Just back from Jewel of the Seas....

[booze brothers]

WE'll be going on our first cruise ever this Saturday, on this ship in cabin 9592.

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

 

Great cabin!!!! We've been in that cabin on the Radiance many times and will be in it on the Jewel next year. Enjoy

[Ltvscout]

Since so many of you seemed to dislike the entertainment, I was wondering if you could be more specific with who and what it was?

The entertainment changes all the time. One of our roll call members contacted RCI about our upcoming Jewel cruise to find out what the entertainment will be. Here's the schedule of entertainers for the March 24th sailing:

 

JUDY KOLBA--COMEDY IMPRESSIONIST 3/24-3/26

MARK TAYLOR--COMEDY MAGIC 3/12-4/27

AJ JAMAL--COMEDIAN 3/24-3/29

JOEY VAN--IMPRESSIONIST 3/26-3/28

OLE OLE W/ LUIS MEJIA SPANISH GUITAR & FLAMENCO DANCE 3/29-4/1

FLASH & FEVER LADDER & PLATE SPINNING 3/10-4/7

ANTHONY MICHAEL--SCHOONER BAR 3/4-8/5

STANLEY TYRANOWSKI TRIO--CENTRUM TRIO 9/23-4/1

SHOWBAND

PRODUCTION SHOWS: CITY OF DREAMS - WEST END TO BROADWAY - TANGO BUENOS AIRES

 

SMW0621, take a look at that list and let me know which shows if any look familiar and which to avoid. Thanks.

[truffles2]

Be sure and see Tango Buenos Aires...very good. Of the entertainment you listed I have seen Judy Kolba. I wonder is Flash & Fever might have been Flash & Annette in 1998 and Flash traded Annette for Fever??? I'm thinking that might be the act that made it snow in the theater with something that spotted the silk outfit I was wearing:mad:.

[smw0621]

The one's we saw were Judy Kolba (hit or miss, if you can understand her you might enjoy her), Joey Van (he was good), Ole Ole (didn't really care for it, the music wasn't bad but the dancing wasn't the best - my girlfriend who teaches dance wanted to know who their choreographer was), and the production show we saw was West End to Broadway and it was awful in my opinion, I thought my husband would kill me for making him sit through it.

 

You might enjoy the shows but my suggestion - sit towards the back so if you don't like the show you can leave early without everyone knowing.

[mxmom]

We were on this cruise also, we were neighbors. We were in cabin #7634. We did enjoy this cruise also with a couple of disapointments though. We were really disappointed in the balcony area. We could not look down over our balcony the only thing we saw was a canopy covering the life boats. The only way you would see the water is to stand up on the balcony. When you sat down all you saw was the horizon. This was extremely disappointing to us because we love our balconies and enjoy our time out there. I agree that the shows were a hit or miss too!!! Judy Kolba was good and entertaining but was hard to understand sometimes. The comedian was just so so. He did have some good jokes and stories but they were also hit or miss. Both the broadway shows just weren't up to par for us. They just didn't seem to grab our attention? The Ole Ole show was good and did keep us entertained also the last night there was a plate spinner act with his wife and he did balancing with ladders which was a great show we thought.

The cruise director had an emergency and his replacement was named Mark ? I'm not sure of his last name? For just coming on and learning the ship and everyone we thought he did an excellent job. He was very friendly and was all about on the ship.

The food in the dining room was just so so for us. We never walked away starving or hungry and did enjoy the meals that we had, but the choices were just mediocre. My husband has always said that filet mignon night is his "most favorite part of the cruise" and there was no filet served the whole week. There was filet of beef, but that did not sit well with my husband. Like I said the food that we did have was o.k. just not big on all the choices. There were only like 3 or 4 choices for an entree each night and maybe only 3 desserts. I guess we just expected more? We did dine at Chops one night and that was excellent and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Overall we did have a good cruise (how could you not) but I don't think we will be sailing on the Jewel any time soon. Just because of the layout of the balconies. The Jewel is a beautiful ship with all the glass all around.

Oh yeah, I just wanted to add this too! When entering the windjammer one morning they did have the hand sanitizers stations out with a host asking you to use them too. This one man was walking in beside me and the host asked him to use the sanitizer and he replied that he just took a shower. I kind of laughed and thought "here we go" I just could not keep my mouth shut. I then proceeded to asked him if he had touched a hand rail or the elevator buttons on the way up? He said well of course. Then I just mentioned how many others had done the same and who knew where they had been and even though you did just shower doesn't mean that your hands are still clean. He then turned around and did use the hand sanitizer and found me later that day and apologized to me and explained he never thought about it that way. I thought that was very graceous of him.

I just had to add that story because maybe there are others out there that think the same?

 

Like I said the Jewel is a very beautiful ship and we did have a great time!

[truffles2]

We were on this cruise also, we were neighbors. We were in cabin #7634. We did enjoy this cruise also with a couple of disapointments though. We were really disappointed in the balcony area. We could not look down over our balcony the only thing we saw was a canopy covering the life boats. The only way you would see the water is to stand up on the balcony. When you sat down all you saw was the horizon.

...

Like I said the Jewel is a very beautiful ship and we did have a great time!

 

 

Just wanted to let you know that not all balconys are like that and it is unfortunate that you got one of those. There are many (also on deck 7) that do not overlook the lifeboat canopy and have an even larger balcony. Please try again.

[danmatt]

Ill be in balcony cabin 1062 Feb 18 just wondering if that balcony has any obstructions??

[danmatt]

Ill be in balcony cabin 1062 Feb 18 just wondering if that balcony has any obstructions??

[danmatt]

Ill be in balcony cabin 1062 Feb 18 just wondering if that balcony has any obstructions??

[Cras108er]

I know that the RCI web site mentions several cabins on Deck 7 that have obstructed views. i wasn't sure what the obstruction is, but it must be the canopies. We are in 7572 and "supposedly" it has an unobstruted view. I will be upset if it doesn't, as this is something that RC should publish.

 

Cras108er

[karen_g]

I was on the same cruise too! I just wanted to agree that whether or not you enjoy certain entertainers is a ** huge ** matter of personal taste. I really enjoyed City of Dreams even though several people did not. I did not care for Judy Kolba (the Charo-like performer) or Joey Van (the impressionist). However, everyone else at my dinner table (5 other people) all ** loved ** both Judy Kolba and Joey Van. So go and give the shows a try.

 

We also dined at both Portofinos and Chops. Both were excellent! Well worth the extra money for a superb meal and wonderful ambiance & service.

 

One final tip: be sure to take the Centrum elevators (the glass ones that face out to sea) up to Deck 13 to check out the giant flamingos! You can only see them from inside the elevators!

[smw0621]

I definately agree about the balconies....they were a HUGE disappointment for us with the obstruction. When we were assigned our room I checked RC website and it said nothing about view obstructions. This being our first balcony it was better than nothing.

 

I agree about the food in the dining room, we never went hungry and even a few nights I ordered 2 dinners which is unusual for me, but it just wasn't great. I was disappointed with the desserts too, not very much of a selection.

 

Mxmom.....leaving Antigua did you hear about the guy who missed the ship? He was our next door neighbor and he was also in our group of 50+...gave everyone on the ship plenty to talk about for the rest of the week.

 

We loved the ship and would definately sail on her again, I'd just make sure my room was on a higher floor. Hopefully they have a better view.

 

And, even though I didn't care for the shows I would definately give them a try. Some people loved them.....to each his own.

 

I agree about Mark the cruise director, I thought he was joking when he said he was just filling in. He did a great job.

[cruiseforus]

was also on the same cruise. Second time on the Jewel and had a great cruise.

 

I agree about the shows. I don't think the production shows were up to par with other RCL cruises I've been on. Personally I think it was the singers who wern't up to par. Judy was funny but the others were just so-so. Marc the CD did a great job.

 

I think the food in the dining room was very, very good. I was traveling with my DH and our two best friends and none of us had a meal we didn't throughly enjoy. Also the service was excellent.

 

It was a great cruise.

[hayward]

How sad...we just got home from our 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise...beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and now we're back in 10 degree weather. Ouch!!!

 

I'll do a review soon, but we had a great time.

 

I am so glad that you just got off the cruise. We plan on taking the same cruise in 2 more days.

 

My question is how many men wore tuxedos at the formal night. My husband is just wondering if there were many. ;) Thanks

[hayward]

How sad...we just got home from our 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise...beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and now we're back in 10 degree weather. Ouch!!!

 

I'll do a review soon, but we had a great time.

 

I am so glad that you just got off the cruise. We plan on taking the same cruise in 2 more days.

 

My question is how many men wore tuxedos at the formal night. My husband is just wondering if there were many. ;) Thanks

[Ltvscout]

Did they serve Creme Brulee in the dining room any of the nights?

[mxmom]

I did love the ship itself but like I said the balcony was a HUGE disapointment. There was no stating anywhere that I seen that said it was obstructed? The whole way down on our side was obstructed that I could see except the the hump area? Where on level 7 are the balconys not obstructed?

No we did not hear about the man left behind in Antiqua? I hope that everything turned out o.k. for him? Was he on an excursion or just on his own?

I was one of the people that Joey Van gave the toilet paper scarf while doing his Elvis impersonation. We have never not liked any of the shows that we have gone to see, that is why we really believe something was really off with the shows, we just could not put a finger on it. That is why we still went to see all the shows just because we usually do anyway. Please anyone going on the Jewel give the shows a chance it just could of been an off week.

[smw0621]

I didn't see any creme brulee on the menu at all.....

There were more men in tuxes on this cruise then on our first, but still, there were quite alot in suits. It was mixed.

Everything turned out fine for our friend, it cost him about $60 to get back on ship. He had gone on a golf trip and they got back early enough so he stopped at the casino at the end of the pier.....need I say more?

And, I received a scarf from Joey Vann too.......how funny.

[Buddy140]

We were on the Jewel in November 2006 and came away somewhat disappointed. In general terms the staff seemed to be disoriented and did not have service level that I have come to expect from RCCL.

We had problems with Guest Services when we tried to purchase stamps for postcards. Our waiter and assistant waiter did not get along which took away from dinner. There were very few staff at the ports to direct us to our excusion. One excusion was over booked and I had to stand for a 10 mile bus ride.

We chose late seating for this cruise. RCCL sat us beside two young couples with 2 exhausted babies who screamed through almost every meal. RCCL knows the demographics of its passengers and should have seated us or the other familes in a different area.

On a positive note we had a great stateroom attendent, the food was good, good entertainment and the ship is beautiful. We have sailed on every Radiance class ship and they are our favourites.

We will sail on this ship again but will pick a different time of year.

[mxmom]

I also did not notice any creme brulee. The desert menu just did not have many choices as before. Two nights we walked away from dinner without any desert. One night there was only one desert which was a sample plate of three different deserts (cheesecake, some kind of flaky crust thing and a chocolate pudding).
My husband and our friends did dress up on formal nights with their tuxes. There was a mixture of suits and tuxes.

How funny that you received your scarf too!!!! were you sitting on stage right? We were in stage right, theatre left in the third row.

I'm glad everything turned out for you friend. Was he able to join the cruise on the same day or the next port? $60.00 seems quite cheap from what I have read on these boards..

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

[quote name='mxmom']I did love the ship itself but like I said the balcony was a HUGE disapointment. There was no stating anywhere that I seen that said it was obstructed? The whole way down on our side was obstructed that I could see except the the hump area? Where on level 7 are the balconys not obstructed?

No we did not hear about the man left behind in Antiqua? I hope that everything turned out o.k. for him? Was he on an excursion or just on his own?

I was one of the people that Joey Van gave the toilet paper scarf while doing his Elvis impersonation. We have never not liked any of the shows that we have gone to see, that is why we really believe something was really off with the shows, we just could not put a finger on it. That is why we still went to see all the shows just because we usually do anyway. Please anyone going on the Jewel give the shows a chance it just could of been an off week.[/quote]
I've never cruised before, and I know that Deck 7 has obstructions. You can examine the deck plans online, you can call RCI and ask them that question, and also go to various web sites (ex: [url]www.webshots.com[/url]) and search for pictures of the Jewel. There you can clearly see that deck 7 has obstructions. I figured everyone wold have done the same as we did, checking to see what the balcony looked like, and where it was situated, and if there were any obstructions.

Better luck next time!

[truffles2]

[quote name='mxmom']I did love the ship itself but like I said the balcony was a HUGE disapointment. There was no stating anywhere that I seen that said it was obstructed? The whole way down on our side was obstructed that I could see except the the hump area? Where on level 7 are the balconys not obstructed?


If you will look at the deck plans, the rooms directly above the lifeboats are obstructed by the canopy.

[truffles2]

Sorry Laurent,
Didn't mean to repeat but my post took so long to "take", that you got in while I was waiting:rolleyes:

[smw0621]

Since we were such a large group we booked everything through a travel agent, never thought about obstructions on the balcony because on RC website it didn't say there were any. Needless to say, we learned our lesson.

Facing the stage we were in the center section but a few seats on on the right hand side. And, our friend was able to hop on one of those "pilot" boats, he gave the guy driving $20 and the two guys who helped hoist him onto the ship $20 each. We had heard that the only reason he was able to get on was because we hadn't fully left the port, otherwise he would've had to meet us the next day. Could've turned out real ugly....

We were also disappointed by the desserts, not enough chocolate for me. But we thought our waiters were excellent as well as the all of the other stafff on the ship.

[Cras108er]

[quote name='Ottawa_cruise_man']I've never cruised before, and I know that Deck 7 has obstructions. You can examine the deck plans online, you can call RCI and ask them that question, and also go to various web sites (ex: [URL="http://www.webshots.com"]www.webshots.com[/URL]) and search for pictures of the Jewel. There you can clearly see that deck 7 has obstructions. I figured everyone wold have done the same as we did, checking to see what the balcony looked like, and where it was situated, and if there were any obstructions.

Better luck next time![/quote]

I never heard of webshots until you posted this Laurent. But even from looking at the pictures the lifeboats "appear" to be under the deck balconies and out of view. I guess we'll be prepared for disappointment, but we'll be sure to keep our mouths shut...afterall, this is the MOS :D .

Cras108er