My husband and I have sailed with Celebrity, MSC Cruises and now Royal Caribbean. We are now sold on Royal Caribbean and it is our first choice in cruise line. I would recommend the transatlantic crossing cruise for anyone who is looking for great value, food, service and a relaxing holiday. I would take this cruise again. I think I would like to try the spring crossing in 2018 too. I highly recommend this cruise!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very organized and efficient. It didn't take long to get through the line, have our picture taken and on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate at the Tides dining room for dinner for about the first week. The service and food were impeccable. The deserts were so tempting and delicious that I noticed my expanding waist line and had to start hitting the gym to burn more calories. My husband and I decided to eat at the Windjammer so we wouldn't be so tempted and took only what we could eat to stop further weight gain. That said, the food in the Windjammer was fantastic! One night they had seafood night and had lobster and every kind of seafood you could think of. If you don't eat seafood, they always had numerous other choices like chicken, pizza, tons of great salads, american type foods such a minute steaks, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, just about anything you can think of. One tip about the Windjammer - if you like your food more hot, get there when they start serving. I found it made a difference than arriving later. The deserts at dinner were more elaborate and some nights included lots of different kinds of pies and cakes. We also ate a light lunch in the Solarium cafe a couple of times. They have sandwiches and some light food choices. They also have coffee in the morning and pastries. I get up early and always went to the solarium area next to the Windjammer Cafe for coffee. It's available there 24 hours a day. You can also get coffee in the Solarium Cafe but it doesn't open until 6:30.
Windjammer Café
5 out of 5
We at the Windjammer for breakfast everyday. They offer made to order eggs, omelettes and just about any breakfast item. The coffee was good and I'm kind of a coffee snob. Lunch always had a wide selection of healthy choices, salads and chicken. They also had ethnic foods choices at every meal. We loved the Indian curry dishes. Each day had a food theme at dinner so it was something new everyday. If you didn't want to eat that night's theme food they also had roast beef or pork, chicken dishes, curry type food and an assortment of standard American type food (hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks, french fries, pizza, etc.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the music by the pool, the gym, the walking track and miniature golf. We would have liked to play a game like Scrabble or cribbage but they didn't have the boards for the games. As a suggestion, I think they need to restock their game supply and have a check out system for the boards and games so that they get them back so others can enjoy them.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our stateroom attendant was Tyron B. and he did an excellent job. We was able to get us two bathrobes which made our stay more comfortable. He always kept the room nice and tidy and every night he left a different animal design in towels on our bed. I looked forward to coming in after dinner and seeing what creation he had for us that night. Our wait staff in the Tides dining room, Gerard and Nijar were amazing and provided excellent service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I love the Jewel of the Seas. The layout is great and it is a clean and well maintained ship. I usually get a bit seasick but this ship is very stable and I never got the least bit seasick during the 14 day cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin is snug but very functional. We were able to unpack our suitcases and put everything away. We stored our suitcases in the closet but they were on the smaller side. The balcony was a nice size for sitting out and suntanning. Being on the port side also allowed us to view some beautiful sunrises. Tip - It makes a huge difference on the side of the ship you select. You always want to be on the sunny side of the ship if you have a balcony. Going south to the Caribbean you want to be on the port (left) side of the ship.
Ship tip
Select a room on the sunny side of the ship. Going south to the Caribbean you want to be on the port (left) side of the ship. For a more stable ride, select a room about mid-ship. If you are in the back of the ship you will definitely notice the motion of the ship more than mid-ship. The balconies for rooms on the 8th and 9th floor are more private than the 7th floor. We could see a portion of the balcony of the room below us on the 7th floor. Be aware when selecting a room what is below or above you. For example, people remarked that rooms below the gym which is on the 12th floor could sometimes hear people dropping weights above. You also don't want to be too close to atrium area if you go to bed early as the entertainment is fairly loud and you won't be able to sleep.
After the hurricane, we decided to forego visiting San Juan. I'm glad we did. Debris from the hurricane can still be seen on the streets and highway signs still haven't been put back up. The airport is on generator power so everything is fine there but people that I spoke with that live there that live 20 minutes outside of town are still on generator power. It is going to take a long time for them to recover.
Disembarkation was very organized and efficient. We were in the theater area and were called by group. Then we went through Immigration and security. Royal Caribbean provided a shuttle to the airport at no charge. This was a huge relief for us as we weren't sure how many cabs would be available as San Juan is still recovering from the hurricane.
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