**Jewel of the Seas 9.21.2013 Review**

[Angelsea57]

This has been fantastic!!

I forgot how beautiful the ship Jewels was.

And the pictures of the food are making me hungry, everything looks

so yummy. The beaches are so inviting, and so beautiful.

Thank you for your time, for I know this is a lot of work.

Quantum is waiting!! LOL

[cmecompute]

Virtopia, we are thoroughly enjoying your reveiw. It has given us ideas and changed some plans for our trip next week. Can't wait for the rest, thank you for taking the time and writing such a comprehensive review. Just makes us that much more excited. We leave Saturday on the Jewel.

[TexCruise371]

Wow! Great review and thanks for sharing. :D We sail on her in a couple of weeks.

 

By the way how did you book Coconuts?

 

Thanks!

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Coconut Beach Club and loving the pictures. I also booked the club for my cruise so your review makes me glad I did.

[happyshelly]

Fantastic review, Virtopia, we are sailing in less than 3 weeks, and this really added to the excitement! Thank you so much for sharing all this with us.

 

You sound like our type of cruiser, would you ever consider joining our group of East ghost Explorers?

 

Tell us more about your journey, I am enjoying every minute of it!:D

 

Ernie

 

I am also enjoying reading the review Ernie.

 

Michele

[Virtopia]

Wow! Great review and thanks for sharing. :D We sail on her in a couple of weeks.

 

By the way how did you book Coconuts?

 

Thanks!

 

I sent an email to reservations@coconutbeachclub.com and they wrote me back within 24 hours. I highly recommend this place if you want a quiet beautiful beach.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[Virtopia]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone!! I really appreciate it :D I'll be continuing as soon as I get home from work this evening.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[cleob]

I was undecided on what to do in Antigua and had considered Coconut Beach Club but now am sold. Your review is great and so helpful. We are on Jewel in March with some but not all of the same islands.

[Mommy4lyfe]

Hi Deon.... Great review!! We want more:) I had a great time and truly enjoyed your company.

[Virtopia]

Hi Deon.... Great review!! We want more:) I had a great time and truly enjoyed your company.

 

Hey Gladys! Thanks for stopping in! Yes, I had a great time as well and really appreciated you and your husband's company. Please tell him I said hello :D

[Virtopia]

I'm back!

 

So yes, Coconut Beach Club was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. The only downfalls were that we left too early and one lady in our group was stung by a stingray. She actually left early with her sister to get it checked out and she had to take medication, but she was fine two days later, so we were all glad to hear that.

 

Once we got back to the port, we all separated and did our own thing. I looked in some of the shops, but couldn't find anything to spend my money on, so I headed back to the ship. Near the entrance back to the ship, there were kids hanging out, begging for money to buy school books. Normally I would help out when I see less fortunate people, but based on the way they were acting, I decided to keep my money.

 

DSCN1147 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1151 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1152 by Virtopia, on Flickr

[Virtopia]

Once back on the ship, I hung out in my room for a bit. Yes, in my cabin! One of my favourite shows is Whose Line Is It Anyways and every day, it came on for about 3 hours straight. So, even though I was cruising and should have been out and about exploring the ship, I spent some time in my room having many laughs!

 

DSCN1109 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

Tonight was my dinner at Chops! To be honest, I was a little nervous about going into Chops. My reservation was at 7pm and I knew I probably wouldn't get a window seat and it would be awkward sitting in the middle of the restaurant alone, but I sucked it up and went for it and I'm so glad I did! I've read on here many times that the portions in Chops are quite sizeable so for this reason, I didn't have my regular snack when I got back on the ship.

 

The food was absolutely amazing! I almost had to roll myself out of the restaurant. The appetizer although rich, was very good. The steak and mashed potatoes were great! The sides were bigger than I expected and I did ask if she could only bring me a half portion, but I didn't have a problem finishing it. Now, red velvet cake is one of my favourite desserts. When she brought out that slice, I thought I was going to start drooling. I couldn't even finish it in one sitting and had the rest for breakfast the next morning.

 

DSCN1159 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1161 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1162 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

 

After dinner, I waddled back to my room to drop off the rest of my dessert and headed out to explore the ship and see what was up for the night. There was another production show and once again, I sat in the back while I sipped on an adult drink.

 

Tonight was also the midnight buffet and white pool party. It was great! They played a good mix of music and I was probably out there for an hour or so and then I headed off to the quietness that is deck 5 before heading to bed.

 

DSCN1171 by Virtopia, on Flickr

[Mckenhawk]

You've got a knack for reviewing! My Hubby and I depart on this same itinerary in just a few days and I am thoroughly enjoying hearing about your experience!

Hope to see the rest before we head out on Saturday! :)

[Virtopia]

Finally, we have arrived to St Lucia!

 

I'd have to say that this was my favourite port overall. I booked a tour with Spencer Ambrose and I really appreciated the fact that it was a full day tour. I left the ship at 9:30am and didn't get back to my cabin until 4:30pm.

I met him and the rest of the group right at the gate and shortly we were off. The tour was $65 but we negotiated and upgraded for an additional $10 to take a boat ride back to the ship instead of the long drive back.

 

So, the tour was about 3 hours driving and I will forewarn anyone who is thinking about this tour - if you have a weak stomach or don't like winding roads, choose something else. We did have to pull over because one person got sick. The roads are extremely windy and the corners are sharp. I have a pretty strong stomach and there were a couple times where I had hold on. You've been warned!

 

I found St Lucia to be more developed than the other islands. We first started the tour by visiting a local church and then we headed to a banana plantation, where we got to taste a sample of their bananas and we were also offered banana ketchup and BBQ sauce. The banana had a nice, sweet taste to it, but I didn't taste the ketchup or BBQ sauce. I assume it was good as a few people from the tour bought bottles.

 

From there we went to two of the popular fishing villages, which gave us some great photo opportunities. Our tour guide was from one of the villages, so he was proud to show it off. We also got to taste some local bread - it was hot, fresh and tasty!

 

DSCN1180 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1181 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1187 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1191 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1195 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1201 by Virtopia, on Flickr

[Virtopia]

DSCN1203 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1210 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

Next, we went onto the sulphur springs and the volcano, followed by the waterfalls, which were absolutely beautiful. I wanted to go in and take a picture, but I didn't have the appropriate attire unfortunately. The lush greenery of St Lucia is absolutely breathtaking - it's really hard to describe. The Pitons are also an amazing sight.

 

DSCN1216 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1221 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1223 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

DSCN1227 by Virtopia, on Flickr

 

I will be back with the rest of St Lucia tomorrow and the last stop, Barbados! Thanks again for all the kind words.

[Virtopia]

You've got a knack for reviewing! My Hubby and I depart on this same itinerary in just a few days and I am thoroughly enjoying hearing about your experience!

Hope to see the rest before we head out on Saturday! :)

 

Thanks! :D Have a great time, it is a wonderful itinerary that I would definitely consider doing again. I only have one more port stop to write about so I will have it done before you get to experience it live!

[GrammyLiz]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review- you have upped the excitement and anticipation factor tremendously. We have a different itinerary but this is our first time on the Jewel and we can not wait. Many thanks,Liz and Bill

[verodoodle]

Virtopia Great review. We are leaving on the same itinerary 11/2

Do you remember if you could get sparkling wine before boarding the ship or do I need to find someplace else before going to the ship. We are going a couple days early to enjoy San Juan first.

 

Thanks

Dave

[ladybug14447]

 

Next, we went onto the sulphur springs and the volcano, followed by the waterfalls, which were absolutely beautiful. I wanted to go in and take a picture, but I didn't have the appropriate attire unfortunately. The lush greenery of St Lucia is absolutely breathtaking - it's really hard to describe. The Pitons are also an amazing sight.

 

 

What would appropriate attire be? We're heading on this same cruise next spring and I want to be sure!

Thanks :)

[jt1120]

Do you know the name of the church that you have pictured in post #89? Wow is that beautiful!

[Virtopia]

Do you know the name of the church that you have pictured in post #89? Wow is that beautiful!

 

I do have the name of it as I took a picture of the sign. I will check it when I get home this evening.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[Virtopia]

What would appropriate attire be? We're heading on this same cruise next spring and I want to be sure!

Thanks :)

 

For the waterfall, you'd need a bathing suit. It looks like it would be an amazing picture under the falls but I couldn't risk it with no change of clothes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[laskoske]

For the waterfall, you'd need a bathing suit. It looks like it would be an amazing picture under the falls but I couldn't risk it with no change of clothes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

 

It was a chance of a lifetime, Virtopia, who cares about wet clothes!!:D

 

I am loving your reviews! We leave in 17 days on the Jewel, it is a different itinerary, but we will love it just the same! I can only hope that we can put it into words as well as you have done, you are truly amazing! Thank you so much for all your hard work (but as near as I can tell, you do not think that this is work at all!)!

 

And by the way, would you ever consider sailing with us on the Explorer on October 23, 2014? A really fun group, you would fit in SO WELL!

 

Ernie

Edited October 10, 2013 by laskoske

[smooth_sailin]

For the waterfall, you'd need a bathing suit. It looks like it would be an amazing picture under the falls but I couldn't risk it with no change of clothes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

 

We took a tour with Spencer a couple of years back. For anyone who plans to visit this falls, be forewarned: the water is FREEZING COLD. But Spencer and the tour were great. My sister and I got sloshed on the rum punch he served in the van on the way back to the ship. Les Pitons were breathtakingly beautiful.

 

Dena

[jt1120]

I do have the name of it as I took a picture of the sign. I will check it when I get home this evening.

 

Thanks, we would appreciate the info. We like touring old churches and ruins and stuff like that. We've seen many in our travels and this one is very lovely, judging by your picture.

 

On a side note, we absolutely LOVE Toronto. We've been there are few times (even stayed at the King Eddie once). Say hi for us. We need to get back there again someday soon.