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Almost "LIVE" Jewel Feb 18; Late but Great! (the ship, not the review!)


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I'd love to be the kind of laugh out loud writer like Dave Barry, one of my heroes. Or be able to wittily describe incredible adventures Bill Bryson style (another favorite) I want people to read what I've written and laugh out loud. (Like Sailor Jack!) The problem is even if I might have a slightly funny idea, I can't write. No, really, I can't write. My teens correct my grammar on emails, my husband is constantly complaining about tenses.

 

So I'm just going to tell the story in the best way I know, giving lots of unwanted advice and information, a few pictures and in a way that allows you to laugh along with (at) me. As I've warned in previous reviews; I ramble, speak parenthetically, add asides, hints, tips, opinions and lots of speculation.

Some people probably cannot bear to read what I write and usually I encourage them skip ahead and to at least look at the photos; but in this case I cannot even recommend the photos because they are mine, ( not DH's ) and bad (while his are usually quite good, except for the ones he doesn't like and I make him post anyway, just so I can tell the story, which he hates!) So an important caveat on this review...the photos are all mine. My last review (Oasis Live!... one month later) my DH was with me and he took all the photos. If you've read the other, you will see a steep decline in quality! He made me promise to state this up front in my review so that he doesn't get the credit (blame) for these photos.

 

This review has been planned since well before sailing. I am a planner. Usually, DH reads the guide books about 3.425 weeks before we leave. That is usually about 14.534 months after everything has been booked. It's after I have spent countless hours reading those same books, trolling CC or Trip Advisor, talking to TA's and goggling everything possible. Usually at about 8.768 months, I have created a 2 -3 page spread sheet with all the details. I offer him a look at the spreadsheet, I ask questions about what he'd like, and mostly he says, " Oh, it's too soon to think about that". So finally 3 weeks before departure he starts reading and here's a little reenactment of what happens while he's reading the guidebook.

 

DH: "oh, wow, that's cool, we should go THERE"

Me: "yup, booked that"

He keeps reading, then DH says: "Oh that's really neat, we should do that"

Me: " Unh huh, I booked a guide for that"

DH: "Unbelievable, did you see this picture? We should go see this!"

Me: "It's Day 4...did you look at the itinerary!?!"

 

So on this cruise I am traveling with my teen daughter (CC screen name CruiseEm) She is a chip off the old block, an apple falling close to the tree, (to be perfectly honest, she hasn't fallen yet...I'm still waiting!) a little nut from the same bag o'nuts that is her mother. I am very glad about this because although both DH and older daughter love to travel, and enjoy every moment; they don't get that same joy about planning that she and I do. She's the kind of kid who reads the whole "Guest Ticket Booklet", including the tiny print I can't even see. She helped me make the planning spreadsheet. She read every review of Jewel she could find. She poured over the Cruise Compasses she downloaded. She seemed a little disappointed that we couldn't pre book our shows on Jewel.

 

DH and I brought home a brochure of the Radiance Class ships we picked up from the LA on our Oasis cruise. Her eyes lit up. I love this kid! So she will be part of this review; including her impressions as a teen cruiser and "the only cruise she can remember". (I hear all the time about how she "can't remember" the DCL cruise when she was 5 or the Princess cruise when she was 8- which makes me wonder why I am spending 4 bills to take her on trips she can't recall.) But I think it will be fun to work on this together, largely, because despite her early memory lapses, hers is much better than mine now!

 

So onto the review!

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Some background about our traveling party:

Myself, my older teen daughters and my mother (she's a senior citizen but does not know this yet...shhh...don't tell her).

 

We chose the Jewel of the Seas because:

One, it's homeport is Tampa, which is only 2 hours from my moms winter home in Fort Myers Beach.

 

Two, it was a short cruise, which would allow us to cruise with Mom, but still have time to visit with Dad in Fort Myers after the cruise. (Dad has loved and happily lived with mom for 50 + years, but has not loved cruising for 25+ years, so he and their darling pets stayed in Fort Myers and my DH was home in NE working; so this was a 3 generation girls cruise)

 

Three, I have always wanted to sail a Radiance class RCL ship, but haven't yet.

 

Four, mom celebrated a big birthday with a 0 in it in June and this was my birthday present to her.

 

Five, I wanted my DD's to take a short cruise on RCL before our booked Allure cruise in 2013, so they can be C & A members and enjoy my C & A status benefits during that cruise.

 

Six, the 5 nights awarded to me for this cruise by Crown and Anchor will make my whole family Diamond upon completion. (therefore I am referring to this Jewel cruise as my "Diamond making" cruise...fitting I think!)

 

Digression: I booked the 4 day JOS embarking on the 23rd of February first, then realized I could get better flight prices if I flew home on Sunday (same day as that cruise returns; dicey proposition to return to Tampa, debark, drive to Ft Myers and catch a flight.) So instead I booked the 5 day on Feb 18, and booked my cheaper flights to fit that cruise, although I did not immediately cancel the 4 day. This made my reservation appear as though we were doing a back to back. I had no intention to do a back to back, but one day I got a call from a nice RCL representative that the cruise I was planning to cancel anyway was chartered, and RCL needed to cancel my reservation. But like an idiot, instead of saying, "oh dear and I was really counting on that back to back vacation" and scoring a nice OBC, I blurt out blithely "oh, that's fine, we were going to cancel that one anyway". Upon which I hear actual joy in the representatives voice that this will not be a call where a passenger will be screaming obscenities at her. The call ends with everyone happy, but no OBC for me. And it should be clear by now that I do not have a future (or a past) in graft and corruption. Back to the review...

 

We had a very nice roll call that I started last February and seemed kind of quiet, so I held out some hope that prices would drop. Eventually, Sam Fritz booked and he became our Roll Call Ringmaster in no time; organizing informal meet and mingles, and an informal cabin crawl (all with good intentions, but we never got to them...more on that later!). He posted photos, countdowns, pax lists and generally kept the mood upbeat before our cruise.

 

Prices did drop several weeks after final payment, and several more joined our roll call. Those of us with prior reservations started scrambling for better cabins and almost daily someone on the RC reported scoring a cabin that made them happier! We moved from Hump Balconies 8594 and 8596 to aft cabins 8672 and 8170.

 

These were not adjoining, and Jewel balconies do not have openable balcony dividers (is that even a word, spell check says "NO"?) but the balcony was so huge, that we usually all met on one balcony. More on aft balconies later in my review, but if you are thinking of booking one on a cruise I plan to take- they are terrible, horrible, awful, you won't like it. Book somewhere else! If you are considering them for a cruise we are not taking; they are the most amazing thing! More later!

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Am I the only who doesnt see the review?

 

You will probably want to move on;)...it's going to be very long and this is just how I roll...there seem to be plenty of Jewel reviews out there...SamFritz just did one for this same cruise that has all the concise facts, if you are looking for something easier on the eyes!

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You will probably want to move on;)...it's going to be very long and this is just how I roll...there seem to be plenty of Jewel reviews out there...SamFritz just did one for this same cruise that has all the concise facts, if you are looking for something easier on the eyes!

 

lol im confused. I was just looking for your review but I see it now.

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Pre cruise Thursday Feb 16th

Our pre cruise adventure involved picking my kids up from high school (they are quite used to this as we do it a lot when we travel, so they have a whole game plan of what to leave in the car and what to bring!) and driving straight to our regional airport where we took a charter airline to the regional airport in Punta Gorda. A friend has taken this airline to visit family in Fort Myers for several years, and she described it to me as much cheaper, but no frills. After my last several flights on commercial airlines, I'm still waiting for frills, so I just went for cheap. Honestly, even with a schedule delay we experienced (about 30 minutes late) the whole experience was more pleasant than my usual sojourn through Atlanta on Delta. (I prefer to keep my limbs intact rather than pay an arm and a leg for Southwest or Jetblue direct flights during the school vacation week)

We had a direct flight and paid hundreds of dollars less than commercial. I understand that if the flight is delayed or cancelled you have no other options, but frankly, that's true of the "frills" airlines these days too. They may have flights scheduled, but they too are full, and there is little chance of getting on one if your original flight gets cancelled or delayed. We always travel with carry on baggage, so our flight was easy and quick.

 

Pre Cruise Friday Feb 17th

We stayed at the lovely "Mom and Pops Bed and Breakfast (and lunch and dinner too)" in Fort Myers Beach. I could have got this for $0 on Priceline, but just called direct and they cheerfully matched the price. We only had a day to spend with Dad before we had to drive to Tampa. I biked to the local beach for a workout before the girls woke up, took them to the pool in the afternoon and then we all went out to a church spaghetti supper on Friday night with our extended family (aunts and uncles and people who we love like aunts and uncles) Where else can you get excitement like this, except at Mom and Pops! Pops (gosh, we never call him that, and he'd be horrified!) kindly gassed up the van for mom and checked our windshield wipers and fluids before we made the 2 hour drive north. We were packed, carbo loaded and ready for our cruise.

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Day 1 Saturday Feb 18th: Fits and Starts

 

Mom is 70, so if you are close to that age you will remember a time long ago and faraway when there were no GPS's . My parents made a lot of road trips over the years and back during the golden age of road travel, everyone had an "auto club that must not be named" (we still do, for breakdowns and booking cruises, which is why it must not be named here) and if you were planning a road trip your first call was to "autoclub that must not be named" for a road map and a trip tik.

 

For you youngsters, a trip tik is a neato invention whereby someone with no knowledge whatsoever of the state to which you are traveling creates a page by page paper map book showing the exact route you could take and would probably be perfectly fine, if in fact it was not the most traffic filled way to go or the entire road was under construction. Today this process is likely outsourced, so that not only does the person making the trip tik not know the state, they very likely have not even visited the United States. There's an excellent chance their qualifications involve having watched a television show based in the state where you hope to travel with the help of the trip tik. But that is just speculation on my part.

 

(Photo of triptik) Trip Tik https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-sd54b632063c4b3fb

 

Now you may ask yourself..." why in this day and age of GPS would any fool use a trip tik from the "Auto club that must not be named "? And I know you would ask yourself this because I asked myself this. I even went so far to ask my mother this very question. The answer did not satisfy me and basically seemed to be a variation of " because we always get a trip tik" .

 

You might think my mother is a poor, elderly woman (remember, she is not aware of her senior status) on a fixed income and that possibly expensive electronics are just out of reach for her. But no, she has my DH, her beloved son in law, ( don't ask about that, it's a long story and you are already in a long one, but suffice to say that I married him rather than be voted out of my own family Survivor style, because if it came down to choosing one or the other of us, I was going to lose) (and I should add of course, they were not wrong...it was an excellent decision!)

 

So this wonderful son in law of hers; whatever electronic gadget comes out, he not only buys it for her, he gets it completely set up and provides technical support at any hour of the day for it. So really there is no excuse whatsoever to not use the perfectly fine GPS we bought for her and my dad several Christmases ago, but for some reason I am sitting in the passenger seat with a trip tik on my lap, which has no relation to the actual roads in Tampa on which we are driving.

For instance, the trip tik insists we are on a "toll road", even tough at no time are we stopped for a toll. Of course the warnings about the "toll road" are a throw back to a time when you would have drive in reverse out of the toll booth if you didn't have any coins (ask your parents about it, kids) and does not belong during a time when nearly every human being has a transponder that deducts the toll from their bank account. In those historic days, the "auto club that cannot be named" was (and still is) very committed to auto safety and it was of utmost importance to warn you in advance so you'd have time to start checking under the seats for change. But remember, we are using navigational techniques from the 70's, and not those used in the 21st century.

 

We continued on what we thought was the Selman Expressway, until literally, we reached the very end of it. The highway curves around and ends ( conveniently for us at a 7-11 where the very helpful manager gave us excellent directions ( "go down this road, take a left onto Bayshore, and just keep following it till you see the convention center then bear left till you get to port", not only was this an extremely scenic way to go, but it didn't cost me a $45 annual fee with the "Auto club that must not be named".

 

Upon arrival at the Port of Tampa at 11:30am, we noticed an odd thing. Lots of people rolling carryon bags down Channelside drive...hmmm...why are these people not getting either on a ship embarking or disembarking and heading for a plane? We found out soon enough, as we entered the port we were informed that in fact there was not a ship on which to embark ( oh, oh!) We had noticed quite a bit of fog on our scenic tour of Tampa Bay during the trip tik debacle, and in fact the port of Tampa had been closed and Jewel was forced to sit out in the gulf until the port opened and she would make the 3 hour journey under the bridge and into port. When we arrived the port had just been opened and Jewel was making her way into it, but it would be several hours before she arrived in port, some indeterminate amount of time to get everyone off of the ship, another unspecified period of time to " turn the ship around" and the usual amount of time to board everyone again, ( except imagine they are all there at the exact same time and really po'ed)

 

Being an Emerald C&A member I was given a big piece of paper photocopied with a giant VIP on it.

 

(photo of vip notice)

VIP Pass https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-s943900ccc27475c8

 

We were directed to the Channelside shopping center for our entertainment and dining enjoyment and told we would be comped $20 per person in onboard credit for the inconvenience. In the end we lost about 1/2 a day...and I'm thinking I would love to find a cruise for $40 per day! Instead of valet parking, which wasn't open yet...(we would have had to return, which would have required paying to park for a few hours then paying for valet) we decided to drop our bags curbside with the porters and self park across the street at 813 Channelside Drive. The lot is just across the street from the entrance to the port. The valet for 5 nights is $95; self park is $75; you pre pay on the way in and get a coin to put in the machine when you leave. It couldn't be simpler!

 

Lots of people have asked about the port of Tampa, as far as what to do there or how to kill time, and I have to say, it's an excellent place to kill some time. We ate at a Tina Tapas, and watched our ship literally come in.

(photos Menu of Tapas restaurant)

 

(cold dishes)

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(hot dishes)

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(more hot dishes, LOL!)

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I am also including a link to a sheet that they gave us that lists all the activities in Tampa, proximity and prices. This doc also has all the boarding docs we got on it for your use...sorry its all in one, but that was easier to do while scanning!

 

(Planner, Officers, Tampa Activities and Spa menus)

 

https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-s14fa958ffc6414a9

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There was plenty to do to while away an afternoon in the port area. Easy walking to the Channelside (outdoor) Mall and the Aquarium. We enjoyed the Channelside Mall area and met many other cruisers there, including our Roll Call Ringmaster Sam and his wife Dianna. At this point we knew our 3 PM informal Meet and Mingle at the Schooner Bar was toast, but we still hoped to organize some kind of cabin crawl as we had those interesting aft balconies and Sam and Dianna were in an accessible JS which is also unusual. And although we saw others from the roll call here and there, we never did get to organize that cabin crawl! Here are some photos we took at the Channelside Mall.

 

(photos around the mall)

 

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And finally we see Jewel heading into the port...this is an amazing sight, and Im sure the folks who live there must enjoy watching the ships go out, but I doubt many are awake to see one come in that early!

 

(Photos of Jewel arriving)

 

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At this point we felt it was nearly 2 and past the return time on my VIP paper, so we headed to the terminal to check in. We were directed through security, where there was no wait and then up to a waiting area designated for VIP's. And there we sat from 2:30- 4:30 PM.

 

We sat facing the Jewel and could see all the passengers debarking. It was actually quite funny because the line would trickle to just a few people and we would all say..."yeah, thats the last of them" and then the door on the Promenade would open and another 500 people would stream off. This happened a least another 6 times (2300 people) before it appeared the crew (the few who were lucky enough to be getting outta there!) trickled out.

 

At this point they began the check in process, asking us to come up row by row and check in at the appropriate desk (regular, C&A Platinum and up, D+, Pinnacle and Suite). After checking in there and getting our Seapass cards, we all stood in a mob (not the greatest situation for those with mobility issues). These guys helped keep nerves calm with their harmonica playing. Overall, people were annoyed a bit, but bascially understood that there was not much that could be done, and waited patiently and politely.

 

(Photo of guys with harmonicas)

 

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At about this point my DD (the little planning nut) is near tears as the whole first 4 blocks on our spreadsheet have just gone up in smoke. Gone is touring the ship for photo opportunities, gone is our informal Meet and Mingle, gone is our early dinner at the Seaview Cafe. Sadly, she doesn't have the life experience to understand that while plans and planning are great, in the end, if you travel you must be prepared to wing it! It was an important life lesson, and we were very fortunate to be able to wait inside. We met folks who were standing outside in the sun for long periods of time. Also, I reminded her that if we thought it was a bummer, imagine how the employees must feel!

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Finally, around 5 PM they boarded the Diamond, D+ and Pinnacle and suite guests, then the other C & A priority guests and then regular boarding. I have no idea how long it took folks near the end of the line to get through, but I imagine it was not a quick process. We were giddy to be boarding just before 6 PM.

We could see our bags (based on the color of the bags and tags) in the luggage trolley while on the ramp, so that made us happy knowing it would make it aboard!

 

(photo of luggage; ours is the blue and purple on the top left)

 

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Here we are boarding.

 

(boarding photo)

 

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(Photo of elevator day of the week; I forget who I cribbed this idea from Michele maybe or Jennat?...but I love it and was holding up elevators all week to get my pictures, much to the chagrin of my fellow passengers)

 

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We decided to take advantage of the relatively early boarding time to have dinner while it was still quiet on board. At this point the MDR was open for open seating for all guests and the Windjammer was open. We decided to go to the Windjammer, so we could watch the sunset. They did not have the viadalia onion tart, but they did have my favorite dessert from the Night 1 menu: strawberry pavlova. I must warn you, I don't do food porn...Im too hungry to set decorate the table before I dig in! And my DH doesn't shoot food, and we only use food for fuel anyway, but I have a couple of shots here for special reasons. The pavlova is one... and one for another CC'er later:-)

 

(photo of pavlova)

 

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(photo of dining in Windjammer)

 

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Our next stop was to our beautiful aft balcony cabins.

WOW!

These are as advertised, just a phenomenal view and huge balcony. I adored having the lounge chairs and we spent so much more time on our balcony than ever having this balcony.

These cabins are considered D2; I think D1 are the same cabins on the higher decks and some of the cabins with larger balcony on the forward and aft humps. This is 8672, the set up is exactly the same as 8170 inside, the balcony of 8170 is ever so slightly tapered on port side and slightly smaller (not even noticeably so) than 8672. 8172 and 8670 had exactly the same size balcony and were on either side of us. 8168, the furthest port (left) has a slightly larger balcony that would allow you to peek around on the port side, you could not sit there, as its too shallow, but the extra space is standing room. 8668 is a 2 bedroom Suite, it also has an enlarged balcony. So that is the lowdown on the neighborhood. We chose 8 rather than 7 because those aft balconies are directly above the Safari Club and Mom is early to bed (she always was, it's not because she is a senior...shhh!) Deck 9, I think were D1; we could have upgraded to those (it was a mammoth price drop!) but there were not 2 available up there. I'll have more info on the pros and cons of the aft balconies later.

 

(Photos of Jewel Cabin Balcony 8672)

 

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On board, I found my box o' dried fruit (Is this stuff not disgusting? I think its like the worst part of the fruitcake!) and cookies for being Emerald and my bottle of water "amenity". We had packed a 12 pack of water in our luggage, it arrived at the cabin without incident. But they may not have been checking very carefully in an effort to expedite the luggage handling; but that is just pure guessing on my part. This is my diamond making cruise, so I wonder what nectar of the gods awaits my next cruise?

 

Also, my travel agent was very kind and sent a bottle of champagne for each cabin as well as a 25 OBC. This was very kind, but also a touch inattentive. Half the occupants of our cabins are minors- maybe strawberries or a fruit basket might have been a better choice? But the credit was great and I sent her a thank you for thinking of us! Mom and I don't really like champagne, it doesn't make sense to carry it off the ship to palm it off on someone at home, so I decide to use it strategically!

 

Met our neighbors in the cabin between us, the " meat" in our girl sandwich, Sean and Seth, just before sail away. I knew my teens will be hailing each other across their balcony occasionally despite admonishments not to do so. So to get started on the right foot, I offered them both bottles of champagne, and since they have a little family reunion going on and they were thrilled with the offer! They are a wonderful couple and we enjoyed having them as neighbors!

 

I feel bad for our cabin steward, Olton. He introduces himself, and I let him know we like ice daily, we will empty the minibar, I need my robes, and that we have MTD and will be religious about leaving out the sign so he can get in our cabin when he needs to.

 

I tip him additionally now (as well as later) in anticipation of that very short morning clean up window he will have due to my snoozy teens. These guys work like dogs and today must be a very difficult day!! It was 10:24 and he was just getting to our turn down service...he had several cabins with small children who needed service STAT to get into bed, and my teens won't arrive till midnight, so we don't mind. I'm sure his day is not done after he finishes with us! He was terrific all week, no request was denied. For instance, I asked for the laundry bag early, and requested a change in luggage tags for departure so luggage from both cabins would be in the same place. He handled everything cheerfully, and we got 2 towel critters. (photos later!)

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Here are some interior shots of 8762, sorry for the blurry photos, but you get the idea of the closets and storage areas.

 

(photos of Jewel Cabin 8672)

 

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(there are shelves behind the glass doors on either side for toiletries and a bank of 3 drawers on each side of the desk/vanity)

 

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(more shelves in the closet, and there is another side to the closet with a hanging bar like the one you can see, although the PFD's do take up most of the floor space there)

 

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The rooms themselves are the largest I have been in on a RCL ship, and are just beautiful. I love the dark woods and navy. Everything looks fresh and classic to me. I felt like this class has the most storage space I've seen on a Royal ship (my D1 on Oasis had far less storage and it was not "bilateral"; meaning that 2 people could have equal and opposite storage spaces) I can see why these ships are popular for long and cold weather cruises. The cabin is designed to accommodate more than an itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini!

 

The balcony blew me away! Wow! It is probably 1/2 the size of the bed and living area of the cabin (with out the hall & bath part) there are 2 loungers and 2 chairs, the view of the wake is fantastic. I will forever be stuck booking on the day RCL itineraries are released in order to score one of these dozen or so aft cabins for the rest of my life!

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The muster drill, was scheduled for 9:30 PM. ( I feel bad for the people with tiny tots...they must be pooped!) After a very quick Muster Drill, we decided to take in the sail away from our balcony at 10 PM.

 

(Photos of sail away and Tampa from the WJ)

 

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(This one is from above the Windjammer)

 

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(In this one on the lower left you can see the Tampa Terminal 3 building where Jewel ports)

 

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We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the ship to explore. We took some night shots. The Welcome Aboard Show was rescheduled for 10:45. I attended to "meet" our cruise director, and get a sense of what was in store for the week. The girls headed to the teen center at 10 PM to meet up with the other teens onboard and DM went to hit the hay.

 

(Photos of ship at night)

 

(the pool and pool bar)

 

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(the pool band, which played more reggae style than calypso -no steel drums)

 

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(the Solarium is beautiful day and night!)

 

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(this is my daughters challenge for later in the cruise!)

 

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The ship is as beautiful as people say. After sailing on Oasis just a few months ago, I am so impressed by the "shippyness" of this ship. It is nautical in all the very best ways. The Solarium feels like you have been transported to Bali, the Centrum, which I expected to be gaudy, is elegant and light. The Windjammer with its outdoor seating is one of the loveliest in the fleet. Everywhere you look this ship reminds you it is an ocean going vessel designed to look and feel like a vessel going on the ocean.

The girls wandered back to the cabin at midnight, (my curfew for them) and just as we were getting ready for bed a little past midnight, I looked out the window and realized something we had really wanted to see was in the rearview! We saw this:

 

(photo of Skyway Bridge)

 

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I know it's not very good, but by the time we grabbed our cameras we were well past it, but were thrilled we did get to see it, even though we thought we would pass under it much later!

 

And that concludes our very busy and unexpected, but still delightful first day on the JOTS!

Day 1 Cruise Compass, our first day looked nothing like this...but yours might!

 

https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-sb0ec2a15dc04f658

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FamilyGoBoston,

 

You are doing an amazing job! I am hanging on every word and can't wait to hear more!!! We are taking our first RC cruise on the Jewel with our wonderful neighbors (two families who have never cruised before and, frankly, are a little nervous, lol) on March 17. We are so excited to be trying something other than Carnival and NCL -- not that there's is anything wrong with either of those. We have enjoyed our cruises on them, but we're looking forward to experiencing a RC.

 

Keep sharing whatever info you can! Our travel mates will have some teenagers with them; so we are anxious to hear what your DD's thoughts are, too.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to review your Jewel cruise!!

 

 

NeverTakeItForGranted :-)

 

Go Pats, Sox, Celtics & Bruins!!!! (DH is from Springfield!)

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I'm enjoying reliving all the fun! Thanks. And I described my little three page review as long! :)

Sam...your review was very good and concise...lots of people prefer that to this, but I like reading and therefore, writing this type;) Did you like the title Roll Call Ringmaster? I thought it was great way to describe all you efforts to connect everyone:D (if I do say so myself)

FamilyGoBoston,

 

You are doing an amazing job! I am hanging on every word and can't wait to hear more!!! We are taking our first RC cruise on the Jewel with our wonderful neighbors (two families who have never cruised before and, frankly, are a little nervous, lol) on March 17. We are so excited to be trying something other than Carnival and NCL -- not that there's is anything wrong with either of those. We have enjoyed our cruises on them, but we're looking forward to experiencing a RC.

 

Keep sharing whatever info you can! Our travel mates will have some teenagers with them; so we are anxious to hear what your DD's thoughts are, too.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to review your Jewel cruise!!

 

 

NeverTakeItForGranted :-)

 

Go Pats, Sox, Celtics & Bruins!!!! (DH is from Springfield!)

 

Thanks! You can take the boy out of Boston but you can't take the Boston out of the boy;)

I think you will love Jewel for a RCL first cruise! It has all the fun Royal Caribbean traditions, and yet is so manageable.

 

My teens really enjoyed the teen hang out area. I can't say the staff organized as much as is listed on the teen compass (which I have scanned and will try to include tomorrow for your friends) I think they took their cues from the kids; if the kids were there and wanted to do that particular activity they would "run it" but if not they just let them hang.

 

The older teens mostly used it to connect and then hang out with one another around the ship. The younger ones (under 14) tended to hang out in the club. Given how little supervision there is and how easy it is to suddenly find yourself getting into trouble; it might not be a bad idea to have a rule for the younger teens that the hanging out needs to be in Fuel. The older kids seemed to be behaving ok in the pools and hot tubs when we saw them. There was quite a bit of supervision at the pools and I saw attendants speak to people frequently if rules were "misunderstood"

 

We were lucky, the kids on our sailing were really well behaved. Maybe Sam could speak to another perspective, but I trolled around looking for my own teens occasionally, just to put an eyeball on them, and overall I felt the whole lot were respectful and not destructive. I didnt see any active PDA going on with the older ones, but definite pairing off was happening with some by the end of the cruise;)

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I love your reviews and read them more than once. I was rolling on the floor with the triptix explanation. We used to get them for every trip and got lost on every trip. LOL. Keep it coming as we are going to book this ship next I think. I love this class of ship. Your photos are great (don't tell your husband) and you are quite funny. I cracked up at the "Hot Dishes". Keep it coming!!!

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Sam...your review was very good and concise...lots of people prefer that to this, but I like reading and therefore, writing this type;) Did you like the title Roll Call Ringmaster? I thought it was great way to describe all you efforts to connect everyone:D (if I do say so myself)

 

 

Thanks! You can take the boy out of Boston but you can't take the Boston out of the boy;)

I think you will love Jewel for a RCL first cruise! It has all the fun Royal Caribbean traditions, and yet is so manageable.

 

My teens really enjoyed the teen hang out area. I can't say the staff organized as much as is listed on the teen compass (which I have scanned and will try to include tomorrow for your friends) I think they took their cues from the kids; if the kids were there and wanted to do that particular activity they would "run it" but if not they just let them hang.

 

The older teens mostly used it to connect and then hang out with one another around the ship. The younger ones (under 14) tended to hang out in the club. Given how little supervision there is and how easy it is to suddenly find yourself getting into trouble; it might not be a bad idea to have a rule for the younger teens that the hanging out needs to be in Fuel. The older kids seemed to be behaving ok in the pools and hot tubs when we saw them. There was quite a bit of supervision at the pools and I saw attendants speak to people frequently if rules were "misunderstood"

 

We were lucky, the kids on our sailing were really well behaved. Maybe Sam could speak to another perspective, but I trolled around looking for my own teens occasionally, just to put an eyeball on them, and overall I felt the whole lot were respectful and not destructive. I didnt see any active PDA going on with the older ones, but definite pairing off was happening with some by the end of the cruise;)

 

On this cruise I noticed that there were more kids, and (being a teacher) I have no choice but to cruise on this holiday week, so there are always more families travelling. So far I haven't had a student of mine on a cruise. Wouldn't that be a blast? I also noticed many more senior citizens, and many with mobility issues (wheel chairs, walkers, canes, etc.) than I had noticed on previous cruises. Neither the kids, nor the seniors created any problems that I saw.

 

Were your girls involved in the "pairing off?"

 

Yes, "Roll Call Ringmaster" fits quite nicely. My next two cruises are 7 nighters so I won't have to put so much thought into the meet and mingle. But it was really nice to link reservations and have dinner every night with some CC friends.

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I love your reviews and read them more than once. I was rolling on the floor with the triptix explanation. We used to get them for every trip and got lost on every trip. LOL. Keep it coming as we are going to book this ship next I think. I love this class of ship. Your photos are great (don't tell your husband) and you are quite funny. I cracked up at the "Hot Dishes". Keep it coming!!!

 

Thank you...thank you! That is so kind. CruiseEm and I are working diligently...more on the way!

 

On this cruise I noticed that there were more kids, and (being a teacher) I have no choice but to cruise on this holiday week, so there are always more families travelling. So far I haven't had a student of mine on a cruise. Wouldn't that be a blast? I also noticed many more senior citizens, and many with mobility issues (wheel chairs, walkers, canes, etc.) than I had noticed on previous cruises. Neither the kids, nor the seniors created any problems that I saw.

 

Were your girls involved in the "pairing off?"

 

Yes, "Roll Call Ringmaster" fits quite nicely. My next two cruises are 7 nighters so I won't have to put so much thought into the meet and mingle. But it was really nice to link reservations and have dinner every night with some CC friends.

 

I teach preschoolers, Sam, and when they see me out they can't place me or figure out why I am not at school;)

 

Emily had a boy from her history class on our cruise! But no love connections were made for either girl (and I am actually relieved all my recent "car lectures" as CruiseEm calls them were for naught!

 

I agree overall, this was a really well behaved, considerate group of fellow travelers ( the horror of that for me is that maybe WE were the rude ones?):eek:

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Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. Sadly, writing a review for CC does not let me skip school. :( I'll be contributing every so often to this review, but I cant guarantee a full review. I should have pictures up for some days but I'm still working (okay my dad is) on processing the photos

Day 1

WHAT? We're delayed?

After getting up bright and early (okay 7.. its vacation;)) and driving to port we find out that the lovely Jewel has been delayed due to fog. This was a near catastrophe for me. I am a planner and for the first day I had a schedule. Well, time for some re-planning. After spending a few nice hours in the Channelside area of Tampa (see the photos in my Mom's post) we see the Jewel coming into port. We misguidedly believed that this would mean that the wait time should only be a few more hours. Unfortunately this is not the case. From the windows in port you can see people leaving the Jewel. As a new cruiser my first thought is How do they fit all of those people onto the ship? Finally were given the all clear to enter the ship.

Hey Look!

As we travel up to the ship on the gangway we look over the side. Carts of luggage are being loaded onto the ship. I sure hope that my bag is on one of those carts. LOOK! There it is.. our luggage. I was very glad it wasn't heading to the airport since our bags were loaded on a the same time the other bags are leaving. Once on the ship we head over to our cabins. Since my mom already described the cabins here I'll just give my impressions as a first time cruiser.

· The cabin had a lot of storage… more than I needed for 5 days

· I found the bathroom decent sized for one person. After reading CC I vastly underestimated its size. It is not big but fairly comfortable for 1 person.

· The cabin was very nice. For some reason every picture either pictured it as an austere white room (official pictures) or a dark dim room (other photos). It was neither.

· We have an aft balcony and it is absolutely huge. 2 loungers and 2 chairs. I have a feeling I am not going to be all that impressed with the tiny Boardwalk balcony we have booked on Allure.

 

Dinner (and the discovery of the very good ice cream machine)

After dropping our stuff at the cabins we head over to the Windjammer for dinner. Due to the delay all of the dining room was open seating (we have my time) but we didn't feel like dressing up. Good food and a very nice atmosphere (no flashbacks to the school cafeteria). However later I found out I missed the watermelon gazpacho. This was promptly put on the fledging things to do on Allure list. (By the end of the week it as beginning to look like Santa's nice list) Breaking News: They have an ice cream machine! (Okay thanks to CC I already knew this, but still). Never mind the teen club this is were you will find me at night! (Okay.. that’s hyperbole, you caught me, buy I was guilty of having a second dessert a couple of times).

 

Mustard Drill?

That's my sister peaking, not me. Thanks to you CC members, I know the real name!! Pretty short and simple but late for the young kids (9:30).

 

Fuel

Fuel is the teen club. I and DS stop there after the muster drill. The first night was a little awkward especially since 6 year olds kept walking in thinking it was AO, but fun nonetheless.. This is really the only place for under-18s to hang out as all the clubs are 18+. So DM is abandoned in the cabin :( (She assures me she did mind) at midnight (Like Cinderella!) we head back to the cabin. YAWN!

 

Speaking off sleep… Day 2 tomorrow.

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