leepep

Sailed her last summer for 12 night Med and Greek Isles- loved her! You will too

Thanks so much- you have been so helpful

Got it...but can I use a small backpack for camera, chap stick, sweater to cover bare shoulders, umbrella, etc? Just need to know if allowed inside - some places in US do not allow

Good to know...so backpacks are allowed into the venues?

Needing to know what type of backpack/purse is best for all of the excursions...can you take a backpack into the Vatican, churches, and usual places of interest/tourist sites? Trying to figure out how to store camera, money, etc...for a 12 hour day- thanks for the help

I continue to appreciate the input...keep it coming if you think of anything else...our first trip to Europe ever...so we are newbies for sure!

Thanks again everyone! I think we are good to go and have appropriate credit card and Debit card...getting excited- June cannot come fast enough!

All Good Info...so at the ATM's do I use a debit card or a credit card- and does PIN info work the same?

Just curious to get your input on how many Euros to take- will be in Barcelona two nights prior to cruise- all excursions/transport and trips at various ports are prepaid so only need to consider taxi from airport, food, snacks, incidentals, spending money for gifts, tips to drivers, etc...I have purchased 600E already- wondering if we should take more- thanks for the advice!

Jamaica- search Resort For A Day

Cozumel- agree with Nachi Cocum

We enjoyed the Hilton Caribe- recommend it!!!

Thanks that is helpful- I did find some information that stated they are 5 percent larger- maybe that is the shelf space- so assuming the bed was not pushed against the window?

When looking at the deck plans- the forward ocean view- window- rooms are drawn larger than others- example 4504 and 4506- are they actually larger than those mid ship?

Also look at Resort For A Day website- used this in St.Maarten and Barbados- wonderful!!!!

Thanks everyone!!! I feel so much better about booking our flights and cannot wait for this cruise!!!!

Please advise if possible- if I self assist debark at earliest possible moment- can I make an 11:45 am or 10:35 am flight? I hate to ask but all other options for me involve 2 layovers as opposed to 1...do not want to be in a panic that morning but would love to catch the morning flight out

We did use the porter- absolutely right- went straight to front of line!!!

The zip line I do believe is good for all ages and size- several older and larger size women were there the same time as us- do be aware that there were several areas that required climbing stairs- however the pace is slow

We just returned from our June 28th cruise on the Jewel. I really like this class of ship...my favorite so far. We have sailed on the Oasis, Freedom, Granduer, Enchantment, and Monarch...as well as Celebrity and a few Carnival ships.

In San Juan, we stayed at the Hilton Caribe- I highly recommend- could see the Jewel in port from our morning walk near hotel- $26 cab fare from airport for the four of us- I traveled with husband and two children ages 18 and 20. Our cruising friends traveled with us- their children are same age as ours. Everyone enjoyed this cruise.

We chose this cruise specifically for the itinerary- having only been to St. Maarten of the five islands we visited.

Embarkation- the quickest ever!!!! We left hotel around 11:15- less than 10 minutes to pier- walked right into check in with absolutely no lines- got sea pass cards and picture and was on the ship in what had to be 15 minutes.

St. Croix- we went to Sandcastles on the Beach- I had read many positive reviews on this site...however, please know that it IS NOT a mere half mile from pier- we did attempt to walk- it is at least a mile and half- not a problem for our crew but would advise not to do this with small children and older adults- it is $6 round trip for cab fare- not bad- once there we paid $30 for 4 chairs and one umbrella- not a bad deal. It was disappointing that they were very under staffed- bar service was slow-drink machine was broken- the woman that checked us in at front desk also made our drinks- attempted to eat at restaurant and eventually gave up...maybe just a bad day for Sandcastles...beach was nice- but no amenities or extras- a nice beach and beautiful view of the Jewel in the short distance.

St. Maarten- we visited here last year on the Oasis- so wanted to go back to the Westin Dawn Beach resort- you can book through ResortForADay- just visit website- beautiful beach and hotel and a short 10 minute cab ride from pier- I believe fee was around $169 for the 4 of us- that got us a nice hotel room for the day and a $20 resort credit- they provide towels so no need to bring from ship- nice beach bar and restaurant- and more expensive options indoors- also a nice gift shop and bar area- casino as well- closed during the day

Antigua- booked the Catamaran and Lobster Lunch through Royal Caribbean excursions- WONDERFUL DAY-there were about 75 people on this trip but it never felt crowded- a great tour to a beach- lots of good info on sites and wonderful way to see a good bit of the island- we spent one hour on that beach before boarding and going to another beach- we did not like it as well but the views on the way were amazing- there they fed us a lunch of lobster, rice, salad, and bread. There was an open bar for the duration of the trip once we landed at the first beach. This excursion was $109 for two people but lasted 6 hours- we really felt it was worth every penny.

St. Lucia- we booked Tree Top Zipline on our own- loved this- perfect for all ages- I believe cost was about $60 per person but included transport to and from- on the way back to the ship we were taken to several points for taking pictures with breathtaking views- excellent driver and guide. The zipline run included 11 different runs- this trip lasted probably 4-5 hours- zipline run was about an hour- took awhile I thought to get everyone harnessed and ready to go

Barbados- we booked another resort through ResortForADay- Hilton Barbados- loved, loved and loved this resort!!!! Beautiful hotel- several pools, long stretch of beach and lunch was included- no hotel room for this option-cost was $60 per person

On board- we had a D2 balcony room- 9616- our room did have a flat screen- our friends next door did not- typical balcony room- enjoyed the piano entertainment in Schooner Bar- Kelly- piano and singing with several different themes for each evening- we did go see the comedian- enjoyed him very much- did not see the other production shows- did not choose this cruise for entertainment- our young adult children enjoyed Quest and The Love and Marriage show- They did a wonderful job having multiple venues to watch the World Cup matches- above and beyond what we expected as soccer fans.

Food- I will say- by far the best dining experience we have had in the main dining room- food was very good and so was our service. We did my time dining and had no issues with reservations. We also dined at Chops and Portofinos- both were excellent

Drink Package-was purchased by 3 out of the 4 adults with us- I am sure that none of them broke even- you really need to purchase 7 drinks a day to break even and with such a port intensive cruise- we were not on the ship as much as past cruises- now remind you that we are all in our early fifties- so many the younger folk would do better- will not do on our next cruise for sure- but great if you enjoy drinking more than us! We did the $55 per day package and it did include bottled water and the soda package

Debarkation-the longest I have experienced in 9 cruises- not sure what was up- we had over an hour delay as we awaited our scheduled departure- assuming customs was moving slowly or delayed by some event- we were not told-So- as always advised on this board- DO NOT SCHEDULE AN EARLY FLIGHT- we had a 12:40 flight and barely had time to grab some food at airport as security lines were extremely long

Just thought I would check one last time today before I made my final payment and SCORE!!! Huge drop on our balcony room and good drop on our kids interior room....1500.00 total....so happy....June 28. Jewel of the Seas...

Check your bookings!!!!

I will attempt to be a bit more polite in my response...goodness...

anyway...I download my tv shows via Itunes and then can watch at anytime and that does not require a wifi connection...you do have to pay 1.99 an episode though...hope this helps

Thanks for the info...I had heard 2014...I am sure we will have a wonderful time anyway...

When does she go into dry dock- hoping before June 2014?????