Just off four-night Jewel to Cozumel

[GatorTide]

Here is a brief review of our trip (1/12-16). I will preface this by saying I usually do weeklong cruises so I feel like it's a little difficult to compare the two. We've always enjoyed outstanding service on the seven-nighters and this trip, while most everyone was nice, it paled in comparison to what we were used to (especially since our last cruise was on Oasis).

 

Embarkation: We had to wait in a bit of a line, but that's because we got there around 2 p.m. when everyone else was trying to board. The woman working at the ticket counter was pleasant and funny. By the time we got to our cabin, our luggage had already been delivered - that has never happened before and was a pleasant surprise.

 

We then headed to the Windjammer for lunch. We had to eat fairly quickly because the buffet closed at 3:30 and we were (repeatedly) told that we had to get to the muster drill by 4 p.m. Sailaway occurred just after 4:30 p.m.

 

Cabin: We were in 9200, a balcony room that connected to the room next door (we had a group of seven women for a 40th birthday celebration and it was nice to be able to go from room to room). The room was clean, no problems there. We stayed to unpack but never saw our cabin steward, which was strange as I have always had them introduce themselves immediately. The room had a great location - two flights up to the pool and the Windjammer - and close to the stairs, but it wasn't loud.

 

Sea Days: All of us were looking forward to relaxing so we spent most of our time laying out by the pool or in the Solarium. We did the climbing wall the first sea day but the second sea day was too windy for it to be open. I wanted to do some trivia but it always seemed to be at inconvenient times for me. I would have liked to have seen one around 5 p.m. but they were all earlier than that. Oh well! In general, there seemed to be fewer activities but it wasn't a big deal since all I really wanted to do was sit around, read and have drinks served to me.

 

Cozumel: Although the weather was awful (rained all day), we had a fabulous time on the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour. We had a group of 40 people and hit four bars on the East side of the island. Great hosts and a LOT of fun. I won't go into too much more detail as there is a long thread on the Ports of Call board. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a fun day!

 

Dining: I was pretty unimpressed. On the two sea days, they set up the same Mexican buffet by the pool. I had it once but that was enough for me. The second sea day we went to the Seaview Cafe. I ordered a Cuban sandwich which I didn't care for and swapped it out for a cheeseburger. One friend tried the clam chowder and she didn't like it. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fish and chips but they only give you two small pieces of fish so if you get this, order extra fish! Breakfast in the Windjammer - your standard fare. I was excited to see Cream of Wheat on the buffet! Scrambled eggs aren't very good - I suggest waiting in line to get an omelet.

 

In the MDR, the food was OK. Our waiters were nice but on the formal night, since we were seated next to the Captain's table, we were basically an afterthought. I know the waiters were focused on that table but it was frustrating to have to wait a long time for the things we asked for. Also, we had two birthdays during the trip. We ordered specialty cakes for both. The name was wrong on the first one and the second one was mistakenly delivered to our room without the name being written on it (just Happy Birthday). Not a big deal, but I think the cakes were $25 each so it would have been nice to have them done correctly. Again, I think I am biased toward the weeklong cruises because we have formed some good relationships with our waitstaff, who became like friends to us. Perhaps because it was a shorter trip, but I never felt like we got into that kind of rapport with them.

 

Entertainment/activities: This was my first cruise with a female cruise director, which was cool, but I didn't see her around the ship too much. Plus, the morning show was really lame - basically just her and another staffer reading off the Compass. The welcome aboard show was good - comedian was funny, made fun of my friend which gave us a good laugh for the rest of the trip. There was supposed to be an adult comedian the second night, but when we went to see him, it had apparently been canceled with no information about why. I did not go to any of the revue-style shows because I generally find them cheesy at best. The Battle of the Sexes gameshow was funny, as was the Quest. I always enjoy those, and the host, Carlos, was really great and very funny. He also called Bingo and was quite entertaining there as well. We went to the Vortex each night, which was fun, but I do wish cruise ships would play more current music and less Electric Slide and old stuff! And I really wish RCI would retire the whole '70s revival they have going on each ship. But I do get it - there is a demand for it, people expect it and what can you do?

 

Cabin steward: Our guy was nice, but again, we really didn't see him much. My last steward we talked to so much that we became FB friends.

 

Misc: With the exception of a few crew members, I didn't feel like anyone really went above and beyond in service. Just kind of bland, for the most part, and some seemed like they were rather miserable! I don't need to be fawned all over or greeted by everyone I see, but I guess I'm just used to it being a little different on longer trips...Room service was great and quick...Ship was beautiful...Disembarkation was really quick and easy.

 

Overall, because I was with some really fun people, we had a great time. Had I not been "spoiled" on previous cruises, I probably would not have been as nitpicky, but I do definitely see a difference in the level of service you get on a shorter cruise than you do on a longer one. For the money and the ease of travel (as I live in Tampa), I'd probably do this trip again for a quick getaway to just sit around and read and relax, but I am sure my next cruise will be a weeklong one. One of the parts I enjoy best about cruising is getting to know the crew members and building those relationships, and I wish there could have been more of that on this trip.

 

Again, any questions - glad to answer them!

[will773]

Thanks for your review. My biggest fear about doing one of those shorter cruises is exactly what you've mentioned. I hope it wasn't too bad!

[ksuds]

Thanks for the review.

 

I have to laugh because I felt the same about the Seaview Cafe. Kind of hit or miss with the food. Clam Chowder wasn't very chowdery.....Grouper salad had a peice of mystery meat that I'm pretty sure it wasn't grouper.....or any other kind of fish....Cheeseburger had been cooking longer than the burgers that sit in the pan in the Windjammer.

 

We also went to the disco at night. Didn't stay very long because the music was very outdated. We asked the DJ to play some of the more current popular music selections, but he didn't.

 

I also live in Tampa and as long as this ship is around, I will keep cruising on it out of convenience. And it is a lot nicer than the Monarch.

[Familygoboston]

I have a theory about the music...we've noticed on all our recent cruises that they seem to play a " loop", basically it's about 30 minutes of the same songs. I think they have to pay to play music, just like a radio station does, so they have a limited selection they paid for and that's what you hear...just a thought!

Another thought..." Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night" was on sale:D

 

Thanks for your review!

[superduper123]

Here is a brief review of our trip (1/12-16). I will preface this by saying I usually do weeklong cruises so I feel like it's a little difficult to compare the two. We've always enjoyed outstanding service on the seven-nighters and this trip, while most everyone was nice, it paled in comparison to what we were used to (especially since our last cruise was on Oasis).

 

Embarkation: We had to wait in a bit of a line, but that's because we got there around 2 p.m. when everyone else was trying to board. The woman working at the ticket counter was pleasant and funny. By the time we got to our cabin, our luggage had already been delivered - that has never happened before and was a pleasant surprise.

 

We then headed to the Windjammer for lunch. We had to eat fairly quickly because the buffet closed at 3:30 and we were (repeatedly) told that we had to get to the muster drill by 4 p.m. Sailaway occurred just after 4:30 p.m.

 

Cabin: We were in 9200, a balcony room that connected to the room next door (we had a group of seven women for a 40th birthday celebration and it was nice to be able to go from room to room). The room was clean, no problems there. We stayed to unpack but never saw our cabin steward, which was strange as I have always had them introduce themselves immediately. The room had a great location - two flights up to the pool and the Windjammer - and close to the stairs, but it wasn't loud.

 

Sea Days: All of us were looking forward to relaxing so we spent most of our time laying out by the pool or in the Solarium. We did the climbing wall the first sea day but the second sea day was too windy for it to be open. I wanted to do some trivia but it always seemed to be at inconvenient times for me. I would have liked to have seen one around 5 p.m. but they were all earlier than that. Oh well! In general, there seemed to be fewer activities but it wasn't a big deal since all I really wanted to do was sit around, read and have drinks served to me.

 

Cozumel: Although the weather was awful (rained all day), we had a fabulous time on the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour. We had a group of 40 people and hit four bars on the East side of the island. Great hosts and a LOT of fun. I won't go into too much more detail as there is a long thread on the Ports of Call board. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a fun day!

 

Dining: I was pretty unimpressed. On the two sea days, they set up the same Mexican buffet by the pool. I had it once but that was enough for me. The second sea day we went to the Seaview Cafe. I ordered a Cuban sandwich which I didn't care for and swapped it out for a cheeseburger. One friend tried the clam chowder and she didn't like it. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fish and chips but they only give you two small pieces of fish so if you get this, order extra fish! Breakfast in the Windjammer - your standard fare. I was excited to see Cream of Wheat on the buffet! Scrambled eggs aren't very good - I suggest waiting in line to get an omelet.

 

In the MDR, the food was OK. Our waiters were nice but on the formal night, since we were seated next to the Captain's table, we were basically an afterthought. I know the waiters were focused on that table but it was frustrating to have to wait a long time for the things we asked for. Also, we had two birthdays during the trip. We ordered specialty cakes for both. The name was wrong on the first one and the second one was mistakenly delivered to our room without the name being written on it (just Happy Birthday). Not a big deal, but I think the cakes were $25 each so it would have been nice to have them done correctly. Again, I think I am biased toward the weeklong cruises because we have formed some good relationships with our waitstaff, who became like friends to us. Perhaps because it was a shorter trip, but I never felt like we got into that kind of rapport with them.

 

Entertainment/activities: This was my first cruise with a female cruise director, which was cool, but I didn't see her around the ship too much. Plus, the morning show was really lame - basically just her and another staffer reading off the Compass. The welcome aboard show was good - comedian was funny, made fun of my friend which gave us a good laugh for the rest of the trip. There was supposed to be an adult comedian the second night, but when we went to see him, it had apparently been canceled with no information about why. I did not go to any of the revue-style shows because I generally find them cheesy at best. The Battle of the Sexes gameshow was funny, as was the Quest. I always enjoy those, and the host, Carlos, was really great and very funny. He also called Bingo and was quite entertaining there as well. We went to the Vortex each night, which was fun, but I do wish cruise ships would play more current music and less Electric Slide and old stuff! And I really wish RCI would retire the whole '70s revival they have going on each ship. But I do get it - there is a demand for it, people expect it and what can you do?

 

Cabin steward: Our guy was nice, but again, we really didn't see him much. My last steward we talked to so much that we became FB friends.

 

Misc: With the exception of a few crew members, I didn't feel like anyone really went above and beyond in service. Just kind of bland, for the most part, and some seemed like they were rather miserable! I don't need to be fawned all over or greeted by everyone I see, but I guess I'm just used to it being a little different on longer trips...Room service was great and quick...Ship was beautiful...Disembarkation was really quick and easy.

 

Overall, because I was with some really fun people, we had a great time. Had I not been "spoiled" on previous cruises, I probably would not have been as nitpicky, but I do definitely see a difference in the level of service you get on a shorter cruise than you do on a longer one. For the money and the ease of travel (as I live in Tampa), I'd probably do this trip again for a quick getaway to just sit around and read and relax, but I am sure my next cruise will be a weeklong one. One of the parts I enjoy best about cruising is getting to know the crew members and building those relationships, and I wish there could have been more of that on this trip.

 

Again, any questions - glad to answer them!

I was on this cruise also, and agree with most of your comments about food and service. Everything was "ok" but nothing exceptional. I also do not understand the rave about the Seaview Cafe. Here again, I just found the food to be average.

[kruzerci]

This is basically what I'm expecting from Jewel later this year. She wasn't our favorite ship the last time we sailed on her, but I know by December, I will be ready for a couple relaxing days at sea and fun in Cozumel. I've found all I really care about on the short cruises is having a nice spot in the sun on the pool deck and somebody to cook and clean for me. My expectations are always lowered signifcantly before we take a short cruise

 

Thanks for the review.

[Pumbaamd]

We were on this cruise and ate lunch once at the Seaview Cafe. DW had a veggie sandwich on a whole wheat roll with lots of fresh avocado and bean sprouts among other veggies and loved it. My tuna melt was very good. Our friends enjoyed their Reubens very much. Looks like we found some good things on the menu. Dinner was fine with good service.

Our cabin attendant in 9586 Mark was outstanding. Talked with him several times a day.

We really had a great time on Jewel.

Rick and Deirdra

[jalaw]

We were on this cruise and ate lunch once at the Seaview Cafe. DW had a veggie sandwich on a whole wheat roll with lots of fresh avocado and bean sprouts among other veggies and loved it. My tuna melt was very good. Our friends enjoyed their Reubens very much. Looks like we found some good things on the menu. Dinner was fine with good service.

Our cabin attendant in 9586 Mark was outstanding. Talked with him several times a day.

We really had a great time on Jewel.

Rick and Deirdra

 

Thanks Rick & Deidra for the positive words on this cruise. We are booked for the March 8th 4-day and I was a bit disillusioned with this review.

Joyce

[Emeripsni]

Thanks Rick & Deidra for the positive words on this cruise. We are booked for the March 8th 4-day and I was a bit disillusioned with this review.

Joyce

 

Joyce - We had a great time on this cruise and sure you will too.

 

My review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1550989

[jalaw]

Joyce - We had a great time on this cruise and sure you will too.

 

My review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1550989

 

Such a coincidence - I just finished reading your great review before I saw your note. In fact I just sent the link to DH and friends from Tampa who are going with us!

Thanks!

Joyce

[Emeripsni]

This one was also from the same cruise - some great pictures!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1551996

 

It's what you make it so have a blast!!

[93beachbum]

I was on this cruise as well, the biggest disappointment was the service. Maybe I'm biased since my previous cruise was the oasis last oct. didn't have the same service feel. Had better more personal service there as well as on my monarch cruise.

 

I think I'm spoiled by the big ship, now...

 

But it was still a good time and I met some great people :)