Cruising with Zay - A Jewel of the Seas Review

[TnomadX]

Is there a fee for the food sampling event?

 

No, it was completely free. It's definitely worth going to.

[lv2bcruzin]

We ran into a couple from our Cruise Critic group, and decided to have lunch with them as well. They had overslept as well. We had a nice lunch and decided to stick together and get off the ship for a bit since we were at a place we've never been to before. We walked to the area where they offer taxi service. They use large vehicles to tour the island, and try to fill them up because the vehicles use a lot of gas. They do have the smaller vehicles that are closed in, but we wanted an opened vehicle so we can have the fresh air. They didn't want to tour four of us in the opened vehicle because there wasn't enough people. We decided to head back to the ship. Just when we were on our way, they decided to go ahead and let us take the larger vehicle. It's like we got our own private tour.

 

Our indecision really paid off. Especially, when Danielle said the small bus just wasn't going to work for us. :p

 

Great review so far! Like Dee, Danielle and I are out sick with bad colds, so it's good to see you are taking the time to do the review!. At least it hit us after the cruise. :rolleyes:

Edited December 23, 2013 by lv2bcruzin

[TnomadX]

Our indecision really paid off. Especially, when Danielle said the small bus just wasn't going to work for us. :p

 

Great review so far! Like Dee, Danielle and I are out sick with bad colds, so it's good to see you are taking the time to do the review!. At least it hit us after the cruise. :rolleyes:

 

We're all sick I guess. I gotta keep going though as I have too many kiddos to take care of :(.

 

If you want to add some things to this review, please do. I'd love to have your input as well. I am so thankful to have met you and Danielle, and happy that you chose the same sailing.

[TnomadX]

There's not a whole lot to report about this particular day. I'll just get straight to the point.

 

This island is not like the other islands. It's a bit under developed as far as cruise ports go. In other words, you're not hit with a lot of people trying to sell you something right away as in other ports. There wasn't a lot of shopping venues near the port from what I could see. You go right into how the locals live. Don't get me wrong. There is some shopping there, but not as plentiful as in the other ports. There might be a person or two trying to sell you something, but it didn't appear as bad as in other ports of call. If you want to do shopping, get a tour as they will make a few stops along the way for that. I also thought it was a Spanish speaking island. They speak English and Creole.

 

There are a LOT of taxi drivers at this port. From what I could gather, most of the tours cost between $20 - $70. I talked with some of the taxi drivers just to get an idea of what the different tours offered. They all went to the exact same places. The only difference I saw was that a couple of them stopped at a beach. I do recommend that you tour the island if you can as they have some interesting things to see. They have fruit trees, but none of the fruit is edible. They were given a bus some years ago, and the island was hit by a hurricane. The hurricane pulled up a tree and crushed the bus. They still have the bus with the tree going through it on the island today. Check that out if you can. They do have a couple of beautiful views if you travel just a ways upward. They also sell sulfur here that is supposed to be healing to the body. They say it helps with allergies and clears the sinuses. Well...I will warn you that it stinks severely. Many passengers say that to get there, you have to walk up this flight of stairs, and then back down again as well. If you have a mobility problem, bypass this stop. Many of our fellow passengers bought excursions through the ship and were happy with it. It's strictly up to you how you'd like to spend your day here at the island. I stayed off the ship.

 

So...I stayed on the island for maybe an hour and a half after getting off around noon. As I always do, I headed back to the ship and went to lunch at the Windjammer. Lunch was really good today, and it helped that I had lunch with a couple of people I met on board. We talked for about an hour or so, then I headed down to the coffee shop to talk with one of the people I had met earlier. I told him about my experience on the island, and then we talked about our homes again.

 

Tonight's feature show was City of Dreams, and it was at 7:00 PM for the second seating diners. Again, it was nothing but singing and dancer. I LOVED this show more-so than the first because they were singing songs I could recognize. The show also had a better theme than the first one, and was easier to follow along. I still think the music was a bit loud, and it made it difficult to understand the singers. Let me just say that the cast's leading singers, Corey and Ariel have absolutely beautiful voices. Not only do they have beautiful voices, but they also have beautiful personalities as well. I met them the following day, and they were so nice to me. I didn't feel as if I was intruding on them at all, and they remembered my name when they saw me again later. They were so awesome.

 

After the show, we went to have dinner with our table friends. Tonight was formal night, so were already dressed before we left for the show. Everyone looked great. We had a very nice time. We kept laughing and joking with each other. We shared some stories about our lives back at home, what we did in Dominica, and just bonded so well together. I couldn't have asked for a better group to have dinner with each night.

 

I want to mention really quick that this cruise does do a lot for those who speak Spanish. Many of the activities that are done in English are also done in Spanish as well. There are a lot of bilingual staff on board. When they do the messages over the intercom, they also do those in Spanish as well. They had a Latin party every night, and I got a chance to see how they have fun. It was so much fun to see. The ship did a great job in trying not to leave anyone out.

 

Again...I had a beautiful day. Please let me know if I missed something you'd like to hear about. If I can't answer, i do have others available who can help me as they're reading this as well.

 

[TnomadX]

Before I forget, this is your Lobster night!!!!! You may want to order a couple of them right from the start. Everyone seems to eat in the Main Dining Room this night.

 

 

Okay...I actually skipped breakfast this day because I wanted to sleep in just a little bit. We got off the ship around 11AM. We had a bit of a hike to get to where we could see the taxis. Let me just tell you that this was my favorite port stop of the week. I was not nearly as afraid as I was on the other islands because the driving lanes were much bigger, and it just seemed to be so much better overall.

 

I digress already. It takes a while to get to the taxis. When you get to the building just outside the cruise ship, it's like a big mall inside. You have to walk all the way through one side to get to the other side. Once to the other side, you have to walk all the way down to where the taxis will be (there are signs to lead you there). When we finally arrived, there were a number of taxi drivers there waiting to assist you. None of them were rude or overly selling. they simply asked us how many was traveling with us, and if we wanted to travel with a group or alone. The cost of the taxi was $25 per person. Our Driver was a guy by the name of Winston. If you remember, I mentioned another taxi driver with the same name. Apparently the name Winston is a common name on the islands.

 

At any rate, Winston was a very good taxi tour guide. He was very friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. He actually prefers that you ask questions so he can answer them. We had LOTS of questions, and he answered all the ones he could. What I appreciated about him is that he didn't try to make something up. If he didn't know the answer, he was honest about that.

 

As our tour guide was showing us around, we noticed that there were a few critters walking around that we don't see walking around in the US. Monkeys roam around freely here, and they look just as comfortable. They were fun to see and watch.

 

-+We got a chance to see where Tiger Woods had his wedding reception. We also got a chance to stop by one of the local shops there and have a drink or two. There was a Princess Ship there from Miami as well, and we got a chance to talk with some of those passengers. There is also a gorgeous view of the island at this stop as well.

 

Now, we did encounter one problem while here, and it's a pretty big one. Our tour guide was having some problems with our vehicle. There were times when we'd try to go up a hill, but the vehicle wouldn't make it. We'd have to take an alternate route. I was getting a bit worried at first because I didn't want to get stuck on the island. Winston was very professional and knew which route to take so we wouldn't have to continue going up hills the vehicle wouldn't have to keep trying to go up. It's uncomfortable driving backwards in a country and area you're not familiar with.

 

After our tour, we made it back to where our ship was docked. We walked all the way through the shopping area again before I was asked to complete a survey. There were quite a few questions about our experience in the island. There were questions about our tour guide, what we did on the island, what we'd like to see in the future, what we thought about the island, and lots more. The locals were very concerned about what we thought about our visit, and that meant a lot to me. I am planning to visit Barbados in the near future because of my experience there. Even though we had a little bit of our hiccup, it didn't deter me from wanting to go back later.

 

I finally made it back to the ship and, you guessed it...I went to grab some lunch. Another couple from cruise critic joined me, and we had a great conversation. After lunch, I walked around the ship for a bit just to get some exercise in. I got a little tired, so I went back to the room for a bit.

 

Later on, we went to the 7pm show. Today's featured show was Two Funny Guys, two brothers that were from Argentina. They were funny. Some things had me laughing pretty hard. I will warn you that if you ever see them, (1) don't sit in the front row, and (2) don't come in late. They will make fun of you if you come in late. They may also pick on someone who's seated in the front row. Other than that, they were really good. I'm still trying to decide if I'd take my kiddos to see their show. It's not that they said anything inappropriate. It's what they were insinuating that had me a little worried. It was still a great show though.

 

We then went to have dinner, and you already know we had a great time. Our servers did a trick for us before the end of dinner, and we asked our assistant server to do a trick as well. He then proceeded to do a trick for us. He grabbed the tablecloth as if he was going to pull it off without moving anything on the table. He told us to remain seated, but of course we were all uncomfortable with that. We all laughed about it and moved on. We took a few pictures together tonight because we were getting sad about our trip coming to an end. We also decided to take pictures the last night as well.

 

Moving right along, we decided to go to Quest after dinner. If you've never done Quest, it's an adult game show that is a scavenger hunt basically. all the items you need are already in the room. It's a very fun game whether you participate or just watch. It's funny to watch people who say, "I'm just coming to watch" and then they do something they never thought they'd do lol. I'm not going to give the game away because you've got to experience it for yourself. Just do me one favor. When you go, don't take a bag of goodies with you. Just go with the flow of things. You'll have so much fun....I promise. Whoever came up with this game show, my hats are off to them. And adults.....behave yourselves when you play this game. No pushing, shoving, stabbing, kicking, or anything that may injure yourself or anyone else ;)

 

It was an absolutely great day today. One more day to go before I complete this week of the cruise. Don't worry. I have seven more days to go since I did a back to back cruise. Pictures are coming....I promise. I'll post some of them tonight when I am home. I'm feeling a little better than I was this weekend, so be patient with me.

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2013 by TnomadX

[Sunny AZ Girl]

You'll definitely run into that problem at St. Thomas for sure. I can't wait until I get to that port so I can share my experiences there. It really was a ghost town. We had a friend traveling with us who had actually stayed in St. Thomas for a few days and never saw it look that way before.

 

So on your first cruise, did they remove Tortola from the itinerary, or change the date they will port there?

Our itinerary is a bit different than the ones going now. I'm not sure at what point it changes. We go on May 3 and our ports for week 1 are St. Martin, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, & St. Lucia. Week 2 is St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba, Curacao. We have never been to Tortola. We've been to Dominica and loved that island.

 

Looking forward to the rest! I hope you are feeling better.

[gxchan]

Zay! I'm sorry you aren't feeling well but so happy I found your review:D Clearly, you all had a blast. Wish I could have cruised with you all but Adventure B2B was really good too:) Thanks for posting the review, loving it and makes me feel like I on right there with you:D

 

Talk with you soon!

[TnomadX]

Our itinerary is a bit different than the ones going now. I'm not sure at what point it changes. We go on May 3 and our ports for week 1 are St. Martin, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, & St. Lucia. Week 2 is St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba, Curacao. We have never been to Tortola. We've been to Dominica and loved that island.

 

Looking forward to the rest! I hope you are feeling better.

 

Wow. It changes quite a bit. You lose Tortola altogether. You also gain Aruba and Curacao on your second leg, which we didn't get. I'm glad they're changing it up a little though. You'll get an idea of what to expect in quite a few of those islands at least. I had a bad experience in Antigua that I can't wait to talk about later on. Just hang in there with me. Thanks for all of your comments and questions.

[TnomadX]

Zay! I'm sorry you aren't feeling well but so happy I found your review:D Clearly, you all had a blast. Wish I could have cruised with you all but Adventure B2B was really good too:) Thanks for posting the review, loving it and makes me feel like I on right there with you:D

 

Talk with you soon!

 

OMG!!!! I really wish you could have been with us. It would have been absolutely great to have you along. I'm glad you had a great time on the Adventure. I'm also glad you found this review. I'm enjoying writing it, and appreciate all the feedback that I'm receiving. I hope I can keep people interested in this review.

[hansolosmom]

I'm loving your review. We haven't done any of these ports & I'm really hoping we he a chance to someday.

[TnomadX]

This day was kind of bitter sweet for me. I had to prepare myself to say goodbye to those I've enjoyed all week, yet I was excited that my cruise experience wasn't ending just yet. I decided to try and spend the day with some of the people I have enjoyed all week long.

 

I woke up pretty early this day, but I didn't have breakfast. I had been eating quite a bit, and just wasn't very hungry. I decided to just walk around the ship for a bit, and I ran into some of my new friends. We talked for a few minutes, then went to see the cake Demonstration. One of the Chefs and the Cruise Director get together to show you how to decorate a cake. The cruise director is actually very funny as she purposely destroys her cake. They also pull a person out of the audience to assist in decorating. It was fun to watch. They also try to sell their cookbooks after the demonstration. A portion of your purchase goes to Make-A-Wish foundation.

 

Afterwards, I ran into two of my cruise critic friends. They had invited me to go on a galley tour, as they had received an invitation. I've always wanted to see how the magic happens when preparing food, so I graciously accepted the offer. It was starting right away, so I went directly to floor 5 for my tour. They split us into groups because there were so many people that had received the invitations. It was a very nice tour. Our tour guide was very courteous and explained every detail of how things work in the galley. the galley area we were shown is very small, but also very clean. They had some foods decorated for our enjoyment, so of course I took some pictures of it to share with you (I promise they are coming). the entire tour took about 20 minutes or so. It was very interesting, and I enjoyed it very much. Just so you'll know, they do have more than one galley. The others were very busy during the time we went as they were serving other passengers.

 

My friends had also offered to take me on another tour where the Captain's area is, but I wasn't able to go. It is strictly by invitation only, and they can only take so many passengers. I believe this tour is offered to those who are Diamond plus or higher. I did get a chance to do this tour on the second leg, and I'll explain about it in more detail.

 

Since I wasn't able to do the second tour, I decided to go and see the Sexiest man competition. If you have an opportunity to see this, please go. it's held on the pool deck on deck 11, and is absolutely a lot of fun. It's supposed to be judged on personality, but sometimes the judges can be a bit harsh. Also men....don't be afraid to be a apart of the competition. I've done this on one other cruise, and I had a GREAT time!!!!!!! GREAT!!!! I've never done anything like that before in my life until then, and it was fun. the only reason I didn't do it this time was because of my foot.

 

I thought the competition was decent. The audience found the judges to be a bit harsh on the contestants. This is supposed to be a competition based on personality, but the judges eliminated that element :confused:. There were a couple of guys the audience really enjoyed, but the judges voted them off. I had two of my dinner pals to join me for this competition, and it was really, really fun having them there. They had already had a few drinks, so they were extra fun.

 

After the competition, we went up to the sky bar to have a few drinks (I only had one). We were just having a great time laughing and talking. They really had me cracking up. Shortly after we arrived, another couple from our cruise critic roll call joined us as well. Things really began to heat up now. It was so much fun just sitting there talking and enjoying each other. Then suddenly, it started raining for a little while. When it did, the Pool deck started to empty out. Once most people were gone, the rain stopped...lol. We stayed at the sky bar and continued with our laughs.

 

Suddenly, the wind starts blowing. All of a sudden, some of the chairs started moving towards our direction. Two of my guests decided to start having chair races. One of them took her shirt off and placed it on her chair. The chairs needed to make it to the end of the other side of the ship. That's how strong the wind was. I had so much fun with this group. It's amazing how busy we get in life. I couldn't believe how much fun I was having acting like a kid. In fact, we were all being kids on this last night together.

 

Later on, I went to the Farewell show. I really wished they had modified the time of the show so that everyone could be there. It was at 7:45PM, and those who were at first seating could not make it. I had to rush out so I could make dinner. I think the show should either be earlier since it is a sea day, or after everyone has eaten so that ALL could enjoy the show. From what I could see, it was a great little show. They had invited a young man named Matt Baker who was a contestant on America's Got Talent, season 2. He's great. He did some juggling and magic tricks, and really kept the audience's attention. After his act, we left and went to dinner.

 

Dinner was great tonight. Everyone was happy to spend the last night together. We all exchanged numbers and email addresses so we could keep in contact. This group really felt like family. It is absolutely the best group I've ever dined with on any ship. We also took pictures with our servers who were absolutely the best. I tried to request them on the next sailing, but they told me that there were no guarantees.

 

After dinner, I went to the last night of Karaoke. I was just going to support someone, but ended up singing too. The song I chose ended up being too low and too high, but I sang it anyway. Most of the people who sang had very nice voices. There were a couple that were very funny, but I enjoyed them all the same. It was a nice night all the same.

 

I finally went back to my room for a good night's rest as we were getting ready to change rooms the next day for our second cruise. This week's cruise was simply amazing. The people I met were so great. I've met some long life friends on this cruise, and I'm so happy I chose this.

 

The Jewel is a beautiful ship. It's very easy to navigate around. I love this class of ship.

 

I've be back later tonight for some disembarkation day and the re-boarding process to wrap up this cruise experience.

[swsf99a]

Really enjoy your posts on the Jewel. We will be on the Jewel in March!!

[The Big Booper]

We're doing the Jewel on July 5th in 2014. It seems to do different runs every week so maybe we add a week and do a b2b.

[Oliver311]

Zay. Thank you for your fast answer about Lattetudes. I'm gonna get the replenish package in Feb. We also stop in Tortola and want to go to the Bath. And in Dominica we will do the climbing Tour in the rainforest. I'm so excited and love your review. About 6 and a half weeks....

[TnomadX]

 

 

 

[TnomadX]

The bus that was destroyed by hurricane

 

 

 

[nseit1974]

Can you tell me if the Jewel has the freestyle coke machines? We are leaving on the Jewel on Saturday Dec 28th.

[TnomadX]

Can you tell me if the Jewel has the freestyle coke machines? We are leaving on the Jewel on Saturday Dec 28th.

 

I didn't see any freestyle coke machines at all. I saw everyone being served their drinks from the bartenders.

[TnomadX]

We're doing the Jewel on July 5th in 2014. It seems to do different runs every week so maybe we add a week and do a b2b.

 

The B2B is an excellent way to enjoy the Jewel. I'm going to post some things to look out for when doing a B2B soon. I believe you'll love the Jewel. It's a beautiful ship, and the staff is great. I'd love to hear about your experience after you return.

[TnomadX]

Zay. Thank you for your fast answer about Lattetudes. I'm gonna get the replenish package in Feb. We also stop in Tortola and want to go to the Bath. And in Dominica we will do the climbing Tour in the rainforest. I'm so excited and love your review. About 6 and a half weeks....

 

You're going to have a blast. You'll love the Jewel, and you'll love your excursions. I'm very excited for you.

[TnomadX]

Saving my place so I can follow along..

Thanks for taking the time to review.

We are looking at this trip for 2015.

Chass

 

You should really go. The Adventure of the Seas also does a similar itinerary as well. You won't be disappointed at all.

[TnomadX]

I'm loving your review. We haven't done any of these ports & I'm really hoping we he a chance to someday.

 

Some of them you will really love. After being on the ship for two weeks, they all started to look a lot alike though…lol. I kept forgetting what I did at each port stop. Thank goodness I took some notes and some pictures to help me remember what I did.

[TnomadX]

Before I get into the disembarkation process and the reflections, I want to cover a few things I forgot to mention. We had an EXCELLENT room steward. He introduced himself to us just as soon as he saw us, and was very attentive. We were on deck two, and I got a chance to meet other room stewards on the same floor. They were all very friendly and spoke to me each day.

 

On day seven, we got our information regarding our second week cruise. There were approximately 150 people that were consecutive cruisers. We were asked to pack our bags and leave them in the room. My travel agent did not keep us in the same room, so we had to change rooms for the second sailing. The room stewards transport your bags to your new room for you. We also received our new Sea Pass Card for the second week the night before.

 

If you want to get off the ship early, Carry your own bags off the ship. Do not put them out in the hallway the night before. There is an opportunity for you to get off the ship earlier than most. Once they start calling the colored tag numbers, it's hard to get off at that point. I do recommend letting them get your bags though if you are not in a hurry. Take time to enjoy some of the last moments of the vacation if you can. Your sea pass card will still work until you are disembarked.

 

Now…because we were consecutive cruisers, we were asked to meet in the Coral Theatre on the 5th floor by 9am. I went and sat near guest services and got a chance to say one last goodbye to some of our new friends. We made our way to the Coral Theatre and waited for a little while before we were escorted down to customs to present our passport. The wait was a little lengthy because there was a delay in getting passengers off the ship. Once finally able, we went through the customs process and came right back to the ship. When we made it back to the ship, we had to take our pictures again for the new sea pass cards, and then we were allowed to board.

 

When you get ready to disembark, be sure to complete the customs form you're given on board. Do not print any forms from online or bring your own form. You may have difficulty getting through customs. I'll talk about that later in this review. Be sure to enjoy a last breakfast before you disembark. You're technically still on vacation until you are off the ship.

 

There is one thing I really, really want people to understand. One of the reasons this was a great cruise for me was because of the people who sailed it with me. I met some really great people, and made some lifetime friends. No matter how much you paid for your trip (whether it was $300 per person or $5,000 per person, don't go on any cruise expecting the worst. Expect to have a good time. Review the cruise compasses (or whatever the cruise line you're on calls it) and plan out what you'd like to do for the day. Don't allow anything to completely ruin your vacation….especially since it's paid for. If you receive bad service, there is a way to handle that. Please try to have a good time no matter what. You'll understand why I'm saying that now when I start the review of the second cruise.

 

Thank you to all the people who made this first week what it was. This is definitely a vacation I will always remember. Now on to the next week. don't give up on me yet.

[TnomadX]

 

 

 

[jb008]

Can you tell me if the Jewel has the freestyle coke machines? We are leaving on the Jewel on Saturday Dec 28th.

 

yes - in windjammer towards the back. also DW said she saw one near the main pool area... but I can't confirm that as I don't remember seeing one there.