Jewel OTS Just off 10/2/05 How was it???

[MrsKnuts2]

For the people returning from the Jewel of the Seas on 10/2/05 - HOW WAS IT??? :D

We leave on 10/12/05 and we're dying to know how your cruise was.

Please tell all :)

[awm]

Yes! Please give us your thoughts!!

[Maddie444]

We just got back from cruising "The Jewel Of The Sea" It was wonderful. The Jewel is a beautiful ship. We couldn't of asked for more beautiful weather. Most days were in the mid 90's hot! hot! hot! We missed Bermuda on the way down because of weather but caught it on the way back. We went to St Thomas instead, can't complain...Will write more later.

You will enjoy it...I wish I was going out this week again!

Maddie

[MrsKnuts2]

Thank you for responding to my question so quickly.

 

Just a few questions :p

Which nights were formal nights?

Did you try the Mystery Dinner?

Which night was caribbean night in the dining room?

How were the shows?

Who was the cruise director?

Who was the entertainer at the Schooner lounge?

 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm a little excited :D

It just seems to me there isn't a lot of information out there for these particular cruises.

[jaxboater]

Sounds like it was a good cruise.

What type of music did the band play?

[Maddie444]

Day 1 Casual, day 2 Formal, day 3 Casual. day 4 Mart Casual or 70's day 5 Casual/country, day 6 Casual Caribbrean, day 7 Casual/50's & 60's night, Day 8 was our next formal because of out schedule change, usually 2nd formal is day 9, our day 9 was smart casual, and day 10 was casual. I did notice that most people dressed up on the formal and smart casual. Everyone looked nice.

 

I must of missed the mystery dinner because i didn't know they had one. LOL I spemt a lot ofg time in the casino:rolleyes:

 

Peter was our Cruise Director, he was great.

 

String Classic ..scooner Bar

Caribbean Breeze ..pool deck

Marcelo Casentino.. Guitar

Piano Bar... Barry from Boston and Lee Reed

Any more question, just ask and i'll try to answer them

Maddie

[jewlrybabe]

I saw where you missed Burmuda on the way down. What was the order of your itinerary?

 

Thanks!

[Maddie444]

Day 1, 2, 3, at sea, Day 4, St. Maarten, Day 5, St.Thomas, Day 6, San Juan. Day 7 and 8, at sea, Day 9, Bermuda, Day 10 at sea

[MrsKnuts2]

Thank You!!!

[JustMarriedBuckeyes]

We saw Jewel in St. Thomas (we were on Navigator) and I have great pictures of the ship pulling out that afternoon. The people we spoke with said that the cruise was great despite the changed itinerary. Happy travels!

[negc]

Interesting to note that while weather caused the Jewel to bypass Bermuda on the way down, Captain James skipped Labadee in order to visit Bermuda on the return. As much as I like Labadee, I am sure that many passengers, given their choice, would have opted for Bermuda and it is nice to see that Captain James was able to accommodate them. I am sure that, based on our experiences with him in the past, he kept all of the passengers informed of what he was doing and why. One of the reasons we really enjoyed all of our sailings with him.

[Jimbo]

Bill, we were suppose to have 2 Full Days in Bermuda and there were many unhappy cruisers. Alot of people booked that cruise just because of that but as you know itineraries are subject to change. Sea were alittle choppy, but we weren't tendering there we were suppose to dock, have seen it alot worse where we have docked before with no trouble.

 

Don't know for sure if this is true or not, but heard from others who went into Hamilton that talked to store owners on Friday September 30th that the Port in Bermuda was NOT CLOSED on Saturday September 24th when we were suppose to dock and at 8am on the 24th and leave the 25th at 5pm.

 

They said our Captain from the ship had words with the person from the Pilot Boat from Bermuda and elected not to dock that day.

 

I thought it was quite odd to see the Pilot boat come all the way out to our ship which is really a long way from where the ship docks in Bermuda if the Port is closed. You would think the people in Bermuda could just radio our ship and tell us the Port was Closed and we could be on our way someplace else.

 

When we left Bermuda the 1 day we were there the Pilot Boat followed us all the way out, a good hour from the dock in Bermuda, same place we saw the Pilot Boat back on September 24th when we didn't dock.

 

Just plain odd to see the Pilot Boat all the way out there if the Port was closed.:confused: Why come all the way out there an hour out and hour back if you aren't intending to bring the ship with you?

 

Jimbo

[negc]

Jimbo - our October 22nd sailing had its stay in Bermuda shortened to a day and an overnight. That change was made several months ago but I am sure that some passengers will be surprised to find it out when they board and will be unhappy with the change. They also eliminated a stop at Tortola and substituted San Juan in its stead. Hey stuff happens.

 

I obviously don't know the facts about the decision not to dock in Bermuda on the front end of the cruise but I have strong respect for Captain James and believe that his decision would have been made based on his concerns for the well-being of his ship, its crew and its passengers. I don't believe that he would arbitrarily cancel a port of call out of some sort of spite. If there was a disagreement with the pilot, I would note that the Master of the Ship bears ultimate responsibility for the ship and I defer to his judgement.

[redsoxfan56]

I was also on the Jewel cruise which returned today. We were told by a taxi driver in King's Wharf that the port was not closed when we attempted to stop in Bermuda but the Captain chose not to dock due to the swells. I too saw the pilot boat come out. Based on how long it took to dock when we did stop on Friday I would tend to agree it was not closed but it may have been when the decision not to stop was made. I trust that Captain James made what he felt was the best and safest decision. I was very disappointed as there were 2 itineraries from the very beginning and we had chosen the 2 day Bermuda one also. However, it was clear Capt. James did all he could to offset the frustration by adding St. Thomas and then later choosing to skip Labadee in return for the one day in Bermuda. Guess now we just need to go again to get to do more in Bermuda!! As for thwe Tortola thing...some of the early brochures did list it but if you looked closely the words said Tortola yet the map showed San Juan. I suspect it was a printing error as our TA said it always showed SanJuan on her info. (Not so sure I would get off the ship again in San Juan...we took a tour and seeing Old and new once was suffucient for us. Heard the Rain Forest was good in some opinions and not so good in others.

[Maddie444]

I think Captain James took everything into concideration and made the right choice. I was watching the pilot boat from my Balcony and let me tell you it was rocking and a rolling . The swells were quite large. The channel getting into and out of Kings Wharf, are a little tricky. I could see from my Balcony how shallow some parts were even after sailing an hour out from Bermuda. With the hurricane brewing just south of Bermuda why take the chance. If we had got caught in Bermuda with the hurricane upon us people would have blambed the Captain for that. I personaly thing Captain James made the right choice for all of us. Our trip was beautiful and smooth sailing. And you couldn't of asked for more beautiful weather. Thank you, Captain James!

Maddie:)

[Jimbo]

Wonder what they will tell the Jewel of the Seas cruisers on the 10/12/05 sailing when they don't dock at 8am on the 10/14 in Bermuda on time. The Norweigian Crown is at Kings Wharf until 11am on the 14th, and as far as I know you can't dock 2 ships there at the same time?

 

Here is the Crowns Itinerary and Jewels, I see a problem already. On our 9/22 sailing I think Royal Caribbean had no intentions of ever stopping at Bermuda for 2 full days, The cruise was so cheaply priced as it was, having everyone on the ship an extra sea day made more money for Royal Caribbean. I believe they knew what they were doing by revising the itinerary to make more money off the sailing.

[Jimbo]

Norweigian Crown Itinerary

 

Sun 10/9DEPART PHILADELPHIA, US 4:00 PM

 

Mon 10/10CRUISE 12:00 AM

 

Tue 10/11ARRIVE-DOCK ST. GEORGES, BM 11:00 AM

 

Wed 10/12DEPART ST. GEORGES, BM 7:00 AM

 

WedARRIVE-DOCK HAMILTON, BM 9:00 AM

 

Thu 10/13DEPART HAMILTON, BM 7:00 AM

 

ThuARRIVE-DOCK KING'S WHARF, BM 9:00 AM

 

Fri 10/14DEPART KING'S WHARF, BM 11:00 AM

 

SatCRUISE 12:00 AM

 

SunARRIVE-DOCK PHILADELPHIA, US 7:00 AM

[Jimbo]

Jewel's Itinerary for Bermuda

 

14-Oct Kings Wharf, Bermuda 8:00AM Docked

 

15- Oct Kings Wharf, Bermuda 5:00PM Depart

 

Seems to be a problem already doesn't it and the Jewel hasn't even left the dock yet in Boston. I would lay good odds on their Itinerary being revised somewhat also like ours. How can Jewel dock if Crown is still there until 11am on the 14th of Ocotber?

 

Jimbo

[danaps]

Jim,

 

I did not realize that you felt we would never have the two days in Bermuda. I thought that with the sailing day into Bermuda being the only day I was seasick then the Captain did the right thing. Obivously the swells were faily big that evening and the next day as well.

 

If the pattern continues (of not making the overnight stop)then maybe it's time to complain about it to RCL.

 

JMHO....

 

Debie

[Jimbo]

Jim,

 

Obivously the swells were faily big that evening and the next day as well.

 

If the pattern continues (of not making the overnight stop)then maybe it's time to complain about it to RCL.

 

JMHO....

 

Debie

 

Hi Debie

 

Those swells were really not that big........it can and does get alot worse. After a you go on a few more cruises, you may see what I mean. Hopefully you never see what I mean though, hope you have smooth seas whereever you go.:)

As you know Debie before we left there were rumors that we wouldn't be staying overnight at Kings Wharf. Turns out it became true , whether it was because of the seas or something else, I guess we will never know for sure.

Seas were not really that bad, on deck 7 where we were when we woke up that morning To tell you the truth I thought we were already docked at Kings Wharf, didn't really feel the ship moving at all on deck 7.

 

 

Jimbo:)

[danaps]

Because this rookie cruiser was very glad for the Bonine in her cabin...:D

 

Jim, I know we had those rumors and I was hoping they were just that. Like I said, if we hear the same thing from the next group then we really do have to wonder if RCL ever meant for that overnight to happen for any of the Sept/Oct cruises.

 

I have to say that I had a great time none the less and it was partially due to the great help (and company) that you and Diz provided to me and my DH.

 

Thanks again - I hope when we cruise again the seas are calm and the itinerary is kept.

 

Until then,

Debie

[negc]

Let's wait and see what happens before subscribing to any conspiracy theories such as have been posted here. Jimbo accepts NCL's itinerary showing the Norwegian Crown in King's Wharf until 11am as gospel and disbelieves RCI's itinerary which shows the Jewel there at the same time. Since the Jewel's inability to dock in Bermuda on the front end of its last sailing seems to have at least an arguable connection to the weather conditions, isn't it quite a stretch to claim that there were ulterior motives to the captain's decision and to claim that the line consciously touts an itinerary that it has no intention of following. Why go to the bother?

 

As far as Tortola is concerned, early brochures showed Tortola as a port of call on both the map and the itinerary. Since proofreading does not seem to be a strength of RCI's marketing department, the revised brochure corrected the map but failed to correct the itinerary. In the same 2005-2006 Caribbean brochure, they have a deck plan of the stretched Enchantment of the Seas showing the added section and new features but on the same page they show outdated statistical information about the ship.

 

Having sailed on Jewel's sister ship, Brilliance of the Seas in 60 foot swells, I can attest to the fact that these ships ride quite well, but sailing on the open seas in high seas is totally different from trying to maneuver and dock at a port in heavy seas. Captain James' experience, expertise and judgment is something I have more faith in than the opinions of even veteran cruisers.

[Guest cruzr44]

Wonder what they will tell the Jewel of the Seas cruisers on the 10/12/05 sailing when they don't dock at 8am on the 10/14 in Bermuda on time. The Norweigian Crown is at Kings Wharf until 11am on the 14th, and as far as I know you can't dock 2 ships there at the same time?

 

Here is the Crowns Itinerary and Jewels, I see a problem already. On our 9/22 sailing I think Royal Caribbean had no intentions of ever stopping at Bermuda for 2 full days, The cruise was so cheaply priced as it was, having everyone on the ship an extra sea day made more money for Royal Caribbean. I believe they knew what they were doing by revising the itinerary to make more money off the sailing.

 

Hey Jim!! Hope you enjoyed your cruise. Did you get to see any of Boston? When I was in Bermuda two years ago there were two RC ships docked at Kings Wharf. How was sailing the Atlantic overall? It would be very convenient for us, but have hesitated sailing the whole East Coast.

[Jimbo]

Hi Sharon,

 

Cruise was great, met alot of nice people. Actually we never really sailed that much along the east coast. We actually sailed from Boston to Bermuda to St. Maaten to St. Thomas to San Juan and then back to Bermuda and then back to Boston.

 

So really seas were pretty smooth the whole way, the most we had was maybe 5 or 6ft swells around Bermuda the first time we went there, still can't believe we didn't dock there the first time.

 

We got to Boston around 12 Noon on Wednesday, did the Duck tour which was really nice, temperatures were in the 80's that day, we were very lucky with it being such a nice day for late September in Boston. Then we had seafood dinner in the same byilding were we bought the duck tour tickets. Shopped around in the mall there and then back to the hotel.

 

We used the red line and green line subways. I can see now why people in Boston even walk there or take the subways around the city. The streets around there are nuts and not much parking. To many one way roads. Lots of construction too, roads being built all over, sure hope they get done fast before weather gets cold up there.

 

On our drive up we expected to see more fall follage along the way but since the weather has been so warm everywhere we didn't see many leaves changing colors yet.

 

Beautiful city though. Lots to see we just didn't have the time. Boarded the ship the next day on Thursday.

 

Jimbo:)

[Jimbo]

Bill

That morning when we woke up the engines were off , we were just floating in the ocean, it wasn't like we were all getting tossed around in our cabins, It was so weird I Had to go out on balcony just to double check that we were not moving. We were just sitting there, you could see the island, but we were just staying put. Knew something had to be up, because we should have been moving toward the island to dock if we were going ot get there for our scheduled 7am docking.

The Captain just waited until decent hour before he made the anoucement, I believe it wasn't until around 8am when he said we would not being docking at Kings Wharf because the Port was closed and that we were heading to St. Maarten a day early and then to St. Thomas the day after that.

Inless it was alot more windy near the pier , then in the open sea I still don't understand why he couldn't take us in.

 

 

Jimbo:)