Jewel of the Seas/12 Night Scandanvian

[MeMe4A&J]

I am considering booking the 12 night Scandanavian Cruise on Jewel of the Seas and I would like to hear from anyone that has taken it.

How was the ship? How were the ports? My last cruise on RCL was a great disappointment for the food and entertainment.

Would appreciate any help before booking!!!

Thanks:)

[Tyler80]

I'm sorry your last cruise was a disappointment. What ship did you sail on and where did you go? I have never sailed on Jewel, however this vessel has gotten outstanding reviews and I believe is currently Royal Caribbean's newest ship. Please check their website for additional details and room specifications.

[rubrrick]

We are booked on the Jewel next year to the Baltic, as well as the trans Atlantic crossing. We based our decision with help from both subscribers to CC and what others have said about Radiance class ships. Search for threads on the Baltic and I believe you will be pleasently surprised. Sorry to hear about your last RCCL experience.

 

Rick

[caviargal]

I have a cabin booked on the August 6th Baltic sailing on Jewel and also one on Century. I can get the same cabin type on both ships but Century will save me about $900.

 

I have cruised on Serenade and loved her but also really enjoy X so need to make a decision.

 

At this point, I am leaning towards Century because of the smaller size, fewer passenger and the cabin size.

 

CG

[NYDee]

Took this cruise on August 19 this year. It was great. One of our best of 12 cruises. The ports were great, we had great weather, the ship is beautiful Had the best waiter and assistant waiter ever. I had a few requests through Customer Relations (Purser). Brad called back each time to see if they were taken care of. Our cabin steward was okay, not great. I was a little disappointed in the food, but don't cruise for that anymore. Interestingly, many of the same items were on the menu in the dinning room or Windjammer on our Caribbean cruise last February. However, they were not a good, taste wise, not quality. I attribute this to the number of assistant chefs from the 3rd world countries. Take the cruise, you won't be disappointed.

[MeMe4A&J]

I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas and we went to Cayman Islands in 2003.

[NYDee]

We had a very active Cruise Critic group. One man developed a website that had information about all the ports, links to information, and many other things. Now he has links to our photos. Below is the link to his website. He is developing a new site so some of our pictures haven't been added yet.

 

http://www.evolvecollectables.co.uk/html/cruise_2005.html

[MeMe4A&J]

I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas and we went to Cayman Islands in 2003.

We went November 16, 2003............how about you? It was our Honeymoon!

[MeMe4A&J]

Thank you for the website I will most certainly take a look at it!!!

[lamwnfa]

We did this cruise in May/June and had a wonderful time. The Jewel is a beautiful ship. The food was fine but like NYDee that's not our primary reason for cruising...we go for the ports. The ports on this trip were wonderful. St Petersburg was definately the highlight. We booked a private tour for our group of 5 and it was excellent. I keep journals of our trips and if you are interested I am willing to send a Word Doc by e-mail.

 

Lori

[caviargal]

We did this cruise in May/June and had a wonderful time. The Jewel is a beautiful ship. The food was fine but like NYDee that's not our primary reason for cruising...we go for the ports. The ports on this trip were wonderful. St Petersburg was definately the highlight. We booked a private tour for our group of 5 and it was excellent. I keep journals of our trips and if you are interested I am willing to send a Word Doc by e-mail.

 

Lori

 

Lori, I just booked the Jewel for 18 August, 2006, for the Baltics. I would greatly appreciate an email with any advice/info.

 

caviargal@comcast.net

 

Thanks in advance.

[jaxon41]

Caviargal,

We did the Century last May to the Baltic. I really enjoyed the ship -- but the room furnishings are a bit down on their heel -- my bed was so lumpy hubby asked how I could sleep on it the day he napped on my side. The ports were tremendous! Hooked up with others on the cruise via these boards to book with DenRus in St. Petersburg for a private tour, 2 days. I highly recommend DenRus (go to the subway, unbelievable with the chandeliers, etc). The entertainment is a bit more "international," in that you won't find comedians because jokes don't always translate. Instead, you will have more of a classical flair -- violinist, lite opera -- on the nights there is not a production show in the theatre.

 

Since St. Pete can run you over 600 for a private tour -- the only way to go,imo -- I'd save that 900 and put it toward the DenRus tour. Of all my cruises so far, this was my favorite. And it dropped 600 in price before we left, and our ta got the difference for us -- maybe you will be as lucky.

[caviargal]

Caviargal,

We did the Century last May to the Baltic. I really enjoyed the ship -- but the room furnishings are a bit down on their heel -- my bed was so lumpy hubby asked how I could sleep on it the day he napped on my side. The ports were tremendous! Hooked up with others on the cruise via these boards to book with DenRus in St. Petersburg for a private tour, 2 days. I highly recommend DenRus (go to the subway, unbelievable with the chandeliers, etc). The entertainment is a bit more "international," in that you won't find comedians because jokes don't always translate. Instead, you will have more of a classical flair -- violinist, lite opera -- on the nights there is not a production show in the theatre.

 

Since St. Pete can run you over 600 for a private tour -- the only way to go,imo -- I'd save that 900 and put it toward the DenRus tour. Of all my cruises so far, this was my favorite. And it dropped 600 in price before we left, and our ta got the difference for us -- maybe you will be as lucky.

 

They are completely redoing the Century so the bedding and all should be greatly improved. I am leaning towards Jewel because of the perks I get as Diamond Plus. The concierge lounge is really wonderful! Plus I can get an aft balcony and have the chance for an upgrade.

 

I would prefer the size of the Century and having fewer pax but I think RCI will win out.

 

Thanks for the tips on the excursions. I will be starting to research all this as soon as I put my deposit; still vacillating just a bit between ships!!

[desertheat]

You won't be sorry if you take this cruise. We did a back to back on the Jewel last summer ... Scandinavia/Russia and then British Isles/Norwegian Fjords ... had a fabulous time. In St. Petersburg we had two full days of touring with Red October. All the ports were wonderful but St. Petersburg was definitely the highlight of the trip. The Jewel is a beautiful ship and the staff is remarkable. Go for it!

[NH Cruiser]

We were on the Jewel this July (7/2-14) and had a wonderful time. The ports are sensory overload . . . St Petersburg was outstanding but make sure you book either Denrus (we had Elena and she was excellent) or Red October. You should be able to get a group together from the Roll Call board. The Jewel is our favorite ship and the food was very good to excellent. The Jewel introduced new menus for this cruise and we were impressed. Here's a link to my review (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=208309).

 

To see pictures of the ports of call and the Jewel, click the Webshots link in my signature.