We love this sized ship since we don't use ice skating rinks, bumper cards, water slides, etc. It has everything that we need and we aren't having to pay a premium for amenities that we don't use. The ship was immaculate and shows no signs of age (except for the television in our room, which we didn't watch anyway).
The itinerary was perfect since our at-sea days were spaced to give us a break exactly when needed.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We had My-Time Dining and felt rushed through dinner every evening. Next time\, we will use traditional dining.
The food in the main dining room was consistent with what we expected from RCCL.
Chops was a big disappointment and not a good use of our shipboard spending.
Portofino was worth every $ spent.
Breakfast in the main dining room had a better menu than we have had in the past. I think more people are using this now rather than heading to the Windjammer which helped immensely to relieve the morning crowds up on deck 11.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We didn't attend any shows while on board as the descriptions in the Cruise Compass didn't inspire us to change our dinner reservation to go. Several of the shows only had one seating (7:45) which makes it impossible to go unless you eat dinner very early.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All staff were friendly and efficient. The only negative here was the inconsistency of the bar drinks from person to person. I had a mai-tai created in 4 different recipes one of which was horrible (spiced rum in a mai-tai?) and had to be thrown out\, one excellent\, and two marginal at best. Sounds petty\, but drinks are expensive on the ship and knowing what you are getting holds great value to this guest.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Jewel is in excellent condition despite her age. All of the furnishings\, flooring\, paint\, etc. were almost perfect. We like a smaller ship so that crowds aren't ridiculous in port (we shop for itineraries that don't have multiple ships in port when we are there).
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I would give it a 5 if the television wasn't 10 years old. Also\, our room attendant was not willing to clean our room if we were in the room or even on the balcony. So when he came by\, we asked to give us 2 minutes to gather our things to vacate the room only for him not to come back for 2 more hours. This happened on three different occasions. We paid a good deal of money to be able to enjoy our private balcony\, but we were forced to chose between our private time on our balcony or a clean bathroom. This started to get irritating as the week went on.
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