Jewel of the Seas Review 3-10 May So. Caribbean

[clochette]

what a great review thank you. I look forward to reading more

[surfnsun]

I'm loving your review so far! We'll be on the Jewel in January. It's great seeing all of the pictures of the ship. I think we're staying a directly under your cabin.

 

Thank you! I took a pic on our balcony looking down so I'm sure I have a photo of ur balconyrailing. :D. I promise to post it later.:D

[surfnsun]

Hey surfnsun! We are counting down to our Jewel cruise out of Puerto Rico on the 24th. Very excited! I was hoping you could answer a quick question. When you get off the plane, is is pretty easy to find the transport to the dock? We paid for it but there are no instructions on where to go, what to look for. I told my husband, either it's going to be a no brainer, or a fiasco! Thanks so much and I am going to look for your review!

 

Hey hey lets go! I cant say for sure as I have never used the service. However I feel confident its a no brainer as there are signs everywhere pointing to ground transportation and once there numerous airport personnel ask you about your needs. Also folks holding up signs with peoples names for reserved type service. Its a 20 min ride.

[surfnsun]

Great review - will be doing the same trip next spring (grenada swapped for barbados). I appreciate the pics and descriptions. You rock.

 

Thank u for ur comments from a veteran cruiser!:)

[surfnsun]

I will be sailing on the Jewel this August and book my flight months ago and based on this picture I just went in and changed my seat number so that I am on that side of the aircraft. :D

 

Super!

[surfnsun]

Love your sense of humor too ... made my day at work :D .. more please

 

:):)

 

what a great review thank you. I look forward to reading more

 

I can't wait to continue in about an hour from now when I am home and not doing one finger typing on this tiny cell phone.

[surfnsun]

Can't wait to read all of your review. We will be on the Jewel April 25. 2015. Its our first time to San Juan. We appreciate all of your tips and impressions.

 

And I appreciate ur comments. :):)

[Spurschick]

Loving the review:D

Got jewel booked for this itinerary in November and for Alaska next year!!!!!!!

Can't wait (even if lucky enough to have the NOS first;))

[DShock]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more photos! We are on the Jewel for 14 days in August...can't wait. The Radiance class ships are beautiful.

 

One question, which dining room did you prefer?

[surfnsun]

Loving the review:D

Got jewel booked for this itinerary in November and for Alaska next year!!!!!!!

Can't wait (even if lucky enough to have the NOS first;))

 

Thank you! That's quite a compliment from someone who lives on cruise ships! ;):)

[mychild]

Enjoying every word of your review!! Living the sense of humor.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[surfnsun]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more photos! We are on the Jewel for 14 days in August...can't wait. The Radiance class ships are beautiful.

 

One question, which dining room did you prefer?

 

Loved, loved Tides. Quick but not rushed, efficient service with friendly, professional, happy waitstaff. We also ate at Chops and Portofino. More on those later in the review.

[surfnsun]

Enjoying every word of your review!! Living the sense of humor.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

Cool! Stand by for more right about now! :D

[surfnsun]

I am so sorry I couldn't post more this morning before heading off to work but it took extra time for me to go into the basement and find my post-cruise attire. For a seven day cruise, I normally go for the two person tent. But with the additional 3 days in San Juan, I had to find the four person tent. I only have it in Navy, but my lime and bright blue scarf made for a great accessory and goes well with Navy. Also hides the red in my otherwise blue eyes and highlights the tan on my hands and face, which is the only flesh I intend to show for at least the next 30 days. :p:D

[surfnsun]

Can't remember where I left off but I think it was the muster drill and some comments about dinner in the MDR Tides, which was lovely.

 

So after that we headed to the casino and won some money on the roulette table (not much though and we ended up giving it back to the casino throughout the week). We strolled around the shops and various places in the ship. Everyone was so happy and excited and that makes for an even better cruise, in my opinion.

 

My customary last stop was usually the Champagne Bar to sit in one of the corner tables and write in my journal about the day so I could remember things to write in this review. Most of what I wrote I can actually read. :D

 

The seas were a little rough that evening and through the night. That doesn't bother us much, but I think some were having a rough (pun intended) time. Bonine works, folks. Don't be afraid to take it.

 

We returned to our stateroom pretty late...probably somewhere between 10 and 11pm and we were absolutely horrified when we opened the cabin door to find the balcony sliding door sliding back and forth with the seas and banging against the door jams. Geeshh...what a way to meet the neighbors. :eek: Must have been driving them crazy for hours. So, lesson learned, don't forget to turn the balcony handle all the up to it's locking position. :o

Edited May 12, 2014 by surfnsun

[Kevin's girl]

I'll just start this by quoting the saying "to each his own". Personally, we love El Convento for the location and the experience of a small, luxury hotel. It is right in the heart of Old San Juan and we like that experience and "culture". The rooms are luxurious and you feel pampered just being in the room. They have a wine and cheese social that is no additional cost to participate every evening for one hour starting at 1800. The rooftop pool is super small (maybe 10x12) and there is one Jacuzzi. So, don't go here for the pool and beach experience. Although, they do have an agreement with two properties (LaConcha and Courtyard) to use those facilities via shuttle. We had so much fun touring Old San Juan we didn't even use the beach option and we had PLENTY of pool and beach once cruising.

 

We absolutely love El Convento. It's one of our favorite places to stay. Thanks for posting the pics.

[surfnsun]

So...I really love this picture as it sums up one of the top reasons we love to cruise. Please let's all pause for a moment of silence:

 

 

The ship was still rocking the next morning and the balcony door doesn't lock from the outside and it kept sliding back and forth, so this was DH's remedy. He a regular Tim Allen, Home Improvement, type of guy. Yes, that is a coat hangar and no other hardware was harmed with this stunt:

 

 

As you can tell, the weather was spectacular that morning and it pretty much stayed that way the entire cruise. Another moment of silence, please:

 

[surfnsun]

We absolutely love El Convento. It's one of our favorite places to stay. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

You bet, Terry! My pleasure!

[surfnsun]

This is the view from our balcony looking straight down (posting this for the member who has the stateroom below us). The windows far below is the Safari Club. The second picture is looking straight up from our balcony. One more stateroom deck above us and then the outdoor seating at Windjammer:

 

 

[surfnsun]

We've been to St. Maarten several times but never booked an island tour. So after much research, I chose Bernard Tours and very happy I did. I was afraid it would be too "sedate" and a little boring, but it was really a lot of fun. We had a really great group of about 10 folks and one couple and their two daughters we would strike a friendship that I'm sure will be long lasting well after this cruise.

 

Our tour guides name was John and he was informative and very funny from the very beginning. The van was very comfortable and air conditioned and John wore a headset with speaker so he was well heard throughout the van.

 

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[surfnsun]

We were ported with the Norwegian Dawn that day and this would be the only port with another cruise ship. All other ports we were the only ship in port. It was great and meant the beaches and tours weren't overly crowded:

 

 

After seeing a lot of beautiful scenery as we were driving, we came to our first stop which was to get up close and personal with sea urchins. I climbed to the top of a platform to take this picture of the group below:

 

 

Here you can see John coming out of the ocean with a sea urchin in each hand:

 

 

About that time, John yelled for me to join the group so he could explain to me that if you cut one of the sea urchin and eat from it, the contents have a similar effect as v-I-a-g-a-r-a. Here you can see DH explaining to Bob and his family that he intends to take home several:

 

[surfnsun]

Orient beach is a beautiful beach with a lot of water sports. Most of you probably already know it is a clothing optional beach, with some parts of the beach more (or less) clothing that others. John took us first to the completely nude part of the beach. Now, I've read a lot about taking pictures on this beach and how you will get your camera taken or something along those lines. That day must have been an exception. I admit it felt a little odd getting out of the van and just standing there and looking around. Most of us stared out into the sea and pointed out to the sea as if we were admiring the ocean. yea...right. :D It wasn't long before this one guy started walking toward us and all he had on was his sunglasses and I also think he had a vast supply of Nair at home. He started gesturing from a distance as if inviting us to take a picture. So, I took a picture. :rolleyes: No, I'm not that crazy to actually post it. We all joked that he must be collecting donations for his dinner bill that evening.

[kruise runner]

surfnsun

Thank you for your review we loved it . You had great shots ,and it was well written and interesting. We are cruising on the Jewel in Nov . But not the same islands, as you had on your cruise. After reading your review . The time is not going fast enough. Certainly glad you posted this review. Happy cruising. Just waiting for your next one.

 

187 days cruise time.

kruise kat :) kruise runner :cool:

[dancer19]

We've been to St. Maarten several times but never booked an island tour. So after much research, I chose Bernard Tours and very happy I did. I was afraid it would be too "sedate" and a little boring, but it was really a lot of fun. We had a really great group of about 10 folks and one couple and their two daughters we would strike a friendship that I'm sure will be long lasting well after this cruise.

 

Our tour guides name was John and he was informative and very funny from the very beginning. The van was very comfortable and air conditioned and John wore a headset with speaker so he was well heard throughout the van.

 

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And bartender Bob kept the "Run Runch" flowing :D LOL

[surfnsun]

Then John took us further down to the beach where some folks had (slightly) more clothing on. :) We stayed here about 60-90 minutes. Great, relaxing time on the beach. We selected chairs right next to Bob and his family and had nice chats. You can rent two chairs with umbrella on the back row of the chair rows for $10.00 and includes two free rum punches. The front row chairs are $20.00. The pic below gives you an idea. DH, of course, chose to get nude here. We were all relaxing in our chairs and DH is out in the ocean with water up to his chest and all we hear is "Hey, Bob!" and we look and he's waving his swim trunks like a lasso above his head. That might have been the moment when our friendship with Bob and his family solidified. LOL :D (you out there dancer19?)

 

 

Random beach shots...sorry the first is so blurry: