Jewel of the Seas Review

3.5 / 5.0
1,643 reviews

Great stops but not great cruise

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
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mangipac
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Mar 2015
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

This was our second cruise on RC, the first one being out of Venice to Greek islands which was fabulous. But this cruise did not live up to my previous experience with RC. The ship itself is gorgeous and easy to get around wherever you want to go. Some spots, like the shower stalls, need revamping, but we found out it is going for a reconditioning next March. So, the good points-the staff is pretty good-almost all try their best to be friendly and helpful. The food was just OK both in the Windjammer buffet and the Tides Dining Room. There was not a whole lot of variety in the buffet. I was surprised that, being in the Caribbean, there was not a mango or papaya to be found. Just the same pineapple, watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe. No smoked salmon to have with your bagel but when we asked the Maitre d', he said it was no problem, a server would bring it for us. What if we hadn't asked?

Our major problem was the My Time dining. we have done MT dining on other cruises before and never had a problem. We walk in, get the next available table and that's it. The first night, we walk in and are shown to a table in the back next to the kitchen. OK, I can live with it for one night. But then we were stuck at this table for the next two nights also. When we asked to switch, the Hostess told us all the tables were taken already by "regulars". What?!?!?! We were also told that if we wanted to get a table at all, we should make a reservation. And that reservation should be between 5:30-6pm or 8-8:15 pm. The rest of the night they would be "too busy". What?!?!?! This is NOT MT dining. We had a devil of a time getting our table switched. The Hostess (I wish I had gotten her name) gave up and dumped us on the Host at the other side, Mark Deguzman(I think that's his name), He was great, got us a table right away, in a nicer location. The server and his assistant(Farhard and Silviu) bent over backwards making us feel wanted-bringing us shrimp cocktail, extra lobster tails etc. They even brought giant servings of lemon sorbet when it was available since they knew it was our favorite. But the problem with the table really soured our experience. I don't know if this is how RC wants to handle MT Dining or if it was just the Hostess that was the problem. She absolutely did not listen to a word we said, hardly even bothering looking up from her screen to talk to us. Needless to say, I've written a complaint to RC.

The entertainment was also not up to par. The RC singers and dancers were great but they didn't have great material to work with. The trumpet player (who is part of the orchestra-fantastic orchestra) was so-so. How much can you do with a trumpet?. The comedian was OK. El Gaucho was entertaining. Overall, could have been better.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

The stateroom was adequate, bed was firm but comfortable. The balcony was comfortable and roomy. The bathroom was tiny as usual but functional. The room was kept spotless and our cabin steward was always available for anything we needed.

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