"Live" From the Jewel of the Seas 01-08-06

[MrsKnuts2]

As long as you're taking pictures...How about Freddie in the Champagne Bar :)

[AFT_LOVER]

#9256 (with wrap around balcony) on Jewel. If you happen to meet folks in it, get a photo of he balcony to show my husband.

 

Thank you again for giving us this great tour ofthe ship I've been waiting next to Freedom to get on. Freedom is 10/15 member cruise.

 

for 5/14 Member Cruise Europe/Scandanavia

I am enjoying your work, and how expensive it is to do......

 

We just cancelled Summit for May '06 Celebrity member cruise after our horrible cruise on her 11/20 Transcanal where I almost lost my left foot to the gangway and no word from managment on refund or even a get well card. I booked Jewel 5/14 Member Cruise sailing Europe/Scandanavia. We are 9th floor midship D1, so far since JS is $1200 more, so forget that for a bathtub!

 

So if you meet a nice person in a D1 on 9, get a shot for me. Also how is the cappucino, another item that isn't free for Elite members on Celebrity.

Do they have an ice rink for that show? All the glass of the ship is what sold us on this cruise.

[bobbie0253]

Radio,

 

 

I am once again reading your review and loving it!

 

Great job. Now I miss the Jewel...LOL

 

If you read this before going to Costa Maya, we have been there a couple of times and my advice is if you are going to Majahaul(sp?) head there as early as possible if you want a beach chair. We got to Tappas at 9:30 and spent the day in a beach chair. We drank and ate all day and the tab at the end was under $40. That's a lot of Coronas! I did get a really really bad sun burn that day, so be careful if you spend the day by the water.

 

Have a great day tomorrow whatever you do :)

 

Bobbie

[SheltieLady]

Radio love the review and the pics, my DH and I will be on her next year on the 8 night Eastern Caribbean leaving on Jan 13th 2007. I can't wait it has been almost 20 years since my last cruise which was on P&O cruises out of England, my husband has never been on a cruise I can't wait.

 

Keep the pics coming of the ship just love them.

 

Thanks

Christine

[Virginia Zees]

Great pictures Radio.

 

Anyone have any info on room 1558?

 

Thanks

[SherriZ366]

Radio -- great pictures and report. I'm really enjoying and they are bringing my anticipation to even higher heights. That ship is sure beautiful.

 

Could you please answer 2 questions: (1) Is this the last cruise for Captain Thor prior to vacation and is Capt. James MacDonald taking over the ship on Saturday for our cruise? (2) Is the pool in the Solarium salt or fresh water?

Thanks

[Radio]

Hello everyone...i tried to post some pics this morning but..But the internet connection was down. I tried again as I left Costa Maya...but was struck by a dead laptop battery...Grrrrr

 

We left Costa Maya today at 4PM. With us there were Grandeur of the Seas and MSC Lirica. Both are beautiful ships....The Lirica is a little small, but anly a year old. I almost went on her this trip...

 

I got off of the ship at around 8:30AM...There is alot to do in Costa Maya. There are tons of excursions, rentals, shopping, and swimming. I walked around the port area for a while and it was relatively quiet ( We were the first ship in port) I decided to rent a golf cart to go into Majahaul(sp?) which was only about 2-3 miles away. The city was just a small town with a dirt road and many many shops. The Police department and Army Barracks were shacks....The reason to go into town is for the beach only...There is much more shopping at the port...However prices seem to be a little cheaper in town do to your ability to haggle.

 

This was not St Thomas, or Bermuda...The town was put there just for cruise passengers. The beach was beautiful though...It was the blessing of this port ! The golf cart rental was $30.00 (350 pesos) for 2 hours, and $50. (550 pesos for the whole day). I should have just taken a cab for $5.00 R/T. I had some great food and relaxed the day away for about 4 hours. the water was beautiful and the locals were friendly.

 

When I got back to the port...It was a madhouse...Thousands of pax were in port from the other 2 ships...Let me tell you..it was wall to wall people, and it was tough to move ! ! The internet caffe was standing room only with about 12 people in line to use the internet. The Ampitheatre had a nice Folkloric show, the music was good, and the stores were nice and cool. It turned out to be a hot sunny day (around 85F). The vendors were a little pushy,,,but a No Thank You got the point across.

It was one of the most complete port facililities i have been to...Plenty of food, shopping, restrooms, and lots of food, drink and shopping. ( And even an Alligator Farm)

 

 

Bobbie...I got into town early and had no trouble getting a chair on the beach..The food was great !

 

Bargeo..Sorry, i have not seen any Splenda

 

Tonight is the Crown and Anchor Party.....I will visit the SeaView Cafe once again , and try out the Casino. Tonight will be a short night for me, this day was very long for me (up at 5AM)

 

We are heading to Georgetown, Grand Cayman(363nm), and should be there bt 10AM. there are no specific plans for tomorrow I have done all of the usual things...so we'll just play it by ear !

When i arrive home..I promise to add captions to all of the Pics on my Cruise Photo Page ( Just click below)

 

Radio

 

 

Pulling uo to Custa Maya

 

 

 

Welcome to Costa Maya

 

 

Jewel of the Seas at the Pier

 

 

Busy afternoon in the Plaza

 

 

[Radio]

Here's a few more pics...

 

Radio

 

 

Heading back to the ship on the Trolley (Free)

 

 

Folklore Show

 

 

 

Small Beach between Majahaul and Costa Maya (MSC Lirica)

 

 

 

Beach Club in Majahaul

 

 

.

 

[Radio]

Radio -- great pictures and report. I'm really enjoying and they are bringing my anticipation to even higher heights. That ship is sure beautiful.

 

Could you please answer 2 questions: (1) Is this the last cruise for Captain Thor prior to vacation and is Capt. James MacDonald taking over the ship on Saturday for our cruise? (2) Is the pool in the Solarium salt or fresh water?

Thanks

 

Hi Sherrie..The Solarium is Salt Water..I will check with the Captain tonight on where he'll be...

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

[gkm]

Hi Mark, I'm still interested in knowing if there is just the one Concierge Lounge or if they have a satellite one in another lounge like they do on the Brilliance for the overflow. There are just too many eligibles for the one small lounge. I love your pictures! It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Wish I was there!:D

 

Garry

[Radio]

Hi Mark, I'm still interested in knowing if there is just the one Concierge Lounge or if they have a satellite one in another lounge like they do on the Brilliance for the overflow. There are just too many eligibles for the one small lounge. I love your pictures! It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Wish I was there!:D

 

Garry

 

Hi Garry... There is no Satellte lounge at this time...Several Suite guest have been seen sitting outside of the Concierge Lounge in the Centrum, but it has not been that crowded.

 

Radio

[Radio]

Hi Sherrie..The Solarium is Salt Water..I will check with the Captain tonight on where he'll be...

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

 

James MacDonald will be the Captain coming aboard this Saturday !

 

Radio

;) ;)

[rubrrick]

I have really enjoyed your commentary and great pictures, and looking forward to more.

 

Rick

[WineLovers]

Solarium is salt water, is it heated as well?

[weary traveler]

Yes it is.. very comfortable...

[jerryandtraci]

Thanks for the great pics and commentary. My wife and I are booked on the Jewel for our honeymoon on Jan 28 and seeing your pictures is getting us very excited to leave. I do have a question though. Does this ship have wireless access throughout or in certain places and what charges can I expect to pay should I decide to bring my laptop?

 

Radio, enjoy the remainder of your cruise.

Thanks!!

[Radio]

Thanks for the great pics and commentary. My wife and I are booked on the Jewel for our honeymoon on Jan 28 and seeing your pictures is getting us very excited to leave. I do have a question though. Does this ship have wireless access throughout or in certain places and what charges can I expect to pay should I decide to bring my laptop?

 

Radio, enjoy the remainder of your cruise.

Thanks!!

 

Wireless Access is available in several areas of the Ship...including The Solariun, Widjammer, The Schooner Bar, Safari Club, The Vortex Disco and the Library...There are several pachages availble...the best one though is the one for $50.00 which is only .33 a minute. If you dont select a package....you can connect for .50 per minute. The best area is the ouside part of the Widjammer where access is excellent.

 

Radio

;)

[Radio]

We arrived in Georgetown , Grand Cayman at about 9AM. In port today is Carnival Conquest, Radiance of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Pullmantur Holiday Dream.

 

I was one of the first ones off today, thanks to a Priority Tender Pass. The lines were crazy. They used commercial tenders, and Ship Tenders to take us ashore. There were 6 Tenders in use today....The tender ride into downtown wass only ablout 5 minutes.

 

Downtown was crowded with people...we were the last ship in port today. The weather was sunny and hot...Very Clear skies. I was feeling a little under the weather today...so I just stayed in town for a few hours. I stopped at many places and met a lot of great people from Radiance, and Conquest. I then went back to the ship where it was like an empty hotel.....There were few passengers on Board. The pool was very relaxing. i took a long nap....ooops...A little sunburn has happened.

 

Heres a couple of pics to start..I'll post more later today.. I have to send all pics to my Cruise Page...

 

Thanks for tuning in !

 

Radio

;)

 

Welcome to Grand Cayman !

 

 

 

Radiance of the Seas

 

 

 

.

[JaneStarr]

Does Jewel still have the Onion rings/burgers/reubens...type menu for Sea View cafe or did they change to the (disappointing) Pizza and Pasta only menu that we had on 23 Dec. 06 sailing of sister ship, Brilliance?

 

Jane

[SherriZ366]

Radio -- thanks for the answers on the Captain and the solarium pool. Captain Thor sounds great but we have sailed with Captain MacDonald 2 other times (Grandeur and Radiance) so we are excited.

[bob278]

Radio,

 

Thanks for all this great information. I have a couple of questions on internet access.

 

If you get the $50 package, do you get the 150 minutes (my approximation of how many at $.33/minute) for EITHER WiFi or cabin access? I think we would like to be able to get to the internet from the cabin, but I haven't seen anything that makes me think WiFi works there.

 

When we were on our Brilliance transatlantic last year, we had the old package of unlimited time for $125 (I think) and had the cabin hookup. We had a lot of time where it was super slow, but since we weren't paying by the minute, it wasn't a big issue. Do they still have that package?

 

If the internet is too expensive, I can see composing a lot of messages on my USB flash drive and finding an internet cafe to upload (cut/paste) them.

[RedHotFire1]

Radio- Thanks for all the pics and information. My daughter and her friends are on the cruise with you now! I love seeing where they are- thanks to you!

[JaneStarr]

WiFi "hot spot" had strong signal on deck 10 off Centrum (just outside Concierge Lounge). It also worked in CL, but as soon as you stepped into the hallway towards Suite 1050, the signal disappeared.

 

I'm not sure the answers to your other questions. Will be curious to see info for Jewel since we are sailing her next summer.

 

Note that the $50/150 minute package rate reverts to 50 cents per minute the second that your pre-paid package is used up. You then are billed the 50 cents per minute until the next time you sign in and elect a new package rate (if desired).

 

Oh, I'm not sure but don't think they provide access for you to plug anything into their computers (even usb jump drive), at least that's what I was told as far as connecting to a printer.

 

Katherine, the Brilliance concierge, told me that the wireless is faster than the RCCL terminals, and I've experienced that myself.

Hope this is relevant and helps.

 

Jane

[simra]

Radio: Thanks for all the great pictures and commentary on the Jewel. We will be getting on as you get off. I was wondering if you could check the TV remote and tell me if there is a sleep timer function on it. I think it is just wonderful that you have taken the time from your vacation to keep all of us posted with this wonderful information. Do you know if the Seaview Cafe will be open the day we board? I much prefer having my meals served to me rather than standing on line for them. To me, that's a big part of the meaning of the word vacation. Thanks for all your help and enjoy the balance of your cruise.

[bob278]

Jane,

 

Thank you. I am hoping that we can buy the $50 package and get a connection for the cabin. We would do very simple stuff there and maybe compose some things on the laptop before going to the WiFi area for faster access. If the cabin connection is not an option, then we will likely do most of our connection via the wifi route on the ship.

 

I was thinking that I would compose and copy to the flash drive for when we are in port and I can get to an internet cafe.

 

We find the "Live from...." threads to be very interesting, even if it is not a ship we plan to sail on soon. Since we enjoy them, we feel like we ought to pay back by doing one on our own (which we did last year and enjoyed).