Jewel of the Seas Review
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It's been less than a week since returning from the Jewel of the Seas. Overall, it was a very nice and enjoyable cruise but there's a lot of room for improvement. This was my tenth cruise overall and first on Royal Caribbean. In the past we've sailed Celebrity, Princess, Carnival and NCL and rate these lines in that order overall. My personal expectation was that Royal would present an overall experience somewhere in the middle of these cruise lines and that is what I found. However Royal seemed closer to Carnival and NCL than to Celebrity and Princess overall, and that was a disappointment. Still, it was a pleasant and relaxing cruise and if the price and itinerary appeal to you I would not hesitate in going, unless you are unusually picky about drinks and/or dining, or must have the latest and newest in ship design.
We received advance notice via email that that was some GI distress on board from the previous cruise and not to show up for boarding prior to 12:30 as some extra cleaning was required. We showed up around 1:45 and, surprisingly, found zero lines. In fact embarkation and debarkation in each and every port was as hassle-free, quick and painless as any cruise I've ever been on, five star experience for sure in this area.
Once on board, there was the distinct smell of sewer in much of the common areas mid- and aft-ship. This disappeared by the second day but did not make a good first impression. At no time did this smell intrude into our cabin on deck nine. The other thing that did not make a good first impression was the relentless peddling of drink packages, premium dinner reservations, etc. Tacky. The ship seemed clean and in good repair, though some of the decor was feeling dated. Windjammer in particular felt all-too well used. I found the absence of a stern-located bar unusual and did not care for this omission, as we like to have a drink on the stern when leaving each port. At least there was a full promenade deck allowing one to walk around the entire ship.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
This cabin was of a very standard size and layout in size in my experience. Everything was in good working order. The cabin was quiet and well-located, and showed no signs of the annoying vibrations some cabins have during heavy seas. It showed some wear, being twelve years old, but nothing too serious.
The bed was not very luxurious (wife said it felt like a "cot") but the couch was above average for a cruise ship and felt more like a "real" couch than any other cabin I've been in. The smallish flat screen TV was the only obvious sign of any recent updating, so don't go expecting drastic changes based on last year's renovations..
From time to time the AC was barely adequate but for the most part it was just good enough if you kept it turned up all the way. The shower was quite small and cramped as is typical on many cruise lines, but functional and didn't present a problem.
The balcony was very well-shaded, in part due to how deck 11 overhangs quite a bit. Depending on your personal preferences you might or might not like this. A couple of times the noise from the large screen TV on deck 11 was intrusive.