It was a great cruise - i was unsure about how it would be since the hurricanes but I think they are excited to have travelers back and they need us to help them rebuild. The ship was nice but was missing a few things that we really love on cruise ships like excellent shows, some fun food places like a great burger joint and more comedians. Overall we will cruise Royal Caribbean again for sure since our past experience with them has been excellent but not the Jewel.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Super quick as our plane didn't land in San Juan until 5pm. We walked right into the terminal and there were maybe 6 other people there.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining was excellent - the lamb shank was to die for! Not many options for diary free sweets though. Winjammer had a great variety - the only thing I was sad they didn't have at all was civiche. Fresh food and quick service and attentive staff.
Café Latte-Tudes
5 out of 5
loved this little spot on the ship! they make excellent chai tea lattes and being dairy free I really like that they have a soy milk option. Everything we got was delish including the little snack sized sandwitches and treats!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The pools were nice and they had lifeguards - first ship we've been on with life guards. The pool side band was boring - they only played one style of music and it was the same songs over and over. We were expecting steel drum band and this didn't meet our expectations. The music for the zumba was overboard loud - be prepared.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Shows were pretty good - the El Gacho was the best by a land slide and the newly wed game of course. The main Jewel band was superb and so were all the other bands and acts that played. The dancers were amazing to watch and most of the singers were excellent. The two shows they did were only ok, we've seen better on every other cruise we've been on though - felt very disjointed and didn't tell a story the were going for.
Children's Programs
i don't cruise with my kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All the staff were excellent - had absolutely no issues with anything or anyone. Everyone is friendly and seemed to want to be there.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
easy to navigate around the ship - easy to find what you were looking for
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was perfect - just what we expected - the storage cubbies in the closet were perfect and I prefer that over open shelving into the room.
Ship tip
Room service is an $8 charge - it is not complementary as every other ship we've been on is. That was the only surprise. You can request to sit at the same table every night if you like for anytime dining. We loved our waiters the first night and at the check in desk on our way out we requested to be seated at the same table for the week. It's great to get to know your servers and you will find you will end up with some extra perks that way.
on our way back we got a tour from the guys at the port - cost us $30/pp and there were 4 of us to a tour bus. He took us around the city and told us some history, stopped at many stops for pictures and shopping, lunch and to walk around. Highly recommend this as it is half of what the ship charges and they keep your luggage on the bus for you and take you to the airport when you want to go.
It felt like the taxi drivers didn't know what was going on - took us half an hour to get a cab to a beach. Asked one driver to take us to a resort I had read reviews on and he said sure then we lost him...found another one at the ticket booth and she said the resort is closed. Not sure who to believe but we ended up going to a beach near the port for $6/pp round trip. It was very rocky at the beach and getting in was a bit painful because the waves would throw rocks at your feet, also, giant boulders under the water which you could not see and I ended up with several small cuts on my ankles and a bruised big toe. Two muskoka chairs and an umbrella are $20. I would book an excursion if I were to come to this island again or insist on getting taken to where I want to go if I know the resorts are good.
The hurricane damage is unreal to see. It was a very emotional trip from the port to Mullet beach. But Mullet beach was sooo much fun! The water was clear and the waves were huge and we had a ton of fun playing in them. No snorkling but I think that is due to the waves - they were stirring up to much sand. You can watch the planes fly over Maho beach from here. Would come back to St Maarten in a heart beat.
We walked around the town and went into a gorgeous cathedral and to a large market. I read lots of reviews about the people being rude but did not find this to be true. They have beautiful mosaics on the walkways near the water and the island is so lush and green. Bathrooms cost $1 roughly - they only take euros though.
We did a catamaran snorkeling trip including lunch and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) through Cool Runnings Catamaran. HIGHLY recommend them!! Swam with turtles over a reef and at a ship wreck. The water is amazingly beautiful and warm and so clear - we even saw flying fish. The staff are attentive and the boat isn't packed out. Was an excellent day!
We went on the water taxi to the Grand Anse beach. We walked down to the spice market and got umbrellas there ($20 for two loungers and an umbrealla). The spice market has washroom facilities which are $1. The locals on the beach are on you right away to order from the vendors at the spice market but don't hound if you aren't interested. The guys trying to get you on tubes and other boat toys are annoying - but I found that telling them "I already told you im not interested" will get them to remember :)
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