Jewel of the Seas is a beautifully maintained Radiance Class ship that transports passengers back to the traditional cruise experience. Views can be enjoyed around the ship due to all the large windows and glass elevators. It is a smaller ship, but the entertainment staff makes sure there are tons of activities to choose from. Some of my favorites were trivia, game shows, and dancing. There were also different shows each evening, from comedians to magicians, even an Elton John impersonator who was incredible. There was always lots to do, but also a laid-back atmosphere to rest and relax.

I tried something new on this cruise by choosing a guaranteed ocean view cabin. This means for a lower price; the cruise line randomly assigns a cabin in the category you chose or higher. This is a great option if you are not prone to motion sickness and don’t care if you may be in an area with more traffic or noise. Our cabin was assigned approximately 4 weeks before sailing. We were placed on deck 3 mid-ship with a large porthole window. The location was wonderful, and we would definitely try this option again in the future!

The Windjammer Buffet and Main Dining room were the major complementary food options. Most of the food was very good. Only a few dishes left us disappointed. We also ate at each of the specialty restaurants onboard. Chops is always my favorite. We ate there for lunch on a sea day as well as their special “Love at First Bite” on Valentine’s evening. This included champagne, filet and lobster, and a special dessert. The lunch we had at Giovanni’s was good. The Izumi was the best we ate at on all of the RC ships we have sailed on!

There was some rearranging of our itinerary once the cruise started. Our first port was scheduled to be Progresso, Mexico. Due to high winds, the captain felt it was unsafe, so we had an additional sea day. All passengers did receive a refund for the taxes and port fees for Progresso. Our next stop was Cozumel. We were able to go according to plan. The next day we were scheduled to be in Costa Maya, Mexico. They had rain the day before which left water sloshing over the pier, so the captain detoured to Roatan, Honduras and then docked at Costa Maya the following day. All shore excursions pre-purchased through Royal Caribbean were automatically shifted to the new date.  Our last port was George Town, Grand Cayman. We enjoyed all our time in the destinations even though we have been there many times.

I am the type of person that can have a great time anywhere and it wasn’t hard to do on Jewel! Some pros of the smaller ships include the ease of getting around the ship, not having to schedule your entertainment onboard (you just show up), and not having to arrive 1 ½- 2 hours before certain activities just to find a seat. It was easy to relax. There was also no fighting or waking up super early to score a chair by the pool. The smaller ship allowed us to make friends easier. We met so many fabulous people!

Some of the cons of the ship were a lack of variety of venues and restaurants. I also missed the Broadway production shows that are offered on the larger ships.

The staff was friendly and attentive. They truly made our voyage incredible.

We had an issue with our arrival transfers from the airport to the ship. There was a lack of communication on what was going on. Apparently, there was only 1 shuttle running that day. The problem was that we were escorted onto our bus and left sitting for nearly 2 hours without any updates. Royal did resolve it though by giving us a bottle of wine to enjoy onboard and refunding our arrival transfer. I would try it again to see if it was a better experience. The departure transfer was great.

For a peak into the old school cruising experience and a relaxing vacation, I would not hesitate to recommend Jewel of the Seas!