Thinking about trying Royal for a cruise, Advice or Important tips

[OKLandShark]

Hello all,

 

As the title states, my wife and I are thinking of trying Royal for the first time for a Southern Caribbean from San Juan on Jewel of the Seas and would like some helpful tips and advice on Royal after really only cruising on Carnival. Any info helps as far as experiences great, good or bad!

 

Also looking for info on places to stay in San Juan before the cruise and tips on getting to the port from either the airport or hotels.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Clarea]

This is a good start for Jewel info: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/jewel

 

This port of call forum has info on San Juan hotels: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

[schmeed]

Stayed at the La Concha Renaissance in San Juan. Fantastic resort!

[2chiefs]

Cruises out of SJ are great and usually port intensive. You will like it.

We've stayed at the Caribe Hilton. Very nice. Short taxi ride from airport then short taxi ride to ship.

Taxi prices are reasonable and fixed. When you get to the airport simply get in the taxi queue and after a short wait you will be on your way. All the taxi prices are published at the queue. Just make sure you book a room somewhere between or near the airport and cruise port and your taxi cost will be low.

[Lordnlkon]

Just a suggestion but don't ask whether you are allowed to wear shorts for dinner.

[OKLandShark]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and tips! I look forward to trying Royal!

 

Just a suggestion but don't ask whether you are allowed to wear shorts for dinner.

Good thing is I never wore shorts to the dining room on Carnival, my wife and I always dressed up both formal and casual for the main dining room and treated it as a nice date night! No worries on that! :)

[jetta8300]

Hello all,

 

As the title states, my wife and I are thinking of trying Royal for the first time for a Southern Caribbean from San Juan on Jewel of the Seas and would like some helpful tips and advice on Royal after really only cruising on Carnival. Any info helps as far as experiences great, good or bad!

 

Also looking for info on places to stay in San Juan before the cruise and tips on getting to the port from either the airport or hotels.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

We have cruised Carnival twice and RCI once with another Royal cruise coming up in a few weeks!

 

While there are a lot of similarities, we definitely like Royal better but will book whatever line and itinerary suits us. In our opinion, Royal had better entertainment, better buffet food, much more pleasant decor, and better ship layout overall. Their adult only solariums are enclosed and very nice compared to Carnival's "serenity" areas.

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

Although it's now a little early for you on RCI, think of the future perks when you gain Diamond, Diamond+ and Pinnacle loyalty status. For us, the best perks are the very nice Diamond & Concierge lounges on most RCI ships. Lounges are open 23/7 and have DYI cappuccino machines, nice continental breakfasts, happy hours and the like. We like the lounges chiefly to relax in a quiet environment and get away from the 'madding crowds' to read our kindles and chat with fellow PAX.

[vacationlover_mn]

We stayed at Embassy... and though it's a bit of a distance getting to the port from there, we still loved it :) Great pool, close to food and the beach. We had no problems getting a cab to the port... I think it might have been $30 for the cab? It was over a year ago, so I don't remember exactly.

 

I can't remember how we got from the airport to the hotel... However, I DO remember how we got back to the airport. We took an awesome excursion that we booked through the ship that took us to some really interesting places. I highly recommend it, if you have time :)

[matj2000]

Go read the "member reviews" on the ships you are interested in.......

[printingchick]

I cruised five times on Carnival before trying Royal. I also have family members who have cruised both lines and we all agree that Royal is a step above Carnival. As others will tell you, there are MANY similarities. Most of what I (and my family members) prefer bout Royal are fairly subtle differences. The ships are better maintained. Even the older ships feel new. In general, service seems more personal and friendly on Royal. Royal does a better job about maintaining rules such as keeping children out of adult-only areas. Pools/Hot tubs are open late at night. They offer innovative features and activities. They have a better loyalty program.

 

If you're flying into San Juan in time to enjoy some sight-seeing, I HIGHLY recommend a lovely boutique inn in Old San Juan called Villa Herencia. It's in the heart of Old San Juan, allowing you to walk to all the attractions. They offer wonderful breakfasts, a unique roof-top patio, charming rooms and reasonable (for San Juan) rates. We LOVED it there!

 

Jewel is one of my favorite ships. I've sailed on her twice and will be cruising on the Jewel again in 2019. Jewel is one of Royal's smaller ships, so don't expect the features you see advertised on TV. Those are on the new mega ships. Jewel does a very port-intensive itinerary, so you don't have a whole lot of time on the ship to enjoy things like a surf simulator or bumper cars anyway! What you will enjoy is an amazing solarium pool area - gorgeous and relaxing. The Windjammer has outdoor dining areas, where you can sip your morning coffee while watching the ship pull into port. The rooms are a bit smaller than you're used to, but no icky shower curtains. The Jewel has tube-shaped showers with shower doors! The activities are all very up close and personal on the Jewel, with most big events taking place in the atrium. On the bigger ships, activities can often feel more like spectator events, but you're right in the action on the smaller ships.

 

ENJOY! Let us know what you think when you get back!

[MrYellowDuck]

RCL is very good value for money at the sticker price. However, the included food options are pretty disappointing to us since by our judgement they are at the standard of the very cheapest restaurants (one step up from a fast food outlet). Most people by my observation are entirely happy with this but if you know you won't be then budget to need to eat in a speciality restaurant every day - this is what we do and we're still very happy with the overall price.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Of course the above post is very subjective w/ regards to the MDR. Six cruises w/ RCCL and I have never witnessed any food of any type being sent back to the kitchen from ourselves and our table mates. The MDR is well above a fast food meal.

[OKLandShark]

We have cruised Carnival twice and RCI once with another Royal cruise coming up in a few weeks!

 

While there are a lot of similarities, we definitely like Royal better but will book whatever line and itinerary suits us. In our opinion, Royal had better entertainment, better buffet food, much more pleasant decor, and better ship layout overall. Their adult only solariums are enclosed and very nice compared to Carnival's "serenity" areas.

Thanks, that is what we have read and heard from a few friends that have also cruise with both Carnival and Royal.

 

Ooooo, best of both worlds: Jewel of the Seas AND San Juan! There's a JoS review in my signature if you want to see some pictures of her. I really loved that ship!!

I liked the review for the Jewel, it was great and the pictures were amazing!

Thanks again to everyone for their opinions and info, they have been very helpful!