RCC going backwards quickly

Item: Jewel of the Seas
Rating: 2
Author: mayerpee

Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

mayerpee

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 59

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 15, 2017

Ship: Jewel of the Seas

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 3548

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We were very disappointed with our RCC experience. We are diamond level cruisers with RCC, but haven't gone on a cruise in 2 years. The company is cutting, cutting, cutting, and it was quite evident in the quality and variety of food, the entertainment, and the number of staff. RCC used to be one of the better cruise lines, but has really dropped the ball. It was quite evident to us, and to other cruisers we met, that RCC is in a major cost cutting mode, and is no where near the company they once were. I would not recommend them. However, the itinerary was very good and the Jewel of the Seas is still in pretty good shape.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

The food was poor at best. The quality is just not there anymore. The buffets were mainly veggies, noodles, pasta, etc. Nothing really of substance. (forget about smoked salmon at the buffet) All the dining room portions were tiny and the quality was fair at best. They are trying to force you to pay at one of the specialty restaurants.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

The activities were fair. Nothing really good to talk about, the usual trivia, and games.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Another area they cut drastically. Used to have really nice broadway style shows, now its the ships singers and dancers, and not much else. One night was the newlywed game, and one night was just intro stuff.

Service and Staff

They have cut the staff way down. I was actually told by some staff members that they used to have 3 to 4 interviews before being hired. Now, as long as you can speak English, your hired.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Jewel is an older, smaller ship, but it still was in good shape and had many updated areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Outside cabin was fine. Had a nice size window and enough closet room.

Ship tip

Again, its an older ship, and can handle up to about 2400 guests. Very child friendly as it has rock climbing, an arcade, miniature golf, etc. A very small shopping arcade, and a small atrium. RCC has put a lot of bucks into it trying to keep it up to date.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

St. John's, Antigua

5 out of 5

Castries, St. Lucia

5 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

3 Comments

cruisedoggie 7 years ago

Sorry you didn't like the ship. We really enjoyed it when we were on it, but that was 11 years ago and it didn't have as much wear and tear on it.

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JohnsonL 7 years ago

We have experienced and read about all of the major cruise lines cutting services. We remember past cruises, and we do those comparisons too, but we try to experience and enjoy each cruise on its own.

Considering your experience on Celebrity, please let me know your favorite Celebrity ships. We are looking at Caribbean, Arabian Sea, and European cruises. Thank you.

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Porkpie 7 years ago

I couldn't agree more as I had exactly the same impression on JOTS last May. Diamond status but achieved via our Celebrity cruises. Jewel was our second RCC cruise and we are going on the very popular independence in April TA , we seem to have opted RCC only based on dates, cost, itinerary , but if independence doesn't deliver I expect it will be our last and revert to celebrity or another line.

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