Jewel of the Seas - Jan 27 - Feb 3, 2024 - Live Review

[AmericanMom]

End of Day 6 - This was another late night for us. I guess we're trying to milk the last days as much as we can. 

 

We went and picked out our photos before dinner to avoid the last-day crowd. It was nice. There was no one there. 😄🖼️

 

Only about half of the folks dressed for the second "formal" night. There were really no lines at photo booths and when we were sitting at dinner, looking around there were very few dressed beyond the regular sundresses and polos. 

 

Lobster was on the menu for dinner but I chose the spicy shrimp curry (if you give me the option for South Asian food, I'm gonna take it!) Dad had the chicken marsala. Everything was good and the chefs came out to take their bows. 

 

There was music everywhere. We went to to change into warmer clothes (the ship was freezing) and headed over to The Safari Club for Crazy Quest. If you haven't sailed with Royal before (or only sailed right after the pandemic "ended") you may not be familiar with Quest.  It's an adult game show where everyone participates. It's a lot of fun. Even if you just go and plan to watch, you're going to get swept up and want to join in. I won't give away too many details but here are some photos I'm probably not supposed to share: 

 

Edited February 2 by AmericanMom

[AmericanMom]

In Quest, the men definitely get it worse than the women and it it hilarious. 

 

After Quest, there was a Silent Disco so we danced (ok, I danced, Hubby listened to the music) until the headphones cut off. 

 

We walked the ship a bit and ended up on the helipad looking at the stars. It's rare for us to be so far from city lights and the sky was crystal clear. It was nice to just breathe and take in the awesomeness of everything. 

 

Last ship port coming tomorrow... St. Maarten. 🇸🇽

[AmericanMom]

[AmericanMom]

Day 7 - St. Maarten. We had no excursion planned for today but Hubby wanted to visit a Whiskey shop that carries some exclusive and not for sale in the US items so we slept in a bit, had a leisurely breakfast and headed out to the island. 

 

We took the ferry from the port to the town of Phillipsburg. It was $7 for an all day band. While on the ferry they push a lot of Diamonds International. And ask for tips. 

 

Phillipsburg is a nice walking town. Last time we were here, we just grabbed an umbrella and chair deal from some locals and hung out at the beach. It was super easy. This time we bypassed the beach and boardwalk and went straight to town. There are lots of restaurants and shops and street vendors. We found the Whiskey Shop and Hubby picked up some bourbon that he'd been looking for. We found another great shop where Hubby picked up another bottle and I picked up something called Safari that was sweet and fruity that they let me taste in the shop. 

 

We stopped at a place called Zee Zee for lunch because I wanted conch fritters and it was recommended by a local. They were pretty good. 

 

After lunch we walked along the Boardwalk and then headed back to the ship on the ferry where they asked for more tips. My tip: bring some singles with you. 🤣. 

 

This area relies 100% on tourism (and is the first place we visited that drives on the right side of the road) so no Antillean guilder (ANG) to dollar translation is needed. Everything is priced in USD and they all take our cash. You can even get US dollars at their ATMs. 

 

Last night on the ship... 😩😩😩

[SteelCityCruiser10]

33 minutes ago, AmericanMom said:

Day 7 - St. Maarten. We had no excursion planned for today but Hubby wanted to visit a Whiskey shop that carries some exclusive and not for sale in the US items so we slept in a bit, had a leisurely breakfast and headed out to the island. 

 

We took the ferry from the port to the town of Phillipsburg. It was $7 for an all day band. While on the ferry they push a lot of Diamonds International. And ask for tips. 

 

Phillipsburg is a nice walking town. Last time we were here, we just grabbed an umbrella and chair deal from some locals and hung out at the beach. It was super easy. This time we bypassed the beach and boardwalk and went straight to town. There are lots of restaurants and shops and street vendors. We found the Whiskey Shop and Hubby picked up some bourbon that he'd been looking for. We found another great shop where Hubby picked up another bottle and I picked up something called Safari that was sweet and fruity that they let me taste in the shop. 

 

We stopped at a place called Zee Zee for lunch because I wanted conch fritters and it was recommended by a local. They were pretty good. 

 

After lunch we walked along the Boardwalk and then headed back to the ship on the ferry where they asked for more tips. My tip: bring some singles with you. 🤣. 

 

This area relies 100% on tourism (and is the first place we visited that drives on the right side of the road) so no Antillean guilder (ANG) to dollar translation is needed. Everything is priced in USD and they all take our cash. You can even get US dollars at their ATMs. 

 

Last night on the ship... 😩😩😩

What bourbons did your hubby get?

[AmericanMom]

3 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

What bourbons did your hubby get?

He got a couple bottles of Blanton's that aren't sold in the states as well as a really nice bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. 

[AmericanMom]

[AmericanMom]

End of Day 7 - After returning to the ship, we relaxed in the room for a bit and watched an amazing sunset. It was a glorious goodbye to the Caribbean Sea for at least another year for us. We have a few different trips planned for 2024. 

 

The RCL crew did their best to keep the party going but you could definitely feel like things were wrapping up. We had dinner with Eliseo and John for the last time. (And Head Waiter Ben). I know there's some convenience with My Time dining but when you have the same wait staff every day, it's the coolest thing. We get to know them and they get to know us a bit and it's always hard to say goodbye. 

 

It was pajama night so some folks wore pajamas to dinner. It didn't have as much impact as 70's night but a few people did participate. 

 

Dinner itselt was ok. Mom and I both got the vegetarian moussaka which kind of sucked. It had no flavor. It came with a pointless veggie side dish that also had no flavor. Hubby and dad had the turkey and said it was all right. 

 

The wait staff did a little parade and dance in the middle of dinner so we could show our appreciation for their hard work and long hours 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. I'm sure they appreciated the envelopes more than the applause💰💰💰. In all seriousness, they really did a great job and we were truly appreciative. 

 

We had packed up and left our bags out before dinner but they were still there when I got back to the room (everyone else stayed out watching the karaoke final in the Centrum 🥴😖). I chose my sanity. So I showered and changed and had time to get my last set of clothes and shoes into my bag before it was taken. The guy next door must have had the same idea. I went out into the hall (wearing my pajamas) to put my clothes in my bag. The guy next door came out in his underwear. 😳😖 (I did NOT need to see that! 🤣🤣🤣). 
 

So it was an early night for me but we still have one last excursion: New and Old San Juan with airport drop off. 
 

Here we come Puerto Rico!🇵🇷 

Edited February 3 by AmericanMom

[AmericanMom]

[sunlover2]

I have tried to read through all your posts so if I am asking a question already asked, I apologize. I keep reading how bad the food in the main dining room has become on many Royal ships. What are your thoughts/experience on Jewel?

Thank you

[Cherful59]

@AmericanMom I have never cruised out of San Juan, so was wondering if you can you tell me what terminal you boarded at?  Thanks for all of the pics.  Safe trip home!  Patti

[cruiseguy1016]

5 minutes ago, Cherful59 said:

@AmericanMom I have never cruised out of San Juan, so was wondering if you can you tell me what terminal you boarded at?  Thanks for all of the pics.  Safe trip home!  Patti

 

Royal Caribbean boards at the Pan American Pier, not the pier in Old San Juan.

[Cherful59]

2 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Royal Caribbean boards at the Pan American Pier, not the pier in Old San Juan.

Thank you!  I presumed it would be different as no embarkation/debarkation areas that I remembered in Old San Juan, but had no idea where it would be or the name of it.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

2 hours ago, AmericanMom said:

He got a couple bottles of Blanton's that aren't sold in the states as well as a really nice bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. 

Very nice!  I was looking for Blantons last week but didn’t find any.  I didn’t go far off the boardwalk duty free shops though.

[AmericanMom]

12 hours ago, sunlover2 said:

I have tried to read through all your posts so if I am asking a question already asked, I apologize. I keep reading how bad the food in the main dining room has become on many Royal ships. What are your thoughts/experience on Jewel?

Thank you

The food was great on most days. On the last day I had some vegetarian moussaka that was very bland and Mom had some fish that wasn't cooked all the way through one night, but overall it wasn't bad. I'm a pescatarian so my choices are a bit more limited than everyone else's but other than those two specific issues, no one complained. Mom even said the lobster was cooked perfectly on Day 6 (it's super easy to overcook) so don't let that put you off. Honestly, if you're eating something you don't like, you can always get a different entree. I didn't change out the moussaka because the ship was rocking (it was the only time I felt it) and I really didn't want much more to eat that night.   

[AmericanMom]

11 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Royal Caribbean boards at the Pan American Pier, not the pier in Old San Juan.

This is the way! ⬆️

[AmericanMom]

11 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Very nice!  I was looking for Blantons last week but didn’t find any.  I didn’t go far off the boardwalk duty free shops though.

You can't take photos in the shop and we had then delivered to the ship so I haven't taken any pictures.  I'll post them as soon as they are unpacked.

[AmericanMom]

Day 8 and the end of another fantastic vacation. 🥺 Believe it or not, we were not done with the adventure just yet! 

 

We woke up in Puerto Rico (which is not a bad place to be 🙂). We have The Key so we headed down for breakfast in Tides on Deck 4. Anyone could actually dine in the didning room but They Key guests and back-to-backers have different menus.  

 

The food was good, although service was a little slow, but we ended up sitting next to some great people that we took a tour with so it was nice to meet up one more time before  we went our separate ways.  

 

Today, in our attemt tp delay the inevitable, we had one more excursion booked: Old and new San Juan with Airport Drop-Off.  Our flight was booked for 2:30 pm so we took advantage of the time and took one last ride through San Juan. Even though we had spent a couple days in the city, a professional tour always provides so much more information (and entertainment) and we really enjoy learning about the histories of different countries (yes I know PR is part of in OUR country now but it wasn't always. Ask someone about the Banana Wars someday 🍌!)

 

Our tour guide was Herman and not only was he informative, he was really funny and very patient.  We toured Old San Juan first and learned a bit of history.  Then we moved to "new" San Juan (outside the walled city) and then had stops in Condado and an African Disapora town called Loiza. The weather was perfect and I think that made me regret that the vacation was over the most. 

 

After the tour, Herman took us to the airport where we collected our bags and checked in. 

 

Quick note: when you get to the airport in PR, you need to send your bags through the agriculture scanners before you check in. Our flight was scheduled to leave from Terminal C but the machines that we were next to said "scanners for Terminal B Customers only" or something like that. We were going to bypass them and look for Terminal C ones but a guy stopped us and said the note didn't matter as long as the bags were scanned. You won't be able to check your bags onto the planes unless they have the bright orange stickers which are proof they've been checked. Just don't bring any fresh fruit or veggies with you when you leave the ship to same some time and embarrassment. 

 

There was a medical emergency on our place which caused some of the oxygen masks to drop. They had to be replaced before we could board so we ended up being delayed for about an hour. It was fine; we had seats and entertainement. However there were quite a few people that were concerned about missing connecting flights (totally understandable). The airline seemd to be trying their best to help them out. When we arrived back in Philly, there was an announcement that folks with connecting fights to xx should head directely to xx because they were holding the plane. So I guess they were especially accommodating where it was possible.

 

Back home now. Happy to be sleeping in my own bed... not so much that I have to start doing my own cooking and cleaning and working again. We have another cruise already on the books but it's not until the end of the year.  Until then... Happy Sailing, everyone! 🛳️🚢

 

 

[hannibal54]

Thank you for taking the time to post your cruise review & thanks for all of the pictures.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Thanks for going LIVE and taking time out of your vacation.  Cheers 🍻

[AmericanMom]

18 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Very nice!  I was looking for Blantons last week but didn’t find any.  I didn’t go far off the boardwalk duty free shops though.

As promised:

[AmericanMom]

Some pics from our last day in Puerto Rico. It was a great cruise. As I said before, Jewel is a smaller ship but that turned out to be what we needed this time around. Because the cruise was so port-heavy, by the time we got back to the ship, we were really too tired to do a LOT of the other things that the ship offered. In spite of there being no Wave Rider or Ice Rink, there were still shows every night and the Centrum, pool deck and Safari club always had something going on. You will never be bored, even if you have kids. On every RC cruise, if nothing else, I suggest always participating in Crazy Quest and watching Love & Marriage. They are really entertaining and very memorable experiences.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

41 minutes ago, AmericanMom said:

As promised:

Awesome liquor haul!  That Blantons is dated on my birthday!  what a coincidence.

[SG65CB]

Thank you for taking us along on your cruise. Two weeks to go until my turn on Jewel, you have helped me look forward to my trip even more by reading about your experiences. 

[Cherful59]

@AmericanMom Thank you for including us.  My next cruise is not for 120 days on Freedom, but less than a month after that I will be back on Jewel.  So looking forward to being back on board.

 

Glad you got home safely.