Considering Jewel of the Seas

[springgrl]

Our family has sailed on the Mariner, Explorer and Freedom (4 times). We love the Royal Promenade and all the amenities the larger class ships offer. We are considering, however, cruising on the Jewel of the Seas to the Greek Isles this summer and wonder if we might be disappointed (too strong a word - how can you truly be disappointed when cruising:) We will have our two children (23 and 18) travelling with us as well. Any thoughts? Thank you!

[cruzgryphon]

I was on the Jewel beginning of December and I think the biggest thing you'll notice is the centrum space compared to the Royal Promenade on the bigger ships. There are fewer options dining wise, but that will change since the Jewel is going into dry dock in April. Fewer options shopping wise and nothing like the ambience of the Royal Promenade.

 

You'll notice that the Jewel has a lot more natural light streaming in compared to the Freedom.

 

All that being said - if you're doing a Greek Island cruise - your itinerary will be heavily port intensive, so you really won't notice the difference compared to say if you're doing a Caribbean sailing.

[davekathy]

Our family has sailed on the Mariner, Explorer and Freedom (4 times). We love the Royal Promenade and all the amenities the larger class ships offer. We are considering, however, cruising on the Jewel of the Seas to the Greek Isles this summer and wonder if we might be disappointed (too strong a word - how can you truly be disappointed when cruising:) We will have our two children (23 and 18) travelling with us as well. Any thoughts? Thank you!

 

We really liked the Jewel a lot. This was our first RCCL ship that didn't have the Royal Promenade Deck. We never missed it. We've got a B2B Caribbean Cruise booked on the Jewel for April 2017.

Edited January 4, 2016 by davekathy

[Langley Cruisers]

Oh my gosh, book it! The Radiance-class ships have an outdoor aft seating area in the back of the Windjammer. We spent every evening of our Med cruise out there, having our dinner, enjoying watching the sunset in a different port each night... in summer, it will be phenomenal! (Not so much on Alaskan cruises! haha)

 

Yes, you may miss the Royal Promenade but Jewel and her sisters have other offerings. We love the natural light and windows everywhere, glass elevators, wonderful Windjammer layout. You quickly get oriented on a ship this size (we found so, anyway). But she is still a large ship, don't get me wrong.

 

Let us know what you decide! :)

.

[Canadian Cruiser98]

Oh my gosh, book it! The Radiance-class ships have an outdoor aft seating area in the back of the Windjammer. We spent every evening of our Med cruise out there, having our dinner, enjoying watching the sunset in a different port each night... in summer, it will be phenomenal! (Not so much on Alaskan cruises! haha)

 

Yes, you may miss the Royal Promenade but Jewel and her sisters have other offerings. We love the natural light and windows everywhere, glass elevators, wonderful Windjammer layout. You quickly get oriented on a ship this size (we found so, anyway). But she is still a large ship, don't get me wrong.

 

Let us know what you decide! :)

.

 

Totally agree. Although there is less shopping due to the lack of Royal Promenade, this doesn't detract from the overall ship due to the Radiance class' great design, not to mention the port-intensive itinerary. We also adored the aft terrace of the Windjammer, as well as the Radiance class' beautiful solarium.

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

One of favorite ships, we love the Radiance class, it is the perfect size, we will be doing the Greek Islands our selves for the first time in October.

 

Happy sailing

 

Brian J

[Firefighterhoop]

Jewel is one of my Favorite Ships. Yes, you will notice that the royal promenade isn't there and it will feel smaller, but it is a great ship with other great features.

[DarthGrady]

The Radiance Class are my favorites, precisely because they are smaller than the mega ships. I like that they're easier to get around, less crowded and offer better views of the ocean. I'd jump on the Jewel cruise.

[Hoopster95]

Our family has sailed on the Mariner, Explorer and Freedom (4 times). We love the Royal Promenade and all the amenities the larger class ships offer. We are considering, however, cruising on the Jewel of the Seas to the Greek Isles this summer and wonder if we might be disappointed (too strong a word - how can you truly be disappointed when cruising:) We will have our two children (23 and 18) travelling with us as well. Any thoughts? Thank you!

 

My thoughts from a different perspective...

 

I've sailed on all classes, Radiance being one of my least favorite. I am a major Voyager/Quantum/Oasis Class fan. Yet one of my top 3 cruises EVER was the Med/Adriatic last year on Serenade. The ship and service were fantastic on that sailing. Radiance Class ships imo are absolutely perfect for a port intensive cruises in the Med, you don't miss the promenade at all, and the much smaller pool deck on Radiance Class is not missed as you're off at ports on most days with few sea days. I think being on a "new" ship (for you personally and with regard to her refurb) will be exciting and you'l be able to discover the difference for yourself as to whether you'l like the Centrum vs. Promenade.

 

Conversely I recently did the Radiance Trans-Pacific and will not do another TP or TA in anything smaller than Voyager Class from now on as I missed the extras of the bigger ships, especially with the multiple sea days and on worse weather days. Also no one has addressed your 18 and 23 yr olds... all the responses have been at the opinion of the responder rather than looking at your situation. Your 23 & 18 yr olds will likely have a ball nightly up in Vortex Nightclub, it's one of the best set ups imho in all of the RCL fleet for a nightclub venue and they'll meet a ton of people. However if they spend hours on sea days at the Florider, ice rink, sports court, etc of the bigger ships they could be disappointed.

 

The above is just my 2 cents :) ... I'm doing this exact itinerary in May and will post a review, but obviously will be too late for you. For pics and thoughts on Serenade in the Med, click on my review in my signature and that should give you a decent idea of the ship as most of the upgrades on Jewel will look like Serenade.

 

Whatever you choose have a great cruise! :D

[impatientlywaiting]

We were on the Jewel in September and absolutely loved her. I definitely did not want to leave her when our 8 days were over. We are definite lovers of the "smaller" ships with less passengers. The aft outdoor eating area behind the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch (if you're on the ship) is wonderful! We love being able to see the water from anywhere on the ship - all the glass! You'll love her!

[BillOh]

Our family has sailed on the Mariner, Explorer and Freedom (4 times). We love the Royal Promenade and all the amenities the larger class ships offer. We are considering, however, cruising on the Jewel of the Seas to the Greek Isles this summer and wonder if we might be disappointed (too strong a word - how can you truly be disappointed when cruising:) We will have our two children (23 and 18) travelling with us as well. Any thoughts? Thank you!

 

On an assumed port intensive cruise I think those "young adults" will do fine. I might consider differently if they were 5-10.

[Rala]

To the OP...

 

Unless you are really attached to the Promenade which, as you know, the Jewel does not have, I think you will love Jewel. The Centrum area is lovely with lots of big windows with wonderful ocean views. Jewel is one of our very favorite ships. You can go to an upscale Promenade/mall on land..ocean views not so much! Try Jewel, I don't think you'll be disappointed. :)

[wvfirsttimecruiser]

Hi...question.....I see you were also on the Carnival Sunshine. What is your opinion of Sunshine vs Jewel. Can't make up my mind what cruise to go on in April. Thanks!!

[printingchick]

My first Radiance Class cruise was on Serenade out of San Juan. It was a difficult decision choosing Serenade over Adventure. I LOVED the Voyager class. I assumed I'd miss the Royal Promenade and the ice rink. But I preferred the Serenade itinerary, so I booked that cruise.

 

While I still like the Voyager class, I find I really prefer Radiance. I've cruised twice on the Jewel.

 

As others have said, for a port-intensive cruise, you won't miss the extras. You'll be off the ship every day. And the Radiance class is not without its own "extras."

 

• The outdoor dining outside the Windjammer is HUGE! It's the biggest thing I missed (even more than the water slides) when I switched to Royal from Carnival. Eating breakfast and sipping my morning coffee as the ship pulls into that day's port of call is priceless.
  
• Quest in the Safari Lounge is an entirely different experience than Quest in Studio B. The latter provides much more of a spectator experience. Really, only the team captains actively participate. In the Safari Lounge, everyone plays. Teams are only 6 people. You can stand on the sidelines and watch if you choose to, but who wants to do that??
  
• Likewise, the 70s party in the Centrum is far more participatory. The dancers come right down the stairs into the crowd. A couple of them stage a "dance off" in the glass elevators. You mingle with "The Village People" up close and personal. It's a party, not a show.
  
• The Solarium Pool - peaceful and lovely.
  
• Outstanding service is the norm with fewer passengers to attend to.
  

 

If you'd said that your family loves the Allure and Oasis, my answer might be different. Those vessels are for travelers who want the SHIP to be the destination. You seem to care about both the ship and the ports. I think you will be very happy with a Radiance Class ship.

[cruiserlove]

My husband and I are in our 30s , recently on the jewel with extended family for a s. Caribbean itinerary. The jewel is a beautiful ship, maybe my favorite so far on 4 cruises for reasons others have mentioned. Two things to mention. The motion on this ship is perceptible even on calm seas. It didn't bother me and was actually calming. I'm not sure how that would translate to the med. There was pretty minimal party nightlife on our cruise. Most bars were pretty quiet after 10 or so, even the vortex. It didn't bother us, we had an amazing time. The food and the service were some of the best we have had. If I had teens or kids in their 20s who liked nightlife I might choose one of the bigger ships....

[Lonesome George]

Have sailed on the Jewel twice, and would do so again in a heartbeat.

Been once on the Independance, and really preferred the Jewel. I have no desire to sail with 4000+ of my new best friends on one of the larger behemoths in the fleet.

Having breakfast / lunch outdoors the Windjammer on the Jewel is phenomenal.