Long review with lots of photos! Jewel Dec 6/14 and Adventure Dec 14/14!

[wrdtrvllr]

Have enjoyed reading your review and seeing your pictures so far. Thanks for your detailed comments. Looking forward to sailing on the Jewel in April. This will be our first cruise with RCCL.

[Lisa&Neb]

can't wait to see the review for the Adventure, hopefully it's just as good as the Jewel (not the review but the ship itself) or I'm going to be jealous that we chose her over the Jewel.

[donovan52]

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far!

 

WilsonFamilyNRH: I really wanted to try the drink package but I knew that the first week there was no way I could make it worth the money. Our second week was all about relaxing and we only did one excursion so it was much easier, but I definitely couldn't have done it while we were on the Jewel!

 

Day 3 (December 8, St. Kitts)

 

The plan today was to stay on the ship. This was our third visit to St. Kitts and by no means are we finished exploring, but with two port intensive cruises we had to make some tough decisions to make sure we didn’t end up a) broke! And b) exhausted. Next time I’d like to do an island tour. The last time we were here we spent the day at Palm Court Gardens (lovely for a relaxing day) and the time before that my boyfriend and I, along with my brother, hiked Mount Liamuiga. Let’s just say we are glad we did the hike but we don’t plan on doing it again!!

 

We went down to the main dining room for breakfast but eggs benedict wasn’t on the posted menu so we grabbed some food in the Windjammer and ate on our balcony. They had hashbrown casserole today which was very good. We later found out that my mother went to the main dining room and you could still get eggs benedict if you asked (but she did say they were cold).

 

We went up to the pool deck where we learned that the Quantum was going to be docking alongside us. All of the crew members seemed very excited: “The Quantum is coming! The Quantum is coming”. It was so cool to see it arriving, especially since the North Star was being used.

 

Some pics of our arrival and the Quantum:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone has a great view!

[donovan52]

 

Surprisingly, we didn’t see anyone with monkeys in the big square today (we had warned our family members in advance about them)

 

 

Crew members from the Jewel’s dining room were excited to see the Quantum:

 

This was as we are leaving:

 

We headed to the Solarium for a bit where I had a mimosa (they were $5 up on the pool bar from 9am-12am).

 

We ended up getting off in search of WiFi and a bit of shopping. I bought two sundresses for 10$ each at a store called Monkey Joe’s, and we bought a few beer (3/$5). We also found a really nice Carib tshirt ($20, but a good quality shirt) and beer cozy and the store has free Wifi for customers (it is the store with the Shark on the sign, I think it was called Grand. If you are in the big square with all of the shops you can’t miss it). The Wifi worked very well and allowed everyone to connect back home for a little while.

 

Back onboard for lunch, the Windjammer’s theme today was “Caribbean”. They had jerk chicken, plantains, festival, curry, pepperpot soup, oxtail stew, etc. It was very good. After a swim we headed back to the cabin where I had an amazing nap outside on our balcony. If we end up back on the Jewel (or another Radiance class ship, I’m assuming) I would definitely book one of these rooms with the large balcony.

 

We went to the Schooner bar again before dinner (it became our nightly routine very quickly). Dinner tonight was Italian themed – Caprese, arancini, shrimp cocktail, lasagna, grilled chicken, pork shoulder, garlic shrimp – everything good. The tiramisu for dessert was essentially the same as Portofino, but with a plainer presentation. We skipped the show again tonight to go for a swim before bed.

 

Caprese:

 

Tiramisu:

[donovan52]

Oh, on night 2 we found this little guy on our bed (but wait until you see the super cute towel animal we get on the Adventure!):

 

 

Day 4, St. Maarten

 

Sint Maarten is our favourite port. We’ve been here a number of times. We’ve done Bernard’s Tour (x2) and we’ve done our own thing. The last time we were here Ry and I took a taxi to Mullet Bay Beach (lovely) and from there we went to Marigot to check out Sarafina’s and do some shopping. This time our plan was similar, but with two in our group who haven’t been to St. Maarten we went to Maho Beach instead of Mullet so they can see the planes.

 

We got off the ship pretty much as soon as we were able to. One of my favourite things about cruising in December is seeing the decorations (there were lots of GREAT decorations in Old San Juan too!):

 

 

The taxi to Maho was $8pp (the taxi setup is quite efficient here, with posted rates and someone to organize the taxis. We weren’t planning to stay super long at Maho because we know it gets crowded and we had more to see, but we stayed until about 11:15/11:20 and were able to see a good number of small planes and two larger ones.

 

There was more beach than we experienced in past visits and the water was very good for swimming. There were some good size waves so it was smart to time your entry and exit into the water to make it easier! Once you were in though the waves weren’t a problem; just where they were breaking along the shore. I’ve never seen so many people in the water any other time we were there.

 

There is a busy bar at Maho beach where you can also order food if you are going around lunchtime. We stuck to beer!

 

Lots of umbrellas and chairs set up (but they fill up quickly!). We just sat on a towel – I prefer to spend my time in the water!

 

This one is a little fuzzy but it is looking towards the bar:

 

 

 

[donovan52]

 

 

 

 

We had a couple of Carib beer and then grabbed a taxi to go to Marigot once our bathing suits were dry. The taxi was $7pp. We looked around the market, bought some spices (“Magic spice” which we’ve bought before, and nutmeg – we were disappointed that we didn’t see vanilla beans this time). I also bought some rum punch which was delicious (I drank it onboard the ship…no one took it when we went back on. I wish I had bought more to take home!). Some of us went to Sarafina’s where we tried a coffee macaron, a raspberry macaron, quiche, a croissant, a ham and cheese sandwich, and a cake like thing that reminded us of strawberry shortcake. It was all very good. The macarons, quiche, sandwich, and a ginger ale came to $20.

 

The market in Marigot has a lot of "junk" stuff (that was probably made in China) but there are also some great local artists, the spice table, and the rum table of course:

 

 

The taxi back to Philipsburg was $7pp and Ryan and I were dropped off downtown to do a bit of shopping while everyone else went back to the ship. We stopped by the Belgian Chocolate Box and the liquor store in the water taxi building. I picked up a bottle of Captain Morgan Private Stock for $15 to bring home to my brother for Christmas. We also stopped by the Amsterdam Cheese shop (it’s halfway between downtown and the ship if you are walking). The service was excellent. Everyone inside was very friendly and informative. We picked up a small piece of their best gouda after trying a sample. It was delicious.

 

This is the street you want if you are looking for chocolate (Ryan’s favourite are the milk chocolate peanut butter. I love the coconut! But I’ve never had a bad one):

 

 

They have a location at the cruise pier as well but with a smaller selection.

 

[donovan52]

 

After walking back to the ship we definitely needed a swim before getting ready for supper!

 

I’m sure we went to the Schooner bar first for our drinks before dinner. Tonight I had tomato seafood risotto (it was ok, but reminded me of ketchup chips for some reason, which was weird), calamari (it was just ok, but served with an absolutely massive Caesar salad with very acidic dressing which wasn’t enjoyable at all). I actually ended up peeking in the Windjammer after supper since I hardly ate anything and they had fantastic chicken wings. This was the only night I wasn’t happy with the food in the dining room and it probably had more to do with my preferences than the food itself being poor quality.

 

We played a round of mini golf. I didn’t come in last, which is an improvement. There was a sewage smell at times while we were playing, which while unpleasant wasn’t bad enough for us to need to stop. The course wasn’t in the greatest shape – there were quite a few patched spots on the turf – but nothing that hindered our enjoyment (I probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been pointed out to me). The moon was incredible – so bright! I wish I had been able to get a better photo.

 

They keep the score cards, pencils, balls, and putters available all the time:

 

The moon (my photo doesn’t do it justice):

 

The Love and Marriage show was at 10:15 tonight (they had separate shows for English and Spanish). We were disappointed that the upstairs part of the theatre wasn’t open (this happened on the Adventure too, I assume so they don’t need to clean both areas after the shows). The show was very good and we heard a few questions that we hadn’t heard before. We usually try to go since we find it somewhat different every time!

[donovan52]

Day 5: Dominica:

 

Arriving in Dominica:

 

 

We had breakfast on our balcony again today. The Windjammer had thinly sliced fried potatoes and breakfast taquito type things today (which were actually quite good):

 

 

Beautiful:

 

 

 

Walk up between the RBC building and the museum to meet for Bumpiing tours (this is directly across from the pier):

 

 

Our tour today was with Bumpiing Tours and we selected “Pools, Falls, and More!” for $55pp. It was our first visit to Dominica. We had a fantastic day! Our guide was Rosalind and she was wonderful, as was our driver. The roads reminded us a little of St. Lucia – if you are prone to motion sickness it might be best to take something! Luckily, none of us need to worry about that.

 

We stopped along the way to hear about and take photos of various plants and areas of the island. We saw pineapples, papaya, calabash, poinsettia flowers, grapefruit, ginger flowers, cinnamon, lemongrass, starfruit, and nutmeg. Rosalind was very informative about the history of the island and everything found on it!

 

Pineapple:

[donovan52]

Papaya:

 

Grapefruit:

 

Poinsettias:

 

Cocoa:

 

Nutmeg:

 

Our first stop was the Emerald Pool. Entrance fees were included in the tour price. There were clean washrooms at the entrance. The walk to the falls was about 10 minutes long and although it was uneven in spots it wasn’t in any way strenuous and the trail was easy to follow. There was a lookout section and then you could head down all the way to the falls. I was the only one who got in! The water was great – cool but not cold by any means. I was glad I had flip flops I could wear in the water though because there were small rocks that were hard on the bottom of my feet! I changed back at the entrance into another bathing suit so I wouldn’t get the seats of the van wet. There were a few vendors set up in the parking lot. I bought a maraca and a pair of earrings, $5 each. The vendors were not pushy at all.

 

Entrance and washrooms:

[donovan52]

Part of the trail:

 

It was a beautiful walk:

 

There were a few people down taking photos but really not many in the water:

 

 

The view once you get in (it was quite shallow):

 

We all tried a Kubuli beer, which we enjoyed (the only island beer we haven’t really liked was Wadadli in Antigua).

 

[donovan52]

Our next stop was Mr. Nice’s fruit stand. He takes donations for the fruit samples he provides. He had some coconut candy to spoon onto the bananas (so good), roasted cocoa beans, cocoa bean pulp, grapefruit (delicious), coconut (old and young, and coconut water from the young coconut). Ryan and someone from a different tour van got to use a machine to make sugar cane juice. Mr. Nice was friendly and informative. We were very happy with this stop.

 

Fruit to sample:

 

Cocoa pod:

 

Mr. Nice telling us about the coconut:

 

The sugar cane juicer:

 

Our next stop was Trafalgar falls. The walk was very similar to the Emerald falls. There is a covered patio type area with great views of the falls, then there are steps down to some hot springs pools. Rosalind was very good to help my mother down into the warm pool. I’m not sure I’d want to go back again (something about hot springs in 30 degree weather seems wrong to me) but it was interesting to experience once.

 

Entrance and washrooms:

 

Some of the trail:

[donovan52]

Crab we saw while we were walking:

 

Some of the trail had steps (just to give you an idea of what the walking is like):

 

 

View of the falls:

 

 

 

Once back at the van we were offered another Kubuli and this time tried a local banana soda as well. It was interesting – it reminded me of the marshmallow banana candy you see in the summertime. They gave us a couple of extra bottles to take back to the ship and I actually brought a bottle back to my brother.

 

We drove through the botanical gardens and stopped at the Morne Bruce lookout before heading back. Overall we had a fantastic day and would definitely recommend Bumpiing Tours.

[donovan52]

The view from Morne Bruce of the cricket stadium (built for Dominica by the Chinese government):

 

 

The Jewel from Morne Bruce:

 

Once back on the ship, we had a short nap until around 4:00. The top tier event was at 4:45pm in the Vortex lounge (this was also formal night). It was a busy spot! I had a few yummy strawberry mimosas. They didn’t say much this time – mainly just introduced people (most of whom had already been introduced at the Captain’s welcome aboard party). This is probably a good thing for most people who want to socialize and drink but I actually like hearing what they have to say.

 

Supper tonight was shrimp cocktail, spinach dip, rack of lamb, and strawberry and kiwi pavolva. Everyone enjoyed. We had our usual swim after supper and relaxed.

 

I think these treats might have been from the first formal night:

[donovan52]

Day 6: Barbados:

 

After breakfast on our balcony, we joined a group from our roll call for Calabaza’s catamaran tour. It was $110 per person. It was an amazing day! We had 9 people on our catamaran, which was a 5 minute drive from the cruise pier (they picked us up). The catamaran itself was wonderful – clean, roomy, and lots of space for those seeking shade or sun. There were two bathrooms (male and female) and the toilet was much easier to figure out than I expected!

 

Coffee and tea were ready when we arrived. The turtle stop was only about 5 minutes away. Visibility wasn’t as good as it was the last time we were in Barbados because of recent weather, but once the turtles started swimming up to get their snacks they were easy to spot.

 

 

 

 

The shipwrecks were only a few minutes away from the turtles. There were lots of fish to see despite the visibility not being 100% (we were told it is normally much better). I don’t feel like that negatively impacted our day at all.

 

 

We went for a nice sail and enjoyed some rum punch (the best!) and beer. We stopped for lunch and a swim. I think normally you can swim to shore at the lunch spot but the waves were absolutely huge and there was no way it would be safe. It was fine for swimming where we were though and we had a great swim.

 

Fabulous rum punch:

 

Lunch was perfect – good even for picky eaters. The chicken, macaroni pie, marlin, salad, slaw, couscous, and garlic bread were all delicious. I can’t wait to try out the chicken recipe. The pepper sauce was good too! Earlier in the day we also had fish cakes, which made me think of fish timbits (timbits are donut holes from Tim Hortons - fish ones would be such a strange concept but they were really good!). After our swim we were offered some dessert, which was very good although totally unnecessary!

 

[donovan52]

We relaxed on the front of the catamaran for the sail back. We left around 9am and were back on the ship by 3:35pm (and we spent a little while looking around the shops in the port terminal building). I would definitely do this tour again when we go back to Barbados.

 

 

 

Back onboard, we relaxed and read for a while before getting ready for supper. We met in the Schooner bar where I was able to order a Caesar for one of my diamond drinks – not sure if that is something that is normally included or not. Supper tonight: Shrimp cocktail, mushroom in puff pastry, seafood salad, peach soup, fisherman’s platters (those who ordered this got 2 each), cheese tortelloni (just ok), prime rib, grand marnier soufflé, and baked Alaska.

 

We went to the impressionist show tonight at 9. It was good but not great. I think it would be better if he stuck to singing, instead of trying both singing and comedy.

[Wilson]

Thanks for the continued info and pics. How were the water temps in Barbados?

We have not picked even one excursion yet. Getting on the ship is all I am really worried about right now. LoL

[laseiber]

Great review, as DH, DD, DDBoyfriend and I will be boarding the Jewel next Saturday. Liked your info on booking speciality restaurant on first night, will do it on second night, and the cost of taxis to pier. I just hope we don't have another iceing event like we had this morning. Air which we booked thru cruise line last year was over 800 pp. More than the cruise pp. Coming from PA. DD flying in from Denver was so much cheaper, 450 pp. Wish we could have done b2b but our new jobs wouldn't allow more time off. Can't wait to hear more.

[donovan52]

Thanks for the continued info and pics. How were the water temps in Barbados?

We have not picked even one excursion yet. Getting on the ship is all I am really worried about right now. LoL

 

Water in Barbados was absolutely perfect! Didn't even take getting used to! While we do normally pick a few excursions before we go, most places you can take a taxi to wherever you'd like (we did that in Barbados our first trip; took a taxi to Payne's bay beach and went out to the turtles and shipwreck for $20pp, nothing booked in advance). We don't book through the cruiseline anymore for the Caribbean but that'll still be an option once you are onboard and don't need to worry anymore!

 

laseiber - Yes, air to PR is outrageous. Most of the flights we saw when we were rebooking were well over 1000pp. We paid over 800 as well and I hadn't really thought about it but yes it was more than the cruise cost!

[Susie51]

Thank you for posting lots of photos.

[JamesEM]

Enjoying your reports and photos.

[Coralc]

Great review, as DH, DD, DDBoyfriend and I will be boarding the Jewel next Saturday. Liked your info on booking speciality restaurant on first night, will do it on second night, and the cost of taxis to pier. I just hope we don't have another iceing event like we had this morning. Air which we booked thru cruise line last year was over 800 pp. More than the cruise pp. Coming from PA. DD flying in from Denver was so much cheaper, 450 pp. Wish we could have done b2b but our new jobs wouldn't allow more time off. Can't wait to hear more.

 

Isn't that strange? Flights from the West Coast to San Juan seem to be much cheaper than from the Northeast. We are only flying one way to meet Jewel for the canal. But it was only $600 per person for first class air (which will be a treat)

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Enjoying your review and pictures ;)

[Ruby71]

Enjoying your review, great pictures! Looking forward to your thoughts on the Adventure portion. We will be sailing May 3rd.

Sharon

[RoyalFan2011]

Really enjoying your review of the Jewel. We will be on her in March with the same itinerary you had. No idea what we are going to do for excursions yet.

[cryz]

My DH and I will be on the Jewel in April. Do both of us have to buy the drink package? Thanks for the reviews and pics.