Jewel Transatlantic 9/11/06 Ship/Service not port review.

[Zebby90210]

Please read another review of this cruise under "Fire on the Jewel" and yet another comparing RCCL to X on the RCCL board. Both are right on the money with their reviews and comparisons!

 

Compared to other cruise lines the entertainment on the Jewel was sub par. We only enjoyed 2 of the shows. I've been on many other lines and have to say this was the worst ever entertainment on the seas. I spoke to many on this cruise that agreed.

 

Vortex Lounge: Worst DJ myself and 20 people I met there have ever heard. He was ducked down behind the DJ stand and was into his own music. You don't play rap when the crowd is 50-70 or oldies when the crowd is 20 something. He just didn't get it and cleared the place out so many times. The bartenders and servers were baffled by the lack of people compared to the same cruise in the past. The 2 main bartenders were described as "show-offs" from a bar manager in our group. Imagine a bartender continuously throwing a metal and plastic container up in the air when he wasn't making drinks and having it hit the ground 50% of the time. This was a nightly event and eventually someone told him to stop but he continued playing with the containers that night and the very next night they would hit the ground again with a BANG. This is extremely poor training and management.

 

Imagine lines so long waiting for the shuttle bus in Dublin (200 Plus) that many got out of line and took taxis.

 

Imagine 300-400 in line waiting for tenders to get back to the ship in Plymouth. Yes this is a tender port however RCCL did not run enough tenders to move the lines and satisfy their paying customers.

 

Imagine 200+ people in line waiting to get back on the ship through one entrance when a second entrance had a gang plank sitting there. I've never experienced this on any other cruise line. If those responsible for boarding see a line they need to open a second boarding site. This was going on late in the afternoon and those on early seating just wanted to get back on board to freshen up for dinner.

 

RCCL has eliminated wine stewards on the Jewel. We were told this was to reduce cost. The wait staff was responsible for wine service and they knew NOTHING about wine. When asked about a particular bottle or what would go well with a particular entree they could not respond. Some at our table purchased the prepaid wine package and were miffed that nobody could help the way wine stewards do on other lines and used to do on RCCL ships.

 

The post on "Fire on the Jewel" speaks of the ship running out of things. Transatlantic or not this is unacceptable. No tooth paste, no skim milk, no flowers, no filet mignons and the list goes on.

 

We had a Family Suite and had friends in an Owners Suite. The sofas had very noticeable and gross stains on them. Again unacceptable. Comments were made that the Jewel needs some TLC! Even certain areas of the outside of the ship needed painting. On other lines we were so impressed to see workers on harnesses painting parts of the ship while we were in port.

 

We know the bedding will be replaced in 2007 and already has on other RCCL ships. The owners suite bedding was so lumpy the spread wouldn't lay flat and the Family suite beds felt like you were lying on a board.

 

The family suite and at least 2 adjoining cabins had an extremely LOUD horn type sound that would go off for 15-20 seconds every night in the wee hours of the morning. It woke our neighbors up so much that they had to take naps after breakfast and heard it again at 9:30AM or earlier. Everyone mentioned this and the resolution was to give out ear plugs. Guest services said to call when the noise was heard. Our neighbors did at 2:30 in the morning and they sent security up. Of course the noise had stopped and what was security going to do. We were told by guest services it was the wind! There is no way that noise was wind! We suggested that someone from maintenance sit in the cabin for a few after the passengers left in the morning. We were told maintenance was busy. Not once did maintenance come to the cabins to try to determine where the noises were coming from so we're assuming the current passengers are experiencing the same issues.

 

This experience with guest services along with others where they just try to sluff off an issue is what many experienced and I also saw this on other Jewel reviews. Several times we asked guest services questions and didn't think we got the right answer so asked another person there and got a totally different answer.

 

The conceirge was afraid to stand her ground when several folks in the conceirge lounge started to make their own drinks before she was ready to open the bar to the room. Twice she said I'm not ready and they pushed their way to the bar and just didn't care. It made for an awkward situation the one day I say this happen and just feel that "the chosen" feel they can do no wrong. Again proper staff training would have had her stand her ground and eliminate a frustrating situation no matter who those passengers were.

 

Portofino was very good however we were expecting Chops to be better based on prior reviews. The Ceasar salad in Chops is 4 or 5 pieces of Romaine lettuce served whole with dressing poured on it and then cut up by server in front of you. This is not Ceasar salad. For those of you that love Tirimasu don't order it in Portofino. The RCCL recipe for Tirimisu is pudding in a glass. Not bad but not Tirimisu. Several tables in Chops had extremely bright light bulbs over them which really took away from a "fine dining" atomosphere. When we asked if it could be adjusted we were told it was controlled by the bridge. At the mystery murder dinner in Portofino people at our table asked the manager to turn the lights down which had been turned up for the group of 80 to enter and he immediatly did so.

 

We found the dining room food to be decent but nothing to write home about. In many cases it was hit or miss on the soups and entrees. Our server spoke softly (hard to hear when he described the menu) and never came back to ask if everything was ok. Lunch in the dining room presented a few issues with poor service. When asked for something the server would say OK and bring something totally different. We asked for 2 large spoons to serve a Ceasar to several people. We didn't get them so asked the head waiter who was standing next to the wait station and instead of just getting them for us asked another waiter to do so.

We did enjoy the food overall however this staff is not as properly trained as those on every other cruise we've been on.

 

One of the dining room managers told us that Celebrity is considered a step above RCCL when it comes to food and service and the the parent company knows this and is trying to tweek things "slowly" on RCCL to meet those on "X". We have travelled other lines including X and the accent on detail, proper staff training and overall feel of the cruise was a better experience. If it cost more I'll save over the year to afford a better vacation. Wouldn't you?

 

Another poster asked if "X" or another line is worth the extra money over RCCL. YES! This is my vacation and I don't want to "settle"! We knew going in based on past cruises and reading a large number of reviews that RCCL is "middle of the road" however we liked what people said about the Jewel and liked the itinerary. Overall we did enjoy our vacation however as I stated in a prior review would have to cruise on other lines before trying RCCL again.

 

My 2 cents!

Zebby

[emilygrace]

This experience with guest services along with others where they just try to sluff off an issue is what many experienced and I also saw this on other Jewel reviews. Several times we asked guest services questions and didn't think we got the right answer so asked another person there and got a totally different answer.

 

I wouldn't assume that X is automatically superior. We were on the Infinity and our room safe malfunctioned. We called guest services, they sent someone up, and when he couldn't fix it he removed the safe. They never replaced it and they never offered us a safe deposit box at guest services. We were lucky that we were sailing with friends who offered us the use of their room safe for our valuables (not that we had a lot, but passports and wallets). I somehow expected more from X.

 

After reading your posts I am hoping that my upcoming cruise on Jewel goes smoothly. I sailed on her in 2004 and everything was beyond perfect. Of course, she was brand new then, but so was the staff and everything ran smoothly. I'm sure they have had some turn over in staff since then, but I'm hoping for the best!

[juried]

A very true review. Thank you for your candor.

I forgot about the wait lines and I am one of the lucky few that were able to hail a taxi in Dublin, which by the way was cheaper that the bus.

I wrote my review but forgot the lines, they were everywhere and just another reminder that RCCL could care less. My review was more about the crappy service. I hope others try different lines just to compare.

Juried

[Cruising89143]

Celebrity is considered a Premium line and RCI is considered a mass market line. Two totally different experiences and I highly doubt that RCI is trying to move their product up to match that of X. If they were then why have two different cruise lines. It sounds like some folks are expecting a Lexus experience for the price of a Chevrolet.

 

I just read another review where a person was not happy with the perks or lack of in the Royal Suite. Again, do your homework before paying that much money. On RCI it is common knowledge here on the boards that when one books a suite on RCI it is for the extra space and nothing more.

 

As far as running out of different food items, that is not good and sounds as if someone made a mistake in ordering the amount of food needed to make the crossing or maybe folks consumed more of certain things than is usual on a cruise. Who knows.

 

It sounds like RCI is not for you and I would look into Celebrity, Crystal, Seabourne or Regent Seven Seas in the future. Sorry that RCI did not live up to your expectations.

[Cruising89143]

Double post

[Fairsailing]

I was also on this cruise and overall had a good, relaxing time.

 

It was pretty bad in Plymouth with the tender situation but I've had the same thing happen on Carnival and Princess at the end of the day when everybody is trying to get back. Luckily we took a tour in Dublin so we didn't have to deal with the shuttle bus there.

 

I have to say that the food on this cruise was better than our Brilliance cruise two years ago, both in selection and quality. Since then, they added one more "grown-up" entree to the menu for a total of five. Also, they now have a choice of sauces for the alternative selections in order to dress them up from the Denny's type dishes they once were.

 

Never went to a show as I find cruise ship entertainment average at best. We spent most of our nights with Freddie in the Champagne Bar, who was great and typified the outstanding bar service we've always had on RCI.

 

There were a ton of diamonds and above on this cruise, so much so that they had to open the Hollywood Odyssey as an alternative concierge club. We usually had a pre-dinner drink up there as the usual lounge was always packed. It seemed to always be the same "regulars" that were camped out in the lounge (before and after dinner), knocking back cocktails left and right and otherwise ensuring that no one else could enjoy the place. If you have enough money to obtain diamond status, you would think you would have enough to buy some of your own drinks. I'm glad they opened up the Hollywood Odyssey, and with the increasing numbers of diamond members, I can't see the standard lounge accomodating them on even a "regluar" cruise. Hopefully they will convert the Hollywood to a Diamond Club, like on the Freedom, permanently.

 

All in all, it was a great itinerary for a great price and it was very relaxing.

[dfa1]

So much of a person's individual cruise experience is subjective. While one person may have a wonderful time, another person may sail the exact same week, on the same ship, with the same iten. & hate it. They may eat the same food, go to the same shows, and take the same shore excursions, but the bottom line is that different people have different expectations, perceptions, and opinions, and will not always see eye to eye. I can't help but think that the fact that it was a T/A sailing may have had a lot to do with some of the more negative reviews.

 

I have never been on a radiance class vessel. We are scheduled to sail the Jewel in Nov 06. I have read so many dazzling reviews, and seen so many amazing photos that I personally can't wait to be on board. This recent trends of poor reviews, due to service, staff, planning, etc, has not discouraged me from wanting to take this cruise, because I know the potential is always there for problems. But I choose to not let the small stuff bother me.

 

For example, our most recent cruise involved a less than attentive cabin steward, a light fixture that didn't work, several used syringes that were left in our cabin by a previous passenger, an assistant waiter who sometimes forgot to bring something we had asked for (a drink refill, extra butter, etc). Oh, and I lost my sunglasses! (I'm sure someone could help me figure out a way to blame RCCL for this.)

 

But these are not the things I think about. I remember a great cruise, wonderful food, beautiful weather, a crystal clear ocean, time spent with my family, a relaxing hot tub, some very talented entertainers, the moonlight shimmering on the ocean, Royal chocolate cake, chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate souflet!

 

It's all about your perceptions, and I choose to look at the positives, which, in my experience, have always outweighed the negatives on a cruise.

[voyager70]

Celebrity is considered a Premium line and RCI is considered a mass market line. Two totally different experiences and I highly doubt that RCI is trying to move their product up to match that of X. If they were then why have two different cruise lines. It sounds like some folks are expecting a Lexus experience for the price of a Chevrolet.

 

I just read another review where a person was not happy with the perks or lack of in the Royal Suite. Again, do your homework before paying that much money. On RCI it is common knowledge here on the boards that when one books a suite on RCI it is for the extra space and nothing more.

 

As far as running out of different food items, that is not good and sounds as if someone made a mistake in ordering the amount of food needed to make the crossing or maybe folks consumed more of certain things than is usual on a cruise. Who knows.

 

It sounds like RCI is not for you and I would look into Celebrity, Crystal, Seabourne or Regent Seven Seas in the future. Sorry that RCI did not live up to your expectations.

 

Celebrity is NOT considered a premium line. It is mass market just like RCCL, Princess, & HAL. TO put X in the same class as Crystal, Seabourn, and Regent is totally inaccurate. Check the prices. X, RCCL, & the other mass market lines offer very comparable fares, while the premium lines are a good 2-3x more. Having sailed both X and RCCL I find very little separates them. X may excel in some areas, but RCCL certainly excels in others.

[Cruising89143]

Celebrity is NOT considered a premium line. It is mass market just like RCCL, Princess, & HAL. TO put X in the same class as Crystal, Seabourn, and Regent is totally inaccurate. Check the prices. X, RCCL, & the other mass market lines offer very comparable fares, while the premium lines are a good 2-3x more. Having sailed both X and RCCL I find very little separates them. X may excel in some areas, but RCCL certainly excels in others.

 

I actually should have placed Crystal, Seabourne and Regent in the luxury brand but my opinion still stands that Celebrity is not considered a mass market brand. They are considered premium along with HAL. I consider Princess, Carnival, MCS, Costa, RCI and NCL mass market.

 

Actually even Fodors places Princess in the Premium category. I guess it's all up to each individual as to what they consider is mass market and premium.

http://www.fodors.com/cruise/

 

Also if the OP is looking for something more personal then he needs to look at something higher than a mass market line.

[negc]

At least Zebby90210 has finally provided us with his specific complaints about his experience on the Jewel transatlantic and while not everyone will agree with all of his comments, he does make some legitimate points and that's all that I have been looking for. I still expect that my upcoming cruise on Jewel will be outstanding, but I appreciate the fact that he backed up his negative comment with specifics. :)

[voyager70]

cruisingator2 thanks for the clarification, although I have to disagree with Fodor's "rankings" of the cruise lines. To put MSC in the Premium class is laughable, and to put RCCL and Disney in the mainstream along with Carnival is also suspicious. I have sailed with Princess several times as well and don't consider them to be a level above RCCL. I wonder how much advertising $$ might give you a better ranking ?? I notice Fodor's Cruise Center is presented by Celebrity.

[zotzer]

As far as running out of different food items, that is not good and sounds as if someone made a mistake in ordering the amount of food needed to make the crossing or maybe folks consumed more of certain things than is usual on a cruise. Who knows.

 

Well Gator,

I dunno about food, but there was a toilet paper crisis on the Freedom inaugural. (hmmmm, maybe this *was* somehow related to the food! LOL).

 

The last few days, we were attributing this to a lazy cabin attendant, until one night when a bunch of us met up in Olive or Twist, one friend brought a roll of TP for another in our group.

 

We actually thought it was pretty funny....of all the things to nearly run out of! :)

 

I hope Zebby has a more fabulous time on his/her next cruise....whatever that may be.

 

T

[news2me]

I was also on the Jewel Transatlantic cruise and had a wonderful experience overall. I don't recall ever being told they had run out of anything, except in Portofino - where our waiter mistakenly told us they had no more of the entree we ordered. This was, in fact, not true and they compensated us by inviting us back another night - no service charge. Yes, I agree with some of the things that were said about lines in Dublin and for the Plymouth tenders, but I was among those trying to stay in the ports as long as possible and wasn't surprised by the lines. I was very impressed by the overall condition of the ship and all the staterooms I saw appeared to be superior to most ships that I sailed. Our stateroom attendant always provided us with extra towels after we requested this on the first night. Our dining room server was excellent, and most of the meals we had were great. Some of them stood out as downright excellent. Our server always checked and offered to bring us something different if we were not satisfied. This was our second cruise on RCCI and the second Radiance class vessel. Previously, we sailed on Celebrity twice. We did think Celebrity had better dining - a bit more upscale choices, and some service differences such as wine stewards and assistant stateroom attendants. They were also strict about the attire in the dining room where RCCI (and other cruise lines we sailed) lists "suggested attire." (My husband was annoyed that many passengers on our cruise paid little attention to the suggested attire.) One thing that suprised me when we sailed first Royal Carribean was that the staterooms on the two RCCI ships we sailed were actually superior in decor and functionality to the Celebrity ships (Millenium class). I do think anyone's cruise experience can be tainted by less than attentive dining room staff, etc. and this has happened to us on some cruises. It is unreasonable for anyone to expect perfection every time.

[madforcruising]

A very true review. Thank you for your candor.

I forgot about the wait lines and I am one of the lucky few that were able to hail a taxi in Dublin, which by the way was cheaper that the bus.

I wrote my review but forgot the lines, they were everywhere and just another reminder that RCCL could care less. My review was more about the crappy service. I hope others try different lines just to compare.

Juried

 

Wow the Taxi was cheaper than the bus:confused:

Then the Taxi driver must have paid you, because the shuttle in Dublin was free:rolleyes:

And to ad yep I saw some people getting taxis and just 2 minutes later three buses showed up.:D

[Zebby90210]

Hey Madforcruising,

 

Another point of confusion for all! We were initially told the bus in Dublin was $5.00 each way and now I can't remember if it was free...probably so. We were also told by the ship that it was a 10 minute walk into the tourist area of Plymouth! That too was wrong. Just seemed like people were guessing at the answers throughout this cruise which is not a good thing to do. I can see where the poster may have put the wrong info down.

The bus line in Dublin was extremely long all afternoon. We were shopping in the area kept walking by the area of the pickup and saw the lines so just kept waiting a bit to get in line and I'll tell you we waiting a long time before getting in line but finally did because the line just didn't seem to be going down. We had hoped to get back to the ship a bit earlier than we did but refused to wait in those lines.

 

Do you own stock in RCCL?