Jump to content

Jewel of the Seas - trip journal with pictures


Recommended Posts

We were on the Jewel of the Seas 4-night cruise on January 12-16. A little about us - We (Susan and Ron) are in our early 40's and are from Florida. We've been on a lot of cruises but this was our first time on the Jewel. We had a great time!

 

I like to write journals for all my trips so this is more my personal journal than a review, but I hope you enjoy it anyway and can glean some information from it. I'll also be happy to answer questions, if I can. Here goes:

 

Thursday – Tampa

We got to the Port of Tampa around 12:30, dropped our bags with the porters and were on the ship within 20 minutes. Quick and painless! I was starving so the first thing we did was head to the Windjammer for lunch. I was happy to find a pasta station and also a soft serve ice cream machine! We ate our lunch in the outdoor seating area all the way to the back of the restaurant so we could see the water and the port.

 

 

View of the ship from the parking garage:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

 

By the time we were done eating, the staterooms were ready so we went to check out our cabin. We’d booked a guarantee oceanview cabin and had been assigned cabin number 3012 on Deck 3. It was a great cabin – kind of a trek from the main areas but surprisingly large. Since it was a connecting cabin I was worried about noise but we never heard a peep out of our neighbors. There was plenty of storage and a window big and wide enough for us to be able to sit in it and look out. Some wise person had even designed the bed with rounded edges – no banging our shins every time we walked around it.

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

Our luggage had already been delivered (that was fast!) so we unpacked. That was when we discovered that Ron had forgotten to pack any dress shoes. And then he tried to blame me! Why didn’t I tell him to pack shoes? Actually, I had. I said to pack his suit, shoes and socks. He said I only told him about the suit. Ok, even if that was true (which it wasn’t), everyone knows you have to have shoes and socks with a suit! Argh! What to do? Well, his jogging shoes were black. Black was formal, right? NOT!

 

 

We finished unpacking and went to explore the ship. It was beautiful! The main feature was the 8-story Centrum lit with sparkling lights that changed colors, an illuminated staircase and a huge silver sculpture suspended from the ceiling. There were elevators inside the atrium and another bank of elevators that faced the outside of the ship so you could see the ocean as you rode up and down. Why don’t all have ships have elevators like that? So pretty.

 

 

The Centrum:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

The main pool area seemed a little small but there was another pool area called the Solarium with a retractable glass roof. The Solarium was adults-only and had padded wooden lounge chairs and its own bar. It had Asian décor and a spa-like feel. The Jewel also had a kids’ pool with a water slide, a rock climbing wall and a mini-golf course.

 

 

After the mandatory muster drill, we went to the back of the ship for the sail away. It was quiet and peaceful back there since most people seemed to be partying around the main pool. As we set sail, Tampa looked beautiful in the late afternoon light. We passed Harbor Island and saw a rowing crew working their way up the channel. Small airplanes landed at the private air strip on Davis Island. After the sun set, it started to get chilly so we went into the Solarium and sat on a couple of padded loungers as the sky darkened - magical. I really loved the way this ship had so many places where you could see the sea. You really knew you were on a ship and not just a floating hotel. When we approached the Sunshine Skyway, everyone ran out on deck to watch us pass under the bridge with just 6 feet to spare. The captain even blew the ship’s horn when we went under.

 

 

Setting sail:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

ry%3D480

Edited by CruisinCrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dinnertime. We had signed up for My Time Dining, where instead of going to dinner at one of the traditional seatings (early seating at 6:00 or late seating at 8:30), you could eat when you felt like it. The dining room was gorgeous! It was 2 stories with a grand staircase and a huge tapestry that covered the entire back wall. The My Time Dining area was on the second floor of the 2-story dining room on the port side. We were seated at a table for two but it was close enough to the tables next to it that we could chat with the other diners. Coincidentally, our waiter was also named Ron and so was the man seated next to us! That was kind of funny. At least it was easy for the waiter to remember everyone’s names.

 

 

Tides Dining Room:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

Dinner was yummy (spinach salad, Vidalia onion tart which tasted a bit like quiche and a grilled “catch of the day”.) The dining room bartender was carrying around a tray of after-dinner shots so I nabbed one. It turned out that they had a different shot each night, each in a different colored glass and you got to keep the glass. That night’s shot was a Nutty Irishman, made with Frangelica and Baileys. Mmmmm.

 

 

After dinner we went to the casino for some Black Jack. We found a $6 table (why 6 and not 5?) but the dealer was wiping everyone out. Finally there was just one man left. We decided to take our chances and sat down and a few other people joined us. I ended up winning the first 10 hands! Ron was doing well too so we played for quite a while and then decided to quit while we were ahead. That was fun! We cashed out but I forgot to keep a $1 chip for my collection. Oh well, we’d be back.

 

 

Casino Royale:

 

 

ry%3D400

Edited by CruisinCrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Friday – Day at Sea

Our cabin was nice and quiet (with the help of our white noise machine) so we slept straight through until 7:30. I peeked out the curtains to check the weather – it was light out but cloudy. Boooo!

 

We went to the Windjammer for the breakfast buffet where I carb-loaded on the cranberry raisin bread. Now what? Ron and I are never sure what to do with ourselves on sea days. After reading through the activities of the day in the Cruise Compass, we decided to go to the cooking demonstration being held in the Centrum. They were demonstrating how to make a Black Forest cake and had enlisted the help of a victim…I mean volunteer. :) She was a good sport even when they gave her an over-sized whisk to whip the cream for the filling. Afterwards, everyone got a copy of the recipe and a sample of the cake. While I was watching the show, Ron went to visit the tailor to rent some dress shoes for tonight’s formal night dinner. Yay!

 

Black Forest cake:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

Next we went to the gym so that we wouldn’t gain 3 pounds like we did on our last cruise. The gym was busy but there were plenty of treadmills and elliptical machines. I gave the elliptical machine a try but gave up after 10 minutes and switched to the treadmill. Ron used the treadmill and weight machines.

 

After our workout, we showered up and went to lunch at the Seaview Café, a neat little restaurant at the back of the ship on Deck 12. We placed our order at the counter, and when it was ready a waiter brought it out to our table. Nice! Everything was fresh tasting and delicious. I had the tuna melt, Ron had the fish and chips and we shared an order of onion rings. The bread on my sandwich was so good, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, just like the sandwiches I’d had in France.

 

Seaview Cafe:

 

ry%3D480

 

 

By then, the sun was trying to come out so we found two deck chairs and settled in for some UV rays and reading. I quickly found out that my new Kindle Fire does not work outside in the sun. Even when I turned the brightness to the highest level, there was too much glare on the screen. Fortunately, I’d also brought the Stephanie Plum book in paperback, just in case. Whew! We read and watched the Belly Flop Contest and line dancing lessons going on around the pool. Just when I drifted off for a nice nap, the first rain drops started falling. Argh! We turned in our towels and retreated to the cabin, where we watched Pirates of the Caribbean on TV.

 

Belly flop contest winners:

 

ry%3D480

 

Around 5:30, the skies cleared up so we decided to check out the helipad on the bow of the ship and watch the sunset. Usually it’s really windy on the bow but that day it was perfectly calm because the ship was moving at the same speed and direction as the wind. That was neat!

 

On the helipad:

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

 

ry%3D480

Edited by CruisinCrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Ron’s shoes and socks had been delivered. Yay! First stop, the Centrum to say thank you to the tailor for saving the day and to get our formal portraits taken. Then on to the dining room. The dining room was much busier that night and there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. We probably should have made reservations but what we like about My Time Dining is that we don’t have to be on a schedule. At any rate, the wait was only about 5 minutes. The tables for two were full so we were seated with a group of women who go on vacation together every year (none of them were named Ron). I had the escargot and a seafood skewer with scallops, shrimp and fish. Escargot is my favorite and I wanted to order two but I was really trying to eat lighter this trip. Of course, I blew that by ordering the bittersweet chocolate soufflé with warm espresso sauce and the daily after-dinner shot. It was a B52 and came in a green glass.

 

Rental shoes:

 

ry%3D480

 

 

We waddled out of the dining room and to the casino but there was no love for us at the Black Jack table. I gave back about half of what I’d won the night before but at least this time I remembered to keep my $1 chip. We’d planned to go to the Battle of the Sexes game in the Safari Club but stopped for the sing along in the Schooner Bar instead. Another drink, a few tunes and then a walk around the promenade deck before bed. The moon and few stars were out. Would it be sunny in Cozumel the next day?

 

Formal night pic:

 

 

ry%3D480

 

 

 

Our towel animal watching TV:

 

ry%3D480

Edited by CruisinCrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Everyone! I'll try to finish up tonight. Meanwhile, here are a couple of tips about the Jewel:

 

The cruise director and activities director have a "morning show" every day on TV where they go over the activities for the day. It only lasts about 5 minutes so it's easy to watch while you're getting ready for breakfast. It's basically the same information as in the Cruise Compass but they give more detail. For example, I wouldn't have known from the Compass that the Bar Flair Show was the barwaiters performing tricks like in the movie "Cocktail". They also let you know about changes in the itinerary.

 

There are "Make Up The Room" cards that you can stick in your door key slot. These are really helpful to the room stewards if you have My Time Dining since they won't know exactly when you'll be out of the room for dinner.

 

If you want to watch the playoffs, there are plenty of places to watch. The Pit Stop is a sports bar next to the casino. It seemed to be the most rowdy area but it is also on the small side. There are other TVs and plenty of seating in the Safari Club and Schooner Bar. The crew even put out snacks and hot dogs during the games last weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm currently on a diet and have done really well so far but I'm very worried i'll put it all back on again in April. How did you manage to stay so good?

 

CK x

 

Well, I wouldn't say I was good. I just tried not to pig out quite so much. But it is vacation, after all. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continuing on....

 

Saturday – Cozumel

I woke up at 7 and peeked out the window. It was cloudy and gloomy. Noooooooo! We were just pulling into Cozumel and I could see the lighthouse in San Miguel. We docked at the International Pier next to the Legend of the Seas. Even though the Jewel of the Seas is huge, it looked small next to the Legend. While we ate breakfast at the back of the Windjammer, we watched all the snorkel boats descend on our ship like the sting rays in Grand Cayman do when the tour boats pull in.

 

International Pier:

 

ry%3D480

 

What was the weather going to do?? There were a couple of breaks in the clouds but it also looked like rain was coming. We’d booked day passes at Sabor, an adults-only all-inclusive resort, and had planned to sit at the beach bar, snorkel and use the Hobie cats. We could skip it and stay on the ship (we’d only lose our $20 deposit) or we could chance it and hope things cleared up. We decided to go for it. The weather wasn’t going to be any better on the ship and we had another day at sea the next day.

 

The cab ride to Sabor took about 15 minutes. We checked in at the reception desk, where we got wrist bands and cards to exchange for beach towels. Then we explored the property. Hmmmmm. It wasn’t exactly what we’d expected. It seemed kind of small and run down. I’ve never understood why people on Trip Advisor take pictures of grout or rust stains. I’ve always turned around and looked at the gorgeous blue Caribbean waters instead. But when it’s cloudy and gloomy and there’s no bright sunshine to light up the water, it’s a lot easier to notice the grout stains. There wasn’t a lot of activity going on, probably because of the weather. Most people seemed to be hanging out in the lobby with their computers, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi.

 

On a sunny day we would have really enjoyed the resort. There were lots of pretty palm trees and palapas along the beach and plenty of lounge chairs around the pool. My favorite part was the beach bar, which had swings for chairs. It was nice just swinging and sipping on a mojito. We ate lunch at the grill – chicken quesadillas and freshly made ceviche with shrimp, fish and octopus. Unfortunately, about the time we wanted to try some snorkeling, it started to rain. We sat under a palapa and read our books, but by 2 o’clock the rain showed no sign of stopping so we voted to pack it up. What a bummer!

 

Sabor:

 

ry%3D480

 

Loved the swing chairs:

 

ry%3D480

 

When we got back into town, it was clear that it had rained a lot harder there. The streets were flooding and people were scurrying for cover. We jumped out of our cab and made a mad dash for the cruise terminal. At least there were plenty of shops right there at the terminal so we browsed until the rain let up. I bought little bottles of vanilla for the people at work (and one huge bottle for myself) and Ron bought me a really pretty pair of red and silver earrings. What a sweet husband. :)

 

Vanilla!

 

ry%3D480

 

Back on the ship, we dried off, ordered spinach dip from room service and napped until it was time to get ready for dinner. Tonight was Italian night in the dining room. I had the Caprese salad and the scallop risotto, which of course resulted in comments about Chef Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen. “It’s rauwwwwww!” Our risotto wasn’t raw and was quite delicious, as was the garlic tiger shrimp and the warm chocolate cake. This was my favorite meal yet! The shot-of-the-day came in a blue glass and Carlos the bartender said it had ice cream in it. Yum! The man at the table next to us ordered the raspberry cheesecake which didn’t look like any cheesecake I’d ever seen. It was in a half-sphere shape and was very jiggly. To make matters worse (or maybe better, depending on your perspective), it was topped with a small dollop of whipped cream and a blueberry. What was the chef thinking?? Ok, I know exactly what he was thinking…

 

Shot-of-the-day:

 

ry%3D480

 

After dinner we went to the Coral Theater for the headliner show, which was an Argentinian folk dance team called Los Pampas Gauchos. The two dancers were entertaining and got the crowd involved. The seas were definitely picking up and you could feel the ship rocking and rolling. When we got back to our cabin, Ron sat in the window so he could watch the waves crashing as high as our deck.

Edited by CruisinCrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continuing on....

 

Saturday – Cozumel

We docked at the International Pier next to the Legend of the Seas. Even though the Jewel of the Seas is huge, it looked small next to the Legend. While we ate breakfast at the back of the Windjammer, we watched all the snorkel boats descend on our ship like the sting rays in Grand Cayman do when the tour boats pull in.

 

Ah no, Legend is in Asia year round and is a Vision class ship thus smaller than Jewel. You were docked next to Liberty of the Seas, a Freedom class ship and bigger than Jewel which is a Radiance class ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep it coming....i love reviews with pictures...! Look great so far.

 

I'm currently on a diet and have done really well so far but I'm very worried i'll put it all back on again in April. How did you manage to stay so good?

 

CK x

 

To burn calories I've taken walks around the upper deck in addition walking on excursions. Once I even returned home weighing 7 lbs less than when I left home. That was a 12 nite cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...