Picking a ship - Jewel, Navigator, Freedom, or Oasis

[awestover89]

My husband and I are looking for a cruise this year, either May or August, and while we haven't definitively decided on RCCL, we are heavily leaning that way. I am trying to compare ships/ports/price to pick the best one.

 

About us: Both 25 year old men, no strong interest in night life, but some activities on board would be enjoyable. My husband is Puerto Rican, so going to San Juan is really interesting to me, and I like the idea of 5 ports of call, but with the Jewel being the oldest ship and with the fewest amenities, I'm a little concerned it won't be as enjoyable, especially not since this will be my first cruise and my husband's second.

 

There are a few different cruises we are eyeing:

 

Jewel of the Seas - The cheapest of the cruises we are looking at, and it also offers the most ports of call (5 different ports) It also leaves from San Juan, which is exotic by itself, so it is almost like 6 different ports. The downside is the Jewel of the Sea is the oldest of the RCL ships, and appears to have the least amount of on-board amenities.

 

San Juan -> St. Maarten -> St. Kitts or St. Croix -> Antigua -> St. Lucia -> Barbados

 

Navigator of the Seas - An older ship, but it is currently dry-docked and being upgraded.

 

Galveston -> Cozumel -> Georgetown -> Jamaica

 

Freedom of the Seas - A relatively newer ship, the cruise offers 4 ports, while most of the other itineraries only offer 3 ports of call. My husband went on the Freedom when it was new and really enjoyed it.

 

Port Canaveral -> Haiti -> Jamaica -> Grand Cayman -> Cozumel

 

Oasis/Allure of the Seas - The newest ships currently in the fleet, and we get a resident discount. The same itinerary as Freedom, but skipping one of the ports.

 

Fort Lauderdale -> Haiti -> Jamaica -> Cozumel

[markeb]

Are you looking for the "best" ship, or the "best" itinerary? Apparently the port of embarkation isn't real important to you? There is a cost to getting to San Juan, but you don't say where you're traveling from.

 

For a ship intensive itinerary, it's hard to beat Oasis.

 

For a port intensive itinerary, Jewel looks very nice.

 

Between the other two, I'd pick Freedom, as I think it's a slightly more interesting itinerary with the stop at Labadee, and the Freedom class offers a lot, especially for young adults.

 

And, I really like Grand Cayman, and all things considered, it would be my favorite stop between Oasis and Freedom. I'd probably pick Freedom for the best balance of ship and itinerary...

 

But, the Jewell itinerary is definitely intriguing...

 

My thoughts...

[awestover89]

Are you looking for the "best" ship, or the "best" itinerary? Apparently the port of embarkation isn't real important to you? There is a cost to getting to San Juan, but you don't say where you're traveling from.

 

For a ship intensive itinerary, it's hard to beat Oasis.

 

For a port intensive itinerary, Jewel looks very nice.

 

Between the other two, I'd pick Freedom, as I think it's a slightly more interesting itinerary with the stop at Labadee, and the Freedom class offers a lot, especially for young adults.

 

And, I really like Grand Cayman, and all things considered, it would be my favorite stop between Oasis and Freedom. I'd probably pick Freedom for the best balance of ship and itinerary...

 

But, the Jewell itinerary is definitely intriguing...

 

My thoughts...

 

We are travelling from Chicago, and port of embarkation is no concern at all. Flights from Chicago to San Juan is actually not that bad at all, right around $300 per person. The Jewel cruise is about $200 cheaper per person than the other 3, so cost of getting to departing port is negligible.

[markeb]

We are travelling from Chicago, and port of embarkation is no concern at all. Flights from Chicago to San Juan is actually not that bad at all, right around $300 per person. The Jewel cruise is about $200 cheaper per person than the other 3, so cost of getting to departing port is negligible.

 

OK. Yes, Jewell has fewer amenities, but that's less relevant on a port intensive itinerary. We cruised Jewell on a port intensive itinerary in Scandanavia about 18 months ago and absolutely loved her. No, there is no Royal Promenade. There's no flowrider. But she is an amazing ship, and I like San Juan, love St Maarten, but have not been to the other destinations. If you like that itinerary, you're not counting on the ship "entertaining you", so do it!

[kruzerci]

Having been on all those ships, Freedom and Oasis are our favorites. For a first Royal Caribbean cruise, Oasis may be a little bit overwhelming.

 

We also loved Navigator. Jewel is our least favorite ship. It's not made for Caribbean cruises. Pool deck is way too small for Caribbean sailings.

 

Navigator, Freedom, and Oasis were literally built for the Caribbean.

[rxziebel]

Just off of Jewel and would have a hard time recommending. 16th cruise with RCCL and this was the first one where my faith in RCCL was shaken. Not going to create a list, but one glaring problem that I think all will agree on is the fact the sheets were not changed daily in the room. The stain on the sheet remained all week. It was a rust stain, not another type. Or at least that was what I kept telling myself. :)

 

So many little things were wrong during the week, I would say to consider avoiding Jewel for the time being. I have faith that a string of negative reviews on the survey will cause a correction soon.

[grammy c]

An older perspective here. Spent the month of nov. Relaxing on the Jewel, and also enjoying those great ports, I feel if I were two young people I would be disappointed in the night life aboard. After this cruise we booked the Oasis, just because the latter seemed too bland and we wanted to get the big ship fix. It all boils down to what you,re looking for. But! The Jewel is a great ship! Ditto on all the freedom class ships. Whatever you choose, enjoy!

[papaflamingo]

Wow... tough question. I love all ships. But if you don't care much about "night life," and you have never been to the Caribbean, I'd look at Jewel for the itinerary. But reading the negative comments, not too sure. They are all great ships. Oasis is really a "ship is the destination" ship. Lots of things to do, etc. My next best would be Freedom. A great ship (been on her 3 times), and the itinerary seems the best.

I think you'll like any of the options. Just research what to expect, and set realistic expectations and I think you'll have a great time.

[Erik101]

My partner and I have been on the Allure and I would suggest Oasis to you and your husband. Here are my reasons and these are based on the info you provided in your original post:

 

1. Tons of activities onboard and it took us 1.5 days to tour the entire ship.

2. Our main focus was the ship and it appears your's is too. The Southern Caribbean route is port intensive and we weren't interested in this when we chose the Allure. We love our sea days!

3. Awesome dining experience. We had a very romantic dinner at 150 Central Park.

4. The ship is unlike anything you've ever experienced. Some people just don't like the huge floating city experience but I love both the small and huge ship feeling. It ensures that every cruise I take is different.

 

Whichever cruise you take, you're going to have fun!

Edited January 26, 2014 by Erik101

[dacsmom]

Since your husband has already been on the Freedom, would he want to do it again? I was on the Freedom Eastern itinerary in Feb. and loved it. St. Marten and St. Thomas were amazing and CoCo Cay is my all time favorite port. I do prefer the Eastern itinerary over the Western, but I am booked on the Allure in October going the Western route.

I want to sail on the Jewel also but the recent negative reviews have made me leery, I would wait a bit. Older is not always a negative, but those reviews make me nervous. For your first cruise I would skip that ship. My all time favorite ship was the Monarch, the smallest, oldest ship in the fleet. She was wonderful.

My next choice after Freedom would be the Oasis/Allure. You can do as much or as little as you want on the ship. They are very similar, just different headlining shows and some other minor differences.

You seem to be leaning toward the Western route, I love Cozumel and Port Canaveral is my favorite port to sail out of so if I had to pick one ship on your list it would be the Freedom.

[awestover89]

My partner and I have been on the Allure and I would suggest Oasis to you and your husband. Here are my reasons and these are based on the info you provided in your original post:

 

1. Tons of activities onboard. It took us 1.5 days to tour the entire ship.

2. Our main focus was the ship and it appears your's is too. The Southern Caribbean route is port intensive and we weren't interested in this when we chose the Allure. We love our sea days!

3. Awesome dining experience. We had a very romantic dinner at 150 Central Park.

4. The ship is unlike anything you've ever experience. Some people just don't like the huge floating city experience but I love both the small and huge ship feeling. It ensures that every cruise I take is different.

 

Whichever cruise you take, you're going to have fun!

 

I would personally want a good balance, which right now it sounds like the Freedom. If there was a cruise with a ton of ports and an awesome ship I would jump in a heartbeat; I am really looking forward to the excursions and seeing new places, but also want to enjoy my time on the ship. The cruises with only 3 ports (Allure, Oasis, and Navigator) concern me because they all have periods where we are spending close to 48 hours cruising.

 

Since your husband has already been on the Freedom, would he want to do it again? I was on the Freedom Eastern itinerary in Feb. and loved it. St. Marten and St. Thomas were amazing and CoCo Cay is my all time favorite port. I do prefer the Eastern itinerary over the Western, but I am booked on the Allure in October going the Western route.

I want to sail on the Jewel also but the recent negative reviews have made me leery, I would wait a bit. Older is not always a negative, but those reviews make me nervous. For your first cruise I would skip that ship. My all time favorite ship was the Monarch, the smallest, oldest ship in the fleet. She was wonderful.

My next choice after Freedom would be the Oasis/Allure. You can do as much or as little as you want on the ship. They are very similar, just different headlining shows and some other minor differences.

You seem to be leaning toward the Western route, I love Cozumel and Port Canaveral is my favorite port to sail out of so if I had to pick one ship on your list it would be the Freedom.

 

That is my concern as well, but he says he would have no objections to doing the same itinerary again, he went 3 years ago with his younger brother, so as he puts it going with his husband would be a different type of cruise than going with his brother, even if the ship/ports are the same.

[dacsmom]

Just to throw another idea into the mix, have you looked at the Independence 8 day? It is a Freedom class ship and stops at San Juan. I know she spends part of the year in Europe but I believe she is on this side of the ocean until the end of April. I do not know if that works into your timetable.

[lady_cruiser]

Since you want us to choose from the list you gave I'll vote for the Navigator. We were on here for a B2B in 2012 and have another B2B planned on her for November of this year.

[39august]

Navigator will the the "newest" ship on your list as of Feb.4 when her refit is complete. She will have a flowrider, like Freedom and Oasis, and a new to the fleet upscale Mexican restaurant. All her cabins and inside spaces have been redone, new lighting has been installed in the promenade, wifi will be pervasive, and she has the first ever in the RCI fleet "virtual" balcony canbins. I will be on her several times this year. However, I would take the Jewel of these 4 cruises. The ports are great, so you'll be busy nearly every day. We sailed Jewel a year ago and the food and service were great. She has the outside dining area in the buffet, which none of the others in your list have. Also she has the last Seaview Cafe in the fleet, a no fee optional dining area. BTW, sheets are not changed daily on any ship I have sailed in the past few years. So that's not a valid negative for Jewel.If the person who mentioned this had asked, the steward would have changed his sheets.

[lakelorain]

Each ship has a personality. We prefer the Jewel over all others. Smaller, more intimate and views of the ocean everywhere. We have made many new friends on the smaller ships because you see the same people over and over. We recently did a b2b out of San Juan on the Jewel. Everything was outstanding. While there is no Flow rider or Ice Rink etc. we find it more friendly and relaxing.

If it's action you want, go with the larger ships. A good TA will be help you pick the ship that best suits your personalities.

[awestover89]

Just to throw another idea into the mix, have you looked at the Independence 8 day? It is a Freedom class ship and stops at San Juan. I know she spends part of the year in Europe but I believe she is on this side of the ocean until the end of April. I do not know if that works into your timetable.

 

I added the 8 day Independence to our list, April could be hit or miss because of my husband's work rules; vacation only allowed April 15 - October 15, and he can't even put in a request for days off until March. With a 75 day cancellation policy, we were concerned that his request for time off would be denied, but he informally talked with his co-workers and right now nobody has plans to take off late April or early May, so that could be an ideal time frame after all.

 

So far it sounds as if any choice would be a good choice. I'll have to look up all the possible excursions and see what each itinerary offers us.

 

I know the Jewel doesn't have the flowrider or ice rink, what all does it have though for on board activities?

[awestover89]

After quite a bit of back and forth I think we finally narrowed it down to 3 cruises:

 

4/19 Jewel - San Juan -> Tortola -> St. Maarten -> St. Kitts -> Dominica -> Barbados

 

4/26 8 Nt Independence - Fort Lauderdale -> St. Maarten -> St. Kitts -> San Juan -> Haiti

 

5/3 Jewel - San Juan -> St. Maarten -> St. Kitts -> Antigua -> St. Lucia -> Barbados

 

It doesn't seem like Tortola offers much for excursions, at least compared to some of the other stops, so I'm almost leaning between the other two. I am also a little nervous about Dominica, given their laws regarding homosexuality. I know the two gay men who were arrested there a couple years ago were being completely inappropriate, but it is still a scary thought.

 

We ruled out the Freedom since my husband was on that exact itinerary a few years ago, and the Navigator, Oasis, and Allure were a similar itinerary, just with one fewer port.

[Cruiser-T]

Jewel is an amazing ship and the islands in the Souther Caribbean are our favorites, we leave on a b2b early March. We have been on all four of the class of ships you mention and the Allure/ Oasis is our least favorite, I really like the Freedom class ships but you give up the best ports (southern Caribbean) another option is the Adventure out of SJU, which is a great place to depart from.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Cruiser-T

[Zou Bisou Bisou]

Just off of Jewel and would have a hard time recommending. 16th cruise with RCCL and this was the first one where my faith in RCCL was shaken. Not going to create a list, but one glaring problem that I think all will agree on is the fact the sheets were not changed daily in the room. The stain on the sheet remained all week. It was a rust stain, not another type. Or at least that was what I kept telling myself. :)

 

So many little things were wrong during the week, I would say to consider avoiding Jewel for the time being. I have faith that a string of negative reviews on the survey will cause a correction soon.

 

Did you ask your Cabin Attendant to change your sheets? If you REALLY need your sheets changed, take them off the bed in the morning and leave them on the floor, they will be changed. But if you just ask, they will be changed as well.

 

A rust stain is a stain, doesn't mean they aren't clean. Do you change your sheets every day at home? I sure don't. Most hotels don't either. Why would a cruise line? Haven't you heard of Save the Waves?

 

Oh and of the twenty-something cruises I have been on Royal Caribbean, Jewel is one of my favorites. Sailed her twice. Sailed her just last year out of San Juan. Have her booked one more time before her eventual refit. And the San Juan itineraries are great. I would recommend the Jewel.

[UNV-IT!!!]

Jewel is my favorite ships.

[awestover89]

I'd just like to thank everybody here for their help. This morning we decided on the 5/3 Jewel of the Seas going from Puerto Rico to St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados. I'll be booking a cabin here shortly, and then heading over to the roll call and meet and mingle. Then onto researching airfare to San Juan, as well as maybe a hotel. Thinking of getting in the day before the cruise and doing some sightseeing on our own.

 

We looked at the ports and the excursions offered, and St. Lucia really stood out compared to Tortola. The cruise was cheaper than the Indy 8 day, and offered two additional ports, and we figured that with a port intensive itinerary we wouldn't notice some of the missing features of the ship.

[Karma5]

Jewel is a great ship, I'm sailing in April again……..it's great !

[BettyPC]

We are going on the Jewel soon!!! We have been on IOS also and loved it. You and your husband - with a good attitude will enjoy your cruise!! Take a look at the RCI "ship" plans - it will really give you a good idea of the differences between them.

 

Have a fabulous trip!

[A2Mich]

I'd just like to thank everybody here for their help. This morning we decided on the 5/3 Jewel of the Seas going from Puerto Rico to St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados. I'll be booking a cabin here shortly, and then heading over to the roll call and meet and mingle. Then onto researching airfare to San Juan, as well as maybe a hotel. Thinking of getting in the day before the cruise and doing some sightseeing on our own.

 

We looked at the ports and the excursions offered, and St. Lucia really stood out compared to Tortola. The cruise was cheaper than the Indy 8 day, and offered two additional ports, and we figured that with a port intensive itinerary we wouldn't notice some of the missing features of the ship.

 

 

I liked St Lucia--very picturesque. Antigua is also beautiful and excellent beaches, along with the view of Montserrat are incredible. I really fell in love with Barbados, though. I'm not sure why, as parts are very commercialized, but is on my list of places to go back to as Bathsheba is beautiful. I thought St Maarten was just OK, and my other favorite is St Thomas. Not a huge fan of Puerto Rico, personally, but understand your reason for wanting to go there. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[Desert Cruizers]

When deciding on a cruise, I compare Ports, length of time at each Port, # of Ports. I also look to see if there are a couple sea days tossed in to give us a relaxing day from all the Ports. From the choices you put up, if I were booking for us I would go with the Jewel or Freedom. However you need to look at what your personal interests are, compare the prices and make your decision. Radiance Class ships are beautiful but then I feel RCCL has the most attractive ships in all their Classes. We haven't sailed the Oasis yet so can't tell you about the ship.