Royal Caribbean - Jewel of the Seas

 

“Dance with the waves, move with the seas. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.”

Christy Ann Martine

We were lucky enough to book back to back cruises of this fine ship to New England and Canada and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice. We heard many people say what a great ship it was and we found out first hand, that is was a wonderful ship.

Building of the Jewel

This ship is a Radiance class cruise ship that was built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and was started in 2002 and completed in 2004. It is 962’ long and has 12 decks. This lovely ship can carry 2,702 passengers and 852 crew members. It had a major renovation in 2016 costing Royal Caribbean 20 million dollars. It may be one of the smaller ships in their fleet but this ship has so much to offer. 

New York City on a rainy, foggy day.

911 Tear Drop Monument - gift from Russia

We drove up to Bayonne, New Jersey from Joe’s moms house in Paulsboro, New Jersey (an hour and forty minute drive) and parked in the parking garage right at Cape Liberty’s Cruise Port. That is very convenient but extremely costly. They charge $30 a day parking so for a longer trip like what we were doing, it was very expensive. My advice would be to get dropped off at the cruise port or either rent a car and leave it at the Newark Airport or just fly in. If you choose to drive, drop the car off at the car rental place at the airport and take a shuttle or Uber to the cruise port which is only about 15 miles away. At one time, they had cheaper parking just outside the cruise port, but they are now gone leaving not many choices for parking in the area.

Before going inside the terminal and getting the boarding process started, I met a lovely lady who had just gotten off the Jewel of the Seas and was giddy and thrilled with her trip.  She gave us the in’s and out’s of the ship and places we were going to be visiting. That was great to hear and made us even more excited about our trip.  The boarding process was a breeze. Since we were doing back to back cruises, we carried with us two 12 packs of soda and four bottles of wine. Going through security, they took one 12 pack of soda and two bottles of wine that would be delivered to our stateroom once we started the second cruise. You are only allowed one twelve pack per stateroom and one 7.5 liter bottle of wine a person. No alcohol can be carried on except wine or champagne. After that, they checked us in and we were able to board the ship. All in all, it only took about 15 minutes and we were able to board the ship.

Schooner Bar

Our first stop was the Schooner Bar to get a welcome aboard drink and relaxed before going up to lunch. Then we went to the Windjammer for a quick lunch before we were allowed to our room. This area of the ship was very crowded and it was difficult finding a table. We finally did and ended up sharing it with a nice couple from Quebec. Had the weather been better, there was outside seating at the back of the Windjammer and that would have been lovely. When the announcement came over the loud speaker, we headed to our room to get settled in and get rid of our carry on luggage. Later, the rest of our luggage was delivered and we got all unpacked.

Long Hallway to staterooms

Our inside Cabin

Towel animals

Now to explore the boat. Deck two and three were just state rooms. On the first leg of our cruise we were on deck three in an inside room. Our room was a good size with a king size bed and a sofa and refrigerator, so we were happy. On the second cruise we got moved up to the fourth floor. That was also an inside room and was nice. We couldn’t feel the movement of the ship on either level and both of our room stewards were wonderful. We really enjoyed getting the different towel animals every night made by our room steward. 

Coral Theatre

Centrum

Flag Parade of Nations

Halloween Costume Parade

Halloween  Balloon Drop

Halloween Decorations

On the fourth floor were more rooms. The Coral Theatre was on that level and I must say, the shows were fabulous with dazzling outfits and very high energy with great dancing, singing, and music. There also were also comedians, singers, and jugglers. On the same floor was the Centrum where they had bands, game shows, the egg drop contest, paper air plane contest, and corn hole contest as well as fitness classes. Since we were on board over Halloween, they did a Halloween costume contest and a balloon drop and had the ship decorated all up for the holiday. There was also a bar right there. The Guest Services and Shore Excursions desk were off to one side of the Centrum. The first floor of the Tide Dining room was at one end of the ship which was nice for us when our stateroom was on the same floor. We were super impressed by the food and service we were given on this ship. We got to know the people eating at the tables around us and by the end of the cruise we were fast friends. 

Egg Drop

The egg drop is a fun contest where you can use certain items found on the cruise ship to make a protective covering for a raw egg so you can drop it off a balcony 6 floors up and try not break the egg. We watched it on the first cruise but then Joe wanted to try on the second cruise. He made a good set up with a parachute and water bottle and his egg sailed down easily and made it with no cracks.

Art Gallery

Main Dining Room

Main Dining Room

Coral Theatre

Deck five has another level of the Coral Theatre and Tide Dining Room. The art gallery, photo gallery, and conference center were there. The Shops of the Centrum where on that level where they had liquor tasting every night. That way you could see if you wanted to purchase that special drink duty free for yourself or someone else and take it home with you at the end of the trip. They had some great deals at the liquor store. My advice for the other stores is most of items are not worth purchasing onboard but if you want to buy something special from one of the stores, wait till near the end of the cruise when the item may go on sale. Sometimes the staff will let you know if it will go on sale so just ask them. Cafe Latte-Tudes was situated near the shops and they sold specialty coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Beware that Cafe Latte-Tudes is a pay venue but you can buy a discount card for so many drinks to save you a little money. Next cruise is on that level too. While on the ship, we were told about a trans-Atlantic cruise that many people were signing up for and we decided to go and went and signed up at the Next Cruise Office. They were very professional and helpful.

Casino

The Pit Stop - Sports Bar

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The Cinema

Safari Lounge

Island Vibz

The Jewel's outstanding Orchestra

Safari Lounge

The Game Reserve

Schooner Bar and Lounge

Schooner Bar

Deck six was the highest level of the Coral Theatre, and just outside of the theatre was a small cinema which played movies throughout the voyage. We went and saw the movie Momma Mia which was fun to see with a crowd. The Casino Royale, always hoping when out to sea, The Pit Stop where you could watch sporting events, Schooner Bar, Vintages, where you can get a nice glass of wine, Giovanni’s Table and Chop’s Grill (both paid restaurants), The Game Reserve where there were two pool tables and a library with many books to choose from, and the Safari Lounge and Congo Bar. We ate at Chops one night and the food was fantastic. The paid restaurants offer a slower relaxing pace for a meal. There was always a lot happening on this level. Schooner bar and a great piano player/singer and sometimes guitar player or trivia games and the Safari Lounge had a two great musicians that we loved to listen to especially Island Vibz with Curtis and Curtis. Also the Jewel of the Seas Orchestra was incredible. They were all so talented and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Decks 7 through 10 are just rooms.

The Windjammer

Halloween display at the Windjammer

Outside seating at the Windjammer

The Solarium

Deck 11 is where the Windjammer was located and this ship offered outside seating. That was lovely yet our cruise was a little cold so we couldn’t take advantage of that. The food was fantastic. It made it hard going to the Main Dining Room when they offered so many great food choices. The Vitality Spa was there along with some rooms, the main pool and hot tubs and the Solarium Pool, which is an adults only pool are all located on Deck 11. 

A surprise snow storm.  How fun.

Joe and I right before getting in the hot tub.

Snow on the roof of the Solarium

Joe enjoying the snow in his bare feet.

On November 1st, during our second cruise, we awoke to a nice surprise.  It had snowed the night before which was a surprise to us all.  All the lounge chairs and pool deck covered with snow. That was so amazing. It was great seeing all the crew members come out to see snow for the first time. It was so much fun watching them all play in the white magic. Many made snow balls, snow men, tasted the snow, and even made snow angels. Snow is something you would never expect to see on the pool deck of a cruise ship. It was fun going to the Solariums heated pool and looking up at the glass cover over the pool with snow on it.

Video Arcade

Kids Club

Baby and Tots Club

Sports Deck

Near the Loyalty Desk

Fitness Center

  

Curtis from band, Island Vibz and his contagious smile,

Rock Climbing Wall

Adventure Beach with Water Slides

Deck 12 - That is where another level of the Vitality Spa and the Fitness Center was located. There was a running track, Sports Court, Adventure Beach with water slides, Sports deck, Izumi, a paid restaurant, and Fuel Teen Disco, Video Arcade, Adventure Ocean a kids club, and the Loyalty Desk. Since this was a fall cruise to New England and Canada, it was pretty chilly so the running track and other outside activities were not being used very much.

Miniature Golf

Cup Cake Decorating Class

Crown Lounge

Joe relaxing in the Crown Lounge

Diamond Club

Vortex Night Club 

Deck 13 was one of our favorites. The is where the Viking Crown Lounge is located which has loads of windows with great views. Also there is the Diamond Club, Concierge Club, Rock Climbing wall, and Fairways of the Jewel which is a small miniature golf course. The Vortex Nightclub has a revolving bar and lit up floor. That was fun just revolving around the bartender while sipping a cold drink. That was a pretty neat place to go and the bartender was so nice.

These beautiful birds were on guard duty.

Since we were doing back to back cruises, Royal made it very easy for us to disembark and embark again. All the back to back cruisers met up in one place and we went through customs together, got our new card and turned in the old card. Our luggage had to be packed but was delivered to our next room. Some were lucky to get the same room for both cruises but it wasn’t bad changing rooms as we got a better room on cruise two. After doing that, we were able to get off the ship with our new card and see the area. Royal also offered us a very special lunch in the main dining room for only the back to back cruisers. It was great.

We loved this ship. It was nice as it was a smaller ship so you got to see some of the same people more often. The ship itself was in great shape, spotless, and beautiful. We loved the art work throughout the ship. The staff was fantastic. They were so amazing doing everything they could to make our vacation special. The crew had great attitudes and walked around with smiles on their face. The entertainment was very good and we enjoyed the shows and the music onboard. We had a fantastic vacation because of the Royal Caribbean crew. Thank you.

A beautiful ending to another fantastic cruise.  

Till next time.  As the sunsets, bye for now.