Jewel of the Seas Review
Specialty and Alternative Dining - hits and misses
Rating by category
Additional details
Chops - We had a wonderful meal here, definitely worth the $25 per person cover fee. The food was great, and the service exemplary. On a 10-night cruise, dining in the main dining room can become routine. On one of those nights when the main menu seemed below par, Chops came through with a wonderful experience.
Portofino - Everything here was fine, but it just seemed a little tired. We would have liked a little more variety, and a little more adventuresome menu. For a $20 cover charge, I just expect more. Perhaps it's time to shake up the menu a little. If you only want to do 1 specialty restaurant, choose Chops over Portofino.
Seaview Cafe - This isn't a speciality restaurant, but an alternative when you want a burger or something similar. It's similar to a Johnny Rockets, but without the style, and without the good malts and frappes you can get at JRs. Beware the milkshakes at Seaview - they unbelievably blended the milk and ice cream with ice, making for a runny milkshake with small chunks of ice suspended in it. And to think that they charge extra for this concoction. Thanks but no thanks.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Room 7030 had an extra large balcony, but you lost privacy. The walls separating this balcony from the ones next to it came out only 2/3 of the way, with just open railing the rest of the way. So if your neighbor is standing at the outside corner of their deck, they can actually see not only your deck but also into your room. I'm not sure the extra space warranted the lack of privacy.
Other than that, the room was fine, but small. I'll try to go to the superior-level cabins in the future as opposed to the deluxe. The room was close to the forward elevators (a plus for me), and it was quiet. So overall, not a bad room.