OntarioTraveller

We had our first HA cruise on  Neiuw Amsterdam last fall and loved it.

This time Eurodam has dates and an itinerary that work for us.

Will we be disappointed eg…in the food, comfortable seating by the (covered) pool? 
Thanks!!

Considering a cruise that happens to fall in US Thanksgiving week 2023
is there a downside to that?  
More children? (We like the largely adult population on HA)

thanks!

We are seeing an itinerary for a December 2 sailing on the Neiuw Amsterdam but it says no pricing is available. I can’t find a private group cruise on that date, Does  anyone whom what is going on?   
We actually would consider a 14 day BTB from November 23rd if this sailing would open up.

We are looking at getting a day pass to sandcastle on April 2nd while on Jewel OTS.

How crowded does it get when a ship is in port?

We plan on going in the morning and hope to get an umbrella for shade!

Why aren’t people taking a land taxi or the local bus. The water taxi sounds like a disaster...

We are there as well in a few weeks.

Would you recommend Holland House as a place to park ourselves for the day?

We are sailing on the Jewel of the Seas from San Juan on April 1st and received the same email. The offer was to be put on a list for a JS from our balcony for $550.

We got a good deck 10 balcony on a guarantee, paid $1150 before grats (in Canadian $) for both of us, so no will do!

I agree, cancel the transfer if you can and take a taxi!

Can you post back about your day pass visit. Was it crowded? How was the beach post-hurricane? Where there umbrellas on the beach? Wifi?

Thanks!! We will be ther April 2nd while on the Jewel.

We are arriving in a few weeks and hope to take the local ($1) bus to the beach to rent chairs and umbrella for the day.

Has anyone done this recently and have any tips?

Is there a beach bar you would recommend with padded chairs, washrooms and wifi? We have read about Lazy Days and it sounds good.

Thanks!

We are on the Jewel in a few weeks for the second time.

I loved the ship but did not like that the roof was always closed. It seemed counter-intuitive to be in the Carribean on a sunny day and be at an indoor pool with air conditioning on. The solarium is a lovely adult only area with nice padded chairs, just wish it were in the sun!!

Great donuts at breakfast! Nice cookies....

Thanks for the review. We sail on Mar 4th and this will be our first time with RC.

How was the food in the MDR? I've been reading mixed reviews.

Currently have the 2 night for $40 dining package. Wondering if we need to switch to the 5 night.

 

 

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We sailed this same cruise last year and will again April 1st.

Don’t underestimate the Windjammer for dinner. We found the MDR food meh. We decided to do the WJ one night where there were serving lamb and beef brisket cooked on a grill in front of you, fresh made crepes for dessert, many more choices and fresher than the MDR. It became our go to. Try it....

We sail this same itinery on April 1st. Anxious to hear about the ports as well!

It is a great area. The roads are steep and curvy in that area, love the pig BBQ places along that stretch.

Not sure if I would want to drive those narrow roads. We took “Tours with Ellis” (info on his Facebook page), Mango Daquari Tour, great way to see the island. He is a fabulous guide.

4/1 to 4/8

My husband and I are on the same sailing! It is Easter Sunday the day we leave.

Having stayed in 3635 on the Jewel, I can attest to the fact that it was not noisy at all. Not sure what is behind the cabin that caused it to be configured differently but nothing noisy.

Quite a short walk to the glass elevators or the stairs to deck 2 to disembark,Deck 4 to the centrum or MDR, true that it isn’t all the way back.

The extra space and sideways layout is a winner....

Thought it might be too good to be true. Thanks all

We have saved loads of money on a quarantee, don’t rule it out too fast.

Google Royal Carribean UK and pretend you are making a booking (not a quarantee), choose the dates and category and all available cabins will come up. You will likely get one of these although they do flux as people cancel or change cabins.

If getting any one of these seems acceptable, book the quarantee (on the US or Canadian site of course)

The cabin will show up in your cruiseplanner at any time before sailing.

When assigned, go back to the UK list of available cabins, pick another cabin in the same category if you wish, call and change to that one.

If you are not picky about exact location, you can save lots of money.

Search on CC for quarantee cabins, lots has been posted!

Did this itinery last year and boarded around 3.

We had a great hotel the night before (La Concha), asked for late check out as the pools and beach were so nice there.

By the time we boarded the lines were small, our cabin was ready and snacks were still available.

If you aren’t spending extra time in San Juan and haven’t been, definitely spend some time exploring the city and forts.

Sailing again April 1st!

Where are the specialty coffee outlets on a Radiance class ship (eg Jewel) besides ordering in the MDR?

Thanks.

You may want to consider 3635 or 3639 on radiance class ships. Category N.

Larger inside cabin with more open cabin space, quiet location.

Glad you posted this. My husband and I just booked our first RC cruise with no kids, all before were Carnival. I am nervous about the extra costs for things and the food choices. MDR attire but the main thing came down to destinations. Looking forward to the experience. What would some day the extras run?

April

We did not spend much on extras.

The free food choices on RC are more limited than CCL for sure but we discovered the Windjammer buffet at night was really amazing. Much more appealing than the buffets on Carnival. We had no problem after a busy port or sea day forgoing the MDR glitz after we realized the difference in food. Better quality and amazing choices. For example first night I ordered steak in MDR and found it poor tasting (a beige colour as if it had been microwaved) accompanied with a few pieces of vegetables. the next evening we went to the buffet where they were grilling in front of you beef brisket (to die for), lamb chops, veggies....

Instead of a nice bread basket with a few nice buns, there was a whole bread area with nice cheeses and extras. My husband enjoyed sampling a bit from the Indian section each night. Many dessert choices including fresh made crepes. We appreciated not having to dress up. It won’t be for everyone but we couldn’t believe the difference in food quality and choices.

Not everyone’s choice but you may want to try it before paying for other options.

Just my 2cents.

We had been exclusive Carnival patrons, about 6 cruises. Our last 2 were on the Jewel out of San Juan. Here is what stands out to me:

Jewel is a much prettier ship than any Carnival ship we were on. Loved the glass elevators.

Food was mixed: loved the stone oven pizza, deli sandwiches and especially guys burgers on CCL. Did not like that there were so many pay options on RC.

The buffet was so much better on RC for all meals.

MDR food seemed about the same, mediocre on both.

I disliked that the adult pool on the Jewel was an indoor pool. Unbelievable to me that in the middle of the Carribean the only adult pool was in a stuffy, humid area with plastic plants. There was a retractable roof that never was opened. CCL ships we have sailed on have had an adult only pool area where you could feel the sun and fresh air.

I do hate to say so but did feel the clientele was a little more upscale on Jewel ( with many exceptions),the feeling was more posh without being stuffy (again some exceptions). Hard to put into words but have to say it!

We would choose RC ships in the future for the more beautiful decor and buffet (where we eat more of our meals)

Wodered about the downtown beach that is walkable from the ship? Anyone been recently? How’s the water quality? Any recommendations for where to rent chairs?

Thanks!

Nothing beat the Black Friday weekend price drop for me. The WOW price is $650 more for our balcony guarantee on the April Jewel cruise.

Wow, I have read through this thread from start to finish. Very interesting.

Although, it is clearly unpopular on this forum and lots won’t admit it, I too remove auto tips. I don’t want to be told to who and how much to tip. If it ceases to be optional, I will deal with it then. It is currently a gratuity not a service charge.

I do tip on the cruise. Although I don’t feel I should have to defend myself but... we don’t eat in the dining room (we travel with just carryons so don’t dress up and actually love the WJ food over the MDR) but tip our servers in Windjammer and cabin steward. No, it probably doesn’t add up to $27 per day.

I personally don’t trust RC to use auto tips entirely as they should be intended. No proof but clearly profitmaking is their game.

To those who feel they are doing the right thing by trusting RC to disperse gratuities because they suggest it, I respect your right to choose that. But remember tipping is still a choice.