How Not to Run a Cruise

Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Coastal - West Coast

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 75

Overall rating:

2 out of 5
Verified Review
Jewel of the Seas

6 Night Pacific Coastal Northbound (San Diego To Vancouver)

Sail date: May 16, 2015

Ship: Jewel of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7072

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Many promises, little fulfillment. Very poor service for wheelchair services. Poorly maintained staterooms and some common areas. I've seen closets that were larger than our balcony room. Little room to move around in the room, had to store our walker in the shower.  Most staff were friendly, but were poor to followup on requests. Inadequate space for attending programs. Some of the poorest "show" entertainment we've seen on several prior cruises.  Food was spotty, some good some not so good. Ice cream dispenser was always breaking down. Served lots of pork dishes. MyTime Dining, that required additional in advance funding was a farce. We'vr had far better cruises that cost less.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Variable quality. Seemed to deteriorate as the trip progressed

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5
Far to much designed for people to drink; often inadequate space available

Entertainment

1 out of 5
Other than a couple of comics, musical numbers were horrible

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
Not applicable

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Generally good and friendly, but inconsistent as the cruise ran on

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Somewhat poorly maintained

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5
I've seen closets larger than our "DELUXE" balcony. Hardly room to move around. Limit storage. Poorly maintained elements. Poor value. Some of the ocean view staterooms appeared to have more living area to them. One of the smallest balcony rooms we've been on a number of cruises on other lines. N o photos to show, but there pictures must have been made with enlarging lens

Ship tip

Bring lots of books and things to do. Library and game room was a farce. Most of the places for people to socialize were bars! Did have some good small size musical groups, but not nearly enough space to accomodate people wanting to listen except for balconies on several higher floors.

Ports of call

San Diego, California

3 out of 5
Wheelchair service was atrocious

Catalina Island, California

3 out of 5
Looke pretty from offshore. Tenders are tricky

San Francisco, California

3 out of 5
Had an extra 9 hours as they had engine trouble, they couldn't fix

Victoria, British Columbia

3 out of 5
Arrived late, most excursions canceled and at dusk when docked

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

1 out of 5
Wheelchair assistance was slow, late and insufficient; poorer than other lines
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1 Comment

glomarrone    9 years ago

Thanks for posting your first review here.  I think that ships are stocking libraries less so now than in the past because so many passengers now use their own tablets for reading.  I can well imagine how hard it is to store your wheelchair inside the small cabins.

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