Jewel of the Seas

Jewel is traditional cruising at its finest

This was the third time I have sailed on Jewel of the Seas, and she is as fine of a ship as ever. If you prefer a cruise from the traditional days, I highly recommend Jewel of the Seas. I sailed this ship when she was brand new, and now that she is 20 years old. She is still beautiful and in fine shape. I read other reviews of torn carpet and rust, and i did not see any of that. Yes, there is a spot or two of rust here and there, but guess what, its a steel ship the sails in salt water, there will always be spots of rust. My review is based on today's cruising industry, not the way it used to be 20 years ago. I read many reviews that complain about the amount of and type of food you get, the amount of amenities you get, and the upselling to get you to spend more money. Get used to it, that is the way all of the lines are now. The old traditional ways are never coming back, but I found Jewel is still pretty close to it. The Ship: The ship itself is perfect for a cruiser like me. If you have kids or very active yourself, sail on something else, because you will be disappointed. For me, a tradition cruiser, I go on vacation to rest, relax, and let others take care of me for a change. That is what this ship was designed for. She is still perfect. Not too big, but not too small. The design and decor are still classic that give Jewel a feeling of comfort and relaxation. The ship was always clean and spotless everywhere, and honestly, unless you knew, you would never guess that the ship is now 20 years old. Service: Every crew member and officer were excellent, from the bar server who made sure i always had a full drink by the pool, to my cabin steward who greeted me twice a day to make sure I was happy and if I needed anything special, and my servers in the dining room, excellence like the old days, old days meaning before the mega ships. My cabin: I like to splurge a little more than most when I go on vacation because I only get to get away once a year. I stayed in a Grand Suite (GS) and it was great. The room was clean, comfortable, and spacious. Nothing was broken, ripped, worn, or anything other negatives i have read on other reviews. If you can afford it, definitely stay in a suite. Dining: Again, I will not get into the comparison of old days and now as far as menu and portions. Obviously they were better years ago than now, but all lines have cut back. The Dining room was very good, I can not say excellent because the food quality and recipes could be improved, but that also is subject to ones taste. The Windjammer on Jewel is the BEST I have had in a very long time. Plenty of room, I love the island serving stations in place of the buffet lines (typical on Voyager and Freedom class) and the food was always top quality, hot, and tasty. Most voyages I go on, I try to avoid the Windjammer, not on this trip, it was very enjoyable. I also dined at Chops one night. OK, here is where I will make a comparison to the past, simply because it used to be great, then good, now, the last 3 voyages i have sailed (Liberty and Jewel), it is just not good anymore. The steak is small, the baked tater is small, and it has lost that flavor of going to a first class chop house in a big city. The service was excellent in Chops, but no longer a special event, and I will pass on my next voyage. Entertainment: The entertainment and activities are typical Royal Caribbean. Nothing wowed me about them, but they were all for the most part either very good or satisfactory. If you are expecting the top notch of everything, then pay the top notch money and go on one of the new mega ships. Jewel is not that, and for me, that is a good thing. Value for the money: For what i paid for this voyage, 9 nights to the western Caribbean out of Galveston, TX, I think it was a very good value. I was satisfied with the ports, excursions, and what the ship offered. If you don't need all the bells and whistles that the mega ships offer, this ship is great. If you do book the Jewel, or any of the other Radiance class ship, and are looking for what the mega ships offer, don't complain, you are the one who booked a 20 year old ship with unreal expectations. Jewel is still a Gem. Final Summary: If you are a traditional cruiser like me, you can not go wrong with Jewel. I loved my vacation on her. I will have no hesitations in the future to book a Radiance class ship again. Modest size vessel, a lot less people with very little congestion anywhere, and an elegance to sailing in era that has past. By far, the best voyage I have had with Royal Caribbean in a long time. I hope my review my helpful. What ever ship or line you cruise, I wish you as wonderful of a vacation as i had.

Jewel otS, Jan 23 - Feb 10 B2B

We started out by booking the second leg, and then found out the previous cruise had a great rate for a 9-day, and we even got to pick our cabin. So basically, an 18 night cruise. The staff was amazing, with only one exception, and she was easy enough to avoid by skipping trivia when she showed up. (OK, the reason is her English was impossible to understand and her enthusiasm was non-existent). But the others were delightful. Bar staff in the Schooner were wonderful - we made friends with all of them, especially William. I must especially recognize the "house band," DeLorean. We had them on a cruise a while back, and we're their biggest fans. We didn't get to hear them as much this time, because they mostly stationed them in the Centrum, and the limited seating there made it difficult, but when they were in the Safari Club we got to rock out with them. But the most surprising part of the cruise was the Windjammer. We're D+, so you know we've been on a few cruises, and I am telling you that this is the best Windjammer we've ever stuffed our faces with. So many things to choose from, and all the food is excellent. One night I even decided to cruise around the room looking for things I've never tried before, and even that was a great evening of eating. And the Windjammer staff was constantly clearing tables, bringing drinks when they got a free moment, and even the washy washy girls were wonderful, setting the mood for a pleasant dinner. If you don't mind the smaller older ships, and you've been complaining about the cruise food lately, book a cruise on the Jewel and hit that buffet. It's worth noting, though, that if you're used to the mega-ships, bear in mind that the buffet will necessarily be smaller. But it was plenty big enough for this quasi-gourmet. The Jewel is an older ship - a little creaky, a little rust here and there, but then so am I. No regrets booking this cruise.

Jewel was wonderful!

Jewel is a lovely ship. The staff was great. The ship needs to be dry docked to replace the carpets and mattresses and general maintenance but the ship is still beautiful. Small is much better for older people that can’t walk the bigger ships. The staff was great. We loved having a corner aft cabin. First time for us and we enjoyed sitting on the balcony. We don’t get off in Costa Miya because the pier is too long so we sat on the balcony to watch the people and we could see the port so we enjoyed that. There were lots of entertainment to keep us busy. There was all ages of people sailing. There was a lot of duck hunting going on and posting pictures of the ducks the kids found. The food was great. Lots of choices. We are in the dining room at night but had breakfast and lunch in the buffet. Lots of great choices to food. There was only one soda machine on board and it was in the buffet. We would book Jewel again.

Wonderful ship, incredible crew

Jewel is a "grand dame" of traditional cruising, with lots of glass, a soaring lobby and sea day activities centered around trivia, games and the pool. No whiz bang wow stuff like on the giant ships which suited us just fine. There was a plenty to do, never felt crowded anywhere, the food was great, the smaller size suited to the port intensive itinerary, and the crew - I just can't emphasise how wonderful they were, from Captian Tor on down. The venues and pool never felt crowded - loungers availble at any time of the day and we never had a problem with seating at the WIndjammer A nice touch was using the Vortex lounge as a "quiet space" during the day. On the flip side, the evening parties in the atrium - especially the Disco Inferno - were rocking It felt more like a "family" than any other cruise we've been on. Enjoyed our time on the Jewel and would happily sail her again