the Oasis: Italian restaurant Giovanni’s Table and Asian eatery Izumi.
The ship also has a Park Cafe, the salad and sandwich shop that was born in the Oasis’ Central Park neighborhood. On the Rhapsody, the Park Cafe is on the pool deck.
The ship's five-story Centrum was reinvented and given technology to allow for acrobatics shows done from two chandeliers.
Other new features are a giant screen on the pool deck, a concierge lounge and remodeled bathrooms in all cabins. The Rhapsody also now has the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery for passengers under age 3.
Follow Johanna Jainchill on Twitter @jjainchilltw.