A pictorial reflection on Jewel OTS November 1st - 8th

[madra2112]

So here's the deal. My wife celebrated a significant birthday in October. Obviously a gentleman doesn't reveal a lady's age, suffice it to say I'm 51 and she's a bit younger!

 

Our roles when it comes to cruising are reasonably well laid out. I plan, book, research, read and post on Cruise Critic, prepare folders and action plans, fill in ESTA forms, renew the travel insurance and draw up a timetable of excursions.

 

She lives in the real world and enjoys the cruise when the time comes.

 

This time, I was adamant that she should be centrally involved in the planning, as this was her birthday cruise, and in late 2014, started asking her what she wanted to do. Her response was very succinct. "I want to go to Barbados, and you work away after that".

 

Fair enough, and with that in mind, the research started.

 

When Jewel came up as an option, I was drawn to it immediately. The Radiance class seems to have a particular place in the hearts of the Royal community on CC, and on his rather superb Royal Caribbean Blog, Matt Hochberg had written and podcasted very positively on his experience on that route. I was also intrigued by San Juan, and the more I had heard of it, the more it struck me as a place I wanted to visit.

 

And so, the planning began. Join the roll call, surf the net, confirm the decision, book the cruise. I also looked very carefully at Celebrity Summit, which had an almost identical itinerary. However, the end of November 2014, Jewel was booked for the first week in November, visiting Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Maarten and St Croix.

 

Months turned into weeks, weeks into days, and suddenly, it was the last day of work before the break. I work as a journalist, and was scanning the Irish Daily Mail, when my eye was drawn to an article about the traits and characteristics that define a gentleman. The last column is........interesting!

 

 

However, the next day, after an overnight stay in the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport, we flew via JFK to.........San Juan, Puerto Rico!

 

One very handy aspect of flying from Dublin is there is a US Customs centre in Dublin airport, the idea being that you clear immigration and security before travelling.

 

 

The formidable gentleman processing us questioned us about our plans, as soon as we mentioned cruising, it emerged he has 20+ RCI cruises under his belt, and was heading for Venice to catch Splendour the following week.

 

In the unlikely event that he's reading this, I hope you had a wonderful cruise my frend!

 

We flew Aer Lingus into JFK, landing just ahead of schedule. Aer Lingus has a special partnership deal with Jet Blue, which meant we had one ticket, we were issued Jet Blue boarding passes in Dublin, and our luggage was checked straight through from Dublin to San Juan.

 

We had been offered two options when booking. One was a Jet Blue flight to SJ an hour after we landed in JFK, the other was a 4.5 hour layover. o be safe and sure, we chose the longer stop. When we landed, we were off the plane at 1.30pm we checked the boards, walked to the gate where the 2.20pm San Juan was showing, to find they hadn't started boarding yet.

 

However, we waited, read books, explored Terminal 5 and spend some time 'Up on the Roof'.

 

 

And so, after a relatively relaxing day in the air, we landed in San Juan and were whisked to the Hotel Miramar.

 

The next morning, I got up and walked around the Condada Lagoon and the South Eastern tip of Old San Juan. Beautiful. Already, I was convinced we'd done the right thing.

 

 

 

[murphy4]

more please!

[madra2112]

 

 

 

 

Then it was back to the hotel for breakfast and a shower ; we'd brought some microwave oatmeal and breakfast biscuits with us, prepared them, and ate them on the rooftop terrace looking over the area I had walked a little earlier.

 

 

[madra2112]

Appetites suppressed and ablutions complete, we caught the M3 bus into the Old San Jaun bus station, and began our sightseeing. We headed down Passeo de Princessa to the Raices Fountain, a lovely spot looking over towards the Bacardi factory.

 

 

 

Then we headed towards the gate in the City Walls with a decision to make. I wanted to walk the Paseo Del Morro over to the base of the fort, she didn't. We compromised. I walked to the fort, while she sat under a tree in the shade and read a book.

 

 

 

 

I was delighted to see that while the walking guide I had printed off noted that there was no access to the fort from the Paseo, that information was outdated, and the path is now completed. A long walk, followed by a climb up to the fort, and I soon found a guy who looked as thirsty as me!

 

Edited November 17, 2015 by madra2112

[madra2112]

 

After 25 minutes and almost a litre of water, I got back to Pauline, and we went through the gate into the old city. We went into the cathedral, and then hit Calle Del Christo. Halfway up the hill, we decided to stop for lunch, and where better to do so than in a traditional San Juan institution?.

 

 

 

That really hit the spot!. Then, it was up to El Morro.

 

 

 

[madra2112]

I then made a detour back towards the city gate. I'd read in a book about La Rogativa, a plaza and sculpture commemorating the night when a British invasion force retreated when the Bishop of San Juan and a group of women marched through the city with torches praying loudly. The British took them for Spanish reinforcements and scarpered!

 

I found it, and it was indeed a lovely spot.

 

 

At this stage, being Irish, we're not really used to heat and humidity, and we were getting a little tired.

 

Thankfully, the free tourist trolley arrived, with some free seats this time, so we hopped on and travelled through town as far as La Casita.

 

There we got off, and strolled along the El Malacon boardwalk. Seabourn Odyssey was berthed there, and across the water at the Pan American Pier, Adventure OTS and Celebrity Summit were ready to start their respective week long cruises. Tomorrow, it would be a different ship!

 

 

 

 

We then crossed over to the bus station and caught the M3 back to the hotel. There's a really small patch of sand (beach is too ambitious a word) just on the corner of the bridge a few minutes walk from the hotel, so we headed up there for a quick swim.

 

At this point the heavens opened, but sure, I was wet anyway!

 

 

Then, it was back to the hotel to freshen up, because we had a date! A group of 12 of us from the roll call had agreed to meet for dinner at Casa Dante in Isla Verde. It was a lovely night (sadly, I forgot my camera), with excellent conversation and convivial company, punctuated by the appreciation of an excellent strip steak and mofongo. I was also happy to make the acquaintance of Medella, the local beer.

 

The wonderful thing about meet ups like this is you make friendships and then meet people around the ship. So, Bob, Joan, Carl, Ginny, Gus, Judy, Jeff, Sue, Marcelle and Bill, thank you for your company in the restaurant and on the ship at various times as well. It was a lovely end to a very special day.

 

We them got a taxi back to the hotel, sat out on the terrace for a few minutes, and then hit the sack.

 

Tomorrow, we would be boarding Jewel of the Seas.

Edited November 17, 2015 by madra2112

[CI66774]

OP - love the pics and your review. "Ablution." Never heard that word before. The act of cleansing oneself. Will keep that and use it for effect!

[beej]

Eagerly awaiting more and more. I leave for the Jewel on Dec 2

[pilotboy1985]

Looking forward to this review. I leave Nov 29th on the same itinerary.

[madra2112]

Eagerly awaiting more and more. I leave for the Jewel on Dec 2

 

Hi beej, I had the pleasure of cruising with you on Freedom in 2009!

[beej]

Hi right back at you. Glad to see we are all still cruising. Be well and may our paths cross again. Maybe on the Anthem

[britty1]

Traveling with you on the Jewel, will actually board the Jewel on Dec 20th for a Xmas and New Year B2B - just can't wait. So I will cruise along with you as I wait. Lovely pictures of San Juan, really have some great memories of touring San Juan. Thank you. Have a great cruise I will be there with you.

[Lazirus65]

Great review so far, we arrive in San Juan next Wednesday before the start of our B2B cruises.

[printingchick]

Woo hoo! We're on this cruise in January. Can't wait to read the rest of your pictorial review!

[madra2112]

Thanks for the encouragement folks.

 

Once again, I awoke early on Sunday morning and strolled around Condado and the fringes of Old San Juan. I was intrigued to see the local stadium, named after the boxer Sixto Escobar was open to the public to come in and walk around.

 

 

 

 

Back to the hotel, sort out the bags, have a quick breakfast on the rooftop terrace and reflect on our 36 hours in Hotel Miramar.

 

Initially, we had booked the Quality Inn El Portal in Condado, but got a message from the site we used (otel.com) to say it was unavailable and Miramar had been reserved for us at the same price. By coincidence, we had looked at Miramar as an option, and had no hesitation in accepting it.

 

It was a very nice hotel, a little off the beaten track, but close enough to OSJ. Each floor has a drinks vending matching, which can be a little noisy, the 2nd floor had an ice machine which was very loud, and maybe it would be an idea to avoid that floor.

 

At 11.05, we left the hotel room, checked out, and caught a cab from the rank beside the hotel to the Pan American pier, which was no more than two miles away. There were relatively few people there when we arrived. We entered the Platinum and above queue, were at the desk within minutes, presented our documents, got our SeaPass cards, had our photo taken and got onto the ship by 11.30.

 

25 minutes from hotel room to Deck 5. No complaints there!

 

 

 

Pauline and I have a running joke that whenever we board a ship, she's on the pool deck, reading, within an hour. No change there then!

 

 

It wasn't always that quiet!

[madra2112]

I left her to it and went off to explore. I ended up on Deck 13, watching the planes take off from the small airport beside the pier.

 

 

It was then that I heard a familiar voice. Gus and Judy, two Floridians who we had met the night before at the roll call dinner were standing beside me. It so happened Gus had remarked on the roll call that they had booked a Western Mediterranean cruise for next year, and their route almost directly mirrors the one we did on Liberty last year. They had read my review, and we had a long and enjoyable chat about the Med and cruising in general.

 

Then, the announcement was made around the ship that cabins were ready, so we went down to Deck 8 and found our E2 Balcony 8638. Everything was fine and our cases were there so we unpacked, stashed the cases and went up to Windjammer for lunch.

 

That was when we realised the extent of the outdoor seating on Jewel, as I said, it was our first experience of a Radiance class. It seemed to me that the selection in this Windjammer was not as extensive as those on other ships, but finding a seat was never an issue, and that was a major plus.

 

As we sat outside, right at the back, Pauline said "Can we just stay on this ship from now on?" Now I understand the widespread affection for the Radiance class ships.

 

 

We had a relaxing afternoon onboard, and made a My Time Dining reservation in the Tides Dining Room for 6.15. Before that, we had a roll call meet up at the Sky Bar, during which we met Blanche and Michael, another couple we would be spending some time with over the course of the week.

 

At dinner, we sat with Bruce and Pris, another interesting and amiable couple. That was a feature of the week, chatting with different people every day, it seems to me that Jewel was the friendliest ship on which we've sailed.

 

Then it was muster drill, and up on deck for sailaway.

 

An interesting sailaway indeed, watching the city at night as we left, contrasting the lights and bustle with the dark solidity as we passed El Morro, ever watchful at the mouth of San Juan harbour.

 

Sailing past Carnival Liberty was interesting - in a sense, we were seeing her six years late! In 2009, we were booked on a Baltic cruise on Carnival Liberty, but they pulled all their ships out of Europe that year, leaving us with a decision to make. Do a Baltic cruise with Holland America, or cancel completely. In the end, we cancelled and cruised the Western Caribbean on Freedom OTS instead.

 

Had Carnival stayed in Europe and we had sailed on Liberty in 2009, what would our sailing pattern be now?

 

 

Back inside for the Welcome Aboard show with John Blair the Cruise Director, his wife Katrina the Activities Manager and the Jewel OTS Singers and Dancers.

 

I have mixed feelings about John Blair. All CDs have their schtick (Richard Spacey's socks still rank as the most original IMO), and from what I read, John's been at this for longer than most people. He managed to give the impression it was his first cruise and we were the most important people he'd ever met. Professional to the last. Then he did his "I say 'How do you feel' and you shout back 'Great'" thing, before dividing the theatre into a boys against the girls and butchering Sweet Caroline changing 'so good to 'so great'.

 

Later in the week, he did a Neil Diamond Tribute Show, which at times was very moving and heartfelt, Then, he launched into Sweet Caroline and pulled the same stunt again - John, leave the Cruise Director routine to one side for an hour, it really dragged the show down IMO.

 

I don't want to say too much, because I know there are people reading this who will be cruising on Jewel soon and will have him on board. I'm also acutely aware that one person's meat is another person's poison, and opinions will be divided.

 

I will say he's very professional and made me think. Interesting character.

 

Then it was off to bed. Things were looking up, and it seemed a great cruise lay ahead.

 

The next day, I was up walking the decks shortly after dawn, as is my wont.

 

 

After a leisurely breakfast, Pauline and I went down to play some morning trivia. We were joined by Judy (minus Gus) who happened to be passing, and ended up winning by two points!

 

We celebrated by getting all sporty..........well, if it's good enough for Rory Mc Elroy!

 

 

My beloved hammered me, so I found solace and comfort in the arms of another woman.

 

Edited November 19, 2015 by madra2112

[madra2112]

Soon though, it was time for the Meet and Mingle in the Vortex area of the Viking Crown Lounge. A reasonable turn out, with Katrina doing the honours. Among the titbits of knowledge she imparted was that there would be bingo and shopping talks that day..........oh, and she also mentioned something slightly more important. There would be a paella station on deck for lunch!

 

Our plan had been to go to the Seaview Cafe, after listening to Matt Hochberg sing the praises of the Reuben Sandwiches on his podcast. that was quickly revised, and we ended up having paella to start, followed by the Reuben and onion rings, and then a pink lemonade tart and latte from Cafe Lattetudes.

 

God I love cruising!

 

 

 

The weather was hit and miss at times, some showers, but a lot of sunshine as well.

 

The truth is, the day was still much better than anything we'd seen in Ireland over the summer, so we were taking advantage while we had it!

 

 

A little later I headed to the cinema to watch Jurassic World, before heading to the Solarium for a swim and soak in the hot tub, before a quick scoot into the Shipshape Centre dressing room for a sauna and steam.

 

Two observations - A really cold shower would be lovely in the dressing room, it seemed to me that even on full cold settings, the showers there were at best room temperature to lukewarm.

 

The other thing (and the same held true on Vision), I find it awkward to have to walk through the spa reception area to get to the dressing rooms. On some ships there's a direct path ; I'm sure the spa staff and customers don't want to see me in a pair of shorts and flip-flops walking through their space!.

 

Then, it being formal night, we headed to the Tides Dining Room, and I took the only two dinner pictures of the week! Duck for me, sliders for Pauline.

 

 

 

We then went to the theatre for City of Dreams, the first of two production shows that week. Not one of the better shows we've seen, after Up in the Air and Saturday Night Fever on Liberty last year, the stakes have been raised!

 

Then up to the Safari Club to watch The Quest, which John Blair handled very well, before falling into bed for a much needed sleep.

 

Tomorrow, we would be in the place whose name, perhaps more than any other, is synonymous with paradise where we come from - Barbados.

[joand452]

Great start to your review! Looking forward to the rest!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BillOh]

Great job! I've been on Jewel twice, mainly reading for the ports, but I can tell your reviews are ones I'll read even if I don't have similar plans. (I am going to Barbados in 2017.

[Canadian Tyler]

Really enjoying this review. Thank you!

[CanadaRob]

Thanks for the review it seem Jewel doesn't get alot of love(or reviews) these days. For an old girl within months of drydock she still looks ok from the pics. I will try to do something in Feb but if not will definately do a post drydock

[madra2112]

Once again, thanks everyone for your comments and encouragement.

 

A little context here.

 

In 2009, we did the Western Caribbean itinerary on Freedom of the Seas. Now, for many people on CC, that's a fairly standard run, but for a family from Ireland who'd never ventured west of Kerry, it was a VERY big deal! ON day two, we were on the beach at Labadee, Pauline started crying. I immediately asked what was wrong, concerned that something had happened of which I was blissfully unaware.

 

"Ever since I was a kid", she responded, "my vision of paradise has been sun, white sand, turquiose water and palm trees. I thought it was totally unattainable, but I'm here!"

 

That idea is, I reckon, due in no small part to a one hit wonder that was huge when she was nine years old -

 

[YOUTUBE]5ALD-rI8Q08[/YOUTUBE]

 

I'm not sure how much airplay that had in the US, but in the UK and Ireland, it was constantly on the radio for months!

 

When I asked her what ship or itinerary she wanted for her birthday cruise, her answer was "I want to go to Barbados".

 

I'd actually been looking at an Eastern Mediterranean cruise on Splendour, but she's the boss!

 

Finally, the day had arrived, and as we cruised into Bridgetown, the Bajan Navy was there to greet us.

 

 

We had thought long and hard about what to do there, and you'd think after the Typically Tropical song, the beach would be top of the list. Of course that would be logical, but we're Irish. We decided to go underground and visit Harrison's Cave!.

 

We booked the Harrison's Cave and Island Tour excursion through Royal Caribbean (we normally go independently, but this tour suited what we wanted), so after a quick breakfast, we were downstairs and 40+ years after the dream was sown, we walked onto the island of Barbados.

 

 

 

[madra2112]

We found the bus without any difficulty, and soon we were heading out of Bridgetown and heading for the centre of the island. One thing we were struck by is the speed with which after leaving the cruise port, the harsh reality of life for local people is thrown into sharp focus.

 

We have been guilty of the notion that everyone on a Caribbean island is living in paradise, and why would any of them actually want to move to the rain and cold of the UK or wherever. Within two miles of the ship, that question is answered!

 

This was a mansion compared to some of the dwellings we saw.

 

 

 

Soon, we were approaching Welchman Hall Gully, and ready for our descent underground.

 

 

 

This is the electric tram you travel on through the cave, getting out at a number of points to appreciate the spectacle. Our guide was excellent, clear and concise information, very well spoken, and clearly proud of the island, and what had been achieved in developing Harrison's Cave as an attraction.

 

A word of explanation...........well, actually, an excuse. I mentioned earlier I'm not a great photographer, and my camera is a fairly cheap off the shelf digital camera with no bells or whistles.

 

That's why the few pics of the interior of the caves I'm going to post don't do them any justice whatsoever. The caves are wonderful, stalagmites and stalactites everywhere in various formations, some thousands of years old, some merely decades old. One area has so many it's called 'The Village'.

 

 

[madra2112]

 

This is one of the newer formations.

 

At one point, with the guide's permission, I leaned in towards one of the streams and scooped up a palm full of water to drink. That's what you call fresh!

 

As a slight moan, the blurb for the tour (which cost $79 each) indicated that "complimentary beverages would be offered at the cave", They weren't, and we ended up buying water in the gift shop. Given that it was a hot day, water was necessary, and to be promised it and then not get it was a little annoying.

 

That said, nothing could take from the majesty and sense of history of the cave. I should also say that before going into the cave there was a little interpretative centre and display, including a video on how Barbados and other islands were formed, which provided a very nice context for the rest of the islands. It was a very well planned and thought out presentation, full marks to the tourist board and backers of that particular project.

 

 

Then we travelled back via a different route, passing some of the plantations that provided the backbone of the economy when sugar cane was the main Bajan export.

 

 

I was particularly taken by this educational establishment. If I ever go back to college, this is where I want to go.

 

 

Then, we were back at the port, where we strolled around the shops, and walked towards Bridgetown along Princess Alice Highway.

 

All too soon, we had to retrace our steps.

 

 

 

One final stop, for what was going to become a habit of mine for the cruise. I'm not a big alcohol drinker, and Pauline doesn't drink at all. I have the occasional beer, and really mean that. However, out of interest, I had one bottle of Banks beer in the bar at the cruise terminal before we got back on board, and that became a feature of every port. We have the Royal Replenish pakages, so I drank no alcohol on the ship (apart from the champagne at the C&A events!).

 

That night, Rick Novell did a very enjoyable physical comedy show in the theatre, while there was late night adult comedy from Mike Marino. He had also done a set on the first night, and as an amateur actor who also does a bit of stand up in local clubs as a hobby, I enjoyed them both immensely.

 

Because most of our cruises are in Europe, where ships are more multilingual, the emphasis is more on magic, juggling and acrobatics rather than spoken word. Having comedy up front and centre was a whole new experience for us.

 

We left the theatre and headed straight for bed. We had a busy day ahead in St Lucia.

[madra2112]

Thanks for the review it seem Jewel doesn't get alot of love(or reviews) these days. For an old girl within months of drydock she still looks ok from the pics. I will try to do something in Feb but if not will definately do a post drydock

 

I'm delighted our first Radiance class ship was Jewel pre-drydock for a number of reasons.

 

I've noticed the class is a very popular one among members of the board, and now know why. It's nice that there is still the Seaview Cafe, which to my mind was under-promoted and underused.

 

The Cruise Compass was trumpeting the night time $10 burgers and booze package which, as far as I can see, does not actually involve booze, and I liked the idea of a pool deck with no large screen.

 

When we started cruising first, it was with our then teens. Jewel at the time spent every summer sailing of the UK doing 14 night Baltic Sea and Norwegian Fjord cruises. I'd love to have done those itineraries, but they were well out of our price range.

 

To finally sail on her was a joy, and one of those wonderful instances where expectations are not just met, they're exceeded.