I apologize for not posting LIVE from the Jewel this cruise

[Merion_Mom]

Apparently, iguanas love hibiscus flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

[Radio]

Great review Carol ! I love the pics. . .:)

 

It sounds like you had a GREAT Time !

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

[wrp96]

Carol, I'm loving the review so far.

 

There were two ships in port that day, and the Belizean guard at the pier asked us, as we approached, "Jew of the Seas"? and we wondered how he knew? :D

 

 

I'm being dense this morning. It took me a second to catch this one!!:p

[suziehmkr]

Most excellent review! Loving it Carol!!

[MomtoCCC]

Great review - sounds like you had fun.

 

On Cooking excusion - what types of drinks were available? Anything?

 

How long after class were you able to hang out on the beach? Is it worth bring the swimsuit?

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

Thanks for the very entertaining review Carol.

[Beachcombers]

Carol, Carol, Carol....we don't know you.... YET....but love you already...thanks so much for the wonderful and fun review of your experiences on and off the Jewel last week....we look forward to more of your fun commentary in the coming days.:cool:

We're heading off this Saturday to board her Sunday for a back2back...so we'll be on her Feb. 3rd to 17th....we have a couple of great threads going for both cruises...and we can't wait...and...oh yes...

WE ARE IN YOUR WONDERFUL CABIN FOR BOTH LEGS....we always do aft cabins with the huge balconies...this will be our first time with the lovely "corner" aft....hope you left it in good shape for us:)

BTW....how crowded was the Hollywood Odyssey at 7:30 for late dinners....we were hoping there wouldn't be too massive a crowd...probably wishful thinking on our part...

We're travelling with a group of very good friends and can't wait for the experience to begin....again!

Hey...Dramqueen4life....you folks are doing the exact same cruises (March 22, April 6, August 27th and Sept. 8th) as our good friends "RayinNH" (Ray and Janet)...wonderful folks....you'll love them if you don't already know them....we're cruising again with them on The Jewel out of Boston next Oct. 28th......) .....small world:D :eek: !

Loie and Peter

[PhoenixCruiser]

I have no pictures because I decided that it wasn't worth the risk. One girl did lose her camera "overboard". She swore like a sailor. :D

 

LOL, I think I would do the same thing :)

 

###

[patrioticgirl]

Excellent review so far, Carol! Keep it coming.... reading this is sort of like the next best thing to being there and it's making me look forward to my March voyage even more. Did you take any pictures of that great cabin?

[Firefighterhoop]

Hi Carol, It was nice meeting/chatting with you on board!!

[Merion_Mom]

Great review - sounds like you had fun.

 

On Cooking excusion - what types of drinks were available? Anything?

 

How long after class were you able to hang out on the beach? Is it worth bring the swimsuit?

 

ANYTHING. and as many as you want. My constant cry, "Oh, Xavier..........."

 

:D

 

You have to take a bus from the ship / pier area to Playa Mia, and you can do whatever you want at Playa Mia for as long as you want. If you want to take the (free/excursion) bus back to the ship, you have to leave on its schedule, which we decided to do. You are also welcome to stay as long as you like and take a taxi back. Just don't miss the ship! ;)

[Merion_Mom]

Carol, Carol, Carol....we don't know you.... YET....but love you already...thanks so much for the wonderful and fun review of your experiences on and off the Jewel last week....we look forward to more of your fun commentary in the coming days.:cool:

 

We're heading off this Saturday to board her Sunday for a back2back...so we'll be on her Feb. 3rd to 17th....we have a couple of great threads going for both cruises...and we can't wait...and...oh yes...

 

WE ARE IN YOUR WONDERFUL CABIN FOR BOTH LEGS....we always do aft cabins with the huge balconies...this will be our first time with the lovely "corner" aft....hope you left it in good shape for us:)

 

BTW....how crowded was the Hollywood Odyssey at 7:30 for late dinners....we were hoping there wouldn't be too massive a crowd...probably wishful thinking on our part...

 

We're travelling with a group of very good friends and can't wait for the experience to begin....again!

The cabin is wonderful, and I *think* that we left it in good shape. The bad news is that Martin was at the end of his contract, so I can't guarantee you a fabulous steward. :)

 

If you have ever had an aft cabin on a Voyager (or, horror of horrors, Freedom) class ship, you will be pleasantly surprised, as I was, that the walk seemed MUCH MUCH MUCH shorter.

 

The Hollywood Odyssey was quite crowded the FIRST night, but after that, things evened out. I was never unable to find a seat somewhere, whether before or after dinner. (advantage to main seating! Two drinking opportunities, since it's open 5 to 8:30)

 

My best advice to you, although you obviously don't need it: don't confine yourself to your wonderful friends with whom you are traveling. There are so many NEW friends to make!

 

Bon Voyage!

[Merion_Mom]

Hi Carol, It was nice meeting/chatting with you on board!!

 

Aw, thanks, Scott. It was lovely meeting you and your parents, too!

[Merion_Mom]

Excellent review so far, Carol! Keep it coming.... reading this is sort of like the next best thing to being there and it's making me look forward to my March voyage even more. Did you take any pictures of that great cabin?

 

Damn! I forgot to take pictures of the balcony!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[suziehmkr]

Oh! It looks so roomy! And there will be just two of us when we sail in the same cabin on the Serenade! Thanks Carol!!

[Beachcombers]

Thanks for the info Carol....oh boy...so much fun seeing pictures of our room again...we've been on the Brilliance many times in the same room...so it's VERY familiar to us....(I believe it's 204 sq. feet)...we'll get some picture of the wrap around balcony and post them when we return. Just sorry Martin won't be with us this time. We are, however, trying a Junior Suite on the hump on the Explorer next year....variety is the spice of life, so they say!:)

Also...have no fear about us making many, many new and wonderful friends on here and on board.....we've already asked several CC members we've met on our 2 threads to join our dinner table and take shore excursions with us...we're got a huge gang meeting poolside at the bar for bloody marys at 1pm or as soon as we embark... and we're all meeting at Sky bar for sailaway....then I've planned a slots tournament....pub crawl....etc.. and pre-cruise Sat. night we're meeting up with a bunch of folks we met on the Navigator in November.... they're driving up to meet us....and I can guarantee our whole group will all know at least half of the cruisers on the ship by the time we leave....we're all very friendly...(oh....guess that's pretty obvious, isn't it:confused: :D ;) !!!!)

Look forward to more tales....

Loie

[cruisingnewyorkers]

Carol,

 

I love reading your review of our cruise. I agree Bobby lacked something as a CD.

We did have a good time in the CL before and after dinner. Both Andrea and Veronica were excellent.

 

I thought the magician was good, Chuck and I sat in the last row so we could leave unoticed, but we stayed for the whole show.

 

Regarding the coupon book, in the past we have only received 1 coupon for a picture, I can't remember what else was different with the book except the internet is now .55 a minute so the coupon isn't worth as much.I actually got charged $1.10 trying to print my boarding pass and couldn't because I am on the TSA watch list. I have to find out why, my name isn't that common and I work for the federal government.

 

The slot machine coupon was very disappointing, I liked getting the money so I could chose my own machine to lose on. On their new machine I "won" a RCL key chain....

 

I loved the Jewel and I also enjoyed your pic's of Tulum as we did the same excursion.

 

Nice meeting both of you, hope to cruise with you again, and I will try to make the Quest.

 

donna

[tip]

I have been enjoying the review and comments on the Jewel of the Seas. "The One Who Must Be Obeyed" and I will be leaving for an eight day Eastern cruise on February 23rd. Is there anyone who has had Cabin 7076 on The Jewel or another Radiance Class ship? Or possibly a balcony cabin close by? How was the view from the balcony? It is our first balcony cabin although our 16th cruise. I understand that you can't look straight down to the water due to a lifeboat, but that you have an unobstructed view looking out. I can live with that.

[FightingIllini]

I have been enjoying the review and comments on the Jewel of the Seas. "The One Who Must Be Obeyed" and I will be leaving for an eight day Eastern cruise on February 23rd. Is there anyone who has had Cabin 7076 on The Jewel or another Radiance Class ship? Or possibly a balcony cabin close by? How was the view from the balcony? It is our first balcony cabin although our 16th cruise. I understand that you can't look straight down to the water due to a lifeboat, but that you have an unobstructed view looking out. I can live with that.

 

Just browsing threads to day and saw this one...we will be on the Jewel on February 23rd also. We've got a pretty active thread going on already for this cruise; have you found us yet?

[tip]

Just browsing threads to day and saw this one...we will be on the Jewel on February 23rd also. We've got a pretty active thread going on already for this cruise; have you found us yet?

 

Yes, we have signed up for the Meet and Mingle. According to the board, it will be on Sunday the 24th in the Hollywood Odyssey Room at 1215 hours.

 

It is chilly right now in New Hampshire and we still have a great deal of snow on the ground!

[torpeedo]

Carol, Loved your review and great pics! We are sailing on 2/9 and sailed the Jewel last year as a back to back. Really enjoyed the ship.

Question for you. I assume you are Diamond and were using the Hollywood bar. Did you also get the key card for the Concierge Lounge to have breakfast, coffee, etc during the day?? We are Diamond and love to have the continental breakfasts and coffe in the Concierge lounge.

[jillybabes]

Carol, Loved your review and great pics! We are sailing on 2/9 and sailed the Jewel last year as a back to back. Really enjoyed the ship.

Question for you. I assume you are Diamond and were using the Hollywood bar. Did you also get the key card for the Concierge Lounge to have breakfast, coffee, etc during the day?? We are Diamond and love to have the continental breakfasts and coffe in the Concierge lounge.

Hi: We were on the same cruise as Carol and yes, you get a key for the CL lounge good for bkfast & coffee...Enjoy...Later, Jill:cool:

[Merion_Mom]

After we returned to the ship from the Tulum excursion, we were rather wiped out. It was *great*, though, having the sunshine, since we had left Fort Lauderdale under grey skies and cool air, and the iffy weather had stayed with us in Key West, although it was not BAD weather - it just rained a bit. I forget where, but somewhere we had just gotten on board, and looked out the window, and saw it raining. Just missed that!

 

We had heard that the ship would not leave until the last bus had returned from Chichen Itza. Our tablemates went, and said that it was 3+ hours in each direction, although the bus was very nice and comfortable. That's one heck of a long time on a bus, and it's why we chose Tulum instead.

 

Whether that was the reason or not, we didn't shove off until almost 8, although the posted departure time was 7.

 

Barb and I kept forgetting to check out our photos in the Photo Gallery. We finally did. YUCK. On the last night, we found one cute pic and I treated Barbara with my coupon for a freebie. :)

 

This was the second formal night. It was also non-smoking night in the Casino.

 

Now, I have to make some comments here. Several crew members and staff told me that this was sort of a "dead" or "quiet" cruise. Not a lively bunch of passengers. (apparently we aren't contagious). I thought that the Schooner Bar, a place that I usually love to hang out and sing at night, was DEAD DEAD DEAD. I was told that Jackie is a good entertainer, but she can't get a crowd going if they don't show up. Personally, I think that she just can't a crowd going. :D I also think that male piano players do a better job in the Schooner Bar. (SHUT UP, EVERYONE. This is a cruise review, and I can say whatever I want! :cool: ) I heard that the "snowball jackpot" was the smallest ever.

 

Back to non-smoking night in the Casino. I enjoyed the fact that there was no smoke. I also enjoyed that I had my choice of slot machines. The place was pretty darn empty. I know that others have reported that the place is just as busy on *their* non-smoking nights on various ships, but on the Jewel on January 24th, there was a DEFINITE and OBVIOUS decrease in patronage of the Casino when you couldn't smoke there.

 

I really don't blame RC for not wanting to lose revenue. I also know that there are technologically advanced ventilating systems that can be employed to make things better when you *do* allow smoking. Get with it, RC.

 

Tonight was the production show, City of Dreams. The plot is tenuous at best, and the show does not hang together as a story, but the singing and dancing were excellent, and the costumes and sets even more amazing than for West End to Broadway. There is even a performance of Nessun Dorma from Turandot (Puccini) as one scene! Very impressive singing, and sets and costumes that complemented it.

 

After the show, the entertainment in the Safari Club was a new gameshow. (new to me; not sure how long it's been on the Jewel). It's called Split Second. The crowd in the Safari probably didn't even deserve that name at first, and they had real trouble getting volunteers to throw their names into the hat to be contestants.

 

I felt so badly for Becky that Barb and I both entered. It is played with three panels of three, then a championship round with the three winners. Becky promised that the questions would be easy, but they ranged from absurdly easy to not so easy.

 

In one round, not one of the contestants knew the name of RC's daily newsletter that is put into the staterooms! I even held up a Cruise Compass and pointed to the title, but they couldn't read it!

 

Someone from Philadelphia won one round and I cheered for her.

 

Anyway, Barb and I were picked for the same round, the second one.

 

There are 9 questions; you start with 30 points, get 10 points for a correct answer, and lose 10 points for an incorrect answer.

 

Like Jeopardy, you have to be the first to ring in to get a chance at the question. I was steaming along, out ahead by a lot. Then Becky shoots the question: "Where was paper invented?"

 

Ok, guys, I know this stuff. I whack the buzzer, and Becky says, "Well, that was fast. I was going to give you four choices, but now you have to answer." So I blithely proclaim, "Egypt."

 

And Becky says, "No." I stare at her, and I must have given her my hairy eyeball fisheye teacher stare. She says, "Carol, you don't seem happy with me."

 

So I said, "IT'S EGYPT."

 

She insists that it is not.

 

After a long time, the man to my left says, "China."

 

And Becky says, "Correct."

 

And I think, probably muttering under my breath, "Well, that's going to come as a big surprise to the tens of thousands of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans who were writing on paper for centuries before this supposed Chinese invention of paper."

 

Alas, that was the turning point. I not only didn't get the 10 points I should have gotten, I lost ten, and the guy got ten, and it was close. I had lost my "karma" at that point, and he won.

 

Pissed me off. But I'm not bitter. (can't you tell?) :D

 

I said something to Becky in the Hollywood Odyssey the next night, and she said (as I knew she would), that she just reads the card, and doesn't know anything about the questions or answers.

 

I was surprised how loose the slots were throughout the cruise. I didn't win a lot, but overall, I came out ahead. That's better than I usually (always?) do.

[BigRed93]

I would have answered Egypt too!! What the heck is papyrus, then???

I will be on the Jewel next week - thanks for your review.

So excited!