Breakaway v Jewel

Just got off the Breakaway Baltic which was fantastic. I was a big Royal Caribbean cruiser but I liked the Breakaway so much more. I’m all about the specialty dining & the thermal suite spa. I don’t gamble or do shows. Plus the included drinks were great.

Thinking about the Jewel for an Australia/NZ Cruise in Jan. How does it compare? It doesn’t seem to have the large amount of specialty restaurants? Does it have the thermal suite spa & package?

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The Jewel has several specialty restaurants. Chin-Chin (Asian) and O'Sheehan's (pub food) are free. Cagney's (steak), Le Bistro (French), La Cucina (Italian), Teppanyaki (Japanese), the sushi bar, and Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse/churascurria) are all extra cost.

I know the Jewel has a spa but have no idea how good it is. Expect it to be pricey (as is the norm with cruise ship spas).

As it happens, I've been on both. The spa on the Jewel is much smaller than the Breakaway, and more of the areas are segregated by sex, i.e., there is a men's side and a ladies' side, each with a hot tub, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, etc., and then the coed section is a lot smaller than the BA with just one big hot tub. So it kind of depends who you're traveling with and if you want to enjoy the spa facilities together. They do have the heated loungers and other loungers in the Jewel spa in the coed section but again, it's smaller. They don't have the different rooms (salt, steam, etc) that the Breakaway does. However, I think a Jewel spa pass is less expensive than the Breakaway is.

The Jewel also doesn't have Margaritaville or Ocean Blu and the Raw Bar that the Breakaway has on the Waterfront, nor does it have the gelato and bakeshop. I believe the other restaurants are the same. One feature the Jewel does have that I love is the Great Outdoors, which is a smaller buffet on the aft of the ship.

The Jewel has not been refurbished since 2014, it looks like, so that's something to consider.

Honestly, I enjoyed both. The Breakway definitely has more bells and whistles, but the Jewel felt more manageable and not nearly as crowded.