Jewel - will my kids be bored and is Haven worth it?

[Hammergirl]

We are considering an Alaskan cruise on the Jewel but I am hesitant. We are used to the big ships, having cruises on Breakway, Oasis, Allure and Harmony. 

 

We have 2 kids who will be 16 and 11 when we sail. I am wondering if there is enough on the ship to keep them busy. 

 

Also, considering the Haven and wondering if the cost is worth it. We have done the Haven on the breakaway so know it is nice. But in your opinion, is it worth it for a Alaskan cruise? 

 

Thanks!

Edited October 25, 2019 by Hammergirl

[AlexandNessa]

Can't speak for your kids, but IMHO after sailing Haven 2x in Jewel class, then getting a 2 BR suite outside the Haven, I will say, no. No, the Haven is not worth it on these ships. We no longer book Haven on Jewel class, unless we've scored a DOS or OS (or by act of God, the GV). The only perk you don't get is access to the small courtyard and sun deck. IME, the Haven sundeck is hardly utilized and about as tranquil and quiet as being on your own balcony. All other suite perks apply if you get a suite outside the Haven.

 

 

[Hammergirl]

45 minutes ago, AlexandNessa said:

Can't speak for your kids, but IMHO after sailing Haven 2x in Jewel class, then getting a 2 BR suite outside the Haven, I will say, no. No, the Haven is not worth it on these ships. We no longer book Haven on Jewel class, unless we've scored a DOS or OS (or by act of God, the GV). The only perk you don't get is access to the small courtyard and sun deck. IME, the Haven sundeck is hardly utilized and about as tranquil and quiet as being on your own balcony. All other suite perks apply if you get a suite outside the Haven.

 

 

Thank you so much for this. If we decide on one of the larger ships (Bliss or Encore), do you think the Haven is worth it then? Just trying to figure it all out!

[graphicguy]

19 minutes ago, Hammergirl said:

Thank you so much for this. If we decide on one of the larger ships (Bliss or Encore), do you think the Haven is worth it then? Just trying to figure it all out!

Big difference in the size and amenities offered in the Haven on the Breakaway, B+ and Epic vs the Jewel class Havens.

 

As AlexandNessa pointed out, on the Jewel class ships, the actual Haven pool area is teeny, and there is no Haven exclusive restaurant or bar.

 

While Jewel ships do have a concierge and butler for the Haven, the concierge sets up shop in the Moderno restaurant, where you can also eat your Haven breakfasts.  You also get to eat lunch in the Cagney’s restaurant.

 

On the Breakaway, + and Epic, the Haven is much larger, with two deck Haven lounges areas, a Haven specific restaurant (which is quite good) and a Haven specific bar.  The Haven lounge areas are very close to and similar to the VIBE, which “regular” guests pay $209/pp/week to have access to.

 

As far as children?  Not sure they’ll particularly like the Haven as the pools are small, they wouldn’t be allowed to hang at the bar, and the Haven restaurant, which does have a childrens’ menu, isn’t quite like the area on the ship where you walk up and get ice cream, sodas, etc.  It’s more reserved.  To my knowledge, there aren’t any children specific activities in the Haven, either.

 

 

[Cruiser_1977]

@Hammergirl Can't speak about the Haven. Have you looked at the deck plans for the Jewel? I'd spend some time clicking through this page. There are:

 

Basketball/Volleyball/ Tennis Court

Card Room

Entourage

Arcade

Splash Academy is a drop off program for child ages 3 - 12 (Turtles, Seals, Dolphins) offering high energy, interactive, themed based programming.

Pools/Hot Tubs

 

You have to decide if your kids would be kept busy with those things.

Edited October 25, 2019 by JennyB1977

[AlexandNessa]

2 hours ago, Hammergirl said:

Thank you so much for this. If we decide on one of the larger ships (Bliss or Encore), do you think the Haven is worth it then? Just trying to figure it all out!

Yes, I agree with graphicguy. Larger ships, we love the Haven. The bar and restaurant makes a world of difference.

[Bowmanvilletravel]

My kids are 11 & 9 and sailed on the Jewel in 2018 and like you we like the larger ships and have sailed on some that you mention. If we had to pick we would always pick the larger ships with way more to do (even for the adults) but our kids were not bored. The big difference I would say from Jewel to a larger ship is the multiple entertainment options and some sort of larger activity perk like roller skating, bumper cars, something like that. I find that while those larger activity perks are great, we only use them once or twice so not a deal breaker if they are not there. I do miss things like howl at the moon, extra shows, etc, but again not a deal breaker. 

 

Jewel still has the traditional amenities that JennyB mentions. Are there amenities that are not there that your kids would go crazy if they weren't available? I also find, especially with kids your age, that they probably meet a lot of kids on board and hang out with them. You'd still find that on the Jewel.

 

And, Alaska is unbelievable...absolutely worth it. 

 

 

[Sauer-kraut]

Sailed the Jewel over Memorial Day this year.   I can't answer about kids being bored,  I basically watched the scenery go by.  The cruise director and staff were very energetic and had a party atmoshpere.   As to children being bored on a ship, it just dependins on the child.  My Granny took me on a 15 day trans-Pacific cruise on a container ship that had 4 passenger cabins and I was the only teen onboard. The only amenities on board were play deck golf with the senor crew and quoits.  I managed to keep myself busy with reading doing word puzzles and looking for flying fish. 🐟

[don't-use-real-name]

Weight the merits of having all that Haven (on any ship) to the time spent off the ship on personal or

otherwise shore excursions.

Maybe the large ships it is a better value - but on the JEWEL class ships not so much unless as

been noted in the GV or DOS OS - still yet no bar restaurant.

The length of the cruise - port stops - and all activity should be considered - - -

[princess_mom]

My 15 yr old daughter and I sailed the Jewel in Aug 2019 and both LOVED it. With the ship being small, I felt comfortable with her wandering around on her own. She went out of her comfort zone and went to Entourage alone the first night. She met a great group of friendly kids. The staff really tried to get the kids together.

My girl loves shows and the quality of the entertainment on the Jewel is fantastic. There was a different show every night and we went together to the first showing then she went back with other teens that she met in the teen club to the second show of the night. Not like on the big ships where you need to make reservations and line up in advance.

Also, since we were in a port almost every day, there was not much downtime to fill.

We will be on the Bliss this New Years, I sure wish it was a smaller ship.

[billslowsky]

I would think the kids would appreciate more if you spent on the shore excursions than the room.  Some quality opportunities up that way.

[complawyer]

we've taken our grandson on at least one cruise per year from thetime he was 10 until he was 18, and he always had a great time. sign them up immediately for the kids club and the entourage for your teenager. My grandson met a bunch of other kids, and we rarely saw him during the cruise. they were always doing something. as far as the haven .. yes..yes.. empahticaly yes.

[HowardK]

My friends Dave From Dayton and his wife Betty had the opposite! They won the Haven from some sort of work thing- and didn't like being detached from the masses. However, their kids, Linus and Schroder (yes Betty is obsssed with Snoopy!) were almost in tears when they had to leave. 

[queenschick9b]

On 10/25/2019 at 1:43 PM, Sauer-kraut said:

Sailed the Jewel over Memorial Day this year.   I can't answer about kids being bored,  I basically watched the scenery go by.  The cruise director and staff were very energetic and had a party atmoshpere.   As to children being bored on a ship, it just dependins on the child.  My Granny took me on a 15 day trans-Pacific cruise on a container ship that had 4 passenger cabins and I was the only teen onboard. The only amenities on board were play deck golf with the senor crew and quoits.  I managed to keep myself busy with reading doing word puzzles and looking for flying fish. 🐟

That is so cool.  Doing a cruise on a container ship is on my bucket list.

[Laszlo]

On 10/25/2019 at 3:27 PM, billslowsky said:

I would think the kids would appreciate more if you spent on the shore excursions than the room.  Some quality opportunities up that way.

Completely agree. Most Alaska cruises are fairly port intensive. I think we had two sea days on a 7 day cruise. If you think your kids are going to be bored you might consider leaving them at home

[Newfun4me]

We did Alaska on the Jewel a few years ago with our son and his friend.  They were both 18 at the time.  I agree that with Alaska being so port intensive, the ship's activities were a little less important.  However, we were in suites (penthouse and DOS) and loved it - even though we weren't actually "in" the Haven and only went to that area once or twice.  We liked the benefit of the private restaurant for breakfast (the coffee was a lot better, in my opinion) and loved the fact that we didn't have to wait in the lines getting off or coming back on the ship.  It was worth it to us.  

 

[gingersvp]

We were in the Haven on the Pearl (sister ship) in 2017. Our kids were 15, 11 and (almost) 2. My teen and tween LOVED the Haven. What they particularly liked was the fact that they could use the pool. It was too cool in Alaska in July for the general pool and the covered Haven courtyard had a pool warm enough to swim in. They met other kids in the Haven and had a blast. Honestly we loved it so much that we've booked a Haven suite on the Pearl this coming November.

 

We haven't sailed a larger ship with Haven and don't have that to compare. While the Jewel class ships don't have a private restaurant, the pool valet will serve you in the courtyard. We took breakfast and lunch in the courtyard every day and found it worthwhile - particularly with the toddler around. The pool valet also stocked coffee, fresh fruit and pastries starting at 5am. This was very helpful for us, because we're from Florida and woke VERY EARLY every day. It was wonderful to just sort of stumble out to the courtyard first thing and get fresh coffee and fruit. Yes, the suite had a coffee machine, but I'm seriously impaired before coffee and can't operate a pot. Trust me, it's frightening.

 

We made heavy use of the courtyard, the pool, the hot tub and the pool valet even though it was a port intensive trip.