Rhapsody of the Seas vs Explorer of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas was built in 1997. It was renovated in 2012. It's 3 years older than the Explorer of the Seas, which was built in 2000 and renovated in 2023.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Rhapsody of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 916 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 11-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas, the Rhapsody of the Seas is 43% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas holds 39% fewer passengers than the Explorer of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Rhapsody of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Explorer of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
Class	Vision	Voyager
Gross Tonnage	78,491	137,308
Length	916	1,020
Beam/Width	106	157
Passenger Decks	11	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	1,998	3,286
Crew	765	1,185
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.6	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	39	42

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Rhapsody of the Seas has 14 different dining options like Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, Giovanni's Table, and Windjammer. Of those options, 8 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 6 options have an additional fee.

The Explorer of the Seas has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, Giovanni's Table, and Johnny Rockets. 8 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 6 have an additional fee.

The Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas & Explorer of the Seas

	Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
Cafe Latte-tudes	✓	✗
Cafe Promenade	✗	✓	Learn More
Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Chops Grille	✓	✓	Learn More
Giovanni's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Ice Cream Parlor	✓	✓
Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks	✓	✓	Learn More
Johnny Rockets	✗	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Park Cafe	✓	✗
Windjammer	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas has 3 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
Casino bar	✓	✓
Dizzy's	✗	✓
English Pub	✗	✓
Pool bar	✓	✓
R Bar	✓	✓
Schooner Bar	✓	✓
Shall We Dance Lounge	✓	✗
Sky Bar	✗	✓
Solarium Bar	✓	✓
Star Lounge	✗	✓
The Tavern	✗	✓
Viking Crown Lounge	✓	✗

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Rhapsody of the Seas and the Explorer of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only.

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas has more pools than the Rhapsody of the Seas and the same number of hot tubs.

	Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
Total Pools	2	3
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	6	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	0

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Rhapsody of the Seas. Only 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Explorer of the Seas, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✗
FlowRider	✗	✓
Ice Skating	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✗	✓
Mini golf	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Water slides	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

	Royal Caribbean
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$60-$90 Learn more
Internet Plan	$13 to $27 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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