Lovely Mediterranean Cruise
Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 35
9 Night Greek Isles (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 29, 2019
Ship: Jewel of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
Overall we felt like it was a good cruise. We have decided there are two types of cruisers...those who really love the cruise experience, and those who love the convenience of it to see the world, and we fall more into the latter category. We chose this trip because of the itinerary, and we felt like we maximized the time we had in each port. We feel like RCL does a good enough job at catering to both groups, compared to some other lines who we feel are too pushy in the package department. This cruise generally met, but did not exceed our expectations.Embarkation
Embarkation was very quick and efficient. We were checked in and onboard in less than 20 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We dined in the MDR twice, Chops Grill twice, and Giovanni's once. The rest of the time we ate in the Windjammer cafe. The food was good, but not great for the most part. Overall, we preferred the variety in Windjammer.
Onboard Activities
We played mini-golf, billiards, and shuffle board. It was not too busy any of the times we went to play. The jacuzzis were often pretty full, and the decks were relatively busy during the day.
Entertainment
Went to a few of the evening stage shows which were mildly entertaining, but really nothing special. We also saw a few of the game shows that were hosted in the centrum area and we all agreed we would have preferred to see them in a more traditional venue, like the Safari Club. There was very limited seating, and it was difficult to see if you couldn't find a place to sit on the main floor.
Service and Staff
The staff were all pleasant and efficient for the most part, other than in the Windjammer for the staff-stations (fresh waffles, crepes, etc). they needed several more people to keep up with the lines that formed at every meal for the freshly made items.
Ship Quality
Overall the ship was kept clean, and the layout/design was great. There were rarely lines for the elevators mid-ship and guest flow seemed pretty efficient. There are some definite signs of wear and tear, but I wouldn't say anything was in complete disrepair.
Cabin / Stateroom
The size and layout were great for 3 people compared to some other cabins we have stayed in - which we hoped for since we went for the upgrade to stay there. The beds were relatively comfortable, and there was more than enough storage space. I liked the color scheme overall (blue/white/gold), but didn't particularly care for the artwork, and our curtains had unidentified stains on them.
Ports of call
We spent a few days in Rome, and only briefly walked/rode through Civitavecchia to get on and off the boat.
Thumbs Up
3
This was one of our favorite ports. We took public transportation into the old town area, and spent the day exploring. The town was clean and charming, the scenery was beautiful, and there were plenty of restaurants. The people were not overly pushy, and we had a great time.
We spent our time walking around town, and made a brief stop at one of the beaches we could walk to by the windmills. The scenery was great and we enjoyed our day here.
It was very easy to get on/off the ship and the old town was a very short walk from the boat. We took a half day private excursion, and we were able to drive thru the old town in the morning, then went to Lindos with a few other stops around the island. We ended with independent time in the old town before heading back to the ship. We felt like we saw a lot and did a lot, and got a good feel for the island.
We took a half day independent excursion here. This was our least favorite stop of the whole trip. The island was overly crowded with tourists for the day - I think there were 6 or 7 ships in port that day. The port of Fira is definitely not equipped for that volume of people, and Oia was also incredibly overcrowded. The cable-car line to return to the tenders was exceptionally long, and we ended up making the hike down the donkey/mule trail which was not the most pleasant experience with the heat, the crowd and the smells.
We had another semi-private independent full day excursion, and we're very glad because they made it very efficient to cover a lot of ground in Athens. The port is pretty far from the Acropolis and the majority of sites that we wanted to see, and we were glad not to have to deal with public transportation to get around to where we wanted to go.
We had another independent small group excursion that took us to the Amalfi coast (Positano, Sorrento) and to Pompeii. It was a LOT of ground to cover, and we felt like we did not have enough time in any of the 3 locations, but we were glad we got to see them. The scenery and history were worth it. We heard complaints from some other passengers who stayed in Naples for the day and were disappointed with the port overall. We were slightly late in docking, and disembarkation was a bit delayed here with the only line that we had to wait in for the whole cruise - they announced the port had cleared, but the crew still held back the line for another 5 minutes or so, but once it started moving, it seemed to go smoothly.
Disembarkation
We carried off our own luggage, and had no trouble catching the shuttle or the bus to the train. It was all very smooth and efficient.