Long review with lots of photos! Jewel Dec 6/14 and Adventure Dec 14/14!

[B-52]

Very nice review..we will be on the Adventure for our first departure out of Peurto Rico.

 

But WOW...You sure do have a fixation on food!!!!

[jerrib]

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing and looking forward to the rest. I do have one question: do you recall where the Arts & Crafts store was located that you mentioned? Sounds like a good place to check out when I am in San Juan in a few months.

 

Susan

 

Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts store

204 calle Fortaleza

[waterbugohio]

Awesome review. Can't wait for the rest. We leave for the adventure in 74 days (not like I'm counting??) haha

[donovan52]

Loving your review -- so very helpful on all fronts!

 

We sail the Jewel later this year. Please advise:

- favourite bar

- favourite place to relax and chill onboard

- favourite entree

 

We are still puzzling over the different drink plans. Menus with no prices make it very difficult to determine which of the wines is included in which plan. But thanks for showing the menus with the selection!

 

Thanks!

 

Our favourite bar was definitely the Schooner Bar!

Favourite place to relax - definitely the solarium, especially the loungers overlooking the windows

Favourite entree - the filet of beef was excellent, but in general everything was quite good

 

Can't be of much help with the wines as I'm not much of a wine drinker - your best option may be to wait until you are onboard to make the final decision (you could find out which ones would be included before deciding).

 

I am just loving your review! We are going on AOS on February 8 and staying at the intercontenital 2 days before. Thank you for all the tips and pictures!

 

Thank you! I think you will love the pool and it really is such a great area to walk around!

[donovan52]

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing and looking forward to the rest. I do have one question: do you recall where the Arts & Crafts store was located that you mentioned? Sounds like a good place to check out when I am in San Juan in a few months.

 

Susan

 

Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts store

204 calle Fortaleza

 

Thanks jerrib for the address!

 

Susan, they have a website with a photo of the storefront to make it easier to find as well!

http://www.puertoricanart-crafts.com/Puerto_Rican_Art_%26_Crafts/Home.html

[donovan52]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments...it makes it much easier to get motivated to finish the rest of the review!

 

 

Very nice review..we will be on the Adventure for our first departure out of Peurto Rico.

 

But WOW...You sure do have a fixation on food!!!!

 

Thanks - I hope you have a great time on the Adventure!

 

We love good food and find there are always lots of questions asked so I certainly wanted to include our experiences in my review. That said, we made a conscious effort to take the stairs almost all the time, and walk places instead of taking a taxi (such as going in to downtown Bridgetown in Barbados, which you'll see soon!)

[cruiselife4me]

LOVING this! Cruising on Adventure next year...*sigh*...but it's better than no cruise. Thanks for the info and great pictures by the way!

mary

[donovan52]

Day 2: At Sea:

We skipped breakfast today. I did get a vanilla latte from the Café Promenade before going to Studio B for the port and shopping talk. We don’t usually go to those but I wanted a VIP card for St. Maarten because I was hoping to find a nice Marahlago ring. The hosts were very good. They were charismatic and sincere in a way that we definitely didn’t see the last time on the Adventure. I ended up winning a Del Sol colour changing nail polish (it was just tossed into the audience) and Ryan won a Marahlago bracelet (raffle ticket). It was pretty exciting! I don’t know the last time I won something! (Obviously bracelet became mine as well, hehe).

 

 

 

When the presentation was over, I grabbed another latte then headed to the Windjammer for a bellini. The bartender made it with peach schnapps instead of puree but it was still very good (any other ones I ordered the rest of the week were made with puree). I didn’t notice any freshly squeezed orange juice machines. They were very obvious on the Jewel.

 

Latte and Bellini:

 

We went to read in the solarium. I think I prefer the loungers on the Adventure – they don’t look as nice as the wooden ones on the Jewel, but they are a little comfier. I tried a torched cherry sangria from the pool bar – I’m not a huge wine person but this was realllllly good! It would be great for someone who doesn’t love wine. They were also able to make me an ocean rita a little while later, even though it isn’t on the menu anymore (it’s a margarita with blue curacao, so pretty).

 

Torched Cherry Sangria:

 

 

Ocean Rita:

[donovan52]

We talked about going to Johnny Rockets, but instead opted for the BBQ they were having up on the pool deck. The lineup was long (almost the length of the main pool deck) but it went fairly quickly. I had a cold Red Stripe with my lunch.

 

 

Bbqing:

 

After we ate, we went up to deck 12 and found a shady spot behind the new big movie screen – perfect spot for watching the bellyflop competition (notice how crowded it is down by the pool!).

 

 

Back in the cabin, we found my bottle of Domaine Chandon waiting on ice. We also had two plates of treats delivered, which I don’t think we ever finished.

 

 

 

We went for a really nice swim in the solarium. There were no loungers or chairs around, but we finally found one to share. I ordered a frozen mojito which was so nice and refreshing!

 

[donovan52]

We watched the sun set from the Diamond lounge. I had a baileys tonight while Ryan stuck to whiskey sours.

 

View from the diamond lounge:

 

We headed down to the room before supper but our cabin steward was making it up already, so we waited in the library. It didn’t look like anyone was taking care of it. The trivia was still Day 1 and one of the bookshelves was broken. These were both fixed by day 2. There was a whole bookcase for guest book exchanges that wasn’t straightened up the entire week.

 

Uh oh…

 

I did end up checking out at least one book – they had a decent selection.

 

We had My Time Dining again this week. We had a reservation for 6:00. I had the artichoke crepes – they were very good. Service was good, but very slow. We saw our assistant waiter more often than our waiter. Tables were so close together it was incredible awkward; there was no way to avoid listening to someone else’s conversation. I kept getting bumped by waiters trying to reach the tables next to us; I found it very uncomfortable and not at all relaxing. We saw our assistant waiter and told her we were skipping dessert. She said she would try to be faster but we told her that we were just too full, nothing that was her fault. We didn’t go back to the dining room at all, which is a shame, because I was looking forward to the after dinner shots! But I really hated the experience and just wasn’t willing to give it another shot. The Windjammer was roomier.

 

 

Tonight was the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Reception in the Promenade. We went to the champagne bar for a Key Lime Pie Martini (I think these are my absolute favourite!) and a Washington Apple (good but strong). The crowds were ridiculous so we didn’t even leave the champagne bar to hear the captain.

 

Key Lime Pie Martini:

 

Washington apple:

[donovan52]

I ordered a Toasted Almond to bring up to the pool deck, where we watched The Hundred Foot Journey on the big screen. We enjoyed the evening movies on the screen – the sound and picture quality were both very good. We ended up sitting up on deck 12, watching through the railing, because almost all of the loungers were stacked around the pool. We were a few minutes late so didn’t want to disturb anyone by unstacking them. Oh, I also took a latte up – glad I did, it was very windy and slightly cool on deck 12.

 

Toasted Almond:

 

We had a towel animal tonight:

 

Day 3: Barbados:

This is a repeat port for us from last week, so the plan was to spend most of the day onboard. We woke up around 8ish and went to the dining room for breakfast (to the section for Diamond and above). The tables were just as crammed as last night. Luckily, our neighbours were quite friendly and everyone was pretty quiet so I didn’t feel like I was eavesdropping. We had great eggs benedict – nice and hot! I had a glass of orange juice and a mimosa. Service was slow. It was difficult to get water refills. Ryan never did get his apple juice.

 

Mimosa:

 

We got off around 10am. The lineup to get off stretch up to deck 2. I don’t remember every seeing crowds like this on the Adventure before (and this was an hour and a half after people started getting off). We didn’t see crowds like this again though, so it may have been something that happened causing the backup.

 

Most people were waiting for shuttles – we weren’t at the closest pier. We didn’t wait for a shuttle; it is only about a 5 minute walk to the port shops and taxis. It is nice that the shuttle is there though for people who need it. We walked into downtown (15-20 minutes at my slowish pace). We went to the square where they had Christmas trees decorated for each country in the commonwealth. The local students decorated them. We really loved looking at the decorations they made! So many of them were recycled and they did a wonderful job. We didn’t know all of the flags so the decorations were like clues sometimes as to which countries they were!

 

The Canadian tree:

 

Grenada:

 

Flowers made from recycled bottles:

[donovan52]

Loved the little sailboat decorations:

 

We walked back, browsing the Pelican Village shops along the way – they weren’t very impressive and I doubt I’d bother stopping again. I bought a few things from one of the shops at the pier – a microfiber camera bag with a really nice beach print, and a deck of cards. Also, this is really silly, but I stopped by Del Sol and they let me trade my nail polish for a different colour (I’m a redhead and don’t ever wear red nail polish!). I expected them to say no (which would have been totally understandable) but they did it without a problem after asking if I had used the red one yet (I hadn’t). I was very happy with the service and will make a point of stopping in there from now on. It was a little rainy walking back to the ship – a nice break from the heat.

 

The walk into downtown is great; some of it is along the boardwalk:

 

I picked up an iced latte on the way to the solarium, where I later ordered a frozen mai tai, read a bit, had an ocean rita (the solarium bartender gave me two cherries to make it pretty, haha).

 

 

 

 

We headed back to the room and fell asleep until 5:30! We went to the diamond lounge for snacks since we weren’t going to the dining room. We took books with us and sat outside.

We did eventually head to the Windjammer for supper. It was mediocre, but neither of us were super hungry anyway. I had a crostini with some roasted garlic and half a piece of chicken. Ryan made his own pizza. There was no bartender at the bar so I just had some water – all I needed anyway. We debated going to the welcome back party or the headliner show, but we ended up sitting in the champagne bar for a few hours with a book. I had 3 glasses of Moet, and a Champagne cocktail over the course of the night. I ordered an American Dream for a nightcap.

 

Moet:

 

Champagne cocktail:

[rzyjzq]

Thanks jerrib for the address!

 

Susan, they have a website with a photo of the storefront to make it easier to find as well!

http://www.puertoricanart-crafts.com/Puerto_Rican_Art_%26_Crafts/Home.html

 

Thanks jerrib and Donovan for the information. Will have to make a stop there for sure!!

[New2cruise1483]

Thanks for the great review, and all the pics of the Adventure. My mom, sister and I will be sailing on her in September, and seeing these pictures makes me even more excited!

[mlmbar]

Thanks for the great review, and all the pics of the Adventure. My mom, sister and I will be sailing on her in September, and seeing these pictures makes me even more excited!

 

We will be on AOS Sept 12. How about you?

[theprodigy002]

Great Review really enjoyed it. Great mixture of photos and narrative.

[New2cruise1483]

We will be on AOS Sept 12. How about you?

 

We will be on her on the 5th, so we will be on the week before you lol:D

[waterbugohio]

Was hoping for more tonight. Need some warm thoughts and pictures tonight. Below 0 here in Ohio and cruise critic and the dreams of my cruise (only 70 days) is the only way to stay warm.

 

Sure hope the OP isn't frozen solid up in Canada!!!

[donovan52]

Was hoping for more tonight. Need some warm thoughts and pictures tonight. Below 0 here in Ohio and cruise critic and the dreams of my cruise (only 70 days) is the only way to stay warm.

 

Sure hope the OP isn't frozen solid up in Canada!!!

 

Currently feels like -19 here with the windchill...you're right I'm near frozen solid! No, just had to work late tonight! More coming now!

 

Day 4: Saint Lucia:

Last night was the first (and only) night that I felt like I had a little too much to drink. I just didn’t end up having a good sleep – which is rare for me on a cruise. I usually sleep much better than I do at home! We received a call at 6:45am to confirm our room service breakfast (we just ordered fruit and apple juice). At 7 I went to the promenade to get a coffee and a cup of tea (tea that I brought, I didn’t order two drinks). We enjoyed breakfast on our balcony as we pulled in to St. Lucia. It was sunny and so beautiful – we could even hear roosters.

 

What a view to wake up to!

 

Breakfast:

 

Having already done Cosol’s tour (and loved it) we wanted to do something new this time. I found some information about Pigeon Island that looked perfect. I booked the “Day at the Beach” tour through Serenity Tours. We opted for a private tour for $60 per person since no one else was doing the tour that day (joining a group tour is only $40pp). It would have been about $42 just to get a taxi and pay admission to the national park, so we felt that it would be worth it to have the peace of mind that a reputable tour company would make sure you got back to the ship on time (it was only our second time in St. Lucia so we don’t know the island as well as other places).

 

This is the port area – there are lots of shops in these buildings. I believe the main building has Wifi and I want to say it was $6 for the day, but I could be wrong.

 

 

Alisha greeted us at the cruise pier (in the same area where Cosol meets his group) and we walked out to the car (a new Honda accord) and met Hans, the other guide and driver. They were AMAZING. I expected the tour to be nothing more than a friendly taxi with a few drinks on the way to the park. I was so wrong! We were the first to arrive at Pigeon Island – we were literally the only ones on the beach for I’d say close to an hour! (Apart from the people who work there, Alisha, and Hans). It is a small beach with good sand and clear water. Hans and Alisha suggested a shady spot for our chairs, which we didn’t need to pay extra for. They stayed close by all day, but didn’t hover.

 

 

Perfection:

[donovan52]

 

Our chairs:

 

You can see the fort in the background:

 

Wish I was there now:

 

 

 

 

 

The water drops off gradually and I didn’t need flip flops or anything on my feet walking in. There is decent snorkeling out along the rocks; I saw lots of fish, some lobster, urchins, and a sea snake (a little one). After we got out of the water I had a rum punch and Ryan had a Piton beer (drinks were included in our tour). Hans and Alisha even ordered lunch for us and walked over to get it and bring it back for us late morning. We ordered hummus and a lamb roti and it was $14, not outrageous at all (especially for inside a national park). My roti came with fish in it but it was still very good and there was no way I was going to mention it because I’m sure they would have taken it back, didn’t want to make things difficult for them!

[donovan52]

Anemone and a lobster:

 

More lobster:

 

Snake:

 

 

This guy was selling coconuts and pineapples with rum (I got a coconut but just for the coconut water, no rum):

 

It was very good, tasted nice and fresh:

[donovan52]

Roti (enough for 2 people I’d say, I barely ate half):

 

There were clean washrooms:

 

After lunch we made the short hike up to the top of Fort Rodney (15-20 min, hot but not strenuous). Hans and Alisha came with us and told us about some of the park history and about some of the plants. They went at a good pace (I mentioned that I’m a little slow!). The views from the top are incredible! There is a longer hike to another peak but it was just too hot.

 

Gorgeous views along the way:

 

The red roofed buildings are the Sandals resort:

 

View from the top:

 

[donovan52]

 

 

When we got back down we went over to the Atlantic side. It is rocky and the water is rough over there, but it is still quite warm. We saw that someone had piled up rocks and we commented that they look almost like Inukshuks! Except they had no arms. (https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/inukshuk)

 

 

 

 

 

At one point I got a little worried about the price of the tour…I was afraid I had read the website wrong and it was $60 per HOUR, not per person. If I was wrong we wouldn’t have enough money to pay for the tour so I was really hoping I wasn’t. In the end, it really was per person, though I feel like they could easily charge more. I didn’t expect our guides to even stay with us throughout the day – I expected it to be more private transportation than tour – but as the day went on we started to feel like we had met up with friends in St. Lucia. They are both young guides – they will do great if they stay in the business!

We went back to the ship a little earlier than they normally do, because we wanted to wander around the shops a bit. We were back onboard around 3. In port I bought some banana ketchup, an ornament, a shot glass, and a new case for my glasses (looks like a postcard, lots of palm trees…it’s from a company in Maine but made in Korea. Purchased in St. Lucia. Oh well.).

[donovan52]

Once onboard I had a frozen margarita from the Café Promenade. I ended up with a bit of a headache (too much rum punch, not enough water, too much sun – I know better) so I had a short nap. We skipped the diamond lounge today.

 

We went to the Windjammer for supper, but I don’t think we ate much. I had a bellini. I ordered the drink of the day from the pool bar on the way to the solarium afterwards– a melon margarita – it was absolutely disgusting. This was a time when I was happy to have the drink package because I didn’t feel like I needed to drink it. I went up to the solarium bar and asked if they were still open. The bartender said no but that he would still get my drink. He had just enough ice left in the blender to make a pina colada. So much better than the margarita.

 

Bellini:

 

Melon Margarita:

 

Pina Colada:

 

We ended up going back to the champagne bar again tonight. I tried a few different drinks: a glass of Moet, a Flirtini (loved it), Ruby Red Martini (strong but good), a Key Lime Pie martini, and a chocolate martini. I took the Key Lime Pie martini with me to the ice show, which we’ve seen multiple times but I think this time might have been the best one (although I did like when they had the hula hoops). It was a really enjoyable show – packed, standing room only, and there were a couple dozen people standing on our side of the rink.

 

Flirtini:

 

Ruby Red Martini:

 

The Love and Marriage show was tonight (again, they did a separate show for Spanish speaking guests). Tonight’s show was interesting because the middle couple and the couple on the right were related (I think he was their son?). Once again, glad we went!

 

The upper level of the theatre was closed  We sat far back but there were closer seats.

[donovan52]

 

Tonight they had a small poolside buffet – not as pretty as in the past and I think the days of ice sculptures must be gone, because we didn’t see any either week.

 

Day 5: Antigua:

We were a bit torn about what to do in Antigua. On our first trip, we took a taxi to Valley Church Beach. The second time around we toured with Lawrence of Antigua – it made much more sense economically! We were able to do a tour and have time at Valley Church for about the same as a taxi to the beach cost. This time, we had considered going to the beach, but after yesterday being such a great beach day (and feeling like we got a little too much sun) we decided to just walk around the port area. We had planned to sleep in, but we woke up early and watched as we sailed in to port. I got a white chocolate mocha with two shots of coconut – so good! (I would never order something like that at home).

 

We went to the Windjammer for breakfast (for the first time all week). The bacon looked awful – all floppy and stuck together. The sausages looked shriveled and dried out. I should have taken a photo just so people don’t think I’m nitpicking. It was much better last week – I can’t help but compare! I wonder why the food quality in the Windjammer is so different between the two ships. I can’t really compare the dining room but our first night food itself was perfectly fine. I didn’t see anywhere to get fresh squeezed orange juice so I asked at one of the beverage stations. They said someone would stop by our table and I could order it. Shortly after, a waiter in an officers uniform (Dalibor) stopped by. He saw my sea pass card and was shocked that as diamond members we only had one cup of coffee on our table. He asked what else he could get us and I asked for a glass of orange juice. He insisted on getting a coffee for Ryan. While he was gone to get them, we realized that he had been our waiter at Portofino in December of 2012! When he returned (with a macchiato for Ryan from Giovanni’s table) we mentioned this to him and he seemed so surprised! He started asking about our trip and how it compared to past years – he said he wanted us to be brutally honest and actually wrote down all of our concerns. We were impressed.

 

We went to the solarium to read then got off and walked around. We didn’t buy anything. It was certainly our least interesting port day! But this week is all about relaxing. When we got back on we went to the Café Promenade for some water and I ordered the drink of the day. The bartender made yesterdays drink – the melon margarita. I didn’t point it out, I figured I could give it another shot and if it wasn’t good I could just get a different drink. This one was MUCH better than the one from the pool bar! I’m actually quite happy that he made the wrong drink.

 

Adventure docked in Antigua (the water looked revolting):

 

 

We ordered room service for lunch (great burger, good spinach dip – even with weird nonmelted cheese on top, ok pizza) then went up to the solarium. I ordered a drink of the day (Hurricane?) and a Lava Flow from the pool bar which were very good. Ryan must have had an Ocean Rita because there’s a blue drink in my lava flow picture! Then I fell asleep for an hour! It was still a comfortable sleep though.

 

Tasted better than it looked: