We chose this cruise for the ports of call. This was my 8th cruise, 6th one on Royal. First, Jewel is beautiful. It was refurbished earlier this year. The whole ship looks wonderful. The only old-looking part was the outside part of the Windjammer, but it was open, airy, and outside and we ate every meal on the back of the ship. So even though at first I thought it looked kinda dumpy, we ate outside looking at the mountains and sea every morning. I came to love it. The rest of the ship was just gorgeous with rich woodwork and beautiful sculptures. The ceiling and glass floors in the casino were so pretty. The Schooner Bar was probably the biggest and nicest of all the Royal ships I've been on. The Safari Club was gorgeous, but Royal didn't utilize it much. Everything about the ship was pretty.

Royal has never disappointed me, however, for the first time, I thought the food in the main dining room wasn't so great. It was okay, and I enjoyed going every night and trying different things. But once in a while the food was not hot and/or it just wasn't that good. A crab cake should have crab in it. What we got was not crab. We think it was a frozen tuna cake or something. The Caesar salad lacked good dressing. Last year I was on Navigator and I had the Caesar salad almost every night and it was fabulous. The desserts were so-so. I personally LOVE the chocolate melting cake on Carnival, and nothing compared. Our waiters however, Percy and Stanislav, were absolutely wonderful. We enjoyed seeing them every night. They were so friendly, gracious, accommodating and always willing to please. I only wish I had extra cash at the end of the trip to give them an extra tip. They are wonderful, and funny people.

The ports of call on this southern Caribbean cruise blew us away. This was my first time in those southern islands. They are by far the prettiest of the whole Caribbean. St. Kitts was our favorite I think.... because of the rainforest and monkeys at the beach. We went to a small beach called Shipwreck and it was not crowded and very quaint. The monkeys come down the mountain to eat the sugar cane left for them. So cute to watch! St. Lucia was amazing though. I mean, amazing. Take a taxi, rent a car (we did, mini van for $150) or take an excursion. You must go to Soufferie. The Pitons and scenery there are amazing. We walked the Tet Paul Nature trail (#1 thing to do for good reason!) It was about an hour and for a guided tour was $10. The views are outstanding. You stand on a precipice overlooking both pitons. I stood there thinking, what an amazing planet. The drive in volcano, it's really just a volcanic crater with bubbling mud pits, was cool too. Worth the few dollars to get in, but the Tet Paul trail, which is only a few miles away, is by far better! Read more