Opinions of the Jewel?

[Vitality08]

The only RC ship I've been on is the Majesty so I think/know the Jewel is bigger but what is everyones opinion on it?

 

Think I'm booking a cruise for my mom's birthday for Sept. 2013. I'm not gonna tell her about it though until around Christmas.

 

Just want to hear from people who've been on the Jewel.

 

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

You'll love the ship....the outdoor seating in the WJ is really nice....I wish ALL ships had al fresco dining!

 

The Champagne Bar is a lovely place for a pre-dinner drink...huge windows overlooking the ocean....(and you can get any drink...not just champagne!!)

 

Radiance class ships are very pretty....she's gonna love it!

[Cheryl H]

The Jewel and her sister ship, the Radiance, are our favorite ships. It is gorgeous. For us, it is the perfect size, not too big and not too small. My favorite cabin is junior suite 1100 which we were fortunate to have once.

 

Love all the glass, especially the glass elevators that look out to the sea. And it just seems like there isn't that many people on board. So many good viewing spots. And like the other ships, it has the solarium, and Chops Grille, my two favorite spots on the ship.

 

We'll be on the Jewel again in October for the New England/Canada cruise. Can't wait. Have fun planning your cruise.

[reallyitsmema]

The only RC ship I've been on is the Majesty so I think/know the Jewel is bigger but what is everyones opinion on it?

 

Think I'm booking a cruise for my mom's birthday for Sept. 2013. I'm not gonna tell her about it though until around Christmas.

 

Just want to hear from people who've been on the Jewel.

 

Thanks!

I have sailed the Jewel with my DH. We prefer a larger ship with a royal promenade. We found the Jewel to be much more crowded and congested than other ships we have been on. We enjoyed the outside area of the WJ even in October on a NE/Canada cruise. Great place for a quiet breakfast. If we were just sailing the two of us, we would go on the Jewel again since it is the only ship sailing from Boston. We would not consider taking our son on it since it has a very small sports court which is our son's favorite place.

 

For a mother/daughter cruise, it is a nice, quiet ship. We just prefer more choices of activities.

[casp42]

We agree with the previous posts--love the Jewel! We live in Tampa so have gone on her 3 times this past year and every time was perfect. Can't wait for her to come back if only for a short while. In fact, I'm hoping to book her relocation to San Juan next year. The solarium is fabulous. Service great. Didn't notice any wear and tear. My time dining worked very well for us--table for 2--no problem.

[linkerbink]

The Radiance class is my favorite. I've sailed on them several times and would do so again in a heartbeat! I love the outdoor seating at the very back of the Windjammer. I don't miss the Royal Promenade at all.

[luvscruising2007]

We did a TA on Jewell and loved it. The crew was great and the captain was even personable and memorable. Radiance is our favorite class of ship and as linkerbink posted, we don't miss the promenade.

[Familygoboston]

I sailed Oasis in Dec and LOVED IT; I knew I had Jewel booked in Feb and I was prepared to enjoy it, but really it would be all about the people I was sailing with, not the ship. Well, guess what?

 

I LOVED Jewel, it is amazingly oriented to the sea, every room has water views and the design is just elegant. I agree with prior posters, my favorite part is that enormous WJ...we ate there and just hung there sometimes. You can eat in, or out, in a partial enclosure or complete enclosure. There are so many options and big deep cushy seating. Loved it!

 

The Seaview Cafe is great, and I also liked the enclosed Solarium, very peaceful, though it did get crowded.

 

I think you will like this ship as a next step!

[saltmom1]

I am thinking about booking the Jewel repositioning cruise. I have never sailed on RCI. What are the differences from NCL and CCL?

 

Is there a dining room open at embarkation or does everyone have to go to the buffet?

 

Are there formal nights?

 

TIA

[JJSMaine]

The Jewel is one of the best ships in the line, and I mean that in terms of balancing out all aspects, the crew is the best I've encountered, and the ships design is very good.. it has the big ship features with the small ship feel.

 

The Jewel repo from Boston is an awesome itinerary... buy it.. period... lots of great sea days and lots of great ports...

 

There is only the windjammer open on most ships during embarkation.

 

There are 3 formal nights on the repo from Boston...

[dz9yvr]

There's photo rveiew of the Jewel on USATODAY

 

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Jewel+of+the+Seas/A12776

 

The ship looks great. My last several cruises have been on the Allure/Oasis and based on this review I think I will look for an opportunity to sail on the Jewel. All of the glass and water views look great Other than the television the rooms are a lot nicer and larger than the Allure/Oasis.

 

Enjoy your trip

[Clagmeister]

The Jewel is fantastic ship. I have just returned from the 12 Day Baltic cruise on her and enjoyed everything about this happy, well maintained ship.

[Topo Gigio]

There is a very detailed review of the Jewel here on the first page here of the RCI board and she said the ship looks like new.

 

Haven't been on the Jewel jet but on the other 3 sister ships and they are great ships. I'm sure you and your mom will love it.

[saltmom1]

Thank you for all of your quick responses. Do repositioning cruises tend to be the same from year to year? This is the perfect cruise, but not the perfect year to do this. I just finished school and am still looking for a job.

[negc]

Jewel is our very favorite RCI ship. Next year however, her place will be taken by the Brilliance of the Seas which will have been totally 'revitalized' by this time next year. From year to year they may make some minor adjustments to the itinerary but next year;s itinerary will be very similar to what the Jewel will be doing this year from Boston - 15 days with stops in St. Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia, Aruba and Curaçao and ending in Tampa, where she will spend the winter months. There are a very large number of cruisers who do this every year and we have a very active thread for both the 2012 and 2013 repositioning cruises. Check them out and join us.:)

The repositioning cruise includes a fantastic Halloween celebration and the ship is beautifully decorated for the occasion.

[besberry]

Just got off the Jewel last week. She's a great ship. You can see the sea from just about everywhere. The staff are great and lots of the barmen knew me by name :confused:. I had MTD and the waiters were great, I seemed to end up on the same table most nights and one night when I was in a hurry and sitting on my own (late back from the day trip and off to the ballet in less than an hour), Frankey, the waiter who usually served me, brought me my main! She's a wonderful ship, you'll love her.

[saltmom1]

Thank you for all of the replies. I will now give the thread back to OP with my apologies for hijacking it. :o

Happy cruising to all!

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I agree with the above posts. I cruised aboard the Jewel of the Seas in January 2012 and absolutely loved this ship. :) It is perfectly maintained and has an excellent crew. I would certainly be interested in cruising aboard this ship again.

 

Chuck

[ongchees]

I just completed a trip with Jewel. This is our first cruise and we simple love it. I even wrote a blog series on my whole experience - http://www.ongchees.blogspot.com/2012/06/alaska-cruise-booking-tickets.html

 

Hope this will be useful to you....

[macrc]

I think this thread is about Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas not Norwegian Jewel. But I read our blog anyway.

[BillOh]

The only RC ship I've been on is the Majesty so I think/know the Jewel is bigger but what is everyones opinion on it?

 

Think I'm booking a cruise for my mom's birthday for Sept. 2013. I'm not gonna tell her about it though until around Christmas.

 

Just want to hear from people who've been on the Jewel.

 

Thanks!

 

Simply put, if you liked Majesty, you will love Jewel. You and you Mom may really like Jewel's solarium. I have 3 cruises on these two ships) I actually thought much of the food on jewel was very good as opposed to "good enough" as I've had on many cruises. Here is my Jewel review if you would like to read."

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1619158

[orville99]

The only RC ship I've been on is the Majesty so I think/know the Jewel is bigger but what is everyones opinion on it?

 

Think I'm booking a cruise for my mom's birthday for Sept. 2013. I'm not gonna tell her about it though until around Christmas.

 

Just want to hear from people who've been on the Jewel.

 

Thanks!

 

We've done Jewel twice, her sister Radiance twice, and have one more cruise booked on Jewel for next spring. That class of RCL ship is our favorite. While the ship itself is physically much larger than Majesty, her pax capacity is about 700 fewer, so you'll actually find yourself wondering where everyone else disappeared to when you walk around her.:cool:

[CarefreeCruising]

Not a big fan of the Jewel! I know everyone raves about her but we weren't wowed this winter. The Jewel is in good condition and we loved the live music always playing. But, we felt the ship was too small for our tastes and we missed the Royal Promenade. We tried the Sieview Cafe that everyone raves about and were seriously underwhelmed. To each their own.

[printingchick]

Simply put, if you liked Majesty, you will love Jewel. You and you Mom may really like Jewel's solarium. I have 3 cruises on these two ships) I actually thought much of the food on jewel was very good as opposed to "good enough" as I've had on many cruises. Here is my Jewel review if you would like to read."

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1619158

 

Agree with Bill - if you liked Majesty, you'll LOVE Jewel.

 

My first RCL cruises were on Voyager and Freedom class ships. I chose my Serenade (sister to Jewel) cruise based on the itinerary. I expected to endure some disappointment about the missing perks (Royal Promenade, Ice Rink), but decided the trade off was worth it.

 

To my surprise, I discovered I PREFER the Radiance class ships. They're smaller, more intimate, less crowded at major group events, prettier. They have OUTSIDE dining at the Windjammer - HUGE benefit!!! The outward-facing elevators are AWESOME! The Solarium pool is breath-taking.

 

I'm booked on Jewel for my next cruise. I can't wait!!!

 

ENJOY!! Come back and tell us what you and Mom think!!

[pk1]

The Jewel is perfect, beautiful, spotless, gorgeous. I only missed the Promenade during dance party night-as the Centrum was crowdy for dancing! Otherwise wonderful!