Home from Jewel 8 Night Eastern

[Dave85]

Just got in a few hours ago from Jewel's 8-night eastern New Years cruise and had a very good time. I'm not going to write a formal review, but I'll just give provide some (hopefully) helpful commentary here. This was my 19th cruise, first time on the Jewel, 2nd time on a Radiance Class ship. I'll include both positive and negative comments together as a sort of stream of consciousness review.

 

-Captain was James MacDonald, no complaints. He was pleasant the few times we encountered him.

-Cruise director was Bobby Brown and he was really excellent, perhaps my favorite out of 19 cruises. I tend to dislike cruise directors and find them either too wildly fake or too dull, but Bobby was a consummate pro. He was funny when he needed to be, serious when he needed to be, and he was EVERYWHERE around the ship. He ran activities that most other cruise directors I've seen have their minions run and he was very visible in general. He attended our Meet & Mingle, really took the time to talk individually to people, and he was excellent.

-The ship's temperature in general was on the warmer side compared to most of the other ships we've been on. The only time I was personally uncomfortable was formal night, when it got pretty warm wearing a suit... but just don't expect to be frozen out on the Jewel.

-Tons of children on this voyage. I believe Captain James announced that there were 550, which shouldn't be surprising as it was a holiday sailing. I wish I could tell you all that they weren't visible ... but alas they really were. I don't feel that the Radiance Class ships are designed to handle that many children. They were very noticeable, especially on the sea days and in the main hot tubs (which they piled into).

-Weather was perfect, low 80s everyday.

-New Years Eve was so much fun ... nothing beats New Years on a cruise! They had parties everywhere, and after midnight the Vortex rocked... til almost 4:30am!

-The DJ in the Vortex, "DJ Dave," was awful. Nobody I spoke with seemed to care for him, I sure didn't, and having some DJing experience, I found myself completely baffled by his downright bizarre DJing. Other than New Years, however, the Vortex was never really jam packed. The 2nd to last night was hopping, but that's about it.

-The bar staff around the ship was very good in general. With few exceptions their service was speedy and courteous.

-The dining room service was nothing short of fantastic. Our waiter Enrico from the Philippines was without a question the best and most entertaining waiter we've ever had. The service was always swift and efficient in the Tides dining room.

-In terms of dress, the first formal night (New Years Eve) was extremely dressy and almost everyone stayed dressed up the entire evening ... probably because it was New Years Eve. There were 2 (not 1, as someone previously reported) "smart casual" nights. Almost everyone observed the first one, I was quite surprised. The 2nd one was almost universally blown off haha. I might have seen 2 or 3 jackets in the dining room. The first SC night most men changed out of their jackets after dinner.

-I wish those photographers would take a perminant vacation. I can't stand them. They're rude (shoving camera's in your face while you're trying to eat dinner) and over bearing. There should be a few of them set up around the ship for those who wish to use their services. They should NOT be shoving their camera in your face when you simply don't want to see them, like when you're trying to get off the ship, and especially not when you're trying to eat lobster tail in the dining room.

-Deck chairs were hard to come by as usual, especially in the main pool area. There was a rather unfortunate incident on the first sea day where one man (and I mean man rather than a kid, I'd say late 40s) punched another man in the stomach in an altercation over a deck chair. The response from RC security was swift... 5 security guards appeared out of no where and they seemed to handle the situation well.

-Fellow passengers in general were very courteous and international bunch. There were (of course) lots of Americans and Canadians, a small number of Europeans and a fairly significant contingent from the Latin American nations, which I also observed on the Navigator last year for New Years.

-Jewel has those time machine shower doors that we all know and love. Big improvement over the curtains we had on Brilliance. Another big improvement was that the shower ventilation in our cabin bathroom actually worked on the Jewel (which it did not on Brilliance), which made leaving the shower considerably more pleasant.

-In terms of the shows: I skipped the production shows so I can't help you there. The first comedian Mark Pitta was not good at all. He got more pity laughs than anything else. The Coasters performed ... some people liked them, some didn't, and I heard very little in between actually. They were okay IMO. Marty Allen (yes that Marty Allen, the one in his 80s) performed with his wife who sang. He was funny and well received, I didn't think she was very good. The other two acts I can remember off the top of my head were both very good. Joey Van did comedic impersonations, most of which were very good and well received. The comedian in the farewell show last night was Rick Corso and he was nothing short of hysterical. He had the entire room crying. Don't miss him if he's on your cruise!

 

That's pretty much all I can think of for now, and I'll probably add more later. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them. All in all the Jewel was an excellent ship in excellent condition with a top notch crew, and my criticisms are mostly minor and subjective points. I personally prefer the Voyager class ships and am looking forward to Liberty in June, but the Radiance Class ships are very nice and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on any one of them in the future.

[hygienist]

Thanks for your input. We are at this time booked on the Radiance for November, but are considering re-booking to another ship. I have been longing to get onboard the Radiance since I saw pics of her 2 1/2 yrs ago. We are planning to take our soon to be 6 yr old DD along for her first cruise, so that is why we may consider going on a voyager class ship. Wish me luck.

[dream2cruise]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the 8 night departing on Jan 13th. We are eagerly anticipating an awesome trip!

[alexeliz]

we will be on the night in March. Just wondering what the theme nights are (trying to plan for Portofino's and/or Chopps)

[kathyemma]

I would love to do New Years in the Caribbean - maybe someday. I do have a question for you - I have been on the navigator and mariner and LOVED them. I am getting ready to book my next cruise and am torn between the jewel and liberty. I am thinking the liberty may be too big (getting on and off must be a nightmare). I like the size of the jewel and like the fact it is a day longer and costs a little less. You said you prefered the Voyager ships - may I ask why?

 

In case it matters I have a 9 year old - she has loved every ship she has been on and has no preference - so she is no help in helping me decide. A friend of mine may came with his 15 (?) year old son.

 

Thanks!

 

And please make sure you post when you get off Liberty!!

[balanceok]

No question, but I certainly want to thank you for the information. We are on this cruise Jan 27th as a back-to-back with the Western Caribbean.

 

We are looking forward to it even more, now. Thanks.

 

:D

[QM2 Cruiser]

Hi. Thank you for the review! I am sailing on the Jewel April 7th and am very excited. I do have a couple questions if you get a minute. Does the Jewel have a channel on the TV that shows a map with the ships position on it? The channel also has weather information on it too. I don't recall the Voyager having this feature, but it is on Princess and it was very interesting and informative. My other question is about the arrival time into San Juan and Nassau. The official itinerary states arrival times of 3:30pm and 12:00pm. Did the ship dock any earlier or are these times correct? These times seem nice since half of these days would be sea days, and we like sea days better than port days. Lastly, how were the sea conditions? Did you ever feel the ship move or have any moderate or rough seas? Thanks!!!

[Dave85]

Alexeliz, theme nights:

 

On our cruise night 3 was Caribbean night, night 5 was Country/Western, night 6 was 50s & 60s. They didn't have a designated 70s or 80s night per se, but they did have a 70s and 80s block of time in the disco on a couple of nights. Keep in mind these nights are subject to change on your cruise depending who the CD is I suppose.

 

Kathyemma:

 

We actually faced the same exact decision for this past cruise. We were torn between 7 nights on the Mariner (after we loved New Years on the Navigator last year) and the 8 nights on the Jewel (after we really enjoyed the Brilliance in Europe this summer). What the decision came down to was the extra night really... That 8th day is so nice, when you're laying on deck relaxing sipping a frozen drink and realizing that the other cruise would be over already :p. Since it's apparently less expensive, I'd seriously consider the Jewel if I were you!

 

As for why I like the Voyager class better... I love the Royal Promenade, which I've really missed on the Radiance Class ships, and I just like the more expansive facilities of the Voyager Class (in terms of pools, hot tubs, eating options and the gothic themed discos). I like them both, I just think I prefer the bigger ships in the Caribbean. The Brilliance was perfect for Europe, I must say... I personally couldn't see doing Europe on the Voyager. Either way though you can't go wrong... trying the Jewel is an excellent option if you choose to go that route.

[Dave85]

QM2:

 

Hmm, I don't recall a channel with that information... but I must admit that I barely ever touched the TV all week. I may have flipped through the channels once or twice. They do have that ever so fascinating camera off the front of the ship through which you can't see anything.

 

The sea conditions weren't terrible but they weren't a bath tub either. Almost every night I could feel some movement, which I happen to enjoy, but it wasn't to the point where people were getting sick or anything like that. The Jewel handeled the conditions very well IMO... much better than some other ships I've been on. The Brilliance was also really stable this past summer.

 

Those times for Nassau and San Juan are roughly correct. San Juan we actually got in an hour earlier, around 2:30... so it was still basically a half-day at sea. Nassau we actually got in about 12:30, so slightly later. The reason was the Sovereign of the Seas was pulling into the pier next to us (we were sharing a pier with them) and I guess it wasn't safe to let passengers out while they were pulling in, so we were delayed getting off until they tied up. But yeah, those times are roughly correct.

[kathyemma]

Dave,

 

Thanks for the quick answers! I am going to have to flip a coin to decide. In Nov we sailed on Holland America's Zuiderdam and while I loved it I really missed the promande and the extra pool/hot tub on the main deck. But oh how that extra day would be wonderful and with the saving I could buy even more Chi-Chi's. UGH!! But life is good if this is the hardest decision I have to face right now!

 

Thanks -

 

Kathy

 

PS Don't forget to post when you get back from Liberty.

[Dave85]

 

PS Don't forget to post when you get back from Liberty.

 

Will do :)

[alexeliz]

thank you

 

Can I assume the formal nights are on the sea days?

[Dave85]

thank you

 

Can I assume the formal nights are on the sea days?

 

Yes you can: Formals corresponded with the sea days, 2 and 7. Smart Casuals were nights 4 (St. Maarten - the night people actually dress up) and 6 (St. Thomas - the night most people ignored it).

[QM2 Cruiser]

Thanks, that answers all my questions.

[suzw]

Dave

Do you have any idea if Marty Allen was on just for your sailing or if he is on for a while? My parents are going 2/10 and they saw him on Princess and really liked him.

thanks

Suzanne

[SailingBird]

Hi Dave

Thank you so much for your review - we are on the same itinery on the Jewel departing 10th Feb. Only 33 days and counting !!:D

Can you tell me what you did in Nassau - this is the only port we have no plans for and as it appears there seem to be 6 or 7 ships in port that day - we wonder whether to leave the ship or not.

Thank you.

[DJ1VIKES]

I also was on the Jewel this past week. I agree with almost everything you said. What table did you sit at. I also had Enrico. I thought he was very good. Were you at first or second seating. I was at first.

Dave

[SheltieLady]

Thanks for your review we will be sailing on her January 13th for 8 nights first time to the Caribbean and we can't wait.

 

Christine

[smw0621]

Thanks for the great review...we'll be sailing on her with the same itinerary on January 26th...I can't wait.

[Debbi_Ken]

Are there VCR's or DVD players available on the ship?

 

Thank you

[beachlady58]

I also prefer the Voyager class ships vs the Radiance ones - better flow and way more to do. We were bored on the Radiance...:mad:

[critterchick]

There is a "where in the world is Jewel of the Seas?" channel on the TV stateroom.

 

The only VCR/DVDs that' I'm aware of are in the full suites, GS and higher. They don't have any for rent onboard.

 

When we sailed in December, we arrived in San Juan right at the scheduled time, same for Nassau. We had some issues with an Atlantic swell, so that probably slowed us down a bit.

 

I can't compare Jewel to a Voyager class as I've never sailed on one, but I can't imagine being bored on a Radiance class ship. Depending on the demographic, you might find yourself alone in the disco or nightclub if everybody turns in early, but there's plenty to do, day or night. Just MHO.

[Dave85]

DJ1: We were at table 447 and had the main seating. Nicest table we've ever had... it was smack dab in the middle of the lower level of the dining room. What table were you at? I wonder if it was the same Enrico.

 

Suz: No idea about Marty Allen. Maybe someone who was on one of the Jewel sailings before ours will comment on whether they saw him or not, and hopefully those sailing in the next couple of weeks will as well.

 

Sailingbird: I was very dissappointed with Nassau, I really don't like it. The taxi personnel and others on the dock were very very aggressive and obnoxious IMO. We took the water taxi over to Atlantis, which was downright unsafe. Atlantis was wonderful though, highly recommended. We just walked through the shops and saw what we could see in the public section of the aquarium. If you are going to Atlantis, take a regular taxi (if you're not taking one of the ship's tour). AVOID the water taxi at all costs. If you decide you'd just rather stay on the ship, don't feel bad about that decision... I assure you you're not missing much.

 

Debbi_Ken: We didn't have either, although we also didn't seek one out (and we don't usually). Hopefully someone else can better answer your question.

[Dave85]

Depending on the demographic, you might find yourself alone in the disco or nightclub if everybody turns in early, but there's plenty to do, day or night. Just MHO.

 

Jean, that's pretty much what happened on 5-6 of the nights on our cruise... and it wasn't really a demographic thing. There were tons of younger people (younger meaning 18-25ish) who turned in early... and some of the people who actually did hang out in the club were older couples!

 

I had seen that to a lesser extent on a couple of my Voyager class cruises, but it wasn't nearly as much of an issue becuase there were just so many more people in general. I'd say that's one area where having more people on the ship actually adds to the experience haha.

[SRQfireman]

Any idea what happened to the guy who punched somebody??? Haven't heard of that before....they throw him off I hope?...no reason for doing that.