Jewel of the Seas Review

8 nights on Jewel of the Seas

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
User Avatar
nzdisneymom
10+ Cruises • Age 20s

Rating by category

Cabin
Family
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2023

We sailed on Jewel of the Seas for the 8 night Southern Caribbean itinerary from Port Canaveral to Aruba, Curacao, and Labadee. There were two sea days in the beginning, a sea day between Curacao and Labadee, and a final sea day before returning to Port Canaveral. Our traveling party were myself and DH (both in the 55+ age group) and a friend in a separate cabin on another deck. We used the app to communicate with the chat feature; as others mention, you have to check it to see if you have messages, and we found there were sometimes delays in the messages going through. Our friend had the Voom package and seemed to be able to do everything he wanted to do with his iPhone while onboard.

Our cabin was a verandah cabin on deck 8 port side, aft of the Centrum elevator (Cabin 8146). The cabin had a half-couch which surprised us as we didn't realize that was a possibility and had not found any photos online ahead of time. The balcony seemed a little larger than the one we had on the Mariner a few months ago. Our cabin steward brought a third chair for us to use so we would have seats for three when our friend would come hang out with us on the balcony.

The room was comfortable. We had the bed pushed together and they had a mattress pad doubled over on each side for extra cushioning. We chose morning service for our cabin straightening/towel replacement as we like to have the room tidied up for the day (we always make up the bed ourselves so he really just had to finish "snapping" the covers as I can never get them as crisp as they do). We had ice delivered each day, too.

Cabin Review

Port Reviews

Aruba

We chose a ship sponsored shore excursion that took us on a bus ride to the Aruba Aloe Factory which was a surprisingly interesting stop on our tour. We went to the Natural Bridge and California Lighthouse and a few other sites. Our tour guide provided a lot of information about Aruba.

The ship docked by the cruise terminal building which contained several shops inside (air conditioned!). It also holds the immigration office, so we were able to request a stamp for our passport. There is an I heart Aruba sign just outside the port area which is a great photo spot.

As we were in Aruba on a Tuesday and all aboard was not until 10:30 PM, we chose to attend the Bon Bini Festival that was a 15 minute walk from the ship. It started at 7 PM and cost $15. It was worth the time to go see and learn more about the culture and history of the island.

Curacao

Curacao was our favorite port. We had a ship sponsored excursion that was a bus ride to the northern and western parts of the island where we got to see and explore at one of their national parks. The guide provided history and cultural information to us along the way. As it was school holidays, our tour went quicker (less traffic) than typical, so the driver took us on a tour of the city as well. This was a nice bonus as we were planning to walk across the Queen Emma bridge later in the day, so we could see where exactly we were planning to go.

We walked across the Queen Emma pedestrian pontoon bridge and did some shopping and photography (including the Curacao and Dushi signs). It was a warm day if you were out of the breeze and the sun can be a bit brutal, so if you go, please please take water with you!

Labadee

This was our first time in Labadee. We did the Labadee Traditions tour through the cruiseline and found it to be interesting and worth the time to learn more about life, culture, and traditions in Haiti. Afterwards we rode the tram around the island, looked around the Artisan Marketplace, and had lunch near the Adrenaline Beach. The lunch pavilions are covered and had a good breeze coming through them. We walked around after lunch to see the beaches better, and then rode the tram to Columbus Beach. I'm only rating Labadee a 4 out of 5 because the "market" of stalls going down to Columbus Beach was too much. It would have been better to have them scattered around the area a little more so people can actually look at what's there - most stalls seemed to have identical items.

12 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Jewel of the Seas Cruise from $261

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.