Review: Jewel of the Seas Western Mediterranean

[cruizeblues]

Not sure if this will work, but I uploaded the video to YouTube

 

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

So we are getting hungry and decided to head back to Piazza Navona to find some coffee and something to eat. Again, not shortage of little cafes along the way. We stopped in a tiny shop that had good looking sandwiches in their display case. Ham & cheese panini was yummy! And I actually took my first food porn shot!

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Did a little souvenir shopping, looked in some leather shops for a bag for my daughter. Prices were reasonable, but didn't see anything that I was excited about. We really wanted more time in Rome, but our transfer would be picking us up soon so we headed back to grab our luggage and check out. Our ride was right on time at noon (Rome Cabs) and about an hour later we were arriving in Civitavechicchia for check in. Embarkation was easier (by far) than our San Juan or Florida departures have been. Our driver unloaded our luggage, and since we already had our tags attached we were sent directly inside to check in. We bypassed a rather lengthy line of people waiting for luggage tags before they could drop off their luggage. (So remember to put those tags on ahead of time) We have plastic sleeves that the tags slide into make attaching them to your luggage easier, they are pretty handy.

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

https://highwindtravel.com/collections/cruising-necessities/products/highwind-narrow-cruise-tags-luggage-celebrity-cruise-royal-caribbean

 

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

So YAY! Seapass in hand we head onboard and to our cabin! I am really excited to back onboard the beautiful Jewel of the Seas! I always say that my favorite ship is the one I'm currently on, but the Jewel stole my heart when we sailed her a few years back in the Southern Caribbean.

So I debated on whether or not to share this with everyone one, because if I do, everyone will want one and they will be even harder to get into. But I believe in good karma so here goes: I have always wanted to try an aft cabin, and one was available so I snagged it!

BEST CABIN EVER!!! Awesome balcony with two lounge chairs AND a table a chairs for room service [emoji3] Fabulous!! We enjoyed the heck out of this balcony!

Cabin 8672, center aft

 

 

 

Home for the next weeek [emoji846]

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

We met our cabin steward, he said his name was too difficult to pronounce, so we could call him Ah-bay. He was pretty awesome! Asked us if we had any special requests, we asked him for ice and some wine glasses which he delivered within the first hour. He kept the ice bucket full throughout the week. Thanks to another tip from Hoopster, we bought two bottles of wine in Rome to bring on board. We kept them cold in the fridge and enjoyed wine on our balcony. I read some other reviews that said they were able to bring on four bottles (two each) but I didn't want to push my luck. We had some time to kill before the muster drill, so we changed into our bathing suits and headed up to the Solarium for a frosty cocktail and a quick swim.

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

After the muster drill the Captain announced that our departure would be delayed because they lost a truckload of luggage from the airport to ship transfer! We only did the RCCL transfer once on our first cruise, never again! They take your luggage and throw it in a pile and tell you to get on the bus (and pray you see your luggage again!) A cab or private transfer doesn't cost that much more, maybe even less if you have more than 2 people because RCCL charges per person.

[cruizeblues]

After muster, we went up to Deck 11-12 for our traditional frozen cocktail and sail away party. I love that feeling when the ship pulls away from the dock and gets underway while the band is playing and people are dancing! On our way to Cannes! :) We hung out on the pool deck for a while enjoying the sea view. We were in no hurry since we have late seating for dinner which isn't until 9. We prefer late seating because it is much more leisurely, especially on port days when you don't have to rush around to get ready for an early dinner. We stopped in to Chops on our way back to our cabin to make a reservation for Monday night, our anniversary. <3

[cruizeblues]

Watching Rome fade away from our plus size balcony with a nice glass of wine. We had a few hours to relax, unpack and get cleaned up for dinner.

 

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Watching the wake was mesmerizing :)

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Dinner at Tides Dining Room on Deck Four was the first time we started to feel the affect of the extra cabins that were added during the last refurbish. We arrived a few minutes before 9, starving since we hadn't eaten since about 11am. The doors were closed and the line was all the way out to the Centrum. The My-Time Dining desk is at the entrance on deck four, so it is difficult to determine who is waiting for MTD and who is waiting for second seating. We waited about 15 minutes for the doors to open and then it felt like a cattle call stampede! It took the waiter a few minutes to find our table for us, a 2-top tucked in by a window. It would have been a nice table except that we were sandwiched between three large 12-tops that were all part of a family reunion group, it got loud and a bit awkward as the members moved between tables visiting with each other. We were packed in so tight that it was difficult for the waiters to move around between the tables, they frequently had to ask us to pull in our chairs so they could get through. I think that our head waiter was also covering some MTD tables because she took our order then disappeared. The assistant waiter would bring out our food and take care of drinks, etc. It continued like this throughout the week. They did add a few other assistant waiters later in the week to handle water, coffee, etc. If you haven't sailed in a while (like us) you will notice a few other dining room changes: A breadbasket is placed on your table when you are seated, no more savory bites :( They give you one menu that has all courses on it, including dessert, so you place your entire order in the beginning. The assistant waiter also gets your bar drinks. I know how hard the wait staff work on a ship work, and I would never complain about the service, but it just seemed rushed and impersonal. I'm not sure if it was just our wait staff, but there was no friendly interaction like on all of our previous cruises, no calling us by name or asking how was our day in port or suggestions for the next day over dessert. We didn't even see our waiters at the end of dinner, which felt kinda weird. The first night we waited around a bit but ended up just leaving. Each night after that we didn't bother waiting around, just left when we were finished without saying goodbye. Again, I am not complaining, just an observation. We had a completely different experience on Jewel a few years back. I think maybe it has something to do with being on the same floor as the MTD tables, they are stretched thin trying to accommodate the MTD people and the traditional seating people. One final note, the food was ok but there seems to be less variety than before. Each night there were two or three new items in each category and three or four reoccurring items that were on the menu all week. Also missing was a family favorite, the chilled fruit soups :( I was really looking forward to the chilled-peach soup. Also, I don't think they had lobster on the menu unless they served it on one of the days we weren't there. Again, we were never hungry! We sampled quite a bit of the local food while in all the great ports on this itinerary!

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

As a contrast, I can still remember the names & faces of the waiters from our first cruise 15 years ago as well as many others from our other cruises. Many fond memories:)

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

One thing I love about Jewel that is missing from the larger ships is how the Centrum acts as a hub of activity. There is always something happening before & after dinner and throughout the day that invites participation of the passengers to interact with the crew. Musicians, dance lessons and silly contests are fun to watch and take part in if you are brave. Also, I love the Safari Club. It's a great venue for the RCCL staples like Quest.

 

 

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[DaNana]

 

DH tried really hard to capture the magnitude of St. Peter's Square, but by now it was noon, and about 95 degrees and I'm starting to get cranky from the heat and lack of caffeine and food. Time to head back to the hotel for a short rest and to change into shorts. We walked a bit and found a cab, the driver told us we could probably walk back faster, but he was happy to take us. I didn't care, I was happy just to be able to sit down in an air conditioned vehicle for 20 minutes! :) Thankfully the hotel was equipped with a coffee maker and I had some trail mix that I brought from home. We had to meet our tour guide near the Colosseum at 2:15, so we had about an hour to rest and recharge before heading out. Because it was so hot, we were short on time and still had a lot of walking ahead of us we took another cab. Cabs are fairly inexpensive, I think it was like 8 euro.

Great decision because we got there about 45 minutes early, enough time for lunch! Yay, real food! Found this tiny deli style cafe around the corner from the Colosseum, La Prezzemolina. It had a Trip Advisor sign and smelled great so we went in. We had a salad and slice of really excellent three cheese pizza! Sorry, I never think to take pictures of my food because I'm too busy digging in :) All of the food we had on this trip was really tasty and relatively inexpensive. I can't remember what lunch cost, less than 15 euro for both of us (ish) Good food and wine was relatively inexpensive, generally less than you would spend in tourist areas in the States. One of my goals on this trip was to eat as much authentic food as possible! I was amazed to see several McDonads in Rome, and even more amazed to see people actually in there eating!! OMG WHY?

 

 

 

Agree about the food. We are local on the sidewalk and very reasonable priced! Never disappointed!

 

 

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[lbislander]

Thank you for sharing such great information. We are booked on the Jewel for October 2019 and cannot wait!

[stunned]

Enjoying your review, we sail Greek islands on Jewel in September.

[cruizeblues]

Monday: 30th Anniversary <3 Cannes, French Riviera 8am - 6 pm

 

When I planned our first port I wanted it to be a leisurely day because I figured we would need a break after our tour-intensive days in Rome. I read through the excursions offered by RCCL, nothing stood out and the reviews were lukewarm. So I checked the Ports of Call boards and Trip Advisor for ideas. Most popular tours were a half day or full day (8-hour) along the coast stopping at cities along the way to Monte Carlo. Common criticism of the tours was that they would have liked more free time at each stop to explore, they felt rushed. I didn't want to be rushed, and I really don't enjoy spending most of the day on a bus with dozens of people. Based on good reviews, I emailed Riviera Premium Tours. They offer a 6- or 8-hour tour and will customize it as you wish. Cost was 350 euro for two people, extravagant by our standards, so I posted on our roll-call to see if anyone was interested in joining us. The tour would be far more affordable if we added more people: Cost for 4 is 360€, 6-370€ and 8-380€. I was hoping for just one more couple to cut our cost in half and still keep our group small. Unfortunately, there weren't many people active on our roll-call and nobody replied. I wanted to do something special for our anniversary, so we splurged! I don't regret it for a minute, we had a truly awesome day! The company was super easy to work with, I would highly recommend them. I emailed them and told them the type of day I had in mind, they emailed back with some suggestions and cost.

 

So we started the day our favorite way, room-service breakfast on the balcony:) I'm not sure when they started charging for room service, but if you want a hot breakfast you have to pay $7.95. You can still get a continental breakfast without charge. No problem, that's all we need. We got coffee, juice, fruit plate yogurt & granola. Also on the free menu were muffins/danish, bagels, toast, etc. *We always tip the room service delivery person a few $$$

 

Cannes is a tender port, and I read that everyone wants to get off as soon as the ship is cleared so they can do the 8-hour tours. So I decided to start our tour at 9:30 to avoid the mad rush for the tenders. Worked great, we went down at about 9 and walked right onto a waiting boat, no lines or aggravation! The ride takes about 20 minutes. The tour guides wait right where the tender docks, so you don't have to walk anywhere. The port is easy walking distance to shops, cafes and the beach. Our guy was on time, he was clean-cut and spoke perfect English. His van was clean and comfortable. It would comfortably accommodate six, eight would probably be cramped.

 

I will post pictures of our day on the Riviera tomorrow. Time to call it a day, back to work tomorrow:(

[cruizeblues]

Based on our email conversations, our guide suggested an itinerary for the day which sounded perfect and off we went. We drove through Cannes on Croisette Blvd, he pointed out places of interest (famous beaches, hotels where the rich & famous stay and the Film Festival Palace. He offered to stop for photos when ever we wanted. Then we continued to drive along the coast to the small town of Antibes. He gave us about 1.5 hours there to wander around on our own, giving us suggestions on cafes, shops & photo spots.

[cruizeblues]

Cannes ritzy hotels

 

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Our first stop: Antibes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[renata102]

I will begin my review by saying that I have been a member of CC since my first cruise 15 years ago. I have enjoyed reading many, many reviews, but never wrote one of my own until now. Before each of my cruises I spent a ton of time reading reviews and gathering info on everything from cabin choice to excursions. There have always been tons of relevant reviews for my Caribbean cruises, but I was only able to find a handful for the Mediterranean. The best review, by far, was by Hoopster

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2536756

He describes in full detail and great pictures ports for both East & West Med. as well as time spent in Rome before & after. We used his tips extensively to make the most of our time in Rome and in the ports. So, with my review, I will attempt to pay it forward for all the hundreds of reviews that have helped me over the years!

 

Background info, DH and myself (50ish) took this trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. My first recommendation for the a Rome/Mediterranean vacation is don’t go in August! Mid 90’s the entire trip made the touring less than pleasant (and I usually don't mind warm weather) I would suggest September or October as a better alternative because Rome, Barcelona, Cannes and Palma were walking intensive ports, there is so much to see and do.

 

OMg we were in Italy the same time. WE spent 4 weeks roadteipping through Italy and a little bit of Switzerland and spurn of France. By the time we got to Rome it was ausgust 1.

 

 

We also book norwigeen air and never again. This privelage line was a joke. But maybe we ran into each other in the heatwaves lol

[cruizeblues]

Our guide said that very wealthy folks vacation in this town! We stopped in a few shops to look at beautiful original art and jewelry but didn't buy anything. Then we stopped for a coffee, this guy ground the coffee beans and made the coffee fresh, yum it was the best iced-mocha coffee I have ever had! Way better than Starbucks!

 

 

Then we went a few doors down to this little bakery because calories don't count on vacation! I wanted to buy one of everything but settled on a warm chocolate croissant. It was delicious (of course) We really should have bought a box full!

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

We then strolled along the water to the marina ogling the yachts. We saw some pretty amazing yachts in the port, especially back in Cannes! So much wealth, it's almost unimaginable! We met our guide in a little park near the marina and headed out along the coast to our next destination, Eze. We made the decision to skip Nice and instead make a few stops on the way to Eze to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take some photos.

 

These shots are looking back at "Old Nice" looked very nice, maybe we can explore it next time.

 

 

We stopped in Villefranche and St. Jean Cap Ferrat to appreciate the view and take some photos. Our guide said that many famous people have homes in the area including Bill Gates, Elton John, Bono and Sean Connery. Also, his grandparents lived here and he would spend time here every summer, must be nice!

 

 

 

 

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[Coolcruise02]

I remember thinking that about McDonalds when I was in Ireland in 2014. There aren't a ton of them, but they are there, and I just thought it was so weird. Like um no give me some brown bread and stew please!

In Europe, I don't eat at McDonald's but I do get my Coke and lots of ice! I don't drink coffee and Coke is my caffeine. Also, the have restrooms! :)

[cruizeblues]

In Europe, I don't eat at McDonald's but I do get my Coke and lots of ice! I don't drink coffee and Coke is my caffeine. Also, the have restrooms! :)

 

 

 

Restrooms! I didn't think of that, now it makes sense! Tough to find bathrooms in Rome!

 

 

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