Jewel of the Seas Review (1/6-1/12)

[ravenchic]

Just back from Jewel of the Seas and wanted to post a quick and dirty review as a way to give back to all the posters who have shared so much. This is my fifth RCCL cruise (hello Platinum!). I have previously cruised 3 times on Navigator and 1 time on Serenade.

 

Embarkation: Was pretty quick actually. We arrived around 11:30 am at Port Everglades and it probably took approximately 40 minutes (maybe only 30 actually) from when we arrived to when we got on board. The longest waits were for the metal detector (they should really have more) and registration (we took about 1 minute to get our seapasses but I guess others are not so prepared).

 

Ship: It's a really beautiful ship. The Solarium was gorgeous and all of the extra glass really added to the ship's beauty . Otherwise, the ship was up to (if not beyond) the standards of the 2 other ships we had been on previously.

 

Food: The food was the same as past cruises. Some of our tablemates requested and received shrimp cocktail and escargot as an appetizer every night. The first formal night had "filet of beef" - this was not filet mignon but rather slices of lower quality beef. That being said it was still tasty and delicious. The Fisherman's platter was offered on the second formal night and yes, we did have lobster but only one other person at our table requested two tails and received two tails. However, our waiter (who we loved) did not come back to ask if we wanted seconds as had waiters on previous cruises. We were fine with it but did note it...how much food can one person really eat? The Windjammer food was the standard fare - good but in my opinion the offerings were not as good as on other ships (french fries are so good!!). Seaview also had good offerings - onion rings there were also delicious!! We also ate at Chops and the food there was outstanding. One of our fellow cruisers had a mix up with her order (wrong cut) and then iwhen the correct cut came out it was overcooked (she requested med rare and it came out medium), but it still tasted good. I had the filet mignon and shared the lamb with some of my fellow cruisers. Both were delicious. And the appetizers are also fantastic - well worth the $25 charge.

 

Bars: I have a new favorite drink thanks to Freddie at the Champagne Bar - the pomegranate (sp?) cosmopolitan martini - YUMMY! Also another favorite server was Jorge in the Schooner Bar - he made very good gin and tonics!

 

Belize: The other 3 ports were great and we had a really fun time. I forewarn those going to Belize - book an excursion because unless you do you will spend your day on the ship (and if you are ok with that, more power to you). There is not much to do once you go into port. We had booked the Barrier Reef Snorkel and saw amazing fish. Another couple did the ziplinign (found a tour in port) and had a great time. But if you do not have anything specific in mind, there really isn't a lot to do.

 

Debarkation: Very very easy, smooth and quick....maybe 15 minutes from the time our color was called. Compare to our experiences in Miami, this was super simple and fast!!

 

We enjoyed Key West (butterfly conservatory and pepper store on Green Street - which was very entertaining if you like to try hot sauces!!), Cozumel (Chakkanab) and Playa del Carmen (Tulum and drinks on the beach).

 

Let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer them!!

[MomtoCCC]

Thanks for the review - we are going on a few weeks on same itinerary. Did you book your excursion in Belize with the ship or a private one?

 

What night did you eat at Chops? Any other night in dining room we should consider? I'm trying to figure out which night to book Portofinos.

 

Thanks!

[cruisingagentone]

Ravenchic

Was Jorge from Uraguay by chance? if so he is the best