Jewel of the Seas Pictorial Cruise Review: 12-15-2011

[DarthGrady]

 

Our first sunset

[critterchick]

For Diamond or Suites??

 

Thanks,

TnT

 

In October, the full suites were invited to dine in Chops for breakfast. It was a different menu, mostly waiter service but also a couple of self- serve items (cereal, fruit, muffins, etc.). It was divine. They had a few things I wouldn't have thought of for breakfast (and didn't try), like lamb chops. It wasn't available on debarkation day.

 

The Diamond breakfast was in one of the overflow dining rooms on Deck 4. We never went there since the Chops breakfast was so good.:)

[DarthGrady]

Day 2, At Sea:

Our first full day on board began with breakfast in the main dining room. Their eggs benedict were excellent. I always appreciate it when they don’t overcook the eggs, the yolk is supposed to be runny! The rest of the morning was spent in the Solarium swimming and soaking in the hot tub.

That afternoon we had lunch at the Sea View Café. The food was very good, but the sandwiches were much smaller than the ones we had on Radiance. Later that day we watched “Super 8” in the Cinema. It fills up quickly, so anyone wanting a seat should arrive about twenty minutes early.

The second evening was the only formal dress night of the cruise. We met in the lobby for formal portraits and waited in line to be photographed on the glass staircase. When we finally made it in front of the photographer we had the displeasure of encountering the rudest (or dumbest) people I have ever seen on a cruise. Just as the photographer was getting us into poses an older fellow walked up to him and interrupted with a question. After his question was answered he proceeded to walk right between my wife and her mother who were the two in the middle of the shot. The moron then stopped about half way up the staircase and began yelling to his wife who was still standing in the lobby. Instead of walking up the main stairs that were about twenty feet away, she began to walk toward the glass staircase as well. She almost made it. A loud “UUMM NO!” and a finger snap from my wife diverted her from her course of stupidity. She stood there dumbfounded for a moment with an odd look on her face before walking off toward the main stairs. It’s a sad comment on the state of society when the photographer is afraid to say something to rude or clueless passengers for fear of being complained about.

After a few more portrait stops we made our way into the main dining room for dinner. As with the first night the food was very good. I have a few orders of escargots bourguignonne, which is my favorite dish on Royal Caribbean. The service speed was again very slow. We had drinks at the Diamond event in the VCL after dinner. At midnight I went to the adult comedy show. The comic was okay, but not outstanding.

 

Passing Carnival Paradise on the first sea day

 

I ventured out to the bow on our first sea day

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Night time on deck

 

 

The end of the Broadway show

[yukontrails]

These pictures are great and I can not wait for our cruise !!

 

Thanks for the pics and comments.

 

Yukontrails

[DarthGrady]

Day 3, Cozumel:

My wife and I slept in late this day. We didn’t even leave the room until around 11:30 am. After a breakfast in the Windjammer we headed ashore for some shopping. We have been to Cozumel many times, so after shopping we just went back on board the ship to enjoy the nearly empty pool deck. After some swimming and hot tub soaking I went to the bow to watch the Carnival Triumph cruise into port. I then met the family at the Sea View Café for lunch.

I watched the Liberty of the Seas leave port before we headed to the Diamond event for some pre-dinner drinks. The service at dinner this night was very much improved. After dinner my wife and I went to the top-tier Crown and Anchor reception. They served free drinks and had live music. Later in the program the Captain spoke to the assembly, as well as the Loyalty Ambassador. She screened the new “Shell Phone” TV ad. I thought the commercial itself was silly and tacky. But I think the new tag lines “The Sea is Calling” and the longer form “The Sea is Calling, Answer it Royally” are actually really good. Classy and simple like the old “Get Out There” campaign.

I later met up with some of our friends at the Coral Theater for the Gaucho show. The show is very funny, and the stunts the gauchos perform are impressive. I highly recommend the show. Afterward we had cigars and drinks in the Hollywood Odyssey before retiring for the evening.

Cozumel

The bow of Liberty of the Seas just peeking out

[DarthGrady]

They set up a sitting area on the pier near the gangway for guests to use and refresh. There were water dispensers and later a crewman offered cold towels from a cooler. I had only ever seen this on a Celebrity cruise before. Maybe a sign that RCI is going a bit more upscale?

 

 

 

Carnival Triumph enters port

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Our Neighbor

 

 

 

A job I could not do

 

See ya Libby

 

The Triumph later that evening

[DarthGrady]

 

Our Diamond Celebration gifts:

 

"Shell Phone" chocolate bar

 

Luggage straps

 

Magnetic lapel pin

[DarthGrady]

Day 4, At Sea:

After another sleep that lasted until noon we went to the main dining room for the excellent salad bar they set up on sea days. There is just about any component that one could want in their salad made right in front of you. I also had an order of the delicious gnocchi.

We attempted to see “Thor” in the Cinema but were too late to find seats. So we instead went to the Solarium for more swimming. We had afternoon snacks at the Sea View Café and then stopped by the photo gallery to look at our pictures. We visited the Diamond Event one last time and made sure to tip the friendly wait staff before leaving. After dinner we smoked our final cigars of the cruise and left to watch The Quest. The Quest is a must-do on a Royal Caribbean cruise. It is so fun to watch and take part in!

 

 

The Quest! There are some other pictures that I can't post unfortunately.

 

[DarthGrady]

Debarkation and Conclusion:

We had breakfast in the main dining room before leaving the ship. The process went very fast and we were driving away about a half hour after leaving the dining room. In spite of the rocky first day we all still managed to have a good time on this cruise. The ship is in very good shape. I am glad that I got to cruise on the Jewel before they renovate her. I am looking forward to our next cruise on her in March of 2012, our Spring Break cruise!

 

 

Thats it folks, hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to ask any questions.

[cruise pup]

Terrific photos! I was on the Jewel for the 12/10-15 cruise and your photos really show her off. Due to limited mobility thanks to a muscle spasm in my back (thankfully it's all gone now), I didn't make it to certain areas of the ship, like the Safari Club area, so I was glad to see what I missed.

[cruisegirl1]

Thanks for the great photos. We sailed on this cruise and had a wonderful time. I had not heard that the Jewel was getting any extensive renovations. Do you gave more info?

Thanks

[monicajay]

Great review and pix. Question; Is the Garden Cafe a self serve venue or do they serve at the tables?

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for the great photos! Wow! I can't wait to sail her...I see why people love the radiance class; there is literally a view of the sea from every venue and your photos really capture that! This is the perfect ship for scenic cool locales...I can see why they bring her up north to my neck of the woods!

[lynn247]

 

Our Diamond Celebration gifts:

 

 

 

 

I noticed you had a reminder to change your clocks. We were just on the Liberty of the Seas and were on "ships time" the entire trip.

 

Several warnings that the ship would leave without if you went by local time, made for a slightly uncomfortable time on shore. We've seen those late comers in the past, and my fear is to be left behind.

 

Thanks for the photos and review. Next time, we might just have to catch a cruise from Tampa.;)

[BecciBoo]

Thankfully it has no piped in or live music, and only has soft bird sounds playing in the background.

 

 

Ha! I remember on our rookie cruise on Rhapsody, I was so green when I walked into the solarium I said, "OMG, they have real birds in here!" Yes, my fave is the glass solariums and jungle noises!

[island lady]

The “Hollywood Odyssey” cigar lounge is adjacent to the VCL. It has a dedicated bartender after 9:30 each night, and has a small humidor with cigars for sale. There were many guests enjoying drinks and fine cigars in the lounge each night. It is such a shame that they will be converting it into a private lounge for concierge level guests. I don’t have a problem with the cruise lines offering lounges only for suite guests or frequent cruisers. I do have a problem with them replacing well-used public spaces with those private areas.

 

That lounge is also where the Diamond Event was on Radiance the last time (but is now CL on Radiance). Is this

where the Diamond Event is taking place from 5-8pm on Jewel?

[BecciBoo]

I am also disappointed about the new pay for meal to replace Seaview Cafe. We are still waiting for the schedule for 2013 to book Radiance in Alaska. Looks like we will never be able to eat out there now:( I think a much better use would be to replace the mini golf course. Seems like many more passengers would be served to leave the Seaview and use the golf course...I mean how many times have you played golf there? Out of 13 cruises we have only done it twice!

[will773]

Awesome pics, great review! Thanks for posting!

[island lady]

Yes...Yes!! Great review and pics! :)

 

I have just under a month before I get to renew my fond memories of the beautiful

lady! :D

[PrincessStar]

More Cabin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The View

 

 

 

Thank you for your photo review and the outside view of your aft cabin!

We will be on JOS with our first aft cabin, but not until December 2012!

[LBumb]

great job

love your balcony

i too love the cigar bars indoor

[DarthGrady]

Great review and pix. Question; Is the Garden Cafe a self serve venue or do they serve at the tables?

 

Are you referring to the Sea View Cafe? If so, you place the order at the counter and they bring it to your table.

 

The Solarium Cafe is counter service only.

[DarthGrady]

That lounge is also where the Diamond Event was on Radiance the last time (but is now CL on Radiance). Is this

where the Diamond Event is taking place from 5-8pm on Jewel?

 

The Diamond event is in the Viking Crown each night, the CL is held between 5-830 in the Hollywood Odyssey.

 

I don't really see the problem with the current setup myself. It seems pretty fair to use it as a CL part of the night, then a cigar bar later. Using such a great location only as a CL seems like a waste.