My husband and I (mid-40s) traveled with an aunt and uncle (70s) on the Jewel of the Seas to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Our 3rd cruise on RCI. Embarkation was quick and easy taking less than 15 minutes. Jewel is an older ship going for refurbishment in 2016, but I found her well kept. This ship is easy to navigate with 13 decks and carries about 2500 passengers.

The staff was, by far, the best I have experienced, and it really made an impact on our vacation. Our room steward, Rayborn, kept our cabin in tip-top shape, and was always finished before our return. He kept our champagne on ice, and was sure to check in on our needs. We really enjoyed the balcony room, and used our balcony many times. Room service was ok, but cumbersome in small space. Prefer Windjammer for speed and ease.

We chose 6pm seating for dinner, which sometimes was a bit of a rush to get ready on time after a day in port. I wouldn't change our dining arrangement though, as we had a really excellent waitstaff that made our trip really special. Food quality and choices improved as the week went on. Florina was the Head Waiter overseeing the room, and always stopped to speak with us both at dinner and throughout the ship. Our waiter was Fernando, and our assistant waiter was Cristian. They were so upbeat and charming and a lot of fun. Cristian was always there, on the spot, for anything with only eye-contact needed to alert him. I didn't even have to ask. We celebrated their anniversary with special dessert, champagne, and a song from the staff! This level of service and kindness really made the trip enjoyable. Read more