Almost "LIVE" Jewel Feb 18; Late but Great! (the ship, not the review!)

[Familygoboston]

After the Seaview, we all decide to go to the Windjammer to see what is on the desert table. Mom gets a few cakes and the girls and I go for ice cream.

 

This is for you, Curtis

 

(photo of ice cream; this is an inside joke for bionicman97 who wrote a terrific and funny review of Jewel http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1403828, that helped me fall in love with her and decide to book! I may have been just a wee bit critical of his ice cream skills)

 

 

Notice that it does not look like the neighborhood dog wandered into the Windjammer? I'm not saying this is the best example...one guy in front of me did a fine job, and I said "looks like someone has worked at DQ in the past" and he said, ruefully, "No , someone has taken too many of these cruises!".

 

Curtis, now you know what you need to do to perfect your technique! You have an important responsibility...you are raising the next generation of little cruisers and it's time to strive for a new aesthetic with your desserts! ( Note the mint garnish...I stole this from my moms cake, just to add to the pretty!)

 

We like to sit in the comfy couches that are not quite in and not quite out. There are so many wonderful seating areas in the Jewel WIndjammer, it absolutely the most superb Windjammer in the fleet! Here is a map of all the seating areas, you could visit every day and never sit in the same type of space twice! The windjammer is a triumph on this ship; I hope they keep it this way forever!

 

(photo of WJ map)

 

 

Can you see moms sun glasses in this photo? She is shortish, so she put one cushion on top of the other in order to reach the table (like a booster seat!) and managed to leave her glasses there. The next morning after a fruitless search for her magnet clip glasses, she returned to the WJ, roused the people sitting there for breakfast out of their seats and found her glasses under the cushion!

 

(photos of Windjammer- see the doubled cushion... that's moms seat)

 

These glasses caused us much consternation, because the little magnet clips on the sunglasses that are supposed to attach them to her regular glasses kept demagnetizing her sea pass card. (this could happen to anyone in is in no way related to her advanced age!) Finally, on day 3 she realized what was causing it and kept the glasses and sea pass separate from each other.

 

This is an important tip; be very careful with your Seapass around magnets and electronics like cell phones (though I had no trouble with mine next to my camera); the Seapasses demagnetize and then you can't open your door! You can go to Guest Services and they will give you a new one. They did this for my mom at least 3 times; they are trained to be patient with elderly ladies...wait, she's not elderly, they are trained to be nice to everyone!

 

CruiseEm needs to see the Belly Flop competition, which she has read about on CC (she is literally driving me crazy with all her plans...am I like this, is this what I've wrought? Oh No!?) So while mom heads to the cabin for a nap, we head for the upper pool deck. I feel that leaning against the rail up there is the best spot to see the Belly Flop competition, because you get a real birds eye view, and unlike some ships with the big video screens, you need to be eagle eyed to see the action, as there will be no video replay on Jewel (and I for one am glad not to see a screen on the pool deck)!

 

I make one slight miscalculation though and pick a spot on the wrong side of the covered hot tub which obstructs our view ever so slightly (I say slightly because the contestants cannot be so easily obstructed) This is a fun event, I'll let Em explain it a little more to you, since she was so interested in seeing it. But it involves big men making big splashes!

 

After the first round oldest daughter and I had had enough sun and went to the cabin to join DM for a nap. But Em stayed till the medals were awarded!

[Familygoboston]

That sign reminds me of the comedian Bill Ingval, "Here's your sign"! No diving? Seriously? Why not?

 

Not familiar with him...I'll have to google it! The chair thing would be better if everyone just used one when they needed one, then there would be enough! But I try to stay out "food fights", just 'cause they never seem productive:rolleyes:

 

Imteresting. So far your impressions of Jewel seem to match mine of Serenade pretty closely.

 

There are some people whose reviews I read and if they say "I liked it" I think I probably will too! I think we have similar tastes in what we are looking for in a cruise, so I'm not surprised you had similar impressions of Radiance class.

 

Where did you go on Serenade? I wish I had the time to take one of those long scenic cruises on a Radiance class ship...but I'm not at that point in my life!:(

[bionicman97]

After the Seaview, we all decide to go to the Windjammer to see what is on the desert table. Mom gets a few cakes and the girls and I go for ice cream.

 

This is for you, Curtis

 

(photo of ice cream; this is an inside joke for bionicman97 who wrote a terrific and funny review of Jewel http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1403828, that helped me fall in love with her and decide to book! I may have been just a wee bit critical of his ice cream skills)

 

 

Notice that it does not look like the neighborhood dog wandered into the Windjammer? I'm not saying this is the best example...one guy in front of me did a fine job, and I said "looks like someone has worked at DQ in the past" and he said, ruefully, "No , someone has taken too many of these cruises!".

 

Curtis, now you know what you need to do to perfect your technique! You have an important responsibility...you are raising the next generation of little cruisers and it's time to strive for a new aesthetic with your desserts! ( Note the mint garnish...I stole this from my moms cake, just to add to the pretty!)

 

. . .

 

Nice touch on the mint! I now know that I will have to strive to make a nicer looking cone, if nothing else, for the respect of my family :D:eek:

 

I agree with you on the design of the ships. We have been on every size but the Oasis. My favorite is the Voyager class. I love the Promenade, but the walks are a little shorter than the Freedom Class.

 

I love subletting the chair. This has given me an idea. I will bring proper documents on the next cruise and make an attempt to get up early and then lease out chairs :D

[Familygoboston]

Its formal night so we pose on the famous neon lit stairs of Jewel for a formal picture, which we buy with our "buy one get one 1/2 off" C & A coupon later. It will be the only photo we purchase, but we take this one too.

 

(formal night photo)

 

 

(or rather a passerby offers to take it for us) We saw a few people dressed up in tuxes and formal dresses, more in dark suits and sun dresses or dressy pant suits. We did MTD and it's always a little more casual than the early or late dining will be because usually you are dining at a table with only your own party. There was a range of dress for this cruise, but I thought everyone looked nice in what they were wearing.

 

We have MTD on deck 5 scheduled for 6:30 every night. If we need to make a change in plans, we can easily switch it, but if not we know we have a standing reservation all week. We have Teoddy, from the Phillipines, as our assistant waiter and Joseph, from India, as our waiter.

 

They are wonderful, friendly, super efficient and in no time they figure out we are the seafood queens! We have left the landlubber husbands home and other than 2 pieces of beef mom orders, everything we eat except for dessert was plucked from the sea! They asked us back, which was so very nice (and means, maybe we aren't the rude ones on the cruise after all!). The table has a view of the sea, but is very close to the serving area, but this does not bother us, the food comes out quickly and hot! We make the request at the MTD reservation kiosk to dine with Joseph and Teoddy every night, and are accommodated easily.

 

I enjoying the food on Jewel better than the same menus on Oasis and Navigator. (For the uninitiated; all RCL menus are the same across the fleet, just the days are changed based on the length of the cruise) Partly, after many RCL cruises, I have learned the gems from the clunkers on the menu. But even within my little frame of reference, the Jewel food has more flavor and spices. It's like they hand out the same amount of spices to each ship no matter how many pax there are!

 

 

After dinner, we head to the Coral Theater to see the show; West End to

Broadway.

 

(Photos of marquee and theater)

 

 

(this photo is from our view...we prefer sitting in the balcony; if you want the whole story see below *)

 

 

The West End to Broadway show was really well done. I find RCL's entertainment is very good. The singers and dancers are very talented, as good as any traveling Broadway show, and they spare no expense with interesting sets and costume changes. The songs were a bit obscure, but my girls are big theater kids and so they recognized or had performed in many of the shows represented. There was no real plot to this show, it was a typical variety show.

 

Oh, also...RCL always has fabulous a orchestra on board! This one was no exception and on te last night they played a warm up big band jazz piece with incredible drum solo's that was so incredible that I felt they could just have a show with big band jazz!

 

The CD, Dennis Charles, did go on for a bit after the show, and I'm usually not that interested because not only have I read my Cruise Compass, but I've usually examined the prior Cruise Compasses for the past year with the scrutiny of a TSA agent and I have a pretty good idea about what is going on and what I'd like to do. But if you are a non planner or new crusier, it is helpful to have him point out what is going on around the ship.

 

I should also note here that I don't take photos of the shows for a couple of reasons, but mostly because I'm not entirely sure how to make sure the flash doesn't go off in the middle of one!

 

* When I started cruising I was a hormonal mess (always pregnant, or expecting to be or having just been) and I often felt motion sickness on the first few nights of the cruise. This was always worse in the theater where I would be watching something that was moving differently than my own body and the ship. It was not uncommon that I would have to make a quick get away to clear my head on deck. I learned over the years that sitting in the balcony also allowed me a non disruptive exit, if I found the show just doesn't interest me, or if I don't really want to listen to the CD yaw on and on about bingo after the show.

[Familygoboston]

After the show the teens ditched us for the teen club; they are not joiners and are usually pretty shy, so it is stunning to me that they connected with the other teens in the teen club. I'll let Em post a few photos of the Teen Club Fuel. But I am very glad they are having a good time!

 

I followed mom into the casino. She plays the penny slots; starts with $20 and hopes just to make it last all week. She knows that this is what the old ladies do, but remember mom is not old, she's just a young person with lots of experience, who also likes to play the penny slots. Sometimes she's a real high roller and plays the nickels...I know, that's my inheritance she's playing with, but I want her to have joy in her life.

 

I don't gamble at all. I just don't find it fun. I understand there is some excitement in hearing the tinkle, tinkle of the coins hitting the pan when you win, but I think you can get that very same feeling playing the change machine and you know you will break even!

 

I give mom all my "Spin to Win" coupons (she tells me later she won $2.45 on one of my free spins and has no plans to share any of it with me; I would hope if she won the free cruise she would take me, but I can't be sure! And maybe I'd better re think that inheritance:rolleyes:)

 

So after a few casino photo ops, I wandered around the ship exploring. I took plenty of photos, but will post those tomorrow since I did this on most nights. Not being a gambler, I headed back to the cabin to pack up my day bag for Cozumel.

 

(Photo of Casino Royale)

 

 

(photo of mom)

 

 

 

 

This notice was in our room tonight.

 

(Photo of note)

 

 

This is another little bonus of this cruise...the extra hour. It's a beautiful thing for those of us who aren't night owls, and I was unaware of this before I sailed. So it's a little like " oops, I don't mean to stay out till 1AM, but I'll just move this clock here back an hour...and there, much better! It's only midnight!"

 

Now, I recognize that in writing this I might just give the impression that I'm out having a really good time; I'm drinking, I'm betting $500 a hand at black jack, I'm dancing like no one is watching. So I think it's only fair that I make it clear that the fact is, I stumbled back to my cabin at 10:30 and only remained up until midnight because I had to wait for my teens who were out having actual fun.

 

And I do wait, simply because I never want to be one of those parents who has to post on Cruise Critic that "Security called and woke me up to tell me that my kid..."

 

The girls have a midnight curfew because I'm not staying up later than that! They may moan, and they may cry about " missing the party" but I remind them Cinderella left the party early and he came looking for HER! (now, I know that sounds terrible, because, lets face it, Cinderella was not your most empowered Princess, but it's just a general philosophy...you don't have to put it all out there to get folks to like you ( look at Snooki; people hate her!) Oh, and for the record, we would never encourage our girls to wait for Prince Charming to show up with a glass slipper. We expect them to graduate from MIT and work with him.

 

The girls arrive giddy but safe and sound after a fun night. I grill them to ensure they didn't commit any behaviors about which I will read as a litany of complaints in someone else's reviews on CC. After the requisite amount of eye rolling, and they assure me that they behaved themselves, we put out our room service breakfast menus and we all hit the pillows.

[niksmom630]

Nice job on the review, I may wait a few days to post mine because your a tough act to follow! Sorry our meet and mingle never came to fruition, but maybe our cruising paths will cross again in the future.:)

[Familygoboston]

Nice touch on the mint! I now know that I will have to strive to make a nicer looking cone, if nothing else, for the respect of my family :D:eek:

 

I agree with you on the design of the ships. We have been on every size but the Oasis. My favorite is the Voyager class. I love the Promenade, but the walks are a little shorter than the Freedom Class.

 

I love subletting the chair. This has given me an idea. I will bring proper documents on the next cruise and make an attempt to get up early and then lease out chairs :D

 

Isn't it funny that as soon as I hit the ice cream machine I thought of you and your uncle? You have the right genes, so you are on your way....hope the little guy is doing well and that you and your wife are enjoying him!

 

Good luck with your new business as a chairlord;)

 

We loved Voyager class (NOS) too, and I think that's what we will be looking for on our next getaway cruise...but that's a long way off as we have a family trip to Galapagos this summer and a cruise on PG for our 25th anniversary in the fall. I bought a NC on this trip, so I may see what they offer for Dec 2013 when they are available.

[Familygoboston]

Nice job on the review, I may wait a few days to post mine because your a tough act to follow! Sorry our meet and mingle never came to fruition, but maybe our cruising paths will cross again in the future.:)

 

Oh no! You must post! Everyone has different perspectives, don't worry about it already being "done". Sorry we didn't meet, hope to see your review soon!

[BillOh]

They did this for my mom at least 3 times; they are trained to be patient with elderly ladies...wait, she's not elderly, they are trained to be nice to everyone!

 

But not for middle aged men. At least on Allure this was the only time I got less than great service on that ship.

[Familygoboston]

and maybe more from CruiseEm, after her saxophone lesson:D

[Familygoboston]

 

[bionicman97]

Isn't it funny that as soon as I hit the ice cream machine I thought of you and your uncle? You have the right genes, so you are on your way....hope the little guy is doing well and that you and your wife are enjoying him!

 

Good luck with your new business as a chairlord;)

 

We loved Voyager class (NOS) too, and I think that's what we will be looking for on our next getaway cruise...but that's a long way off as we have a family trip to Galapagos this summer and a cruise on PG for our 25th anniversary in the fall. I bought a NC on this trip, so I may see what they offer for Dec 2013 when they are available.

 

Little guy is doing great. Just had his 4 month old appt, up to 17.6 pounds!

 

Chairlord ~ I love my new title ;)

 

Galapagos sounds awesome!

[BillOh]

Not familiar with him...I'll have to google it!

 

Whoa! Credibility falling! ;)

[Ocean Boy]

There are some people whose reviews I read and if they say "I liked it" I think I probably will too! I think we have similar tastes in what we are looking for in a cruise, so I'm not surprised you had similar impressions of Radiance class.

 

Where did you go on Serenade? I wish I had the time to take one of those long scenic cruises on a Radiance class ship...but I'm not at that point in my life!:(

 

We did a southern Caribbean sailing from San Juan to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. It was very port intensive with the only sea day being the last. The awesome part was that last sea day was when they used to do the scenic route and do sail-bys past several islands on the way back to San Juan. The captain did an awesome narration of the journey giving us the name and a bit of history of each island that we went by. He also stopped the ship as we sailed by Montserrat and gave use amazing views of the destruction that the volcano did to this island.

 

It was a great cruise.

[Familygoboston]

Little guy is doing great. Just had his 4 month old appt, up to 17.6 pounds!

 

Aww! He sounds so sweet! You'll have to cruise soon so we can see photos of the little K.

 

Whoa! Credibility falling! ;)

Oh no...:(

 

We did a southern Caribbean sailing from San Juan to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. It was very port intensive with the only sea day being the last. The awesome part was that last sea day was when they used to do the scenic route and do sail-bys past several islands on the way back to San Juan. The captain did an awesome narration of the journey giving us the name and a bit of history of each island that we went by. He also stopped the ship as we sailed by Montserrat and gave use amazing views of the destruction that the volcano did to this island.

 

It was a great cruise.

That's a very appealing cruise too. I do like those smaller islands, and generally love port intensives...I'm finding the RCL itineraries are getting stale for me. I can't do a long TA or Repo, there is not much on this hemisphere that is holding my interest lately.

We are cruising Allure in 2013 to show her off to the kids, but after that I really want to go to some new places...we will see what is on offer for Dec 2013. Figures just when I earn a few benefits, I'll probably be moving on to another cruiseline:rolleyes:

[Ocean Boy]

That's a very appealing cruise too. I do like those smaller islands, and generally love port intensives...I'm finding the RCL itineraries are getting stale for me. I can't do a long TA or Repo, there is not much on this hemisphere that is holding my interest lately.

We are cruising Allure in 2013 to show her off to the kids, but after that I really want to go to some new places...we will see what is on offer for Dec 2013. Figures just when I earn a few benefits, I'll probably be moving on to another cruiseline:rolleyes:

 

That would driv me crazy. I just cannot sit still very long. A couple of sea days in a row is about the limit for me. I need to get on land and do some real moving. Maybe if I went to the gym on the ship and did my normal run on a treadmill it would help my "hyperactivity". But I hate creating all those sweaty clothes everyday.:rolleyes:

[sail2sea]

Great review! This ship is friggin' gorgeous! No wonder it is my friend's favorite.

[Familygoboston]

Great review! This ship is friggin' gorgeous! No wonder it is my friend's favorite.

 

My pictures do not do it justice! It is really pretty!

[bionicman97]

Aww! He sounds so sweet! You'll have to cruise soon so we can see photos of the little K.. .

 

I think we are going to try one in the fall, once we is on some real food, with a full review of course ;)

[Familygoboston]

Well, Em had a busy night of homework...but she did get a chance to email me her submission (from upstairs, LOL!) I'll share it with you under my account rather than log her in. Her words...blue, my words...black.

 

Day 2

Sea Day!

Today I lazily roll out of bed at 8 . (Okay actually I wanted to sleep to 9 but somebody...DS.. woke me up). After a quick bite at the Windjammer (What no ice cream in the morning :() we head out to the pool. Jewel has one main pool, a kiddy area and the Solarium. The main pool was loud and filled with little ones age 5-6. At 5' 9" I was terrified I would kick someone in the head. Finally I succumbed to the temptation and headed to the Solarium.

 

I feel like RCI could lower its age limit but have a zero-tolerance policy for horseplay JMHO. Anyway continuing with the review, the Solarium pool is very beautiful. I didn't get many pictures because I didn't want to be disruptive but it has a nice jungle/temple theme.

Seafood!

After a pleasant day at the pool we all headed out to the Seaview. YUM! One note about the Seaview. They seem to have a policy about no cover-ups bathing suits or towels. This is only spottily enforced (We were told to go sit outside but later in the week people were eating inside in bathing suits). After a very filling lunch at the Seaview I head for a quick trip down to the Windjammer for… you guessed it… ice cream! The off to the belly flop contest!

 

OW!

That's me cringing during the belly flop contest. I had to stay for the whole thing even though DM and DS abandoned me halfway through. It was definitely a ahh… an experience. File this under, please let this be once in a lifetime.

To be honest the rest of the day managed to ooze through my fingers. It's like "cruisegate"...no accounting for the time between 3 and dinner at 6.

Resting on our balcony and getting ready for dinner; it's my job to know where you are at all times;)

Dinner

This is my first ever time in a Royal Caribbean dining room so more first time cruisers thoughts.

I was a little upset to be in the balcony because I wanted to look at the chandelier but the full sized picture windows definitely made up for it

The food was decent… what you might expect from a chain

The service was exceptional.

 

A PSA for the ladies here: If you are forgetful like me, do not leave your purse under your chair. I forgot it twice.

I spent the rest of the night in the teen club which was similar to the first night. Its getting late so I'll save the in depth review for tomorrow.

She's just learning to carry one, and it is an improtant thing to remember

[proudpatriot07]

I'm reading along :). Really like the idea of cruising out of Tampa. Looks like you guys are having fun so far!

[duncanmaria]

Another fabulous review from Familygoboston! Thank you so much for sharing!

 

And don't worry for a minute about your tenses (which mostly fine, BTW). Your writing is full of heart and humor - much more important than being grammatically correct.

[Cupcrazy]

Fantastic review so far. Looks like you guys had a great vacation. I'm definitely subscribing to this review

[Familygoboston]

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Day 3 Monday, Feb 20 Cozumel

 

 

Because of the clock push back, I am up at 7 to see us arrive and dock. It's strange in the aft cabin because you can't see where you are going, but the view is so panoramic back here. I took a bunch of photos.

 

(Photos of arrival in Cozumel)

 

 

There is a lot of marine traffic, all the scuba/snorkel tour operators are bringing their boats into the harbor, there are 2 ships in already; the Mariner and a Carnival ship and there is a Norwegian ship following us in.

 

 

 

(photo of Jewel in Cozumel)