Come Cruise with Me-Jewel Review 4/8/11-Southern Caribbean/2,000+ Pics/Super Long

[bionicman97]

A wonderful end to a wonderful cruise. Lots of luck with your upcoming new addition.. Make that 2 new additions, the baby and the house. Enjoy both to the fullest :D

 

Thanks :)

 

Wow what an amazing review. Loved the pictures and the humor Congrats on the baby and the house!

 

Thanks :)

 

The review is over??? :(

 

Thanks for taking the time to post the review. The pictures were great! :D

 

Not quite, but pretty close. Tomorrow I will post my "final thoughts"

 

Thanks :)

[bionicman97]

Thanks for a daily dose of the high seas. It was the next best thing to being there.

 

Glad I could help :)

 

Thanks for the ride!

 

I don't know that I will ever get over wondering around! I LOVED that even though at first I believed in a typo for wandering around. It just seemed to fit! Walking around with wonder!

 

WOWIE, If we could just all do that a little more!

 

 

Thanks again! I really enjoyed it!

 

Thanks :) I never caught that, oh well :eek:

 

Curtis, I really enjoyed this and am sad to see it end. Thank you so much for taking time to do this. Blessings to you and your lovely wife.

 

Thanks :)

[bionicman97]

Extremely well done Curtis. Congrats for all the good things coming up in your life.

 

Thanks :)

 

Every port I have entered the good old USA, you claim your baggage, and then go through customs with your baggage!:confused::confused:

 

I think he is right about Port Canaveral, seems like we went through custom and then got the baggage. Of course, it all blends together after a while, so I'm never sure :eek::D

[bionicman97]

Ladies and Gentleman,

 

I thank you all for taking a "cruise" with me. It was a lot of work, but I had a great time doing it too. The next time I do this, it will probably be over a year away :( , but it will be the introduction of the "Come Cruise with Me - Family Edition" :D More than likely, our first cruise back will be a 3 or 4 nighter, to see how it goes.

 

Over the last 3 weeks, I've gotten to know a lot of you and I'm sure you all know way more about me than you want to :eek: , but I hope you've enjoyed it and hopefully it will help some of you out on future cruises

 

Thank you all for the kind thoughts, comments and well wishes, they are always appreciated.

 

If any of you ever see me on a ship, feel free to stop me and say hello. We can snap a pic together and you can be featured in a future edition of "Come Cruise with Me" :D I'm not sure what most of you look like, but by know you can probably spot me anywhere (probably near food though ;))

 

Coming up next time - My "Final Thoughts"

[ryano]

Its been fun and I appreciate you taking the time to do this! I have been here since day one and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Congratulations on your new vacation home and the baby. Please make sure to share some pics of bionicbaby with us upon arrival ;)

 

It would be a real pleasure to meet you and your family on a cruise one day!

 

Thanks again!

[bionicman97]

Its been fun and I appreciate you taking the time to do this! I have been here since day one and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Congratulations on your new vacation home and the baby. Please make sure to share some pics of bionicbaby with us upon arrival ;)

 

It would be a real pleasure to meet you and your family on a cruise one day!

 

Thanks again!

 

Thanks so much, not only have you been on this review since day 1, but on some other of my reviews also :eek::)

 

Same for us, it would be a pleasure to meet you on a cruise one day also :)

[QTMichele]

The review is over???

 

Thanks for taking the time to post the review. The pictures were great!

 

Um, no, it's not. We've all decided that Curtis is going to keep on going, even if he has to make things up. ;)

 

 

 

Not quite, but pretty close. Tomorrow I will post my "final thoughts"

 

Thanks :)

 

Whatever happened to making stuff up?

 

 

 

I think he is right about Port Canaveral, seems like we went through custom and then got the baggage. Of course, it all blends together after a while, so I'm never sure :eek::D

 

When we went returned to Port Canaveral on the Mariner and the Freedom, we went through customs, THEN got our luggage from the conveyor belt. In Port Everglades, we picked up our luggage, then went through customs.

[QTMichele]

Ladies and Gentleman,

 

I thank you all for taking a "cruise" with me. It was a lot of work, but I had a great time doing it too. The next time I do this, it will probably be over a year away :( , but it will be the introduction of the "Come Cruise with Me - Family Edition" :D More than likely, our first cruise back will be a 3 or 4 nighter, to see how it goes.

 

Over the last 3 weeks, I've gotten to know a lot of you and I'm sure you all know way more about me than you want to , but I hope you've enjoyed it and hopefully it will help some of you out on future cruises

 

Thank you all for the kind thoughts, comments and well wishes, they are always appreciated.

 

If any of you ever see me on a ship, feel free to stop me and say hello. We can snap a pic together and you can be featured in a future edition of "Come Cruise with Me" :D I'm not sure what most of you look like, but by know you can probably spot me anywhere (probably near food though ;))

 

Coming up next time - My "Final Thoughts"

 

Baby tip - go on a ship with a nursery just in case you want an hour or two of adult time. Possible ships for you - Allure of the Seas on February 12, 2012 OR Liberty of the Seas on November 19, 2012 (Thanksgiving cruise). Don't question the date(s), just book one (probaby the November cruise as Bionic Baby won't arrive until October 17th. ;) :D

 

Thanks again for all the time and effort putting this review together for us. It's appreciated!!!! It's been so much fun seeing a ship class that I'm very interested in along with an itinerary that has peaked my interest even though I had never really considered it in the past.

 

And, again, congrats on the BABY and NEW HOME!!! I am so excited for your family and wish you only the best. Hopefully our familys' paths will cross one of these days, either on a ship or in WV.

 

Looking forward to your final comments, and would love to hear your comparison of the different class of ships you've sailed on with your opinions of which you've liked best.

[stitchLi809]

I loved Loved LOVED! your review!! I've read through the entire thing and I'm not even going on the Jewel or planning on it in the near future LoL. Very entertaining. I love all the pictures. Congrats on the baby and house! Too bad you didn't go on the Oasis. I would have loved to read your review on it.. Can you tell i'm going on the oasis? HA! Thanks for the weeks on entertainment!!

[charliegirlac]

Loved your review!

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write! Congrats on the new house! Looks very peaceful with lots of room for the little one to play!

[bobmacliberty]

Curtis - I'm with Michele in that we all need to decide that you're not really done. I suggest that we all send you a few hundred misc. cruise photos. You can then come on CC every day and pretend that the pictures are from your never ending B2B2B2B... cruise, telling us the details behind each picture. I'll send you pictures of my kids as newborns, and you can talk about how your wife gave birth in between the sexiest legs competition and a great steak dinner at Chops. :D

 

My thanks also for the significant amount of time that I know you spent on this thread. You tell a great story through both words and pictures. Congrats again on the new baby and now also on the new house!

[texnewbie]

Curtis!!!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!

It has been so much fun cruising with you, I expecially loved Panama Canal... The pictures of the locks were incredible. I want to cruise and ride that train, that was just so neat.

I cruise in 40 more days and can't wait. I'm surprising my daughter who is 17.. She has no idea. We're going to Nassau, Freeport and Key West out of Galveston. Sailing on Carnival Conquest. It's going to be so much fun, my 2nd cruise and her 1st...

Again, Thank you for all your great pictures

and

Congratulation!!!!

on the new baby!!! Mom looks great..

Texnewbie/Carolyn

[bionicman97]

Um, no, it's not. We've all decided that Curtis is going to keep on going, even if he has to make things up.

 

 

 

Whatever happened to making stuff up?

 

 

 

When we went returned to Port Canaveral on the Mariner and the Freedom, we went through customs, THEN got our luggage from the conveyor belt. In Port Everglades, we picked up our luggage, then went through customs.

 

Maybe my "final thoughts" will include "We decided to get back on the ship :eek::D

 

Baby tip - go on a ship with a nursery just in case you want an hour or two of adult time. Possible ships for you - Allure of the Seas on February 12, 2012 OR Liberty of the Seas on November 19, 2012 (Thanksgiving cruise). Don't question the date(s), just book one (probaby the November cruise as Bionic Baby won't arrive until October 17th. :D

 

Thanks again for all the time and effort putting this review together for us. It's appreciated!!!! It's been so much fun seeing a ship class that I'm very interested in along with an itinerary that has peaked my interest even though I had never really considered it in the past.

 

And, again, congrats on the BABY and NEW HOME!!! I am so excited for your family and wish you only the best. Hopefully our familys' paths will cross one of these days, either on a ship or in WV.

 

Looking forward to your final comments, and would love to hear your comparison of the different class of ships you've sailed on with your opinions of which you've liked best.

 

I think February will be cutting too close, but November is definitely possible :D I'm already looking at 3 or 4 nighter next May as a warm up.

 

Thanks for following along the whole way :)

 

I imagine their is a good chance our paths will cross one day, either in the mountains or the ocean :D

 

I am planning on doing my final thoughts later this afternoon. I will give a little comparison of my thoughts on the different classes also.

[bionicman97]

I loved Loved LOVED! your review!! I've read through the entire thing and I'm not even going on the Jewel or planning on it in the near future LoL. Very entertaining. I love all the pictures. Congrats on the baby and house! Too bad you didn't go on the Oasis. I would have loved to read your review on it.. Can you tell i'm going on the oasis? HA! Thanks for the weeks on entertainment!!

 

Thanks :) & have a great cruise on the Oasis!

 

Loved your review!

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write! Congrats on the new house! Looks very peaceful with lots of room for the little one to play!

 

Thanks :) That's one of the things we love about it is all the room to play :D

[bionicman97]

Curtis - I'm with Michele in that we all need to decide that you're not really done. I suggest that we all send you a few hundred misc. cruise photos. You can then come on CC every day and pretend that the pictures are from your never ending B2B2B2B... cruise, telling us the details behind each picture. I'll send you pictures of my kids as newborns, and you can talk about how your wife gave birth in between the sexiest legs competition and a great steak dinner at Chops. :D

 

My thanks also for the significant amount of time that I know you spent on this thread. You tell a great story through both words and pictures. Congrats again on the new baby and now also on the new house!

 

You had me laughing out loud with that "gave birth in between the sexiest legs competition and a great steak dinner at Chops" :D:D

 

Thanks for following along & the kind words :) It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun also

 

Curtis!!!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!

It has been so much fun cruising with you, I expecially loved Panama Canal... The pictures of the locks were incredible. I want to cruise and ride that train, that was just so neat.

I cruise in 40 more days and can't wait. I'm surprising my daughter who is 17.. She has no idea. We're going to Nassau, Freeport and Key West out of Galveston. Sailing on Carnival Conquest. It's going to be so much fun, my 2nd cruise and her 1st...

Again, Thank you for all your great pictures

and

Congratulation!!!!

on the new baby!!! Mom looks great..

Texnewbie/Carolyn

 

Thanks :) I've never been to Freeport, but I love Key West and Nassau. If you even remotely like Key Lime Pie, go to Kermits - BEST - PIE - EVER :D

[QTMichele]

Maybe my "final thoughts" will include "We decided to get back on the ship :eek::D

 

Perfect!

 

 

 

I think February will be cutting too close, but November is definitely possible :D I'm already looking at 3 or 4 nighter next May as a warm up.

 

February is definitely too soon. We don't want the baby born too early! :eek:

 

Thanks for following along the whole way :)

 

Wouldn't have missed it. Love your reviews and all the great photos, especially the wonderful family photos! My family means the world to me, and it's so nice to see when it means so much to others as well.

 

I imagine their is a good chance our paths will cross one day, either in the mountains or the ocean :D

 

Or on the white water! You've gotta give the New River or Gauley River (during Gauley season!) a try... such fun!

 

I am planning on doing my final thoughts later this afternoon. I will give a little comparison of my thoughts on the different classes also.

 

Great!

[sunandseagirl617]

I'm having post Curtis cruising withdrawal symptoms today! :D;)

 

 

Great review and photos, Curtis! Take care of bionic woman and bionic baby! Congratulations and hope we get to meet on a cruise one day! My babies started crusing at 2 years old so it's never too soon to start (they are 11 & 17 now)!!:)

[cruisebabe50]

Congratulations! That is wonderful news!:D

[ZoeyVictoria]

If you decide to post on the family board in the future, please leave a note here so you don't leave all of us old folks behind!

[05mak05]

If you decide to post on the family board in the future, please leave a note here so you don't leave all of us old folks behind!

I'm already having withdrawal as I feel like we've known you all of our lives. Your review was the best yet.

[bionicman97]

Perfect!

 

February is definitely too soon. We don't want the baby born too early!

 

Wouldn't have missed it. Love your reviews and all the great photos, especially the wonderful family photos! My family means the world to me, and it's so nice to see when it means so much to others as well.

 

Or on the white water! You've gotta give the New River or Gauley River (during Gauley season!) a try... such fun!

 

Great!

 

Definitely want the baby to come on time (not early) ;)

 

Family is everything to us also. We have a large family, but we're all pretty close. It's pretty common for at least 8 if not 10 or 12 of us to cruise together. At all the Major holiday's, we go to the wife's family for one meal with 25 people and then go to one with my family with 40 people. :eek:

 

I forgot about white water rafting! My wife has done it up there, but I haven't yet. I'm sure it will happen though. :eek:

 

I'm having post Curtis cruising withdrawal symptoms today!

 

Great review and photos, Curtis! Take care of bionic woman and bionic baby! Congratulations and hope we get to meet on a cruise one day! My babies started crusing at 2 years old so it's never too soon to start (they are 11 & 17 now)!!

 

Thanks & will do :) You never know, we definitely could meet at sea one day :-)

 

I agree on never to early to cruise, I'm sure ours will be on pretty close to as soon as they can be.

 

Congratulations! That is wonderful news!

 

Thanks :)

[bionicman97]

If you decide to post on the family board in the future, please leave a note here so you don't leave all of us old folks behind!

 

Not to worry, I won't jump over board(s) (oh, that was bad :p). I forgot there even was a family board. I will check it out, but RCI board is my home :D

 

I'm already having withdrawal as I feel like we've known you all of our lives. Your review was the best yet.

 

Thanks so much :D It will be a while before I get to do another review, but hopefully around a year from now I'll be posting another one - family edition - & I'm sure I'll be on of "those"obnoxious parents that take way too many pic's of the kid(s) :D

[bionicman97]

Our Cruise Together Comes to an End - Part 1

 

Wow! This is day 21 of my posting on the review of the Jewel of the Seas. In a way, it seems like only yesterday I started, but in another way, it already seems like a distant memory of us taking the cruise.

 

We chose this cruise for three main reasons:

 

1) 10 days ~ Never been on a cruise that long, wanted to see how it was.

 

2) Southern Caribbean ~ We love exploring new ports, especially those with a lot of history, and this provided that opportunity.

 

3) Price ~ I graduated with degrees in Accounting & Finance, and no matter what, money is always in the equation in my head. We got the 10 day cruise with balcony for about $850pp, which to me is a good deal.

 

I would love to sail in the summer (and we can), but I'm one of those people who instantly looks at 7 days on the Freedom for $1500 and my first thought is "I bet it will be half that in October" ~ I just can't help myself.

 

If you look at my signature, almost all of our cruises are off season, but then again, we have taken 13 cruises a little over 4.5 years and it would have been more, but we lost most of 2009 because I had a couple of ear surgeries (I'm deaf in my right ear now). So we like the advantages of cruising in the off season.

 

Look at that, I just started and I'm already rambling. It's hard to say goodbye :o

 

Anyway, the results of those three items was that we loved the 10 day (and it will be difficult to go back to shorter ones), the Southern Caribbean was everything we hoped it would be, and we did get the price we were after.

 

So, with that said, let's get this summary on a roll.

 

This post is already starting to run a little long, so I will break it up here and start on the next one.

[bionicman97]

Our Cruise Together Comes to an End - Part 2

 

On to the summary. . .

 

Research. If you ever have the opportunity to do this cruise, I recommend doing a good bit of research on the area's you are going to. It really enhanced the cruise for us with the background information that we had learned before we went. I highly recommend reading "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCollough if you are going to visit the Panama Canal.

 

Jewel The Jewel is a beautiful ship. The Radiance class is a nice compromise between size and ammenities. It was decorated beautifully and we saw no major maintenance issues.

 

Windjammer The windjammer had a good assortment of foods for every meal. I would rate it's quality as amongst the best that I have eaten on an RCI ship. For lunch, I recommend getting there at 11:30 if you want first picks and the hotest of the hot. We love the assortments they have at tea time, however, the Jewel was a little more limited in choices at tea time, as compared to our most recent trip before on the Radiance.

 

Sea View Cafe Love the Sea View Cafe. Hot, made to order food that comes quickly. I could eat one of those Cuban Sandwiches with Onion Rings everyday.

 

Main Dining Room Service

Our dining room service completely blew me away. Every night our waiter was either making us balloon animals, doing magic tricks, or anything he could do to keep us entertained, all while being professional and doing his job very well. We really lucked out on this.

 

Main Dining Room Food

If you have read any of my other reviews, you will know that I'm a fan of the food in the MDR. This was the first time I was disappointed, especially since my wife's aunt and uncle (first time cruisers) were with us. We received cold food more than several times, I got a the worst steak I have ever had, presentation went out the a couple times and the food just didn't taste right several times. I hope it was just an out of the ordinary experience. Don't get me totally wrong, most of it was ok and some was very good, but it was not the quality we have come to expect. If I continued to receive that type of food on future RCI MDR's, I would visit the Windjammer more. My Food Grade for this would be a generous C-

 

Entertainment The production shows were of the same type and quality that you would expect on this size of ship from RCI. The tango dancers on the third production show enhanced it quite a bit and made it a step up from the others, but all were good. The guest entertainers were about the same quality we have seen on any other RCI ship. I was grateful they limited the amount of comedians, for the simple reason that I have come to understand that their is only a finite amount of cruise ship jokes, and apparently, I have heard them all :D

 

Cabin/Stateroom Attendent This isn't a big category for me for several reasons. We never ask for anything special. I try to keep the room as clean as possible all day (just a little OCD ;)) and I spend as little time as possible in the room. I like to be around other people ~ it's just the way I am.

 

Up next - Part 3. . .

[bionicman97]

Our Cruise Together Comes to an End - Part 3

 

Labadee - It was great to go back to Labadee after all of the changes they have made. I was very impressed. There is a lot to do there, but I just like to kick back and relax, especially if it is our first stop.

 

Cartagena, Colombia Beautiful and interesting place. I wish we would have had more than a half a day here. There is so much to see and do. Great Port

 

Colon, Panama For me, the highlight of the trip was to see the canal in action. We ended up having an almost 8 hour trip and it was absolutely fantastic. Another Great Port

 

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica Beautiful area. The Banana Plantation, which was an afterthought, ended up being the highlight of the day. If we ever return, I would try to target something that saw more of the wildlife though. Another Great Port

 

Georgetown, Grand Cayman Why is this my fourth time coming here and the first time I have ever snorkeled here? Absolutely fantastic again and I cannot wait to go back and get in the water. It was stunning to see that kind of sea life up close.

 

Gym/Track The gym is nice and has a good amount of equipment. After running on this track and really messing up my leg + dodging countless people, I am done running on ship tracks. I will stick to the gym.

 

Solarium To me, the solarium is like the crown jewel of this ship. It is a beautiful, quiet, tranquil place to go and relax. I wish I could put it in my back yard. :D

 

Overall Overall, I would highly recommend this ship and/or this route. The ship is well cared for and overall, they do an excellent job. Hopefully the MDR food that we had was just an abberation and it was good for most everyone else. The ports of call really made this trip.

 

Up next - We're really at the end. . .