My husband and I planned this cruise a year in advance to spend quality time with our siblings. We wanted everything to be perfect. We booked 4 rooms on the 8th deck in the back of the ship for panoramic views on the Jewel of the Seas as soon as the ship started taking reservations. We booked Whale Watching Mendenhal Glacier and Salmon bake in Juneau, Alaska. We booked dog sledding in Skagway, Alaska and figured we would do some shopping and site seeing in Victoria as there were no exciting excursions we could book in Canada. We booked our own flights as we were able to get earlier flights home on our own with South West Airlines. We booked our hotel stay in Seattle the night before the cruise at the Four Points by Sheraton, walking distance to the Space Needle. We booked a dinner at the Space Needle to start this reunion off perfectly. Royal Caribbean told us they would take care of our luggage on the last day, checking us onto our flights for a small fee. Which we gladly paid.

Royal Caribbean sent text messages just before the cruise to inform us as to the time slot we had to arrive at the dock to check in. We found that interesting. We arrived in our time slot and due to our status with Royal Caribbean we no line for our quick check in. we were then welcomed and told to go to the buffet for lunch. There was no room to sit in the buffet. It was so packed it was really uncomfortable. The rooms were not ready and we were hungry but it was really ridiculous. Finally we were told we could go to our rooms about 1:00 p.m. Our rooms at the back of the ship on the 8th deck were spacious. The balconies were very big and we could get great views. However, when the ship was moving it was very noisy and hard to talk outside. When balcony doors were closed room is quiet inside. We would have loved to be outside more but we really were not able because of the noise. Our stateroom attendant was fabulous. She was very attentive. We ate dinner in the main dining room with all eight of us together. We were in the center of the dining room where we could see all the entertainment from our wait staff and chefs. We attended most of the shows in the evening in the theater. The comics were our favorites. During the day, however, there didn’t seem to be a lot to do that we were interested in doing. We did see a movie and of course enjoyed the bar. We are not gamblers so the casino was not for us. We all went into the Jacuzzi and worked out in the gym. Breakfast and lunch were in the buffet where we could sit all of us together. The cruise was very relaxing and wonderful.

When we arrived in Juneau we were cold on the ship and were told to bring layers on the excursion. It was 85 degrees in July in Alaska. We were all very warm. We loved the Whale watching and Salmon bake in Juneu we saw many whales and it was exciting. When we went to see the Glacier at Mendenhal our bus driver said to get off and take everything, you are on your own. I’ll be back in an hour. We had too much stuff due to all the layers we were now carrying due to the heat. This was not fun. We did see the Glacier, amazing. The Salmon bake was delicious. We really enjoyed the Dog Sled ride in Skagway. The dogs were very hot but truly wanted to give us a ride. They were so excited to see us and happy to pull the sleds. We all felt bad for the dogs in the heat but enjoyed our trip. We were able to pet the dogs and then we went to where the puppies are kept. So cute and we were able to hold the pups. Now, Victoria, we were very disappointed in the choice of excursions so we tried going out on our own. This was not a fun time. Again it was hot and not a whole lot of options. We ended up just catching a bus back to the ship. There wasn't any real shopping and the only excursions were not fun type excursions. Not only was Victoria disappointing but when our group returned from Canada, we were given a letter at the door after 5:00 pm that we are on our own with our luggage .My husband and I went to customer service and there really is no customer service. We asked for help. No help offered. Basically, the guy just said, next person in line please. We were in shock. I asked for a supervisor. No supervisor available. We went upstairs and paid for internet to check all of us in, late, Southwest. Then we tried to print. Not one person around to help and not one printer working on the two decks allotted for printers.We called asking for a supervisor to help with our situation with the luggage. We were told by the head of the luggage department, she has 300 guests in our situation and there is nothing she can do for any of us. She said it was not her fault and that it was the airlines fault. She had no backup plan. She was not one bit sorry. We were shocked. We ended up calling the Sheraton where we stayed on our way out and they held our luggage. We enjoyed out final day in Seattle where we rode the Ferris wheel, went shopping and ended with a very memorable lunch. Read more