We are a family of 6 (4 boys ages 8-14), traveling with friends and their son. Chose this cruise for the great itinerary. Sailed out of San Juan. on 3/25. Flight landed at around 11am - Transfers and Embarkation were very easy and we were on the ship by 12:30. I've only been on one other cruise (Celebrity Constellation) - so my judgements about Jewel were in comparison the Constellation. The ship overall was beautiful - very open with great views everywhere. Just the right size for us as I knew that my kids could never be too far. I also love the open centrum area and the fact that in many parts of the ship you could look in both directions and see out the windows on both sides. We were in cabins 7144 and 7146 (adjoining) - Balcony rooms. They are supposed to be for 3-4 people, but I can't imagine stuffing more than 3 in these rooms. I shared a room with my 12 year old and 8 year old and it was pretty tight (seemed smaller than our equivilant room on the Constellation). One of the reason that I can't give 5 stars overall is because of the bathroom. Besides being VERY cramped (also smaller than constellation), there was a sewage odor (in cabin 7144) from the first minute that we stepped in the room. I told our stateroom attendendant - and maintenance did come down the next day to address the issue, but there was little to no improvement. The bathroom was very clean - so obviously the smell was coming from somewhere withing. It really smelled like a port-a-potty - and if the bathroom door was open, the smell seeped into the room. Our other cabin 7166 didn't seem to have as much of an odor. The size of the balcony was standard - enough to fit 2 chairs and a table. Our stateroom attendant, Kisna was outstanding. She always got us everything we needed, attended to the room every morning and night (always got me ice when I asked) and towel animals every night - which my 8 year old looked forward to every day. She knew all of our names instantly and was always very friendly with all of us - especially our kids! Our friends were in room 7162 - same type of room, but their balcony was 2x the size becuase of the way the ship extended on their end). Their stateroom attendant, Dalton, was also so nice - knew all of our names, was helpful when we had questions and was very friendly with all of our boys.

Dining - we ate in the MDR 4 nights. Our waiter, Norberto and assistant Ngurah were both top notch. Very professional and attentive. I brought by own wine into the dining room and Ngurah always made sure my glass was filled -and since I didn't finish the bottle the first night, he offered to keep it for the next nights dinner. We can't say enough great things about them. The food in the MDR was ok - some things were great, others a bit disappointing. Lobster was offered on night 6 and it was very good. Other items that stand out as being really good were the mushroom soup and crab cakes. Desserts were nothing special. Windjammer: surprisingly very good. I am not usually big on buffets, but there was a ton of variety (many things in the buffet that were also offered in the MDR). We ate there for breakfast every day - the omlette station is awesome - you order what you want and they give you a pager to pick it up when it's ready (only about 5 min), so no standing around waiting for it to be done. Lots of variety - I can't think of anything that they DIDN'T have! Only had lunch there 2 days (1st and last) - but both were great as were the 3 dinners that we ate there. Like the MDR, the desserts weren't great (a lot of pies - all with the same base and different toppings). There is an ice cream machine which my group definitely got their money out of! Entertainment: We saw the love and marriage show - kind of awkward as 2 of the 3 couples seemed very dysfunctional (sorry if they are reading this!). And it was way too long. We left halfway throught. We didn't bother with any of the other headliner shows b/c of the bad reviews. We did however go to the centrum on the 80's and 70's theme nights - which were VERY fun. Great music, full dance floor. Don't miss the 70's night - Andreas and his entertainers were extra entertaining that night. All of the members of entertainment team were excellent and extremely hard working. We did trivia in the Schooner (7 -7:30) about 4 times - good place for the groups to gather before dinner. The family feud show wasn't very good, but the Quest was very funny - would definitely recommend that. I was also happy to be able to cheer on my Villanova Wildcats in the NCAA tournament (final 4!) in the sports bar My 12 and 8 year olds loved the rock wall and they all enjoyed the pool and ping pong tables - and the movie theatre was cool too! They Didn't do anything with the kids club. This was a sold out cruise with 600 kids on board but I wouldn't have known it if someone didn't tell me. I was more bothered by some of the rude adults (usually in the buffet) than any kids. Oh - and on day 6 I saw a dog- unleashed running around the windjammer buffet area - ugh - also annoying. Service througout the ship was mostly very good. The female bartender in the Schooner always knew what my husband wanted and made great drinks (the male at the same bar was not very good - didn't know how to make the drinks even after consulting the menu for the recipes!) I did not get the drink plan but brought my alotted bottles of wine on board and bought a few drinks (which were extremely expensive!). There offered a beer package - early - either on day 2 or 3, but the 10 drinks package wasn't offered until day 5 so I didn't get it.

PORTS: St Thomas: We took a cab to Magan's Bay and it was great. Bar/restaurant up and running and the bathrooms were gorgeous! I'm pretty sure they were JUST opened b/c I read just a few weeks ago that there were still only port-a-potty's there. Beautiful calm beach, blue water, white sand and our cab driver stopped a couple times along the way for photos. St. KItts: We took a cab to Cockleshell Beach which was also beautiful with plenty of places for drink/food. Tip: the beach in front of Reggae isnt that nice. Walk down a little to the right to Mundo's for a nicer beach area (cheaper chairs/umbrellas too). Antigua: We went to Dickenson Bay and it was our favorite beach. The bluest, calmest water and whitest sand - just serene! Tip: if the cab drops you at Ana's and you don't want to pay that much, walk farther right past sandles, down to Sneaky Petes - reasonable chairs/umbrellas, nice little bar, good friendly service. Read more