Quick thoughts on our recent Jewel cruise

[cinnam0n]

  I'll do a complete review later, but wanted to share a condensed version of our Dec. 1-8 Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan on Jewel of the Seas.  This was the 7th cruise (2 Celebrity, 2 NCL,  2 RCI)  for my husband and I.  We traveled with our son and his 3 boys (7, 11, and 15) - this was their first cruise experience.  Only one sea day on this cruise, so it was very port intensive.  

  The crew of the Jewel was one of the best I've encountered.  They went above and beyond to meet any needs or requests we had, and always with a smile.  Our waitstaff in the MDR couldn't have been better.  One day at lunch in the Windjammer, when the ice cream machines were dispensing strawberry and chocolate soft serve, my 7-year-old grandson asked one of the crew if they had any vanilla ice cream.  He asked us to point out our table, and before long he delivered a bowl of hand-scooped vanilla ice cream! 

   The food was also the best I've had on RCI.  Service in the MDR was excellent, and everything was pretty consistent. The beef dishes were especially outstanding.  One of my grandsons had the "Fish of the Day" option every evening, and it was varied and prepared well each time.

   The Radiance class ships are a good size for a first cruise, in my opinion.  Just big enough, but not overwhelming.  After a day or 2, the boys were able to navigate everything themselves.

   The entertainment on this cruise left a lot to be desired.  The first night at the welcome aboard show, a comedian (Steve White) was featured.  He was hysterical, and we laughed until we cried.  Other than than, not a lot was offered.  The Royal Caribbean singers/dancers/orchestra did 3 production shows - same old ones.  The farewell show featured another comedian, who was literally the worst comedian I had ever heard.  Not the least bit funny.   So no variety at all -  no musical groups, tribute bands, magicians, jugglers, etc.  

    All in all, it was a wonderful cruise.  San Juan airport is a nightmare, but it's a necessary evil to do a Southern Caribbean cruise in 7 days

 

 

 

[davekathy]

3 minutes ago, cinnam0n said:

  I'll do a complete review later, but wanted to share a condensed version of our Dec. 1-8 Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan on Jewel of the Seas...

 

Thanks for posting. The Jewel is a favorite of ours. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by davekathy

[sgmn]

Thanks for the update. We are doing southern Caribbean in Feb on Jewel. Good to hear about the MDR, though pity about the entertainment. We usually enjoy the shows in the evening. Looking forward to your full review. 

[cinnam0n]

You will enjoy it, I'm sure!  I have Compasses and any other info you may need - just ask!

[sellwingri]

Glad to hear that the food in the MDR was good.  I know food is always very subjective but it was not good on our transatlantic cruise in November.  Hope it continues to be good when we sail on her in February.

[cinnam0n]

We are doing a transatlantic (our first) on Brilliance the first part of November.  (Barcelona to Tampa)  What was your weather like?  I have no idea what to expect!

[Clarea]

51 minutes ago, cinnam0n said:

We are doing a transatlantic (our first) on Brilliance the first part of November.  (Barcelona to Tampa)  What was your weather like?  I have no idea what to expect!

 

Varies cruise to cruise.  Last month we took Jewel from Rome to San Juan, and it was the most pleasent weather we've had on a transatlantic.  Most days were sunny and temps were in the low to mid 70's.  The main pool area was well utilized during the day.

 

A year ago, on the same stransatlantic, we had overcast and rainy weather most days.  Our route was different, but the 5 or 6 days at sea before reaching San Juan were close to the same route, and the most different in weather year to year.

[svandermeulen]

Thanks for the update.  We are doing the Southern Caribbean on the Jewel this Saturday.  We did the Baltic Sea cruise on the Serenade of the Seas and really enjoyed it.  The crew on the Serenade were outstanding and we are looking forward to seeing how the crew on the Jewel stacks up.  

 

We spent most of our evenings in the Pub on the Serenade.  On the Jewel it has been replaced by the Pit Stop.  On the Serenade the Pub had a guitarist who played standard rock songs that everyone would sing along to.  Did they offer anything like that on the Jewel?

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, svandermeulen said:

 ...

 

We spent most of our evenings in the Pub on the Serenade.  On the Jewel it has been replaced by the Pit Stop.   ...

 

Actually, the Pit Stop has been replaced by the pub on Radiance, Brilliance, and Serenade.  Jewel's revitalization dry dock got "abbreviated" by the Empress kitchen fiasco, and Jewel lost Park Cafe and the pub.

[MsYukon]

4 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

.... Empress kitchen fiasco...

Got me curious - what was the Empress Kitchen Fiasco??? 

[svandermeulen]

4 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Actually, the Pit Stop has been replaced by the pub on Radiance, Brilliance, and Serenade.  Jewel's revitalization dry dock got "abbreviated" by the Empress kitchen fiasco, and Jewel lost Park Cafe and the pub.

That's interesting.  Thanks for the information.  The pub appears to be a better fix than the Pit Stop.  

[Clarea]

19 minutes ago, MsYukon said:

Got me curious - what was the Empress Kitchen Fiasco??? 

 

Royal brought Empress back from Pulmantur to do the Cuba runs.  Since it was going to sail from US ports, it had to comply with US Dept of Public Health standards.  It had not been to the US in many years, so there was much work to do.   They got into the kitchens and found them so badly infested that they ripped them out completely and redid them.  Took a bunch of money away from the upgrades to Jewel and Majesty.  Majesty lost Chops, Jewel lost the pub and Park Cafe.

 

Beware the crunchy chocolate covered "Chef's Choice Amenity"!

[MsYukon]

Thanks for the explanation!