Jewel of the Seas 10/26/13 Review - The Good and not so good

[wingnutphl]

I rarely do a review but wanted to this time since there don't seem to be many Jewel reviews out there. I will try to cover everything but if I don't please feel free to ask. I'm going to post in a few replies otherwise it will get too long.

 

Itinerary - St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba and Curacao out of San Juan

 

There were 10 of us in varying ages that have cruised together in the past. My friend and I had cabin #9256. Corner aft balcony. Loved it!! 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs and a small table. Though to be honest toward the end I think the hallway got longer lol

 

This is my 3rd cruise out of San Juan and I don't remember embarkation being so confusing. 3 of us arrived around 2 pm. There were 2 porters to take the luggage :eek:. One in the middle with no roped off lines and one near the entrance with roped off lines. Needless to say there were long lines. Once we got inside, we had it much easier.

 

I was impressed with the condition of the ship. They have maintained this ship rather well. Yes, there are imperfections but I'm not the type of person to harp on a pull in the carpet or scratches in the furniture. In Aruba, a few poor crew members had the unfortunate task of stripping and varnishing the railing around deck 12. It was 95 degrees. Those guys deserve a raise!

 

One morning we had brown water. We called maintenance and they said to run the water for 15 mins. It cleared up and we didn't have any other problems after that.

 

Up next food and entertainment . . . . . . .

[1ParticularHbr]

I've subscribed and am looking forward to the rest of your review. I'll be on deck 9 in an aft cabin in March :)

[wingnutphl]

Food Main Dining room - We ate most of our meals (breakfast, dinner and lunch 1 day) in the dining room. Let's face, the food in the main dining room isn't 5 star restaurant quality. I was able to find something to eat at every meal and it was all decent. Again, my expectations aren't high so as long as the food is hot and edible, I am happy. We had excellent service for dinner. Our waiter and his assistant were wonderful. A few times for breakfast it took longer than expected but overall service was excellent.

 

Food Windjammer - I didn't find the food there terrible nor was it terrific. One side was dedicated to American style food, the other side was dedicated to Latino style food. My one disappointment was that I couldn't find my coconut ranger cookies :(. Where did they go?? Are they a thing of the past?? We never had a problem finding a table. Wait staff was there promptly clearing plates and cups so no one had to wait.

 

Portofino's - We ate there on the last night of the cruise. The presentation of the food was great and it tasted as good as it looked. Our waitress was great and she brought us a few extra appetizers and small dishes of the pasta for all of us to taste.

 

Entertainment - This is where I fear I will be flamed but it has to be said. We love to dance and looked forward to heading up to Vortex to let loose. However to our disappointment most nights all they played was Latin music. The rare occasion the DJ played a dance tune, the floor was packed. When the latin music came back on, it cleared. 80's night was the only night that was dedicated to american music.

 

There were 800-900 locals on board and they definitely catered the activities on the ship toward them. They ship seemed to be a Latin themed cruise. I don't remember this being so out of whack on my other cruises out of San Juan. Maybe because it was Halloween. I don't know. We made the best of it.

 

All the good stuff was on the same night: 70's night, Halloween and Quest. It was crazy and disappointing. Some friends had to miss the 70's/Halloween party to get seats for Quest.

 

Next up St. Thomas/St. Kitts . . . . . . .

Edited November 6, 2013 by wingnutphl

[LBumb]

great start

[wingnutphl]

St. Thomas

 

4 of us decided to head over to St. John for the day. We booked through Royal since it would cost about the same and the shuttle met us at the pier where the Jewel docked. Otherwise we would have to take a cab over to Red Hook to pick up the water taxi. The water was really choppy that day. It's a good thing none of us get sea sick lol

 

We were a little worried before the cruise since the government shutdown effected the national parks. I'm pretty sure we would have stormed the gates ;). Thankfully all was restored and we were able to spend the day at Trunk Bay. I can see why it's one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The taxi is $6 per person. Entrance fee is $4. Well worth the price!!!

 

St. Kitts

 

I headed over to Shipwreck Bar/Beach to meet a friend cruising on the Summit also in port that day. Great little place to spend the day. The beach isn't that big but they have chairs and umbrellas. The sand is black with gold flecks. They have a bathroom facilities and a place to wash your feet off. Monkeys and mongoose (mongeese??) run wild there and seem to like their picture taken. Taxi's were easy to get and were about $5 per person each way.

 

Next up Aruba/Curacao and final thoughts . . . .

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the review. I will post a link on my Roll Call to share.:)

 

One question - in St. Thomas/St. Johns was the taxi fare to Trunk Bay $6 pp each way or r/t?

 

We will be in 9260 aft for two weeks as we are doing a B2B. I suspect that walk will get mighty long before it's done, but we love those aft cabins on the Radiance Class! We had 9256 on the Radiance and it was great.:cool:

[MIcruiser99]

There were 10 of us in varying ages that have cruised together in the past. My friend and I had cabin #9256. Corner aft balcony. Loved it!! 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs and a small table. Though to be honest toward the end I think the hallway got longer lol

 

We were on the Jewel in January of this year in the same cabin. My only complaint was that the frosted part of the divider was scrapped off by the railing so there was less privacy between the two balconies. Just wondering if they did anything to fix this or if it was still the same.

 

Looking forward to hearing more of your experiences!

[wingnutphl]

Aruba

 

We all took a taxi to Palm Beach for the day. Taxi's are about $20 per cab each way. Chairs were $10 each. Since we there were 10 of us, they gave us 4 floating mats for free. It was a beautiful day and I spent most of our time there floating in the water. We went back to the ship and some people went back out to have dinner in Aruba since we were there until 11 pm. Reminder to all visiting, shops close up at 6pm. The only thing open is the bars and casino.

 

Curacao

 

Our only disappointing day. We woke up to rain. We were able to do a little shopping but for the most part, the day was a wash out. We wanted to head to Cabana Beach but the rain stopped that. Island tour was out as well since at times it was raining so hard you couldn't see anything out of the window.

 

Final thoughts

 

We had a great cruise. Loved the itinerary and the ship. There are things that could have been better but I'm not going to let those few things spoil my vacation.

[wingnutphl]

One question - in St. Thomas/St. Johns was the taxi fare to Trunk Bay $6 pp each way or r/t?

 

It was $6 each way. The tour we booked the Destination St. John: Coastal Cruise of National Park Beaches for $42. It doesn't include the taxi fare.

[BettyPC]

Thanks for the review - we are going on the other itinerary in Feb!

[wingnutphl]

We were on the Jewel in January of this year in the same cabin. My only complaint was that the frosted part of the divider was scrapped off by the railing so there was less privacy between the two balconies. Just wondering if they did anything to fix this or if it was still the same.

 

Looking forward to hearing more of your experiences!

 

I'm trying to remember. I recall it being more see through but didn't notice if it was scrapped off. We weren't doing anything on our balcony to worry about any way :p

[wingnutphl]

Oh one more thing. The pools. The main pool was crowded on sea days. Nothing new when there are only 2 on the ship. We got there early and picked our seats and sat our butts in them. There was a lady in front of us holding 12 deck chairs. 3 of us went into the hot tub while 2 others were still sunbathing. We weren't even in the hot tub 5 mins when the police came to try to take our towels and bags. No one said anything to the lady holding the 12 chairs. Believe me I said something to her. Needless to say she got very huffy with me.

 

They should have been more diligent with the people in the pool and hot tubs. We saw many kids who were younger than 3 in the pool. And no they didn't even have on a swim diaper. Kids (and adults) were doing cannon balls into the pool. The few times I went through the Solarium I saw kids in there.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

It was $6 each way. The tour we booked the Destination St. John: Coastal Cruise of National Park Beaches for $42. It doesn't include the taxi fare.

That is the tour we are looking at doing. I was wondering about it. Was the Coastal Cruise part of the tour worth it or did it take too much time from Trunk Bay? It sounded to me as if that part was optional. Did the ferry stop at Cruz Bay before the Coastal Tour? By the description it sounds as if several tours are combined into one ferry, but I also have heard that has changed.:confused: Are chairs and umbrellas available to rent once we are at Trunk Bay?

Edited November 6, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[wingnutphl]

The Coastal Cruise part of it was ok. It was 30 mins. You can see all beaches from the ferry. Hmmm I wasn't paying attention to where we docked. It was near the National Park Visitor Center. They still combine all the tours and you have the option to get off if you don't want to do the coastal cruise part. Yes there were chair rentals but there was lots of shade and we spent our time in the water.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The Coastal Cruise part of it was ok. It was 30 mins. You can see all beaches from the ferry. Hmmm I wasn't paying attention to where we docked. It was near the National Park Visitor Center. They still combine all the tours and you have the option to get off if you don't want to do the coastal cruise part. Yes there were chair rentals but there was lots of shade and we spent our time in the water.

 

Thanks! I think I would be inclined to get off and spend the extra time at Trunk Bay. We did the Coastal Cruise part a few years ago when we did a private day sail to St. John's. We have never been to Trunk Bay, though.

[BLAMBKY]

Did you ever feel like there was a major language barrier? On or off the ship? How was the age mix? I am hoping that there will be other teens, when we go early April.

Lastly, did their excursions booked on board sell out or get cancelled? Thinking I am going to use OBC, so maybe I need to go with a couple option ideas.

 

Just booked flights and I am super excited!!!!

Almost forgot, where did you stay before/after? Any place you would recommend?

Edited November 6, 2013 by BLAMBKY

[wingnutphl]

I didn't find there was much of a language barrier. There are always some that are rude and don't move when you say excuse me. I didn't pay attention to how many teens were on board. I saw a few when trying to navigate the stairs and they were sprawled all over them.

 

We only had the one excursion and it wasn't cancelled. Sorry I can't help you there.

 

I flew in the day of the cruise :eek::eek: so no hotel stays. Last time we stayed at the Carib Hilton. It was very nice but that was 3 yrs ago.

[BLAMBKY]

I didn't find there was much of a language barrier. There are always some that are rude and don't move when you say excuse me. I didn't pay attention to how many teens were on board. I saw a few when trying to navigate the stairs and they were sprawled all over them.

 

We only had the one excursion and it wasn't cancelled. Sorry I can't help you there.

 

I flew in the day of the cruise :eek::eek: so no hotel stays. Last time we stayed at the Carib Hilton. It was very nice but that was 3 yrs ago.

 

Thanks, I will check out the hotel. Need to prepare my DH for the preboarding.....:rolleyes: He's not as patient as I am. :p

[Sunny AZ Girl]

What time did you arrive to board? I was wondering if the time of day could have affected how fast boarding was. we usually arrive early, 10:30 - 11:00 AM.

[Paulette3028]

Food Main Dining room - We ate most of our meals (breakfast, dinner and lunch 1 day) in the dining room. Let's face, the food in the main dining room isn't 5 star restaurant quality. I was able to find something to eat at every meal and it was all decent. Again, my expectations aren't high so as long as the food is hot and edible, I am happy. We had excellent service for dinner. Our waiter and his assistant were wonderful. A few times for breakfast it took longer than expected but overall service was excellent.

 

Food Windjammer - I didn't find the food there terrible nor was it terrific. One side was dedicated to American style food, the other side was dedicated to Latino style food. My one disappointment was that I couldn't find my coconut ranger cookies :(. Where did they go?? Are they a thing of the past?? We never had a problem finding a table. Wait staff was there promptly clearing plates and cups so no one had to wait.

 

Portofino's - We ate there on the last night of the cruise. The presentation of the food was great and it tasted as good as it looked. Our waitress was great and she brought us a few extra appetizers and small dishes of the pasta for all of us to taste.

 

Entertainment - This is where I fear I will be flamed but it has to be said. We love to dance and looked forward to heading up to Vortex to let loose. However to our disappointment most nights all they played was Latin music. The rare occasion the DJ played a dance tune, the floor was packed. When the latin music came back on, it cleared. 80's night was the only night that was dedicated to american music.

 

There were 800-900 locals on board and they definitely catered the activities on the ship toward them. They ship seemed to be a Latin themed cruise. I don't remember this being so out of whack on my other cruises out of San Juan. Maybe because it was Halloween. I don't know. We made the best of it.

 

All the good stuff was on the same night: 70's night, Halloween and Quest. It was crazy and disappointing. Some friends had to miss the 70's/Halloween party to get seats for Quest.

 

Next up St. Thomas/St. Kitts . . . . . . .

 

My DH and I were on Jewel this past July when we did the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. Our experience at the Port of San Juan was unpleasant. Long lines which we are not accustomed to, because all of our previous cruises left from either Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale or Port of Miami. The system in San Juan was ugly. We did not have to deal with luggage porters because our luggage was taken directly from the airline to the ship for us; I am glad my TA arranged the transfers for us.

 

As far as the cruise ship entertainment staff catering to the Latin contingent on the ship....it was the same back in July. The poolside aerobics was 'Aerobics Latin Style'; Maybe because I live in S. Florida and the 'Latin' influence all around me is so prevalent, I was more comfortable with it on the ship....but it definitely was a predominant theme on the cruise, much more so, than on other cruises that we have been on that leave from Florida ports. Many of the cruises that leave from S. Florida have a larger # of European cruisers, and the music selection is much more mixed.

[crookedhalo]

We did same route on Adventure in February. So, I'll add a few things:)

 

Stayed pre-cruise at the Sheraton Convention Center (over looking terminal). Easy cab ride to terminal (PR charges a flat per person and then $1/bag fare) cost was about $15/couple. We got there just before 11am and waltzed through the check in line. I believe we were on board by 11:30am, so PR is one of those ports you want to get to early because there is very limited covered areas outside once that sun gets up in the sky:eek:.

 

If you have time the night before look up Kayak Puerto Rico and think about their Biobay tour - we loved it!

 

If you are staying after the cruise look up Go Puerto Rico shuttle and think about their rain forest tour - beautiful!

 

Stay away from the Day Trip to Neves excursion while at St. Kitts - it was a nightmare:(.

 

Sonny Liston in Aruba is the way to go for a private, reasonable tour of the island.

 

St. Thomas - we loved Coki Beach;)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We did same route on Adventure in February. So, I'll add a few things:)

 

Stayed pre-cruise at the Sheraton Convention Center (over looking terminal). Easy cab ride to terminal (PR charges a flat per person and then $1/bag fare) cost was about $15/couple. We got there just before 11am and waltzed through the check in line. I believe we were on board by 11:30am, so PR is one of those ports you want to get to early because there is very limited covered areas outside once that sun gets up in the sky:eek:.

 

If you have time the night before look up Kayak Puerto Rico and think about their Biobay tour - we loved it!

 

If you are staying after the cruise look up Go Puerto Rico shuttle and think about their rain forest tour - beautiful!

 

I have been looking at Puerto Rico Shuttle for transfers for our group while in San Juan. Were you pleased their over all service? Do you remember the price of the Rain Forest Tour?

 

Stay away from the Day Trip to Neves excursion while at St. Kitts - it was a nightmare:(.

 

Sonny Liston in Aruba is the way to go for a private, reasonable tour of the island.

 

St. Thomas - we loved Coki Beach;)

I think you have your "Sonny's" mixed up. Sunny Liston is in St. Thomas (fantastic tour guide, btw. We haved used him several times now.)

 

Sonny Binns is in Aruba and we are looking forward to our first time tour with him this May!:)

 

I am looking at Puerto Rico shuttle for transfers in San Juan for our group. Were you pleased with their service? Do you remember the price of the Rain Forest Tour?

Edited November 6, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[mattwright]

 

Stay away from the Day Trip to Neves excursion while at St. Kitts - it was a nightmare:(.

 

 

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Now that I've been to St. Kitts a few times, we've thought that our next stop there, we'd go over to Nevis for the day just to set foot on a different island. Was Nevis itself the problem, or just your specific excursion? We'd probably just do it on our own.

[nik1009]

How do you subscribe. Thanks

[printingchick]

Can you answer a few questions?

 

 

• Which nights were your formal nights?
  
• Which night was 70s Party/Quest? Weird they'd put them on the same night. Both events tend to run late and are very popular.
  
• Did they still have those after dinner liquors in the little souvenir shot glasses?
  

 

Thanks!!