This was the best smaller ship and the best itinerary we have ever cruised. A million little things went well. Almost none went wrong. Above and beyond our expectations! Thanks to our cabin steward and our concierge. Well done to everyone at RCI and all of the officers, staff, and crew aboard The Jewel of the Seas.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very Good. In this post-pandemic return-to-travel era, the cruise ships are running at full capacity. This makes for a long embarkation day for the port, the ship staff, and some "non-planner" passengers. Royal Caribbean is better than most at spacing everything out by using specific arrival times and separating out their suite guests and Pinnacle class frequent cruisers for early boarding. The port is clean, the security is efficient, the 'checkin' cruise staff are all smiles, and the waiting areas are comfortable. All of these adjectives are used relatively speaking, when comparing Port Canaveral with other ports we have sailed from (Baltimore being the best so far, New Orleans being the worst BY FAR).
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Excellent food and service and bartenders on board, all venues, no major exceptions.
Café Latte-Tudes
5 out of 5
It may not be "a Starbucks" but they serve Starbucks coffee (without the elitist corporate-greed fake-woke virtue-signaling arrogant hypocrisy), so it is actually better. 😃 Plus, it is included in the Deluxe drinking package.
Schooner Bar
5 out of 5
excellent bartenders and great trivia game's almost all day every day
Windjammer Café
4 out of 5
Not a fan of buffets on any ship, so I am the wrong one to ask, but I would call this one adequate but not great. No surprise, but I have yet to find one I would rate a five, including this one.
Vintages
5 out of 5
cute little bar outside the casino on deck 6, great service
Pool Bar
5 out of 5
These guys are hilarious!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
No such thing as a Day 2 'Sip.Tour.Brunch.', as we learned upon arrival, even though we pre-booked it with RC Online (see photo). They have promised a refund (so I will edit this if not, otherwise please assume that went well). They have another one on Day 7, but we have 'Taste of Royal' at that time and on that day.
Suggestion to RC: Please schedule these luncheons on two different Sea Days so guests can book both, like I tried to do.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
We had a great cabin steward, room always perfectly clean, and stocked.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Pictures say a thousand words, and so I will be brief. I would estimate the value in dollars of an upgrade from "spacious balcony room" to a junior suite to be $300 as it does not change your space or amenities (except double C&A points) much, but the value of an upgrade to Grand Suite 1 bedroom is worth $700 to $1,000 more. Too many extras to list, simply put, it takes a memorable vacation and turns into the vacation of a lifetime. The Suite Lounge is amazing and the concierge service provided is phenomenal.
Naturally beautiful, peaceful, and uncrowded. Royal's private island nook called Labadee is the Yin to Coco Cay's Yang. These are ALL chill-island-style beaches, whereas CoCo Cay is a loud, adventurous, party vibe island. This is like Maui while CC is like Spring Break Daytona.
These pics are from under our umbrella on Barefoot Beach. Great drinks! You gotta try a Labradoozie Daiquiri made with dark rum and local fruits like kiwi and currant! Your ship beverage package works all over the place.
Excursion: None necessary, just pick a free beach and GO! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yet another new favorite island in the Eastern Caribbean?! Is it possible to love three new ports on one cruise to the point of not being able to decide which is best? Wow! St Croix is a bit hurricane-battered but that just helps highlight how much more naturally preserved this island is, when compared to more touristy overly developed ones. There is much to be said for tropics places that look the same as they did hundreds of years ago.
Excursion: St. George Village Botanical Garden of the US Virgin Islands, An absolutely wonderful place to spend a few hours in port, this island highlight is Historical, Cultural, Educational, Archaeological, Sociological, and Gorgeous with its abundant flowers and cleverly curated landscapes.
We love Cocoa Beach Club (2nd time) and were blown away by balloon ride (1st time but won't be our last!). Great beach, pool, food, drinks and service. Balloon was safe and fun and full of gorgeous views!
coco cay's Cocoa beach club:
The food was ceviche sampler, surf n turf and dessert, and was delicious.
This is a gorgeous sugar sand beach with such blue water it is almost clear.
Trust me, there is an obvious emphasis on safety here as lifeguards have jet skis.
We adore the infinity pool area!
We learned that the island has a limited 11,000 person max occupancy, and can accommodate only two ships at a time.
today, we had the island to ourselves from the Jewel of the Seas.
However, tomorrow 3-11-23, the island will hit its max with Oasis and Wonder both in port!
The whole atmosphere n music are perfect.
The drinks are easily available but weak.
Small complaint considering that at cocoa beach club even the restrooms smell fantastic!
There are terrycloth handle towels at every hand wash station.
Two hours from Orlando Airport so you will need to take the shuttle or arrange ground transportation. You may want to stay in Titusville (about halfway) the night before boarding. We love the Kennedy Space Center Hyatt there. As stated previously, PC cruise terminal is a safe, clean, and comfortable port through which to board.
Mary, you will not only have your best cruise, but the vacation of a lifetime. Organize your lives around getting to the Suite Lounge on 13 every day between 4:45 and 5 for the free top shelf cocktails. Please say hi to Edna, your concierge, from Mark and Laura from Mississippi. Take all of your issues to her, she can help. Do not miss the debarkation breakfast in Chops Grill and be sure to wait there for Edna to escort you off the ship. "Suite life" is exactly as it sounds!
Sorry David, if I misread you about the water, especially if you were really saying that you had to endure lukewarm showers for an entire cruise. That would bother anyone! I guess you had to go to the spa every day to shower? And call Room Maintenance every day? They never came to fix the issue? You have every reason to be angry. I apologize for misunderstanding.
David, you may be right in that I was in a suite, which does get the twice per day cabin service. Almost all cruise lines have communicated this change clearly online and in the cabin information packet. I think twice per day service in non-suite rooms has gone the way of the dodo bird and is not coming back.
You should never ever drink tap water in foreign countries or on international cruises (they recycle the toilet water for Pete's sake!). You can pre-order 24 bottles of water for $16 to meet you in your cabin. I say this just as a travel tip, no to be insulting for your not knowing. We all learn a lot when we travel.
The food is always terrible in the buffets, and you should think of the Windjammer as only the fast food option (pizza and burgers and quick cold cut sandwiches). However, if you cannot find good food on the entire dining room menus, then we must have very different taste buds. Filet and lobster fits me just fine, every time. Even if you are an uncompromising foodie, or have millionaire taste, there are fine dining restaurants all over the ship, and for around 50 bucks, you can enjoy their pre-fixe menus. Good luck doing that on land in any city in America.
Cruising is not for everyone.
No offense meant, sir, but it sounds like either cruising on the cheap or with unreasonably high expectations were, perhaps, the true cause of your miserable experience.
Please try it again with the great advice on this app/site, or chalk it up to preferring land based vacations. Thanks for your comment. I stand by my review.
You could not have been on the same cruise that I was on. Food was terrible, cabin service was once aday. Water from the sink was always Luke warm from both faucets. I could go on with the other problems
Appreciate your very detailed and informative review. Your feedback on the ports of call was interesting, thanks. Glad you thoroughly enjoyed your entire cruise.
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