Jewel of the Seas Review 3-10 May So. Caribbean

[surfnsun]

I feel like I just finished reading a great book!

 

Thank you so much for a great review. My husband and I should totally cruise with you sometime, because it seems we have a lot in common about our approaches to the whole experience!

 

I always say I'm going to do a review, but then never do it. I feel really bad because I know I should pay great people back for the wonderful experience. Maybe this time... :rolleyes:.

 

Ann

 

Hi Ann! Thank you so much for your very kind words. You might feel like you just finished reading a book because I think I wrote one! :D And I'm very glad you thought it was great. I really enjoyed writing it and it's posts like yours that make the "tedious" part well worth the effort.

 

We likely do have a lot in common. DH and I met in Texas. Fort Worth (cowtown USA) to be exact! :)

 

Seems you are leaving for the cruise very soon, right? Even if you don't write a review this time...it's ok....just maybe drop a note on this thread as I'd love to hear about it. One thing about finishing a book...it makes you want to read another! :):)

 

Best,

Surf

Edited May 17, 2014 by surfnsun

[surfnsun]

Wonderful review! I was sorry to see it end but am looking forward to reading what docsdrillers thoughts are! ITA about Elegance tours. We used them in Dec 2012 and they were everything you said. We only had 6 of us on our tour. We will book them again next time we port in Antigua.

 

Thanks so much, Debi! Docs got some great info...and he has some great photos and one we call the "money shot". You'll know when you see it! :)

[docsdrillers]

For those of you who don't know Peggy that well i'll just tell you that she has a son who is just turning pro in MMA (mixed martial arts)...and after our Elegance tour i know where he got his skills from.

 

I was tagged team in the Octagon by the Peters clan and there were no rules:)

You'd think those country bumpkins had never seen a turtle before.

 

 

this is just before the referee says go:)

 

But since i'm used to having the odds stacked against me and of course i know "Turtle Speak" i was not to be deterred.

 

 

 

Thanks so much, Debi! Docs got some great info...and he has some great photos and one we call the "money shot". You'll know when you see it! :)

[surfnsun]

LOL!!!! :D:D Batten down the hatches and get out of the way because I was in turtle heaven. :) I think, Doc, that you were close enough to actually give this turtle a kiss on the cheek and I think I saw you try but I arrived just in time to save that poor turtle. :D:D

Edited May 17, 2014 by surfnsun

[docsdrillers]

The Turtle actually had an appointment with me...seems he had some TMJ issues to discuss....now i can write off the trip:)

 

LOL!!!! :D:D Batten down the hatches and get out of the way because I am was in turtle heaven. :) I think, Doc, that you were close enough to actually give this turtle a kiss on the cheek and I think I saw you try but I arrived just in time to save that poor turtle. :D:D

[docsdrillers]

At the suggestion of one of our fellow roll callees,Nik we decided to join him on this excursion.

 

Nik had sailed with owner Diana twice before and assured us of a glorious day.

 

Diana was a wonderful host always looking out for our needs and she owns a wonderful mono hull sailboat called the Random Wind....

 

It was a beautiful day with a couple of stops for swimming not snorkeling.

 

Sometimes an excursion is still a nice day as we had but can be ruined a tad by expectations.By this i mean that several of us on this charter expected to get in some great snorkeling but were left disappointed in that regard.

 

Diana's crusty Captain,Trevor anchored us a fair way away from the reef that we were supposed to snorkel beside...however the current was so strong that after 15 minutes i made virtually no headway and veered back...Two brave young souls did make it there but saw very little as they had to get to the other side of the reef and were unable to do so.

 

I asked the Captain if he could ferry those wanting to snorkel using the motorized dinghy but he refused as he was the only one on deck since Diana was below cooking up lunch.

 

If you go on this excursion expecting a great sailing day in the sun with wonderful hosts and a couple opportunities to swim in the warm waters then you won't be disappointed since after all it was a lovely day out on the open seas....just don't go if you expect to snorkel.

 

Also a word of caution for those prone to seasicknes; it was a relatively calm day yet our daughter fought nausea the whole day while at sea but was fine when in the water...it wasn't choppy but being a sailboat it doesn't travel very quickly..

 

 

 

I was King of the World....until my wife set the record straight:)

 

 

A glorious day at sea

 

 

 

And then the perfect ending to cap off a day NOT at WORK:)

 

[docsdrillers]

Some views from our room and from the hotel to give you a feel for the area.

 

 

 

 

This intro almost brought me to tears and makes me regret taking those jabs at you........not:)

 

Peggy it was a real pleasure meeting you and Pete and hopefully we stay in touch and have a chance to do this again someday.

 

Your zest for life and viewpoints mirror those of mine and your sense of humour although sick like mine was greatly appreciated.

 

I was also very impressed with your new tech skills with the Pentax WG-3 GPS camera that we both bought...it really was a great investment and was so easy to use both above and below the water.

 

I loved your review and i don't generally do any of my own...i won't go over anything ship related but will just make some general comments about the other ports of call that we did without you.

 

This cruise was awesome in every way...the best itinerary possible for Caribbean cruises and a super departure point.

 

Our family opted for a more relaxing and modern 3 night pre cruise stay at the La Concha hotel...we just wanted to relax after a very harsh winter and this hotel didn't let us down.

 

We had a beautiful 1 bedroom suite in the new tower with a stunning ocean view..the pool below us overlooked the beach and was an infinity pool which created a neat effect where you felt you could just step into the ocean from the pool.

 

The beach was incredible with soft white sand and soothing warm water...a bit rough but still fun to wave hop.

 

We walked down the street to the Ali Baba Turkish Mideast restaurant and coming from an Israeli it was some of the best food i've ever tasted...try the Sangria..you won't regret it.

 

Despite knowing that the sun is quite strong this time of year and taking the proper precautions we still got burnt.

 

So we hopped into a cab and went to the Plaza Los Americas for a great dinner at Cheesecake factory. not your authentic Puerto Rican food:).. but we're Canadians and don't get to eat there unless we are on a trip to Florida...

 

The mall is as modern and impressive as any top mall you'd find any where else in the states...Bought myself 3 shirts with SPF 50 protection and wore those all week while swimming and never got burnt again...a very worthy investment that i would strongly recommend especially for those planning on snorkeling 5 days in a row as we did on our excursions.

 

Later i'll post mini reviews on our day in St Maarten,St Kitts and the best tour ever with Eli's Eco tours, the Extreme Circum Nav in Antigua.

 

Amit

[docsdrillers]

The beach truly was one of the nicest i've ever seen.

 

Soft white sand both in and out of the water,very calm waters due to the barrier they put up and very very shallow all the way to the rock barrier..

 

A great place for your kids to play all day and be totally safe in the water.

 

There were so many many thatched huts with chairs available that we could have had several for each person:)

 

Don't be deterred by people saying it's on the Atlantic side so it must be rough..total and utter hogwash.

 

 

You can see how calm the waters are on where you swim protected by the breakwater barrier

 

 

 

It was one of my favourite snorkeling days with plenty of fish of all colours and a special surprise in fairly shallow water.....

 

 

Just a fabulous day...perfect in every way.

[surfnsun]

Very nice pictures! Would love to see some of the day we missed in Antigua. :(:)

[Lpn6268]

Ok so it took a while but I am here. Looking forward to reading your review and reliving some of the memories. I have only got to page 2 so I have a ways to go. Just wanted to say we had such a great time with everyone.

[surfnsun]

Hey there! I was beginning to wonder if you got off the ship! :p:D

 

Great to hear from you and I hope you enjoy the review!

[surfnsun]

As we wait for docsdrillers to resurface (maybe), it dawned on me this morning that I did not discuss the last day coming back into port...

 

The last day would prove to be what I suspected it would be and is for many cruisers. Sad. Sad that the vacation has ended and very sad if you didn't book another cruise while on the ship.

 

We had originally planned to get off the ship and get a taxi from the port back into Old San Juan so I could visit a couple of more stores. I didn't hear about the stores until after we'd already left Old San Juan and I really wanted to go back. The two stores included Casa Cortes Chocobar (does it get any better than a store dedicated to chocolate? :)) and Casa DonQ (since we didn't get to visit the Bacardi factory and I'm told you can sample PR rum here (hey it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right? :D). Unfortunately, disembarkation took much longer than originally expected and it was absolutely pouring when we arrived in port and for the entire morning.

 

Here are two videos of us pulling back into port. Yes - I was a very early riser this morning. The first is just as we're entering and you can start to see El Morro fort on the right of the video and port side of the ship. The second video is as we get further into port and you can see the lightening storm in the distance on it's way to San Juan and if you watch toward the end of the video, I get a better grip on the camera and a pretty good video of Old San Juan at night as you are pulling into port.

 

First video:

 

http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=fNkd6hpTbcOTNNMdbZFco4h4l5k2TGxc#.U3ibOGdOWP8

 

Second video will follow shortly in another post...

[surfnsun]

loaded sooner than I expected. Here ya go:

 

http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=fNkd6hpTbcPHVyZHuRCvbIh4l5k2TGxc#.U3ifvGdOWP8

[maggieq]

Beautiful pictures and great review. We got on the jewel the day you left. Did you get delayed flying home with the rain storms? Never had such bad weather as we did this day. We didn't get a really sunny day until the first sea day.

 

We are looking at another cruise for August to hold us over until November and really looking at the other itin on the jewel.

 

Thanks for sharing with us...

[docsdrillers]

Why off course i should have known i'd need my night vision goggles:)

 

loaded sooner than I expected. Here ya go:

 

http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=fNkd6hpTbcPHVyZHuRCvbIh4l5k2TGxc#.U3ifvGdOWP8

[surfnsun]

Beautiful pictures and great review. We got on the jewel the day you left. Did you get delayed flying home with the rain storms? Never had such bad weather as we did this day. We didn't get a really sunny day until the first sea day.

 

We are looking at another cruise for August to hold us over until November and really looking at the other itin on the jewel.

 

Thanks for sharing with us...

 

Thank you maggieq!

 

Fortunately, we did not get a weather delay, although when we arrived at the airport I heard one traveler say he had a six hour delay...I'm not sure if it was weather related.

 

I really felt very sorry for those of you getting ready to board the ship. I doubt you got on very early considering the time it took to disembark. And our taxi driver mentioned the weather had been less than good and the storm would last for a couple days. BTW, before you all get your knickers in a twist, that is very unusual for San Juan (according to our taxi driver). :D:)

[surfnsun]

Why off course i should have known i'd need my night vision goggles:)

 

Hahaha! Hey, it's more for the sounds of the wake and such. The rest may need an imagination.

 

Welcome back! Hope you were able to scrap the ice off your golf clubs yesterday. :D

[Jax129]

What a great review!! We are considering doing this cruise but I wasn't that excited about San Juan but you make it look so appealing, thank you!!

[docsdrillers]

7 of our roll callees booked Eli's Eco Tours Extreme Circum Nav Tour but only 3 brave souls remained.

 

Perhaps they were scared off by the description of the tour...can't imagine why.

 

19 of us boarded a Miami Vice style speedboat with 3 250 HP engines and circled the entire island of Antigua...the fabulous crew mentioned that it was an unusually calm day on the Atlantic side which actually allowed them to hit speeds of 52MPH..boy was that exhilarating ....and to top it off they sold out their sister speedboat and the 2 raced side by side at times....it was the Indy 500 at sea....sometimes we were only several feet apart.

 

 

It actually was a smoother ride then we had on Spencer Ambroses' tour in St Lucia.

 

The tour had 4 official stops where you get out of the boat but also had many others where they stopped to show us some highlights of special rock formations or resorts around the island.

 

Our first official stop was at a mid ocean sandbar manned by Park Rangers who run Stingray City...At this stop we got out and stood around while huge Stingrays swam around us and then each group had a chance to hold and pet the Rays while being photographed.

 

I got out of the boat first and shortly after i hear someone screaming...that voice sounded very familiar and it was none other than our daughter Jamie...well the kind crew from both Eco's boats found their "screamer" of the day and had fun with her while helping her traverse the waters....they helped calm her fears but it was "Eli Style Comforting"..they rubbed squid on her arms and back to attract more Stingray's...how very generous of them..it was all in good fun and she had a blast.

 

There was also a small roped off area away from the Rays for some shallow water snorkeling.

 

 

We then moored in a quiet bay for a Robinson's Crusoe style buffet lunch...the food was delicious and we had plenty of time to swim or snorkel.

 

Our next stop was a snorkel stop at the Pillars of Hercules for some deep water snorkeling.

 

During our tour we stopped to view the magnificent Devils Bridge rock formation.

 

 

We stopped by many resorts and they pointed out some homes owned by famous stars.

One specific resort stood out from the rest called Jumby Bay where the smallest rooms rent for 5000.00 per night upto 50,000 per night...we've started a collection on our roll call and i'm proud to say we can spend at least 10 minutes there.

 

Apparently Lady Di was turned down by this resort because she had kids...so needless to say the resort faced bankruptcy and they reached out to a famous investor..none other than Robin Leach of the "lifestyles of the rich and famous"..his first act was to scrub the no kids policy and the resort has thrived since...they also sell land on the island and Oprah has a lavish home that she pays people to attend to year round despite only visiting 2 weeks a year....we all offered to take care of her house for her.

 

 

We had an absolute blast on this tour...i can honestly say it was one of our best Caribbean excursions ever..The crew were very friendly and consumate hosts always looking out for our best interests.

 

It was a day with the perfect blend of excitement and relaxation...what more can you ask for..I'm just sad Pete and Peg and Vlad and Asya missed out on this amazing tour.

[surfnsun]

What a great review!! We are considering doing this cruise but I wasn't that excited about San Juan but you make it look so appealing, thank you!!

 

You are welcome and thank you for your comments! We do love the port of San Juan! :):)

[bumbletigger]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

 

DH and I are doing the same itinerary on Jewel in 4 short weeks. Your review is amazing!!

 

I have a few questions that hope you can answer...

 

We are also doing the Eco Tour in Antigua. What was on the buffet for lunch? DH is rather picky. He likes plain food, chicken, beef, pork, without sauces. Was the food plainish? Or should I make sure he eats a big breakfast and bring snacks?

 

DH and I were on Oasis 3 years ago and absolutely loved Chops. Does chops have the new menu or the old menu? I am specifically looking for the parmesan potatoes.

 

Thanks again for your amazing review!!

Teri

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[surfnsun]

Doc - TERRIFIC photos of your Eco tour in Antigua. Seriously, I must go back to do this tour! So sorry we missed going with you!:(:)

[docsdrillers]

Thank you for you kind words and Peg and i are glad we could help out.

 

My recollection of the lunch was that it was BBQ chicken,pasta salad,delicious Plantains...even my picky girls ate the food...it was very very good.

 

It never hurts to have a good breakfast though as it may calm your stomach if it gets too choppy...

My DW always packed some croissants in a zip lock bag just in case:)

 

By the way don't miss out on the round Cinnamon rolls offered during breakfasts all over the ship...they are made out of croissant type pastry and were by far the best i've ever had on any cruise...sadly but luckily i only discovered them on the third day...otherwise i wouldn't be back to my pre cruise weight had i found them earlier:)

 

As for Chops i don't recall if they had those potatoes but the menu was different than what we had several years ago on the Mariner...there was no surf and turf option this time....personally i found the service to be very very slow and the desserts were very MEH compared to those in the main dining room...it was ok but not as good as on past cruises.

But i would still go there again partly because we don't do formal nights and opt for the specialty restaurants on those nights.

 

Enjoy your cruise...it's by far the best Caribbean cruise we've ever had and San Juan is a great port of departure and we look forward to future cruises from there.

 

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

 

DH and I are doing the same itinerary on Jewel in 4 short weeks. Your review is amazing!!

 

I have a few questions that hope you can answer...

 

We are also doing the Eco Tour in Antigua. What was on the buffet for lunch? DH is rather picky. He likes plain food, chicken, beef, pork, without sauces. Was the food plainish? Or should I make sure he eats a big breakfast and bring snacks?

 

DH and I were on Oasis 3 years ago and absolutely loved Chops. Does chops have the new menu or the old menu? I am specifically looking for the parmesan potatoes.

 

Thanks again for your amazing review!!

Teri

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[surfnsun]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

 

DH and I are doing the same itinerary on Jewel in 4 short weeks. Your review is amazing!!

 

I have a few questions that hope you can answer...

 

We are also doing the Eco Tour in Antigua. What was on the buffet for lunch? DH is rather picky. He likes plain food, chicken, beef, pork, without sauces. Was the food plainish? Or should I make sure he eats a big breakfast and bring snacks?

 

DH and I were on Oasis 3 years ago and absolutely loved Chops. Does chops have the new menu or the old menu? I am specifically looking for the parmesan potatoes.

 

Thanks again for your amazing review!!

Teri

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hi Teri. I love your screen name, BTW. You are very welcome for the review and I'm glad you find it useful for your upcoming trip. Just around the corner!:):D

 

I'll have to defer to Doc to answer your questions on the Antigua tour.

 

Regarding Chops, I'm not sure if it's the new or old menu but I do know they had the roasted parmesan potatoes as we had them with our steak and they were very good! :)

Edited May 18, 2014 by surfnsun

[docsdrillers]

We'd do it again in a heartbeat....

 

Doc - TERRIFIC photos of your Eco tour in Antigua. Seriously, I must go back to do this tour! So sorry we missed going with you!:(:)