B2B on the Jewel ~ Once Again! ~ Nov. 29th and Dec. 6th ~ My Diary

[dixielady]

Thanks for the quick answer...so much appreciated also the pictures...so looking forward to this cruise.

 

thanks again

Denise

[maxs mom]

Thursday ~ December 11, 2014 ~ Barbados

 

We were sailing in to Barbados when I got up this morning. Looked like another beautiful day.

 

 

Right before we went to breakfast, we eased into the dock area and it looked like we would be the only ship in port today! Yay!!

 

Finally, the breakfast crew figured it out!! They didn't try to bring us menus today. They brought us our respective coffees and grapefruits right away!!

 

We got ourselves ready rather quickly today. It was rather dead in the terminal (which has good Wi-Fi by the way).

 

 

 

We walked right up to the taxis.....got right in one with another couple and off we went!! Our destination today was the Tiki Bar at Accra Beach. We dropped the other couple off at the Boatyard (sorry.....NOT my favorite place!!) and then we were on our way out to Accra. This has been our go-to spot on Barbados for years. It has changed management and names a couple of times, but now it is called the Tiki Bar. We got there just as the RCI excursion was dropping off folks, so I scurried on down the steps to the cash register and then out to the beach to grab our chairs. Yes Royal Caribbean brings an excursion here now, but it hasn't been too bad. They have a morning one and an afternoon one. I much prefer to go to a beach on my own rather than with an excursion. We can stay as long as we want and we are in control.

 

Anyway.....here you pay $30 for your chairs and umbrella, then that money comes off your bar/restaurant tab. Drinks and food are very reasonable here, so we hardly ever go over. They give you $60 in Barbadian funny money to spend. Today we only spent $55 of that. Pretty good. There is also excellent Wi-Fi here.

 

Love this beach!!

 

 

 

Our spot:

 

[maxs mom]

Nathan is he beach boy here. We met him in September when we were here. He ran a tab for us and brought us everything we needed. Nice!

 

 

This is the end of the beach and the Tiki Bar.

 

 

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

This beach is great for walking and I did just that!

 

 

At the other end here is the Accra Hotel. Looks like a nice property.

 

 

There is a wonderful boardwalk at the other end and more beach that stretches for a long way.

 

 

 

 

[The Big Booper]

Love those Boca clips. When we were at Orient Beach a month ago, all the "professional" beach goers at Club O were using them but back on the ship, hardly any people were using them.

[bubba83]

Love your review! beautiful beaches!

[maxs mom]

Love those Boca clips. When we were at Orient Beach a month ago, all the "professional" beach goers at Club O were using them but back on the ship, hardly any people were using them.

 

Ah yes!!!! The Boca Clips!! I was going to say.....every beach goer needs these!! Wouldn't be caught on the beach or the pool without them!!

 

 

 

Nathan brought me this grilled dolphin sandwich for lunch. It was delicious!

 

 

This boat sailed up and anchored and everyone got out for a swim. Looked lie fun.

 

 

Great day at the beach......and our last one. Soon to be sailing back to San Juan.

 

 

 

 

[Canadian Tyler]

Where did you get the clips from? I've never seen them anywhere (except your reviews) but they would come in handy!

 

 

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[kleo30]

Where did you get the clips from? I've never seen them anywhere (except your reviews) but they would come in handy!

 

 

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I bought Boca Clips on Amazon. The flamingos and whales, too.

[Realtor at Sea]

Kohl's sells them.

[maxs mom]

Our morning taxi driver was accommodating and came back to get us this afternoon at around 2:30. For some reason, the taxi rate is higher going back than coming here.

 

We got back in plenty of time. It was great being the only ship in port!!

 

 

Nice rest time this afternoon and more pillow art!

 

 

Great conversation in the CL tonight. I'd say that Jeff got a little sun out on the island!!

 

 

Dinner was great tonight! We both got the Prime Rib.....and it was quite good. Kasa was shocked that John ordered something other than his iceberg and chicken breast!!

 

 

The Prime Rib was delicious!

 

 

And I tried a new dessert (to me, at least).....a low fat angel food cake. It was very light.

 

Edited December 24, 2014 by max'smom

[maxs mom]

Where did you get the clips from? I've never seen them anywhere (except your reviews) but they would come in handy!

 

 

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I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

[Canadian Tyler]

I got mine at Bed' date=' Bath and Beyond.[/size']

 

Thanks! I guess it falls under the "Beyond" category. I'll check there and the other places suggested. Thanks everyone!

 

 

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[maxs mom]

Tonight was our last night in the dining room because we would eat the last night of the cruise in Portofino. These guys were the absolute best wait team. Kasa will be going to the Radiance soon. Hope to catch up with him there at some point.

 

 

Sandesh is over the My Time Dining area. He did so much for us these two weeks and the two weeks we were on in September.

 

 

After dinner we found some comfy chairs in the Centrum on Deck 5 and just hung out there for a while. The 70's party was up next.

 

 

Art and Jeff got the dancing started off.

 

 

 

More and more people started joining in.

 

[maxs mom]

We had a good spot to watch the 70's party. Everyone had a great time.

 

 

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

Everybody loves the elevator ride.

 

 

 

 

And then there was the ever popular Love Train!!

 

 

After that was over......we retired to our cabin.

[maxs mom]

Friday ~ December 12, 2014 ~ At Sea

 

Finally.......a sea day!!! Port intensive cruises are great, but I do miss those sea days!!

 

Slept in today, then had a very leisurely breakfast. We lingered there and chatted with other couples and had more coffee.

 

On the way back to the cabin, I noticed the Captain having his "Captain's Corner" talk. It was well attended

 

 

 

Captain Thore has been with the company for 44 years. That's amazing.

 

Next stop was the CL......some quiet reading time and more coffee. Another CC cruise buddy was there.

 

.

 

 

Here we go back to San Juan!!

 

[maxs mom]

We tried to go to lunch at the Seaview Café about 1:30, but the place was jammed. It was not a secret on this cruise! The WJ was also jammed, so we went back to the cabin for a while. We went back at 2:30 and it was empty......so we had a late lunch.....which ended up being a problem because we had Portofino reservations that night, and we wanted to be hungry for that.

 

Anyway.....I had a hot dog with chili and onion rings and it was THE BEST!!!

 

 

Kasa works in there, so we were able to say goodbye to him again.

 

 

Love this open air seating area on the Radiance Class ships.

 

 

The dreaded packing began after lunch followed by a nice nap.

[maxs mom]

It was the last night and we were able to sit with this week's buddies in the CL. That was nice. Not many people here tonight. We all exchanged contact info and said our good-byes.

 

 

 

Next up was to say goodbye to Joseph and Diego. What an awesome team they are!!!

 

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

We had reservations at Portofino tonight, which was kind of a shame since we had to have such a late lunch. We weren't hungry!! We usually get the steaks here, but tonight we tried to order lighter. I got the shrimp risotto, and John.....who hates seafood....tried the tuna. I ate the shrimp, but there was so much risotto, I couldn't make a dent in it. John had one bite of the tuna and that was it for him. He didn't like it......surprise, surprise! So I ended up eating most of his dinner.....which was delicious, by the way. You know how frantic the waiters get when you don't eat your dinner! I was about to explode!

 

 

 

In spite of all that, we still got dessert. I got the chocolate thing....which was just OK......I'll stick to the tiramisu from now on. John got the sampler.

 

 

 

 

We rolled out of there. I was totally bloated and felt like a whale!! We got our suitcases out in the hallway next and then finished up our internet minutes.

 

[mpoole3]

Okay after 20 cruises I'm going to give in a buy some pool chair clips you show in the pictures, but where do you buy them???

[nancronin]

Okay after 20 cruises I'm going to give in a buy some pool chair clips you show in the pictures, but where do you buy them???

 

Someone already said this but Amazon and Bed, Bath, Beyond both have them. :)

[nancronin]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review - I love reading your reviews. Enjoy your next cruise - which I think is about now - and Merry Christmas!

[2PinaColadas]

Okay after 20 cruises I'm going to give in a buy some pool chair clips you show in the pictures, but where do you buy them???

 

Bed, Bath and Beyond, Kohl's, Amazon, and at the beginning of the summer Wal-Mart has an off brand that is just as good (this is where I got my DH the more "manly" crab claws). This time of the year, Amazon would probably be your best bet. They are really good to have.

[ckrobyn]

Thanks! I guess it falls under the "Beyond" category. I'll check there and the other places suggested. Thanks everyone!

 

 

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I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (I'm in Toronto), but it's definitely seasonal, you won't find them this time of year...