Jewel Southern Caribbean Photo Trip Report May 25th!

[ClassicalSax]

I've told you who knows how many times not to translate it! Serves you right for disobeying me ;)

One of my fondest memories is having survived sitting through the film version of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess presented in Portugal with Finnish subtitles only (apparently wrong version was delivered to theater! - and watching an incredulous Portuguese audience laughing as they could make no sense of the Creole dialect or Finnish subtitles). :eek:

Seeing memorable quotes such as "Bess, you is my woman now, You is, you is, and you must sing and dance and play for two instead of one. Want no wrinkle on your brow ..." somehow translated into Finnish (not that I could ever tell...) All I know is the first sentence had about 7 'k"s and 9 "a"s in it... :D:D:D LOL

 

Back to the thread - can't wait to be on Jewel again in November - thanks for a great review.

Edited August 3, 2013 by ClassicalSax

[Sinppu]

Thanks for such a lovely and entertaining review. I'm so looking forward to our adventure next year.

 

Thanks for reading and I hope you have as much fun as we did :)

 

One of my fondest memories is having survived sitting through the film version of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess presented in Portugal with Finnish subtitles only (apparently wrong version was delivered to theater! - and watching an incredulous Portuguese audience laughing as they could make no sense of the Creole dialect or Finnish subtitles). :eek:

Seeing memorable quotes such as "Bess, you is my woman now, You is, you is, and you must sing and dance and play for two instead of one. Want no wrinkle on your brow ..." somehow translated into Finnish (not that I could ever tell...) All I know is the first sentence had about 7 'k"s and 9 "a"s in it... :D:D LOL

 

Back to the thread - can't wait to be on Jewel again in November - thanks for a great review.

 

Oh dear... I so feel for everyone in the audience that day :eek:

Finnish is truly a complicated language and there is NO way in the world anyone would understand any of it without extensive multiyear courses :rolleyes:

Hope you have a great time on the Jewel though!

[FirstTimer81]

Thank you for this! My fiance and I are taking this cruise for our honeymoon in October and we've been trying to figure out things about the ship and excursions. We booked online with Mr. Grey because of what you had posted!

 

Question - When you took the photos in the water, what kind of camera were you using? I am bringing my canon T3, but obviously it's not waterproof. Since it's my first time cruising and we're choosing the dolphin and sting ray ones, I really wanted to be able to take photos. Any ideas would be helpful!

 

Thanks again for the awesome review!!

[Sinppu]

Thank you for this! My fiance and I are taking this cruise for our honeymoon in October and we've been trying to figure out things about the ship and excursions. We booked online with Mr. Grey because of what you had posted!

 

Question - When you took the photos in the water, what kind of camera were you using? I am bringing my canon T3, but obviously it's not waterproof. Since it's my first time cruising and we're choosing the dolphin and sting ray ones, I really wanted to be able to take photos. Any ideas would be helpful!

 

Thanks again for the awesome review!!

 

We have a Canon 1100d but my husband stayed in the boat while taking the photos. They will take photos there which you are able to buy later on as prints or on a CD.

If you have any other questions, fire away. I'll be happy to provide you with answers :)

[travellerin1984]

Moi Sinppu!

 

I enjoy your reviews (even though I only have tried Celebrity so far). We are cruising on Celebrity Summit in January and have booked Tres Palmas Inn as a pre-cruise hotel for four nights. Do you think it is a smart choice or should we consider a hotel closer old town? We want to enjoy the beach but resorts by the beach in San Juan cost a fortune.

 

Do you have some plans for next cruise? I travel with one of my closesf Finnish friends to Miami beach In April. After one week of shopping, cocktails and girls' talk we take Celebrity Reflection cruise to Caribbean. I am really looking forward to my trips! :)

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are booked in Tres Palmas for 3 nights in May for the same reasons you mentioned. I hope you come back and post your report!

 

We talked with the owner recently and they are busy upgrading all the rooms which should be completed soon. That should make it even nicer. The TA reports on Ocean Beach (which is the beach Tres Palmas is located on) are glowing. It all sounds good to me.:)

[Sinppu]

Hello ladies!!

 

We liked the Tres Palmas Inn very much. Getting to Old San Juan was very easy, there was a bus stop close by and it was really cheap, maybe $1.25 or something of the sort.

We also borrowed the bikes and used taxis.

The atmosphere on the beach was relaxed and we enjoyed Tres Palmas Inn immensely.

The breakfast was adequate and there were great restaurants nearby, especially Che's was worth trying.

 

Next two cruises already picked out... or actually three :D:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Hello ladies!!

 

We liked the Tres Palmas Inn very much. Getting to Old San Juan was very easy, there was a bus stop close by and it was really cheap, maybe $1.25 or something of the sort.

We also borrowed the bikes and used taxis.

The atmosphere on the beach was relaxed and we enjoyed Tres Palmas Inn immensely.

The breakfast was adequate and there were great restaurants nearby, especially Che's was worth trying.

 

Next two cruises already picked out... or actually three :D:D

 

thank you. Your wonderful review is what inspired me to check out Tres Palmas in the first place. Now I can't wait to see it! We have the majority of their rooms booked with our group in May. See what you started?:)

Edited October 24, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sinppu]

thank you. Your wonderful review is what inspired me to check out Tres Palmas in the first place. Now I can't wait to see it! We have the majority of their rooms booked with our group in May. See what you started?:)

 

Ha ha! I'm taking over the world!!!

 

Oops. Did I write that out loud?

 

;)

[travellerin1984]

Thanks! It sounds a good choice then... I didn't know about the renovation of the rooms. A big plus definitely! I am looking forward to our stay there. Nordic autumn days are nice but nothing beats the SUN! :)

 

 

Ooh, three cruises... Sinny, you are my Finnish cruise idol. Where are you guys heading next? I enjoyed your Alaska review. You should try Celebrity, really good food and nice design... We are dreaming of Galapagos cruise and New Zealand/Australia cruise. We'll see if we have possibility to make an investment and book one of those for next year... :)

Edited October 25, 2013 by travellerin1984

[Sinppu]

Ooh, three cruises... Sinny, you are my Finnish cruise idol. Where are you guys heading next? I enjoyed your Alaska review. You should try Celebrity, really good food and nice design... We are dreaming of Galapagos cruise and New Zealand/Australia cruise. We'll see if we have possibility to make an investment and book one of those for next year... :)

 

We are trying Celebrity next!!

A Transatlantic from Miami to Malaga, in April.

The next one is a family cruise from Venice to Greece and Turkey in September.

We are in the planning stages of a Panama Canal cruise in April 2015 with the same friends that we with us in Alaska.

 

New Zealand and Australia....ooohhhh. I know ;)

[BLAMBKY]

Great review Sinny! We are on the Jewel in March.

 

Seems like yours was a slightly different itinerary than ours:

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Roseau, Dominica

Bridgetown, Barbados

 

This will be our first cruise: My husband, myself, and our three teenagers. I love reading in-depth reviews so I (kind of) know what to expect. I just can't get enough! :) Thanks for any advice you might have for me!

 

Did you end up buying cruise insurance prior to embarkation? If so, did they cover all the medical expenses that your husband incurred?

 

You are a couple weeks ahead of us. We are cruising April 5, 2014, so.....you need to share all! I know those last few weeks are going to dddrrrraaaaggggg by. Ugh!:o

OP- I am enjoying your review, not finished yet but THANKS!

[Sinppu]

You are a couple weeks ahead of us. We are cruising April 5, 2014, so.....you need to share all! I know those last few weeks are going to dddrrrraaaaggggg by. Ugh!:o

OP- I am enjoying your review, not finished yet but THANKS!

 

Good to know :D

[rje1955]

Thanks for sharing your review, I thouroughly enjoyed it.

 

BTW - My grandfather was from Vaasa, Finland. I hope to one day make the trek and visit where he was born. I always find it facinating when I see someone is from Finland...lol...What is really ironic is my next door neighbor is a Finlander, small world. Who'da thunk...lol

[Jackbasset]

Thanks so much for the awesome review, great pictures and commentary. We are leaving on the Jewel this week!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[DonnaK]

We are trying Celebrity next!!

A Transatlantic from Miami to Malaga, in April.

The next one is a family cruise from Venice to Greece and Turkey in September.

We are in the planning stages of a Panama Canal cruise in April 2015 with the same friends that we with us in Alaska.

 

New Zealand and Australia....ooohhhh. I know ;)

 

Sinny, we tried Celebrity in August, and absolutely loved the cruise. It was "just" on the Summit to Bermuda, but the entertainment on the ship, particularly the quality and quantity of live music available all over, was absolutely wonderful!

 

I think you will really love the Equinox!

[Sinppu]

Sinny, we tried Celebrity in August, and absolutely loved the cruise. It was "just" on the Summit to Bermuda, but the entertainment on the ship, particularly the quality and quantity of live music available all over, was absolutely wonderful!

 

I think you will really love the Equinox!

 

Thanks for the input, Donna! I value your opinion :)

Say Hi to everyone for us.

[jt1120]

 

WOW does this look good!

[Sinppu]

WOW does this look good!

 

Desserts are my favourite course :D

It tasted VERY good!

[Sinppu]

Love your reviews, Sinnpu! Hope you keep on cruising and posting reports:)

 

Oh yes, just booked a new one TODAY :D:D

[mjgep0316]

Stacy, what date are you on Jewel? My wife and I are on the October 4th sailing with the same itinerary. Would love to hear your thoughts/tips if you are going earlier than us.

[nik1009]

We're staying at the Miramar in May for our cruise, trip advisor said the hotel restaurant is closed. Any ideas for dinner that night? Thank You

[Sinppu]

There are fast food restaurants close by, but if you want something different that still is close by, the staff can surely help you.

We ate at Papa Joe's so not much to say about that

[cruiseclues]

You really write some very good Photo Reviews. :):):):)

[Susie51]

Thank you for the great pics. We sail on Jewel in Jan. 2016.