We did back to back cruises on this and the Adventure so were able to do a very direct comparison. Comparing both RCI ships with 6 different Princess cruises we have done in the last 5 years, we will be going back to Princess or trying one we haven't used yet. The only aspects we preferred on RCI was the overall interior ship designs and the fact that you get a proper shower with sliding doors which works so much better than the 'buttgrabber' shower curtains which we loathe on Princess. RCI have really got Embarcation and Debarking down to a fine art, much more fast and efficient than Princess.

We definitely preferred the itinerary of Jewel, although Adventure's was perfectly OK. We had balcony cabins on both ships, both were very comparable with those we always use on Princess. We were disappointed with the food on the RCI ships which we felt did not attain quite such a high standard of taste or presentation as Princess. We also felt the entertainment to be not quite as good or plentiful as on Princess. Nor do RCI make the most of what they do offer. Princess have a good morning TV show which highlights everything on offer that day and they do it very well. RCI's equivalent is a long tedious and unwatchable sales pitch. Consequently it is easy to overlook decent shows which merit barely one line in their daily planner. Given the hard work the entertainers put in, RCI are not doing them justice. One aspect RCI covers very well though is excellent lounge entertainers in the form of classical guitarists and pianist/singers. RCI have an annoying habit of timing good shows at prime dining times, it is as if their mission is to spread out dinner because the restaurants are not large enough. That reminds me, the dining rooms on RCI are stunning, particularly on the Adventure.

I don't know if it is because Adventure is bigger and newer than Jewel, but we felt the crew's morale and general attention to detail was a little better on the former. Although it was by no means poor on either ship.