The July 3rd sailing from Harwich was the 5th cruise since Jewel was launched this spring. Having sailed on Radiance before, the layout of the ship was familiar and comfortable.
Cocktail service in the Tides dining room was poor...I indicated a wish to order a cocktail the first evening and had to ask my waiter twice before the bar server came to take my order...and the cocktail was received after the entree had been served. It did not improve, so I generally ordered wine, which the assistant waiter accomplished promptly.
The first dinner in Tides was terribly disappointing. I ordered the Chicken Saltimboca, but received a plain chicken breast, dry, of poor quality. But for the remainder of the cruise, the dinner service picked up substantially. The filet mignon's were excellent and quite large; the fish entrees were always presented beautifully and remained moist and flaky. The variety of appetizers and soups, as usual, was excellent, especially the chilled soups, a refreshing change of pace that I've enjoyed on Royal Caribbean in the past. They now combine lobster tails with shrimp on 'Lobster Night', which, I imagine is an economy move for Royal Caribbean.