Jewel Southern Caribbean Photo Trip Report May 25th!

[Sinppu]

Remember all those lovely photos of the ports?

Well here's another one.

These are the beautifuls view of Barbados you see first thing in the morning:

 

 

 

Yeah well, beauty is in the eye of the and blah blah blah.

 

Now in Barbados we had two choices:

a) Take it easy. Have a leisurely breakfast and then go to the Concorde Museum at the airport and marvel the fastest passenger plane ever.

 

b) Take it even easier. Let Lowry wake up sneezing, wheezing and suffering from a 100 degree fever which left him too weak to get out of the cabin door.

 

We chose B.

Not recommended.

 

My poor hubby slept fitfully through the day and I didn't have the heart to leave him alone.

 

 

Around 3 pm he felt a little bit better and we agreed to take a short walk outside.

 

 

"Thanks! We're not well but we came anyway."

 

Right after the pier there are shops.

 

 

[Sinppu]

Then there are about a thousand taxi drivers and a gate.

 

 

Then there is a road and unfortunately, that's where my knowledge of Bridgetown, Barbados ends.

 

 

We'd been outside less than 15 minutes and I had to use force not to let Lowry join this little schoolgirl:

 

 

Actually I bribed him with WipeOut Café lunch and it worked.

 

 

 

He was too tired to notice it was actually Seaview Café, so ssh. Don't tell him.

After lunch he had just about enough strength to watch sail away for a few minutes.

 

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Hi and thank you!

The stairs you saw are at the volcano. The volcano tour requires you to walk up and down the stairs but it only lasts about 10-15 minutes which means you can skip the tour and wait by the vans where the gift shops and toilets are.

 

Now in this photo you can see the boat next to the pier. There aren't stairs but there is a ladder which you have to climb to get up and down. It's not easy as the boat is moving with the waves BUT we did have many chivalrous gentlemen who held the boat close to the pier and gave us ladies all the help they could in pulling (and pushing) us up.

 

If you still have doubts, I recommend e-mailing Cosol. He was very prompt in answering.

 

I hope you have a great time on your cruise :)

 

Thank you so much. It sounds like something I can handle and of course my DH always helps me in situations like this so I'll be fine. You have been most helpful. Thanks.

[RicardoC]

Florida has a great sense of humour. It keeps calling itself "The Sunshine State" but every time we're here, this is the weather:

 

Ha ha.

 

Thanks for the review and pics! I will have to represent the Floridians and defend our weather, though. We do have sunshine all the time; above those clouds there is always sunshine :D

 

 

Ok...maybe they should change it to "The Shy Sunshine State" heheh

[Sinppu]

Then he went back to bed and slept until morning. We agreed that if he didn't feel better in the morning, he'd go and see a doctor in the Medical Facility.

We missed dinner and our last towel animal. I'll survive... barely.

 

The last day on this cruise is a sea day.

 

 

(Couldn't resist that pun. Sorry.)

 

Lowry didn't feel much better in the morning, so he went to see the doctor. That cost $111. He got medicine worth about $90 so now we are very happy we have a non-stop travel insurance...

 

He slept through most of the day again and I must admit, I was pretty beat too. This itinerary is intensive and the early mornings are tiring.

 

I did however walk around the ship once more and took some photos I thought might be of interest to my fellow CruiseCritics.

 

Here are the internet prices:

 

 

Tuxedo rental prices:

 

 

Adventure Ocean programmes can be found in the arcade outside the AO doors:

 

 

And as always, there are maps to guide you.

 

Edited June 5, 2013 by Sinppu

[Sinppu]

On the morning of disembarkation Lowry finally felt better and here are photos to prove it.

 

If you see this sign...

 

...is this how you interpret it?

 

Yep, he was definitely feeling better. Not healthier, mind. Just better. ;)

 

They are all getting ready to get rid of us.

 

Now some people are eager to know if the Jewel is showing signs of aging. This is the worst we saw:

Make that "I saw". It's from the bathroom cupboard which Lowry didn't even notice existed. Men...

[AZNative2000]

Sinny:

I booked our very first RCI cruise this morning and it is this one for next May 24!

 

After that , I logged on to CC and here you are on the RCI board telling me just everything about our cruise for next May. I don't know how much luckier we could get!:)

 

Can't thank you enough for all the info and the photos!!

 

Cheers!

[DonnaK]

 

 

Right after the pier there are shops.

 

 

 

I just wanted to add that there is free Wi-Fi throughout this cruise terminal building. The signal was weak in some spots, but if you walk around, you can find a spots where the signal is stronger. Just look for the clusters of people using their phones, iPads, laptops, etc.

Edited June 5, 2013 by DonnaK

[DonnaK]

Ah Sinny, now I know why I couldn't find you those last two days!

 

Glad Lowry is feeling better!

[beach410]

Enjoyed yor review, I really liked the Jewel, was sorry to see her move from Tampa.

[Canadian Tyler]

Great review and pics! Love the southern itinerary.

I stayed at Cadet Hotel in Miami before my first cruise in 2004. Remember the hotel and its 14 dollar breakfast mini bagels fondly :)

 

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[Sinppu]

Thanks for the review and pics! I will have to represent the Floridians and defend our weather, though. We do have sunshine all the time; above those clouds there is always sunshine :D

Ok...maybe they should change it to "The Shy Sunshine State" heheh

 

Sandy was around the last time we were in Florida.

Oh shoot... maybe it's us who bring the bad weather with us :o

 

Sinny:

I booked our very first RCI cruise this morning and it is this one for next May 24!

 

After that , I logged on to CC and here you are on the RCI board telling me just everything about our cruise for next May. I don't know how much luckier we could get!:)

 

Can't thank you enough for all the info and the photos!!

 

Cheers!

 

You're welcome!

Lucky indeed :)

[Sinppu]

Ah Sinny, now I know why I couldn't find you those last two days!

Glad Lowry is feeling better!

 

Yes that's why. It's a good thing we stayed in San Juan after the cruise so we got a few days of total relaxing.

 

Enjoyed yor review, I really liked the Jewel, was sorry to see her move from Tampa.

 

Thanks. She is very likeable.

[Sinppu]

Great review and pics! Love the southern itinerary.

I stayed at Cadet Hotel in Miami before my first cruise in 2004. Remember the hotel and its 14 dollar breakfast mini bagels fondly :)

 

 

Thanks! We got a whole breakfast for two for $18 in an Ocean Drive café :eek:

[Sinppu]

We were in group 21 for the disembarkation, 24 was the last. Our departure time was 9.20-9.30.

We went to the Coral Theater at 9 am and left 9.20.

We found our luggage very easily, got in line, noticed our Customs Declaration had run away, filled in a new one, got back in line and were done at 10 am.

 

There were people outside the terminal who offer tours around OSJ. You get time for exploring, taking photos, shopping, lunch and then they drop you off at your hotel or the airport. They cost $25 pp.

 

We stayed at the beach, Tres Palmas Inn which is about 5 miles from OSJ. It was cheap and cosy, not fancy nor luxurious. Very good for relaxing.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sinppu]

We did the Bacardi factory tour. It's very easy to do on your own and a lot cheaper than going on a $35 tour.

 

Take the ferry from pier 2 in OSJ ($1 pp there and back).

 

 

Turn right from the terminal and walk to the yellow building (there are people to guide you). Taxi is $3 pp if there are more than 4 people in the (and there are).

 

The tour itself is free.

 

 

You get two drink coupons per person.

 

 

 

There is a café.

 

 

[couple_cruisers]

We did the Bacardi factory tour. It's very easy to do on your own and a lot cheaper than going on a $35 tour.

 

Take the ferry from pier 2 in OSJ ($1 pp there and back).

 

 

Turn right from the terminal and walk to the yellow building (there are people to guide you). Taxi is $3 pp if there are more than 4 people in the (and there are).

 

The tour itself is free.

 

 

You get two drink coupons per person.

 

 

 

There is a café.

 

 

 

What did you do with your luggage during the tour? Does the jewel offer luggage valet?

And thanks for your review. We just went on a cruise and my DH got the cruise bug so I am researching a cruise for next year and this looks like a good choice.

[Sinppu]

The tour is informative and fun and it's available both in English and Spanish.

 

 

 

After it's over you take a taxi to the ferry terminal. We waited for about two minutes for more people so the taxi was cheaper.

 

We can recommend three restaurants in San Juan. Mojito's is straight up from the Sheraton and serves excellent local dish called mofongo's.

 

Café El Punto is on Calle Fortaleza in OSJ. Lots of locals and delicious skirt steak and stuffed avocados with fried plantains.

 

 

Che's is a steakhouse in Punta Las Marias. Filled with locals (always a good sign).

 

 

 

So there we are, my dear readers.

I thank you very much for all your comments, they are such an egobooster :D

 

We had a great time even if Lowry felt a bit under the weather the last two days. This itinerary is a bit tiring, especially if you have a lot of tours planned but it is worth it.

I also recommend in staying a few extra days in San Juan, it is one of the most beautiful cities we've seen and caters well for all kinds of tourists (from old fortresses to party buses to family-friendly beaches).

 

If you have any questions, do ask. I saved all the Cruise Compasses.

 

It was a wonderful time and I'm happy we got to meet so many great new people, so thank very much to Gary, Julie, Donna, Jim, Diana, Laura, Cara, Joe, Matthew, Sydney, Dorothy, Crystal, Mark, Carolyn, Larry, Paula, Maggie, Raine, Bob and everyone else I forgot to mention for making this a jewel of a cruise!

 

Next report from Alaska in early September!

[Sinppu]

What did you do with your luggage during the tour? Does the jewel offer luggage valet?

And thanks for your review. We just went on a cruise and my DH got the cruise bug so I am researching a cruise for next year and this looks like a good choice.

 

Our luggage was in our hotel at this time.

That is naturally a pro when booking a tour, they take care of your luggage too.

This was definitely a good choice :)

[luvscruising2007]

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. Great review.

[Ocean Boy]

What did you do with your luggage during the tour? Does the jewel offer luggage valet?

 

There is a restaurant in Old San Juan called the Barrachina located on 104 Calle Fortaleza that offers free luggage storage for the day. We have used the services serveral times and it is quite secure. All you do is tip the attendent a few dollars when you pick up your bags.

 

This is the website.....

 

http://www.barrachina.com

[landj999]

Your husband wasn't the only sick one. Something was being passes around.

Maybe not telling the truth on the health questionnaire????

[clott]

Great review sinny. Loved seeing all your pictures. I haven't gone thru all of mine but I have a lot of the same ones. We opted to not take any ship tours. We. Just walked out past the all of the taxis in each port and went a little farther in town. Found a taxi driver in each port to give us tours. We did the same tours as everyone one else and I never paid over 10.00. Yes I can bargain and we had some great drivers. I wanted to make sure I got to the batnik factory and our driver made sure to take us there and we got to stay as long as we liked. This was the first cruise that I did not have everything planned out and I really enjoyed that.

[prekcruiser]

Thanks Sinny, for the pictures and the insightful info. Reading your review has gotten me super excited for our upcoming southern Caribbean cruise. We leave this Friday and I can barely contain my excitement!!:)

[Cthy651]

Great Review, sorry to hear about your husband - During our May 18 to May 25 trip, my husband also became ill on the Thursday night - luckily they were able to pump him full of antibiotics to fly home to Toronto. We found the medical staff to be great.