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

[Lynne95]

Great review Curtis!

 

We took the Jewel, to the same ports, on an 11 day a few years ago. Looking forward to reading all about your experiences.

 

Great job so far, love the photos, look on wife's face - priceless!

[CariBear]

Congratulations on the wonderful news!! Starting a family is such a special time in your life!

 

I always enjoy your in depth reviews! Looking forward to hearing more about your adventure aboard the Jewel.

[awboater]

We got off the Jewel the day you got on (28Mar~8Apr) for the 11 night version.

 

Like your "family"...

 

Glad to see I am not the only one that seems to have to take 4 cameras.

 

It was perhaps our best cruise. Too bad they are not offering this itinerary next year.

[bionicman97]

I'll look forward to following your review! DH and I were also on board the Jewel for this cruise. It's surprising we didn't meet, but in your pictures you don't look familiar, so I don't think we did. I was the one on board with unusually long brown hair, and DH and I were typically wearing blinking pins.

Will look fwd to the next installment!

 

I probably saw you, but don't remember. Lots of people of course. I was the one with all of the plates of food ;)

 

CURTIS!!!!

 

. . .Except that I'll be glued to my computer for the next few weeks (really now, you must write FASTER!).

 

. . .

First... CONGRATS again!!! SOOOO happy for you and Heather!

 

Second... a gentle reminder... the baby's due date may be the 20th, but the baby's BIRTHdate is going to be the 17th!!!

 

Okay, enough chatter... get back to posting. Can't wait to see allllllll your pictures!

 

I know, I know, I need to post faster. But, it's my last review for a while :cool:

 

My wife has this new catch phrase she uses all the time. It's called: The baby wants. . . As in "the baby wants you to do the laundry", "the baby wants you to wash the car", "the baby wants you to mow the grass" -- it just goes on and on.

 

Pretty demanding baby if you ask me.

 

I finally told her the last time she tried that, that it was an important time for the baby to learn a life lesson -- you don't always get what you want :D

 

So - The Baby wants me to take two weeks to review the cruise :D

 

I forgot also - the baby's birthday will be October 17th - I will correct the doctor at the next appointment :D

 

Many pictures coming soon :)

[wgraves]

Loving the review, Curtis!

 

Some of the random details, such as the pics of the Florida Turnpike, really get me in the cruise mentality. For us, driving down from Atlanta, the Turnpike is a sign that we're nearing the end of the drive. And I love how that road has a Dunkin Donuts every 30 minutes, so I'm never far from my coffee fix. :D

 

Keep up the good work! If you could just stretch your posts out until our September cruise, that'd be great. :p

[bionicman97]

AWESOME! Congrats on the big announcement! Also cannot wait for the rest of your travelog! Love all your reports.

 

Thanks - More coming this afternoon :)

 

Great review Curtis!

 

We took the Jewel, to the same ports, on an 11 day a few years ago. Looking forward to reading all about your experiences.

 

Great job so far, love the photos, look on wife's face - priceless!

 

Thanks -- It is a funny photo :D

[bionicman97]

Congratulations on the wonderful news!! Starting a family is such a special time in your life!

 

I always enjoy your in depth reviews! Looking forward to hearing more about your adventure aboard the Jewel.

 

Thanks :)

 

We got off the Jewel the day you got on (28Mar~8Apr) for the 11 night version.

 

Like your "family"...

 

Glad to see I am not the only one that seems to have to take 4 cameras.

 

It was perhaps our best cruise. Too bad they are not offering this itinerary next year.

 

The camera's are a slight addiction :eek: Thanks for leaving the ship in good shape for us :D

 

Loving the review, Curtis!

 

Some of the random details, such as the pics of the Florida Turnpike, really get me in the cruise mentality. For us, driving down from Atlanta, the Turnpike is a sign that we're nearing the end of the drive. And I love how that road has a Dunkin Donuts every 30 minutes, so I'm never far from my coffee fix.

 

Keep up the good work! If you could just stretch your posts out until our September cruise, that'd be great.

 

Thanks :) That's why I include those pics, to get everyone in the appropriate mood.

 

I can try to stretch it out, but thats a pretty long time :eek:

 

Look forward to reading your review when you get back in September. :)

[Kim4]

Thanks for the great review, and congratulations on your little one. Has your wife gotten any morning sickness yet? I hope if she did have it, then she's over it by now.

 

With all of Royal's new things for little ones -- nursery, Baby Zone pool, etc. etc. etc....you should have no problem introducing your little one into cruising! I think it's much easier to cruise with little ones than to do a land based vacation.

 

Kim

 

P.S. What camera would you suggest for an active family? We'd need one that travels well, takes good action shots, and has a short time between shots. We're not really big into cameras...so no big lenses or anything. Is that one that your wife has a good one?

[bionicman97]

Thanks for the great review, and congratulations on your little one. Has your wife gotten any morning sickness yet? I hope if she did have it, then she's over it by now.

 

With all of Royal's new things for little ones -- nursery, Baby Zone pool, etc. etc. etc....you should have no problem introducing your little one into cruising! I think it's much easier to cruise with little ones than to do a land based vacation.

 

Kim

 

P.S. What camera would you suggest for an active family? We'd need one that travels well, takes good action shots, and has a short time between shots. We're not really big into cameras...so no big lenses or anything. Is that one that your wife has a good one?

 

Thanks :) My wife has definitely had morning sickness. It seems to be starting to let up a little, hopefully it will continue to let up .

 

Definitely looks like their will be a lot for the little one to do on a cruise. We are looking forward to it :)

 

I probably wouldn't overly recommend the camera my wife has. It takes decent pictures (but I always touch them up in photoshop). It's big plus is that it is ultra small. That's really the only benefit of it.

 

Your wanting to take good action shots and be travel size kind of go against each other. If I could only use one of my cameras, I would use my Canon G11 (G12 is the current model), due to its high picture quality and larger sensor than a standard point and shoot. I don't know if you really want those kind of manual controls and it is a little big for a Point & Shoot.

 

I don't usually recommend cameras that I don't have, so it's hard to steer you in one direction. I have heard many great things about the Canon S95. It has a larger sensor like the G11 I have, so it takes better pictures in low light than most point and shoot cameras. The S95 is also pocket size, where the G11 (G12 is the most current version) is not. Of course the S95 and the G12 both run around $375 to $475, so if you are looking for something more affordable, there are many options out there that I am sure take good pictures.

 

My canon D10 takes very good pictures on land and underwater (I'll share some of those pictures later). It runs $250, but its a little bulky in the pocket.

 

Sorry if that didn't help too much. It's best I don't get started on cameras. I can talk all day on that.

[bionicman97]

Day 1 - All Aboard

 

At this point, you are probably wondering if I really went on a cruise, or if I am just stringing you along for a trip around Florida. We did actually go on a cruise, I promise

 

Friday - April 8th

 

I got up around 7:45 am and headed down to the gym to hit the treadmill. Unfortunately, someone must have already "hit" it, because it was out of order.

 

Fortunately, they have a very nice sized parking lot that is off the main strip, so I just jogged around it.

 

 

This picture of the pool in no way shows the size of the parking lot, but you work with what you have, so here is a picture of the pool at the hotel.

 

I estimated it to be about 1/4 of a mile to make a lap, so I ran what I figured to be about 5 miles. I'm in to jogging now -- not because I enjoy it, but because I was a FFK (former fat kid) who lost about 60 pounds about 8 years ago and have been working out non stop ever since. I will never gain the weight back, that I have determined. As you will see, I work out pretty much everyday on the ship -- again, not because I want to, but it is now my permanent mentality.

 

At 10:45 am, we left the hotel to go to the port. Here is the route we took (for the most part, it's not quite right at the port end for some reason).

 

 

The drive really isn't all that bad.

 

 

Just have to keep turning the right direction

 

 

Go by the airport

 

 

And finally. . . we can see the ship

 

 

Coming later tonight - Let's get checked in and more. . .

[ParamedicFF]

I am LOVING reading your review so far! Like a Grisham novel, you keep me wanting more and more!

 

Congrats on your future new family addition too! 4 years ago my wife and I cruised to Hawaii for a 15 night honeymoon cruise, and lo & behold 9 months later Zachary was born. He was our cruise 'souvenir'. Next month we're sailing aboard Freedom of the Seas, and my wife will be 22 wks pregnant with his brother-to-be.

 

Keep up the great work with the review! Looking forward to reading more of it later.

[kycruiser72]

Looking good! I'm hanging on for the rest.

 

I checked out your photos. I only took 900+ photos and some videos for this cruise. You and I took a few of the same photos. I thought that was pretty cool.

 

Congrats on the new addition!

 

Matt C.

[jahcruiser5]

Thank you for the review and especially the photos! I've been flipping through your flickr... the pictures are absolutely stunning! Can't wait to sail the Jewel in 200 days!!

[bionicman97]

I am LOVING reading your review so far! Like a Grisham novel, you keep me wanting more and more!

 

Congrats on your future new family addition too! 4 years ago my wife and I cruised to Hawaii for a 15 night honeymoon cruise, and lo & behold 9 months later Zachary was born. He was our cruise 'souvenir'. Next month we're sailing aboard Freedom of the Seas, and my wife will be 22 wks pregnant with his brother-to-be.

 

Keep up the great work with the review! Looking forward to reading more of it later.

 

Thanks :)

 

Sounds like you have the "cruise magic" :D -- Congratulations to your family also!

 

Looking good! I'm hanging on for the rest.

 

I checked out your photos. I only took 900+ photos and some videos for this cruise. You and I took a few of the same photos. I thought that was pretty cool.

 

Congrats on the new addition!

 

Matt C.

 

Thanks! That is pretty cool that we have some of the same pics. I'll go check out your pics and review shortly.

 

Thank you for the review and especially the photos! I've been flipping through your flickr... the pictures are absolutely stunning! Can't wait to sail the Jewel in 200 days!!

 

Thanks! Enjoy your cruise

 

 

 

To all:

 

Hopefully, I will have the review up and running in a little later tonight. I am doing some "charitable" computer repair work for a family member who last updated their antivirus software in 2008 and never had any spyware protection -- got the Windows Recovery Trojan -- That's been fun trying to remove for the last three hours.

[QTMichele]

I know, I know, I need to post faster. But, it's my last review for a while :cool:

 

My wife has this new catch phrase she uses all the time. It's called: The baby wants. . . As in "the baby wants you to do the laundry", "the baby wants you to wash the car", "the baby wants you to mow the grass" -- it just goes on and on.

 

Pretty demanding baby if you ask me.

 

I finally told her the last time she tried that, that it was an important time for the baby to learn a life lesson -- you don't always get what you want :D

 

So - The Baby wants me to take two weeks to review the cruise :D

 

I forgot also - the baby's birthday will be October 17th - I will correct the doctor at the next appointment :D

 

Many pictures coming soon :)

 

You must do what the baby wants! And, please remember, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

 

Can't way to read more, Curtis. Great start!

[Kim4]

 

Sorry if that didn't help too much. It's best I don't get started on cameras. I can talk all day on that.

 

Thank you, that helped quite a bit. It looks like we need to decide on the features we want and then shoot for the best price. I appreciate your time!

Kim

[dajulieness]

First off, I wanted to introduce you to the family. They always go on a cruise with me.

 

 

Cameras:

 

Bottom right: Canon DS940is (the go everywhere/wife's camera)

Bottom middle: Canon D10 (Underwater)

Bottom left: Canon G11 (my go everywhere camera/shows/food)

Center: Canon t1i

 

Lens:

 

Far left: Canon 50mm Prime

Next (going right): Canon 18-55 os

Next: Canon 55-250 os

Next: Sigma 18-200 os (my primary lens for this trip)

 

I used an ipad2 to write the review (not pictured)

 

If you are wondering, I took this picture with my cellphone, because that's all I had left ;)

 

I have the same camera as the one on the bottom right only in hot pink. The numbers and letters are different but it looks the same. It took very nice pictures on my most recent cruise and the battery lasted the entire 5 days.

 

Can't wait to see more of your review and pictures(of food) lol. Congrats on the new baby coming too. Yes I did notice the baby on board sign in the window in the first picture.

 

My niece is 7 months old and I enjoy every second with her. Even when the contents of her diaper explode up her back lol. Just wait. lol :p

[bionicman97]

You must do what the baby wants! And, please remember, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

 

Can't way to read more, Curtis. Great start!

 

Very true, very true :D

 

Thank you, that helped quite a bit. It looks like we need to decide on the features we want and then shoot for the best price. I appreciate your time!

Kim

 

Glad it helped :)

 

I have the same camera as the one on the bottom right only in hot pink. The numbers and letters are different but it looks the same. It took very nice pictures on my most recent cruise and the battery lasted the entire 5 days.

 

Can't wait to see more of your review and pictures(of food) lol. Congrats on the new baby coming too. Yes I did notice the baby on board sign in the window in the first picture.

 

My niece is 7 months old and I enjoy every second with her. Even when the contents of her diaper explode up her back lol. Just wait. lol :p

 

Thanks & good eyes :)

[QTMichele]

At the risk of sounding cranky/whiny/demanding.... why haven't you posted more?!!!!!! LOL

[ryano]

Hopefully, I will have the review up and running in a little later tonight. I am doing some "charitable" computer repair work for a family member who last updated their antivirus software in 2008 and never had any spyware protection -- got the Windows Recovery Trojan -- That's been fun trying to remove for the last three hours.

 

Good things come to those that wait! :D Youve got us hooked in now, we arent going anywhere ;) looking forward to more man

[subtchr]

Thank you, that helped quite a bit. It looks like we need to decide on the features we want and then shoot for the best price. I appreciate your time!

Kim

 

Sorry to jump in, especially since Curtis knows more about photography than I'll probably ever learn! But I found a great little camera for our last cruise, so I thought I would share.

 

I also have a big DSLR, but I wanted a small point and shoot to take places I did not want to lug that around. I ended up with a Sony TX-5 (I think the current version is a TX-6). It has some amazing features and takes great pics. It's waterproof, shockproof from about 5 feet (which I have tested :rolleyes:), has a sweep panorama and some really nifty low-light settings. Most of the photos off the ship in my Serenade review (linked in my signature) are with the Sony.

 

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled amazing Curtis review!

[Cruiser-T]

I have a Canon D10 and SD800 wide angle, Canon makes awesome cameras!

[bionicman97]

Day 1 - We're at the Port, What can go wrong?

 

Sorry about the late post tonight, the computer repair dragged on for a while. In a twist of irony, we went to Chili's tonight (the same slow chili's from Day 0)

 

So, when we last left off, the ship was in our sights.

 

 

We were at the pier where the Oasis and Allure docks I believe. We pulled up, dropped off the ladies and the luggage and parked the car at a paved lot near the end of the ship. Went inside and it seemed like they had a very long line for xray. Fortunately, they had several machines going and it took less than 5 minutes to get through - smooth sailing so far. This would be about 11:10 am

 

We then got in line to check in. They had the lines broken down by deck, so they had maybe five lines that served decks 7 and 10 together. I'm not one to throw words around like "completely incompetent" very often, but the lady directing our line might have received that description from me. She would alternate letting the head of each line go up to an open counter, but she kept leaving her post for about a minute at a time to talk to someone further down the line doing the same job (we could hear them, it wasn't work related). Our group split into groups of 4 and got in lines side by side, at the same point in each line.

 

Both groups got up to the front of the line at the same time. My parents and aunt and uncle were in the other line and they got up and checked in. The problem was, every time the lady would return, she kept skipping our line. It took my parents/aunt & uncle 20 minutes to check in. During that 20 minute span, she let about 20 other families go ahead of us. 50 minutes later (30 minutes after the rest of our party checked in), we finally got to check in.

 

Not pinning the blame where it doesn't belong (Not RCI's fault). I do think they need a floor supervisor or something though to make sure it keeps a good flow. Not the best way to start a cruise though.

 

Now, slight disaster strikes. My wife's aunt and uncle (from now on known as "first time cruisers") were with us at check in. As we left the counter, his camera back pack slides off his floor and hits the ground. Surely his brand new $1,400 camera (nikon D7000) with 3 additional lenses couldn't be damaged, could they? Right then we joked "oh no, not the camera!", but never thought it would really be damaged. More on that shortly.

 

We quickly go and do our welcome about photo and head up to get on. A quick snapshot of each of us and it was on to the ship. Here's my aunt and uncle (the one's with my parents in line--not the first timers) boarding the ship.

 

 

The First time cruisers decide to check the camera bag right after we get on. The nikkor lens that was attached to the camera body is no longer attached. That is usually a bad sign. The only question now is is the camera body broke or is it the lens.

 

After a quick check, we determined that the plastic threads of the lens was broke. That's actually a good thing, since the body was fine and the camera can still be used. However, two pieces of the threads fell into the camera. We do get this fixed later and they are able to use the camera.

 

Now, on to the windjammer. We arrive at the windjammer around 12:10. We have 8 total and have no expectations to sit together. I quickly find a table for 4 and park my parents and elderly aunt and uncle at that table. With absolutely no exaggeration, we spend the next 45 minutes trying to find a table for the remaining 4 of us. I have never had such a hard time finding a table on day 1 in the windjammer. We keep reassuring our first time cruisers (who just had the camera problem and extremely slow check in) that the windjammer is only like this on the first day. Finally, shortly after 1pm, we get a table, since people are now going to the cabin. we were pretty tensed up by this point. We sat down for about 15 minutes before we went to get food.

 

So, what about the food?

 

 

I had two pieces of honey strung chicken, pizza, french fries and a small sampling of desserts. The first piece of chicken was a little dry, the next piece much better. The french fries had been out for a while and were ok. The desserts were good.

 

If I had half a brain, we should have just made plates and went to the solarium. I'm sure there would have been empty tables there :rolleyes:

 

Sorry for the wordy post here. This was pretty much all of the drama we had for the entire cruise. It was pretty much smooth sailing once we sat down at the table.

 

More Day 1 - We've survived - With lots of pictures and less words -- Coming soon. . .

[bionicman97]

At the risk of sounding cranky/whiny/demanding.... why haven't you posted more?!!!!!! LOL

 

You know how every family has a technology nerd that is appointed to fix everyone's broken piece of equipment? Somewhere along the line, I won that award and fortunately for me, I have over 30 members of my family that live within 45 minutes of me and another 20 on my wife's side. So I'm In Demand:rolleyes:

 

So far, I have 4 hours between yesterday and today fixing this one computer :cool:

 

Good things come to those that wait! :D Youve got us hooked in now, we arent going anywhere ;) looking forward to more man

 

Thanks, more coming very soon . . . :D

[bionicman97]

Sorry to jump in, especially since Curtis knows more about photography than I'll probably ever learn! But I found a great little camera for our last cruise, so I thought I would share.

 

I also have a big DSLR, but I wanted a small point and shoot to take places I did not want to lug that around. I ended up with a Sony TX-5 (I think the current version is a TX-6). It has some amazing features and takes great pics. It's waterproof, shockproof from about 5 feet (which I have tested :rolleyes:), has a sweep panorama and some really nifty low-light settings. Most of the photos off the ship in my Serenade review (linked in my signature) are with the Sony.

 

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled amazing Curtis review!

 

Thanks :) At this point, if you spend over $150 (and sometimes even less), its hard to Not buy a good camera. There is so much good stuff coming from all the big camera makers that it is mind blowing!

 

I have a Canon D10 and SD800 wide angle, Canon makes awesome cameras!

 

I have to agree :D