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

[surfnsun]

Sooooo....after the long travel day, a little walking around the fort area and our linner at St. Germain, it was time for a quick, recharging nap before the wine and cheese social. P.S. a nap to recharge would become a daily occurrence :o:)

 

Here is a picture of the balcony area where you can sit and relax with your complimentary wine and cheese. I don't know who those people are in the photo. They just asked me to take their picture and it's the only photo I have that gives you a sense of the balcony area. :o Church is in the background but hard to see as the lighting is bad. Oh well...you catch my drift, right?

 

 

And this woman just wouldn't stop asking me to take her picture. This is a view from the balcony railing looking over the church. Another angle in a minute...

 

 

And this guy was gesturing me to come up to the rooftop terrace for a couple of views looking the opposite direction from the church. If you look at the bottom right of this photo, you can barely see the inside of the hotel where you will find the area with the wine and cheese and inside seating. I will warn some here that few areas of the hotel are actually air conditioned besides your room so it can get warm (or maybe just so after an hour of wine). lol

 

[surfnsun]

A couple of photos from the rooftop terrace looking the opposite direction from the church. Thank goodness those people that kept asking me to take their photo are not in the pictures and I managed to lose the guy following me around. :D

 

 

[surfnsun]

Thank you for the review ... I'll be following along. I did the Southern route on the Serenade some years ago and we are considering it for 2016 (waiting for summer itineraries to post).

 

Isn't San Juan awesome! We went a bit more budget on our stay and were at the Plaza D'Armas a couple blocks from your hotel. It's an amazing experience to stay right in the heart of OSJ.

 

Yes, San Juan is awesome!!! We walked by Plaza D'Armas a few times during our three day visit in OSJ. Nice hotel and location! We ate at a restaurant near there that you might recognize. More to follow on that.

[surfnsun]

Our daily routine was to enjoy some time on the balcony and terrace for the social and then go for a stroll around OSJ at night. Every evening on his way out of the hotel, DH would do his customary ring (one dong) of the original bell located in the vicinity of the lobby (nope...I can't take him anywhere). :D

 

 

And here is a photo looking from where the bell is located out through the lobby and onto the street. I lapsed behind a little so as not to associate too much with the guy who liked to ring the bell while others enjoyed a quiet dinner in the courtyard. :o:)

 

 

Enough of El Convento. Quick intermission while I unpack a little. I'll wrap up the first pre-cruise day in a few and continue....

[fish6]

Wow! Great start...I love your sarcasm and photos....can't wait for the next instalment :)

[surfnsun]

Wow! Great start...I love your sarcasm and photos....can't wait for the next instalment :)

 

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it! :)

[surfnsun]

So after the wine and cheese social and a little bell ringing, we were in a...let's just say....very festive mood and decided to take a trip back to the St. Germain restaurant that has two levels above it, one being a rooftop terrace. By this time, I was desperate for someplace with a nice, stiff breeze and that place seemed perfect. It did not disappoint. Here is a picture of the three levels with St. Germain on the bottom floor, the Mezzanine in between (lovely, nicely decorated cocktail bar with tapas) and alfresco on the 3rd floor.

 

Here are two photos to help set the scene of the levels:

 

 

St. Germain on the bottom, Mezzanine on 2nd floor and alfresco on top (see the string of lights):

 

 

And I found that woman again on the rooftop terrace and she appears to be chatting with people from our roll call:

 

 

And we'd already done the cheese with our wine so we chose a meat platter for this round:

 

 

Next up...DH decides to say hello to the Governor's secret service guys....you are not surprised about that, are you??? lol :)

[purplethorn]

I am also enjoying - thanks.. love reading about southern Caribbean .. i would love to do this itinerary but I think DD is a bit too young for it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[surfnsun]

I am also enjoying - thanks.. love reading about southern Caribbean .. i would love to do this itinerary but I think DD is a bit too young for it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you! Ahhhh...but they do grow so fast, she will be of age before you know it! :)

[LBumb]

nice pics

[surfnsun]

...but so much to share!! Thanks for your patience. Anyway...

 

So I took this photo the night before and really liked this area although didn't really pay much attention to the surroundings. It's just down the hill to the right as you exit El Convento and right before you go through the archway to enter the walkway along the sea.

 

 

Fast forward to the second evening, DH and I went back to the same area and we saw some very serious guys with earpieces and DH proceeded to walk up to them and have a chat. :eek: Thankfully, they decided to not string him up on a bell (lol) and admitted they were security for the governor. If you look to the left, you can see some nice, shiny black vehicles normally reserved for people like governors and you can see the guys in black suits sitting up against the wall near the doors.

 

 

Any reservations I had about strolling the walkway area at night quickly disappeared and as I looked closer, I noticed cameras and multiple police officers visable and in the shadows along the walkway.

 

A few more pictures of the walkway scenery. Enjoy!:

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2014 by surfnsun

[surfnsun]

nice pics

 

Thank you! Your comment means a lot because I know little to nothing about how to take nice pictures. :) I just kept switching the mode on the camera to what seemed right and snapped them. :rolleyes:

[surfnsun]

to run errands. Back in a couple hours and should be able to get several more posts done this afternoon and this evening.

 

That wraps up day one pre-cruise. Day two was 4 miles walking around OSJ with the highlight El Morro fort and surrounding cemetery. Day three was the rainforest. More to follow soon.

[mychild]

I am so excited to read your review!! We are going on the Jewel next March. We are also going down a few days prior to tour San Juan. This is our first trip here. So we are looking for a great Hotel!!

[bup1224]

Following - can't wait to read about your port visits and excursions!

[volunteer cruiser]

Going back to San Juan next April prior to Panama Canal transit, already booked El Convento again for pre cruise. Thanks for recommendation for St. Germain Rooftop Terrace for a nice evening. Husband and I love Old San Juan so much, that I switched Panamal Canal transit for next spring from Legend out of San Diego to Jewel out of San Juan, when I saw that itinerary come available. Thanks again for the lovely review.

[surfnsun]

I am so excited to read your review!! We are going on the Jewel next March. We are also going down a few days prior to tour San Juan. This is our first trip here. So we are looking for a great Hotel!!

 

Yes, you should be excited! This was a great trip for us! Lots of great hotel options in San Juan...just depends on your personal preference related to what type of experience you want.

 

Following - can't wait to read about your port visits and excursions!

 

And I can't wait to tell you about them! :D

[surfnsun]

Going back to San Juan next April prior to Panama Canal transit, already booked El Convento again for pre cruise. Thanks for recommendation for St. Germain Rooftop Terrace for a nice evening. Husband and I love Old San Juan so much, that I switched Panamal Canal transit for next spring from Legend out of San Diego to Jewel out of San Juan, when I saw that itinerary come available. Thanks again for the lovely review.

 

You are very welcome and I hope to give you a few other recommendations you may enjoy. More to follow soon!

[surfnsun]

Regardless of our busy day before, I was up with the sun and a fairly early start with our first stop one of my favorites which is El Morro fort and especially the cemetery near the fort. I know that sounds odd, but you'll understand when you see the photos. Some of you may already know what I'm talking about. It was a bright, sunny day again and perfect for photos. El Morro had lots of school buses so it must have been a field trip day for some school children and they were all flying kites:

 

 

For those of you that need assistance, here is a photo of the tram that will take you up the long walkway to the fort and back.

 

[surfnsun]

The fee is $5.00 per person to enter the fort and well worth it not only to learn more about the fort, but the views are stunning with great opportunities for super photos:

 

 

 

 

 

[surfnsun]

 

 

 

[surfnsun]

We left the fort and took a walk down the coastline to the cemetery. Some may differ, but I think this place is absolutely gorgeous and fascinating. We found some fairly recent burials and some that dated back hundreds of years. Here are a few shots of the cemetery before we entered, another of the gate with the name of the cemetery, and a few inside the cemetery:

 

 

 

 

 

[surfnsun]

A few more shots of inside the cemetery. It looks deserted but there were others in the cemetery with us (besides those that are obvious). :)

 

 

 

 

Yes, this one was corroded to the point it was open. Actually, many were like this but were covered by plywood. I debated taking this photo and also posting it, then I thought whoever it is may like being a cruise critic celebrity. :) Those are bones you see on the ledge.

 

[surfnsun]

We left the El Morro fort area and walked several blocks down toward the ship pier area. I know....some of you may just want to see ship photos. So, here is one of the Independence of the Seas docked at the pier (not the same pier where Jewel typically docks):

 

[surfnsun]

By this time we were pretty hungry and found a place where the locals eat with authentic PR cuisine. Nothing fancy, just good food and another nice, little quaint restaurant on a pretty street down near the port. Highly recommend Fedo's for lunch. Prices are reasonable too.

 

Next, we went to all three plazas which are widely spread apart but pretty much located up and down the same street.

 

Of course, we had to stop at Barrachina Restaurant for a pina colada. YUM!

 

And...we stopped at all the shops to browse and take in some air conditioning. :eek::)

 

After several hours, we returned to the hotel for our power nap before the wine and cheese social, which we attended all three nights.

 

We decided to have tapas at the restaurant on the El Convento. Pretty expensive but very tasty.

 

We took a quick stroll down the waterway again and ended pre-cruise day two slightly earlier than the evening before at 1030pm.

 

On to pre-cruise day three..