I didn't have high expectations to begin with since I knew the Jewel of the Seas is about 10 years old. We embarked with no problem in San Juan and went directly to our cabin. We noticed a "dirty diaper" odor throughout the hallways on deck 8 on our way to our cabin. Our cabin didn't have the odor but the entire week our hallway did. We called it the "poop" deck. By the end of the cruise that odor carried on in our bathroom too. It was my boyfriend's first time on a cruise and he wasn't happy with that awful odor so he didn't have a great first impression. :(

The days at sea were good and we did alot of activities such as Bingo/wine tasting/pool/shopping etc. to keep us occupied. As usual on these ships the pools are very small and overcrowded with too many people so we went to the 12th or 13th deck for more privacy and relaxation.

The ports were all good but I wasn't impressed with St. Kitts. We did an excursion to Nevis and that was just okay, nothing to write home about. The highlight of this cruise for me was Aruba. I have been there many, many times and that is why I booked this particular itinerary. Read more