Jewel of the Seas

12 day British Isles cruise

June

Pros: Activities, entertainment & friendliness of staff / crew

Cons: Cleanliness & cost of excursions vs value

Recommended: Yes

Although surfaces were constantly wiped down, tables & mirrors were sticky and spotted. This goes for dining rooms and cabin. They needed a good deep cleaning. I found several excursions that did not live up to the description. There was more effort in organization (meeting, queuing, traveling) than in the experience. Of course some of this had to do with the tour guides. Even a long bus ride was made more interesting and informative by a great guide.

Canada and New England tour

October

Pros: Small ship easy to get around

Cons: Older decor,staff seemed very tired

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed the itinerary very much and even snow in Quebec.Because it was so late in the season no one could use outside areas so it was very crowded inside,difficult to get comfortable seating in centrum.Dance floor super small.We loved the top floor.

Jewel in need of major updating

November

Pros: The staff, crew, food, entertainment, etc. were very acceptable.

Cons: This vessel is beginning to show its age and is in dire need of updating.

Recommended: Yes

The acoustics in this vessel are hard and sound travels from the entertainment venues out in the open areas throughout the ship, and into the guest rooms. This became a major problem for many of us that I spoke with during late night entertainment hours which lasted until midnight almost every night. We had to endure this invasive noise in our state room, every single night and complaining to Guest Services seemed to have no effect. Many people we spoke with were disappointed that Bar Harbor Maine was not on the itinerary. Our balcony ocean view state room was, by other standards of RCL cruises we’ve taken, tiny. The bathroom and shower was not much bigger than an old fashion phone booth. There was barely enough room to pass between the TV/dresser and the foot of the bed. Otherwise, the entire cruise experience was pleasant.

Jewel Cruise

November

Pros: Clean, professional staff, good food, comfortable rooms, excellent room service, quiet common areas

Cons: High price drinks, Excursions are expensive, Costs for Activities, Spa is expensive

Recommended: Yes

Very nice cruise on Jewel of the Seas. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. We had great service from the staff (clean room, coffee delivery in the morning, common areas & bathrooms always clean, friendly & helpful). The food was good & there was always something different, fresh & good to eat in the Windjammer. The service at the main dining room was very nice. However, the activities were expensive, $30 just to play bingo for an hour. I wanted a shot of bailey's in my coffee and it was $12.00! I know you can buy a drink package, but even that was $90 a day. I don't drink that much & just wanted a cocktail at night: $14.00 for rum & coke.

Greenland

September

Pros: Staff great

Cons: ship is going to dry dock next year. really needs it.

Recommended: No

The staff - cabin, dining room, windjammer, etc all great and up to standards. There were problems - like not hearing the captains talk in the hall ways but assume when it goes to dry dock will be fixed. We would not book it now. Missed our port in Halifax because of the hurricane which was fine with us.

Perfectly Sized Ship

July

Pros: Size (2600 passengers), Ability to get into smaller ports

Cons: It's starting to show its age.

Recommended: Yes

I like the Radiance class of ships. They're the perfect size for me. I have sailed on the Jewel of the Seas twice, and enjoyed each trip. With only 2600 passengers, the staff on board gets to know you better, and you get to know your fellow passengers easier. Because it's not a mega-ship it has the ability to go through the locks into the North Sea where our itinerary began. We thoroughly enjoyed sailing around the British Isles. The negative to the Jewel OTS was that it's starting to show its age, especially in the state rooms. Bring a cruise safe extension cord because there are only two outlets to plug in your electronics. However, our waiter said that the ship is going into drydock within the year, so maybe this will be addressed.

First Cruise - Great Ship!

April

Pros: Size of Ship, ease of getting around, super friendly staff, plenty of fun activities

Cons: Food was ok - not spectacular. Sometimes music was too loud.

Recommended: Yes

We Thoroughly Enjoyed Our First Cruise Experience

March

Pros: Even interior rooms were spacious, food was amazing, entertainment options were endless

Cons: Sometimes the wait for a drink at several of the bars was long

Recommended: Yes

Overall, one of the best vacations we have ever taken. We will definitely cruise again in the future to some additional ports of call.

Jewel of the Sea

March

Pros: Good food and service. Enjoyed the ports.

Cons: Needed more entertainment and craft opportunities

Recommended: Yes

Was a wonderful family vacation

Nice vacation

January

Pros: Loved the staff and room, buffet was good.

Cons: Did not get assigned dining time.

Recommended: Yes

They must not have enough room to feed everyone in the main dining room, we were put on my time and it wouldn't ever let me even reserve a time. The only way we got in (twice) was when someone didn't show up. Very disappointing. Didn't participate in activities or entertainment to judge well.

Anniversary Cruise

November

Pros: Wonderful main dining room staff

Cons: No acknowledgment of anniversary

Recommended: Yes

My wife and I had a wonderful cruise on Jewel of the Seas. It was our first cruise together, celebrating our 15th anniversary. The ship was great, and the staff was very friendly. The only disappointment was that no one with Royal Caribbean wished us Happy Anniversary, even though it was mentioned when we booked the cruise and when we made reservations at Chops Grille for the night of our anniversary.

Dubai Cruise

February

Pros: Great service, delicious food, very interesting shore excursions

Cons: Gaming odds definitely cater to the ship’s favor

Recommended: Yes

Great adventure

Jewel of the Sea Review

September

Pros: Great Staff! Awesome Food

Cons: Sports Bar is let down, no sports

Recommended: Yes

Great Cruise Ship. Highly recommend

Perfection all the way!

April

Pros: Food outstanding, crew outstanding, cabin comfortable and clean

Cons: Entertainment, a bit weak, Naples tour thru ship not very organized

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful experience on Jewel of the Seas. The size of the ship was just perfect, not a mega ship which I think are way too big. The food was very, very good. The ship interior very clean. The crew so nice and welcoming. Unfortunately the entertainment was just OK, nothing that I really looked forward to. Highly recommend this ship to anyone.

Jewel of the Seas was aptly named

March

Pros: Excellent staff particularly in the the MDR. Served our needs and wants for our enjoyment.

Cons: Told our room steward that our little refrigerator was on the fritz on embarkation day. It is STILL on the fritz.

Recommended: Yes

Lovely vacation through the Panama Canal. Average age of cruiser was 70 yrs. old. And 70% of our contingent were members of the Crown and Anchor club. We spent our cocktail hour in the Safari Lounge, large enough to accommodate our group. Our cabin, 9594, was wonderful. It is starboard and our views were terrific

9 night Southern Caribbean Cruise

February

Pros: Ports of Call, Time of year, cost

Cons: Some of the furniture is showing its age

Recommended: No

Family Cruise

February

Pros: Good range of activities and excellent crew

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

My entire family, which was booked across 4 different staterooms, all thoroughly enjoyed of cruise on the Jewel of the Seas. We found that all of the crew were very friendly and attentive, the variety of food excellent, the entertainment was lively and good fun, and the facilities on the ship were very good.

Jeannine

January

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

We had a wonderful time . My two sons Proposed to their girlfriends on this cruise . we had 18 people with us . So ‘‘tis is the cruise we will not forget . I would recommend the cruise to anybody .

Great Vacation

October

Pros: The food was wonderful, the bed very comfortable, the room steward was attentive and there was good entertainment.

Cons: The bathroom smelled like a sewer.

Recommended: Yes

We truly enjoyed our cruise.

Greek Cruise

October

Pros: Great itenerary, wonderful staff

Cons: Stateroom needed updated. Furniture very worn and shower needed a deep clean.

Recommended: Yes

It is too bad that cruise ships have slowly been changing over to charging for every little thing. We got tired of basically being nickel and dimed to death and having "opportunities" shoved at us constantly to part with our money. Some of that has always happened but it seems to have gotten worse. Maybe we are just burned out on cruises. Not the good deal they use to be.

Great Time

July

Pros: Great service. Outstanding staff.

Cons: So so entertainment in the Theater

Recommended: Yes

Plan on more cruises with RCI

jewel of the seas

March

Pros: smaller ship was more intitmate, staff and crew were great

Cons: comedians not so great, singers and dancers were good but overall show was confusing, tacos only served first day.

Recommended: Yes

waitstaff had many people but did a fantastic job. cabin steward was great. Windjammer staff was wonderful. The Three Tenors were the only really good performance during week. We did have a balcony room which was on the corner and it cut into our balcony room. I feel that room maybe should have been a little less. They did varnish our railing one day which meant we couldn't lean on the rail for the entire day. It was very nice to learn as diamond members, we were entitled to the diamond lounge and had some free drinks. That was unexpected and appreciated.

Nice ship

March

Pros: Recently updated

Cons: Seems like a shortage of staff

Recommended: Yes

We had rm #1580 and my sister in law had #1582 on the 10th floor. Stay away from these jr suite rooms! We were directly below the Windjammer and we constantly heard rolling carts, back and forth and things dropping on the floor. It was unfortunate because we loved the size of the room. The constant noise sounded like rolling thunder but there was nothing we could do about it. Also, this was our 5th cruise with RC. We have really noticed a difference in the crew/service. It really seems like they have cut back on staff which makes the remaining with more work and to have to work harder and faster. The staff was all very friendly and worked very hard to please. We had some issues with the dining staff in the beginning but they quickly made it right.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise

February

Pros: Food was great at all the eating locations. Staff was very nice and helpful.

Cons: Hot tub in the enclosed area was not open after the first 3 days.

Recommended: Yes

Overall great experience except for the hot tub being closed after the 3rd day. The "show" was just OK....The live bands were great!!! Especially one4one!!!

Caribbean Cruise

January

Pros: Not a giant ship - made it nice for getting around and also for getting to know some of the people

Cons: Dining could be better standard/higher quality

Recommended: Yes

Staff work hard to serve you.

Review

January

Pros: Size of ship, staff,

Cons: Entertainment and bars closed at midnight

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed the ship, and the staff were very attentive. We were disappointed several nights when the bars and entertainment shut down at midnight.

7-night Southern Caribbean with GREAT ports of call

December

Pros: I was so impressed that our waiters could remember what we liked to drink

Cons: Jonathan got sea sick from the high winds rocking the ship.

Recommended: Yes

I am glad that I got a suite with a balcony instead of a room with a porthole. We spent some time on the balcony as a family sharing our daily excursion adventures and some quiet time enjoying the full moon. Jonathan frequently went out there to talk on his phone because he had cell service.

Great service, great ports of call

December

Pros: Islands visited, attentiveness of crew, goods tour guides on excursions

Cons: Photo shop developing process missed four of our pictures that we needed to have them print for us, quality of photos not as good as previous crews, elevators should be divided into two banks of three each, or the doors need to stay open longer. Quality of food not very good and variety not as good as previous cruises. Ship is small and Trip was swaying more than other cruises

Recommended: Yes

Nothing additional.

Jewel OTS

July

Pros: Staff was great

Cons: Food was not so great

Recommended: Yes

Overall this was a very good cruise. The staff was always helpful and friendly, and our room steward was practically invisible. Worked out fine for us, just not his personality to be overbearing. Our room (9556) was spacious (for a cruise cabin) and clean, except for a stain/spot on the carpet; a little gross. We understand that not everything can be attended to with very short turnarounds. The one thing I was a little disappointed with was the glass on the balcony. It was very dirty from salt. Again, I get that it is an ocean faring ship with quick turnarounds, but if they squeegee it once before each cruise, it would be a nice touch. I did see another balcony glass getting cleaned during the cruise. not a huge deal, just worth noting. Musical acts and entertainment were good, some better than others. The Ships band and singers in the Coral Theater were very good. They also did some jazz that was really good. The classical guitar player was also very good. Bartenders were overall good, again some better than others. The RCI drink manual must state that every drink must be shaken, a lot, regardless of what it is. After a while, I was able to get a drink built rather than having it shaken to oblivion. The food in the Tides Dining room was the best on the ship (that we tried). We did upgrade to the Chops Restaurant and I upgraded (again) to the dry aged porterhouse steak. What a disappointment. It sounded great on the menu, enough for me to spend another 20 Euros for it and it was terrible at best. Very tough and flavorless and drowned in some sort of sauce. My spouse had the filet of beef and it was quite good. The Windjammer Buffet was a typical buffet with a fair variety, albeit mostly the same every night, and mediocre food. The eggs were terrible unless freshly cooked at the omelet bar. We did eat locally at the ports of call to escape the ships cuisine and to experience the local flavor when we could. Enough with the bad. Even with 3,330 passengers and crew, you could still find a not too overly crowded area or even a quiet spot on the ship. The pool does get very busy on at-sea days (not enough space on the deck for more chairs and then there are the chair hoarders), as do some of the bars and theaters when a show or event is happening. Another great aspect was the people that you get to meet from around the world. The cruise was very enjoyable, and we a great time!

1st time cuiser on a great ship

June

Pros: Ship was updated recently, food was excellent, staff is very friendly

Cons: nickle and dimed for every imaginable expense

Recommended: Yes

First time cruise for my wife and I. We picked Jewel of the Seas based on the ports of call. The ship is gorgeous and has been recently updated. We splurged on a balcony stateroom and I am glad we did, not sure if the whole experience would have been the same without it. There are plenty of activities throughout the day and evening to keep you entertained from bingo, to karaoke, trivia, shows, swimming pool, table tennis, workout facility, etc. With all that there was to do, sometimes my wife and I were still a little bored at times, however, I think that was more due to the fact that this was our first cruise and first vacation without the kids and we didn't know how to truly relax and enjoy doing nothing! The food was excellent! We either ate in the main dining room, Tides, or the cafe, the Windjammer. We ate at the Tides for dinner daily for the most part. Our waiters were awesome! Very attentive and friendly and treated us like guests and not customers. The food was great as well; menu changed daily but there were some classics in case you couldn't find something that you liked. I am pretty daring and had everything from escargot to lamb; it was all great! In the Windjammer cafe it is buffet style but the food is also well prepared. We mostly ate in the Windjammer for breakfast but on two evenings the Tides was having a "formal" night and we did not want to dress up to eat so we chose the Windjammer instead. Not really a fan of dressing up, especially on vacation, but I get it, some people enjoy it so no biggie. Our stateroom attendant was awesome and we truly could have not asked for better service. The only two complaints about the ship I really have is that at one of the events on the ship it was an "adult only" game of Quest late in the evening. Even though it was well publicized both in print and verbal announcements, there was at least one parent that showed up with young kids. The game was not too horribly risque, but it was definitely not appropriate for kids. The staff member hosting the game noticed the children and made a comment but instead of telling the parent that the children had to leave, he said that if Mom was okay with them being there he was fine with it; which I definitely think was the wrong decision by the staff member. My other complaint is the costs of all the extras on the ship. For one, Internet, even in this day and age of technology we had to pay over $100 for the cheapest Internet package offered. It was sufficient enough to check email, Facebook, etc., but definitely not fast enough for uploading pictures or streaming anything. The other big cost was a "drink package" which there were several offered. I looked at getting the "beer" package the second day into the cruise since I bought one beer on the first day and it was $8. I found out that you cannot just buy the package for one day(s) at a time, even though that is how the price is advertised, you have to buy a package for the entire cruise. It would have been over $400 for me to purchase the beer package for 9 days which was totally not worth it. So I stuck with buying a few beers a day at $8 a pop. Also, if you like soda, get ready to pay! Soda is not a standard drink on the ship either, you have to purchase a package for that as well and then you will receive a cup in which you could use at the Coke machines to fill your own cup. I'm not exactly sure how much the soda package was, but I think it was about $8 a day which I guess isn't too ridiculous. My last con I think would be on a tournament that the casino was holding. I joined a blackjack tournament that the casino held and was a little perturbed that even after the tournament began the casino allowed people to sign-up and join the tournament. Also, people were allowed to "buy back in" which I have never heard of in a tournament. It wasn't for a great deal of money so its not that big of a deal, but just one more way to show you the ship is going to make money anyway it can. Even though I listed a few complaints/cons, I really did enjoy the whole experience. The ship is a marvel to be on, the staff is great, the food is good and the ports of call were excellent. I would recommend a cruise on this ship!

Jewel of the Seas

May

Pros: Staff was great, everything seemed clean, great ports

Cons: Food was okay but not super great, shows were okay but not great

Recommended: Yes

Overall had a great time. The food and shows were the only thing that could have been improved. Food was often very buttery. Half the shows were great, half were not worth the time.

A Sparkling Vacation

April

Pros: Staff,

Cons: Fitness Center Instructor - Philip

Recommended: Yes

The staff on Jewel from the Captain through entire staff were friendly, fun, and very knowledgeable. The food in the Dining Room and Windjammer were good. The offerings in the Solarium for lunch were disappointing after such good experiences on other RC ships. The Next Cruise staff were outstanding and very patient. We booked 3 more cruises on Royal Caribbean!

Best transatlantic yet!

April

Pros: Service on board ship

Cons: It rained last day in Rome

Recommended: Yes

I would strongly recommend this cruise to any one who loves days at sea and cruising in general. The ports were wonderful. Made lots of new friends I plan to keep in touch with.

Vacation 2016

March

Pros: Service was great, people helpful & friendly, ports of call great, food great

Cons: see below

Recommended: Yes

One small con for the Jewel of the Seas, hence the 4 star vs 5 star rating, we paid for unlimited soda & the sodas from the bars & machine were watered down, so not as tasty as canned or bottled soda. That was their ONLY fault. Everything else was wonderful. Security was very good & welcomed.

Escaping the Rain in Sacramento

January

Pros: Great food, wonderful excursions & lots of sunshine

Cons: Tables near the window in my Time Dining were too close together I felt like a sardine.

Recommended: Yes

Personnel at the excursion desk were really helpful in helping me with my selections, loved the food at Portofino's.

Wonderful Staff, Dining and Entertainment Aboard Jewel of Seas, 9/26-10/3

September

Pros: The staff could not have been better, very friendly and competent. Very good food and the entertainment among the best I've experienced on my three lifetime cruises.

Cons: The process of getting off the ship was chaotic

Recommended: Yes

I'd like to recognize the waitress we had, Debra, and her assistant, Sonny Jackson. They were invariably friendly and highly competent. In addition, Debra had an astounding memory for names, and could instantly remember mine and all the other members of my party. My stateroom attendant, a Philippines native, who serviced room 7544, was extremely gracious and attentive to our needs. When you consider how much would be paid for an overnight in San Francisco, with 24-hour dining and great entertainment, plus touring for just $45 on the hop-on-hop-off bus, and then consider you got that plus 5-1/2 days of additional cruise destinations, dining and entertainment, plus activities, the value was impressive.

Inside passage Alaska cruise

August

Pros: Everything was great, ship, sights, staff, entertainment, food,

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Loved the cruise, especially our waiters Alrick and Neil and our steward Lola. They were amazing. Would recommend this cruise to everyone.

Bon Voyage

August

Pros: Beautiful ship.Very clean.Friendly staff.

Cons: Could not find a bible anywhere onboard

Recommended: Yes

I was disappointed that I could not find a bible anywhere. Not even the library. Next time I will be sure to bring my own.

Classic Cruising

July

Pros: Incredibly friendly, and personable service

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

My favorite ship "used to be..." and I stress "used to be," the Oasis. But on our last cruise on the Oasis, in July of this year, all I felt was the 'crush' of the quantity of the other passengers. Felt like they were in my underwear with me! Cruise staff was fine, and so were the bartenders and waiters. But that's where it ended; "just fine." The Jewel has not be re vitalized yet, and that old, classic look was still there. With a CONSIDERABLE less number of passengers than the Oasis, the service by EVERYONE was like it used to be; very personable, and VERY friendly!

Four Star Rating

June

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Great experience, staffs are willing to please us. The entertainment was great, dining experience shall remain in our memory for a long time. Wish there was more explanation on Tracy Arm. I recall Park Ranger came on board to explain things at our previous Alaska cruise. Weather makes all the difference and we hit it right. Looking forward to seeing wedding photos of our son, photographer did a splendid job. Irene Osuga

Alaska cruise

May

Pros: Room maid service, entertainment, cleanliness, frendliness

Cons: Need coffee machine in each hall or rooms, not sure why we had to pay for soft drinks, more restraunt chooses for free eating

Recommended: Yes

Alaskan Cruise

June

Pros: Food, service, cleanliness

Cons: Evening entertainment

Recommended: Yes

Alaskan Cruise leaving from Seattle. Lovely ship, attentive staff, and a great variety of foods. Only negative was the amateurish evening entertainment..

JEWEL OF THE SEAS

May

Pros: EXCELLENT FOOD AND SERVICE. GOOD ENTERTAINMENT

Cons: SHORE EXCURSIONS WERE BARELY OK.... NOT SO GOOD AND WAY OVERPRICED

Recommended: Yes

WE ENCOUNTERED TOO MANY PROBLEMS ON THIS CRUISE ......VERY FRUSTRATING 1. 7 HOURS LATE ARRIVAL IN VICTORIA. ARRIVED TOO LATE TO SEE THE CITY 2. 2 CANCELLED SHORE EXCURSIONS 3. DIAMOND PLUS AMENITIES NOT DELIVERED TO STATE ROOM AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FINALLY GET THEM 4. 2 HOUR FLIGHT DELAY OUT OF VANCOUVER

Jewel of the Seas - Southern Caribbean

March

Pros: Perfect sized ship for this type of itinerary.

Cons: We were expecting more food options in the evening. The buffet closes at 9:30PM and only room service is available after that. Room service was great but menu is limited. Not that we needed to eat more late at night but this is the only real inconvenience I could find about this ship.

Recommended: Yes

Loved this ship. The entertainment was great. The cruise director, John Blair, did a nice job putting together the evening shows. I don't know if this is common for Cruise Directors but he had a very good singing voice and put on an additional show of his own on the last day. Given we were in a port all but one day of the cruise, this ship was small enough that we were able to dock rather than take a tender to shore. Our cabin was midship so everything was easily accessible for us. Highly recommend this type of cabin location if available. Dining room staff were excellent along with the food. Ship staff overall were friendly and very helpful. There were ship activities for kids of all ages allowing parents to have evenings to themselves. Our kids and us very much enjoyed this feature.

My wonderful cruise

November

Pros: Relaxing, good food , friendly staff

Cons: Not to crazy about all the spices used in food

Recommended: Yes

Much better than my last RC cruise. Our travel agent sent memo with all the problems involved. If you would like to hear more, feel free to contact me.

Cruise on Royal Caribbean

July

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Summer Vacation.

Caribbean cruise

July

Pros: The catamaran cruise up the coast of Barbados to swim with the turtles was the best!

Cons: Cabins 3106 & 3108 were over the gangway, very noisy at night.

Recommended: Yes

Our party of 12 had a great week on this cruise.

Southern Caribbean Tour

June

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Ship was clean and crew and staff were very nice and helpful.

Royal Caribbean Cruise

May

Pros: They do everything they can to make your vacation the best one ever.

Cons: I don't know any.

Recommended: Yes

This was my 10th cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruise. I have never had any problem with RCC and they go out of their way making sure your cruise is the best it can be. From the minute you board until the time you leave their staff is there to help you with any needs.