Just returned from our first time Royal Caribbean Cruise on Jewel of the Seas (Nov 2015) to southern Caribbean beginning in San Jaun going to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Croix & returning to San Juan. In sum, we would not do this cruise again. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t recommend it. It simply means we found the negatives to outweigh the positives.
This is a lengthy review and intended for those who are wise enough to do some back ground before they take a cruise. We did, and found many of the reviews helpful and greatly appreciate those who took the time to write them and share their thoughts. Half those we read were accurate and the other half were whiners whining.
We booked the cruise and air on Jet Blue Air and Cruise as a birthday/anniversary gift to ourselves. My wife and I are retired in our early 60’s. While I’ve traveled extensively, she has not, and she is not very active or adventurous. She also has not cruised before. I have cruised on other ships large and small. I enjoyed the small ship cruises and although I did not care for the previous large cruises (like, Norwegian, Carnival etc., when I was single) we thought we’d give Royal Caribbean and the Caribbean region a try.
. Unless you don’t want to be in those lower decks cabins (cells) or those inner cabins with no view you pay extra. We elected for a large ocean view stateroom #7002. It was located on the 7th deck on the bow of the boat and above the theatre. Yes, you may feel a little more motion up front, but these ships are so large you will likely not notice, unless they encounter rough seas. That is a risk everyone must be willing to take on a cruise. So consider the time of year and weather patterns. Our cruise was after the hurricane/wet season and before the dry season. Everything worked in our cabin, no problem. Did not have a balcony nor did we need one, because most will not use or need it. So why pay the extra? But if you’re a braggart, with more money than brains, go ahead and book a suite or balcony and tell everyone about it.