Ship Worn, Food Marginal
Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Southern Caribbean Holiday
Sail date: February 14, 2015
Ship: Jewel of the Seas
Cabin type: Suite
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 9 years ago
Review summary
Not all was awful, boarding and leaving were good and the bulk of the staff were very good. The ship is scheduled for refit later this year I understand and it is late - things worn, broken and patched together. Layout is good and it should be fine once it comes out so that is repairable. The worst part was the food quality in the main dining room. It was pretty much consistent - consistently awful. We are used to Celebrity and anticipated similar food but at a table of 8 for 6 meals we agreed only about 4 of the 48 were above average. Lots of cold food, over or under cooked and really poor quality ingredients. You could get a premium item for additional cost which might have been acceptable but it would have been a crap shoot to order and pay knowing that it was coming from the same kitchen. Dining Room service was good but we were in the late seating and you could tell the staff was worn out. (the late seating might have explained the food temp as it seemed it might have been lingering in the kitchen for a while.
Cabin attendant was great. Interesting itinerary - St Thomas on Sunday when the shops close early, St Kitts on election day when liquor sales are limited and Martinique on Carnivale day when everything was closed in the morning - certainly a method to keep passengers on board and spending if that was the goal. St Maarten's and Barbados were very nice stops.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Sea View Cafe on deck 12 was a godsend - food prepared fresh and menu is good. Try the Grouper Salad or Cuban Sandwich. We went there in afternoon as we anticipated we would not be eating much in dining room. Pit Stop Sports Bar is a good late afternoon alternative - live sports and cold beer.