2-9-08 Jewel Of The Seas - Fantastic

[LisaH]

JEWEL OF THE SEAS-8 nights - FABULOUS

2-9-08

 

Cruising

San Juan

St. Thomas

St. Marteen

Tortola

Cruising

Nassau

 

 

Overall this was one of our best cruises ever. This was our first time on RCCL and it will definitely NOT be the last. As far as we were concerned, they outdid Princess in every aspect with one minor exception. I still think Horizon Court has the best selection of buffet food but Windjammer was still very good. The service, cabin and beauty of the ship were amazing. The staff truly seemed to enjoy their jobs. We had the best waiter we have ever had on any cruise. His name is Walther and is transferring to the Independence of the Seas in May so watch for him. He is from Peru.

 

Dinners were probably the best food we have had on any of our previous cruises.

 

We stayed at the Renaissance in Fort Lauderdale on 17th street. We knew we liked this hotel as we have stayed there before. It is adequate, nice and clean and a good location. There is a Walgreens right across the street for any last minute items you might need. The hotel is going to undergo extensive renovations starting in May 2008. Not sure what this would mean if you are staying there after May but just know it sounded like there was going to be a lot of construction.

 

We boarded the gorgeous Jewel of the Seas at 12:00 on 2/9. We were not able to get into our cabin until 1:00. So we wandered to LatteTudes and loved their coffee. The gal that worked there was very friendly. The price of coffee included a nice pastry as well – including cookies.

 

Our cabin (9576) was a bump out and had the largest balcony we have EVER had and the nicest balcony we have ever had. There was a huge overhang which provided great shelter from a bit of rain every now and then but not too often – typical tropical weather. Temps were in the upper 70s to 80s and nice breezes. I would book this cabin again anytime. It was also the quietest cabin we have ever had. It is amazing how close we were to the Centrum and heard nothing in our room. And some nights the music was pretty loud but the cabins are totally soundproof. I did hear another toilet flush every now and then when it was quiet.

 

The casino was great, especially on the first night when I won $600 on the quarter slot machine after only putting in about $2.00. I kept it all and put none back…bought a beautiful John Hardy bracelet with the money in St. Thomas. We had fun jewelry and watch shopping in St. Thomas.

 

St. Thomas and St. Marteen and Tortola are both very clean and friendly. Nassau was friendly but not so clean. We took the Discover Atlantis tour and thought it was very enjoyable. It was worth the $56 pp. You got great access to the aquarium. It did involve a lot of walking so if that is a problem for you, it might be tough. The only glitch was that it was a bit unorganized getting everyone onto ferries to get to the Island. It took about 45 minutes just to get organized and get everyone over to Atlantis. This is the only shore excursion we did on the cruise.

 

We did not attend the production shows but did see the Comedian and Juggler..can’t remember their names at the moment but they were HILARIOUS. The juggler was the best juggler I think I have ever seen. The illusionist Charles Bach was so-so in my opinion. The Coral Theater was great and there was plenty of room for everyone. There were separate showings for first and second seating.

 

This itinerary was great because we really had a total of 3 days at sea as we arrived in San Juan around 2:00 (I think) and Nassau around 12:00. It was most enjoyable. I have included a link to our pictures – sometimes the site loads slowly. I took some pics of the extra large balcony but it was hard to get good angles. Our towel animals were wonderful as well.

 

There are not hand sanitizing machines anywhere but I think that RCCL has realized that these are not effective in preventing noro so they urge everyone to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly. There are signs in the restrooms regarding this. Since we had noro on the last cruise we were very conscious of this.

 

Please feel free to email me at lisa.hudson@eds.com with any questions. If I think of anything else, I will add and respond to anyquestions.

 

Link to Pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/chudson200/Cruise200802?authkey=MGjsp1Ij2Zs

[chipeneezer]

JEWEL OF THE SEAS-8 nights - FABULOUS

2-9-08

 

 

LisaH,

 

Thanks for the review! I am going on the same cruise next month and can't wait. We are planning on going to go to Chops or Portofino one night and were wondering which night to pick. Could you suggest a night or does it not matter?

[MitchLV]

We are going March 8th.Which nights are formal nights as we will probably go to Chops and Portofino on those nights.

[sully_mn]

Thank you! My wife and I are on this same cruise Saturday and can't wait.

[Sailing Grandma]

We were also on the Feb 9th sailing and had a wonderful time. We picked this cruise because we love the Radiance class ships - the outdoor area to eat behind the Windjammer, the verandahs with wicker chairs, the Solarium......We also had great service - the best wait staff ever, Mohammed from Tunsia and Joao from Brazil. Our head waiter from India (can't remember his name) was the most involved head waiter we have had on 7 cruises. Our stateroom attendant, Cassandra from St. Vincent, was excellent, too. Other than some rain and high winds while on a sailing excursion in St. Maarten, the weather was beautiful. A fun and relaxing cruise away from the cold, snowy weather of the northeast!

[Sailing Grandma]

I forgot to mention - the cruise director, Clodagh O'Connor was terrific - very personable with a quick wit. We went to all of the shows and especially liked the two productions shows. On our last sea day we took the back stage tour which really made us appreciate all of the hard work that goes into these productions.

[Sailing Grandma]

I forgot to mention - the cruise director, Clodagh O'Connor was terrific - very personable with a quick wit. We went to all of the shows and especially liked the two productions shows. On our last sea day we took the back stage tour which really made us appreciate all of the hard work that goes into these productions.

[LisaH]

LisaH,

 

Thanks for the review! I am going on the same cruise next month and can't wait. We are planning on going to go to Chops or Portofino one night and were wondering which night to pick. Could you suggest a night or does it not matter?

 

We did not go to either alternative restaurant as we LOVED our meals in the dining room and had a fantastic waiter. I don't think it matters to be honest.

[LisaH]

We are going March 8th.Which nights are formal nights as we will probably go to Chops and Portofino on those nights.

 

Formal nights are on the first and last day at sea.

[LisaH]

I forgot to mention - the cruise director, Clodagh O'Connor was terrific - very personable with a quick wit. We went to all of the shows and especially liked the two productions shows. On our last sea day we took the back stage tour which really made us appreciate all of the hard work that goes into these productions.

 

I agree - she was a hoot! We watched the Love and Marriage game on TV as we missed it and she really made it fun.

[A2Honeymooners]

LisaH,

 

Thanks for the review! I am going on the same cruise next month and can't wait. We are planning on going to go to Chops or Portofino one night and were wondering which night to pick. Could you suggest a night or does it not matter?

 

Here is my response to some questions from another thread. There is info about which night we went to Portofino's.

 

Ship was great. My first cruise so I was expecting a room roughly the size of a FIAT. We had a balcony room (E2) on deck 8 and I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was.

Service was outstanding.

Food in the dining room was good for the most part. Some meals were great. A few were not.

The windjammer was fine for a quick snack before an excursion or a bite to eat before a late seating dinner.

Seaview was slightly better than the windjammer. The solarium cafe's crepes were awesome.

 

We ate at portifino's on the 4th day of the cruise (St. Thomas). The menu for each night in the dining room is available with the host in the specialty restaurants, so you can look for yourself. But that night was one of the weaker menus and a couple that we spoke with the next day confirmed that the meal in the dining room that night was not good. Our meal at Portifino's was outstanding and the service was almost too good.

 

As for activities on shore, my wife and I are more of the adventurous type and we tried to find activities that were more our speed. All but one of which were not through RCI.

 

St. Thomas - Coki Beach for snorkeling and a beach day. This spot is less touristy then Meagans Bay and better for snorkeling (it's good snorkeling even from the beach.) The beach, the water and the view are very nice, but the areas near the beach are a bit dirty (the whole island could use some litter clean up, frankly.)

 

St. Maarten - Loterie Farms Treetops tour offered through RCI. This was a lot of fun and pretty exhilarating. But if you're not into heights or if you aren't agile, I wouldn't recommend it. Honestly, there were some people on the tour that should have been told they should not do the trip.

 

Tortola - My wife and I did the Baths on Virga Gorda on our own. Took the first water taxi with speedy's who also offered a taxi too and from the Baths. Then caught the return water taxi back to Tortola at 12:30pm. All told we paid $33 each. What was nice about doing the trip this way (aside from paying about half of what RCI charged) was was that we arrived over an hour before any of the cruise excursions did so when we arrived on the beach there were literally only 2 other people there. It was gorgeous.

 

Nassau - Stuart Cove's Diving Tour. This was an amazing snorkeling tour where we hit 3 different reefs and literally swam with reef sharks at the final stop. It was borderline crazy, but it was amazing. The problem was that the tour ran over the scheduled time and my wife and I had to literally run to the dock to make it on board by 5:30pm (ship left at 6pm.) So this was a bit stressful, but if your time in the port differs from ours (12pm - 6pm) and allows for it, you may want to look into it. If not a company called Bahama Divers can work with your schedule.

 

The seas were a bit rough a few of the nights. One night in particular was pretty bad. The wind was whipping as well. But the weather overall was good and a heck of a lot better than it is in Michigan right now.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[thesawch]

I would not waste your time going to portfinos or chops.its a waste of money as the dining room has great meals and its included.Lots of hype ovr the specialty resturants and then you get your seapass bill and you figure what a waste of money.i seen people in the dinning room formal nights and they were casual.Don't worry about it.

I thought Charles bach was great and the comedian was good also.the Juggler was great and i agree he is top notch.

We were on the feb 3rd to 9th western Carrebean with Ulric from trinidad Tobagoo and Sergay from the Ukraine as our waiter and assistant waiter .i am Ukrainian so it was a great sight to see Sergay and he was happy also to have someone talk to him in ukranian a little.

[thesawch]

I would not waste your time going to portfinos or chops.its a waste of money as the dining room has great meals and its included.Lots of hype ovr the specialty resturants and then you get your seapass bill and you figure what a waste of money.i seen people in the dinning room formal nights and they were casual.Don't worry about it.

I thought Charles bach was great and the comedian was good also.the Juggler was great and i agree he is top notch.

We were on the feb 3rd to 9th western Carrebean with Ulric from trinidad Tobagoo and Sergay from the Ukraine as our waiter and assistant waiter .i am Ukrainian so it was a great sight to see Sergay and he was happy also to have someone talk to him in ukranian a little.

[Beachcombers]

Hi everyone....we're back from the most fabulous back2back on THE JEWEL....and a Jewel of a ship she is. :)

As we're just home...haven't had time to read this thread at all....but will do so over the next week or so to be brought up to speed on what's been happeing.

We won't bore you with "small" details....but will give you a brief (ha ha:D ) review.....Overall the 14 nights on board were fantastic. Wonderful to be with old friends and to meet new friends (a lot from CC).....the ship was fabulous...the weather, food, booze, entertainment, service and general ambiance were all fantastic.

The Captain sends his regards...his family joined him for the second half of the cruise....our daily encounters in the Concierge lounge (and drinks in the Hollywood Odyssey at night) with Andrea were fantastic.....she remembers the Royal Jewels fondly....and wears their (our) pin with pride.... she will be waiting for us with open arms when we're-reunited in October.

Bobby and his wife were Cruise Directors for the first cruise, and then replaced by Clo....the fantastic Irish CD....who came back with her baby for 8 weeks while Bobby went home to check on the new home they're building.....Clo's 2 ic, Dave, just off the Navigator... was equally wonderful (to say nothing of young and gorgeous).....they did the Quest and Love and Marriage games better than anyone.....

Cameron....the super Sports Director helped me organize the Mini golf tournament.....a million laughs, lots of fun....and I even won the Silver Medal:D (without cheating)!!!

Pilar (been on the Jewel 8 years) was the best waitress we've ever had....Susanna, also the best Maitre' d, will ensure we're at her table again in October....

Well...have you gathered yet that we loved the Jewel:confused: .... the entire experience was fantastic..... Portofino's Valentine's was good food but VERY pretentious service by a waitress who didn't impress us at all....say no more....

All in all....one of the best cruises we've had....and we're definitely looking forward to being on her again in October....Peter and I prefer the art work on the Brilliance.....but...it's all a matter of taste.

Can't wait to get caught up on the last 3 weeks posts on here....hope everyone is well and surviving this crazy winter.....

Cheers....

Loie and Peter