printingchick

Totally agree. When I stepped down to a Radiance Class ship, because I preferred the itinerary, I expected to be disappointed. No ice rink?? No Royal Promenade?? Like you, I was surprised with how much I liked it...preferred it! More intimate, better service, views of the ocean from nearly EVERY venue, incredible solarium pool area....

You'll see my NEXT cruise is on another Radiance Class ship. I don't need the bells and whistles. I realize now that - for me - it's about the service, the people and being at sea!

RE: Quest

I have to agree with Clarea. The first time I experienced The Quest, I knew NOTHING about it, and it was funnier that way. It's a game and not intended for young children. That's all I'll say.

RE: Compasses

While this may sound diametrically opposed to my Quest comment, I like to see the Compasses because I'm an obsessive planner and someone who views the time leading up to the cruise as an extension of the experience. I'm 99 days from my embarkation day, but the amount of planning I've done (even beginning to sort out what to pack!!!) would drive a "go-with-the-flow" type traveler to the brink of insanity!

On a practical level, knowing what the ship has scheduled and when makes it easier to plan around the things we can't control. Quest typically happens late. Maybe I'd prefer to book an excursion which starts later the following day. Sometimes, there are on-board activities during the late afternoon hours - for example, the sexy legs contest was scheduled at 4:30 on a port day on one of my previous cruises. We planned our day to make sure to be back aboard in time to catch it. Maybe I'll discover two activities I like are scheduled at conflicting times! Knowing in advance gives me more time to consider which one I'll choose.

I've had to be away from cruising for a few years for economic reasons. I know some things have changed since my last cruise. For instance, I recently read about a WHITE NIGHT in the MDR, followed by a pool-side party with the same theme. Had I not read about it, I might not have a white outfit saved for that specific night! I always dress retro for 70s night....except for my first RCL cruise, because I didn't know about it.

Yeah...I'm one of THOSE travelers!! :-)

So glad to see a review of the itinerary I'll be taking in March! So many questions!! Looking forward to the rest of your review...as well as the one FamilyGoBoston (How about those amazing Red Sox?) is going to post.

You've already answered one question. Sounds like there was just ONE Muster Drill and it was at 8PM. A few more questions I'm hoping you'll over:

• Which night was the 70s party?
  
• Which night was The Quest?
  
• Are you able to post any of your Cruise Compasses?
  

Thanks!!! Subscribing!!

So glad you're posting the compasses!! I'm on the alternate itinerary in March, but LOVING this review so far!!! Thanks!

Subscribing!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that you will have to reset your watch (one hour forward) when you arrive in Puerto Rico on the 7th, by the time your cruise is over Puerto Rico will be at the same time than Connecticut.

Not so in this instance. When we fly to San Juan on Friday, March 7th, the USA will be on EST - as will Puerto Rico. On Saturday night, March 8th, embarkation day, the USA will spring ahead, while Puerto Rico will continue to observe EST. We will not have to adjust our watches until we depart from the San Juan airport. We'll notice that lost hour when we land in the continental USA for our connecting flight. On paper, it looks like a REALLY long flight from San Juan to Baltimore.

Ironically, this happened to me once previously on a southern Caribbean cruise and the airline failed to notice the time change. This caused issues, due to the fact we had someone picking us up at the airport. We were an hour LATER than our flight itinerary indicated. I made sure to pay attention to that this time. Fortunately, the airline we are using this time incorporated the necessary time adjustment to their posted flight itinerary.

I realize the OP was asking about San Juan time versus port-of-call times, but because I was caught by this unexpected time change in the past, I thought it worth mentioning. If you check to see what time zone PR is in during the months when the USA is NOT in daylight savings time, you might assume (as I did) that it was ALWAYS the same as the eastern continental USA.

Just wanted to bump this thread back up to the front page, to see if anyone has the Cruise Compasses from a recent Jewel sailing?

Thanks. Ironically, I was searching for this thread just today!! :)

Depending on your dates, ship time may not be USA time.

On March 8th, the majority of the United States will SPRING FORWARD. I will fly to San Juan March 7th, in EST. The first night of my cruise, the USA will switch over to Daylight Savings Time. Puerto Rico does NOT observe Daylight Savings Time. So for me, it just means I won't be resetting MY watch until a week after the folks back home do! It also means my flights back home seem VERY long, because I'm flying into another time zone that is an hour ahead of San Juan.

However, If I were cruising a week later, I would be changing time zones flying INTO Puerto Rico. We're not ALWAYS in the same time zone.

I love the radiance class ships out of San Juan. So many great ports to visit. I'll be on Jewel in March, but a different itinerary. As for your ports, I don't know what you enjoy, but here are some suggestions from my experience:

St. Croix: When we visited, we made this a beach day and visited Sand Castle Beach, close to where the ship docks. It was inexpensive and they had a pool, beach bar and restaurant there. After that, we visited the little street-side shops.

Antigua: One of my very favorite shore excursions of all time was "Paddles" in Antigua. It's more than just kayaking. Check them out.

St. Maarten: We're doing something different here on our upcoming visit. We're renting an 11 foot Boston Whaler to tour from the lagoon. It's a huge body of water with lots of beaches and restaurants which are reachable by boat. The boat rental company (Boat House Rentals) includes snorkel and fishing gear. Very reasonable price for an entire day.

Barbados: I agree with the catamaran to snorkel with the turtles. There is also a fun pirate ship excursion if you're game. Kind of cheesy, but fun. On our upcoming visit, we're going to visit Harrison Caves. I enjoyed Hato Caves in Curacao, so we thought we'd check out the ones in Barbados. (Something different for a cruise vacation excursion.)

St. Lucia: Have not been, but when I was considering a cruise here, I was eyeing the land and water combination tour. It seemed to be less expensive to book through the cruise ship (surprisingly), and since it's an entire day tour, I felt it was likely safer to book that way. But there are also several private tour companies offering similar packages.

Congratulations and enjoy your cruise!

We enjoy the newer, larger ships. Our last cruise on a smaller, older ship, the Explorer, was my least favorite cruise. Is it a "bad" ship, certainly not! Did we have a good time? Of course... we are on a cruise, silly! I learned a valuable lesson about our family preferences on that sailing.

 

I can't wait for Quantum!!! Having said that, I appreciate the diversity of opinions on this board...and thankfully there is a ship to meet everyone's needs and wants:D

Funny that my experience was the opposite. I kept going up in size, first on Carnival, then on Royal. My first RCL cruise was on a Voyager Class, then Freedom. Then...I stepped down in size because I preferred the Radiance Class ship's itinerary to the one Adventure was doing in the southern Caribbean. Wow! Like you, it was an eye opener for me. Rather than being disappointed, it taught me what I prefer in a cruise ship. I'd actually felt Freedom was too big, but loved Adventure and expected to miss the Promenade and Ice Rink. Instead, I LOVED the smaller ship, the more intimate atmosphere, the lovely solarium and THE VIEWS!!! I was surprised to realize that for me and ships, smaller is better.

And to Curt's point, if you do an image search for Radiance Class ships, you'll understand what we're talking about. It's nearly impossible to find a room - other than the theatre - that doesn't have a wall of windows. The ocean is nearly ALWAYS visible from a radiance class ship.

I totally agree about the larger ships translating to unimpressive itineraries. I have some serious concerns that RCL may not remain my favorite cruise line if the trend continues, as I prefer smaller ships offering more varied itineraries and a focus on SEA views!

Beyond that, here is my list:

• ABSOLUTELY agree with returning to the old pool towel method - two in the room, your cabin steward can swap out for you. The new system is SUCH a pain!!
  
• A return to nightly towel animals! Yes, I know some of you could care less about them, but to me they represent something that is charming and unique about a cruise versus a land-based vacation! Returning to the cabin after dinner, wondering which animal is there waiting for us, is FUN...and ANY age.
  
• I bet they'd sell more "Gifts and Gear" if they'd adopt an on-line process for ordering. Print and fax or mail the form and wait for an email to show it was received?? Really??
  

I VASTLY prefer Southern (out of San Juan), which is far more port intensive and offers a lot more variety in terms of ports of call.

If I had to choose between between eastern and western, I'd go western - simply because it typically has more ports than eastern, which has more sea days. I like sea days...in moderation...but prefer to see as many ports of call as possible.

And I agree with the poster who referenced the route including Roatan and Belize, rather than Grand Cayman and Jamaica. I think that itinerary provides more variety.

Me too! Me too! Only I'm looking for Tortola to Barbados route!

Not in that cabin, but 18 cabins further back on the opposite side.

In my experience, a little forward of mid-ship is better than right at mid-ship on Serenade. Our cabin was about half-way between the two sets of elevators (front set and mid-ship set) and it was a very quiet location. The first couple of day, I found myself wishing I was a little further back, to be closer to the mid-ship elevators. However, speaking to people in those cabins, they said there was some obnoxious engine noise in that area. I recall being able to hear it near the mid-ship stairs/elevators.

I don't know what noises there are as far forward as you are, but I really liked our location...so much in fact, I booked the exact same cabin number on my upcoming Jewel of the Seas cruise!

ENJOY!

I know MyTime Dining Reservations opened for my cruise about two weeks ago and my cruise is in early March, 2014. The website indicates they will be available about 2 months in advance, but mine opened four months prior to embarkation day.

Ditto what Sunny said. Sorry I can't help you with your spa questions, but I hope you'll come back and post a review and answer some of OUR questions upon your return.

Have a WONDERFUL time!!

I'm another poster who grew up watching the Love Boat and thinking how great cruising would be. But it was always just a dream in the back of my head.

One night, I was out with some friends, listening to a local band we followed. They announced they were pairing with a local travel agency to do a cruise with fans of the band. It was a 4-day Carnival cruise out of Tampa, Florida. There would be band T-Shirts and band performances and band/fan parties on board. As a group of friends listening to live music and sipping adult beverages is prone to do, we all jumped on the "Let's Cruise" band wagon.

Upon researching further, we discovered that this "theme" cruise cost more than a regular cruise. (I guess to cover the cost of the T-shirts and the band member's cruise fare!) We realized we could do a 5-day cruise on the same ship for less than that 4 day cruise. Remember, this was a LOCAL band we could go see any time. It didn't seem worth paying such a premium to cruise with them.

In the end, only THREE of us took the cruise - five days visiting Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I was totally hooked and have been cruising ever since!

Least important...

• spas
  
• specialty restaurants
  
• casino
  
• kid's clubs (my kids are grown)
  
• captain
  
• theme-park style attractions, like bumper cars, zip-lines etc. RCL is my favorite cruise line, but I would never choose a ship based on these features.
  

I usually don't think to check until AFTER I've booked, but how many ships are in port IS important, more-so at some ports than others. Smaller islands can't really comfortably accommodate HUGE onslaughts of tourists at one time.

Also, I book too early to know who the CD will be, but it does matter to me...it's just not decision influencing.

Docking versus tender is also VERY important to me and I do consider that when booking. I feel passengers lose too much time in port when having to tender back and forth.

I don't use the casino, so I would never rule out a cruise line that didn't have one. I also don't patronize the specialty restaurants, so those aren't important to me. Maybe they will be at some point in the future when I have a larger travel budget, but I'm perfectly satisfied with the MDR experience and would prefer to spend that specialty food money elsewhere.

To each his/her own, but I cruise for three reasons:

1. The feeling of being AT sea; having the ocean perpetually visible to remind me that I'm out in the middle of the ocean.
   
2. To visit multiple locations on the same vacation, unpacking once.
   
3. The incredible service.
   

I find #1 and #2 to be lacking on the larger ships. The focus on the mega-ships is INWARD, toward the unique features like Boardwalk, Central Park and carnival-type rides. The focus on the smaller ships (think Radiance Class) is OUTWARD, making the ocean the STAR attraction. The mega-ships have a very limited number of ports of call available to them. There are still islands in the southern Caribbean I have not yet visited, even after 10 Caribbean cruises. I've lost track of how many times I've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman and I've also visited St. Maarten and St. Thomas multiple times. The big ships typically visit only three ports of call on a seven day cruise. While I understand that maxing out the sea days is probably the POINT for those who are sailing on an Oasis or Quantum class ship specifically for the SHIP experience, but that's simply NOT my priority. If I wanted to visit a big resort with multiple pools, rides, restaurants, etc., I'd probably take more land-based vacations than I do. I cruise to be AT SEA, not to experience a modern, encapsulated resort.

Please don't flame me. I get that other people have different opinions and that's FINE. I just hope they don't abandon the smaller ships entirely, leaving those of us who prefer them to chose between cruising on a mega-ship or opting for a land-based vacation.

Cut up the Royal card and get one that gives double points for EVERY purchase all year and with no restriction on how you use the points. I can not believe all the posts generated by those wishing and hoping to get their 2x points when Royal feels generous enough to offer them then Royal turns around and screws everyone by tightening the restrictions and lowering their value like they did a couple months ago.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

I'm not going to get into a debate about which rewards card is better than another. That's a personal choice based on all sorts of personal reasons. However, in terms of lowering the value of the points, for me it was an improvement. If you don't typically sail the NEW ships, the value hasn't decreased and NOW, the points are also good on Celebrity. That's a huge benefit. I've been interested in trying X, but it's always less expensive for me to sail with RCL and use my points. Now, I can show either line and still get to use points for discounts.

My sister took care of that for us as we rented the boat together. She only rented it a couple of weeks before we went though.

Thanks. Maybe I'm just trying to lock things down too far in advance. I tend to do that! I booked my March 2014 cruise in May 2012!! I'm a bit anxious!!

I appreciate your help!

The email for the special 2012-2013 3-2-1 Promo through BofA was sent out December 9, 2012....

 

This holiday season, you can earn even more rewards toward cruise vacations with your Royal Caribbean Visa® credit card. During our 3 - 2 - 1 Holiday Promotion you can earn 3 ROYAL POINTS per $1 for your Royal Caribbean purchases, 2 POINTS per $1 for eligible gas and grocery purchases and at selected retailers, and 1 POINT per $1 for all other purchases.*

This credit card offers no annual fee†, exceptional rewards and 10,000 Bonus Points after your first qualifying transaction.** Offer ends February 5, 2013

 

If they offer it again, I would look for info the beginning of December.

Thanks for this information! My memory is clearly not as good as yours! I thought it had started earlier. I'll watch (and hope) in a few weeks. My cruise is paid off, so no opportunity for 3X points, but would love to take advantage of the 2X points! I hope they repeat the offer this year!!

Thanks for all the great tips and advice!!!

Karysa - Did it take you a long time to get your confirmation? I got an email from Ray Rapp almost immediately. Yet, I have not received a bill for a deposit or a confirmation number. I've emailed a couple times since and get a friendly response saying they have recorded my reservation and he'll be sending me a PayPal invoice for the deposit, but still nothing. I just want to make sure we have a boat there when we arrive!!

Thanks!

Remember last year at this time, BoA offered double points for purchases at gas stations or grocery stores. It was a GREAT offer at this time of year, particularly with grocery stores selling gift cards these days. Anyone heard anything about this being repeated this year?