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Wellington

This was my first Transatlantic cruise and I'm so glad we chose this sailing. The weather was ideal and we only hit what could be considered rough water on our last sea day in the Mediterranean. There were many positives and some negatives and some of them may be deal breakers for some people so I will do my best to describe them.

Embarkation in Miami: surprisingly slow. The security scan part was very quick, but the line upstairs took quite awhile. 

Overall ship: some wear and tear is evident. I like the navy blue and nautical themes. Jewel is classic Royal Caribbean style. There are places where the carpet is getting thin, with minor cosmetic damage to walls, trim, flooring. This didn't impact my cruise but it is noticeable. There is also a very occasional vague sewage smell we noted. I'm not sure what that's from. We both smelled it and commented when it reappeared. Fortunately it was not constant. Smoking is a problem, which I will describe later.

Food and Service: We gave up on the main dining room and retreated to the Windjammer. It was comically slow dining room service. Our waiter just didn't seem to get certain things and the assistant waiter just disappeared. One glass of water is apparently all you can get at dinner. Coffee orders were taken after you were served dessert. I was on this cruise to relax and Windjammer was the answer. I've been on other ships where you struggled to find a table at WJ, but Jewel has wonderful seating options, both inside and outside. There was always something I was happy to eat and it didn't take 2 hours. The staff there was wonderful. The Solarium snack bar had some okay choices for later night snacks but Jewel is lacking in options if you are used to the bigger ships.

Bars and lounges: I can't speak to the scene in the Diamond Lounge but the bars were quite sedate. This was not a party crowd lol. No problems with service.

Things to do: we pretty much did out own thing. There seemed to be a decent amount of stuff in the cruise compass if you are looking for it. I was always happy to hear Rosario Strings playing as we passed through the Centrum. We really enjoyed the movie offerings, though the cinema is too small. Loved the evening movie by the pool option.

Cabin: we were midship on deck 7 in a balcony, overlooking the lifeboat roofs. I actually didn't mind the roofs as it made it feel more private than being open to the promenade deck. The cabin was fine, plenty of storage, everything worked. I was glad I had brought a multiport charging plug extender thing. 

The ports: Awesome!! Each port was new to us and we loved them all. I had never heard of Alicante before this trip and I really hope to go back there for a longer stay sometime. We had fantastic weather in Spain. April in Valencia is not to be missed. We did an Airbnb experience there which was phenomenal. Uber is inexpensive in Valencia and very handy. 

The Problem With Jewel: The Centrum design, and smoking.  I just don't understand the Centrum as an event space. The floor accommodates about 20 people max, and then people can look over from balconies. You have poor acoustics, with someone on a microphone hawking art auctions or whatever, it's not pleasant. The bigger problem is the smoke, which is sucked out of the casino and up the Centrum which acts as a chimney, spreading smoke up and out. Royal has no doubt crunched the numbers and decided they make more money out of smokers in the casino then they lose from people who don't come back. If you are a smoker, this is your ship. The rules are on your side. For me, it will make me think long and hard about going on Radiance class again. If you are allergic/asthmatic, stay away! I wish they would just add the sealed smoking rooms you see at airports.

All in all though, this was a wonderful vacation. This ship is more for relaxing than exciting activities. There is no flowrider or sky diving simulator. It draws an older, quieter crowd of experienced cruisers.

This was our 5th repositioning cruise with RC and did not compare very well with the others.We have noticed a gradual decline in quality over the last decade.

Embarkation was much slower than usual and seemed very disorganized.Signage at the terminal was poor and we had a hard time finding the right assembly point.The security man who checked our bags was rude.

All the crew members were excellent as usual - helpful and friendly. Our cabin attendant, Mr. Igusti was great, as was Mr. Iputu, who looked after us very well at the Windjammer. The Windjammer greeters were always smiling and friendly and made us welcome.

We had some breakfasts at Tides, which were pretty good, and the waiters there were courteous and helpful. But most of our meals were at the Windjammer.  I am vegetarian and find the buffet has far more choices for me than the main dining room. Food quality at the Windjammer was variable. I found the salad bar quite good most of the time but sometimes items that ran out were not replaced very quickly. Blue cheese dressing, my favorite, often ran out. The vegetable curries were good. The veggies were OK, but variety was not great. Mashed potato was fine but baked or roasted were poor. The cold drinks were pathetic - flavored water instead of real juice. Coffee was usually appalling and we opted for tea most of the time. Cheese selection was poor, blue cheese was rarely available. Desserts were sometimes good, but some of the cakes looked nice but were extremely dry. I never saw the executive chef at the Windjammer, unlike on previous cruises.

We enjoyed the evening entertainment, especially David Naster, who was hilarious. The orchestra was good but some of the female singers higher notes seemed rather distorted by the sound system.The four tenors group was great.

We always go our own way at the ports as we find the organized tours grossly overpriced. Ponta Delgada was nice. Gibraltar was very enjoyable and we liked the gondola trip and the monkeys a lot. Alicante was pleasant. Valencia was a big disappointment, with a long and expensive bus ride and very little to see.

On balance we found this ship lacking, and will probably try a different company for our next cruise, I'm sorry to say.

Disappointing. 

Except for the Rosario Strings and the Buenos Aires tango show, the others seemed a bit tired. Jody the piano guy was a disappointment as we normally like to sit and listen and sing along with the piano man. 

The other area that could be improved was the lack of 24 hour food. The larger ships have a place where you can get some some savory and sweet snacks almost round-the-clock. 

One thing they added for the lunches in the dining room was some hot buffet and dessert. This combined with the tutti salad bar made the lunchtime much more enjoyable. Whoever thought of that gets a gold star. Otherwise the repeating lunch menu got tired real quick.

As this was a repositioning cruise, the enrichment lectures were lacking. Could have done a little more. 

The port of Ponta Delgada is not as good a stop as Madeira or the Canary Islands.

The service was excellent and the ship in good shape. Enjoyed the cruise overall.

Excellent service, but tired shows

We liked the ports of call and finish in Rome. The food was not great. Windjammer  had very small selection for lunch but dining room at lunch was the best better than dining room at night.Theater  entertainment  was great very good choices specialty the classic  series  and Forever group.Embarkation was slow and disorganized  same at ports .One thing they did not pay much attention  to washing hands at the venues sometimes machines was empty. 

Dining room waiter and assisted we had were excellent in general everyplace waiters were absolutely helpful.  and good.

We're nice set up for Crown Royalty  members.

We never met all the officer just few and on Capitan reception only cruise director and hotel manager excursion stuff.

In many areas different than our other cruises on Royal. 

Food was good some days others not fish was or overcooked or not cooked enough.

Desserts small choices specially  at dinner time.

Always pushing sales but merchandise  is same all the time.

Theatre entertainment 

I have been on two other transatlantic crossings, both of them on the Brilliance.  I expected a similar experience on the Jewel, as it is also a Radiance class ship, like the Brilliance.  However there was no comparison.

On the Brilliance you knew you were in for a special cruise right from the time you boarded and were greeted and served champagne.  Not so on this ship.

On the Brilliance each evening at the special reception for Diamond and up guests the crew dressed in themed costumes and the lounge was decorated in a similar theme.  Not so on this ship.

On the Brilliance the Centrum was decorated for departure and upon reaching the final destination it was re-decorated to reflect the place of arrival.  Not so on this ship.

Cabin service was exceptional.  Food in the Windjammer buffet and the main dining room was good also, but the buffet deserts were only good sometimes, other times poor. Entertainment was generally good.  The volume level for the pool deck movies was ear splitting and there were only a few people watching each night as a result.  The rest of the deck was deserted.  There was constant work going on with much noise and noxious odors.  Sea conditions were mostly very smooth except around the Azores and the last sea day from Valencia to Rome.  Temperatures were much warmer than expected and only in Valencia was there any appreciable rain, so the weather was far better than expected for a crossing this early in the spring.

The airport transfer in Florida was terrible, but the one in Rome was very good, although very expensive at $75 if booked with your cruise.  Inexplicably it was only $71.99 if booked on board!  Never experienced that one before!

Guest services staff were generally excellent.  

Overall the lack of the ship having that special atmosphere of an Atlantic crossing was a disappointment.  The ship staff obviously approached this has just another cruise, ho-hum.

Jewel Not a Diamond.

Great ship, Andrea, the cruise director is a gem. Afternoon concerts across the pond were great. Food ok but very boring; it is unfortunate that Adrea’s Enthusiasm does not rub off on balance of crew. Luggage handling, and shore excursion desk beyond poor. Expansion of diamond lounge was a great move. Luggage confiscated without notification or cause. Incorrect and conflicting information on shore excursions. No one at desk would double check with vendor for correct information.

I completed a cruise questioner on day 6, all above comments mentioned and ignored. 

Sometimes simple things can be best: egg drop, master chef contest, free speciality coffee, all great ideas. By what appeared to be a concerned crew, but lack of follow up in many other areas disappointing. 

Made my time dining reservations six months out, but had to change time due to another person. 

Entertainment was the cruise highlight, as was my mate

Still a jewel, but with tarnished facets

Chose this cruise because of dates and thought we would try something new. Reviews were good.  We travel Celebrity as a rule.  Use TAs as transportation 

Extremely disappointed in this ship.  

Food was absolutely inedible.  First night in Giovanni’s ordered filet medium well.. was medium rare and took 25 minutes for another.  Too late. Tho the shrimp was good

Chops Ok

MDR service poor except for one evening.  One night we sat for 20 minutes and finally asked for a server.  Food poor.  Buffet the same.  Fresh Vegetables looking worse for wear within days of sailing.  Jello for dessert!  

Public areas not clean.  Restrooms dirty.  Paper on floor.  Men’s restroom not clean around toilets. We spoke with housekeeping but to no avail. The “canned” air in cabins debilitating in spite of our balcony. Too much smoking...can’t believe people allowed to smoke INSIDE the casino 

On a positive note...liked layout of the ship.  The crew was fabulous!  They truly cared about their passengers.  They did a nice happy hour for diamond etc every night.   Nice to have decent coffee in diamond club.

Our cabin steward was terrific.  Our cabin was nice. 

Officers were disengaged.  When I saw an officer and spoke to him or her I usually got little or no response 

I’m sorry to say it was a terrible experience.  We shall never use RCL again.  We are back

To Celebrity.

Disappointing Crossing

This was my 5th cruise, first trasatlantic, 2 on Carnival on the Fascination and 2 on Celebrity on the Century and the Infinity. I was traveling with 2 single buddies and we selected their family stateroom (Cabin-8500, starboard side) which can accommodate up to 6 passengers with a spacious 319 square feet. It was on the 8th deck, 2 below the bridge, at the very front of the ship with 2 large circular portholes looking straight ahead over the heliport to the sea. Great for entertaining which we did. I checked out the family stateroom next to us on our right on the side of the ship and the biggest difference was the 2nd small bedroom was about twice the size of our 2nd bedroom, a big plus. Our stateroom attendant, Harold John, was outstanding and took immediate care of all our requests (some above and beyond the call of duty) in a very friendly but professional manner. We tipped him extra at the conclusion of the cruise. The only problem with the stateroom was the strong, somewhat offensive odor when going in and out of the cabin in the hallway.

The first thing I noticed when boarding the ship was the excellent overall design, both exterior and interior. The ship was built in 2004 and updated in 2007 I believe. Much glass is used in the area of the Centrum and also other areas to include the elevators, a very nice touch. The biggest difference I noticed from the previous 3 ships I have sailed on is the design of the Centrum. Most ship have a very large elaborate atrium with a big sometimes dual staircase which takes up a lot of room. With the Centrum you have a smaller very nice staircase BUT room for entertainment and dancing and people can view the floor and music on the  higher decks. That's a real plus to be able to view the entertainment or dance prior to entering the main dining room or anytime for that matter. And, the main dining room is only a few steps from the dance floor. Other ships have the pre-dinner dancing/entertainment away from the atrium on single story decks, not as nice a touch as the Jewel's Centrum. I have read reviews from other professional ship critics and most agree the Jewel is well designed and much nicer than those square boxy floating hotels on a barge mega-ships like the ugly RCCL's 5500 passenger Oasis and Allure of the Seas! No thanks!

I found the food to be good but not great, like Carnival, and a step or 2 below Celebrity which has a nice sushi bar that opens around 5:30 for a pre-dinner snack prior to the late 8:30 seating. Even though the food was just fair to average, the pasties were outstanding! My compliments to the pastry chef! Our wait staff, Viktor Ficinger (Serbia) and Osden (India) both were outstanding waiters. Viktor, our main waiter, was very informative, professional and amusing and Osden, the assistant waiter, was very funny with his Indian accent when he said it was "chill out time" providing us with fantastic fruit drinks every night gratis! They allowed us to bring in our own "privately purchased" wine to the table w/o corkage fees. Also, in lieu of the speciality dining in Chop's Steakhouse for $30, you can merely order their filet mignon from Chops for $15 and Viktor will bring it to your table. We tipped them both extra as well. We had a great fun table, all Americans and 1 windowed Brit from Yorkshire, Frank. It was a little difficult understanding his strong Yorkshire accent but we prevailed. He was a nice guy and like us enjoyed life to the fullest! We met him in one of the ship's bars the 1st or 2nd night of the cruise and invited him to join us at our table. He had a great time which I'm sure helped him ease the pain of the recent loss of his wife. At the adjoining table were 3 stuffy, quiet and boring Brit couples who didn't appreciate our zest for life and the fun we had at our table! There were 2 verbal (almost physical)incidents that were taken care of quickly by the headwaiter. One Brit demanded security, he was a joke! He could have requested another table if he found us too loud. Btw, it was the younger "over served" guys at our table, not us old guys, that provoked the incidents, BUT the old tres amigos defended them to the end!

The entertainment was outstanding! 

Embarking and disembarking was easy as the ship had 1900 passengers aboard on a ship with 2501 capacity. No long lines. Most of the passengers were older married couples but we managed to find quite a few singles. We were never bored during the first 7 sea days from Miami to Ponta Delgada in the Azores. We spent a lot of time in the excellent gym/spa working off all the calories from all the meals. One thing I noticed was the "size" of probably 50% of the passengers. I really hate to be so critical BUT the obesity was off the charts, but maybe normal for many people who cruise. At times I could tell the crew, although never commenting, still can't get over the obesity aboard as the crew were mostly from the Philippines, eastern European countries and Peru. And not obese! Very sad health wise to see so many people like this!

I found this cruise to be much more fun than my 4 previous cruises. We met many nice people and had fun with them. The 3 ports were fun as well (Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Brest, France and then Cherbourg, France in Normandy). We visited a charming french village, Carentan, and then Utah Beach with a couple from our table. We wanted to visit Omaha Beach as well but not enough time to do it right. As always on a cruise you only get a small taste of the ports.

I will cruise RCCL again and probably do another transatlantic, westbound this time, to gain hours instead of losing them. Transatlantics are a great value, if you have the time, and much fun! One great cruise! After the cruise we spent 5 days in Puerto Banus (Marbella) on the Costa del Sol, then 4 days in Madrid and flew home. Pura Vida!!!

This was my 5th cruise

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