Jewel OTS California Coastal Review 10/3/15

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I am putting out feelers to see if anyone is interested in a review of the October 3rd- Jewel of the Seas- California Coastal Cruise.

 

PCWalton1 just did a very nice B2B review of the same cruise (two weeks in a row, lucky them). Not sure if there is still any interest in this cruise experience/itinerary.

 

My review would cover:

-traveling with a 2.5 year old on a ship with no nursery, Oh the horror!

-help for parents traveling with young children.

-what we did in the ports (ideas for the Explorer cruisers next year).

-perspective of east coasters exploring the west coast.

[cincicruisers]

Yes please. Love reviews as you can get different perspective of the cruise.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I forgot to mention there will be A LOT of pictures :)

[Langley Cruisers]

-traveling with a 2.5 year old on a ship with no nursery, Oh the horror!....

 

Seriously or sarcastically? I can't tell. :o

 

Of course. Any and all reviews are welcomed here.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Seriously or sarcastically? I can't tell. :o

 

 

 

Of course. Any and all reviews are welcomed here.

 

 

A little bit of both. Hehe. We had a good cruise but would have appreciated the nursery on a night or two for some adult only time!

[Langley Cruisers]

A little bit of both. Hehe. We had a good cruise but would have appreciated the nursery on a night or two for some adult only time!

 

Of course. Understood. :)

 

EDITED to add: Did you not feel comfortable using the in-cabin babysitting service?

 

.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Langley Cruisers

[Summerknight]

Enjoy reading all reviews.

[EbayCruiser]

Yes, I would enjoy a review! :)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Of course. Understood. :)

 

EDITED to add: Did you not feel comfortable using the in-cabin babysitting service?

 

.

 

I've never used the in-room babysitting for a few reasons.

1) $19 an hour is a little pricey (although I understand why it is priced that way)

2) I would feel bad having my kid and crew members locked in our cabin for the night. My son would be off the wall bonkers in such a small space and no one needs to deal with that other then DH and me!

[nelblu]

I've never used the in-room babysitting for a few reasons.

1) $19 an hour is a little pricey (although I understand why it is priced that way)

2) I would feel bad having my kid and crew members locked in our cabin for the night. My son would be off the wall bonkers in such a small space and no one needs to deal with that other then DH and me!

 

Couldn't agree with you more on both points.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

So to begin, here is the background info that might be useful to keep in mind as you read through my review.

 

DH, DS, and myself are from South Florida. So this was a nice treat to explore the "other" coast ;)

 

I don't consider us to be the "typical" cruiser although we are frequent cruisers. We are in our early 30s and started our cruising together when we got engaged in 2008.

 

We were excited to board the Jewel because we sailed on her for our honeymoon. An 11-night Ultimate Caribbean & Panama cruise back in 2009.

 

This was our first cruise as Diamond members. I mention this because of a few things that did/did not happen on our cruise. It was DS 6th cruise in his short life (2.5 years old). I created a new word to describe him. Troiled (Travel Spoiled). Lucky kid gets to experience everything that mom & dad want to enjoy!

 

We flew in the day before the cruise and stayed two days after. So our whole trip lasted 10 days. I will cover our pre/post experiences as well.

 

My dad & his wife met us in L.A. and took the cruise with us. They live in the Dallas, TX area. It was their 2nd cruise ever. They love California so they jumped on it as soon as I told them we had booked the trip.

 

Here is a lovely family photo of us from our trip last year on Brilliance of the Seas to see Canada & New England. We typically do one big trip each year and then small ones throughout the year.

 

Edited October 13, 2015 by smileyperry

[PCWalton1]

I'm on board. Nothing beats PCD (post cruise depression) like a review, with pictures. :D

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We flew out of Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday morning. We chose Jet Blue because they had direct flights, TVs, free basic wifi, and generally family friendly!

 

Originally I thought that we had overpacked, but my friends said that our bags looked pretty normal. Keep in mind that the stroller and car seat are not pictured here. We booked our tickets back when JetBlue till included bags in the price, thankfully!

 

 

So my mom drops us off at the airport and what do I see? Not cool! Turns out there wasn't a major issue. But it's definitely scary to see when you're already a nervous flyer!

 

 

We booked Extra Space Seats for an additional fee. This gave us the opportunity to board early. I need that time to properly install my son's car seat. I also like these seats because my son can't kick the seat in front of him! I try my best to be considerate of those around us when traveling.

 

 

JetBlue names their planes. So when you log in to the FlyFi internet, it tells you which plane you are on.

 

 

One other perk of JetBlue is Dunkin Donuts Coffee!

 

 

Overall the flight was uneventful. It did seem to drag on forever. Each time I checked the flight map it seemed like we were STILL over Texas!

Edited October 13, 2015 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We arrived at LAX and proceeded to the carousel that was announced, along with everyone else on our flight. We get there and there was nothing for a while. Then we noted one of our bags on a different carousel down the way a bit. I walked over and found our other bags somewhere else. I am not impressed with Terminal 3 at LAX. It lacked amenities, seemed older, lacked signage at the baggage area, etc. Very disorganized!

 

Once we grabbed our bags we walked to the shuttle pick up area. We had Super Shuttle booked to take us over to the San Pedro Crowne Plaza. We waited for about 20 minutes until our van came. I was happy that we were the first ones in because I had time and space to install the car seat properly.

 

 

 

We shared our van with an older couple that was boarding a Princess ship headed to Hawaii and two ladies who were on our fight but also headed on the Hawaii cruise. The two ladies talked with us and played peek a boo with our son while we waited in traffic. We stopped first at the Best Western, where the couple did not want to get out. They both must have expected something different. It wasn't the best looking hotel outside.

 

Then the rest of us got off at the Crowne Plaza.

 

 

Check in was easy. We headed up to the 8th floor. We noticed that it was a Quiet Zone. Upon further investigation I realized that they should not have placed us on that floor because it said the Quiet Zone was "kid free." Oops!

 

I opened the door to our room and found that they gave us a free upgrade to a suite. We had a full living room with wet bar and then a separate bedroom!

 

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

 

We also lucked out with a harbor view room! We made sure to keep our son quiet so that he would not be a bother to others on our floor. We were pretty tired form the 3 hour time difference + flying all day, so we ended up going to bed pretty early.

 

 

 

My dad and his wife met us at the Crowne Plaza. They were staying out in Burbank where she has family. We had dinner at the Green Onion, a Mexican restaurant across from the Crowne Plaza. Food was good. Margaritas were good! It was slow when we got there but packed when we left!

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We went back to our hotel and my dad drove back to Burbank for the night. They would be meeting us on the ship the next morning. We fell asleep fairly quickly after my son's splashtastic bath. No pictures!!

 

We woke up fairly early because our brains were still on Eastern time. By early I mean 4:30am Pacific. DS and I played with his toy cars until DH woke up. Bringing little toys along can be a saving grace.

 

 

DH was up and ready by 6:30am. We went down to the loby to find out if anything was open that early for breakfast. They told us about a place called the Grinder. They compared it to a Denny's, which was fine with us. It was a short walk from the hotel. One block North and one block East. On the corner of 5th St and Harbor Blvd.

 

 

 

Our breakfast was good. Typical diner food. Nice waitress.

 

After breakfast we went for a walk because it was nice and cool (compared to back home in Florida). We went by the Ports O Call Village just to see what the area was like. It was early, so of course nothing was open. A few firetrucks left the station that was across from Grinder. DS loved it when they took off with their sirens on. The firemen waved to him too! I think it made his day.

 

Eventually we made our way back to the hotel to gather up our belongings. Made our way downstairs and found lots of other cruise passengers in the lobby. There were four cruise ships at the San Pedro port this morning and the hotels were full of the passengers. We waited for approx 20 minutes before getting on a shuttle to the port. Certain shuttles went to certain ships because they were spread throughout the port. It wasn't terrible to wait, but some people were already antsy.

 

We had a quick trip to the port from the hotel, less than 5 minutes. On our ride over my dad sent me a text that they had arrived at the "terminal" and it was a mess. No signs. Two tents. Make a lucky guess to figure out which one to drop bags and which to check in!

 

Well, I had no idea what we were in for... it truly was a mess.

Edited October 13, 2015 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

You may have read on another review that embarkation took 3 hours. This was NOT an exaggeration!

 

After we boarded I took a picture of the tents from the ship.

 

 

 

We knew to go to the tent on the right to drop our bags because my dad had text me about it. However, a lot of people were going to the check-in tent with their bags, only to be sent back to the other one. The porters were confused. None of them knew what was going on. I walked our bags right in to the luggage tent and the line of bags being brought on the ship. I confirmed with someone in the tent to make sure I was leaving our stuff in the right place. No need to wait for someone to take my bags, I can drop them myself!

 

We headed over to the OTHER tent. When we got in, we were told to wait in the chairs because they were not checking anyone in yet. We found my dad and his wife and talked with them for a few minutes when they started allowing people to line up. We headed over to the Diamond line, which was a JOKE! 270+ Diamond members onboard, plus many in the D+ and Pinnacle group.

 

My dad was lucky. He was number 3 in the Gold line. We ended up moving to the Gold line because it was significantly shorter than the other lines. No we did not go to the front where my dad was. We were well behind them. We stood in that line for 2 hours. I kid you not. Their computers had malfunctioned and they could not get them back online. My dad was on the ship eating lunch while we waited.

 

The tent was hot with no means of air circulation. People were crabby. There was a couple in line behind us that ended up giving us some peanut butter crackers because DS was getting hungry. We had last eaten at 7am and it was nearing 2pm at this point. They were giving out free water to anyone that wanted some. DH was impressed with me because I tend to get grumpy in times of heat, hunger, and fatigue. I encountered all three and stayed level headed ;)

 

Want a glimpse in to the chaos?

 

 

 

I can say with complete honesty that this was a disaster. I don't know why the port of San Pedro believed that they could accommodate four ships in one day, but they can't! No one should be relegated to "the tent."

 

We got over the ordeal as soon as we stepped foot on the ship though. It was vacation time.

Edited October 13, 2015 by smileyperry

[ASeaPrincess1]

Great review so far. :)

We were on this cruise, too, and, yes, embarkation was a total joke!

Like you, we got over it once we were onboard!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

TY for your review, great pictures and your DS is adorable.

 

Yes it was the worst embarkation ever!

 

Thanks to the couple who arrives and decides since there was no one at check in to start the check in process......that started the stampede! :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

***

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Once onboard we make a quick stop at our room to drop all of our belongings.. After all it was so late that rooms were ready! I was excited for our room. We had a hump cabin, 8104. I figured the extra balcony space would be good for our son to play on & use up some energy.

 

 

 

 

This last one is a shot from our balcony on to my dad's balcony. We had a connecting room with them.

 

 

I was concerned that noise from the centrum might be a bother. We never heard a thing all week. We had the second room from the centrum area. It was perfectly convenient. No long walks and a nice big balcony!

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Next stop was the Windjammer for a late light lunch. My dad already had a table and so we joined him there. We filled our bellies and talked about the events of the morning. We then headed BACK to the room to attempt a nap for the little one.

 

HAHA on us!

 

 

FYI, DH was pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. I already had friends ask what he was digging for! We spent some time hanging out in the room & balcony.

 

While I was planning this trip and trying to configure our bags I worried about filling half a suit case with just diapers. So I decided to order the diaper bag + diapers through Gifts & Gear. For $35 I thought it was a bit expensive, but I needed the convenience and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop at a store once we arrived in San Pedro. The order form did not specify how many diapers were in the package. I assumed it would be the same as ordering the diapers (minus the bag) through gifts + gear. It said Size 4 diapers come in 24 packs. I planned to stop at a convenience store in one of our ports to stock up on more when needed. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the HUGE diaper package with the diaper bag, cream, and changing pad! We came home with nearly half of those diapers and a nice canvas Royal Caribbean bag :)

 

 

When we boarded, the Adventure Ocean staff member handed me a paper about their Royal Tots program. The ship does NOT have a nursery, but they did have a daily dedicated play space for the under 3 crowd. It was open from 9am-10pm EVERY day. Other ships only offered it on 1 or 2 days and for a few hours at most. I will scan the paper in the morning, it's in my son's suitcase in his room and its 11pm!

 

Once I saw the play area for toddlers I was a little let down, but I appreciated the effort that the staff put forth to accommodate the little ones. We did use the play room daily, with the exception of one day and I will explain when I get to that day.

 

It's a little hard to explain it's location but if you're familiar with AO on Radiance Class ships you might understand. They used the hallway that leads to Adventure Ocean as a play area. They closed the fire door at the end of the hall to prevent people from using the hallway to get to AO. The main Adventure Ocean entrance was inside the arcade. Sneaky Sneaky!!!

 

 

 

For a better explanation I will use a photo from our trip on Brilliance last year. On the far left are thin double doors. On the Jewel this was the closed off hallway used for babies & toddlers. On Brilliance it is the only way to access Adventure Ocean. The setback doors in the middle are doors to the arcade on the Jewel. Keep in mind this photo is from the Brilliance, which has been converted to a Royal Babies & Tots ship. So the arcade was relocated and that space is a nursery on Brilliance. Hence the Royal Babies & Tots sign.

 

 

I don't know how accurate it is, but the Adventure Ocean staff member I spoke to said that they scrapped the plans to add a nursery to the Jewel. He claimed that it all came down to revenue and that the arcade makes more money than the nursery. I am disappointed by this if it's true. We have used the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery frequently on past cruises. We have always found the staff members amazing and loving to our son. I'm not sure if I believe it because they have added the nursery to every ship in the last couple of years and the arcade was DEAD all week long.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

RC gifts and gear diapers....wow, I think thats a great deal for anyone traveling with baby/toddler in diapers!

 

***

[Langley Cruisers]

Aww, your family is so beautiful. :)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

That first day was a pretty long one and wiped all of us out.

 

Before the trip even began we has agreed to eat in the Windjammer each night for dinner. We didn't feel like dressing up for the dining room and wanted to have flexibility. We had MTD as our dining choice, but we never made reservations.

 

Last year on the Brilliance we had done the same thing. I liked the Windjammer for dinner because it was relaxed and quiet. We always sat in the same seat, so we had the same waiter who would remember our likes and always had our drinks ready each night!

 

This year didn't work out the same. More people ate in the Windjammer nightly, so we found it difficult to always have the same table/waiter. However, it was fine for us and we enjoyed our meals there.

 

On night one, after dinner, we sat in the covered Windjammer area with the comfy chairs. We all had coffee or tea. Within minutes DS passed out on our laps!

 

 

We hung out there for another hour chatting and then headed back to the room to put him to sleep for the night. We had an E1, which held 4 people. Two in the regular bed, one pullman, and one sofabed (for one). Our room steward only pulled the sofabed out part way because she had spoken with us earlier that day about sleeping arrangements. We were worried aboutsleep because he was still in a crib at home. Thankfully we had no trouble all week with the mini bed. It was actually a really cute little bed that came out of the sofa/seat. DS was so proud to have his own little bed. All week he would point to it and tell us that it was his. Just to note: It does extend longer for an adult/teenager if needed.

 

 

We've been home for a couple of days now and I am excited to share that he has napped in his big boy bed twice and slept through the night twice as well! Keep your fingers crossed that he keeps it up.

 

Somewhat off topic here. I LOVE his big boy bed. I saw it when I was pregnant with him and knew I would get the bed one day. We've had it for months, anticipating his switch to it. I thought I'd share a photo here because, well, I think the cruising community would love his room too!

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2015 by smileyperry