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Kelang (Kuala Lumpur)

Good stuff first, food was good the dining service staff Cynthia and Sandeep were awesome. Our room Stewart Clarke very friendly did a great job.  PEI tour was great.  That was the reason we went. My wife is big fan of the Ann of green gables. Getting on was the normal made house stuff you get while getting on a big ship.

The tours :Cabot trail was a few stops enclosing a stop at a closed college for 45 mins to run 50 people through 3 restrooms. It was 7 hours of riding around. The lunch was supposed to be a lobster buffet, it was a box lunch with a tiny piece of lobster tail.  The hop on and off in St John was 90 mins of stops were nothing was open. The reversing rapids was the only place to get off. Portland tour was boring except for the light house.  Saganay was the fjords was good. Had to buy our own lunch along with 100 other people in one restaurant.  They had sandwiches made up ahead of time.

The ship: a Diet Coke was $4.13. A bottle of wine I found at Walmart for $9.28 was $52.00. The all drink package was for the week $1000. They used their internet for announcements, but you had to sign up for the package for the week $450. We asked for the paper, schedule and Clarke got it to us.  The windjammer  was always crowded and noisy. The entertainment was not great, the singer Max couldn’t  carry a tune in a bucket. The Alley Cats and the comedians were good.

After PEI I was ready to fly home. When got to Boston I almost did. We will never do this again. We found river boat cruising a much better venue. And it’s all exclusive. Why we did not sail to NYC after Boston, is confusing to me. We could have made by morning, instead we sailed south and east form Boston instead of south around Long Island. Yeah I know it was another  day to spend more money on their cruise line. 2 electrical outlines in the room. Try charging 2 cell phone and other stuff. The hair dryer could not be used in the bathroom. Only electric raisers

Not ready for prime time

Kona (Kailua Bay)

Let me start with this: I love cruising. I've been on 15+ cruises, from the Odyssey of the Seas to the Nordic Prince that was retired ages ago, from RCCL to Princess to Celebrity to Norwegian to Holland America, and more. As cruises go, this was one I won't ever do again.  This was supposed to be a "Fall Colors" cruise, but we missed the colors by a couple weeks, I think, as most trees were bare and leaves were on the ground. Of course, it's just luck to actually be on the cruise that has the best colors, but if we were to do this again, we'd probably shoot for the first week of October instead of October 20-30 to try to see the best fall foliage that New England and Canada have to offer. As for the rest, let me break this down a bit:

The ship:

The Jewel of the Seas is old, and she's showing her age. There are two outlets over the desk (as is normal on these older ships) and these are the only power source in the room, so if you have a CPAP and need to plug in a portable refrigerator (because the refrigerators in the cabin are clearly labeled as "coolers only" that don't actually refrigerate anything such as medications that must remain cold), then just cross your fingers that your power cord extender makes it through security, or give up all hope of charging your iPad, cell phone, and laptop (and if you are traveling as a couple, you may have two of each of those). Alternatively, bring your cruise-friendly USB charging bank and you *might* get that through security, though they tried to take that away from my sister as well because...well...lack of training? Who knows. Something was off with the plumbing, as our bathroom smelled distinctly like an outhouse/port-o-potty the entire cruise. At first I thought maybe the cabin steward had just not cleaned adequately, but I didn't see evidence of urine in the bathroom and it was stronger in smell whenever we flushed.  The bed was incredibly hard, with no padding whatsoever over the vinyl-topped mattress. After a couple nights we asked if there was a mattress pad available, and we were told that the boat didn't have enough for every bed (they were thrown away during COVID and never replaced...didn't know COVID was transmitted through mattress pads...) and they were all being used. Our cabin steward attempted to soften the bed a bit by putting a couple extra blankets under the fitted sheet, but the solution was only marginally helpful.  And then there's the food. I know that RCCL is trying to cut costs, and I know that if you want "good" food now, you must shell out upwards of $60 per person to eat in the specialty restaurants, but there were times that the food was nearly inedible, especially in the Windjammer which offered very little variety and featured food that spent much too much time sitting under warming lights. One morning, the pancakes had been sitting out so long under heating lamps that they were literally pancake chips--and drowning them in syrup didn't even begin to soften them. On "Mexican night" in the main dining room, the "pulled pork enchilada with refried beans" was pork wrapped in a tortilla, served over a bed of baked beans, with a pool of barbecue sauce next to it. When the waiter came to our table to ask how we enjoyed our food and we told him that this wasn't an enchilada, he quickly explained that many people on the ship don't like spicy foods so they keep it very bland. Of course, the jerk chicken on "Caribbean night" had plenty of spice, so I'm not sure why he felt he needed to justify the culinary misstep. In addition, all food venues closed at 9 p.m. on the Jewel, with the exception of a small counter in the solarium that handed out sandwiches, pizza, and cookies (when they had any prepared) until 1 a.m.  Long gone are the days of the midnight buffet, I understand, but 9 p.m.? The second show in the main theater is just starting at 9 p.m., and people are populating the bars with gusto at that hour. All these folks would appreciate some food a little later at night, but alas. Cutting costs means cutting food service, apparently. 

Ports:

I'll briefly cover our stops one by one:

Boston: I actually very much enjoy Boston as a city to visit, but it was quite cold the day we were there, and the hop-on-hop-off trolley tour which we chose as our excursion was crowded beyond belief. We didn't dare hop off for fear of never getting back on again; when we did get off finally at Faneuil Hall, we ended up walking back to the main trolley station where we had to order an Uber because the "15 to 20 minutes" they told us it would take for a bus back to the dock had turned into 45 minutes and our gangway-up time was getting close.  The trolley driver we had was great--very knowledgeable and funny. But Boston simply isn't a place you can really appreciate in a day. Less is more if you are choosing an excursion in Boston. Don't even try to see it all or you will end up disappointed. One tip: Book your trolley tickets independently. The cost was less than what the cruise ship was selling them for, and there's a trolley stop at the end of the pier where the ship docks, so it's easy to hop on and at that time of day at that stop, the trolley is basically empty. The folks who booked through RCCL were put on a bus and transported to the first stop of the trolley tour, then were made to stand in line and wait for trolleys with empty seats. We bypassed them and saved a LOT of time getting our own tickets. Don't book through RCCL. DO try to get to Mike's bakery in Boston for a cannoli--but bring cash. They don't take cards.

Portland:  This is such a picturesque town, and this time we opted for a private excursion that took us around the city with a stop at the Portland Head Light lighthouse. The tour was interesting and the lighthouse was beautiful. Unfortunately, although we were there on a Monday, many places (shops and bakeries, primarily, as we wanted to savor a famed Whoopie Pie) were closed for the season already. This was a common theme at may ports throughout the cruise--they don't wait for the end-of-season cruises to come before closing up shops. We did make the BEST decision of our cruise by eating lunch at Becky's Diner; if you haven't had a lobster roll at Becky's diner, you haven't really had a lobster roll.

Saint John, New Brunswick:  This was the first of a couple stops that I will call "The Best at-Sea Port Days" of the cruise. Saint John is a small town with little to offer by way of tourism. If you do a Google search on "Best things to do in Saint John, N.B." you'll see what I mean. The tourism folks in Saint John do their best to make it seem like the tides at the famous "reversing rapids" will be life-changing, but the truth is, you'll stand on the side of the road with two hundred other people watching water go by and if you're lucky, if the tide is going up when you happen to be there, you'll see some whirlpooling on the water's surface. Or, if you are a drinker who doesn't mind throwing a few back before lunch, there's the brewery option.  We opted for the "BIG Pink Sightseeing" bus excursion, which is a hop-on-hop-off excursion offered ONLY to cruise passengers and for which tickets can only be purchased as a cruise excursion. It was about an hour and a half round trip on a recycled British double-decker bus that could use a bit of maintenance, but it was a decent enough way to spend 90 minutes before hopping off for some tourist-driven shopping downtown (the usual array of t-shirts and handmade trinkets), and we did meander through the famed "Saint John City Market" which, if you live anywhere that hosts community boutiques where people sell their jams and crafts, you'll know what to expect. I noticed that one of the available excursions was a visit to this market, but we were in and out in 10 minutes, so I definitely wouldn't pay whatever outrageous sum Royal Caribbean is asking to drive you there. Next time we visit Saint John, we'll just stay on the boat all day.

Sydney, Nova Scotia: The only good thing about Sydney is that it made Saint John seem like a pretty interesting port of call. This was the second "Best at-sea Port Day" of the cruise. The top attraction (Google it!) in Sydney is "The Big Fiddle," which is exactly what it sounds like: A huge fiddle sculpture that sits on the end of the cruise port pier. You can see it from the boat. Sydney was all downhill (ironic, as to get into the city it's a bit of an uphill climb) from there. When we were there, most of the roads that featured any kind of shopping were torn out and barricaded.  There was a distinct prevalence of three types of stores that told us exactly what there is to do in Sydney: bars/pubs, sex toy shops (right there in the windows, so don't bring the kids on a leisurely stroll downtown), and crafting stores. One intoxicated, homeless gentleman told us that if we really wanted some fun, we should rent a car and drive out to the casino somewhere. Seriously, Sydney is an embarrassment. Whomever is in charge of city management and economic development should be fired immediately and replaced with someone who actually cares about Sydney, because it certainly doesn't seem to be a place anyone loves. I suppose it has low port fees and thus RCCL is drawn to it as a port of call, but don't even waste your time or money getting off the ship. I will say that the only thing that redeemed Sydney for me was stumbling upon a couple of old (by North American standards) churches that at least provided a shining moment of "Oh, interesting..." in an otherwise very dead, pointless town. It's disappointing, as the city is set in a very picturesque area that has much unrealized, untapped potential. The best shopping was in the cruise terminal next to the boat. If you must stretch your land-legs, just wander through the terminal and hop back on in time for lunch. Or honestly, breakfast. That's how long it will take you to experience the wonders of Sydney.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: Visiting P.E.I. has been on my bucket list for a long time. I grew up with the "Anne of Green Gables" stories, and even watched the movies again before the cruise. And our excursion out to the Anne of Green Gables homestead did not disappoint. Well, the tour itself disappointed as our particular tour guide felt that instead of telling us about the farms and factories and economy and agriculture and weather and history of Prince Edward Island, it was much more important to spew her personal beliefs about climate change (which is apparently responsible for every single thing she dislikes about living on P.E.I.) and overuse of plastics. She said that P.E.I. produces 1/4 of the world's potatoes (nope--only of Canada's potatoes) and a few other false facts (I looked them up as we drove). On occasion we'd pass an interesting-looking building and she'd murmur, "I think that's a...laboratory of some kind?" Pretty sure it was her job to know. So the bus ride and "tour" (which didn't say a THING about the Anne of Green Gables stories and almost nothing about Lucy Maud Montgomery--the most famous person to live on P.E.I and author of the Anne stories) were a total flop. But even with the rambling idiot in the front of the bus droning on about her snowless winter last year, the landscape is gorgeous, and when we finally arrived at the Anne of Green Gables location, the homestead was delightful and the visitor's center is loaded with interesting stories and exhibits. Granted, you have to know and love the Anne of Green Gables stories for this place to make much sense. My sister and I were in heaven; our two husbands sat on a bench munching on Beaver Tail donuts and checking their watches. So, DO go to Anne of Green Gables when you visit P.E.I., but brush up on the life of L.M. Montgomery and the stories she wrote before you go and your experience will be enhanced an hundred-fold.  After the tour, we wandered the streets and port of Charlottetown and found it to be quaint and picturesque. I could go back for a few more days to P.E.I. and spend more time exploring its treasures.

Saguenay, Q.C.: Admittedly, when I Googled "Saguenay" before our trip, I was certain that this would be yet another "Best at-sea port day." A couple things changed my mind: First, the townsfolk met us on the dock dressed in costumes, walking on stilts, juggling, and handing out maple syrup candies that just made us feel so welcome! It was snowing and freezing, but that didn't stop the townsfolk from coming out, and I appreciated that! We didn't have an excursion planned (the only real thing to do is hike/walk/stroll and whatever other verbs RCCL can come up with to describe ways to explore the nearby national forest) and thought we'd just wander the town a bit, but it was bitterly cold and we were quite happy to discover that there was a hop-on-hop-off bus offered in the cruise terminal which we readily purchased. The bus takes you out to Saguenay proper (the ship docks in La Baie, which is about a 30-minute drive from Saguenay), and our first hop-off was at a glass-blower's shop. Now, this isn't a stop for everyone, but I have blown glass myself and make stained glass, so I wanted to see what this shop had to offer, and we found some exquisite work inside. There is an excursion featuring the crafts of Saguenay, but it was full almost instantly and I regret not getting tickets.  Next, we hopped off the bus in the downtown area and visited the Saint-François-Xavier Cathedral. By North American standards, this church is old, and it's gorgeous. If you love visiting old churches, don't miss this one. We wandered down the main shopping district next, and unfortunately we were there on a Sunday and most shops were closed. We found a lovely French bakery and enjoyed some pastries and hot cocoa, then hopped back on the bus again for a ride back to the port. The cruise up the Saguenay river was probably extraordinarily beautiful, but RCCL decided to go up the river in the darkness of early morning and then head back down in the darkness of night, so we didn't get to see it. I wish that RCCL had treated this little river cruise like they have handled fjord excursions in Alaska, making the trip up the river a part of the experience. That's a missed opportunity by RCCL.

Quebec City: This was our disembarkation city, and we were met with snow and very, very cold temperatures. Flights out of Quebec are limited and expensive, so we opted to transfer to the train station (VIA rail) and take a ride up to Montreal, where we spent the night before boarding our flights home. I wish we had spent a day or two in Quebec, as it's a beautiful city and I think we missed out on some sightseeing.  We went to Guest Services on the ship a couple days before disembarkation to ask about transfers to the train station, and we were informed that they only do transfers to the airport. The result of this poor decision-making (as if RCCL has never disembarked in Quebec before) was that HUNDREDS of people were stuck in the cruise terminal trying to get Ubers that were never available because we ALL needed to catch trains out of Quebec. Finally, after a good hour of a lot of angry people, RCCL started loading some of their airport shuttle busses with train passengers and transporting us to the train station. Google maps suggests that the train station is an easy walk from the port, but perhaps we docked somewhere unexpected because it would have been easily a 20-minute walk dragging all our luggage through the snow and cold. Walking was NOT an option.

So, in sum: Don't sail the Jewel, don't sail on ships that stop in Saint John or Sydney, DO explore Boston, Portland, Charlottetown, Saguenay, and Quebec. Do pre-arrange a ride from the port to the train station in Quebec.  Do try to avoid cruises that make Sunday stops in locations you want to explore. Do spend some time reading reviews before booking excursions that will ultimately be a disappointment. I still love cruising, and there were absolutely some highlights of this particular experience. But I wouldn't do this exact cruise, on this exact boat, ever again.

Old Ship, Poor Food, Hit-and-Miss Ports of Call

We booked this 22 months ahead of time. We were unable to get our favorite cabin, JS. We did not like the balcony cabin! Way too small for us. I can't remember how many times we ran into each other between the bed and door. 

The Jewel of the Seas is old, built in 2004 and updated in 2016. It needs so much work. Paint peeling, titles cracked, Wi-Fi was almost nonexistent. unless you were in the Windjammer. Text messages on their app did not always go through. Back to post-it notes.

The food was ok. Nothing over the top in the Main Dinning Room. I found it average for the most part. Sometimes the food came to our table warm, not hot. We were by the kitchen and sometimes it seemed to take forever to get our meals. Found out there are only 14 menus that rotate each cruise. So much for variety.

The service was great! Our servers were on top of everything. Very attentive. We ran into each of them at different times having a meal on the ship. We were lucky to have them wait on us at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

No evening entertainment. Part of the problem was that Halifax was canceled due to the hurricane. Many entertainers where there waiting to be picked up by the ship. The BEST was the DUO QUINTESSENCE!!! WOW, what a show!  Liverpool Legends were fun to sing along with. Jeff Taveggia was fun to watch. Kuba, very interesting. Alley Cats, old and lacked energy. I left two shows, Etta May, and Scott Record, they were terrible.

We would go again on a different ship to Greenland!

Jewel is Old, Itinerary was Wonderful

Jost Van Dyke

We chose this cruise primarily because of the itinerary.  We are not novice cruises, having done over 60 of them.  The ship is older, but appears to be well maintained for the most part.    Embarktation was slow, stood in line for over an hour before we boarded.  We had a balcony cabin that was spacious and featured good storage.   Most employees try very hard to please, but overall management is a huge issue.  For example, at breakfast in the main dining room, wait times for breakfast could take up to 45 minutes before an omelet came.  The excuse was that there were only two omelet cooks for the dining room.  Head waiters, supervisors stood around and talked instead of taking action.  Service is hit and miss, sometimes you got what you ordered, sometimes items were missing.  Constantly had to ask for refills on water, coffee, etc.  Food was repetitious, not much variety.  Almost the same thing on the Marketplace with not much variety.  Food wasn't bad, it just wasn't great...mediocre at best.  The ship ran out of juices, sodas, and food items,    even though we had just made a stop at a  large city (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Interesting observation:  some folks would get those items while others were told the ship was out.   Drinks are VERY expensive  with the average price being around $10-$12, plus an 18% tip addition.  Room service was very good and ALWAYS on time in the morning.  

The Chefs Table was one of the best (we've done about a dozen of these) and hosted very well, even though it wasn't the production we've enjoyed on other ships.  The Steakhouse was also very good, but service was slow and the only time you really saw your server was when the next course was presented.  

Nightly entertainment was some of the best for a smaller ship, with great performances.  No negatives here.

Debarktation was efficient and mostly on time.  When we arrived in the luggage area, two of our bags were there, but the third was not.  Local employees in the terminal tried to assist us in locating the bag, but were not successful.  After an hour and a half, we decided to fill out the paperwork for lost baggage.  We were booked on the Royal shuttle to the airport and were worried that we would miss our flight home.  About that time, one of the employees stated that they thought there was still luggage on the ship (we were one of about 10 other folks who were also missing theirs).  So we opted to wait another 45 minutes, but in doing so we missed our shuttle.  After waiting again, we called an Uber for the airport and as we were waiting for it to arrive,  another cruiser who was also missing luggage, ran up and told us a cart had been found out on the curb in front of the port with all of our luggage.  Sure enough, there was our bag.  Fortunately we made it to the airport in time, but needless to say we're very upset with Royal who did absolutely nothing to assist us or the other cruisers.  The ONLY help we received was from terminal employees.   We wondered in the first place how the luggage appeared where it was and got through customs and immigration.  We do not plan to cruise on this ship again.

Expected better from RCCL

The food was mediocre at best.

The itinerary was why we chose this cruise. I have been around long enough to know that the new, splashy ships have the least interesting itineraries, and the older tired ships have the most interesting itineraries. However, I did not expect the older ship to offer subpar food and experiences.

The salad dressings had no flavor at all, and the soups were just broth. There were no onions in the onion soup, and no potatoes in the potato soup. I ended up putting mustard on salads as opposed to just eating wet lettuce with no flavor. Most things were boring and bland and many things were watered down. The orange juice was powdered “Tang”. Is RCL trying to save money company wide, or is it just this ship? Who goes on a 17 night cruise and loses weight?

There were many great crew members, but several were not helpful. I was nearly knocked down by a guy rapidly pushing a cart around a busy corner, and he looked at me like it was my fault with no apology. Many crew just seemed to have no motivation.

We had to go back down to Guest Services twice to complete the Iceland entry requirements because they said our passports had not been stamped. They called our cabin and said the officials were leaving and we had to come down with our passports immediately. When they looked at our passports, they said “Oh, they are stamped.” Then as we departed for a shore excursion, the system still said we were not approved. We had to wait about 10 minutes as they discussed the issue with Guest Services. Then, we were tardy for the expensive shore excursion and had to sit apart from each other on the bus.   

The Coffee Card I purchased and the “10% off wine for Gold members” were falsely represented with “legalese”. This is how the website describes the coffee card: “Indulge in your favorite brews any time of the day with a card that entitles you to any 15 specialty expresso-based coffees throughout your vacation, all for one low price.” I took that to mean there were 15 flavors or styles to choose from, not that the card was limited to 15 purchases. Why not explain about the card punches on the description when purchasing? I actually ended up not even using all of my punches because the coffee shop was not open “any time of the day”, service was slow, and the coffee watered down (surprise). The verbiage about the Gold member discount said I was entitled to 10% off beer, wine, and soft drinks. When I was denied that discount, I went to Guest Services and was told it was a one-time benefit. That was not indicated on the flyer I had received about my “benefits”, so they showed me I had to click on a QR code to discover the terms. Seriously? Why not just say so on the flyer? So many little irritations!  

We were actually seated at a window table in the main dining room when they came to us and said they needed to move us to a different table. No explanation. Then we discovered that other passengers we chatted with had the same thing happen!

We had to climb down all the stairs to the stage in the Theater to check in for Shore Excursions. That was difficult for those of us with mobility issues. Then we had to climb back up half way to sit with our group. If check in was at the top of the stairs, we would only need to climb part way. When we asked if we could just climb all the way back up to the top to wait for our group to be called so we didn’t hold up the line, we were told “no”. 

The Captain’s announcements on Deck 7 were not on the speakers. Everyone would open our doors at the announcement tone, but none of us could hear anything but a very distant muffled voice. One neighbor would just slam her door in frustration. The entertainment announcements were on, but not the important ones. Example: When we went to the Theater to check in for our Halifax Shore Excursion, we were informed the Captain had announced we were delayed and the tour would leave 1½ hours later. A whole crowd of us who hadn’t heard the news had to sit around and kill time.

The “My Time” dining was confusing. I thought I had already signed up for that, but during a call to reservations about another matter, I was informed we were scheduled for the 8pm seating. I was told I HAD to make reservations for “My Time” and all the 7pm slots were already filled. As my husband has diabetes, I was so unhappy about this I messaged customer service online. I NEVER received a response. As I had previously messaged them twice and received very prompt responses, I assume they did not want to respond to a complaint. Then, on board there was a separate line for “no reservations” that actually moved quicker than the “reservations” line did. Why did customer service not just inform me that reservations were not mandatory?

The RCL website is not user friendly. I may be older, but I am computer savvy, and many times I could not find the info I wanted. I had to google how to find things on the RCL website, and usually found the answers from bloggers. 

So, based on the inefficient, inept, and sad quality, I do not want to recommend RCL unless it is a “bucket list” itinerary, and then I will be sure to warn others about the quality level.

We are spoiled by Viking Cruises. They do not charge for every tiny thing, and do not overcharge the way RCL does. They provide complimentary wine with lunch and dinner, actually give free water on shore excursions, and provide one basic shore excursion complimentary at each port. Their crew is well trained in customer service, and every passenger is respectfully and graciously treated. Their extra charges are reasonable, and they do not even charge for their specialty restaurants! When they have specials, they are even cheaper than RCL!

This itinerary was exceptional, but the quality was lacking. We have been to over 70 countries, sometimes on cruises, and have experience with service. We do not travel in luxury, but do expect acceptable service from a name brand. 

I would rate this cruise as the quality level of a Comfort Suites.

IS THE JEWEL A TRAINING SHIP? Several of our fellow passengers thought so...

I chose this cruise for the ports, especially Iceland. I could go on and on about the wonderful ports. My sister raved about Royal Caribbean so we thought we would try it. The coffee bar needs improvement, the servers were slow and they would punch your card twice if you asked for a medium coffee. The coffee was not not the best. The pastries were stale everyday, how is that possible? Only once did I get a soft pastry. I was sad, that for twelve days the menu never changed.

The dinners were not artistic, nor what I expected. Spaghetti, pot pies, Shepard pies, nothing was memorable, as most of what was served I make for dinner at home. No dark chocolate anything. 

The ship was tired, I tripped several times on uplifted carpet. Windows were broken and never replaced. When your outside by the pool you have to go to the bar for a drink as no one is walking around asking.

The ports were amazing, but the ship and food were not

Just returned from a 12 night British Isles trip and wanted to share my perspective in case it helps other travelers like me. I'm an intermediate cruiser- have done about 7 total, this was my 2nd with RC after sailing on Harmony when it was brand new about 5 years ago. I traveled with my spouse and 3 kids (age 5-12), and 6 additional adult family members.  I'll always maintain that cruising is the idea way to travel with multiple generations and extended family: we had dinner together every night, and had options to being alone or together as much or as little as we wanted each day.   I selected this itinerary specifically for the ports of call and also because the Jewel offered a unique stateroom option that was perfect for my family of 5: the Ultra-Spacious Ocean View.  This is a huge, suite-sized room but without suite amenities or a balcony (it had 2 large windows) so it doesn't have a suite price tag. A large main room with sitting area that contained a king bed and, a pull-out sofa, 2 chairs, large desk/drawer/vanity area, then a small side room that was partitioned with a curtain that had a set of twin bunk beds.  Our 5 year old had the pull out sofa and that was perfect for her (wouldn't recommend it for an adult) and the tween boys were in the bunks.  We we had so much closet and drawer space that most of them remained empty for the trip.  Being able to spend 12 days where we didn't feel like were were on top of each other was really lovely.  Even more so because now post-covid days, the stateroom service is only done once per day, so those using pull down/out beds have them in the sleeping position full time vs having them stowed during the day and employed in the evenings.  So- those ultra-spacious ocean view rooms are a gem for families.

The ship:  Yes, it is older and showing it wear and tear.  My 2 sisters traveling with us had an ocean view room and the window was so foggy that they didn't really have a view out of it, which would have been very disappointing.  The furniture and fixtures are at the end of their life-cycle.   BUT.  Everything else made up for it.  The service was excellent.  The main dining room room was better than I expected after my experience 5 years ago on Harmony and the reviews I had read about Royal's recent menu changes.  I don't think I had a single dish that wasn't nicely done.  I also had one dinner at the specialty sushi restaurant that was very good and dined at the Chef's Table one evening. That experience was fun but seemed a little haphazard in its marketing.  It was marketed as a restaurant but it isn't- it's a food and wine pairing dinner.  We ate at a large table with several other parties.  We enjoyed it, but I think there was one party who probably though they were having a quiet dinner alone, only to be faced with a social scene and lots of conversation with strangers :) I'm glad we tried the specialty restaurants, but honestly, it wasn't necessary.  Our dining room servers were excellent, the food was great, and it was fun to see my kids try all sorts of new foods- the 2 older ones ordered off the adult menu all the time.  I do think they removed lobster tail from the complimentary menu on formal nights, and now it is only available (every night) for a surcharge.  I think this hurts some folks' souls very deeply.  I could care less, and consider a smart cost saving measure. 

I loved the size of this ship.  There were plenty of social activities throughout the day but mostly, it was such a packed itinerary that we didn't have a chance to be bored.  We had 3 sea days on a 12 day cruise, 2 of them were in the first 3 days, so after that it was go-go-go.  This is probably all relative though.  I have 3 young kids.  The idea of sitting alone in a quite room and doing a cross word puzzle seems like abject luxury, so I really didn't notice an absence of zip lines, carousels, wave pools, etc that the newer/bigger ships offer. My kids didn't have a chance to be bored either. We didn't use the kids club nearly as much as I thought I would based on my previous cruising experience simply because all went out together on most port days.  By the end, the 2 younger ones were pretty wiped out on day trips, so they stayed in the kids club for one port day while we enjoyed an outing in Wales- it was win-win and everyone was happy.  

The Windjammer (buffet) was pretty good, not quite great. The staff were doing their best but I think some management was lacking there. But I liked that it was small enough that you could do one lap around it and get a handle on what was on-offer.  Also that you could more or less scan the seating area once and find someone you were looking for vs wandering aimlessly for miles with a tray of food getting cold as has been my experience on larger ships.  

Don't get me wrong, this is still a "big old cruise ship" but its a pipsqueak compared to the floating cities that have all the bells and whistles. I loved it- it just seemed so much more manageable and enjoyable.  Getting on and off the ship was simply a matter of... walking off.  I didn't feel like a was part of a cattle heard even once! 

I really hope they maintain the ultra spacious ocean view stateroom category when this ship goes in for its next refurbishment- if it does, I'll be back with bells on.

Older ship but the pros outweigh the cons for us.

1 - Boarding for the first time: We have been on well over a dozen cruises over the years. This was, by a long shot, the easiest time we have ever had initially boarding a ship. We walked with our luggage into the pier in Amsterdam, answered a few health (COVID) questions, walked past a carousel where we put down our luggage, and boarded the ship. I would estimate the entire process from the taxi dropping us at the pier until we were on the ship was no more than 5 minutes.

2 – The condition of the ship: The Jewel of the Seas is one of the older and smaller in the line. Therefore, it does not have some of the really flashy amenities of the more recent additions to the fleet. We found this as actually a good thing as the ship was very easy to navigate and move around in. We found the ship, as always, clean. Our cabin was fine and the staff that took care of its upkeep were top notch. The only issue we were particularly unhappy with was the state of the windows in any of the general portions of the ship. They were filthy to the point of not being able to see out of them. This was particularly an issue as we spent a good deal of the trip passing points of interest that necessitated our getting on the open decks to enjoy.

3 – The activities: Varied and plentiful. There was something for everyone. The main shows were great. The cruise staff was spectacular and made the trip a very personal experience (thank you Ashleigh you cheeky Brit!). 

4 – The food: We generally did the Windjammer (buffet) for breakfast and lunch, and the main restaurant for dinner. As always, the food was what you would expect when cooking for thousands; not bad and not great, but plentiful. 

5 – The excursions: We generally book excursions through third-party companies, but this time booked 2 through the ship (Belfast/Titanic tour, and falls/power plant/guysers in Iceland. They were both great.

Exactly what I expect from an RCI cruise (and that's a good thing)

While not bad…not as great as other ships with RCCL.  Entertainment was not best.  Whoever thinks a juggler, a magician, ventriloquist and cyclist offer much adult entertainment needs to think again.  Ship entertainers were not always singing live during shows and the music was much louder than the vocals.   The food in the dining room was presented well.  Best waiters ever.  But food was so so.  And was hit and miss.  Seems to look appealing but flavor was missing.  Some nights the menu was good. Other times it was a repeat.   Staff was good.  Cabin attendant did a good job.  Shipping showing signs of wear and needs revamped.  Diamond lounge was small and could not accommodate even a small number of members.  RCCL knows in advance the numbers on board and should and could make accommodations to make it work.  We went one night and left as did most others. Nothing special about a crowed hot room with standing room only.   Amsterdam port was easy on and off.

Mid size. Medium everything 

British Isle Cruise out of Amsterdam

The Jewel has see it's better days..........it is one tired ship.

We sailed on her many years ago when it was in much better condition.

The stateroom furniture is showing wear and tear.......the decor is dated and showing age.

You couldn't take photos from the inside the windows were so dirty.

Evening entertainment is nothing like pre Covid........dull and boring.

Purchased drink package........if you're a wine drinker be prepared for the cheap stuff.

My Time Dining was a plus.......the food in The Tides was a good choice.

Another tip..........don't pay extra for the supposed upscale restaurants......many of the dishes are the same as The Tides, which is free.

One final tip for day of leaving......save yourself time and hassle and be on Deck 4 at The Centrum.

Don't know who's bright idea it was to have some assemble on Deck 5.

In Amsterdam, when you get off of ship, be aware there is only one elevator to take people and baggage down to lower level. It's a real cluster.

Everyone has to be off the ship by 8:00 AM.

One tired ship.....

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