I have been on three cruises before, all visiting the southern Caribbean. The most recent two (December 2014 and December 2015) were Carnival Cruises on the Valor and Liberty. This time we wanted to go back to Royal Caribbean (hadn't used them since our first in March of 2005). All of the reviews for this ship and this cruise weren't quite as good when compared to the Carnivals... but I'm not sure why after taking this cruise. The Jewel of the Seas is a beautiful ship that feels exceptionally well taken care of and recently updated. You will be hard-pressed to find anything worn/broken/damaged or not functioning on this ship. Compared to the Carnival ships, the Jewel is definitely less 'flashy'. Carnival ships seem to all have a strong theme that is carried throughout. The Jewel is much more understated, but it is in no way less grand. The Jewel's theme is simply nautical, but they really nailed it. There's bright brass work, model ships, dark glossy wood, and white sailing rope everywhere, and I have never seen so much clean glass on a cruise ship before. The elevator doors and upper-deck railings specifically are all glass. So while this is not a huge ship, it feels larger than it is, and you're never missing a beautiful view of the sea or port. The atrium (lobby) is very beautiful, and there is never a lack of entertainment or something to see there. There are two swimming pools onboard the Jewel, only one of which is outside. We did not use the adult-focused indoor (although glass covered) pool. The two Carnival ships each had two outdoor pools, one in the center, and one in the rear of the ship which was always quieter and closer to food. Even with the sea day though, the Jewel's solo pool didn't feel too over-crowded. Compared to the Carnival Liberty and Valor, the Jewel's pool area is arranged very differently. The Carnival ships felt like the upper decks all cascaded to the pool, there were many levels where one could sit or stand and observe the pool area's entertainment. The Jewel isn't like this, it's much more traditional with lounge chairs all around the pool, but few upper areas to observe from. The movie screen and bars are also less centrically located, but they are still just steps away from the pool. I am a person who is normally very good with directions and knowing exactly where I am onboard a ship. On the Carnival ships, I could walk around the ship in an hour or two and then know exactly how to get where I want to go. I was for some reason never able to get this same feeling with the Jewel. I think the pool area design and lack of the big red Carnival exhaust tail made it more difficult for me to discern which way I was headed (front or back) many times.

The last two cruises we had an upper-deck stateroom with a balcony. We enjoyed the big glass sliding doors and a little bit of outdoor space. This time around, we decided to just go with an 'outdoor' stateroom. Our cabin, 3590, just had a large porthole window. It let in tons of light, and this room felt bigger than our balcony rooms on the Carnivals. We would absolutely stay in a cabin like this again. We're only in there to shower and sleep, so we didn't miss the balcony at all. The room was very clean, minus some loose cabinet doors in the bathroom. It was also very close to the elevators.

Food onboard the Jewel was fantastic- but I am no foodie. We had each breakfast in the Windjammer cafe, and everything was always good. The only complaint was orange juice... many days it was very hard to come by, and we had to wait through half of our meal before a waiter would bring it to us (buffet was out frequently). It's also not typical 'American' orange juice, it tasted more like Sunny D. We always had lunch out on the island. We did 6:30 for dinners in the main Tides dining room. We were always seated quickly, and always had wonderful meals. Yes, the menu doesn't change a lot, but I only ate three different meals throughout the week by my choice. Appetizers, entrees, and deserts were all excellent by my stands. The service was also fantastic, everybody onboard this ship is very personable, friendly, and prompt. Read more