cruisingsince94

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. The Jewel is a favorite of ours. 

It was our first time on Jewel. We have been on all the other Radiance class ships.  Serenade and Jewel are our favorites in this class. 

We just returned from our 5 night cruise on Jewel and I hope this review answers some recent comments and questions as it pertains to this ship.

We arrived at the port in Miami at 11:30 on the 10th. Clearing security was quick but the lines inside the terminal were long unless you were a suite or pinnacle level guest. The lines moved fairly quickly however and we were onboard the ship just after noon. Recent comments I read prior to our cruise suggested that our seapass cards would be in an envelope on the stateroom doors. That was not the case. Our cards were given out by the agents checking us in.

We went directly from check-in to the Windjammer for lunch. The selection of food was very good and although the WJ was crowded there was plenty of seating available in a number of areas including the open area of seating aft.

Rooms were announced as ready at about 12:45 and we were fortunate not to have far to travel. We selected one of the new balcony cabins installed in 2016 on deck 11, starboard side, forward. It was quiet, clean, comfortable, and looked great. Everything in it worked as it should and there were no issues. 

I read recently that many of the ships had done away with the day panels in the elevators that many people enjoyed seeing each day. Jewel still has them for now at least.

Entertainment and activities were plentiful and the usual variety onboard, but overall was bland and not that good on this particular ship or cruise. The ship itself was well maintained and looked in excellent condition.

There were always plenty of lounge chairs available on the pool deck and seating in the solarium was also usually available. The hot tubs however were a different story. There were some large family groups onboard and it seemed they lived in them for hours at a time on some days. Given many pool deaths or near drownings on some ships it was nice to see lifeguards on duty whenever the pools were open. 

The food was good in both the MDR and WJ in our opinion. We were surprised by the constant variety of choices in the WJ in particular. We had lunch in the WJ each day and dinner in the MDR each night, except for the final night. We went to the WJ because it was Valentines Day and they had prepared some special things for that night including a chocolate buffet.

The staff was great and very friendly. We are Diamond Plus but still had access to both the Diamond Lounge and Concierge Lounge. At no time during the cruise were they overcrowded at any point each day. There were no issues as has been the case on other ships. Nobody was outside the doors between 5 and 8pm stopping you from taking things out. It wasn't necessary on this particular ship or cruise.

Upon our return, getting off the ship was even faster than getting on. We left when called at 8am and were in our shuttle by 8:30am. It was a great cruise (too short) and we enjoyed every minute of our time on Jewel of the Seas.

I will be glad to answer any questions you might have if I can. One last thing for those who might like an occasional soda rather than pay for a soda package. Jewel offered a deal where you could get soda sent up to your storeroom at discounted prices. You could get 6 for $12,  12 for $22, and a case of 24 for $40! They charge 3.25 for one at the bars. Order cards are available in your stateroom.

We are sailing on Jewel next month. Does anyone have current information on menus, (5night cruise) current entertainment, and any other observations you wish to share?

Our first cruise in 3 years, plus it's for our 25th anniversary, so I am trying to learn what I can in advance for planning purposes. Thanks.

12 minutes ago, GW248 said:

Thank you cruisingsince94!

Your welcome. Learned that from good people here on this forum. 

I did a lot of gambling while on a cruise with another line and now get regular offers for a free balcony cabin. I have never taken advantage of it because I figure there is a "catch"somewhere. My offers are from casinos at sea also.

2 minutes ago, GW248 said:

What email address do you use for table requests?

Rcldining@rccl.com

3 minutes ago, sandy toes said:

This is a sticky question.

I dress and my family does. We enjoy the chance to use the fancier clothing in our closets. That said, many people do not. Some show up in slacks and a golf shirt. Life has become more casual and many people just do not pack for fancy events or even want them anymore. 

Thanks for your reply. As long as some still are I won't feel as if we are sticking out by dressing up that night. It's one of the few times my wife gets me to dress up as it is.

I know that they have relaxed the dress codes for what used to be formal night. My wife and I are sailing next month for our 25th anniversary, our first cruise in almost 3 years. Do most people still dress up on that night or is it indeed more casual dress? Just want some info for packing consideration. Thanks.

We are sailing on Jewel next month. I sent my request for a table for two about 60 days out and got a response 2 days afterward from Royal that they had received my request and forwarded it to the proper person. Within 5 days they sent me a confirmation with our assigned table. We did get a table for 2 by a window. I didn't request it be by a window even. Glad it is as the cruise is for our 25th anniversary. Hopefully, you will hear soon.

Sailing on Jewel next month. We are in one of the newer balcony cabins installed on deck 11 in 2016. Has anyone sailed in one of them? Any difference from standard balcony cabins on other decks besides being newer?

So are you going to share with us how it is that he lied to you?

See post 47. The details do not matter anymore. You don't know me or my family. All I will say is that we are Christians and honesty is very important to us.

I am through using this forum.

Of course not! Silly you. This is someone that posts something defamatory with no facts or figures, just rants on and on, very sad.....:eek:

Not that it's any of your business but he lied to my kids and I, to our faces while onboard Granduer of the Seas after the fire in 2013.

He's not at ALL callous or insensitive! I sent him an email back in 2009 (when he was still president of RCCL) before an upcoming cruise. While he didn't give me the free upgrade I was asking for (not that I expected him to), he responded kindly, and we began an email dialogue. This was at a particularly difficult time in my life, and he was always encouraging and helped to remind me of my strength. When I was down in Miami in 2013 to accept an award for my new book, he did not have availability on his schedule. Both he and his assistant came in to the office early just to meet and chat with me. I will be forever grateful to Mr. Goldstein for simply responding to my emails during that difficult time, and I'm now honored to call him my friend. Very few CEOs of mega companies would have taken the time to do so. With his new job, it's FAR more difficult for him to respond, and we communicate very infrequently. However, I know the kind of person he is, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise. As for the money he earns, I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for all that falls under his job description!

My kids and our extended family disagree but your entitled to your opinion as am I.

Adam G. doesn't live in Miami!.....:rolleyes:

I never said he lived in Miami or anywhere else for that matter. His office is in Miami along with his leather chair. Now who is ignorant?

Sent a email to coustomer no service on Monday still no reply on Thursday night

Be patient if you can. They have a lot of emails to go through and limited staff. Our experiences with them has taken as long as two weeks for a reply, sometimes faster. It depends on what the email pertains to.

We are just off Brilliance and we saw mostly chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies. Maybe they cost less to make than peanut butter and sugar cookies.

I know Celebrity Constellation had some awesome Peanut Butter & Sugar Cookies back in November.

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

I see from your post that your in the U.A.E. Go on the RCCL website and look up the contact number for the international office for Asia. They should be able to help and get your payments processed for you.

Not changing our plans. 2 Europe cruises booked.

If you live your life in fear, what sort of life would we have?

Status does not change during a cruise. Points will be added after. You can always ask your room attendant for robes. The worst they can say is no. If your not in a suite your card will be the normal blue.

Exactly. At one time that stock was at $5.50 a share so I'm sure he's doing okay with it at $73.27 a share.

He sold over $8 million in stock back in October, over $20 million in the past 3 years.

I'm glad we're straight on that

I'll pray for you.

seems like you just know it all

No, that's obviously your job title.

Love and trust are NOT the same! Of course you continue to "LOVE" your child...no matter what!

You don't do business with folks you don't TRUST!

So then if your child lies to you, then you don't have anything to do with them right since they betrayed your trust?

Goldstein lied, end of story. I don't trust him, but that in itself is not enough to take 20+ years of cruising RCI and jump ship to another line.

If your so naive to think everybody YOU do business with is trustworthy then your sadly mistaken. People like, businesses lie, politicians lie, lawyers like Goldstein lie.

And yet, here you are on the Royal Caribbean forum. Why? If you despise him so much and have such a deep personal issue with him, I would assume you would stop cruising RC and would thus have no interest in this forum. :confused:

Stupid comment. Why should we stop sailing Royal because he is a liar? Would you stop loving your child if they lied to you? My opinion of him doesn't reflect my feelings for the cruise line itself.

Sounds like a cushy job. However, what's more probable is that he, like most CEOs, spends a lot more than the typical 40-50 hrs/week at their jobs - and it's not an easy one, I'm sure.

He has not been the CEO for nearly 2 years. He was promoted to get ready for when Fain retires. He works less and gets paid more.