Jewel of the Seas Review
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This was our fourth Royal Caribbean cruise in the past two years. Considering the changes and uncertainties to our trip due to the damage that the recent hurricanes did to the Caribbean, including three islands we were scheduled to visit and Puerto Rico, this was a pretty great cruise, overall.
We flew in on the day of the cruise's departure, which was a first for us but necessary since booking a hotel in San Juan was next-to-impossible. We took advantage of RC's offer for free transfer from the airport to the ship and we're so glad we did. It went flawlessly, as did our embarkation process. One thing I didn't like about the embarkation day was that the cruise did not set sail until 8:30 pm while we were in the Tides Dining Room. It was an unexpected bummer to sailaway in the dark and not get to enjoy the view of land disappearing, as we had on our previous cruises.
The dinners in the dining room were the best we've encountered on Royal Caribbean cruises. We couldn't decide if we'd lowered our expectations enough finally or if the food was actually improved. What was indisputable was the excellent personal service of our dining room attendants, who never made us feel rushed and who graciously accommodated our every need.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
We were in stateroom 8046, a balcony and so, so tiny. You couldn't open the bathroom door while the closet door was also open. This came up every single day at least once as my husband and I got ready for excursions and then, later, our evening plans. Also, my six foot tall husband slept on the inside side of the bed and I couldn't scoot around him to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night without moving his foot so I could squeeze between the bed and the television. This has not been a problem on any of the other ships we've sailed on.