This was a dream cruise for us. The Jewel is one of RCL's smaller ships, so not as much to do aboard her as on the larger ships. But the tradeoff comes with the ports you can sail to. Every port we visited exceeded my expectations. I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Went very smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Overall, very nice. Specific comments per venue are below.
Windjammer Café
3 out of 5
I usually love Windjammer, but I didn't find it as good this go-round. Some things were cooked too long (or sat under the heat lamps too long) and were dried out, or they were already cold.
Café Latte-Tudes
5 out of 5
Enjoyed my daily chai lattes.
Tides Dining Room
5 out of 5
Great food every night. Was worried when RCL changed to theme nights, but there were plenty of options within AND without the theme.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the activities - game shows, trivia, etc - but by the end of the cruise they all started to feel a bit repetitive in theme. But again, we still had a good time.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Coral Theatre
5 out of 5
Almost all of the shows were great. A couple fell flat, but we really loved 4ever, East Coast Boys, and Jamie Allan (magician).
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I cannot rave enough on our service staff. Anita, our room attendant, was always so very sweet and made sure we had what we needed. Raffy and Luiz (Table 172) were always above and beyond in service, conversation, and personal attention. They are truly a power team!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Though the ship is definitely showing her age, everything was always maintained (in functionality and cleanliness) as well as it could be.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The only thing not working in our cabin was the speaker dial to hear announcements from the captain, etc. But that in no way took away from the overall feel of our stay. Interior cabins are small, but we know that when we book them. We're really only there to sleep so the small size doesn't bother us.
Ship tip
Even though the Jewel is getting old and showing signs of her age, she's still a great ship. Your cruise is what you make of it, so if you don't let those little things bother you, then you should have a fun time. We did!
Amsterdam is such a beautiful city with a lot of history, cool architecture, green spaces, and fun things to do. We chose to walk along the canals, visit parks, and take an evening canal cruise. Just watch out while you are walking - bicyclists are everywhere (we were told over 1 million bicycles there) and they do not stop for pedestrians. 😆
We stayed in Cobh instead of driving over to Cork and were happy we did. It's a beautiful town. We strolled up to the cathedral, then up and down alongside the "Deck of Cards" row houses, and ended with lunch at The Quays.
Loved being in the city. I am a history, architecture, and Beatles fan, so our tour was perfect. We saw so many amazing historical buildings and statues, and then toured the Penny Lane area for some Beatles history.
We didn't explore the city itself. Day 1, we took a whale-watching tour. AMAZING! Day 2, we did the Golden Circle tour to Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, and Geysir Center, all of which were fantastic!
A beautiful town on the northern coast of Iceland. Very steep hills, but worth the walk. We visited the botanical gardens, then strolled through the main part of town on our way back down.
Very tiny town on the west coast, but we loved it. Everywhere you look: waterfalls cascading down the mountains that surround the town. We did an easy walk to the closest waterfall, then strolled through town.
Really good detailed review, thank you. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise, great photos. You don’t always need all the bells and whistles on the ship, especially not when the itinerary is fantastic.
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