Except for the Rosario Strings and the Buenos Aires tango show, the others seemed a bit tired. Jody the piano guy was a disappointment as we normally like to sit and listen and sing along with the piano man. The other area that could be improved was the lack of 24 hour food. The larger ships have a place where you can get some some savory and sweet snacks almost round-the-clock. One thing they added for the lunches in the dining room was some hot buffet and dessert. This combined with the tutti salad bar made the lunchtime much more enjoyable. Whoever thought of that gets a gold star. Otherwise the repeating lunch menu got tired real quick. As this was a repositioning cruise, the enrichment lectures were lacking. Could have done a little more. The port of Ponta Delgada is not as good a stop as Madeira or the Canary Islands. The service was excellent and the ship in good shape. Enjoyed the cruise overall. Read Less

This was my first Transatlantic cruise and I'm so glad we chose this sailing. The weather was ideal and we only hit what could be considered rough water on our last sea day in the Mediterranean. There were many positives and some negatives and some of them may be deal breakers for some people so I will do my best to describe them. Embarkation in Miami: surprisingly slow. The security scan part was very quick, but the line upstairs took quite awhile. Overall ship: some wear and tear is evident. I like the navy blue and nautical themes. Jewel is classic Royal Caribbean style. There are places where the carpet is getting thin, with minor cosmetic damage to walls, trim, flooring. This didn't impact my cruise but it is noticeable. There is also a very occasional vague sewage smell we noted. I'm not sure what that's from. We both smelled it and commented when it reappeared. Fortunately it was not constant. Smoking is a problem, which I will describe later. Food and Service: We gave up on the main dining room and retreated to the Windjammer. It was comically slow dining room service. Our waiter just didn't seem to get certain things and the assistant waiter just disappeared. One glass of water is apparently all you can get at dinner. Coffee orders were taken after you were served dessert. I was on this cruise to relax and Windjammer was the answer. I've been on other ships where you struggled to find a table at WJ, but Jewel has wonderful seating options, both inside and outside. There was always something I was happy to eat and it didn't take 2 hours. The staff there was wonderful. The Solarium snack bar had some okay choices for later night snacks but Jewel is lacking in options if you are used to the bigger ships. Bars and lounges: I can't speak to the scene in the Diamond Lounge but the bars were quite sedate. This was not a party crowd lol. No problems with service. Things to do: we pretty much did out own thing. There seemed to be a decent amount of stuff in the cruise compass if you are looking for it. I was always happy to hear Rosario Strings playing as we passed through the Centrum. We really enjoyed the movie offerings, though the cinema is too small. Loved the evening movie by the pool option. Cabin: we were midship on deck 7 in a balcony, overlooking the lifeboat roofs. I actually didn't mind the roofs as it made it feel more private than being open to the promenade deck. The cabin was fine, plenty of storage, everything worked. I was glad I had brought a multiport charging plug extender thing. The ports: Awesome!! Each port was new to us and we loved them all. I had never heard of Alicante before this trip and I really hope to go back there for a longer stay sometime. We had fantastic weather in Spain. April in Valencia is not to be missed. We did an Airbnb experience there which was phenomenal. Uber is inexpensive in Valencia and very handy. The Problem With Jewel: The Centrum design, and smoking. I just don't understand the Centrum as an event space. The floor accommodates about 20 people max, and then people can look over from balconies. You have poor acoustics, with someone on a microphone hawking art auctions or whatever, it's not pleasant. The bigger problem is the smoke, which is sucked out of the casino and up the Centrum which acts as a chimney, spreading smoke up and out. Royal has no doubt crunched the numbers and decided they make more money out of smokers in the casino then they lose from people who don't come back. If you are a smoker, this is your ship. The rules are on your side. For me, it will make me think long and hard about going on Radiance class again. If you are allergic/asthmatic, stay away! I wish they would just add the sealed smoking rooms you see at airports. All in all though, this was a wonderful vacation. This ship is more for relaxing than exciting activities. There is no flowrider or sky diving simulator. It draws an older, quieter crowd of experienced cruisers. Read Less

Instead of flying from Rome to Canada, chose to do a TA with some interesting places and some heat, we then switched to the Celebrity Summit to do a one week southern Caribbean. Despite disappointment with the Jewel itinerary changes,we had a great time. Embarkation and disembarkation were easy. Ship was old, mid-size, but had more offerings and character than some larger ships. Inside cabin was spacious enough. Dining options in the main dining room and buffet were better than Celebrity, especially the lunches! Entertainment and activities were standard for this class. The live entertainment was very good with lots of dance music available. Some of the games were fun too, even if we'd seen them before. Service was excellent throughout. Dining room staff including head waiter and maitre'd were exceptional. We never felt harassed to buy drink or dinner packages. This was a major annoyance on Celebrity. Diamond benefits are excellent. Would definitely do another Royal Caribbean. Read Less

Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas Nov 5-17 2018 Rome to San Juan. This was our first time on RC and was not disappointed at the ship and staff. This is the best room we have had on any ship and the crew was above average. This reminded me of my first cruise many years ago when the crew was happy and new your name. The Captain was a hoot, and would come on each day announcements with a cheerful and positive attitude. This was a very long trip so we spent 3 days in Rome before leaving, and was in our eyes the highlight of the trip (all the rest was extra cake). Two day before leaving we had gotten contacted by KLM that our flight had been canceled due to Air2sea booking a year ago on a Bump flight? We had to call Air2Sea and tell them about the cancelation. They did not have any idea that it had happened. I insisted that KLM had canceled the flight and I had called them and confirmed that it was, and that I should contact RC for any information. First observation of RC is the disconnect between the travel and the customer. They should have this information first before me. They then told me that it was a good thing that I had Air2Sea and they could fix this. They rebooked on Delta and my 2 stops turned into 3. The Delta Flight was very good and we had and additional hour with a very uncomfortable flight on Italy Airlines (not recommended no leg room). While in Rome they then sent another email that said all the Jewels itinerary stops had been changed due to weather (changed to Canary Islands and St. Martin). This is probably a good call but other ships had been reported going to the places that we had just been changed from. Most of the ship was looking forward to Lisbon as we had, and for this was disappointed. Getting on the ship was a very quick event and waited for our rooms to get prepared. Luggage delivery was very good. I felt sorry for the couple that we met that lived in the Canary Islands (and just had flown out of) and joked that they could maybe do some laundry while off the ship at island (they lived at) they had just left. We had been spoiled a bit on Princess Cruises so the rest is observations of what could be improved for the RC Brand. We loved the food and lots of it, but not much variety. Having theme food nights lets us have a taste of other countries. We did not eat in the dining room at all but ended up in the windjammer when open. The Café (latte tudes?) was very limited on food selection and while the windjammer has such limited hour 7am till 11 something could be expanded to a light snack early in the morning. We had been gaining hours each night coming back from Italy and we would wake up at 4 am and feeling hungry. All the restaurants had been closed, and the only one that opens at 6:30 is the Solarium Café that again is very limited to light snacks. Internet was puffed up as fastest at sea. Nobody I talked with thought much of it. It’s took about 5 to 10 min to load the RC page. They should have a backup system that when not by land can use satellite feeds from deep space to fill the low altitude satellite system currently used. We loved the Movie Theater and would love to see this added to other ships. The movies generally run one a day and then repeated on the big screen on deck. We had to leave early on one of our favorite movies, and expected to finish it later but this was not replayed on the in room TV. Suggestion is to run your played movies on the TV in the room as the kids shows currently are (in room TV is pay preview if you want a another movie). What is up with the “cooler” in the room??? No Hotel room uses a cooler. They use small refrigerators. Coffee Lava azza! One word Nasty (you need to switch out to instant or McCaffee brand! You can bring two bottles of wine but no Water or Soda onto the ship? We don’t drink so water is important to me. I spent over 50 dollars on the 12 liter bottles of water provided by the cruise line with 18% added on. Other cruise lines do this for about 7 us dollars a case. Smoking all over the ship. Deck 5 had ashtrays all down the walking deck. What about the kids that walk on that deck. What about me that does not smoke, but is exposed by trying to get some exercise. The smoking room is next to the Windjammer??. The smoke drifts down the pool deck while trying to watch a movie. Improve the daily activity that happens around the ship. We felt a port expert would have been nice along with other information like education lectures (Paying passenger did volunteer for lectures giving in Geology that was appreciate). This may have been slow because of the change of ports but thought that we should do more than just read, watch movies, cards, and shop in a very limited shopping area. Long itineraries require the Brand to make extra personnel for this lull in long days. We appreciated the extra personnel that were provided for future cruise desk. Princess only supplies one, and is never at the desk. Cruise excursions should be explained better. One paragraph of the excursion should be expanded, and explained about mode of transportation and amount of stops for toilet breaks, and how much time spent at stops. This was not explained until on the tour. Overall the cruise was very nice, but have decided that this cruise line in present state is not for us. We did have a great mix of people our own age, but just think it should be better. Overall price of the trip was Great value. We thank the excellent crew for success of our second crossing of the big pond. Read Less

This was my 26th cruise, 4th TA, and first cruise with RC. We departed from Puerto Rico without incident, boarding and checking in was a breeze. The Jewel is one Royals older ships but still has allot of life in her. Some of the public rooms seemed a bit dated and worn. The dining room is a classic beauty. We mostly dined in the main dining room and buffet. Our waiters in the Main Dining Room were excellent. We were a table of 10 friends. Quality of food and selection was very good. We ate one night at "Chops Grill." The food was classic steakhouse! I would highly recommend. The only negative about dining is that after 9 PM offerings are very limited. One can get a piece a pizza, hot dog or cookie in the Solarium. The desserts overall were not great. My last 5 cruises were on Celebrity. The Jewel had some of the best entertainment and performers. This was by far one of the most liveliest TA's I have been on, people partied late. What struck me most about this cruise was how friendly the staff and crew was and how approachable the ships officers were on the Jewel. The only negative thing that occurred was I got the "Cold from Hell" 10 days into the trip. I was not alone. I would definitely go back on Royal. Read Less

This was our 4th or 5th cruise on the Jewel. Beautiful ship with a fantastic crew. However there are a few things that seem to be unfolding on Royal. New cabins have expanded the guest population but have also reduced the number of crew. The Main Dining room has become crowded with fewer wait staff and more congestion. The food was good. As I have a very bland pallet it does not take much to please me. What I did do was over eat. Our cabin was one of the newer cabins on Deck 11. Since we were on a back to back we had to switch cabins after the first 12 days and moved down the hall to a second one. All Royal Caribbean advertisements list these balcony cabins at 204 sq ft. Trust me they are not. I would venture to say they are no more than 175 sq ft. Lastly I do wish Royal would enforce the hand sanitizers on their ships. The health of the crew and passengers are important and the sanitizers should not be an option to only "suggest". Read Less

Trans-Atlantic Cruise. Lots of time on the ship with close friends. I personally enjoy the trivia. Some of the activity personnel seemed to need more training in running the trivia. For example: The day they had "Beatles" trivia, the young lady couldn't find the Beatles trivia, so she replaced it with Elvis Trivia that was to be used on another day. I felt bad for her as when she played the "Elvis" trivia she didn't realize she was playing the answers, so everyone got the answers right. It was humorous but I felt bad for the young lady. The meals/service in dining were outstanding. Cabins were well kept. Especially loved Lisbon and Azores!! The crew was outstanding. The Canadian Captain was quite friendly and quite professional. It was nice to see the officers attending out Diamond events. They were very friendly and positive about everything. The maître d at our dinner had asked how everything was going. We told him we had one incident where one of our friends didn't receive their breakfast room service. He immediately took care of it and our friends received their breakfast on time the next day. The maître d went beyond his way to have chocolate-covered strawberries delivered to all of our rooms as a gesture of commitment. Read Less

I enjoyed the cruise the staff was wonderful however, the entertainment in the piano bar was a bit dull. I thought the food was good; The shore excursions could have been a bit better; The fashion show was fun and enjoyable. The staff in the stores were pleasant, The weather was not great but it is the season. I really enjoyed meeting new people not many single travelers on this cruise. I sat at dinner with a group of 4 others which was nice; I received a fruit basket and bottle of wine upon my arrival from Carrie whom I booked the cruise with at Royal; The transfers went smoothly although the airport in San Juan was horrible due to the hurricane. Everything moved at a snail pace and very upsetting with the flight delays; I did not like the transfer from the ship to San Juan airport since your luggage follows on a truck, Read Less

Bucket list trip for both of us. Enjoyed three unforgettable days in Rome before embarking on the 13 day cruise. Overall accommodations were very good. Frustrated with length of time in Valencia, Spain due to poor timing of port security to do their jobs which prevented us from leaving the ship on time to spend a full day there. Beware of any port of call that is on a Sunday. Most of these sleepy little towns are not open or open later after lunch. Finally, the cruise lines and Puerto Rico are trying to get back to normal but they are NOT, right now. Disembarkation was a nightmare and the good old USA customs and security folks will make you wish you had not picked this port as the last stop. Long lines and the inability to handle two cruise ships unloading and reloading thousands of passengers in one day is not within the capacity of the port authority, the hotels or the airport as of this writing. Royal Caribbean may want to say that all is well but it is definitely not. We certainly hope that the reconstruction efforts will improve things in time but we don't expect anything resembling any improvement for months. Book wisely. Read Less

We'd been to Rome in 2006 and therefore stayed in Civitavecchia for 2 days beforehand (Hotel San Giorgio). If you want food groceries, snacks, and wine you will want to walk 6-7 blocks up the hill on the main drag to the larger grocery store as it has the best prices and selection. Hear are our random thoughts on our Nov. 6 transatlantic to Puerto Rico: - this ship is beautiful with lots of glass but many parts of it have been repainted often - lots of creaking as it moved - our JS (#1040) did not have a fridge, only a cooler that LOOKS like a mini-fridge - first time without a drinks package but I DID buy a 10-drink package onboard for $85 USD - bought the soda package and the 100+ flavours in the 2 Windjammer machines were fantastic. I used the Fanta Zero choices the most. Beware, though, that there is no access to these special machines after 9:00 p.m. - the guitarists in the various bands were exceptional, and my favourite was Dmytro, the classical player from the Ukraine - Karaoke on the sea days ran from 9-10:00 p.m. and it would have been nice to have it go a little longer - on our 1st cruise on the Liberty in '14 there was a speaker in our stateroom for the Captain's announcements; the speaker could be attenuated with a dial...why can't they have this on all their ships? It certainly wasn't available to us on the Jewel - Voom was extremely un-Voom-ey; a friend was taking online classes and actually had to stop as her streaming version was way too unreliable. Ours was the same, and the price for the wifi is absolutely ridiculous - Analiza Ching, the rock 'n' roll violinist was, as expected, the best entertainer on our junket - Trivia in the Schooner was fun, but some of the various hosts' accents made it quite difficult to discern what they were saying - From the Hoho bus, Valencia was pleasant and nice - in Lisbon you can take a Hoho bus within yards of the ship; no need for the $8 shuttle. Lisbon was gorgeous - it was wonderful to see Gibraltar and Tunisia in the daylight hours, and the weather cooperated - We did an all-day 4x4 tour on the Azores island we landed at. Sergio, the driver, was good but seemed to soft sell requests for tips on the way back to the ship; do NOT ask for good ratings on Trip Advisor and then ask for tips, please as most will tip regardless. That being said, the island we were on (Sao Miguel) rivals Bora Bora for pure beauty! It was green, lush, magical, and gorgeous. - the weather after the Azores was cloudy, rainy, and gloomy. It was easily the worst any of us had seen on a transatlantic - Regarding our JS, the toilet and those nearby had a few issues one morning. Our bed with two light and very thin toppers was hard, but we are side-sleepers. Friends had a JS underneath the Windjammer and could not sleep as carts over the tiled floor above rattled all night long. They brought up the issue twice and were then given a 2-bedroom spot near the rear-most elevators for the remainder of the cruise - We guitar players are a dime a dozen, so why doesn't every resort and ship in the world have a few available for rental??? - Our CD, Cruisin' Susan and the Activities Director (Martin) were very good - For any who have heard of the legendary Cruise Critic Host "Clarea", he, his wife (they had the stateroom next to ours), and their "Bob"-tourage were a lot of fun! - The Puerto Ricans on this journey seemed to take over some of the night spots but we were happy for them as the hurricanes hit their island very hard recently - One of our roll call crew organized "California Kitchen" and "Chef's Table" meals; these were wonderful with lots of wine but the one with 20 attendees lasted FOUR hours! - Our fave server was LaToya in the Schooner Bar - We had "My Time" dining and rarely used the Dining Room. The food was alright there but there was ALWAYS something to love at the Windjammer - The large shrimp in Chops were to die for. My favourite food, though, was a smokey tomato soup served at the Chef's Table - Our slot pull was, by far the worst we have ever seen re: results; it was fun but the return on $15.00 was only $3.50. Do NOT go into Casino Royale for ANY reason (other than for $2 Mimosas or a slot pull) if you can at all avoid it! - Overall the entire staff was kind and helpful, including Guest Services - Those who went to the Diamond-and-higher 5:30 p.m. daily get-togethers in the Safari Club said the munchies, etc. were the best they every had. Thanks in part to the positive vibe from our numerous Roll Call posters, we had an absolutely fantastic time. The Jewel is a quaint, loveable smaller vessel that has lots of glass and is the perfect middle-aged conveyance for a transatlantic crossing. Read Less

We took this TA ( our 4th TA) because of the ports and cost. We had a balcony on Deck 8 which was spacious and more storage than we expected. Our CRuiseCritic roll call was very active and we participated in many events through the cruise, meeting new friends and having fun. We ate at My Time Dining with shared tables of 10 and enjoyed the company that we reserved our table and waiter for every night except when we ate ate specialty restaurants (Chops- very good, Italian- good but not great) Ship was smaller than what we have been accustomed to over the last 5 years but I found it more intimate and actually enjoyed the size more than I expected. Especially when we had to cross the ship after dinner to get to the theatre... took minutes vs 15 or more fighting crowds on the larger ships... Negatives- many nightly activities were in the small atrium area which meant most people had to stand around or hang over the balconies in the floors above to watch... Also, the ship's movement/ motion was more noticeable during the crossing but not 100% sure it was due to the size of the ship or the weather ( or both) Overall... great cruise and will sail this class again, just maybe not a TA PS: my wife loved the Female Captain and Cruise Director!!!!! Read Less

Repositioning and landed in Rome End in Rome End in Rome Excursion group was not helpful, a waste and reason to choose another ship and/or cruise line. They seemed disconnected / not organized. An view held by many fellow travelers, a disappointment. They get a F. Internet service goes down to easily and slow. It gets a C-. Cruise Director gets a D. Shows are a C. I could take it or leave it. Guest Services - very helpful and they get a B+. Main dining staff gets a A-. Thanks Lukas and Lisele were a real pleasure. Next Cruise gets a D+; not helpful. Please bring back the Crown and Anchor team. Diamond Club - gets an A; nice folks and we enjoyed our experience. My time dining we always enjoy. The retractable roof did not work in solarium - disappointment for Radiance class. Thank you Manager Stefan of the Windjammer - gets an A / A+, nice meeting you Thank you Executive Chef Jondeau - gets an A+, nice meeting you To Corporate - please get thicker bacon for the chefs. Read Less

CRUISE CRITIC REVIEW BY: Ernest H. Williams, Jr. QUALIFICATIONS: Hundreds of restaurant and hotel reviews and 85 previous cruises. CRUISE SHIP: Jewel of the Seas CRUISE LINE: Royal Caribbean DATES OF CRUISE: 23 April to 6 May 2017 ITENARY: San Juan, Puerto Rico; La Palma, Tenerife, Grand Cayman, Canary Islands; Gibraltar, Britain; Alicante, Spain; Rome, Italy. RATINGS: 4/5, 80%, B COMPARISONS: Not quite as good as Princess IN GENERAL: A good and enjoyable cruise. Might offer fewer, better dishes instead of too many indifferent ones. Too few personnel for economy is an understandable ploy, albeit a balancing act. A simplification of the menu might also help there. Wine bar needs help. Chefs might be advised to taste their creations.1 Blanding down your general cuisine to promote your specialty restaurants comes with certain perils to your approval ratings. I hope my suggestions will be of use to both potential passengers and the cruise ship personnel. ANNOUNCEMENTS: This is not male chauvinism, but the Captain’s voice could not be understood. ARRIVAL TIMES: These should be as early as possible, the stay as long as possible, and the schedule should not be changed, if at all possible. This was not the case on this cruise. A broader schedule allows for better shore excursions. I had scheduled scuba dives on La Palma, but the ship’s schedule was changed and I had to cancel. Of 6 scheduled dives in the Canaries, I could only make 2. BARTENDERS: Excellent BILLARDS: Two gimballed pool tables were nice, but cue stick tips were worn out. BREAKFAST: Most diverse I have seen on a cruise ship and good, but almost everything remained the same. Few innovations, which was good or bad? BUFFET: Good food for lunch, very good for dinner. Too few tables that are always full. Always had a row of Indian foods (I had my fill in India and Sri Lanka); sporadic oriental; a few other cuisines. Always some fish, but seldom other sea foods. Eight fish species one night, which was wonderful. Always beef, pork, and chicken dishes, good salad bar, good cooked vegetables, good breads, good variety with daily changes, but few really exceptional dishes. CABIN: small, okay storage, uncomfortable bed,2 good lighting, comfortable shower, adequate electrical plugs, good balcony, good mirrors. CHECK-IN: Easier than most, but also fewer passengers than most. DAILY INFORMATION (CRUISE COMPASS): Daily maximum temperatures were greatly underestimated every day. This made clothing planning difficult for tours. COSTS: Very reasonable, particularly with specials. DRINK CARD: Good deal, covered most drinks, but very few wines. Need more wines choices on the card. DESSERTS: Usually, at least 1 good desert in dining room. A great variety of mediocre to bad deserts1 in the buffet and too much daily repetition. The few excellent ones run out too soon. Whenever you see a good one, take it immediately. Soft serve ice milk, 2 kinds of ice cream at dinner. Raised dark and white chocolate covered donuts were good, but too firm.1 DINNING RESERVATIONS: These were usually not necessary. Reservations put you at tables for 2, which are not private, but jammed into many other tables for 2. Apparently, those who ask for “private tables” are so snooty they did not even like themselves. Ask for a shared table. This is no more crowded and almost always more pleasant. DINING ROOM: Adequate and interesting food for lunch, but strangely inadequate and less interesting food for dinner.1 Too crowded with tables too close together. Not enough service personnel made for very slow, and often inaccurate, service. Grab the waiter for a drink when seated. You may never see drink service. Near the end of the cruise, the waiters apologized for slow service. Not their fault. They were stretched too thin. Not open long enough for lunch. DISEMBARKATIONS: Often permission to leave the ship had not been announced, while there were already hundreds of passengers on the dock. Also, brochures said the tours got passengers off the ship first; not. ELEVATORS: Always full and often with a long wait in atrium. Better fore and aft. FOODS, ODD: A lot of Radicchio was used, which is rather expensive and good. Asparagus was served at every meal in every which way, which was fine with me. FORMAL NIGHT: Most cruise ships have special foods on formal nights. On their 3 formal nights, the menus were the worst of the cruise. We did not bother to get dressed up to eat uninteresting foods. GOLF: We enjoyed the nice put-put 9-hole course. HANDOUTS: These were in microprint. Why would they print stuff most people on their cruise have difficulty reading?3 Old people, small print, really? POPCORN: Most cruise ships give away popcorn. They sell it for around $2.50 including tax and tip for a tiny bag at the Pit Stop Bar. This was irritating. PREFORMERS: They must be grateful for the cruise ship businesses, because they could not torment an audience anywhere else. Mediocre to bad and of a bygone era.3 SAFE: Broken, requested repair, never fixed. SERVICE: Excellent in quality, inadequate in quantity. SICK CALL: You had better be very sick, because they will quarantine you to your room, not let you go ashore, and your food will be confined to the very limited room service menu.3 Thus they make you suffer more. SOLARIUM: Nice indoor pool, hot tub, and bar. Two badly rusted, large panels high on wall were quite incongruous. They particularly glare at you when laying in lounge patio chairs. SOUPS: Choices, tastes, and consistencies were terribly disappointing.1 The handle of the ladles transfers the heat so much they are useless. Gross service ineptitude. Good ladles are available. Has any of their staff ever tried to use their ladles? SPEAKERS: One excellent, interesting, albeit invalid speaker. However, crew people explaining shore destinations were horrible. TOURS: We usually just take the ship-offered tours. They are more expensive, but easier and safer. Our friends took a ship tour in Gibraltar and did not get half of the tour. We took a similar private tour off a cruise ship there a few years ago, which was cheap and excellent. Our ship tour guides in La Palma and Tenerife were awful. So bad my wife was the only one on the bus to tip the first, and even she did not tip the second. TRANSFER: Reserved taxi trip to Rome cost about half of the cruise transfer bus. WIFI: Internet was expensive, not high-speed as claimed, and worked about half of the time. WINE BAR: Very few varieties and most all were too expensive for the drink card. Tables too few, and unromantically, too out-in-the-open. Few, unimaginative tapas. Overall, very poor, counterproductive, and inept. This should be a fun, important, positive, not a negative. WINES: White wines on our drink card were limited and not very good. More selections needed. Reds were better. The only sparkling wine on card was good. Footnotes 1Someone, please taste the food before you serve it. Cruise cuisine is supposed to be excellent, not atrocious. No one, in their right mind, could have possibly tasted some of these dishes. 2Additional pads helped. 3Most cruise ships do the same. I have no suggestions on quarantine and entertainment, but you could easily make the print larger. SPECIES: Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar; Barramundi, Lates calcarifer; Common Octopus, Octopus vulgaris: Corvina, Cilus gilberti; Dover sole, Solea solea; European Perch, Perca fluviatilis; European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax; Florida Stone Crab, Menippe mercenariai; Radicchio or Italian chicory, Cichorium intybus; Tiger Shrimp, Penaeus monodon; Vietnamese Catfish, Pangasius pangasius; Whitefish [This can be almost any fish with low-oil flesh. Given present availability, its taste, quality, and cost, I would guess: Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus. Am I correct?] OTHER FOOD COMMENTS: Desert: Most pies were, oddly, cakes in disguise. “Raspberry” cream tart was made with cherries and was not very good.1 Banana pudding was made with unripe bananas.1 Duck breast was terrible.1 It was oddly recommended on the menu, but not listed. Later duck meat and pâté was excellent. Escargot had little taste and were tiny. Fish varied greatly. Corvina was bland and fishy one night; oddly very good later. Catfish was mushy and awful (So disgusting I could not eat it and complained to waitress.). Like soggy frozen fish sticks. How could you ruin such an excellent fish?1 Barramundi was probably excellent, but was incredibly too hot with pepper to taste!1 Perch and whitefish were just okay. Salmon good to fair. Sole very good. FLAN: You cannot serve such a horrible flan to the many Puerto Ricans on board. A terrible insult to Puerto Rico! Octopus was excellent, but seldom used. Prime rib was served twice and was terrible. How can anyone destroy this usually excellent dish?1 Scallops were very small. When oddly dumped into scrambled eggs, they were tasteless. Shepard’s Pie is not supposed to be sweet!1 Shrimp varied from a good-size excellent to tasteless salad shrimp. Making Tiger Shrimp into Thermidor was silly. Some “chilled” shrimp were served smelly and dangerously warm [potential health hazard]. My wife returned them. Read Less

Great Transatlantic cruise, nice ports of call, beautiful refurbished ship. Food in main dining room sub-par, though, and disappointing. Super, good-sized room, very clean. Calm seas, and warm temperatures, especially for November, would highly recommend a November transatlantic that travels southwest to Puerto Rico, surprisingly nice weather. Even swimming weather! As for entertainment in the theater, some solo acts were excellent, the revues not so much, nowhere near the quality and caliber of Allure or Oasis type ships. House Band was fabulous, as were the musicians playing in the centrum area, and poolside. Service everywhere was very good, polite, helpful. Embarkation easy and fast on day one, and last day went really well. The ports were great, would highly recommend Valencia and Lisbon especially. The day we passed by Gibralter was an especially interesting experience, with views of both Europe and Africa from our vantage point outside on the ship. Our room was an excellent size, with more storage than we could use. Fitness Center was a little small, sometimes had to wait for equipment, but it was nice and clean. Read Less

I chose the cruise because I liked the itinerary. I spent 3 days in Rome before the cruise. Ports were Valencia, Lisbon, Ponta Delgada. The cruise ended in San Juan. There were plenty of activities to do. The last few days of the cruise, the cruise director, Dennis Charles, formed a passenger choir which kept growing each day. We sang Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music the last night.One of the entertainment staff played Maria. There were also lectures on CSI. One lecture was about the John Benet case. These lectures were very interesting and were well attended. During the evenings, the Atrium was used for entertainment. One night we had a 70s show. Dennis, the cruise director, was always visible and energetic whether it was the shows in the Coral Lounge or any other activity throughout the ship. This was my second cruise with Royal Caribbean. I was on one of their original ships in 1993. I am going to be sailing on Freedom of the Seas on October 22, 2017, from Barcelona and am looking forward to that cruise. It is a 14 day transatlantic. Ports are Cadiz, Tenerife, Gran Canary Island, La Palma, across the ocean to Ft. Lauderdale. I'm sure that this will be an enjoyable experience. Read Less

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. Read Less

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. . Read Less

* 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. Read Less

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. Read Less

This was our 3rd cruise (all with RCI) and first TA. We booked it 18 months in advance because of the great itinerary - so many ports, including the Faroe Islands! First, I want to mention how helpful our very active CC roll call members were for planning private tours, sharing information, organizing activities, and such. I felt like I had 350 new friends before ever setting foot on-board! Flew non-stop from Boston to London, took the Heathrow Connect train to Paddington Station and spent 3 nights at the Hilton Metropole. Nice hotel and easy access via Tube to all of London's attractions. We took the train from Liverpool St. Station to the port of Harwich, booked our train tickets in advance at a discount. Trip took 1.25 hours with a 5-minute transfer of trains in Manningtree. Managed the few steps down and then up just fine with our carry-on luggage. Check-in was smooth and efficient, we were on-board by 11:45 and in our room by 1:00 after lunch in the Windjammer. Had a nice Sail-Away party up at the Sky Bar with our new CC friends. Absolutely loved all the ports (see reviews below), but all-in-all, I would not do another TA cruise. With the cancellation of St. John's, NF due to bad weather, we had 6 consecutive sea days, which were a few too many for our particular tastes. Not enough "active" activities on-board, except for the table-tennis tournament - that was good fun. It is interesting to read others' reviews and see how they differ from our perspectives. Different people notice different things. We thought the food was just fine. Did not see any need to eat at the specialty restaurants, so can't comment about them. Windjammer sufficed for breakfasts and the occassional lunch & dinner after a long day in port. Our waitstaff in the MDR was exceptional, making sure that we were completely satisfied with our meals. The menus were diverse enough for us, but there was an Indian entre' every evening, which didn't appeal to us. Desserts were very good. We had escargot and lobster, even though there were rumors beforehand that these items were not going to be offered. Lunched in the MDR a couple of days for the great Tutti Salad Bar. Yummy and fairly healthy. There was a pool-side barbeque lunch one day that we enjoyed. Staff: Cruise director, waitstaff, cabin attendant and Captain were all fabulous. The captain kept us well informed of several unplanned events, including an accident that damaged the ship and injured a crew member (no fault of the Captain's or RCI), 2 hurricanes in the Atlantic that caused us to miss Newfoundland's port, and a medical evacuation of another crew member, which resulted in a diversion to Halifax. We thought he handled all these things in a professional manner with safety being the main priority. Entertainment: We found the evening shows lacking, and skipped several of them. We enjoyed the Three Tenors and the Tango dancers. The Enrichment Lecturers were a varied assortment, with a professor specializing in astronomy, and another gentleman lecturing on the ports. The port lectures were a waste of our time. A fellow passenger volunteered to give a talk on his flying over the South Pole in a hot air balloon, and this was the best lecture we saw. Two sisters offered "Iris Folding" craft classes, and we attended these every sea day. It was a popular activity and we enjoyed this very much. As it was free, the classes were extremely well attended, and the sisters were a bit overwhelmed by the demand. Trivia games: fun and lively. We had 75 hearing-impaired passengers on-board, and 3 classes in American Sign Language were offered. We also enjoyed this, and picked up some signs to communicate with our fellow passengers. Ship: We liked the layout of the Jewel, and it was in good repair. Staff kept the ship's public areas sparkling clean. Plenty of places to curl up with a good book on sea days. Disembarkation: We had Express Check-out, as we just had carry-on luggage, and were told to line up our baggage in the Coral Theater. Our ship took longer than expected to clear customs, and several passengers were on the verge of becoming unruly. We were not in a rush to get to the airport, and if we had to do this over, we would have just waited for the initial rush off the ship to clear out and then walked off with little stress. Got a taxi with minimal wait-time and arrived at the Boston airport in plenty of time for our afternoon flight home. Other: We were very surprised to find a charge of $50 for 2 pool towels on our printed out statement the morning of disembarkation, as I had checked our account status the night before. We got to Guest Relations at 6:15 am and there was only 1 staff member behind the desk and a long line of others who had the same charges as we had. Finally a gal took charge, taking names and room numbers of those of us in line with towel charges, and promised to get them refunded. If this had happened BEFORE we completed our guest questionaire, we would not have had such nice things to say about our RCI experience. We do not plan to cruise again for a while, so did not purchase a future cruise voucher. Will stick to land-based trips, so we can do some in-depth exploring on our own. Ports: We did all private excursions on this trip, several shared with other CC members. Le Havre, France - rented a car at Le Havre Rent a Car right at the dock with another couple from CC and drove to Mont St. Michel. Loved it despite the 3-hour drive each way. Much cheaper than the ship's tour and we beat most of the crowds. Portland, Dorset (England) - this was an "added port" to our itinerary, and we were excited to visit the Jurassic Coast (World Heritage Site) to do some fossil-hunting. We hired a driver from Here to There Services and got a great tour of the area on our way to Charmouth. Despite pouring rain for a 1/2 hour, we did find some fossils and I would like to return to this area for a longer period. (BTW - I am a geologist, so I was looking forward to this port for a LONG time!) The resort town of Weymouth looked to be very quaint and a nice place to stroll around, although we didn't have time for this. Cobh, Ireland: We did a private bus tour with Butler Busses to Blarney and Cork. Did not go into Blarney Castle as the lines were extremely long. Spent our time in the Blarney Woolen Mills, and I bought a hand-knit sweater as my one souvenir. Drove through Cork and stopped at the Market, just OK. There was a Titanic Museum at the dock that looked interesting, but we did not check it out. Klaksvik, Faroe Islands: The highlight of our cruise! Loved the unspoiled feel of this relatively new cruise ship destination. Arranged a private all-day bus tour of the islands' highlights. It was difficult finding a tour operator to do a tour from Klaksvik vs. the capital of Torshavn, but discovered 62N Tours who put together an amazing itinerary for us, which included lunch and afternoon tea, for a very reasonable price. Cascading waterfalls, beautiful coastal scenery, quaint houses with grass-topped roofs (with skylights!), and lots of sheep. The visit to the Bishop's House (built in the 1100's) was a highlight. Excellent tour guide. Heard some folks complaining that there were no souvenir shops, but that is what we liked about it so much!!! Here is our tour itinerary: "Pick-up and a short city-sightseeing in Klaksvík - then to the island of Kunoy - via the sub-sea-tunnel to Eysturoy. The glass artist Tronur Patursson has decorated the tunnel with amazing colours. We will stop for lunch at Hotel Gjargarur in the fantastic village of Gjógv. After lunch to the village of Eii where we will pass the highest mountain in the Faroes - Slttaratindur 882m and short after a view to the twin sea starks, Risin (75 m) and Kellingin (73 m), remnants, it is told, of an unusual attempt to tow the Faroes to Iceland by an Icelandic giant and his troll wife. Struck by the beauty of the islands, they laid a rope around Eiiskollur, the north end of Eysturoy, but quarrelled for so long that they were caught by the rising sun and transformed into cliffs. Further to the smallest capital in the World Tórshavn - where we will visit the World oldest parliament Tinganes. Have a walk in the old part of town and feel the atmosphere as placed in the Middle Ages but still alive with hens and children and all the buzz of ordinary life. We will visit the old cultural centre of the North Atlantic "Kirkjubur", where we also will have coffee/the/cake at the oldest wooden house in Europe "Roykstovan" still in use for the 17th generation. See the imposing ruin of Saint Magnus Cathedral and the oldest church in the Faroes, St. Olavs church erected in the year 1111." Reykjavik, Iceland: As special as I anticipated, with wonderful photo opportunities. We booked the Golden Circle tour with Iceland Guided Tours and had a marvelous day. On our second day in port, we did the Blue Lagoon, and got there just as they were opening at 10:00 am. Pure heaven! Expensive, but worth it. (We are hot-spring nuts, though...) Our ship underwent repairs for an accident in the Faroe Islands, but they were able to fix our communications mast and damaged funnel while we were in port. St. John's, Newfoundland: didn't make it there, due to hurricanes in the Atlantic, and as we didn't have any tours pre-arranged, it was not a huge disappointment. We had heard that this port can be "hit or miss". All in all, we enjoyed our cruise very much. Our fellow cruisers made the trip most enjoyable, and we have some fantastic pictures and memories. 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DINING ~was good. We had late seating, we could not get early, and I actually enjoyed seeing the shows before dinner. Food was good, always wish for better. We ate at Chops - Fantastic and Porotfino- very good. The food choices were different than ships I have been on before, probably due to this being a transatlantic cruise. The Windjammer and Seaview Cafe were both very good. SERVICE on the ship was fabulous. They really went out of their ways, everyone. Our waiters (Sixto & Igor) & Cabin Steward (Ana) were fantastic. Leigh was a great Cruise Director, we stopped him with a question and he phoned our cabin with the answer. The Guest relations desk was helpful and fixed all problems I inquired about. The bartenders were all great. Lorenzo @ Champagne Bar earns a special shout out. ENTERTAINMENT was okay. We saw most shows and they were enjoyable. The couple who did the magic show were outstanding as was a pianist. FITNESS area is very good, gets a bit crowded but if you go early it is fine. Nice Staff. Bar Entertainment ~ Very enjoyable. A guitarist who was so enjoyable. The Trivia games were a hit. Since our last port was canceled due to weather conditions the trivia games were quite crowded as we had six straight days at sea. The Centrum (atrium) of the ship is really too small, as is the Solarium (Indoor Pool). I bet on warmer climate cruises where more people are outside, it is fine, but it was most difficult at times to find seating in both. We did have a few days on the Atlantic where the temperature was warm enough to find swimsuit clad cruisers enjoying the pool. Captain Stig ~ Second time sailing with him. He is awesome. With our ships accident he kept us informed of everything. We were never worried for long if we could continue to sail. The injured crew member was on all our minds and Captain Stig kept us up to date on his condition, which was good which created a cheer to be let out all around. Later a crew member was ill and needed to be hospitalized, the Captain kept us informed of his evacuation. The average age on this cruise did appear to be 65+. I also would note this cruise is a dressier one than our previous 7 cruises. They say the Transatlantic Cruises are like that, people tend to dress nicer even while at sea days. Read Less

We chose the Jewel TA due to it being the one that met our needs of date and destination to the UK for our land tour that followed. This cruise met those needs very well. This was our first time sailing with RCCL. We were very pleased with some things and others not so much. Both embarkation and disembarkation worked very well. We had no wait in Miami and since we carried our own luggage off at Harwich, no wait there, either. The train station is in easy walking distance of the cruise port, so we were quickly off to London on our own after disembarkation. First the superlatives: Of all the ships we've cruised, I liked the pool area on the Jewel the best. There is both an outdoor family pool and an indoor adult pool. The indoor pool made it possible to enjoy the pool each day no matter the weather. On rough days, it was a wave pool. The pool area was well-maintained and staffed 24 hours a day! I'd never seen this on any other ship. We also found the stage shows to be the best we've experienced (not counting the Epic which is a different class entirely). The ship's troop of singers and dancers was exceptional and the other shows quite good. The cruise director, Clo, was great! She could have a career as a standup comedian if she chose with her jokes and expressions. Our room was good and well-maintained by the steward as is customary on all the cruises we've taken. Like the other lines we've cruised, service in general was very good. We had one problem which I sent in on their survey we got a couple of days into the cruise. Not only did I receive a prompt phone call from the director of housekeeping, but he made a personal visit to our cabin to be sure the problem was resolved to our satisfaction. Very impressive! Now for the worst: The main dining room was abominable from my perspective. It was very, very noisy to the point that one could not hear the conversation at the table. Large tables of ten are crammed together with not enough space for the servers to move freely between them. (Advice to anyone booking...request a table for just your own party.) The food was the worst of any cruise line we've ever sailed on. The buffet food was preferable as you could see what you were getting before you chose it. The beef was tough. Several at our table sent beef back which was not cooked to order. Tough beef I ate, which was preferable to the very rare I received when I ordered medium and the old shoe I received when I ordered medium well. Gave up on the beef after that. Other entrees sounded good but were not to my taste. When some at our table complained to the head waiter, his response was that the recipes were fleet wide and could not be changed by the ship's chef. The service took a very long time, some of which was due to being at a large table but most was due to the long length of time it took for the food to come out of the kitchen. Several nights this caused us to miss entertainment we wanted to see. We learned to not go to the dining room on nights we wanted to be sure to make a show. If I were to book again, I'd choose the As You Wish dining option. The drink prices were the highest of any ship we've ever sailed on. This resulted in the lowest bar bill we've ever had as we were just not willing to pay that much. No two for one happy hours like on our January cruise on the Rotterdam. The Drink of the Day seemed always to be a sugary fruity concoction that I tried a couple of times since it saved a couple of dollars. I quickly tired of this and just limited drinks to one or none, a good thing in the long run. The lounge entertainment was the least desirable to my tastes of any ship we've ever been on. Objectively I thought the country group was good but I don't choose that style. Others I just did not care for...also good for the bar bill as on NCL we always find one we love and hang out in that lounge most nights. Since we'd cruised with Holland America in January, we missed being treated as special guests even if you are in a low category cabin. RCCL does not give robes or nice toiletries to everyone and forget the free fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast. Perhaps if you are a suite passenger or a Diamond Club member, things are different. For a frequent cruiser who was a first timer on this line, the lack of amenities was noticeable. The library was pathetic. Perhaps the itineraries the ship is on do not require an extensive library but on TAs, the library is frequently used. The fiction shelves were always empty. Although they had a two book limit, this was not enforced and I saw people who had checked out up to ten books, leaving little for late comers. I was glad I'd brought my own supply of books. There were also less daytime activities to choose from than on other TAs/long cruises we've taken. Those we liked would always be scheduled at the same time so you would have to choose and then have nothing to do at other times. All in all, we had a good time on a clean ship with good service. RCCL will not be my line of choice, but will be considered again if the itinerary and price are favorable as they were this time. Read Less

Fourth Tran cruise - previous 3 with Celebrity . Flew Glasgow- Newark - Fort Lauderdale and stayed at Sheraton airport Hotel. all fineTook hotel shuttle [$10] to port at 11am as RCI bus going to many hotels. Security that previously was grim were very friendly, smiling and seemed happy at work. Credit to Agency....big change.On ship within 20mins and cabins all ready as ship had been in drydock. Dropped off hand luggage and then to Windjammer for food... one must. Luggage arrived about 3pm and then drill at 4.30 and sail away at 5. If not aware webcam at Everglades and my daughter in Scotland identified us from rear of ship on balcony.Food: Quality and amount has reduced over the years but waiters bring you anything extra you ask for. Went to Chops,,,fantastic as usual.Crown Anchor: 1082 members onboard. did not go to welcome back etc due to numbers. We are Diamond Level so could go to Vortex from 5.30pm - 8pm for free wines and 20% off spirits.Enrichment:CSI phenomenon; Very good, about TV programmes and DNA.Ports: None of them on list below. Really says it all.Ponta Delgada, Azores. I think we had to stop after 7 days at sea. Pleasant enough.Brest: Working docks.Why did we stop here?Cherbourg: Nice French port, nice shops and cafes etc. Escursions available. Overall a pleasant cruise but the cutbacks are becoming obvious. Things that used to be standard are now missing or have to be paid for.Did not go to shows as clashed with Diamond Lounge with free wine.. no choice. Read Less

Route: 14 day cruise starting in Harwich, England - Le Havre, France - Cherbourg, France - Cork, Ireland - Akureyri, Iceland - Reykjavik, Iceland - Sydney, Nova Scotia - Boston. 1. General Comments: An interesting cruise through the stormy north Atlantic. This was the ship's repositioning cruise from its Baltic runs to its New England trips. Our itinerary was to include St John's, Newfoundland, but a "regular Arctic low pressure storm" formed on the route we were to take from Iceland. This made for a 250 mile detour around the storm and an early arrival in Sydney. My wife and I are frequent floaters and were not bothered by the stormy waves and winds, but enough was enough. The Caribbean it wasn't. The ship was nearly full with 2,046 passengers and 850 crew. While the majority of passengers were American, there was a good representation of European countries. There appeared to be very few first time cruisers. As this was school time, few children were on board. We booked a junior suite on the tenth deck. Details below. We also used My Time dining, and it worked perfectly. The cruise wound up with seven, instead of six, sea days. The Captain announced when we could see whales; a few of us did (I saw two). Remember that this is an Atlantic crossing. We had to change clocks forward one hour for France and turn them back six times enroute to Boston. 2. Travel to England and Embarking: We made our own plane arrangements and arrived in London three days before the cruise. We did use an RCL hotel (Guoman Tower) and the RCL bus to the port in Harwich (a 2 hour trip). You must stay in an RCL hotel if you want to use their bus; otherwise, you are on your own to get to Harwich. The hotel was fine, close to subway and next to both the Tower Bridge and the Tower. An RCL representative was available for some hours starting two days before the cruise. Having done Sea Pass check-in on-line got us through the check-in procedures very quickly. We were on board by noon in time for the usual lunch in the Windjammer and in our cabin around 1PM. One suitcase was waiting for us in the cabin; the other did not arrive for a couple hours. 3. The Jewel of the Seas: An attractive ship. Our junior suite was perfect for the two weeks. Plenty of storage space and nooks, a walk in closet, and bathroom with a tub shower. The cabin has a small safe and a small refrigerator (mini-bar, which we did not touch). There is a TV that receives movies, CNN, FOX, ESPN, shipboard activities, and other channels. You get a daily planner in your cabin the night prior. You need to read it carefully as there are next to no announcements on the PA system. The Captain does his noontime report from the bridge, and there may be one announcement in the afternoon about the evening's show. There is no newspaper; you have to get your news off the TV. There are maps at each elevator bay. The elevators are quirky; often you push the button and watch the elevator go right past your floor. There is a huge children/teen area and programs for them. I defer to others with children to comment on this part of the ship. 4. Meals: Food in the Windjammer buffet - which almost everyone uses for breakfast and lunch - is good. There are plenty of choices at both meals, and you can eat as much or as little as you want. It is a bit hurried, though, and not a place for a slow meal. The dining room's food was very good, well-prepared, and well-served. We only used it for dinner, although it is available with open seating at breakfast and lunch. Again, you have to pay attention to the daily ship's program concerning where lunch is served. The Windjammer or the dining room may be closed, or they may both be open. You have to read. We used My Time dining - 7PM - and RCL got it right. The area for this dining was organized with plenty of tables for two, besides the usual tables for four and more. We would arrive pretty much on time and were always seated immediately. While we were shifted around a bit, we had only three sets of waiters for the 14 days, and this was all in the same area. Thus, the waiters did get to know their guests and their preferences. Our waiters would advise us when they thought dishes were not up to par. Food portions are of respectable size, and if you don't try to eat all the courses everyday, you should not do bad weight-wise. The wine list is respectable, and wine is available by the bottle or glass. We had made reservations on-line for the Portofino specialty restaurant. Excellent food, wine, and service. Well worth the extra charges. There are other food outlets around the ship as well as plenty of bars; you cannot go hungry or thirsty. Because of the mob scene in the Windjammer one noon, we lunched in the Seaview Cafe. Sandwiches and fries were not bad; no extra charge. At the session of "ask the Captain and his staff," we learned an interesting item. RCL ships usually only resupply at the beginning of their runs; in our case it meant that we loaded up in Harwich and had no resupply for 14 days which, according to the hotel director, is about the maximum number of days a ship can go. So, bananas ran out, pineapples became iffy, and margarine ran out. Even the Schooner Bar ran out of Drambuie. 5. Dressing for meals: For this 14 day trip it was three formal nights. A good number - perhaps half - of men at formal nights were in tuxedos or suits; some who did not want to dress up just did not appear for these meals. Considering how the ladies dress up for these meals, I suggest more men who served in the military obtain miniatures of the medals they were awarded and attach them to their tuxes. It's permissible to do so, and the medals do add some color to our basic black tuxedos. Scheduling of the formal nights was odd. We expected they would all be on sea days. Wrong! Two were on port/shore excursion days, and only the third one was on a sea day. 6. Shore Excursions: A word of advice: make your shore excursion reservations on-line! Otherwise you will either have to use the not-so-user-friendly on board TV system to make your reservations or stand in line on board at the excursion counter. The on-line billing goes direct on your credit card and not on your shipboard account. If you know the ports of call and want to travel by yourself, then, of course, you don't need the ship's tour office. RCL's tour prices are not cheap; you are paying for the convenience of having the ship organize the tour rather than you doing it after you get ashore. Also, if you obtain your tour through the ship's staff, you have support when there is a problem. When making my on-line reservations I ran into one tour that was marked "check on board." I went to the tour desk right after we boarded. Yes, the tour was running. I was able to change around a couple of tours with no problem. These charges and adjustments all appeared on our ship's account. The adjustments for all the cancelled shore excursions when we did not stop in St John's were quickly added to the ship's accounts. There was an Icelandic gentleman on board who lectured on all aspects of Iceland (history, geography, etc) before we arrived. His first session was so interesting that for his second session the theater was packed. Everyone commented on how pleased they were to have heard some, or all, of his lectures. 7. Shipboard entertainment: The ship has a daily schedule full of activities for all tastes: sports, lectures, bridge, bingo, etc, etc. Don't forget the rock climbing wall, though because of our weather, I don't know if it was ever open for use. Most days the poolside chairs were lashed down. Some hardy souls continued to use the hot tubs and the pools. On the other hand, the adult solarium pool was quite busy, possibly because it is enclosed. The bits of the evening shows we saw were fine; we heard good reports about them in the Windjammer. The down side appears to have been that the theater was packed every night, and seats were being taken up to 45 minutes before the show. Park West, the bane of many cruise ships, did not have its contract renewed by RCL. Thus, there were no art auctions. This was not a problem as the ship has plenty of art all around the public areas. Instead of art, though, there is plenty of advertising by the ship's spa, which appears to be a franchise. The casino was of good size and the payoffs did not seem to be much worse than Las Vegas. Duty-free liquor on board was reasonable; you order your liquor and it is delivered to your cabin the day before disembarking. If you are flying, though, how do you take it home? There will be plenty of opportunities for you to have your picture taken by the ship's photographers--pricey, but a good souvenir. There are various venues for night owls. 8. Tipping: Not a problem if you sign up for the recommended amounts (for cabin steward, waiter, asst waiter, and head waiter). The amounts are charged to your shipboard account; you receive vouchers and envelopes before the last night on board. Put the vouchers in the (pre-addressed) envelopes, and hand them out. You're done. You only need to tip separately (cash) the person who brings your room service. Your bar bill automatically adds 15 percent. My Time dining raised a question that the Guest Services desk did not really answer. I asked how we tipped the wait staff when we had different staffs. Their solution was for us to tip the staff that waited on us at the last night. "They will take care of it." I hope so, and it may be so. Our nightly table was recorded in the computer, so it would not have been difficult to determine how often which wait staff waited on which passengers. 9. Settling of Accounts: During your cruise, anything you purchase on board (drinks, souvenirs, tours, duty free items, photos, etc) is punched into a computer; you sign one copy of the ticket and you receive a copy. You can track your account on the ship's TV channel. On the last morning you receive a paper final statement of your account. 10. Disembarking in Boston: Your bags have to be out at 11PM, and breakfast is early. You can wait in your cabin until it is time to leave. We ran about an hour late because the customs/immigration officers were late. Added to that was that pier side safety regulations prevented passengers from moving in the baggage area while baggage was still being unloaded and stacked in the building. Immigration procedures were handled on board in the dining room, and customs was handled pier side. Once the officers were set up and the baggage handling was completed, disembarking went pretty quick and smooth. 12. Conclusion: This was an interesting trip. We had a great time in London adjusting to the time difference; the weather was sunny and pleasant. Stops in France and Ireland were equally pleasant. Iceland was fascinating, cold, and a bit wet. Yes, we have our certificates for having crossed the Arctic Circle. As I mentioned at the start, the trip from Iceland to Nova Scotia was long and windy, with high waves (and that was *not* going through the storm!). Nova Scotia was wet. From there to Boston we had to go through another storm. Sigh... Are we glad we made the trip? Definitely yes. Would we do it again? Probably not. Would we take the Jewel again to someplace calmer and warmer? Yes. If anyone has questions, send me an e-mail at LTC519@satx.rr.com. Fred Groth San Antonio, TX Read Less

Stormy North Atlantic crossing on the Jewel Overview: We had cruised on the Jewel before - through the Baltic s in 2006, so we knew what to expect. However, our expectations were exceeded. If anything, RCCL have upped their game since our previous Jewel experience and our first trans Atlantic crossing was overall an exciting adventure. From the highly visible Master of the vessel Captain Stig Nilsen, through his Officers and crew, we enjoyed a quality cruise experience marred only by the disappointment in not being able to dock in Newfoundland. As the cruise was scheduled to sail around Iceland and through some notoriously unpredictable North Atlantic seas, we were comforted when we learned that the Captain had been born and raised in Nordic waters! His experience of North Atlantic waters proved to be particularly beneficial when in the interests of passenger safety and comfort, the Captain had to change course and skillfully navigate the ship around the fringes of a major storm that had developed off Greenland shortly after we left Reykjavik. Embarkation: We had pre-arranged an RCI transfer from Heathrow airport to Harwich. We were met by an RCI representative in the arrivals hall. Ours was a relatively early flight so we were asked to wait in a waiting area with our luggage until sufficient other passengers arrived to connect with the transfer bus. After about a ninety minute wait we were directed to a coach for the two hour journey to Harwich. On arrival at the pier we were ushered through to a priority embarkation area reserved for Platinum, Diamond and diamond Plus Crown and Anchor members. Embarkation formalities were speedily processed and we were on board within fifteen minutes of arriving in Harwich. The Ship: The Jewel is a beautiful ship. Now over six years since it's launch in 2004, she is still in remarkably good condition showing only few signs of wear and tear. She is spacious, clean, well appointed and well maintained. Although we had booked some ten months prior to the cruise, we had only managed to secure a balcony cabin virtually at the front of the ship starboard side. We were a little apprehensive having such a forward cabin especially as we had been warned of potentially high seas as we crossed the Atlantic. We normally prefer a much more centrally situated stateroom. We need not have worried as, even while sailing through the storm after leaving Reykjavik and the high seas that ensued for the following three days or so, the ship proved to be remarkably stable and we did not experience any more notable rocking and rolling in our forward situated cabin than anywhere else on the ship. Our balcony cabin was what one would expect on a ship of this nature. The bathroom is incredibly small but ingeniously designed and once one gets used to the cocoon like effect of shower, it is more than adequate. However, we are amazed that some of our overly obese fellow passengers who sailed on this specific cruise, could even fit in the shower which effectively is not much bigger than the capsule used to rescue the trapped miners in Chile. We did not get much use out of our balcony this cruise, partially because of the inclement weather during the latter half of the cruise but also because we were surrounded by chain smokers - above, below and to both the left and right of our stateroom! We really recommend that RCI reconsider its current smoking policy that prohibits permits smoking in a stateroom yet, inexplicably, permits the habit on balconies! For reformed non-smokers such as my wife and I, it effectively negates the benefit of a balcony stateroom when there is a constant stream of cigarette smoke wafting across the balcony as we experienced on this cruise. Dining: For a mass-market cruise line, we found the food on the Jewel to be generally good to very good. We understand dinner menus on RCI ships are pretty standard but apart from the typical fare that did not vary from day to day, we always found there to be sufficient alternatives to keep us interested. We had elected the "My Time" dining option in the Tides dining room for evening meals. The special area set aside for My Time diners was well managed and organized. We generally like to dine fairly late (after 08h00 p.m.) which means we usually miss the rush and we only had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a table on only one occasion of the twelve nights we dined there. Meals generally were well prepared, attractively presented by attentive waiting staff. The only downside of My Time dining is that one can never be guaranteed a seating in the same area each night which makes tipping a bit of a problem as one is often served by different teams of waiting staff. We had four different teams during our 14 night cruise. Still, we assume the waiting staff pool their gratuities. If not, we guess if all diners gave to their last set of waiting staff, tipping would even out in the longer run. In the Windjammer, the alternate buffet style restaurant, we found the food to be more than satisfactory in range, quality and presentation. It tends to be a bit of a scrum at breakfast and lunch times unless one is prepared to dine either very early or very late to avoid the crowds. Seating is always a premium at peak times. Even when we only went to lunch well after the peak dining period, we found seating to be very scarce - often exacerbated by somewhat selfish diners who continued to occupy tables to read or play cards after they had clearly finished their meals. We had dinner in the Windjammer on two nights and were surprised to find how many people seemed to prefer the very casual dining option. Meals were generally OK but when items run out a no replacement policy seems to prevail. On the one evening we noticed a lovely prime rib being carved medium rare just the way we liked it. However, by the time we had finished our starters, the prime rib had run out and no alternative was provided. There were three formal evenings on the cruise but we found that the majority of diners tended to ignore the recommended dress code often pitching in casual attire even on formal nights. We really believe all cruise lines should reconsider their formal dining policies and go the way many of the more up market cruise lines, such as Oceania and Azamara, have gone by adopting a smart casual dress code throughout their cruises. Passengers who like to dress up should be encouraged to do so whenever they like leaving the rest of to enjoy the casual ambience of a country club casual atmosphere. In particular, for those of us who have to travel long distances to link up with a cruise and therefore have restricted luggage capacity, the option of not having to pack formal wear would be very helpful! Entertainment: For the first time on a cruise (this was our seventh), we actually thought the entertainment on offer was pretty good! The hard working entertainment team under the able direction of an energetic and affable Cruise Director could not be faulted for effort and enthusiasm. Nightly shows were invariably better than we have come to expect on cruise lines and some shows, in particular the female impressionist and a musically versatile country and western singer, were especially good. The show orchestra was excellent and one could almost always find an entertainer, singer or ensemble performing at various places on the ship. Fitness and Recreation: We made good use of the fitness centre particularly on the additional unscheduled cruise days necessitated by the change in course to bypass Newfoundland. The centre was well equipped and maintained and one seldom had to wait for a treadmill or exercycle, even at peak times. However, we were disappointed there were no change room facilities at or near the fitness center. We found such to be welcome facility on other cruise lines as after an early morning workout, one could then proceed directly for a shower and clean up prior to breakfast without having to schlep back to one's stateroom - often at the other end of the ship. Destinations: The main purpose of our vacation was to visit relatives and friends in Canada. We had a choice of either flying direct to the States (very long and exhausting), or to break our journey by flying first to London. We were then faced with the no brainer dilemma of deciding whether to fly or cruise across the Atlantic. Needless to say, it did not take us too long to discern that a cruise would be the better, more relaxing and enjoyable option! We chose the Jewel primarily for it's itinerary and were not disappointed. We only took one ship excursion - in Reykjavik, and, as we enjoy touring new destinations on foot wherever possible, we did our own thing in the other ports of call. We find this generally to be a good way to get the "feel" of a place we have not visited before. In Le Havre and Cherbourg, we just walked the quaint city centres. We have been to France many times before so did not find any of the tours offered to be of much interest. Of course, we would have loved to revisit Paris (one of our favourite cities) had we docked for a longer time. However, the day excursion to Paris that was offered, half of which was to be spent on a tour bus, just did not seem to be attractive! Cove was delightful. We took a train to Cork but frankly found Cove to be of much more interest with, inter alia, its beautiful cathedral and famous Titanic walk. The obligatory black stout (in my case a Murphy's as we wandered into a typical Irish pub that served the local brew in direct opposition to the more famous Guinness) was especially enjoyable after a long walk through the town. In Akureyri, we were met by a niece who had emigrated to Iceland some twenty years ago. She gave us the grand Akureyri tour including visits to the beautiful, if small, Godafoss Falls - literally the Falls of the Gods and then the interesting Laufas turf covered settlement that has recently been restored that gives a good indication of how the settlers in the 18th/19th century lived. We thought Akureyri was a particularly beautiful part of the world, an area that reminded us a lot of Scotland. The ship's tour of Golden Circle outside Reykjavik was both good and not so good. The highlights were the Strokkur geysers that erupt on average every four to five minutes (very impressive), and a visit to the Gulfoss (Golden) Falls - apparently the highest Falls in Europe with a double cascade of 105 feet. It reminded us a little of a mini scaled version of the more famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The negatives were a grossly overcrowded bus (55 passengers!) and sub standard refreshments that consisted of half a polony sandwich, a dried out pastry and a cup of undrinkable lukewarm coffee - this after the ship's tour brochure publicized that the tour included a lunch. We complained but got a distinctly hostile reaction from an unhelpful guest relations desk. We subsequently did get an apology about the misrepresentation of what the tour offered from the Guest Relations Manager, which was appreciated. Disappointingly, we missed docking at St John's in Newfoundland. As a result, our next port of call was Sydney, Nova Scotia. We had booked a ship's tour of the Cabot Trail but we cancelled this after our negative experience in Reykjavik. It rained quite heavily during the day we were in Sydney so we were not too unhappy that we had cancelled the short Cabot Trail trip. Sydney is a lovely little town that one can easily walk in a couple of hours. It has a strong Scottish heritage. One van see the Scottish influence everywhere but, somewhat incongruously, it has adopted the fiddle as it's musical instrument of choice. The bagpipe still abounds but definitely plays second fiddle to the fiddle!! Service: Service throughout the ship was friendly, courteous and efficient. Our cabin attendant, a delightful West Indian lady Michelle, kept our stateroom clean and well equipped at all times with unobtrusive attention to our needs. Disembarkation: Disembarkation was an absolute shambles, quite the worst we have ever experienced on any cruise anywhere. Despite the valiant efforts of the guest relations department to pre-plan and schedule what was always going to be a tricky process, many passengers completely disregarded the guidelines that had been fully communicated to them to facilitate a smooth disembarkation procedure. The chaos started with a requirement by the US immigration authorities to complete immigration procedures for all staff and passengers on board prior to authorizing the disembarkation process to commence. To ensure that the authorities saw those passengers who had early flights etc first, passengers were asked to present themselves in accordance with a pre-assigned numbered sequence. Needless to say this did not go according to plan with passengers generally pushing and shoving to get to the front of the queue regardless of the number they had been assigned. The result - inevitable congestion and frustration. The same problem reasserted itself when the go ahead to commence disembarkation was finally given. When we finally were allowed to disembark some ninety minutes behind schedule, we then experienced a further incomprehensible delay of almost an hour in the luggage collection area of what must be one of the worst cruise terminals anywhere. The nett effect was that, even though we had booked a ship transfer from pier to the airport, we only arrived at Logan International barely in time for check in for our midday flight to Canada. Concluding comments: Since our previous cruise on the Jewel in 2006 we have sailed on the other two brands in the RCI stable viz, Celebrity and the semi luxury Azamara, both of which are marketed at the more discerning traveler. We were thus expecting a cruise experience of somewhat lesser standard in terms of quality and service than that we had enjoyed on RCI's so called premium brands. However, even though it is clear the Royal Caribbean brand is pitched at a more mass market level, we were more then happy with our overall cruise experience on the Jewel, an experience that despite the stormy weather we encountered in the latter half of the cruise, in most respects exceeded our expectations. When we booked the cruise we had no appreciation that the crossing would be at the height of the North Atlantic hurricane season! We were somewhat astonished to see a chart on board that indicated we would be most likely to hit the back end of a hurricane off the cast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in September. Had we taken the trouble to research the historical weather patterns more closely it is highly probable we would have opted to cruise the North Atlantic a month or two later. It is sobering to reflect that our specific crossing fell directly between two major storms; one that hit Nova Scotia about ten days before we docked at Sydney and the other that devastated St John's in Newfoundland a week after we completed our crossing. We can thus be all the more thankful that due to the skill of the Captain and crew, we completed the crossing safely and in retrospect, with minimal discomfort. Overall a most enjoyable cruise. Read Less