Jewel of the Seas--12/27 - 12/31 VERY LONG PHOTO REVIEW

[mark290]

Great review so far. Thanks for doing it.

[mets550]

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Jewel next year and have cabin 1104 aft. Looks pretty close to where you were. I'm looking forward to hearing how everything was for you.:)

 

Larry

 

1104 was actually our cabin. It was great--you have a straight-on view of the wake. Our cabin attendant was Elvin, who was excellent as well and to whom we gave our other two WOW cards.

[Norwegianlatvian]

Great review. Going on Jewel myself in September. Hopefully it will be by honeymoon cruise.

[Miss Vickie]

We're booked on JW for a B2B in January 2014 (out of San Juan). We're Radiance class vets, with a total of 10 cruises combined on Serenade and Radiance. 1104 is our favorite cabin, and we have it booked for our B2B. Love those Radiance class afts! The balconies are much bigger than the mid-ship D1 or D2 balconies (unless you're on a hump), and the D1/D2 balconies along the sides of the ship (unless you're on a hump) won't have the loungers.

[mets550]

DAY THREE

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2012

COZUMEL, MEXICO

 

I woke up around 8:00 a.m. today, although it was really 9:00 a.m. but for the time change the night before. It was a beautiful morning and definitely our nicest and warmest day yet. The sun was shining and it was hot even walking out onto the balcony. (NOTE: Because the aft balconies are so deep, it seemed like the first half of our balcony [the half closest to the cabin door] was much warmer than the second half, even when we weren’t moving.)

 

 

 

 

Our neighbor in port was Liberty of the Seas!

 

 

 

I decided to try out the gym, as our excursion did not meet until 10:45 a.m. The gym was very nice and definitely sufficient for all but the most intense fitness fanatic. There were plenty of treadmills, ellipticals, and other cardio pieces. There was also a small area with free weights and a handful of machines. The gym here certainly does not compare to the Freedom-class gyms, but it absolutely met my needs. I spent twenty minutes on the elliptical and then did some free weights. As always, the views from the cardio machines are unrivaled by any gym on land.

[mets550]

With still some time to kill, I headed back to the room and we went up to the Windjammer for a bit. I brought DF some pancakes and french toast but decided that I wanted something myself. Neither of us are big into breakfast and usually opt for an early lunch instead. However, I grabbed some bacon and bread from the WJ and we sat down. We sat facing Liberty and watched as cabin attendants and maintenance people worked on individual cabins across from us. We even saw one cabin attendant trying to get a close-up of something from one of the suites:

 

 

We got off the ship and took some pictures. The Carnival Triumph was also in port that day:

 

 

The Jewel is on the right:

 

 

 

 

At 10:45 a.m. we walked over to where our excursion was to meet. We had booked the Isla Pasion (Passion Island) by Twister excursion through RCI. We had done Passion Island three-and-a-half years ago on Enchantment (our very first cruise together) and absolutely loved it. This time was no different. The excursion was a bit pricy ($79 per person for adults) but included a lunch buffet (mediocre at best), an open bar (with a limited selection), and a beautiful, peaceful day on the beach. The island is privately owned and, while it seemed more crowded than last time, was much less crowded than Labadee or Coco Cay with only about 200 people, half of whom left halfway into our day. (However, our guide told us that the day before they had 1,000 people. I don’t really believe her though, since I don’t think there were even close to enough chairs for that many people; my suspicion was that she said that just to make it seem like we got an especially good day.) On Enchantment, we took the catamaran to the island, which was also an option on this cruise. However, we instead chose to take the twister (same price for adults), which left for and arrived at the island earlier and even departed the island later than the catamaran. The twister also does various tricks and spins in the water and goes about 60 miles per hour, creating a nice breeze and soaking us in the process. I would definitely recommend the twister over the catamaran if you do this excursion.

[mets550]

Here is a shot of the twister:

 

 

The ride was about twenty-five to thirty minutes long and, after a welcome photo (which we ended up purchasing for $12), we were on the beach. One negative of Isla Pasion, however, is that the large majority of the chairs are white banana-like chairs that sit directly on the sand:

 

 

There were a few blue, regular lounge chairs, which we snagged as the first group of people who had arrived before us left, but most people were in the white ones. You can see one of the regular lounge chairs in the left-center of this picture:

 

 

As I mentioned, the beach itself is beautiful. The water was comfortable, especially considering it was late December, although not as warm as last time we were there (late June). We spent some time in the water and also enjoyed just laying out, soaking up the best few hours of sun we had all trip. The lunch buffet included mahi mahi (which I actually liked), chicken wings and drumsticks (not great), rice (okay), chips and salsa/guacamole (very good, although I ate too much of the super-hot salsa!), and a few other things I can’t remember. The food was nothing special, but it held us over until we got back to the ship. The open bar featured dos equis beer and a handful of mixed drinks; I don’t remember if there was any wine option but doubt it. I had a few dos equis and margaritas, which were excellent. All in all, I highly recommend Isla Pasion and will likely return. Neither is this a drunk-fest like some other all-inclusive tours; there were a lot of families and couples like us and only a few noticeably drunk people. My only complaint is that it is just too short. Even though the entire tour was five hours, when you include transportation, photo ops, and packing-up/meeting time, there are really only about three hours on the beach. However, this is true of most ship-sponsored beach excursions, and Isla Pasion is probably the most beautiful and peaceful beach we’ve been to.

 

Not too crowded:

 

 

These toys were all included, although they did mention a few other for-fee water toys.

 

[mets550]

 

 

 

We even saw a crab in the sand!

 

 

We then boarded the twister, did some very fun spins in the water, and headed back to the port. We considered making a pit stop at Senor Frogs, which is located just outside of the terminal area, but decided against it as we had towels and bags to carry and were soaked from the twister ride.

 

Once onboard we checked out the Seaview Café, about which I had read such positive things.

 

[mets550]

We got a Nathan’s hot dog with fries (much much better than the WJ hot dogs), New England Clam Chowder (excellent), the feathers and fingers (good but fried), and the chips and guacamole (decent). I highly recommend trying this place at least once on your cruise. (TIP: Their hours are somewhat sporadic, so consult the Compass before making the journey up to deck twelve.)

 

 

After our snack, we headed back to our cabin to watch the sun set on our balcony.

 

 

I got ready first and hit the casino while DF got ready. I actually ended up winning a small amount this time, although I would give it back plus more the next day. :cool:

 

The show tonight began at 7:00 p.m. and featured the comedy and magic of Matthew DiSero. He was very good, combining jokes with magic—very entertaining for forty-five minutes. After the show we went to the Top Tier event, which was held in the Safari Lounge. We walked in a bit late and didn’t stay long; we grabbed a glass of champagne each and left after the announcement of the three top cruises onboard.

 

We then hung out in the Schooner Bar for a few minutes and went to our 8:30 p.m. dinner at Portofino. The service tonight, unlike day one, was significantly underwhelming. We only had one waitress (no assistant like on other ships), and she seemed to be way overworked. The funny thing was, though, the restaurant was not even close to full. All of the waiters seemed to be running around like madmen, and the restaurant appeared to be terribly understaffed; I can only imagine what it would have been like if they were completely full. Usually, one waiter handles things like bread, drinks, and water while the other takes your order and brings out the food; in both Chops and Portofino on this cruise, however, we had only one waiter/waitress, and the understaffing affected out enjoyment. There were a lot of crewmembers eating in Portofino tonight too.

 

We got bread but did not get the dipping sauces that everyone else got. I also wanted to order a drink, but our waitress was nowhere to be found. I got up and said something to Anthony, the manager, and our issues were quickly redressed. However, a leisurely meal was interrupted because the wait staff was literally sprinting around the room, and we knew that any small request would likely take a long time. I didn’t get the porterhouse again and opted for just the spiedino di mare but without salmon and with an extra lobster tail. DF ordered two different pasta entrees, but, just before the meals came out, the waitress said there would be en extra charge for her second entrée (a pasta). On Explorer, we were told that only two meat/seafood dishes would garner an extra charge but that a second entrée—when that second dish is a pasta dish—does not. DF said to forget about the second dish, but they brought it out by mistake anyway and never charged for it. In addition to my issue with the understaffing in both Chops and Portofino, it should be clear upfront that this meal is NOT all-you-can-eat, like every other meal on the ship. I understand that the portions are much larger in the specialty restaurants, but there should not be an extra charge to get a second pasta entrée. And, if they are going to charge, they should explain exactly what results in a charge. In Chops on our last night, our waiter suggested that all of the appetizers we ordered should result in an extra charge but he would take care of it for us; in Portofino, our waitress mentioned an extra charge for a second pasta dish only just before it came out. If the meal is not all-inclusive, then that should be clearly stated up-front and all additional charges should be clearly explained. [sorry for that rant—had to get it out.]

 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t even finish the first of my two lobster tails, as some combination of the motion of the ship (which usually doesn’t bother me but was significant that night), the margaritas in Cozumel, and the food didn’t agree with me. I actually left dinner early and DF brought our leftovers back to the room. Both of us felt off that night, and we just collapsed upon hitting the bed, missing the 70s party in the centrum.

 

Though the evening ended in a less-than-desirable fashion, today was by far our best day of the vacation.

 

Day 4 and general comments later…

[samj80]

Excellent review! I have cabin 9256 booked for the May 2nd cruise to Cozumel. I'm even more excited for my cruise after looking at your pictures.

[mj]

Thanks for the review on the Jewel Had a great time on her in November.

[MrFunInTheSun]

Thanks for sharing your cruise adventures with us and taking us along. Those steaks look so good.

[navigator71]

You do realize you need to finish this review by the time I leave next Wed? I'm sailing on the Jewel (jan 10) and need to know the complete journey!! :confused:

[Kevdog71]

Thanks so much for this wonderful and thorough review! DW and I are also on Jewel next week and are also looking forward to our first aft cabin on deck 10. Your photos have me really looking forward to it!

 

One question: You mentioned things were a little rough leaving Cozumel, but how were the two "at sea" days? The motion never affects me, but DW has been known to be susceptible to motion sickness if things get too rough.

[navigator71]

kevdog71: any aft room is truly a gift!! We had one on Princess...we had booked an ocean view and were upgraded by the fairy to an aft. Honestly if we could afford it every time, we would book one!!!!!!! There's something so serene and quiet about that part of a ship. My DH and I felt like we were the only ones on the ship and had some very special, quiet, moments to just be, on that part of the ship. No matter how the deck feels or the room, just know you have the best place on the ship. Breeze or no breeze you have one of the very limited spaces at sea that are secluded just for you and your guest!!!. It was a truly magical experience and one I know I will book in the future when life gets a little more flexible. Have fun, let go, and be in the moment. When you look at the wake of the ship, remind yourself that within the week, you will not be able to look down and see such an unusual and glorious sight!!!

 

By the way, we sail with you too!!! Have you joined the Roll Call? You don't have to meet us all but we'd love to hear from you!

 

Safe travels and very special memories!!!!

[mets550]

Thanks so much for this wonderful and thorough review! DW and I are also on Jewel next week and are also looking forward to our first aft cabin on deck 10. Your photos have me really looking forward to it!

 

One question: You mentioned things were a little rough leaving Cozumel, but how were the two "at sea" days? The motion never affects me, but DW has been known to be susceptible to motion sickness if things get too rough.

 

The first sea day was pretty calm but the night we left Cozumel and the last sea day were both rocky. The captain said it had something to do with the swells in the sea[?]. I think there is always a chance of some rough seas in the wintertime, but the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea are generally calmer than the Atlantic. I imagine our experience was more the exception than the norm.

[UNV-IT!!!]

1104 was actually our cabin. It was great--you have a straight-on view of the wake. Our cabin attendant was Elvin, who was excellent as well and to whom we gave our other two WOW cards.

 

We're booked on JW for a B2B in January 2014 (out of San Juan). We're Radiance class vets, with a total of 10 cruises combined on Serenade and Radiance. 1104 is our favorite cabin, and we have it booked for our B2B. Love those Radiance class afts! The balconies are much bigger than the mid-ship D1 or D2 balconies (unless you're on a hump), and the D1/D2 balconies along the sides of the ship (unless you're on a hump) won't have the loungers.

 

I have 1104 in June out of PR.

[Cupcrazy]

Thanks for taking the time to post this great review along with your wonderful pictures!

[mets550]

DAY FOUR

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2012

AT SEA

 

We woke up this morning with a bad case of early-onset post-cruise-blues. Even though this was just a short cruise, its all-to-soon conclusion and the final culmination of months of planning and anticipation was becoming more and more a reality. We started the day off by going up to the pool deck and laying out for a bit. The sun was out most of the time, but the temperature was in the 60s and it was very windy. The ship was also rocking a lot—more so than I had expected on a cruise from Florida to Cozumel.

 

We didn’t really get to appreciate this the night before:

 

 

Morning view:

 

 

We grabbed a few morning mudslides (I probably had at least a dozen of these since that first night) and then headed to the MDR for lunch at noon.

 

One thing I forgot to mention that we did on day three was stop by the Loyalty Ambassador to put down a deposit for a future cruise. We settled on a late August sailing aboard Freedom of the Seas after I take the bar exam (I’m finishing up my last year of law school). Definitely need a light at the end of that tunnel. :D I had actually stopped by on the first sea day, but the two LA staff members were busy and there were others waiting. I decided to make an appointment instead for right after we got back from Cozumel. I’d recommend making an appointment on a short cruise, since it seemed like they were always busy.

 

Definitely do not want to stir up a dress code conversation here, but this was the first time I noticed this outside the MDR:

 

 

We both got the tutti salad from the salad bar again, which were—as usual—excellent. I had the tomato risotto (below), which was not good (wasn’t creamy at all, and maybe I’d had too much shrimp for one cruise). DF got the pasta bolognese, which she enjoyed.

 

 

Snapped this after lunch:

 

 

We then tried to get on the Internet to use our combined $12.50 in coupons, but the connection was down. We instead rerouted ourselves to the casino where I played craps (lost) and DF played roulette (lost). We then returned to the Internet café, which was now up and running, and used a few Internet minutes. After that, we went back to the casino and performed an encore of our most recent trip there.

 

Let me take a moment to give my take on the casino: The table minimums were good ($5 or $6) and the casino was seldom crowded, except for the first night after dinner. Most of the dealers were friendly, and we enjoyed our time there (but for constant losing). The bar service was good too, although during the blackjack tournament they ran out of Coronas. Neither did I find it to be too smoky. Overall, the casino served its purpose (which was to take my money) and provided a nice source of entertainment. It is also conveniently located to the Schooner Bar and specialty restaurants, which we frequented often. Finally, I enjoyed that the theater did not let you out directly into the casino, like it does on most other ships. On the Jewel, the casino is on deck six while the theater is on decks four and five.

 

Since we hadn’t eaten in an hour, we headed up to the Seaview Café. I got a hot dog and clam chowder and DF got a brownie. My hot dog and clam chowder were both excellent again, although the brownie was subpar. We ended up sitting in the Café for at least an hour just talking and relaxing. This was actually a really nice time, because we felt as if we had no purpose, plan, or place to be and it was really nice to just sit together, enjoy a casual snack, chat, and relax.

[mets550]

At 3:45 p.m. we headed to Win a Cruise Bingo in the Safari Lounge.

 

 

I grabbed another mudslide while waiting for the game to start and got DF a water. TIP: arrive early (even before the listed time for tickets to go on sale). If Bingo is in the theater, seating is not an issue. However, by the time we arrived to the Safari Lounge, all of the good seats were taken or reserved and we had to sit on the very end where we couldn’t see and the sun was shining in our faces. We had fun though. :D

 

We didn’t win any of the Bingo games (it seemed like a family or group with children won the cruise, which was a four- or five-nighter to be used within a year), but I did win a T-shirt.

 

 

I also purchased a “special” that they had for an additional $12. For that money I got a small, stuffed animal, which I appropiately named “Mudslide” and an extra three cards for the final game. On any future RCI cruise, I was told, I should bring “Mudslide” and will receive an extra three cards for the final game of Bingo. (I believe this means the final game of each session, not just the final game of the cruise.) If you couldn’t tell, I just wanted the stuffed animal. We have him displayed in our apartment on top of our popcorn maker; everytime I look at him, he reminds me of cruising! I’d say that is worth at least $12.

 

 

After Bingo ended, we stayed in the Safari Lounge just relaxing and hanging out. Neither of us were really itching to get out into the sun again, and today was just a nice relaxing, laid back day.

 

We then went back to the room and watched a beautiful sunset from our balcony.

 

 

The Farewell Show was at 7:00 p.m. and began with the most incredible cover of Twist and Shout by our CD Steve that I have ever seen. The audience went wild—definitely his crowning moment of the cruise. The show also featured the same comedian from the first night (also named Stephen). He was good as well, and the show ended with the usual collection of officers and crewmembers coming onstage. As much as I do like the farewell song, I really do hate it.

 

This was the best shot I could get of Steve doing Twist and Shout:

 

[mets550]

 

 

 

The show ended at around 7:50 p.m., and we stopped in the RCI logo store and bought an overpriced magnet with a picture of the Jewel. We then headed to dinner at Chops a little early. Let me get the bad out of the way first: like in Portofino the night before, Chops was way understaffed. Our waiter, to whom we gave a WOW card at the start of the meal based on his service on night two, was racing back and forth and really tried his best. However, he had several other tables, one of which had ten people, and had to do everything on his own (including getting sodas and bread). I also noticed the people at the table next to us sitting with menus for at least twenty minutes before anyone brought them bread or took their order (they had a different waiter). Anthony—manager of Chops and Portofino—really needs to get ahold of things in there. Again, the restaurant had open tables and did not appear to be at maximum capacity.

 

Okay, now for the good. Our meals were both excellent again, as usual. We ordered mostly the same things as night two, although I tried the shrimp and crab cake, which was very good. The asian-inspired spicy tuna was amazing once again (I ordered more than my fair share of those) and the shrimp cocktails and caesar salads were superb. DF got the petite filet, which was cooked to perfection. My normal-sized filet, however, was overcooked again.

 

 

These are just so fresh:

 

 

[mets550]

The shrimp and crab cake came with tartar sauce:

 

 

 

 

 

We got the crème brulee and the red velvet cake for dessert. I would have insisted on the chocolate mud pie for myself, but I was too stuffed to even think about dessert.

 

 

[mets550]

I might have fibbed and told them it was DF’s birthday. ;) Oops.

 

After dinner we headed to the Safari Lounge for Quest. This was only our second Quest; it was fun but not as good as on Explorer. On that ship, Quest was held in Studio B (the ice theater), which has stadium seating and teams were formed based on where you were sitting. In the Safari Lounge, teams were maxed at eight people and you had to form your own teams. It was also hard to see from a lot of seats, as the Safari Lounge does not really have enough prime seating around the main dance floor area. We just watched but had a good time nonetheless. I know that what goes on at Quest is not supposed to appear on CC (or “stays on Facebook,” as our activities manager—who ran Quest—said), but I figure a few shots can’t hurt:

 

 

 

After Quest we used our last Spin to Win in the casino and headed to bed. We filled out our comment card and packed up. It was sad packing and taking several “last” looks out at the sea from the balcony, but knowing that we booked another, longer cruise just eight months away definitely assuaged the post-cruise-blues a little.

[mets550]

DAY FIVE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2012

TAMPA, FL

 

We arrived at Tampa on-time. It was a chilly morning, just like we had left it. We were sad to be back but had a 10:55 a.m. flight to catch.

 

 

We decided to just walk off the ship with our luggage and did so at around 8:00 a.m. We hopped on a shuttle that was parked right out front (about $6 cheaper than a cab) and got to the airport in no time. Overall, aside from the normal pain that always accompanies debarkation, this one was relatively painless.

 

We had a great cruise and can’t wait to come back.

 

Still to follow:

 

* Formal review of the cruise by topic

* Final thoughts, comments, and tips

 

Thanks for following along so far! Please stay tuned for the final installment of my review and post and comments and questions you may have.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!