Royal Caribbean
Jewel of the Seas
Eastern Caribbean
George Wilson
Age: 63
Occupation: retired
Number of Cruises: 2
Sailing Date: September 22nd, 2005
Getting on the ship was a breeze, everyone was very helpful and our
stateroom was ready for us. Our luggage arrived in an acceptable period
of time. Our cabin steward was personable and helpful throughout the
cruise.
We had to circumvent our first port (Bermuda) due to weather conditions
but, our captain explained everything that was going on and made
arrangements to stop at an additional port due to this inconvenience. We
would probably stay on board, next cruise, at the San Yuan port. It's
nothing like St Maarten or St Thomas which we had thoroughly enjoyed.
We'd rather stay longer in one of those ports and skip San Yuan. There
was plenty of great food with many varieties so you didn't seem like you
were eating the same types of food over and over. The dining room
personnel couldn't do enough for you and all had great personalities.
The staff throughout the ship fell into that category as well. There was
a notice on our beds each evening that laid out the itinerary for the
next day with times and locations of each activity that was available.
There were plenty of "excursions" available from which to choose and
they were well described as to what they entailed. Getting on and off
the ship was quick and easy, also. On the way back to home port, the
captain made arrangements to stop at Bermuda which we had had to pass by
on the way South. Caribbean Cruises/Captain went out of their way to
accommodate this Cruise. The entertainment on board was great with many
varieties from which to choose. The shows (sans one) were outstanding
and it was obvious the cast put a lot of work into their productions.
The only real disappointment or complaint was the smoking situations. We
were not able to go into the casino due to the smoking or sit around bar
areas for the same reason. We had booked a stateroom with a balcony but
due to a chain smoker next door (up wind) we weren't able to enjoy this
feature as much as anticipated. Hotels, etc. have smoke free floors and
the Cruise Line should do the same. Maybe smoke-free days/evenings in
the casino and bars would make for a more enjoyable cruise for more
people.
All in all, we would not hesitate to recommend Caribbean Cruise Lines
and will plan our next cruise with them.