Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas: A Review 2011

Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas: A Review 2011

January 14, 2011
Ultimate Caribbean and Panama 10 night itinerary
Ports: Ft Lauderdale; Labadee, Haiti; Cartagena, Columbia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Grand Cayman
Distance Traveled: 3,253 nautical miles
This was our 7th cruise overall, and there were 10 total in our group.
Getting there:

We always fly to the cruise port at least one night early, and this was no exception. The day began with a flight cancelation, and a couple delays that caused us a lot of extra travel time. They weren’t weather delays, they were mechanical failures. We were scheduled to arrive in FLL around 1:30pm, and got there at 10:30pm.

TIP: You can never rely on airlines to get you there on time. Always a good idea to go a day or two early to ensure you make the ship in time. In hindsight, I would like to have traveled to FLL two nights early to relax a bit before the cruise.

Pre-Cruise:
Our pre-cruise hotel was the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. It’s located right on the beach north of the cruise port. It’s a great location, beautiful beach and nice facility. My favorite spot was The Wreck Bar off the lobby. It has large aquariums built into the walls and has a ship theme. Behind the bar are glass windows into the swimming pool, which was unique. This bar was featured in the movie “Analyze This” with Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, and Lisa Kudrow. A very nice hotel to host you for pre-cruise.

Embarkation:
We taxied from hotel to Port Everglades at around 11am, and found it to be pretty empty. Check in was quick and smooth, and we were onboard in only a few minutes time. Royal Caribbean asked guests not stay out of their staterooms until after 1pm, so we went to lunch at The Windjammer Buffet. Lunch was good and plenty of selections. I like the free lemonade that’s served, and the coffee wasn’t as bad as I remember either. Muster was held before sailing, and it’s done outdoors on the promenade deck.

Sail Away:
I judge all cruises by the sail-away party. If it’s lame, the entertainment onboard is probably not that great. This one wasn’t bad, but they are too short. The pool deck band always seems to be on break after 3 songs…and once again…NO STEEL DRUMS! What’s a Caribbean Cruise without steel drums? The main pool deck area is laid out well, with a Sky Bar and Pool Bar.

The Ship:
Jewel of the Seas is a ‘Radiance Class’ vessel, and it’s a ship of glass! You can ride the glass elevators and look out to the sea at the same time. My favorite areas onboard were the Viking Crown Lounge, The Safari Club & Congo Bar, and also the Schooner Bar area.

We never used the Sports Court areas, but there was basketball, golf, teen pool, rock wall, waterslide, Adventure Beach, and an arcade there.

The Solarium is beautiful with a pool, hot tub and had a bar and pizza place. The gym was large, and the Spa was nice. We bought a Thermal Suite package for 2, and it costs about $200 for 10 days use. There were hot rock beds facing the sea, and steam rooms. Be advised, there are also steam rooms, and saunas that you can use free without buying the thermal package. I thought the Thermal Suite was priced a bit high for what was offered there.

The Coral Theater chairs were not that comfortable, but the room was nice. There is a cool movie theater, sports bar, and big casino on deck 6. They have 2 pool tables mounted on a gyro system which is really cool. You can play a game of pool, and each time the ship rocks the tables self-adjust to stay level. Incredible! They are located right near the entrance to The Safari Club in The Game Reserves. The Schooner Bar is a nice place to meet, and it was host to a lot of trivia games in the daytime.

The bow contained a helipad, and an area with benches to sit on. For some reason they kept it blocked off to the public most of the time. On one occasion, we found it open but we were quickly asked to leave by crewmembers.

Our Stateroom:
We booked an aft balcony overlooking the wake. It was cabin number 9258, and was a Superior Ocean View Stateroom. It has a large balcony with two lounge chairs, two regular chairs and a small table. It’s big enough for four people to enjoy the great view.

We didn’t like the arrangement of the closet doors, because they were always in the way of the entrance, the bathroom, and the way they open is silly. The bathroom was adequate, but sometimes our toilet didn’t flush right. It also had a sewer smell in the room when you left the door shut. The bed was comfy, lighting adequate, furniture was functional. The safe will not hold a normal size laptop computer, but should fit most of your other valuables. The TV is ‘old school’, but it’s interactive. You can check your account or order a shore excursion from it.

TIP: There is no Wi-Fi in the staterooms; you will need to walk down the hall to the Centrum area to connect to internet.

TIP: It’s a very long walk to the elevators from these aft cabins. There are only 2 sets of public elevators onboard, fore and mid-ship. You must walk from your aft cabin all the way to the Centrum elevators to go up or down. Wear comfy shoes! Bonus: I didn’t gain any weight on this cruise!

Dining:
We had traditional late seating dinner, and we sat at a table for 10. (all family/friends) The Tides Dining Room is spectacular. Our waiter was great. We had table 472 on the lower level near the port side windows. Our waiter Robet and assistant Alex were great. Alex was very new…but he was fun. Our waiter was one of the best, and remembered our names from the very first night. Food choices were great, and plentiful. I found many items each night that I loved. I enjoyed every entrée I was served. Dinner is always a cruise highlight for me.

Windjammer Café:
The Windjammer buffet is on the aft of the ship, and has outdoor seating overlooking the wake. I’m not a big buffet lover, but this was pretty good. I’d much rather lunch in the dining room but when that wasn’t convenient, this hits the spot. Plenty of choices, food not bad.
Seaview Café:
Located above and aft on the ship, this small café was mostly sandwiches, fries, and salads but it was delicious. A great alternative to the buffet, as things are cooked to order.

Random:
Captain: Stig Nilsen
Cruise Director: Keith Williams

Pool Towels: Are checked out with your SeaPass card near the pool. These are the towels you can take ashore. There is a $20 fee if you lose or don’t return it.

Coffee: Pretty good. There was a noticeable change in quality of the coffee since our last cruise. It was much better this time. We didn’t purchase any specialty coffees, but they are available in the Centrum area and the Windjammer.
Pizza: Pretty good, but I love Princess’ pizza more. There are a couple selections available in the Solarium.

Luggage Valet Program: This is a great service where you can pay a $20 per person fee and your luggage is taken from ship to airport so you don’t have to find it at debarkation, and drag it to the airport. Royal Caribbean will also check you in for your flight, print your boarding passes and deliver them to you in your stateroom. Well worth it to me! No hassles, see your luggage when you get to your destination.

Entertainment:
Pool Band: Lame, and always on break. No steel drums.
Illusionist: Awesome!
Comedians: Ok, nothing great.
Bingo: Expensive, but still fun.
Centrum: Strings, violins, singers.
Trivia: Fun, and held in the Schooner Bar a lot.
Pool Games: Interesting but typical and silly. Belly flop, etc.
Casino: Addicting! Lots of tournaments, and they have a couple of non-smoking nights which were nice.

Ports of Call:
Labadee, Haiti:
This was our second trip here, and what a huge difference! RCI put a lot of work into making it a much nicer place to spend the day. Lots to do, nice beaches, and the scenery is beautiful. Added excursions are pricey, but there is something for everyone here. Nice lunch on the beach, and a couple places to get it. Shopping in the Artisans Market is quite aggressive. Local Haitians are very persistent in sales tactics. Bargaining is the way to go here.






Cartagena, Columbia:
Ancient walled city meets modern city! This is a huge city, and a tour is the only way to see anything. We opted for a private tour booked with Claudia Vidal, a local Columbian. She gave a great tour by van, and there was some walking involved. We visited La Popa Hill and its Monastery, and many other historic sites. We had a walking tour in the old section of the walled city. The architecture is nice and street characters all over competing for your dollar. We also visited the large fort built to fend off the pirates. Cartagena is a great place to buy emeralds! A great tour and it only cost about $45 pp. Cartagena is a very interesting city, with a lot of history and culture.


Colon, Panama:
The reason we booked this trip was to transit the Panama Canal. When we booked the cruise a full 18 months prior, we were able to get a coveted AFT cabin. Our thought was, it would be a guaranteed spot on the rail to watch the transit of the locks. Shortly after booking, Royal Caribbean decided the ship would no longer be doing a partial transit of the locks. Instead, the ships would dock in Colon, Panama for the day.

You can take an optional shore excursion to see or transit the locks. After checking several private companies, we decided to simply book the ships tour to transit the locks in a ferry boat. This was a great selection, as you can see so much more from a smaller vessel in the locks. We were able to actually touch the canal walls! It would be much harder to see what is actually taking place from atop a giant cruise ship. We were very happy with our $150 per person ship sponsored shore trip. We boarded buses in Colon, and the tour guide gave us the history of Panama on the way to Gamboa, where we boarded a ferry boat. Each ferry held from 300-500 people, and lunch and beverages were provided. Beer was available at a cash bar, and there was a gift shop and professional photographer for photo ops. The ferry took us from Gamboa, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. We disembarked the ferry in Panama City and boarded buses back to Colon. On this excursion, you will go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in a few hours. The locks are amazing, and so is the history of the canal itself.

Some Panama highlights were:
-The entire Panama Canal transit experience was unbelievable! A must do!
-Crossing under the Bridge of the America’s and the Centennial Bridge.
-Seeing sloths in the wild.
-Learning the history of the canal, and seeing what a massive undertaking it was.
-Being invited to watch the transit from the bridge wings by the crew of the ferry.
-Sharing the experience of the transit with family and friends.
-Meeting Pastor William Wilbur from the Gamboa Union Church.

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
We pre-arranged a tour with JJ Tours, who met us at the pier in Puerto Limon. JJ was a great guy, and very knowledgeable of all things Costa Rica. I really liked him. I felt that the van was overstuffed with people, however. The canal tour, banana plantation, fruit stand, and beach were great. We saw many sloths, birds, and even some Howler Monkeys. JJ knew I was a Firefighter and even stopped by a fire station so I could have a quick visit! He also took us to a local grocery store for purchasing coffee and liquor, where it was much cheaper than in the tourist zone. Thanks JJ! Great trip and I highly recommend JJ. Contact pete@jollymonvacations.com for more info.

Some Costa Rica highlights were:
-Seeing sloths and monkeys in the wild.
-Seeing how bananas are grown brought in to be processed. You’d never believe it!
-Meeting the firefighters…of course!
-Nice relaxing ‘beach restaurant’ lunch with my family and friends.

Grand Cayman:
This is a ‘tender port’ where the ship anchors and you ride in smaller boats to shore. They have built a new tender dock and the area is quite nice now. Lots of shopping right near the dock. We have been to Grand Cayman twice before, so we skipped the usual visit to Stingray City. This time we taxied to 7 Mile Beach for a couple hours of lounging and snorkeling. The public beach is very nice, and we rented chairs and umbrellas. Snorkeling is pretty good just offshore. Afterward, we lunched at Margaritaville and did some shopping. A very relaxing day.

Things We Liked (Pros):
~Great service at dinner. Loved our waiter, and dining was a highlight of the cruise for me.
~Aft balconies rock! Not a lot of wind back there, they are large and quiet. Nothing but the sound of the wake.
~Food choices are excellent.
~Weather was hot and humid except for the first and last day of cruise. Perfect cruise weather.
~Air conditioning worked very well.
~Loved the mid-ship glass elevators which faced the sea!

Things We Didn’t Like (Cons):
~No aft elevator banks!
~Not allowed on the bow/helipad area. They close the promenade gates and it doesn’t wrap around the ship when it’s closed.
~No great parties like they used to have. Attendance was dismal. Evening deck party was moved indoors because of wind, and that was a bummer.
~Thermal Suite was pretty weak compared to some Princess ships. It looked very nice, but would like more aroma therapy steam rooms. There was always one that didn’t work, as well as the heated rock beds. No relaxing music playing and the gym is above this area.
~Shipboard Shops: the sidewalk sales impede traffic to the Theater. (on purpose no doubt) Most ships do this and I don’t like it.
~Two midnight buffets…and they ENDED at midnight! At least they had them, and they were great.

Conclusion:
I love ships, but as we cruise I’m finding that I enjoy the ships most when they are less than 100,000 tons. Bigger ships mean more people, and I’m not big on crowds. This size ship is plenty big enough, and I really don’t climb rock walls or surf anyway. This itinerary was the biggest reason we chose this ship class. The itinerary was great, and stopped in a lot of places. The canal was incredible, and something I recommend very highly. Jewel was a great ship, and the staff was pretty good. Overall, it was a very good cruise. We love Royal Caribbean, and even purchased our next cruise while onboard. Sharing a cruise like this with family and friends really makes it special.

The author of this review is a travel agent.
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Pete Larson