Just off the Jewel

[FredZiffle]

First off, if you're expecting a typical review of our 7/12 Southern Caribbean cruise on the Jewel, you may want to look elsewhere. I'm going to keep this brief and basically address things I read on this board prior to the cruise.

 

1) It was painless to get a taxi at the airport in San Juan. Walk right out and tell the dispatcher where you want to go and how many bags you have. He'll fill out a ticket and select a taxi for you.

 

2) We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport in Isla Verde. Nice place with free breakfast and happy hour reception. From what I read, I was expecting it to take 20 - 30 minutes to get to the ship from there on Saturday. 15 minutes and we were at the port. Same thing returning to the airport after the cruise. It did take us a hour to disembark though - very long lines to clear customs.

 

3) The Jewel is an awesome ship. I kept looking for the signs of aging that so many people have mentioned here. Never saw one. Entertainment was hit or miss like most cruises. Ron Lucas was great. We loved all the lounges and bars where you could curl up with a good book and watch the water. So many ships seem like floating hotels where you'd never know you were even on a ship in many spots.

 

4) Food was outstanding. We ate in the main dining room every night. BTW, the menu which is posted on these threads is not 100% accurate. The Basil (I think that's its name) menu has been replaced by Arugula, so no surf 'n turf. We had MTD dining with a standing reservation, so we had the same wait staff and table every night.

 

5) Formal nights were actually formal. I'd estimate 90% of the passengers dressed for the first one on day 2 and close to 75% for the second on day 5.

 

6) In St. Thomas, if you want to walk to town, the route is clearly marked. Just stay left along the water as you exit the ship.

 

7) In St. Kitts, it is very easy to get your own taxi and private tour once you arrive. Look for the taxi dispatcher inside the terminal, and he'll set you up for whatever you're interested in. A half day tour (as they call it) was $60 for the three of us, and we were out for a little over 3 hours. We were mainly interested in Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor, but I gathered that you just tell him what you want, and he'll quote you the going rate. This seemed cheaper than what I was seeing from others who pre-booked private tours, but I don't think we were shorted on the experience. Our driver knew the island backwards and forwards and kept up a running commentary as we passed different sites.

 

8) After reading all the raves about the Seaview Café, I had to try it. I was not as impressed as others, but maybe it was what I ordered. The weird hours it's open make it a challenge to plan a meal there.

 

 

Hope this helps somebody. I'm happy to try and answer any questions.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your report.

 

Keith

[Lazz]

2) We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport in Isla Verde. Nice place with free breakfast and happy hour reception. From what I read, I was expecting it to take 20 - 30 minutes to get to the ship from there on Saturday. 15 minutes and we were at the port. Same thing returning to the airport after the cruise. It did take us a hour to disembark though - very long lines to clear customs.

 

We grabbed a porter and were in a taxi within 15 minutes of finding our luggage.

[slyster]

a bit off topic but related to the Sea View cafe. The one thing that threw me off was we would get late night snack there in the evenings. It's a pain in the butt walking on deck at night with the wind blowing! I can't remember what we did but we had to develop a system to keep our food from blowing away and our liquids from blowing away too. That's how bad it was on 3 of 4 nights we went there. yikes!

[tpadul]

This is so helpful!!! Thank you!!! We are sailing the Jewel Nov 8-15th, this will be my first cruise in 25yrs and my Fiance's first ever cruise. We are not sure we will like cruising as we enjoy resort vacations where we stay out at the beach all day long until the sunsets. So this is going to be new for us.

 

Can you please tell me how many "formal" dinner nights there were on the 7 night cruise? We are really not interested in getting dressed up really fancy and I don't like wearing very fancy clothes on vacation. I do it for work daily and when I'm on vacation I want to be very casual. We might have to just eat in the buffet areas those nights or order room service in. What does someone suggest for that? How is the room service food?

 

We also have MTD and don't want to bother making reservations in advance as we won't feel that we will have a handle yet on how we will be feeling after being in port all day long, there are 5 port days and we fully plan to take advantage of every single stop in port as we chose the cruise for this reason. So we might be tired one night and not in such a hurry to make a dinner reservation. Did you run into any other people with MTD that did not make nightly reservations and do you know if they had super long waits to get a table? We suspect we will attempt dinner in the evenings after 7:30pm maybe closer to 8pm.

 

Thanks for the info on St. Kitts!! that is one of our stops? If you don't mind sharing what were the other stops you made besides St. Thomas? We are also stopping at Tortola, Dominica, Barbados and St. Maarten. Did you stop at any of those places and what kind of things did you do off ship? Did you just go out on your own and explore or book an excursion through the cruise line?

 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[karena1]

We totally loved Jewel. Serenade will always be our favorite, but Jewel was great. Love the class of ships.

 

Any cruise out of San Juan is our favorite. Going to do Adventure next year just b/c we have not been on her or a ship that big out of San Juan. But Jewel was gorgeous and we loved our B2B on her last year.

[Langley Cruisers]

a bit off topic but related to the Sea View cafe... It's a pain in the butt walking on deck at night with the wind blowing!.... yikes!

 

Yes, and just a note for those who may not know that there is also inside seating. We ate inside and outside at various times during our cruises. :)

[LBumb]

good job

[mandm97]

First off, if you're expecting a typical review of our 7/12 Southern Caribbean cruise on the Jewel, you may want to look elsewhere. I'm going to keep this brief and basically address things I read on this board prior to the cruise.

 

1) It was painless to get a taxi at the airport in San Juan. Walk right out and tell the dispatcher where you want to go and how many bags you have. He'll fill out a ticket and select a taxi for you.

 

2) We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport in Isla Verde. Nice place with free breakfast and happy hour reception. From what I read, I was expecting it to take 20 - 30 minutes to get to the ship from there on Saturday. 15 minutes and we were at the port. Same thing returning to the airport after the cruise. It did take us a hour to disembark though - very long lines to clear customs.

 

3) The Jewel is an awesome ship. I kept looking for the signs of aging that so many people have mentioned here. Never saw one. Entertainment was hit or miss like most cruises. Ron Lucas was great. We loved all the lounges and bars where you could curl up with a good book and watch the water. So many ships seem like floating hotels where you'd never know you were even on a ship in many spots.

 

4) Food was outstanding. We ate in the main dining room every night. BTW, the menu which is posted on these threads is not 100% accurate. The Basil (I think that's its name) menu has been replaced by Arugula, so no surf 'n turf. We had MTD dining with a standing reservation, so we had the same wait staff and table every night.

 

5) Formal nights were actually formal. I'd estimate 90% of the passengers dressed for the first one on day 2 and close to 75% for the second on day 5.

 

6) In St. Thomas, if you want to walk to town, the route is clearly marked. Just stay left along the water as you exit the ship.

 

7) In St. Kitts, it is very easy to get your own taxi and private tour once you arrive. Look for the taxi dispatcher inside the terminal, and he'll set you up for whatever you're interested in. A half day tour (as they call it) was $60 for the three of us, and we were out for a little over 3 hours. We were mainly interested in Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor, but I gathered that you just tell him what you want, and he'll quote you the going rate. This seemed cheaper than what I was seeing from others who pre-booked private tours, but I don't think we were shorted on the experience. Our driver knew the island backwards and forwards and kept up a running commentary as we passed different sites.

 

8) After reading all the raves about the Seaview Café, I had to try it. I was not as impressed as others, but maybe it was what I ordered. The weird hours it's open make it a challenge to plan a meal there.

 

 

Hope this helps somebody. I'm happy to try and answer any questions.

 

Agree with everything you've said! We were on the same cruise. Had a fantastic time!

[mlmbar]

This is so helpful!!! Thank you!!! We are sailing the Jewel Nov 8-15th, this will be my first cruise in 25yrs and my Fiance's first ever cruise. We are not sure we will like cruising as we enjoy resort vacations where we stay out at the beach all day long until the sunsets. So this is going to be new for us.

 

Can you please tell me how many "formal" dinner nights there were on the 7 night cruise? We are really not interested in getting dressed up really fancy and I don't like wearing very fancy clothes on vacation. I do it for work daily and when I'm on vacation I want to be very casual. We might have to just eat in the buffet areas those nights or order room service in. What does someone suggest for that? How is the room service food?

 

We also have MTD and don't want to bother making reservations in advance as we won't feel that we will have a handle yet on how we will be feeling after being in port all day long, there are 5 port days and we fully plan to take advantage of every single stop in port as we chose the cruise for this reason. So we might be tired one night and not in such a hurry to make a dinner reservation. Did you run into any other people with MTD that did not make nightly reservations and do you know if they had super long waits to get a table? We suspect we will attempt dinner in the evenings after 7:30pm maybe closer to 8pm.

 

Thanks for the info on St. Kitts!! that is one of our stops? If you don't mind sharing what were the other stops you made besides St. Thomas? We are also stopping at Tortola, Dominica, Barbados and St. Maarten. Did you stop at any of those places and what kind of things did you do off ship? Did you just go out on your own and explore or book an excursion through the cruise line?

 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

We are on the Jewel with you! We LOVE the beaches and not touring. We went to cruising after years of all inclusive resorts and love it. We also have MTD and always dine late, like you, at about 7:30 or 8 because we like to chill out a bit after being in port with a few drinks . On St Kitt's we are going to go to the marriott for the day. St Martin, we have been there twice so we are going to Maho on our own and then beach in Philipsburg, other islands possible RC excursions but only beach type. Hope to meet you

[Zou Bisou Bisou]

You say the second formal night was day 5, which is Aruba. We don't sail from Aruba until 11pm, why would they make that a formal night?

[Tinknock50]

Hi,

I have a question about the Jewel....Does the Crown lounge have a good view to the port side? I ask because the deckplans show an elevator on that side.

Thanks,

[Clarea]

Hi,

I have a question about the Jewel....Does the Crown lounge have a good view to the port side? I ask because the deckplans show an elevator on that side.

Thanks,

Port side has the elevators and Hollywood Odyssey lounge. Good port view from the lounge. However, that lounge is supposed to become the Concierge Lounge in ealry 2016.

Edited September 26, 2014 by clarea

[maxs mom]

We were on right before you for a B2B and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm just about ready to start my regular picture review, so stay tuned!

 

MTD is very organized on this ship.....even if there was a long line...it moved very quickly. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

There will NOT be a formal night the night you are in Aruba. They do switch it up on those weeks.

 

You can get to the Sea View Café without going outside. Just go through the Windjammer and just when you go to the outside seating area, there are some stairs that take you right to the Sea View.

[PCWalton1]

We were on right before you for a B2B and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm just about ready to start my regular picture review' date=' so stay tuned!

 

MTD is very organized on this ship.....even if there was a long line...it moved very quickly. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

There will NOT be a formal night the night you are in Aruba. They do switch it up on those weeks.

 

You can get to the Sea View Café without going outside. Just go through the Windjammer and just when you go to the outside seating area, there are some stairs that take you right to the Sea View.[/size']

 

Jane,

looking forward to your picture review of Jewel. We will be on board twice next year (May/September) for some west coast cruising. :)

[maxs mom]

Jane,

looking forward to your picture review of Jewel. We will be on board twice next year (May/September) for some west coast cruising. :)

 

Thanks, Bill! I'm trying to get it up and running, but Photobucket is giving me a fit right now!

 

To the OP......I love your screen name....FredZiffle.....Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! I'll bet a lot of people don't know where that's from!

[At Sea 4Ever]

The Jewel has the Coke machines right?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Clarea]

The Jewel has the Coke machines right?

Yes.

[Tinknock50]

Port side has the elevators and Hollywood Odyssey lounge. Good port view from the lounge. However, that lounge is supposed to become the Concierge Lounge in ealry 2016.

 

Thanks. I was really disappointed when I was on the Serenade to Alaska and saw the lounge side to side viewing ruined by a wall to create the Diamond lounge.

I was thinking of booking the Jewel in 2015 so I could still enjoy this great space before it is ruined.

 

I am traveling with someone who is in a wheelchair full time and can't spend too much time out in the wind.

[Clarea]

Thanks. I was really disappointed when I was on the Serenade to Alaska and saw the lounge side to side viewing ruined by a wall to create the Diamond lounge.

I was thinking of booking the Jewel in 2015 so I could still enjoy this great space before it is ruined.

 

I am traveling with someone who is in a wheelchair full time and can't spend too much time out in the wind.

That would also be a good time to enjoy the last Sea View Cafe in the fleet.

[SherriZ366]

Thanks' date=' Bill! I'm trying to get it up and running, but Photobucket is giving me a fit right now!

 

To the OP......I love your screen name....FredZiffle.....Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! I'll bet a lot of people don't know where that's from![/size']

Hope Photobucket starts to cooperate -- waiting for another wonderful review.

[CruiseDude_83]

The Jewel has the Coke machines right?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

As Bob said they do have the coke machines. There are 2 right next to each other but they are in the windjammer. They both did seem to have issues last week during our sailing.

[Ashland]

Just off Jewel las week and even though I have alway loved the JOS I definately saw signs of the much needed refurb. sadly she is showing her age...cabin furniture very worn and had stitched up holes in several places...balcony furniture peeled paint and rust etc. Even so I'm booked on her again next Sept 2015..so these concerns while noticed won't keep me from sailing her again predrydock. The only really thing that did upset me is the new (improved :mad:) internet signon/off..but that is a fact soon fleetwide...something that I hadn't experienced this past May on Radiance...still the old swipe SeaPass that I have always found easy to use. Just another case of RCI fixing something that wasn't broken.

[sabookkeeper]

That would also be a good time to enjoy the last Sea View Cafe in the fleet.

We will be on the Jewel in February...is the Seaview Café open on embarkation? We would like to stay away from the buffet.