Royal Caribbean announced that the 1997-built, 78,491 grt Rhapsody of the Seas will undergo an extensive drydock in Singapore in March. The multimillion dollar drydocking is part of the larger $300m Royal Advantage initiative.
She is scheduled to receive an Asian, Italian and Steakhouse restaurants. The Park Café deli will be added. Rooms will be overhauled with modern technology such as flatscreen HDTV’s and iPads. The ships 7 deck ‘Centrum’ (atrium) will get an update. The champagne bar also located in the Centrum will be remodeled in the style of a 60’s bar. Lastly, she will receive the Diamond Lounge which is an exclusive lounge for past guests that have Diamond status.
Here’s an interesting note: Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Janet Diaz mentioned that she will receive “Electronic mustering.” In the wake of the Concordia, this will be "implemented via guest SeaPass cards, allowing for real time accountability of all guests and crew to the evacuation command teams."
The timing is right now that Royal Caribbean is in between newbuilds. These ships, while not appearing to be, are starting to get out of date. The Rhapsody follows the same extensive renovations as the Radiance early last year and the Splendour late last year. I’ve always considered these mass renovations as a brilliant alternative to building new ships to keep the fleet up to date.