It could have been worse, but not by much!
Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 07, 2013
Ship: Jewel of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9204
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review summary
This was my first double-digit cruise (10), my 5th on Royal Caribbean. I was shocked at the disposition of the staff, primarily the bartenders and casino dealers. There were some staff members that were shining stars (i.e. Mickey-Bartender & Georgia-Casino Dealer/Manager) but most others were frowning all the time and had poor attitudes. The stateroom and staff were very nice and the only saving grace on this cruise (other than considering hopping ships when we were in Cozumel - the ship we joked about sneaking on was the Carnival Triumph - one day before it was stranded in the middle of the gulf)! The entertainment was unimpressive. The worst experience was dining at their upscale steakhouse, Chops. We called multiple times to make a reservation (in the middle of the day) and nobody answered the phone. We decided to head to the restaurant (mid-day) to make a reservation in person. Nobody was there to take our reservation. We then went to guest services and were told not to worry, they were not allowed to turn us away. When we showed up that night, we were turned away. We went through a similar experience the following day but when we went to make an appointment, in person, we were accommodated. The appetizers, soup and sides were great but the Filet Mignon had clearly been frozen for too long and the Halibut was NOT real Halibut. I think they may have accidentally served the other fish on their menu but it was greasy and mushy so I refused to eat any of it. They made no effort to replace with a better piece of fish but I also did not make a fuss over it, I just grabbed some pizza later in the night which tasted just fine after a few drinks! Another person who deserves some recognition is the Rawle - the guard who allows you on and off the ship. He was exceedingly pleasant and although our interactions were limited, he was a bright spot on the trip. Royal Caribbean has been my favorite for quite some time but after this experience, I think I am ready to re-explore the other cruise lines.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Most staff have bad attitudes, especially bartenders and casino dealers. MOST have bad attitudes, not ALL of them.