Jewel Haven Mexican Riviera Photo Review 1/3/16

[3kidsncats]

The kids were game to let me snap a few photos in the Plaza Republika -- I made it quick as I was appreciative of their willingness and I had promised after all. The plaza had lots of great open shade with flattering light -- so keep that in mind if you want to get some pics of your families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we were done with our shopping and my photos, we started the walk back to the ship. We were hungry, and had a pub crawl to get to. The walk was less enjoyable on the way back because it was getting hot by that time -- it was around noon. But the doggie surprises had been cleared away, so that was good ;-)

[janpo]

Your pictures are wonderful. You have a really good knack for taking interesting pictures.

 

Mazatlan was my favorite port. I think because of the tour and mostly the tour operator we had. We almost took a taxi also until this tour guide approached us. He was with the white vsn tours and was dressed all in white. Excellent day there. We also toured that beautiful church.

[3kidsncats]

Back at the Haven, we freshened up quickly, and everyone went off to have their own lunches. Kids ended up in O'Sheehans, but DH and I went to the Courtyard.

 

Our favorite, Len, served us very quickly and with his ever present lovely smile. I ordered the Sesame Crusted Swordfish Burger for DH (he was still freshening up at that point) and for myself the Pan Seared Scallops and Shrimp. Both were delicious, with the burger beating out the scallops. For dessert I got the banana cream pie. An odd choice as I don't really like bananas. DD3 ended up eating it, lol. She proclaimed it good, if you are wondering.

 

 

 

 

We finished up in time to meet our group for the pub crawl. Since many in our rollcall had A) been to the ports before, and B) had the UBP, we decided to to a Wednesday afternoon shipboard pub crawl. No worries about missing the ship, and it was free, for most of us. I had made up a plan based on a few things, primarily times that the various bars would be open as well as where we would want to be at sailaway. I had given out a copy of the schedule to those that wanted it, in case they wanted to meet up with us part way through.

 

First up was O'Sheehans. We sat at the bar, ordered drinks and the conversation started. The seating was not the best for the size of the group, but that didn't stop us from having fun. The plan was to move about every 50 minutes or so. The second bar was Shakers/Magnums, which according to the daily both opened at 3pm. We arrived right at 3, and the place was empty. The bartenders were busy behind the bar, and did not acknowledge us. We arranged some chairs and tables to suit our group and waited. After a few minutes, the staff put out some menus -- still ignoring us. I got up and grabbed several menus and passed them around. And we waited a little more. Everyone was chatting, and we were having fun, but I was getting irked at the lack of response from the bar staff.

 

Then I notice a woman has come in, and is ordering something from the bartender. So I opted to go to the bar and wait. I mention to the bartender, that we've been waiting 10-15 minutes, and no one has come over. He responds that the bar opens at 4pm. Now, I had double checked my copy of the daily before lunch, and it said 3pm -- and I checked again after the crawl, just to be sure because I don't want to complain if the fault was mine -- but the daily said 3pm the next time I checked it too -- and yes, it was the daily for that day, the Mazatlan port day, cuz I double checked that too, lol. Now the complaint ends here, because I got no argument from the bartender, and he said "I'll send someone right over" and he did. Can't fault that.

 

Some of the drinks we ordered here were: Rum Cake -- one of the members loved it and polished it off in record time. I tried it another evening, and didn't like it. I ordered a Lavender Patch Martini, and it was my go to drink from that point on -- I tried other things, but I kept coming back to it. Someone else ordered a French something or other Martini. Conversation continued to flow easily -- such a fun group of people. We also had some CCers join in at this point. Then after the hour was up, we went off to our 4pm stop -- the Great Outdoors.

 

Thought this would be a good place to be for Sailaway, and it had food too. We pulled together some tables by the railing, and made a nice big area for everyone. We stayed here for a while. It was lovely. Perfect temps, some munchies, and lovely views. DH did have some problems with the bartender here while I was off in the restroom. He's a pretty easy going guy, so not normal for him to have issues with staff. That's my job, lol. He wasn't sure what to order for me, and I think the bartender didn't want to be bothered. So when I got back, I asked for a Rebellious Fish, and DH went off with Berkley 123 (Have I mentioned how tall Berkley123 is?? We all thought he was the perfect choice for some re-enforcement. Of course, there was no problem getting the fish drink, and soon we were all chatting and laughing again.

 

 

 

[3kidsncats]

The sailaway was in progress, the sun was starting to set, and we were treated to what turned out to be one of the most lovely sunsets of the whole trip. I had left the camera in our cabin, thinking I would be drunk and not focusing well -- plus, didn't want to forget it anywhere. So DH had to snap some pics with his phone. As we got up to move to the next bar, a flurry of photo taking ensued. The sunset was gorgeous, and Berkley123 spotted whales. He did that a lot, actually. :-)

 

I have to run go pick up my daughter, and my eyes need a computer break, so will post a few more pics in this post, then resume the crawl later this evening or tomorrow. Meanwhile -- maybe some of my roll call members will post some of their photos of the Great Outdoor pub stop?? I saw cameras in your hands

 

 

Ruby Princess, who was docked next to us all day, sailing north into the sunset

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by 3kidsncats
typo

[Suntan57]

Hi. We are thinking of booking a suite for the Mexican riviera next April and are curious if your suite was located at the front of the ship. We are wondering how windy the balcony is when the ship is moving.

[3kidsncats]

Your pictures are wonderful. You have a really good knack for taking interesting pictures.

 

Mazatlan was my favorite port. I think because of the tour and mostly the tour operator we had. We almost took a taxi also until this tour guide approached us. He was with the white vsn tours and was dressed all in white. Excellent day there. We also toured that beautiful church.

 

Thank you so much Janpo! I can't take all the credit, as DH took his fair share of photos. We have different viewpoints that often compliment each other when it comes to photos. He often gets the shots I miss, and vice-versa.

[SanDiegoSupa]

I am enjoying your review, thank you... What's the name or website for the massage place in Mazatlan?

Thanks

[3kidsncats]

I am enjoying your review, thank you... What's the name or website for the massage place in Mazatlan?

Thanks

 

We went to the Athina Spa -- one of the others on our roll call went to Tippy Toes which is also in the El Centro district, and it was about $15 pp for a similar massage, and they were very happy with it. Next time we go, we will try Tippy Toes.

[bccanadamom]

Enjoying your review very much and your pictures are just beautiful - may inspire me to do some research & self-teaching myself!

We were on the same itinerary on the Sun in November and are considering a repeat on the Jewel so it's really great to be able to follow along... thanks for all the work you're putting into your review :)

[mianmike]

 

I have to run go pick up my daughter, and my eyes need a computer break, so will post a few more pics in this post, then resume the crawl later this evening or tomorrow. Meanwhile -- maybe some of my roll call members will post some of their photos of the Great Outdoor pub stop?? I saw cameras in your hands

 

Guilty as charged! Here are a couple of our photos:

 

Here is our fearless leader and her DH posing for a selfie.

 

A group photo at the Great Outdoors:

 

The beautiful sunset:

[3kidsncats]

Hi. We are thinking of booking a suite for the Mexican riviera next April and are curious if your suite was located at the front of the ship. We are wondering how windy the balcony is when the ship is moving.

 

The Haven suites are all midship on the Jewel Class vessels -- so I don't have an answer for you with regards to the forward suites. The Haven balcony's are sort of recessed a bit, and unless you are right up at the railing, you can enjoy them even while sailing.

[3kidsncats]

Enjoying your review very much and your pictures are just beautiful - may inspire me to do some research & self-teaching myself!

We were on the same itinerary on the Sun in November and are considering a repeat on the Jewel so it's really great to be able to follow along... thanks for all the work you're putting into your review :)

 

You definitely should! I view it as my most treasured souvenir of the trip. I got a book in December called....Direction and Quality of Light.....it was so helpful, and presents the info in a very easy to understand way. I don't have a flash, so needed to maximize natural light. The book was affordable and I ordered it online with free shipping -- it was about $20 or so.

[3kidsncats]

Guilty as charged! Here are a couple of our photos:

 

Here is our fearless leader and her DH posing for a selfie.

 

A group photo at the Great Outdoors:

 

The beautiful sunset:

 

Caught in the act!!! LOL, DH and I are kind of known for taking selfies together. Don't do them so much alone, but we are guilty as charged for the couples version. Your photos are great!! I want the group one!! I bet you have more hiding on your camera of other aspects of the cruise -- feel free to share anytime!

[3kidsncats]

I left off at the beautiful sunset and the approaching departure to the next bar. Berkley123 saw more whales, so that delayed us a few minutes. He has a really good eye for whales in the distance. Wish we were closer to them so we could get some photos, but only Mianmike and MamaMia2 managed some up close and personal shots while in Cabo on an excursion.

 

Several of us made pit stops, and a few had to go for dinner reservations, etc., while the rest of us reconvened outside of Modernos. Our last stop of the pub crawl (we scratched Spinnakers off the list as it was getting too late) was the SugarCane Mojito Bar, which is located inside Modernos. I love mojiotos, so was really looking forward to this stop. Surprisingly (and happily) none of us were drunk. A bit tipsy, yes, but still in good shape. I know I drank a lot of water before and during, which helped.

 

The drink selections here were fun and interesting. If it was even partially included with the UBP, I would have tried the Flight. Instead, we shared a bit within the group, so people could taste. The hands down winner was the Raspberry Guava Mojito --yum! DH and Mamacita4 tried the Spicy Passion Fruit. It was very interesting. Loved trying it, but wouldn't want a whole one. Neither did they, lol. Berkley123's LW tried the Coco one, and didn't care for it. It had too much lime, and wasn't sweet enough.

 

 

 

After our round of drinks, we all agreed that we had had so much fun, that we wanted to do another pub crawl on one of the sea days. And, several of us wanted to go see the 7:15 show, so we decided to meet outside the show room, after a stop at our cabins to freshen up. For me, this meant a change of clothes and makeup. So we were a little late.....again. But we did make it before the show. We were also herding cats, I mean kids to the show. MamaMia2 kindly waited out front for us, and led us down to the front row seats they had nabbed. The kids went up to the Haven seating. Tonight's show was the Russian acrobats, and they were really amazing. Who knew you could do so much with a curtain. At one point in the show, the husband of the duo came off stage and was "singing" to Berkley123 -- I have a feeling Berkley123 would have preferred to not have been the selected victim. And this guy can sing, btw -- multi talented young man.

 

After the show, the others went off for dinner, but we had late reservations at Cagneys --9:30, so we had to wait a bit before we could dine. (Didn't realize it, but they had a few cancellations and had left a message in our cabin asking if we wanted to come earlier -- oh well) DH and I meandered to Maltings to look at photos from the day on our phones - while enjoying another Lavender Patch Martini -- ok, I enjoyed two more. It was at that point we discovered Stan, a bartender at Maltings. He was very personable, and provided great service, so he became our go-to bartender anytime we were in that area -- which was a lot of the time if we were going to a bar. Finally it was time to go for dinner, so we went up to Cagneys.

 

The kids were already there, and seated, so we joined them at the table. Our waiter was the excellent Luis - and he took amazing care of us for the evening. This was probably my favorite restaurant out of the ones we tried. A few of us had the Baked Potato Soup, and DH had the Lump Crab Cake Salad -- something I had really been wanting to try. I had a bite of his, and wasn't impressed. It was good, but not great. Since I have a small appetite, I opted not to waste tummy space on it at future meals. The soup was wonderful, and the daughters that ordered also thought so. DH popped back to the cabin to get a sweater for one of the girls, so I ordered his Filet for him -- chose the gorgonzola crust and roasted mushrooms. Fantastic! I ordered the whole lobster, DD3 had the ribs, BF had the lobster tail and linguini, and others had Filet with various enhancers -- garlic butter for one, and the cajun spice for another. Everyone loved their meals. DH and I shared ours, with him eating the lions share of both.

 

The whole lobster

 

For dessert we had an assortment: Oreo Cheesecake, Raspberry Brulee, and Macademia Nut Ice Cream Sandwich. No photos of those - even the lobster photo is from a different night. I think DH's phone was dead, and mine has a memory issue and always says it's full, even when it isn't. I tasted the orea cheesecake, but just thought it was ok. DH and others liked the ice cream, and I had the brulee, which was very good.

 

And that was it for the night!

[3kidsncats]

Going to take a mini-break for the moment from the daily accounting of the trip, and cover the Haven Courtyard area. Without a doubt, this was my favorite part of the ship, other than our cabin. Only downside was that we couldn't enjoy it with our friends.

 

Our cabin was located right in front of one of the Courtyard access doors -- the one in front of the hot tub. I personally loved that arrangement. The decor and light in the courtyard was so appealing to me. I felt at peace and happy every time I walked into the area.

 

I'll start with some photos from the first day, when it was empty

 

 

The view to the left as we enter from our access door.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by 3kidsncats

[berkley123]

The Haven suites are all midship on the Jewel Class vessels -- so I don't have an answer for you with regards to the forward suites. The Haven balcony's are sort of recessed a bit, and unless you are right up at the railing, you can enjoy them even while sailing.

 

Klaus the hotel director told us that the Spinaker lounge on some of the ships had been converted to Haven suites and that the Spinaker was moved to where the shops are on the Jewel. Not sure where the shops moved to. Perhaps that is what the OP was referring to.

[3kidsncats]

 

 

There is an area between the hot tub and the stairs leading up to the sundeck that has a treadmill, and stairstepper, flanked on each side by women's and men's shower, bathroom and steam room. Here is a shot of the steam room and little hall. Not easy to get a shot of in such a small space, but I'd never seen a photo of the area.

 

[

 

The shower is in the area just outside of the image, where the light is coming from, and then the restroom you can just see on the right.

 

Photos from another day, but wanted them all in the "Courtyard" section of the review. Somehow I managed not to get a photo of the hot tub, although I could swear I took some.

 

Here is one DH took, and you can see the hot tub, across the way.

[3kidsncats]

Klaus the hotel director told us that the Spinaker lounge on some of the ships had been converted to Haven suites and that the Spinaker was moved to where the shops are on the Jewel. Not sure where the shops moved to. Perhaps that is what the OP was referring to.

 

 

I had heard that also -- and that the noise at night from Spinnakers is now a problem for the cabins nearby. There are Owners Suites on the Jewel, on decks 9 and 10 that are all the way forward, according to deckplans I've seen. No idea what the balcony situation is on those suites. Really haven't seen much about them on the internet, and with the drydock changes, it's sometimes hard to know how accurate the deckplans are at any given time.

[3kidsncats]

Love all the feet sticking out, lol

 

 

 

The morning spread -- each day there was an assortment of pastries and fruit, as well as coffee, tea, etc. Then after the breakfast service ended, it got switched out to cookies, banana bread, etc., as well as gummy bears or some other little goodies.

 

There were always towels placed out on the loungers, and a handy fresh supply in the short hallway leading to the workout room and steam rooms. There was also a space there to put used towels. The steam room heat was on a timed cycle, and we always seemed to miss it. I'm not big on steam rooms, but DH is a fan. The one time I was in the hot tub, it was no where near hot enough, but at other times, DH and the kids said it was perfect.

[3kidsncats]

We had no plans for this port. I wanted to do the Las Caletas excursion, but with six of us, $750 was way out of our budget. Another time, when we aren't in the Haven.

 

The family seemed at a loss that I didn't have a plan. The only day I actually planned, port wise, was Cabo. DD1 came up with the plan for Mazatlan and I just offered support services.

 

By the time I woke up, we were already docked. DH was out on the balcony, enjoying the really warm and balmy morning. There was a mariachi band playing somewhere nearby, and we could hear the cawing of parrots. We were all a bit sluggish. Maybe it was the second time having to move the clocks forward an hour? I also hadn't slept well that night. I wasn't particularly hungry, so we just grabbed some of the fruit and pastries from the courtyard, and made coffee in our cabin.

 

Straight out from our balcony

 

Blurry shot of the area just below us where all the parrot sounds were coming from. There is a large grassy area right along the ship, and then a shopping mall of sorts. I had the wrong lens on the camera, and was going to switch to my 50mm, and was interrupted. Never got the right lens on, so missed some of those shots.

 

Looking to the left into the early morning sun

 

And to the right

 

We finally got it together and headed out to discover Puerto Vallarta. When you get off the ship, you go thru a small shopping area that is inside the security perimeter. Then you exit out, and can continue to the left towards town, or straight out and to the right is an outdoor market. We bypassed the aggressive taxi drivers and walked out to the street. I had read in the port of call forum that you could take a public bus to the Malecon. Forgot to bring my notes though. Everyone was looking to me. Some wanted to walk all the way, but I remembered it was a bit long, so pushed for the bus. The bust stop is to the right after you pass the gas station on the corner. I couldn't remember the exact bus details, so we opted to just walk a bit further. We came to a resort that had staff right about street level, so we asked them. One flagged down the bus that was coming and got us aboard. It's the blue and white one -- make a note and don't forget to bring it!! It was 45 Pesos for the 6 of us. We had no idea where to get off, and the bus was bouncing all over the place. After a few stops, some people got on that were speaking English. They were going to the church.

 

DH caught my eye, yep, we will get off when they do, lol. Then a little further more English speakers. At this point, I had managed to secure a seat, as did one from the first group. Canadians. No idea where to get off either, lol. Third group -- also winging it. Kids are trying really hard not to lose it -- they don't like not having a real plan. I was surprisingly not overly worried, as I had read enough to know we were heading the right way. Eventually, I could see the art work on the Malecon as we passed streets perpendicular to the one we were on -- we could get off at any point. So we did. It was perfect, half a block up, and a wide open vista of the ocean and Malecon appeared.

 

[3kidsncats]

The Malecon is a seaside promenade, with shops, restaurants and sweeping views. And some great art. I loved it. Would have spent a lot more time shooting pictures, but with six people, the pacing was not strictly my own. We had to find a balance between my need to shoot pictures, kids to walk or shop, and DH to find a beer.

 

The pricing in the shops was markedly higher than Mazatlan, and the only reason we did any shopping at all, is we wanted to spend our Pesos. We tucked 45 away for the return bus trip (definitely too far to walk).

 

 

 

The view facing south

 

And north, back towards the ship -- which you can't see from this distance

 

Some interesting restaurant facades

 

[3kidsncats]

Every so often, there are statues placed near the ocean on the Malecon. Here are just a few, with the mermaid last (probably the next post) as I tried a photo lesson that has you take different angles of the same subject to see how it can change the perception. She was perfect for that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3kidsncats]

 

DD2 making her mom proud, lol

 

 

 

 

Just loved this statue, and probably would have taken more, particularly of the merman, but the others were waiting, as were other people who wanted their own photos.

 

There was some natural art too :-)

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by 3kidsncats

[3kidsncats]

As I mentioned earlier, in a response to another CC member, we had other opportunities for taking family shots. The light was tricky for some, again because I can't resist that beautiful ocean backdrop, but the light was coming from the wrong direction to get the best exposure. No backlight opportunity at this time of day, if I wanted the ocean, so had to settle for open shade again, but there wasn't really any light to bounce on the subject, even with a reflector. So, I took two exposures -- one for the face, and one for the ocean, and then used Photoshop to merge the two elements into one photo. Further along the Malecon, there were other backdrops to use, that were not as problematic exposure wise. You may notice DD2 has different hats. That's because she bought more as we walked along, and DD3 got one too!

 

This is one shot, with the dark areas lightened

 

This is a merge of two photos

 

This one is just the ocean exposure shot with the darker areas lightened

 

 

DD2 took this one, while DD3 attempted to use the reflector to help out

 

 

DD1 and BF were off doing their own thing, so wasn't able to force them into posing ;-)

[3kidsncats]

Did manage to get one or two, though

 

 

 

DH's version of the photo -- iphone is great for some things, but maybe not portraits

 

Behind DD3 in the above photo, you can see the Malecon FleaMarket -- that's where we did most of our shopping. It's a pleasant courtyard with little shops. Not too pushy, and we found some nice things. I found some handblown glassware, and bought a set of two martini glasses, since I now have to learn to to make that Lavender Patch Martini. Will add a photo at the end of the review of the glasses.

 

This little market area was also lovely lighting for photos -- only grabbed this one, but it turned out amazingly. No flash, just open shade with a sunny spot on the ground in front of them to light their faces with reflected light. I don't think we used the reflector, but it's possible DH had it behind me. He's good that way ;-)

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by 3kidsncats