A unique itinerary that needs to be replicated

Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Jewel of the Seas

12 Night Holy Land (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 30, 2019

Ship: Jewel of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 1602

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

An excellent itinerary on a slightly above average cruise ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food was very average for a cruise line. The wait times, even with "reservations" were often long and once, we waited for 45 minutes after our reservation time! The menu was uninspired and most of the entrees and appetizers appeared on it every day. In contrast in must be underscored that the bakery department was outstanding producing excellent breads and desserts every day.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The ship's ensemble may have been the best we have ever experience (in 25 ocean cruises). Each individual performer was superb, the choreography and writing were great. Around the ship the entertainment was far less so! Most of the time there was no music in the bars/lounges, and when it was there it was mediocre. The exception was the ship's band. When it performed, it brought down the house!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Waitstaff and room attendants were excellent.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Ship's design is OK, in keeping with the prevailing mindset at sea. More staff are required, however, to maintain the common areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
This accommodation is superb, with plenty of space and storage. Twice-daily cleaning ensured a pristine atmosphere at all times. (One small point: the ship was unable to provide a working mini-fridge, as our's was not functioning).

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5
Rome is the best tourist destination in the world. Period!

Messina, Sicily

3 out of 5
Still trying to recover from WWII. Not much here.

Ashdod, Israel

5 out of 5
Jerusalem is a must see.

Haifa, Israel

3 out of 5
Nothing much here, per se; but, we got on a local train to Akko, which was well worth the visit.

Limassol, Cyprus

3 out of 5
Too little time. More time in port is required to offer the opportunity to visit Nicosia.

Rhodes, Greece

4 out of 5
Tourist hell in the midst of great historical sites.

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

3 out of 5
Ephesus is worth the visit, especially for anyone who has not experienced surviving structures of this epoch.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

3 out of 5
Athens simply MUST clean up! No city in the world has ever been as graffiti-strewn. Similarly, and unfortunately, the Acropolis and Parthenon are in terrible disrepair and need a major, major infusion of funding soon if it is to remain on the earth!

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5
An authentic Italian city with lots of local color and flavor.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
The single best disembarkation, ever. Every cruise line needs to emulate the Jewel of the Seas in this regard.
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2 Comments

cruisereckoning    5 years ago

Glad it was a great job.

Cruiserike0322    5 years ago

Great, so glad you enjoyed your cruise

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