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Jewel of the Seas

Liberty of the Seas

I am celebrating my 60th birthday this year, 2016, and the cruise was the first leg of a trip around the world.  The cruise added great value to my trip and sharing the interior room with a buddy, made it even more affordable.  

We had a great time while at sea, for 8 days, and at all the ports.  Gibraltar was probably the favorite as it had numerous English pubs.

I was disappointed in the cost of the internet being prohibitive...$40/day...are you kidding.  Sure you could get it down to $20 if you spent $300 for the entire cruise on internet.  I was also surprised that I had to spend over $70 on laundry.  Those were two items that were negative, but the other items were fantastic.

Great shows, great food, and great company.  Meeting new friends at the dinner table and at several of the 11 bars on the ship was great.

First leg of my trip around the world and the pubs in Gibraltar, UK.

We wanted to do another TransAtlantic crossing and chose this one mainly for the price. We were in a balcony room on Deck 7 which w/this ship design, you have the lifeboats slightly blocking your view but the outward view is fine.  If you are sailing on this ship, you want to pick a room closest to the Main elevator.  The forward elevator services those forward rooms and the theatre and not much else.  Rooms are the typical balcony w/a small sofa

The entire cruise was 15 nights, and probably had some of the best entertainment consistently that we've had on a cruise ship in a long time.  The ports were not that exciting (probably the reason for the price).  It isn't necessary to stop in 3 Canary Islands--Tenerife is the most interesting.  Enjoyed Alicante as this was a new port for us.  Because of the cruise length, at least 75% of the cruisers were over the age of 55+.  

We didn't think the food was as good as we remember from other RCCL cruises. The DR had the same menu every lunch w/the addition of a salad bar and a pasta bar (but to stand in line for this, you may as well go to the buffet.  We want the DR to get away from the chaos of the buffet)  Our dinner service was less than adequate the first few nights, but improved.  They are definitely "short changing" the main DR to push people to their specialty DRs.

We did our own excursions in all the ports.

Transatlantic Crossing to Rome Late April

We have been on MANY MANY RCL cruises in the past. If this was our first RCL cruise, it would have been our last. 

The food was just average. The coffee was awful. The worst I've EVER had on a ship. 

We thought the entertainment was average.

The elevators have a seperation beween them and it is hard to get to an elevator on the other side, unless you can really run.

We thought the operation in general was cheap. 

Where they had the trivia and other activities was awful. The area on the 6th floor was an area that had the 2 specialty restaurants, a bar which rang a loud bell whenever they got a tip (I wanted to knock the bell out), and people were constantly waking by. Hence it was very loud, extremely noisy,  and you could not hear the person speak. 

The actual movie theater was very small, so, if you didn't get there really early, you weren't going to get a seat. 

All and all, we would not recommend this ship.

Jewel of the Sea Review of Transatlantic Cruise

Our first Atlantic crossing. The ship was still in repair as we left the port. Rumor had it that we had about 200 workers on board to complete the dry dock repairs to the ship. That meant that we had 200 less staff to take care of us in the dining room and other services. We had great first sitting dinner guests and if it wasn't for that, the two and a half hour dinner would have been to long. That aside, our two servers at dinner were very attentive and did a great job. The Windjammer had some surprises for dinner we did not know about until one of our table mates told us. On lobster night in the dinning room the Windjammer had the same fare, only better, more selection, such as loose shrimp. Then the Windjammer decided to do it all again the next night. We did not know this because the dinning crew kept it a close secret. We live and learn. The cabin was fine, we had a large balcony (deck seven starboard forward) compared to other decks, which we liked. Entertainment was so-so. Rumor has it that the cruise line is going to go to taped music for the shows, so no more live musicians for the two seating's. Cost cutting again? The ports of call were great, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria were beautiful. Gibraltar, all six square kilometers, was historic and Alicante was great and very interesting to see. We plan to do the return crossing in November to San Juan and hope to see some of the interesting passengers we met on the trip over again. So all in all, not a great trip but a nice pleasant and relaxing one. Getting off the ship proved to be "adventurous", the cruise ship changed our meeting point and we had no announcements fed in to our area, so we all just departed when we felt like it, like a herd of turtles all in a line.

Our insights to our first Atlantic crossing.

* For a ship that just came out of dry dock and was supposed to have upgraded internet service - it was still very slow. 

* Shore Excursion - Alicante, Spain: Novelda & wine tasting - although our guide was very enthusiastic, he had challenges with English and the wine tasting was TWO wines - one red and one white..that's a sampling, not a tasting .

* Production shows were terrible - not very good at all and the cruise staff was not at fault - it was the selection of material. 

* The daily trivia was a disappointment - apparently RCI can't afford to purchase any new trivia information as many guests had been on other cruises and had heard these questions on previous cruises - also the emcees of these events did not speak English very well and it was difficult to understand the questions. 

* The information provided to the ship from RCI HQs was NOT accurate/complete  as it pertains to the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle - many of those who had signed up did NOT get an invite and therefore missed the event.

* Main seating dining staff were VERY attentive and helpful.

* Cabin attendants were also excellent .

* We were at sea on Cinco de Mayo - yet no Mexican food available that day ???   did no one look at the calendar ? 

* Met some wonderful fellow travelers and enjoyed the small ship accessibility.

Okay, but could have been better.

We left Ft. Lauderdale on 28 April.  At the port we checked in and as we had suites, we avoided the lines and were whisked right on.  After unpacking, we went to the concierge lounge and made our dinner reservations for specialty restaurants.  New rule on the Jewel – you can only use the BOGO on nights 1 and 2.  This sucks because no one wants to eat big meals two nights in a row, especially at the start.  It used to be as long as you booked and charged your card the first night you could book any night.  Another benefit bites the dust.

After the boat drill we beat feet to the Concierge Lounge.  What chaos!!  Although it was added with the refurbishment, there were 141 DP, Pinnacles, and Suites.  Many guests ignored the boat drill and stayed hidden in the lounge to save their precious seats.

We went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle and there were about 200 there.  Prizes were really lame with a couple bottles of wine.  On our last TA on the Brilliance, they gave out Chef’s table, Chops, Giovanni’s, and many neat items.

Speaking of the Chef’s table, we booked it through the Concierge, Diego Tripaldi.  The Chef’s Table is always fun but on the Jewel, they held it in Chops.  Way too noisy and it was hard to foster relationships and converse above the din of all the others in Chops.

The next 14 nights were crazy in the Concierge Lounge (CL).  We had to get there at 3:30 for a 5:00 opening to get seats at the bar.  Totally insane.  One AH Pinnacle member always grabbed 8 chairs and there were others like that so no one could get seats.  Need to have a policy like the deck chairs.  Many guests went to the DL.  Never did see the Loyalty Ambassador in the lounges for a meet and greet.

We went to the suites party held on open deck on deck 5.  Very nice!  They had sushi from Izumi’s and hot hors d’oeuvres from Chops.  There was a mixologist there who created unique cocktails.  We had one that had ginger root, cucumber, Pama, Cointreau, Pear Vodka, and St. Germaine and was wonderful.

We hired a personal trainer, Pilip from the gym, and he tortured us for 3 one hour long sessions.  Seriously dripping sweat all over, we were sore each time and needed a recovery period.  Felt awesome after and could breathe deeply.

Las Palmas – Finally landfall.  We like to sample the foods so we got off early for coffee and croissants – 4 euros total for two of each – nice!  Later, shopped for trinkets and had beers and sandwiches.  Quaint place.

Tenerife – Free shuttle bus to the end of the pier.  Nice touch.  Went around the town and sampled the foods again.  Lots of shops and souvenirs.  Lots of tables with umbrellas.  We love the cafes.  For dinner on ship we had Saltimbocca – nothing like Portofino’s.  More like sliced meat.  Sad – the cooks (not Chef’s) as this was really meager, should revisit Portofino’s methodology in creating a nice dish.

Gran Canaria – We went to the visitor’s center and found out about a bus to the olde town.  There are two – an express bus and local commuter.  1.40 euros each way was a cheap way to visit the town.  Had a great Tapas of Papas Brava and Sangrias.  They really know how to make Sangrias here.

Gibraltar – We had booked a tour of the Siege Tunnels and were awestruck by the amount of work done in the very early days.  My wife’s GG Grandfather was a sapper (Engineer) there in the very early 1800’s and was married in King’s Chapel.  We snuck away from the tour, found it and she visited memory lane in search of her family tree.  He took part in creating the tunnels so it was very moving for her when we were navigating the tunnels.  Our tour guide was Scottish (as is my wife) and they got on like two peas in a pod.  Highly recommend the tour.  Lots of steep climbing but fantastic scenery and history.  Eat first as there is only one stop at the cable car, where the monkeys are, to grab a bite.  Monkeys jump all over the tourists so keep shiny things bagged away.

Word to the wise – Gibraltar takes Pounds both GB and UK.  Euros as well.  Buy your currency before the trip to avoid trying to find a place to exchange. BofA lets you order online and pickup at the bank.  Easypeasy.

Alicante, Spain – Free shuttle bus to end of pier.  Just across the street is a marvelous walkway that is lined with palm trees and MANY cafes.  Food is great and cheap.  We had a superb Sangria and they had a Fixe Prix menu for 10 euros with antipasti (actually Tapas) and a pizza.  We shared one as they are huge and left with a total bill and tip of 20 euros. My kind of place.  Outside table with heater as the clouds came out and it got chilly.

We shopped for goodies as we hosted a party in our suite that night.  We also bought an alarm clock for the CL bartenders.  The same AH Pinnacle member that was saving seats turned the bartenders in for allegedly serving drinks before 5pm. We setup the alarm clock to ring at 5pm and 8:30 so they wouldn’t get slammed again.  All the regulars that sat around the bar loved the idea and the AH was made to feel about an inch tall.  Nicely done.

Note for CL members – in dry dock staff are “guaranteed” $700 a month and when cruising $1200 a month plus tips.  That sucks for the service they provide.  We made sure our bartenders were compensated.  The regulars were leaving $5 a night on the bar and sometimes more.  There were many I witnessed that didn’t give them a dime.  Folks – if you’re doing well or comfortable and the crew is going above and beyond to make your cruise more enjoyable, take the time and share a little.

After party and dinner we went to the only show of 34 days on 3 back-to-backs.  East Side Boys – Frankie Valli impersonators – awesome. We've seen most of the others before.

One thing the operations manager and Captain did was establish a “Bike across the Atlantic” venue.  They set up two spinning bikes on deck 6 Centrum.  They were manned 24/7 by crew and passengers could sign up for ½ hour slots and join in.  At the end we had a pizza party attended by all senior officers and the Captain.  This was surely another magic moment in time.

Things we did not like:  The new carpets shed ferociously and the fibers got on all clothes and in the ventilation system.  We were on Allegra and Flonase for the whole cruise.  The glue smell forced passengers to use inhalers more often than normal.  There were contractors on that used the public spaces and public elevators who smelled, wore unacceptable clothing, and reeked of smoke causing many coughing fits by many passengers.  Those passengers that did not cruise often mistook those for crew and this gave a bad name for the crew.  RCCL should attire them in orange prison jumpsuits to differentiate them from crew.  Chef’s table needs to be back in the card room.  Whoever moved it should be sent to Carnival.

Things we liked:  Chef’s table food and pairing.  Chops steaks.  Concierge Lounge and Concierge Diego Tripaldi. Suites Party, Suite, room attendant Rahm.  Waiters Adonis and Arnel in MyTime – we requested their table for 34 days.  Danilo Hungria and Anzhela Gurgen Bek bartenders in CL.  Awesome job despite the chaotic clientele.  Snacks in the CL especially the small egg rolls.  Bike across the Atlantic.  Ports and excursion.  We met two gents that were dressing in some unique costumes.  They brought onboard 26 cases of clothing.  We watched them disembark with 3 luggage valet trollies packed to the top.  Dressed like Maharajas on formal night and the women marveled at their car purses.  Made marvelous watching and conversation.

Jewel Transatlantic Repositioning in April 2016

We left Ft. Lauderdale on 28 April.  At the port we checked in and as we had suites, we avoided the lines and were whisked right on.  After unpacking, we went to the concierge lounge and made our dinner reservations for specialty restaurants.  New rule on the Jewel – you can only use the BOGO on nights 1 and 2.  This sucks because no one wants to eat big meals two nights in a row, especially at the start.  It used to be as long as you booked and charged your card the first night you could book any night.  Another benefit bites the dust.

After the boat drill we beat feet to the Concierge Lounge.  What chaos!!  Although it was added with the refurbishment, there were 141 DP, Pinnacles, and Suites.  Many guests ignored the boat drill and stayed hidden in the lounge to save their precious seats.

We went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle and there were about 200 there.  Prizes were really lame with a couple bottles of wine.  On our last TA on the Brilliance, they gave out Chef’s table, Chops, Giovanni’s, and many neat items.

Speaking of the Chef’s table, we booked it through the Concierge, Diego.  The Chef’s Table is always fun but on the Jewel, they held it in Chops.  Way too noisy and it was hard to foster relationships and converse above the din of all the others in Chops.

The next 14 nights were crazy in the Concierge Lounge (CL).  We had to get there at 3:30 for a 5:00 opening to get seats at the bar.  Totally insane.  One certain Pinnacle member always grabbed 8 chairs and there were others like that so no one could get seats.  Need to have a policy like the deck chairs.  Many guests went to the DL.  Never did see the Loyalty Ambassador in the lounges for a meet and greet.

We went to the suites party held on open deck on deck 5.  Very nice!  They had sushi from Izumi’s and hot hors d’oeuvres from Chops.  There was a mixologist there who created unique cocktails.  We had one that had ginger root, cucumber, Pama, Cointreau, Pear Vodka, Lemon, and St. Germaine and was wonderful.

We hired a personal trainer, Pilip, from the gym, and he tortured us for 3 one hour long sessions.  Seriously dripping sweat all over, we were sore each time and needed a recovery period.  Felt awesome after and could breathe deeply.

Las Palmas – Finally landfall.  We like to sample the foods so we got off early for coffee and croissants – 4€  total for two of each – nice!  Later, shopped for trinkets and had beers and sandwiches.  Quaint place.

Tenerife – Free shuttle bus to the end of the pier.  Nice touch.  Went around the town and sampled the foods again.  Lots of shops and souvenirs.  Lots of tables with umbrellas.  We love the cafes.  For dinner on ship we had Saltimbucca – nothing like Portofino’s.  More like sliced meat.  Sad – the cooks (not Chef’s) as this was really meager, should revisit Portofino’s methodology in creating a nice dish.

Gran Canaria – We went to the visitor’s center and found out about a bus to the old town.  There are two – an express bus and local commuter.  1.40 euros each way was a cheap way to visit the town.  Had a great Tapas of Papas Brava and Sangrias.  They really know how to make Sangrias here.

Gibraltar – We had booked a tour of the Siege Tunnels and were awestruck by the amount of work done in the very early days.  My wife’s GG Grandfather was a sapper (Engineer) there in the very early 1800’s and was married in King’s Chapel.  We snuck away from the tour, found it and she visited memory lane in search of her family tree.  He took part in creating the tunnels so it was very moving for her when we were navigating the tunnels.  Our tour guide was Scottish (as is my wife) and they got on like mince and tatties.  Highly recommend the tour.  Lots of steep climbing but fantastic scenery and history.  Eat first as there is only one stop at the cable car, where the monkeys are, to grab a bite.  Monkeys jump all over the tourists so keep shiny things bagged away.

Word to the wise – Gibraltar takes Pounds both GB and UK.  Euros as well.  Buy your currency before the trip to avoid trying to find a place to exchange. BofA lets you order online and pickup at the bank.  Easypeasy.

Alicante, Spain – Free shuttle bus to end of pier.  Just across the street is a marvelous walkway that is lined with palm trees and MANY cafes.  Food is great and cheap.  We had a superb Sangria and they had a Prix Fixe menu for 10 euros with antipasti (actually Tapas) and a pizza.  We shared one as they are huge and left with a total bill and tip of 20 euros. My kind of place.  We had an outside table with heater as the clouds came out and it got chilly.

We shopped for goodies as we hosted a party in our suite that night.  We also bought an alarm clock for the CL bartenders.  The same Pinnacle member that was saving seats turned the bartenders in for allegedly serving drinks before 5pm. We setup the alarm clock to ring at 5pm and 8:30 so they wouldn’t get slammed again.  All the regulars that sat around the bar loved the idea and that member never bothered the bartenders again.  Nicely done.

Note for CL members – in dry dock bar staff are “guaranteed” $700 a month and when cruising $1200 a month plus tips.  That sucks for the service they provide.  They work 80+ hours a week and miss meals because of the onslaught of passengers wanting drinks.  We made sure our bartenders were compensated.  The regulars were leaving $5 a night on the bar and sometimes more.  There were many I witnessed that didn’t give them a dime.  Folks – if you’re doing well or comfortable and the crew is going above and beyond to make your cruise more enjoyable, take the time and share a little.  The drinks are free so you're ahead already.

After party and dinner we went to the only show of 34 days on 3 back-to-backs.  East Side Boys – Frankie Valli impersonators – awesome. We've seen most of the others before.

One thing the operations manager and Captain did was establish a “Bike across the Atlantic” venue.  They set up two spinning bikes on deck 6 Centrum.  They were manned 24/7 by crew and passengers could sign up for ½ hour slots and join in.  At the end we had a pizza party attended by all senior officers and the Captain.  This was surely another magic moment in time.

Things we did not like:  The new carpets shed ferociously and the fibers got on all clothes and in the ventilation system.  We were on Allegra and Flonase for the whole cruise.  The glue smell forced passengers to use inhalers more often than normal.  There were contractors on that used the public spaces and public elevators who smelled, wore unacceptable clothing, and reeked of smoke causing many coughing fits by many passengers on the elevators.  Those passengers that did not cruise often mistook those for crew and this gave a bad name for the crew.  RCCL should attire them in orange jumpsuits to differentiate them from crew.  Chef’s table needs to be back in the card room.  Whoever moved it should be sent to Carnival.

Things we liked:  Chef’s table food and wine pairing.  Chops steaks.  Concierge Lounge and Concierge Diego. Suites Party, Suite, room attendant Rahm.  Waiters Adonis and Arnel in MyTime – we requested their table for 34 days.  Danilo and Anzhela bartenders in CL.  Awesome job despite the chaotic clientele.  Snacks in the CL especially the small egg rolls.  Bike across the Atlantic.  Ports and excursion.  We met two gents that were dressing in some unique costumes.  They brought on board 26 cases of clothing.  We watched them disembark with 3 luggage valet trollies packed to the top.  Wow!

Jewel TransAtlantic April 2016

This was our first transatlantic. The ports on this itinerary were ones we had never experienced before plus the price was pretty reasonable. 

We flew a red-eye from SFO to FLL, got to the terminal via taxi and no problems. We did not have to wait too long to get onto the ship and were able to drop off our carry on into the cabin before exploring. 

We traditionally start with a pina colada on the pool deck, which we did. This time, due to the many sea days, we purchased the Deluxe Drink Package (it was on sale online prior to the departure). We are glad we did, as it was very convenient! I have read that sometimes you may need to wait longer for drinks but on this cruise, the service was excellent so we never had to wait for anything, anywhere. We loved our special bartenders Benard, Victor and Marinel from the Schooner Bar and especially Manzo, from the Vintages Wine Bar. Always fun and welcoming meeting spots to connect with new friends we had met on this cruise. 

The Specialty Dining food and service were excellent! We loved Percy from Chops and Alexander from Giovanni's. Once again, we did not get to Izumi's, but maybe next cruise! The dining room was pretty good. We had Any Time and never had to wait, with or without a reservation. I thought Windjammer had very good food. 

Our outside D1 Balcony 9076 was great. Great location to Centrum but no noise to bother us when we went to bed. The balcony was a bit larger than most, as it was next to hump. We would definitely book it again and was a favorite! Our room steward was not the best we have ever had (25 cruises), but we are not too high maintenance so did not let it ruin our overall cruise experience. 

The entertainment and activities were pretty good. Not sure what I was expecting. A few shows were awesome and a few were so-so, which is typical on all ships. We did private shore excursions to Gibraltar and Tenerife (shuttle recruits were found on CC!)which were fabulous. We did a couple of ship excursions which were typical, perhaps over priced. Not sure if I want to do them at all anymore. 

All in all, this is one of our favorite cruises. We hope to do more TA's in the future, and especially on RCCL.

Smooth sailing for transatlantic in May

Inexpensive 15 day cruise, good ports. The entertainment and crew were top notch. The embarkation and disembarkation went smooth. Beautiful weather the entire trip. The activities director Dennis is one of the best and kept everything running smooth the entire cruise. He was always available. They served lobster tails twice in Windjammer which I have never seen before. Windjammer food, rocked. Dining room was ok but food was never hot. All in all wonderful trip. 

Concierge lounge was hopping nightly, bartenders Dennis, Angela and Phillipe were extraordinary and kept everyone happy. Jorge was active talking and helping people nightly.

The entertainment was great nightly but too much salsa music played daily. More people got up to dance when there was fox trots and walzes. Dance floor too small n centrum.  Should have more dances in large room by the schooner bar. 

I was amazed at the friendly masher of the entire crew.

Good Value for Wonderful 15 Days

An enjoyable TA.   RCL can improve in a few areas: . . . . .  hot tubs near to be HOT, . . . . menu items need to be accurately labeled (for example, tiger shrimp are not 2 inches long and Kailua drenched cake needs to have Kailua, etc. ), . . . . . Windjammer needs some renovation (age is showing), no food after 11pm.  

Overall a good voyage:  . . . . . great ports, . . . .  pleasant staff and . . . . .  Enjoyable entertainment.  Denise is a seasoned, excellent cruise director. He kept us laughing, was seen all around the ship and took a few chances.  He did the botox and his forehead swelled up nicely.   Bbqs by the pool included ribs, well done.  We had a smooth passage, chalk it up to our insanely youthful captain maneuvering thru the storms.  I'd recommend to friends. .

Great bbq to begin with.

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