Jewel of the Seas Review
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Overall, it was a great trip and fun vacation! I can't complain about the staff or the food (ate most breakfasts and lunches at the Windjammer buffet, ate all dinners in the main dining room) both were excellent!
I've only cruised one other time 20 years ago with Carnival. One thing I like about Royal Caribbean is that they are not pushy about the pictures. The photography staff was courteous and we only posed when we wanted. Ironically, a Carnival ship was next to ours in one of the ports and they had 3 times as many photographers on the pier than we did!
A couple of cautionary tales:
Cabin Review
Interior Stateroom
The cabin was place to keep my stuff, shower, and sleep.
Port Reviews
Barbados
Go to The Boatyard and get there early (by 10am)! They have a "Cruisers Package" and for $20, you get access to a semi-private beach, a free drink, a shuttle ride back to the ship (they run every 10 minutes after 11am), chairs and shared umbrellas are included on a first-come, first-served basis, wi-fi access, restrooms and changing rooms available at no extra cost, and they take you out on snorkeling trips at no extra cost! What a deal!
Really, the only thing you pay extra for is the cab ride there, food at the restaurant, drinks, and they have a couple of non-pushy vendors.
So, if you want to relax, have some fun in the water, and / or do some great snorkeling, then this is the place to go.
In contrast, we went to a public beach in St. Lucia and we were bothered by a lot of "vendors" and had to pay to use the restroom.