Jewel of the Seas Review

Bad Start, Excellent Staff, Service and Food; Not Enough Sun Beds!

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
User Avatar
Kathytharris
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2016
Cabin: Family Ocean View Stateroom
Traveled with children

First the bad news. Although not a veteran of the seas (five cruises in 10 years) I was generally expecting more from a company like Royal Caribbean. My previous jaunts were on Celebrity, Carnival and Fred Olsen but was led to believe that RC was a cut above them. We chose this cruise as it fitted in with the fixed days off we had with our leave and had no flexibility.

We boarded at 11.15 having spent the night in Civitavecchia, hoping for a nice relaxing day in the sun on the ship. Unfortunately, despite being among the first to board (with it has to be said a seamless embarkation with no delays and plenty of staff) we were among the last to receive our suitcases...16.15! If I had been informed that there was any possibility that it would take so long (it certainly hadn't on any previous cruises) I would have taken my suitcase with me on board. Stupidly, I had packed all my swimwear but more importantly my strong painkillers for a badly twisted ankle...I spent the day in pain and frustrated that I could have happily been beginning my holiday. Instead I spent it periodically limping down to the cabin to see if the bag had arrived. Not good.

The second problem concerned the "my time" dining. Maybe we should have read the small print but we were completely ignorant of the fact that "my time" needs booking way in advance. All the cruises we have taken before have had the choice early or late as is the norm so we were excited about not having those restrictions. The rather unpleasant young lady who was taking bookings in the dining room (after we had belatedly at 4pm found out that we did need to book) informed me rather snottily that it was "first come first served" and we could have a choice of 6pm or 9.30pm. Again not good. My husband contacted the restaurant manager and all was well. He arranged for us to eat when convenient and indeed there wasn't a problem for the rest of the cruise.

Cabin Review

Family Ocean View Stateroom

Cabin FO

Comparatively small with a tiny bathroom. The fully stocked mini bar promised when we booked the cruise was nothing of the sort (payable soft drinks and water only even though we we on all inclusive. As said before though, our cabin steward made it comfortable (albeit compact and bijou!)

Port Reviews

Santorini

We just went to port and had a lovely meal at the taverna. We had been to Santorini before and wanted a chill day

14 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Jewel of the Seas Cruise from $261

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.