We have sailed on Royal Caribbean five times in the last three years and twice on a different line.

Embarkation was handled poorly and this was the fault of port personnel in Seattle. I did report the incident to Royal and (just as others have said on Cruise Critic) the company did not respond. Time to consider other lines and be less "loyal to Royal."

The Jewel was very nice. Beautifully decorated. Yes, she is a little worn, but no different than the other Royal vessels we sailed on. My observations: bathrooms were not cleaned often enough. Passenger hand washing not enforced in the Windjammer. The security staff does a great job; but they are very serious, unfriendly, and certainly not welcoming. After a happy day at port, we greet them nicely and they are still gruff. We encountered a very rude security officer on our way to the muster station. His attitude was over-the-top and completely unnecessary. Day 1 was not a pleasant experience. Read more