We sailed on the Jewel of the Seas on Jan 2 to Jan 8 2006. Thor Thorelson was our captain and Simeon ___ was our cruise director. This was my second RCI cruise and my boyfriends first. We are 24 and 28 respectively and travel often on land vacations and do the whole resort thing as well. We flew in to Palm beach for new years eve and visited with family. We rented our car through Alamo with no hassles or long waits. On Jan 1 we stayed at the Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale hotel. Great property. Definitely 4 stars. The service was fantastic, I was shocked that valet was $18, but was told thats the norm in Ft. Lauderdale. The hotels in a great location where you can walk to shopping and restaurants if you have no car. On Jan 2, we returned our car at 11am and Alamos free shuttle had us at the pier at 11:30. We were on the ship eating lunch in the windjammer by 1.

Embarkation: On Jan 2, we returned our car at 11am and Alamos free shuttle had us at the pier at 11:30. The embarkation could have been smoother if there were more signage leading people in the right direction or more service personnel available to help. It was pretty chaotic when we arrived but once on the correct line we didnt have to wait long. We were on the ship eating lunch in the windjammer by 1.

Room We had a D1 balcony cabin 9078. Its on the hump. The balcony is massive. A long lounge beach chair, 2 regular chairs, and a small table were out there and we still had plenty of room to maneuver and dance for joy. I read on all these reviews how well appointed the staterooms are, and its definitely true. There are lots of places to store all your belongings. The bed was rock hard so we requested the foam pad from our stateroom attendant&it helped a tiny bit. I slept out in the lounger on the balcony one night&more comfortable than the bed. Our room was at the end of the hall just by the elevators and the library. There were no noise problems at all. We only heard our neighbors if they were out on their balcony while our balcony doors were open. Read more