Will I like Jewel as well as Millennium????

[DeRon]

Having the hardest time deciding. Jewel has a wonderful 8 day cruise and the ports are better. I feel like the food and pampering will be a bit better on Millennium.

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

Thanks!

[Bethwte]

Sailed on the Mill and will be on the Jewel lter this year, so I'm very interested in the responses you're going to get. :)

 

The Millenium was fabulous, and I had a great time. And yes, the pampering was better on Celeb than on my previous RCCL experience. Ultimately for you I think it will come down to what you want most, new islands, or EXCELLENT service. To me, most ports blend together, so I like to go based on the ship and the service. But, its all up to you. I hope you find what you need on this board and havea great cruise! :)

 

One last thing, I know without a doubt you'll enjoy either, so don't stress over this too much! ;)

[DeRon]

Thanks Beth. Good advice about no stress. lol I want to make the "right" decision.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Also curious and about to find out. We cruised on The Constellation 2 years ago and had the best experience. We're sailing on The Serenade in January and hoping it will be just as good.

[JohnSax]

Have been on both (well, sort of--since the Serenade is a virtual identical twin of the Jewel) and will say I much preferred the Serenade (Jewel) as far as the SHIP goes, but felt the food was much better on the Millenium. Service was excellent on both ships, so in the final analysis, while both are great vacations, I'd go for the Jewel--those ships are absolutely amazing. P.S. Definitely go to both Chops and Portofino restaurants onboard--the food is amazing and well worth the extra charge).

[denb]

Have also been on both, and agree with everything Beth and John said. It's a matter of deciding what things are more important to you for THIS cruise. When we want more pampering and a little more refinement, the 'right' choice (for us) is Celebrity. When we want more dining options and are willing to put up with speaker announcements and maybe a few more kids (our experience, your mileage may vary), the 'right' choice (for us) is RCI. No matter what, any cruise is a great cruise. If you choose Jewel, don't forget to try the Seaview Cafe.... one of the Radiance Class ship's best kept secrets. Shhhhhh! ;)

[Sea Island Lady]

I was on the Serenade in September and am looking forward to getting back on the Millennium next Fall.If you have never been on the Millennium, you will not realize you are missing anything with the Jewel. Both classes of ships are beautiful and both have different reasons for being so. ;)

[superjerryw]

I've been on both, having just been on the Jewel a couple of weeks ago. The food was definitely better on Millennium. Service was excellent on both ships. I would really go with the cruise that had the more interesting itinerary.

[madelinerose]

Wow...thanks for the info, everyone. I've chosen the Jewel for 2006 from all the gorgeous pics I've seen. DH and I also have friends in Fort Lauderdale that we will hook up with maybe 3-4 days prior to the 8-day cruise.

 

The Millenium and/or Constellation are on my list also. I was hoping that Cirque du Soleil on the Constellation would be more of a hit than they are. We've seen 3 shows on land and love them. Oh, well...

[DeRon]

If Jewels food is pretty good, than I would like her. But nothing is so disappointing as poor food on a nice cruise.

[Yellowlily]

I would most definitely pick the Jewel over Millie and the Connie over the Millie....just my 2 cents!

[DeRon]

Yellowlily,

 

I would agree with you about Connie over Milli (because of newness), but I have read too many negatives about cruising out of San Juan. Maybe not true on every cruise, but there are definitely problems with some sailings.

[emmy]

DeRon...I know you are trying to decide on your cruise choice. I see you have sailed recently on Princess ships...in our opinion both DH and I felt the food was better on our RCI Navigator and Mariner cruises than our recent October/04 sailing on Caribbean Princess....desserts were better, appetizers and even entres....IMHO

 

We are actully looking forward to the RCI menu....

 

Emmy

[DeRon]

Wow! Really?? That is encouraging! We thought the food on Princess was really good. Much better than on Grandeur.

 

The best food we ever had was on the Galaxy, but that was in 1997. I have heard the quality has changed over the years.

[Techgirl]

Hi DeRon,

 

We sailed the Millie last December and just got off the 12/12 sailing of the Jewel. The Millennium is definitely a beautiful ship, but then, so is the Jewel. I found the food on the Jewel to be very good especially at Portofinos and Chops (we ate and both and loved them). Not quite the same experience as the Olympic, but well worth the price and excellent meals.

 

As far as service is concerned, I know I am going to be in the minority here, but we found the service on the Jewel to be FAR SUPERIOR to the service we encounted on the Millennium. On the Millie, it seemed like most people were doing us a favor when they offered any service (we only saw on room steward once - when he came by for his tip on the last night!). On the Jewel, the staff were so friendly and the waiter in the Champagne Bar knew the names of everyone in our group by the second night.

 

Given a choice I would definitely chose the Jewel over the Millennium!

[Lois R]

DeRon...hi:) I am very interested in your thread...as I may be taking my first "Official Royal Cruise" in May.

When I say official....I did sail Sovereign of the Seas in the summer of 2003...a 3 nighter...I know alot of people LOVE that ship...but I had a very poor experience.

I have friends who love Royal.......and have told me the new Voyager Class are so different from Sovereign.....like night and day different.

I am waiting for some information from my TA...lets see what she gives me....

I would love to know what you decide to do!

[DeRon]

Hi Lois, thanks for your post! Well, honestly I am kinda leaning toward Jewel for the following reasons:

 

1. Newer ship.

2. The ports are much better

3. 8 nights (the longer on a ship, the better)

 

I am getting through the food thing by thinking I will use Chops and Portifinos several nights. This cruise is a little higher $$ (but it is also 1 more night and more ports).

 

Celebrity won my heart back in '97, and it hasn't worked out to go on one since. But, we are 41 yrs old, so we still like SOME "action" on the ship. I do remember there seemed to be a definite "lull" on the Galaxy cruise around 10:00 every night. Tummies were full, wine was making us a little sleepy, and there was nothing going on. The main show was over, and the dancing in the disco never kicked up until about 11:00. Was that your experience (lois) on Connie?

 

On the Grand and Star, man! There was never a dull moment. We would get in our room around 1:00 every night from doing fun stuff. So yes, we are a little concerned about this on the Millennium.

 

LOL! Sorry I rambled so much.

[BottledRed]

Feel free to join us on the April 22, 2006 8-Day Cruise Critic group cruise (plug) :) on the Jewel of the Seas! We've got a lively group gathering!

[Lois R]

Hi again:)

 

DeRon....it is funny how we all like different things...but yet, we all LOVE to cruise.

 

I am just a bit older than you (46)....but staying up late doesn't mean a lot to me. When you asked about nightlife on Constellation, The Disco had the "Cirque Show" one evening.....but not sure about the other nights....because I never went there.

 

Now, that is not to say I haven't heard the same thing as you mentioned from other folks.....some say there is not enough "nightlife" on X....but I have never felt it lacked...but I just don't always care if there isn't something to do.....sitting in one of the lounges....talking to the bartenders is enough for me;) Oh, I do take in 1 or 2 shows over the week as well.

 

Well, I just received prices from my TA with some different choices......now have to decide if I want to really "Step Outside of the Box" and try a Voyager Class Ship!

[Yellowlily]

DeRon - I will most definitely agree with you about San Juan. I prefer Miami or FLL any day! I think those Florida ports just know what they are doing a bit more. They seem to have it down pat better than anyone.

 

Techgirl - I'm with you all the way. X's motto "To be treated famously" may not always ring true. We sailed on Connie and found the service to be so wonderful. We had excellent service for our stateroom as well as dining all around. However, we most recently cruised the Millie and found it to be supbar - so subpar, we've had better service on Carnival and RCCI. When you book a Concierge Class Room on X for the second time, you expect it to be good, maybe not always as good as before, but good. It's pretty bad when you open your stateroom and find a rotting apple in the fridge, an inch of dust upon the fridge, rusty lamp bases, the phone dusty and hard to dial because of the built up dirt between the buttons and the TV Remote was so corroded with dirt it was disgusting. To boot, the TV Remote was held together with masking tape! How's that for a welcome aboard? Well, needless to say, we did mention the problem and it was fixed. But, our service was just really supbar throughout the cruise. Pretty bad again when they "forget to turn down your stateroom"!! I was never mad, just dissapointed. I know these things don't happen all the time, but it seems that our experiences on X overall have not been worth the money spent. I know some people love X and that's great. Not everyone likes the same things. I will say that X really needs some help - not only perhaps in consistency of service but activities. We had a great time on our last X Cruise simply due to the fact that we had a great itinerary. On the sea days, there's nothing to do in the day. We went to a wine tasting seminar which was nice, but they really need some more planned activities throughout the ship in the day. I guess, it's to each his own. Those are just some of our experiences. We havent' exactly pinpointed our exact "favorite" cruise line, they all seem to have something great to offer. Sorry to ramble, just wanted to share.

[Lois R]

YellowLily...sorry your Millie experience was not up to par.....

 

I totally agree with your assessment about everyone liking different things....that is what makes the world go round:)

 

It doesn't matter to me if there aren't "planned activties" during the day...but that is just me.......a good book under the sun, or even in the shade keeps me happy:)

 

I am feeling a bit apprehensive trying a Royal Ship....as you said, to each his/her own.

[madelinerose]

Hey, Lois! Maybe this will help you with your decision. We're booked on the Jewel in 2006 and we have friends in Lauderdale that we'll hook up with 3-4 days before the cruise. The Jewel looks gorgeous...check out these pics. The slide show is great!

 

www.brandis.org/fotogalerie/Jewel04

 

I am feeling a bit apprehensive trying a Royal Ship....as you said, to each his/her own.

[DeRon]

That slide show is AWESOME!

 

Lois, I do know what you are talking about. We also like to "hang out" on the ship. Lay in the sun, read a book, etc. My earlier comments sound like we are some kind of party-animals, but we are not. We just like fun stuff to do in the evening. Maybe more entertainment-wise. I don't know.

 

When nothing is going on, my wife gets sleepy (lol) and I want to keep going (like the energizer bunny)! LOL Anyway....thanks every for your comments! They are very helpful.

 

YellowLily - I have read much that the Radiance class is so much better than the Voyager. Sounds like you disagree. right?

[Lois R]

hi DeRon:) .....after all this going back and forth....I will be going back on X....going on HORIZON to Bermuda....totally opposite of these ships....very small...no specialty restaurants.......and she is leaving the fleet at the end of 2005...I want to sail her before she goes.........and I was supposed to go to Bermuda this year but had to cancel.....so now I have my chance!

 

I am sure you will enjoy whatever cruise you choose:D

[Host Karen]

Can't speak specifically to Jewel or Millie, but we've sailed Brilliance twice and just returned from our first Celebrity cruise on Infinity. We would rate service and food higher on Infinity, cabin storage and layout, entertainment, and decor higher on Brilliance. As I've posted elsewhere, if RCL moved Brilliance to Celebrity, upgraded her food and service but kept everything else the same, we would sail her exclusively (well, almost exclusively :) ). Brilliance is a beautiful ship with plenty to do and plenty of nooks in which to relax or people watch. We will be sailing her for the third time in June. On the other hand, we plan to sail Summit in March 2006.

 

IMHO, you should look at additional factors: ports, price, and embarkation point. If you've never sailed a Radiance class ship before, the price is right and the ports interest you, I would try Jewel. You may not rave about the food and service, but you'll probably be satisfied with the cruise overall.