The fabulous itinerary is the reason I chose this ship. It's a very pretty ship, and I really like the cabin layout, but personally I prefer a larger ship that has a Royal promenade or esplanade. I love to dance, and no one was really dancing in the Centrum, and there is no bar like a Boleros on this ship.
The food was very good and the staff was excellent. The staff at guest services and the excursion desk were top notch.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
No problems at all getting on board. Was quick and smooth. TIP!! There is a small store right at the entrance to the port just before check in. You can buy your allotted two bottles of wine here, since stopping from the airport and buying wine might be a little tricky.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I think the food was a little better than when I sailed on Jewel last time. I rated this only a 4 because getting a seat at dinner time was always difficult. Every. Single. Night. To be fair, I didn't have advance reservations because I like the flexibility. On this particular cruise though there were a lot of families traveling together, so the larger tables were all booked. My previous experience had been you can be seated with other solo travelers and small groups, but not this time. Wait staff was friendly.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The fitness center is nice but seemed just slightly "tired." The main pool is not very large but adequate. The hot tubs were fine but on a smaller ship can get crowded. I enjoyed watching movies and football games on the big screen near the pool. Had fun watching a basketball tournament and even played miniature golf a couple of times. The golf area was fine but could stand to be "freshened up." Another family was not able to find a golf ball to play with, even though there were only 4 other people playing when they arrived.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Saw two of the song and dance type shows on board, and they were really great. Amazing the talent that they have aboard the ship. Costumes were beautiful. Also enjoyed the adult comedy show. He was super gracious and let an elderly gentleman in the audience tell a couple of jokes. It was very nice thing to do and I'm sure made his day.
Children's Programs
not traveling with kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Awesome room attendant, wait staff was very good, guest services/excursion desk exceptional.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The Centrum area on the Jewel is really beautiful. It's so pretty to look up and see the beautiful balconies and lights. However, it gets super crowded, and there is no place to sit.
The path along the 5th level by the stores can get incredibly congested and almost impassable, especially when they are doing their sales towards the end of the week. The 5th floor is the main pathway between the main dining room and the theater, so it naturally has a lot of traffic. It's hard to get through.
The photographer sets up right outside the main dining room, and this makes "sense" especially when everyone is all dressed up for formal nights. Again, though, it creates a really big traffic jam for people coming and going from the dining room, and I'm sure it's hard to have your picture taken.
It's just the nature of a smaller ship, and personal preference, but just be aware.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
LOVED the location of my cabin. Best I've ever had! It was right outside the solarium, and since I spent a lot of time in the solarium/pool/fitness center area, it was absolutely perfect.
It had everything I need, and since I've sailed Jewel before I was familiar with the layout. Lots of storage and hangers, mirrors, etc were perfect. Only hiccup was on day 5 when I was unable to take a shower for several hours because of a plumbing issue. Nothing but hot water! The staff was very gracious trying to make things right.
My room attendant Isabella was fantastic.
Ship tip
I highly recommend the galley brunch tour. It's a great behind the scenes look at how they prepare an amazing amount of food every day. It will also give you a better understanding of how hard each of the staff is working. Also was good to understand the procedures they have in place for sanitation, right down to which elevators food is transported in!
Absolutely love San Juan. Even though they are still in the midst of post-hurricane recovery, my trip here was wonderful. I am especially in love with Old San Juan, and the beautiful architecture and brick streets. Everyone was extremely friendly and happy to have tourists start to come back.
Did the catamaran and lobster excursion here. Tons of fun with a great crew and delicious lunch. Antigua is another super gorgeous island. Definitely will be going back.
It was fine, just didn't wow like the others. I did another catamaran and snorkel here, and the snorkeling area didn't offer much at all in the way of fish to see. The staff was very friendly and gave a nice narration of the places we were seeing. Next time I will definitely do a more active excursion, like hiking the Pitons or zip line.
I did the Jolly Roger excursion and it was not what I was expecting for the price. The boat is really showing wear and tear. The excursion was scheduled for 10:00, we arrived from the ship to the boat at 10:15, so I assumed we would be underway about 10:30. We didn't take off until 11:15. Not sure why we were there for an hour. Lunch was an additional cost. We stopped to snorkel over an old ship wreck, and we did get a chance to see a lot of fish, so that was interesting.
We were off the ship pretty quickly in the morning. Found my luggage with no problem and there were plenty of porters available if you needed help. Not sure why there was only ONE customs agent taking paperwork, but they were quick.
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