Long review with lots of photos! Jewel Dec 6/14 and Adventure Dec 14/14!

[donovan52]

Ocean Rita and Lava Flow:

 

Tonight was the second formal night so we got ready for supper and went to the champagne bar where I had two glasses of Moet before we went back to Giovanni’s table. Mildred was our server again. We ordered the same thing as night 1, minus the gnocchi. I had a glass of Rosa Regale with my meal (I love it, and can’t get it easily where I live - it is sweet so if that isn't your thing, I don't recommend it).

 

Rosa Regale:

 

 

We skipped the top-tier event tonight, opting to relax in the solarium. I love the solarium on the Jewel but the Adventure is pretty great too! It was a bit warmer since it isn’t covered, which was nice at night.

 

Day 6: St Maarten:

 

So happy to have St Maarten as a repeat! We skipped breakfast again today and got off the ship fairly early. We took the water taxi to downtown Philipsburg. We usually walk but I really wanted to give the water taxi a try. It is $7 per person round trip and that is good for the whole day. Otherwise it is $5 one way. We liked it but for us it wasn’t worth paying for/waiting for the boat to leave. It’d be great if it was super hot and you’d done a lot of walking though! We opted to walk back even though we bought the round trip bracelet.

 

 

We were on a mission today…to find a Marahlago ring! We went to Majesty Jewellers and arrived a few minutes before they opened so we browsed a couple of other shops, but we didn’t need to wait very long. The staff were very friendly and I would happily buy from there again. I ended up getting a Marina collection ring and I love it. Something I hadn’t considered though: this was week 2 of eating more than usual, more sodium than usual, and with the heat my fingers must have been swollen. Now that I’m home the ring is too big, it falls completely off! I will probably get it sized but in the meantime I am just wearing it on my middle finger instead.

 

This is the ring I decided on: http://mobile.marahlago.com/products/larimar-rings/marina-ring/

 

We bought a few other things (some Appleton Rum, vanilla, chocolates, and a tshirt and tank top from Cariloha) since my ring was less than I had budgeted! We even stopped for some delicious gelato at the Gelateria Milano on our way back to the ship.

 

 

 

This was the smallest size, too big for a hot day but the gelato was very good and the perfect texture:

[donovan52]

There used to be a nice Canadian bar, but it is closed now and looking pretty sad:

 

 

We walked back instead of getting the water taxi because we wanted to stop back in to the cheese shop to buy a wheel of gouda. We haven’t opened it yet but can’t wait to try it. They had different kinds, but the wheels of normal gouda were $30. The really good stuff that we tried last week was around $250 for a wheel! Out of our price range but we did buy another small chunk of it. It was great to share at Christmastime when we arrived home.

 

We went to Johnny Rockets for lunch – it was very good. I had a burger and Ry had a sandwich, and of course vanilla malts. I couldn’t finish mine so they gave me a take out cup to put it in. For the two of us, cover charges and one malt (since we had a bogo milkshake coupon) came to $17.08. Not terrible but I can’t imagine going more than once. I definitely don’t recommend doing Johnny Rockets on a day when you are planning an early supper or a specialty restaurant. We didn’t feel like eating again until almost 9pm.

We were totally lazy all afternoon. Once we started moving in the evening we stopped by the champagne bar where I had a couple of glasses of Moet and a Sparkling Margarita (I really liked this!). I stopped by the Café Promenade bar and ordered a Mudslide to bring to the show – “Jackpot”. It was a tribute to Vegas and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. I’m glad we went.

 

Sparkling Margarita:

 

Mudslide:

 

Jackpot show:

 

Love the orchestra:

 

Around 8:40 we stopped in at the Windjammer for supper. I had stir fry from the Mongolian Grill (at the back) and it was excellent. You pick which type of noodles you want, meat, veggies (they had onions, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, carrots, cabbage, bok choy, etc. – lots to choose from) and which sauce (hoisin, soy sauce, sweet chili, etc.). I had a bellini with my supper.

 

Look at this amazing little bird!!! He is definitely the best towel animal we’ve ever received!

[donovan52]

My last drink today was a Pear Melon Martini which tasted pretty good – it reminded me of laffy taffy, quite sweet. But it was just too strong and sweet for me and I didn’t finish it.

 

Pear Melon Martini:

 

Day 7: St. Croix:

 

I feel like we need to do something to really experience St. Croix, but honestly, it seems to be the first place we write off as a “ship day”. The first time we visited we went to the Whim Museum, which we thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend for any history buffs out there. The second time we walked to the beach but I wasn’t impressed with the garbage I saw underwater while I was swimming. We decided to give the beach another try today.

 

We went to the main dining room for breakfast and we were seated at a table with 7 other people. No one was particularly friendly; I think everyone mainly wanted to eat and get on with their day. We both ordered the eggs benedict again and it was good, although one of my eggs was overcooked. I had a vanilla latte with two shots of coconut (from the promenade) and a mimosa with breakfast. Ryan ordered orange juice but didn’t drink it because there was what we think was lipstick on his glass. No big deal, he was fine with water anyway.

 

After breakfast we walked to the beach – it is right next to the cruise pier. I didn’t notice any amount of garbage in the water (but if you look under the little bridge as you are walking to the beach you will probably agree that it most likely isn’t the cleanest water) and while I was snorkeling I saw some different fish, a lobster, and a crab.

 

The view of the fort and beach:

 

Walking to the beach:

 

 

 

[donovan52]

Kind of eerie looking out into the big blue:

 

Crab:

 

Lobster:

 

This guy was great at camoflauging himself – I lost track of him a few times. When he opened his fins it was bright purple and yellow, but I didn’t manage to capture it.

 

Back onboard, we stopped at the Café Promenade for a frozen margarita (this was a good incentive to use the stairs! We walked up to deck 5, got a drink, then walked up to deck 8! It worked all week!)

Frozen Margarita:

We had lunch in the Windjammer (nothing memorable) where I tried a Goombay Smash. This was one of my favourite drinks all week! We went to the solarium for a bit where I tried a guava rita – loved it, a drink of the day (Caribbean sunset?), a mango lava flow (I like these much more than the regular strawberry ones), and a Captain’s Caipirinha (I didn’t like this at all, I’ve never had one before but it tasted like molasses and I didn’t find it the least bit refreshing).

Goombay Smash:

[donovan52]

Guava Rita:

 

Caribbean Sunset and…a margarita?

 

Mango Lava Flow:

 

Captain’s Caipirinha:

 

 

We packed a bit then went to the photo area to get our two free photos. None of them were particularly good and we didn’t have many to choose from (that part was our own fault). Oddly enough, my free photo came to $0.01! I didn’t even point it out because it isn’t worth wasting someone’s time over, but it was a little strange.

 

After we picked up our photos, we went to the diamond lounge for a drink and snack, said thank you and goodbye to those we’d met, then headed down to the champagne bar. I had another Key Lime Pie Martini, a Tropical Martini (very good but not as good as the key lime one!), and a Bailey’s Chocolate Café (very good…I kind of find all of those after dinner type drinks taste similar though).

 

Tropical Martini:

 

Bailey’s Chocolate Café:

 

We went to the farewell show where we saw a comedian/juggler who we thought was very good. We really enjoyed the entertainment this week.

 

Getting ready to do our final packing we went back to the Mongolian Grill section of the Windjammer and took our food back to the room with us. Sadly, it was awful! I’m glad we weren’t too hungry because we each had one bit then left the rest. It tasted like a whole bottle of soy sauce was on it – so salty. We didn’t even have the same kinds of sauce but they were both inedible.

[donovan52]

We went for a quick swim, then finished packing. We managed to get everything in to our suitcases and they weren’t overweight at all. I had my last drink of the cruise, a Blueberry Hill martini from the champagne bar. It was very good, but I couldn’t finish it (I’d had enough to drink already but really wanted to try it!)

 

Blueberry Hill:

 

We had luggage tag #1 so we were able to get off quickly Sunday morning (our flight was at 11:25am). There was only one person in front of us going through customs. We had plenty of time at the airport. Our connections were tight in Miami and Toronto – I pretty much had to run from gate to gate – but we made it back to Halifax around 11pm.

 

Last Photos/Overall:

 

Rudolph:

 

 

 

 

We had an amazing time. It is hard to pick between the two ships, because they really offer a different experience, but I think the Jewel may have surpassed the Adventure this time! The food and service were noticeably better (though we did meet lots of great crewmembers on the Adventure, in general they seemed happier on the Jewel), and the ship didn’t feel as crowded as the Adventure. I don’t remember ever feeling crowded on past cruises, but the Promenade was just insane some evenings. The crowds were not so bad that we would not consider the Adventure, in fact, had we not been on the Jewel the week before I’m not even sure I would have noticed to the extent I did.

 

As always, certain crewmembers just make the week so much better - Schooner bar bartenders on the Jewel, our waiter and assistant waiter on the Jewel, the greeter/hand sanitizer woman at the entrance to the Jewel Windjammer (we gave her a Wow card - she was always so happy and friendly!), our cabin steward on the Adventure, the Champagne bar bartenders on the Adventure, and the head bartender at the Adventure pool bar.

 

LOVE sailing out of San Juan. We are all a little sad that this will probably be our last cruise out of there in a long time due to flight prices and schedules.

 

Southern itineraries are still our favourite.

 

We enjoyed the entertainment more on the Adventure (we love the ice show) but if I am being fair we didn’t go to many shows on the Jewel. I do miss things such as the ice carving demonstrations (or even seeing ice carvings on the ship), but we were never bored.

 

Internet speed was much better on the Adventure.

 

Drink quality was very good – not too weak or too strong.

 

Food was better on the Jewel.

 

Both ships were clean and in good condition. Our cabin on the Adventure did have a broken shelf in the bathroom mirror as well as next to the dresser mirror, but there were no other issues. I was happy that we had a big table on our Adventure balcony. Nothing can beat our balcony on the Jewel though.

 

I would get a drink package again, but only if we went with a group of friends. I definitely do not regret getting it this time though: I got to try so many new drinks! I don’t think I would have broken even if it hadn’t been for the holiday promotion though, so I doubt I’d get the ultimate package again.

 

Champagne Bar Drink Menus:

I think this first one features drinks created by the bartenders – I don’t know if other ships have them or not:

 

[donovan52]

 

 

 

 

 

[donovan52]

 

 

 

 

 

[donovan52]

 

 

 

And that's the end!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you for following along!

[zapman]

Thanks for the great reading :)

[Harleygirl77]

We went back to the Intercontinental a little after 1:00 and checked in. The person who checked in beside us had a room that was ready, but ours wasn’t yet. The person who checked us in made it sound like it wouldn’t be too long before ours was ready and said we could go wait in the bar – she even gave us each a drink coupon to get a beer while we waited. We were thinking it’d be 30-45minutes but it took right until 4:00 to get a room. I know 4:00 is the official check in time but so many people were checking in and heading upstairs (presumably, to their rooms) that it was disappointing to stare out the windows at the gorgeous pool.

 

Waiting:

 

By the time we were able to drop off our bags to our room we were a little grumpy (especially after being in a crowded elevator with a group of very drunk people on the way to our room – they reeked of alcohol). Our room was good, nothing special. The bed was comfy, the safe worked, the bathroom was a little dingy but functional (and actually didn’t seem too bad later after the light was on for a bit, they must take a while to get to their full brightness). We went back down to the pool and had a lovely swim. The pool really is fantastic. The beach looked nice too but we didn’t end up spending any time there. Oh, you need a wristband to use the pool and they change colours every day. The wristbands are plastic and I hated having it on my wrist (I slipped it off and on when I didn’t need it, thankfully it was loose enough). I hope they recycle those wristbands – seems like a waste of plastic to me. The pool was much warmer than the pool at the Marriott Stellaris, where we stayed after our last cruise.

 

Hotel pics:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the pics - hubby and I will be at the same hotel in a month for our pre-cruise stay.

 

One hint on hotels - join the hotel loyalty program, seems you can get better service (and room choice). This info given to me from a hotel manager.

[donovan52]

Thanks for the pics - hubby and I will be at the same hotel in a month for our pre-cruise stay.

 

One hint on hotels - join the hotel loyalty program, seems you can get better service (and room choice). This info given to me from a hotel manager.

 

We are IHG members.

 

I think for the most part it was a miscommunication, not intentionally poor service. The person who checked us in was actually very friendly and chatty. And while the room was nothing to rave about it was pretty standard - not dirty, nothing broken. Just a little dark in the bathroom when I first turned on the light. I'd gladly stay again if I wanted to be at a resort/near the beach as opposed to in Old San Juan.

 

Hope you enjoy your stay!

Edited January 8, 2015 by donovan52
Didn't really need a sad face!

[cew2]

Thanks Again for your review as I said before we are going in a month and can not wait. I was wondering do they charge to go on the beaches?

[js28]

Hi - thank you so much for sharing this. We will be at the Adventure in March. How does it work with the drink package? Is it possible to share one package between two of us or does everybody need its own package?

Greetings from Germany - Jennette

[1northstar]

Enjoyed the review !

[davekathy]

donovan52...thank you for sharing and taking us along on your Cruise.

[jerrib]

I really enjoyed your review on this tour. We are booked with Serenity for next month. Looks like we made a great decision. Thanks!

[cjdixon4]

donovan52-

What a wonderful review with such beautiful photos! Hubby and I will be on Adventure in May with a slightly different itinerary, and we can't wait! Thanks for the taking the time to put this together...great job. ;)

[donovan52]

Thanks Again for your review as I said before we are going in a month and can not wait. I was wondering do they charge to go on the beaches?

 

The beach in St. Lucia is part of a provincial park so there is an admission fee. It was included in the price of our tour but I believe it is $7 per person. Most places there is no charge to go to the beach.

 

 

Hi - thank you so much for sharing this. We will be at the Adventure in March. How does it work with the drink package? Is it possible to share one package between two of us or does everybody need its own package?

Greetings from Germany - Jennette

 

Each person needs to get their own package, no sharing is allowed. They did recently change the rules though so it is possible for one person to get one package and the other person can get a different one, or none at all. This worked out great for us. I never would have bought a package if we both needed to!

[donovan52]

Enjoyed the review !

 

Thank you!

 

donovan52...thank you for sharing and taking us along on your Cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

I really enjoyed your review on this tour. We are booked with Serenity for next month. Looks like we made a great decision. Thanks!

 

Yes - we could not have been happier with them! We did three great excursions this trip (Calabaza, Bumpiing Tours, and Serenity) - it is hard to pick which was best. Which tour did you book?

 

 

donovan52-

What a wonderful review with such beautiful photos! Hubby and I will be on Adventure in May with a slightly different itinerary, and we can't wait! Thanks for the taking the time to put this together...great job. ;)

 

Thank you! I hope you have a great trip! We've done a couple of different itineraries on the Adventure, including the Aruba/Curacao route and we've been happy with all of them!

[jerrib]

Eight of us booked Serenity for the Pigeon Island tour in St. Lucia.

[donovan52]

Eight of us booked Serenity for the Pigeon Island tour in St. Lucia.

 

Oh, great! Enjoy!

[msamber0910]

thanks for the review. Do you happen to have cruise compasses for Adventure?

[karena1]

I love your review but would love some pictures of the ship areas for my wallpaper slide show. If you have any, please post!!!

[Hoopster95]

(edited to the next post....)

Edited January 10, 2015 by Hoopster95