We are a 62 and 53 year old couple from the northern Virginia area. This was my 10th cruise and his first cruise and both of us really enjoyed Jewel of the Seas and the itinerary. This was my fifth cruise with Royal Caribbean, I have also cruised on the Disney Magic with children and grandchildren and several times on various Carnival ships. The largest ship I have travelled on is the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan with a southern itinerary. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale out of Washington Dulles airport the night before our departure in case the weather was bad and we used Jet Blue as our carrier. The flight down was uneventful but the return flight was not so good. A three hour delay due to mechanical difficulties on the original plane which was not in the end utilized. The second plane flown in from Boston was delayed on board for a while with computer problems. We managed to arrive home at 11:30 pm on a flight that was supposed to get in at 7:30 pm. Needless to say not that impressed with Jet Blue. Oh well, back to arrival. We had booked Embassy Suites for a one night stay and it was fine but a little pricey. We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and the hotel shuttle to the terminal for $8 each which worked out fine. We arrived about 11:00 am and were on board about 12:00 or 12:30 due to having to wait for the ship to clear customs. Went straight to Windjammer for lunch and after that the room was ready and luggage arrived around 3:30 pm so all was good and unpacked by dinner. We were extremely lucky for the entire week as the weather at each port was great 80 to 85 and no rain. The seas also cooperated and there was no sea sickness to contend with. We liked our location on deck 8 - I was a little worried that it might be too far forward but it turned out to be a great location for us. My luggage did not fit under the bed but one fit nicely into the other one and stored nicely in the closet and we had plenty of room for our stuff and I do not pack light. Neither of us had any problems with the cabin even the small space and shower which was nicely curved and I liked the doors better than shower curtains.

Okay, on to the ports and what we did at them. We only used excursions that were booked through the ship - I've done both but it just seemed easier this time and I pre-booked them before we left. I'm typing this fast to get it posted so please ignore any spelling or general mistakes - maybe you can at least make some sense of it.

San Juan - We had never toured old town so we took a walking tour and it was fine for us as we were in port late 2:00 pm and our choices were limited. The fort and views were great and both of us like to walk and it moved along well. St. Thomas - We did the Atlantis submarine and the Paradise Point Skyride. The submarine was okay - I didn't think the fish were as good as some I have seen snorkeling but there was a boat ride to the site and my partner enjoyed the whole idea of a submarine. The skyride was an easy walk from the port of Charlotte Amalie and the views were incredible. There was a small little walking trail at the top and a trampoline jump with bungee cords for an extra fee and a nice snack bar and shop. St. Maarten - We did the Rhino Rider excursion and really enjoyed this. The ride was fast and fun and there was about an hour at Happy Bay a nude beach but really not at all crowded. There was snorkeling equipment provided but there were no fish here that we could find. We Also had some time before the ship excursion so we took the water taxi for $5 each over to Philipsburg to look around at the beach and look through some shops. Would have liked to spend more time. The water taxi is the way to go because you can go all around the island from stop to stop for your $5 ticket. Tortola - We took a Sea & See tour and both enjoyed touring the island by boat and then by bus. The views were incredible during the bus ride and stops were taken for photos Nassau - Took the Seahorse snorkeling and Sailing tour. There was no sailing - just used the engines but the fish and reef were fine and there was about an hour in the water which was tiring enough for me. Read more