We were aboard the Jewel for the week of 2-12/2-19. I must say that the ship is quite beautiful. Our stateroom was very nice and the help on board was great. Some of the things I found I did not like about the cruise were the speciality restaurants. We went to three different restaurants, the Teppanyaki, Momma's, and Tango's. I would not recommend any. The waiters were unusually pushy in their attempts to have you order wine, especially in Momma's. Although, these were in smaller areas, the service took longer in all three.
We took the Beach Escape tour for St. John while docked in St. Thomas. We had occasion on another cruise to tour this beautiful site and were very much looking forward to another visit. What a waste of time. First, the tour guides were late in arriving. Then after the boat ride (45 minutes) we arrived at St. John. After a 1/2 hour tour, we arrived at the beach. We were only allotted one hour and ten minutes at the beach. However, upon returning to the dock to return to St. Thomas, we were told we were going to be waiting for over an hour before we departed. It was very hot waiting for the ferry to leave and we were wet and sandy and did not feel like shopping in the few elegant shops available. I think they must call this the Beach Escape tour because you must escape the beach prior to having any fun.
We took the Antigua Highlights tour and it was delightful. Our guide SyriAnn was the best. The lobster dinner could have been a little more filling but the beach was delightful. Be prepared for the natives to slather you with fresh Aloe without your permission and then ask for cash.