This was my 12th cruise overall and 9th with RCI (second on the Jewel) so guess you can say I'm a seasoned cruiser.

We were going to book a suite but our last suite on the Vision was noisy and since that's where the suites were on the Jewel, we opted for a regular balcony. Our mid-ship stateroom was perfect with an extended deep balcony - look for these rooms on most all RCI ships, the balconies are large and very private. There are 4 on each of the upper decks and though they're right next to the stairs/elevators (convenient too), we never had an issue with noise - once the door is closed you can barely hear a thing. The size of the bathroom sure made me miss the suite though. It's the only time I can pee and do my makeup at the same time. Bring your own shampoo, the 2 in 1 provided is horrible.

First time cruisers would do well to book a mid-ship room where you're less likely to feel motion and get sea sick especially if you're on the smaller ships (under 100K tons). It's also a good idea to book a cruise such as this one that leaves from the Caribbean so your ports of call are close together and the ship travels at a much lower knot speed to get to the ports. I've always found I feel the motion most when we're heading back to the USA at a higher speed. Read more