To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, my wife and I took an extraordinary trip to Puerto Rico, followed by a Southern Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. The cruise itinerary included St. Croix (US Virgin Islands), St.Maarten/Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. Many of the islands encompassed breathtaking beaches, interesting cultures, and lots of local shopping. While in Puerto Rico, we opted to stay at the Rio Mar Resort, which was a strategic move.
Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas is a very nice, although older ship. However, it is one of the smallest ships we have ever sailed on. With major upgrades planned, this ship did not have all of the technology bells and whistles.
One of the highlights are our cruise was having dinner (6pm) with our table mates from Canada (Bob & Colleen) and San Francisco (Soo & Young). We had nightly debriefings on local tours and the cost associated with them. These were invaluable for me in other to share the information with other value cruisers.
The stateroom was very nice. We liked our balcony room but the space had an obstructed view; this view was not a problem. However, the ship will need to be upgraded. For example, our stateroom (7054, Deck 7) came with a bubble shaped 19-inch TV instead of a standard flat screen TV. Strategically, we were in an excellent location because we were close to an elevator but far away from the noise.