Jewel of the Seas 11/16-11/23 Review

[Five5]

Hello everyone!

 

I'm going to start a review of our trip on the Jewel. As you can see by my profile, we are new to cruising with this being the second one under our belt. We enjoy the experiences of the ship as well as the experience in port as well.

 

Disclaimer - I am no expert, I just want to share our experience and if helps anyone in the future, great! I also am not an expert on grammar, so if you love to post corrections and point out errors, you'll love this!

 

Day 1

 

We arrived in San Juan shortly after 1pm on the day of our cruise with flights and transfers booked through Choice Air. After picking up our luggage we made our way to exit where we would meet the Royal Caribbean transfer shuttle. The process was pretty seamless, we gave them our ticket that they crosschecked and initialed for us to give to the shuttle driver. We waited less than 30 minutes for our transportation to arrive and were led to a charter bus where the driver stowed our luggage and we were off to the ship.

 

At the terminal we took our luggage off and after dropping it off outside the terminal for loading on the ship entered and went to the check in area. There was hardly any lines at all and we were able to go and directly board the ship with our seapasses in hand after stopping to have our photo taken for the passes.

 

Our previous cruise was on the Enchantment, so the Jewel was definitely different with the elevators all on the port side of the Centrum. As the week continued, I began to dislike this configuration of the elevators. It seems to me that with them all being on one side of the Centrum, and with everyone being focused there, the elevators became almost useless at times. If you were inside going up, you found yourself stopping on almost every floor and when you found the floor you wanted, you couldn't get off before people were already boarding and pushing you to the back. We ended up using the stairs, a lot.

 

We took the elevator to our room, #8588, just off the Centrum. It was a balcony room in which the balcony had a slight angle to face the front of the ship. A pretty nice configuration when arriving in port to be able to see somewhat ahead as enjoyed my morning coffee and share breakfast with my wife.

 

We found a message on our room's phone that our snorkeling excursion to the Virgin Gorda Baths the next morning in Tortola was cancelled due to tide/weather conditions. Guest services took it upon themselves to to reschedule us for the Norman Island snorkel trip in the afternoon which freed up our morning to find something else to do.

 

After unpacking our carry ons and changing, we headed up to the Windjammer. We walked through the rear of the Windjammer and found the outside seating aft of the ship that I had earlier seen posted. This would become one of our favorite areas during the cruise. It was never really packed and was always a nice quiet area to enjoy your meals or snacks.

 

We began to explore the ship and after the 8pm muster drill sat down for dinner in the MDR.

 

After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard Show and for the first time met the cruise director, Carly B. Again this was only our second cruise and it was interested throughout the week to see how a different cruise director and staff was able to present a different kind of energy, an energy of their own. Our previous CD was Luke Arrowsmith.

 

Exhausted from a day of travel to the ship, we went to bed earlier than I expected....

[Cshgrand]

Board Jewel on Dec 28th so can't wait to read rest!

[scomar]

Glad to see a new review of the Jewel. I look forward to seeing the rest. We will be on the Jewel for the first time on Dec 14. Can't wait! We take the stairs a lot anyway to keep the calories off from all the food. We will be just down the hall from your cabin.

 

Use all the bad grammar you want, everyone will now what you mean. This coming from a guy with badder grammar LOL

 

Thanks for sharing!!!

[cjdixon4]

I also am not an expert on grammar, so if you love to post corrections and point out errors, you'll love this!

 

 

You have a great sense of humor...now I'm REALLY looking forward to this review

[VillaHappy]

Oooohhh good, can't wait to follow along. We were on the cruise with you! Refresh me, did you come to the M&M?

 

I agree, the elevators were not the best part of the Jewel by any stretch. Beautiful to look at from the outside, but not very functional at times.

Edited November 25, 2013 by VillaHappy

[drarill]

Great start!! looking forward to the rest of your review!:):)

[ahecht]

I had a great time on Jewel of the Seas earlier this year, and can't wait to see the rest of your review. A cruise out of Puerto Rico is on my long list of things to do.

 

You said you had Carly as your CD. Was Elvis still the activities manager?

[Familygoboston]

We were cruising with you too! Looking forward to your thoughts! I will be posting my own review after the holidays, it takes me a while to organize photos and compass scans and write.:)

Glad you enjoyed the trip and welcome back!

 

Btw- Elvis is still in the building ;):p

[Familygoboston]

The biggest elevator problem is this: who needs to use the elevators? People with limited mobility. But the bank of elevators is so huge, that when one arrives you have to sprint to one end or the other of the bank of elevators to reach it before the door closes, and if there is noise in the Centrum (almost always) you cant hear the arrival "bong" to start moving in that direction and you cannot even see the light or door opening to know it has arrived, folks on board can't see you to know to "hold" the door for you. :rolleyes: We saw more older folks "miss" the elevator.:(

 

We always use stairs, but this isn't a possibility for some. This has been redesigned on the newer ships which have multiple banks of fewer elevators across the hall way from one another, thereby making the bigger ships more accessible and better designed.:D

Edited November 26, 2013 by Familygoboston

[voyager89]

Yaaay a new Jewel review :cool: we will be on it January 11. I really cant wait! I am starting to think the second cruise its always the most awaited one. Just like an artist second album LOL

 

I believe we will do the same route you did

 

Did you do Tortola / St maarten / Barbados / Dominica / St Kitts? not in order

 

Now go ahead and please tell us about the food :o

[Paulette3028]

The biggest elevator problem is this: who needs to use the elevators? People with limited mobility. But the bank of elevators is so huge, that when one arrives you have to sprint to one end or the other of the bank of elevators to reach it before the door closes, and if there is noise in the Centrum (almost always) you cant hear the arrival "bong" to start moving in that direction and you cannot even see the light or door opening to know it has arrived, folks on board can't see you to know to "hold" the door for you. :rolleyes: We saw more older folks "miss" the elevator.:(

 

We always use stairs, but this isn't a possibility for some. This has been redesigned on the newer ships which have multiple banks of fewer elevators across the hall way from one another, thereby making the bigger ships more accessible and better designed.:D

 

We cruised on Jewel in July 2013 and I can relate to what you are describing with the elevators. We use the stairs quite a bit, but no always, and at times, I did miss the 'elevator bong' announcing the arrival of the next elevator.

 

What we disliked about the cruise, was the pre-boarding process at the SJ port. It was terrible. The way they handled taking luggage from arriving cruisers was poor; the line to get into the terminal was terrible; elderly people with canes/walkers were not given an special help.

 

We have reached Diamond status, but priority boarding was really not a reality. Even when we got into the terminal and asked for our priority boarding station, they told us we were not Diamond -- my husband was irritated -- then showed our printout, which clearly stated our status and asked to see a supervisor.

 

Supervisor arrived, and viola -- we were quickly moved through.

 

I am accustomed to Fort Lauderdale or Miami -- which is a dream even for those who do not have Priority Boarding, compared to what was in SJ.

[boaterette]

Thank you for taking the time to do a review.

[Jimnbigd]

We had cruise director Carly B last December. I liked her.

Here she is on the Jewel:

[Peacockscruise]

Thanks for taking your time to do this review of the Jewel. We will be sailing on her in March 2014. Your review helps to bring her to life!

[Keith1010]

Great start.

 

Keith

[mein18]

Since we board in 3 days, I have to ask, did they have escargot on the menu or available?

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[Familygoboston]

We cruised on Jewel in July 2013 and I can relate to what you are describing with the elevators. We use the stairs quite a bit, but no always, and at times, I did miss the 'elevator bong' announcing the arrival of the next elevator.

 

What we disliked about the cruise, was the pre-boarding process at the SJ port. It was terrible. The way they handled taking luggage from arriving cruisers was poor; the line to get into the terminal was terrible; elderly people with canes/walkers were not given an special help.

 

We have reached Diamond status, but priority boarding was really not a reality. Even when we got into the terminal and asked for our priority boarding station, they told us we were not Diamond -- my husband was irritated -- then showed our printout, which clearly stated our status and asked to see a supervisor.

 

Supervisor arrived, and viola -- we were quickly moved through.

 

I am accustomed to Fort Lauderdale or Miami -- which is a dream even for those who do not have Priority Boarding, compared to what was in SJ.

 

We also found boarding confusing in SJ. Ill detail in my review, but there were people in front of us, DH asked a Royal rep where we should stand and when he saw our diamond tags he had us drop our bags moved us to the front of the line, and pointed to the d+, pinnacle suites line (no one else was there yet and the other line was unmarked) we got in it, but I have to believe based just on age and the fact that some already in line had come from B2B from Summit that morning, that we weren't the only Ds or higher standing in that line and it was weird they sent a D to the higher tier line, but I didn't see any other tiers "advertised" outside the port. Port wasnt open when we got there, but we did notice that they moved some folks with mobility issues in front of us and even provided a plastic chair. But it was still very quiet with maybe 30 people there, and I'm sure once they all got busy no knew would be paying attention to those folks since there was no organized process or labeled lines.

 

My advice go early before it gets busy.

[Cshgrand]

We are hoping to board later in the day around 3.30/4pm. Any ideas if it may have quietened off by then?

Last time we cruised from SJ we don't think we departed this late but it was six years ago and can't remember.

[Five5]

Update coming.... Work and Thanksgiving in the way. ;)

[printingchick]

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!!

[scomar]

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!!

 

What is "The Quest"?

 

Also I see a lot of people on here asking to see the Cruise Compasses. What is the advantage to seeing these before you get on board?

[Clarea]

What is "The Quest"?...

Can't say. What happens on the ship stays on the ship!;)

[printingchick]

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!! :-)

Edited November 29, 2013 by printingchick

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I'm looking forward to more of this review! Although, I know with the holiday madness how hard it can be to get it done. They take a LOT of time. Waiting (kind of) patiently for more.:cool:

[scomar]

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!! :-)

 

Thanks for the info!

As far as the Quest, well let me just say "Google is a wonderful thing;) and it looks like fun.

I get ya on the planning, I am about three quarters full of your planning tank:D As you can tell I had to look up The Quest LOL