Jewel of the Seas Review
Great itinerary, packed ship, not always friendly crew, ship OK, high price
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our 2nd Royal Caribbean cruise and our 5th in total, the others being HAL en Celebrity. The 1st RC cruise we took was a Trans-Atlantic on the Brilliance OTS, a ship in the same class as the Jewel OTS.
The reason we took this cruise was to celebrate our parents 50th anniversary together with the whole family, 13 all together. We had a great and at the same time challenging time as a family. This was due to the fact that one of the grandchildren had to leave the ship in Ajaccio with a Crohn's disease infection, together with his mom. The rest stayed on board. First of all compliments to the medical department on the ship, the care team in Miami and the staff helping my sister and her son in Ajaccio, France. They couldn't have been better! Having experienced this from nearby, gives me assurance that whatever happens on the ship, they will take the best care of you.
Now as to the cruise itself, I'm afraid I can't say the same about the staff on the ship, taking care of the passengers. The only 2 exceptions I like to make is for our roomsteward, Alex, who did a great job and the wait staff at our table at the MDR. They took good care of us, especially helping my niece who celebrated her birthday on the ship, without her mother and brother. The rest of the staff seemed lackluster, and showed hardly any passion in serving the people. This goes for Windjammer, the MDR for breakfast, the cafe in the solarium and the bars at the pool. Now I don't know if this was because the ship was so crowded or that this is the culture on the Jewel. It certainly was different than on the Brilliance and was dissapointing to us.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Aft-facing cabin. Huge, well equiped balcony, beautiful view. No sound coming from the engines or the water when inside with the doors closed. Very spacious with large sofa and storage everywhere. A little dated interior, especially visible in the bathroom. The shower was great, with a door in stead of a curtain.
Port Reviews
Cannes
Surprisingly nice city. We rented bikes and rode along the beach. Very nice!
Corsica (Ajaccio)
Nice little town. We walked around by ourselves.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Civitavecchia is ok. We stayed at Tenuta dell Argento resort, an eco-agrotourismo. Very friendly staff, picking us up from the railway station and dropping us of at the cruise terminal. Dinner looked great and we certainly would have eaten there if we didn't have other arrangements already. We would recommend it if you need a break from busy Rome and need a place to relax with a beautiful view over the med. Not very suitable for exploring Civitavecchia.
Barcelona
Booked tickets for the Sagrada Familia online, a must go for everyone who has not seen it. Absolutely spectacular, not comparable to other cathedrals in Europe. Strolled through Barcelona, enjoying the atmosphere.
Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)
Beatiful city, great atmosphere, unfortunately not enough time there.
Sardinia
Great town to explore on foot. You do need to climb some steps or uphill roads to make the most out of it. Super view on the harbor and city that way. We rented bikes to go to the beach. Easy does it, great beach as well