Jewel of the Seas Review
State Room 1600 on the Jewel of the Seas
Rating by category
Additional details
The Jewel of the Seas is a great ship and was the smallest ship of Royal Caribbean that we have yet to sail on, and we very much enjoyed it. Previously we have sailed on the Navigator of the Seas (4 times), Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas. the bigger ships have lots of amenities, but also lots of people. I would definitely choose the Jewel over either of the Oasis class ships.
The Tides Dining room was small but easily sat all diners, the Windjammer buffet was unique in that it had indoor and outdoor seating. Chops had plenty of seating and reservations really were not required. the entertainment on this cruise was not that impressive, but we still enjoyed the shows. We had 6 stops on our cruise, Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire (by far our favorite), Barbados, St Kitts and St Marteen. Bonaire had beautiful waters and great restaurants, but little shopping, but we were saving our shopping for St Marteen. All in all it was a wonderful cruise and I would recommend the southern Caribbean itineraries if you haven't tried them.
Cabin Review
Grand Suite
This Grand Suite stateroom is on the aft starboard corner of the ship and one of its unique features is the wrap around deck that it has. The room is larger than a standard Grand suite and it has a King size bed (or 2 twins), sofa sleeper and 3 chairs with a coffee table, there is also a bar with a refrigerator. The Bath room is slightly smaller than normal Grand suites and the ceiling is quite low (a feature that you will notice while taking a shower). one of 2 draw backs of this suit is the distance from the elevators (or for that mater, anything else on the ship), which for me was 157 steps, which doesn't seem like a lot until you realize that you are making the trek 6-10 times a day. The second drawback is that you are underneath the buffet and guest start moving chairs around (above your bed) at around 7 am and it stops around 9 pm, but it never woke us, just noticed it throughout the day. If I were to Cruise on the Jewel of the Seas again, I would choose this suite.
Port Reviews
San Juan
Nice port especially Old San Juan
Aruba
Newer shopping plazas and malls close to port.
Barbados
Very crowded and there is not much to do near the port
Bonaire
Beautiful beaches and not so many people
St. Kitts (Port Zante)
Good restaurants near by
St. Maarten
Best stop in the Caribbean for shopping.