If you are considering cruising, you don’t need to limit yourself to just the “Mega Ships.” The smaller ships in the fleet have charm by the ton. One of those ships is Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. Check some cruise review sites like the very popular Cruise Critic, and you will see that Jewel of the Seas is one of the most loved ships sailing for Royal Caribbean. There are so many reasons to love Jewel of the Seas.
Jewel of the Seas debut in 2004 as the final member of Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class and can host approximately 2100+ guests. It received a little makeover in 2016 but still kept her classic charm.
This week I’ll share my 5 Reasons to love Jewel of the Seas.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you may already know I LOVE Allure of the Seas. We love it, and I was confident that my heart lies with the Mega ships.
However, on our sailing on Jewel of the Seas to the Southern Caribbean, I was reminded of the pure charm a smaller ship offers. To me, Jewel of the Seas was a throwback to classic cruising. The days before flow riders and aqua theatres and for you NCL fans out there…go-carts at sea!
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Reasons to love Jewel of the Seas – Easy to Navigate
Due to the smaller size, it is so easy to get your bearings and navigate this ship. By the time our heads hit the pillow on night one we knew how to find our way to our favorite bar, The Schooner Bar (great for evening trivia), the specialty dining area, the auditorium, and where to get my morning latte.
Tip: If you enjoy specialty coffee but do not want to purchase the deluxe beverage package, pick up the cafe card for $31. It’s a shareable punch card that gives you up to 15 specialty coffees. Great deal!
The mega ships have a lot to offer, but they can be so big that they are overwhelming. If you are traveling with a group and want to stay easily connected, a smaller ship may be for you. And, don’t let the size fool you. There is still plenty to do onboard. The quantity of onboard venues is, of course, less than on the mega ships but the quality is all there.
We enjoyed the Pit Stop Sports Bar, which had plenty of seating and several screens displaying the top sporting events. Being from K.C. we happily watched our Chiefs and were thrilled to catch the weekly game. We won!
Stay classy, Jewel of the Seas
While Royal Caribbean isn’t known for being the #1 party cruise line (I’m looking at you Carnival!). They can undoubtedly entertain a party crowd, especially during school breaks and on shorter sailings.
Howerver, the Radiance class of ships does offer a more classic and mellow cruising vibe. That’s not to say that they don’t have a killer sailaway party. There aren’t as many late night activities and loud and free-spirited guests, typically on these smaller ships. Plus, there are so many unique features onboard the Jewel of the Seas such as the self-leveling pool tables in the Safari Club and the intimate indoor theatre.
For those of you who may think I’m knocking Carnival, not at all. I have had my fair share of fun on a few Carnival ships with my favorite being the Carnival Dream. While our family, in general, is pretty loyal to Royal…our daughter is desperate for Guy’s Burgers to find their way onto an RCCL ship.
Reasons to love Jewel of the Seas – Specialty Dining
Typically we are pleased with the Main Dining Room (MDR), but we’ve come to realize that we like it more when we sail with our family. The big group, family dinner is a ton of fun in the MDR. When we cruise just as a couple, we enjoy the more intimate dining venues offered in specialty dining.
We purchased the BOGO dining package so had planned to go to specialty dining our first two nights on board. But, we loved our time at Chops Grill so much and hit it off with our waiter Adnon, that we came back two additional nights!
If you go, you have to try the mushroom soup!
We also thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Giovanni’s table but were so stuffed afterward that we nearly crawled back to our stateroom.
On smaller ships like Jewel of the Seas, the dining staff is serving a lower number of different guests, and we have found it easier to make connections with the staff.
Reasons to love Jewel of the Seas – Itineraries
The mega ships cannot sail into some of the most beautiful ports of call due to port size or capacity. This is especially true in some of the Mediterranean ports and a few Caribbean ones as well.
When we were in Dominica and Grenada, we were the only ship in port! A drastically different experience than a port of call in ports like St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and especially Nassau, when it’s easy to have more than five ships in port at one time.
This doesn’t mean that the smaller class ships can’t sail to the larger ports. We also enjoyed a port day in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The Jewel of the Seas offers the opportunity for both!
Reasons to love Jewel of the Seas – Relationship with the Sea!
Arguably, one of the most talked about reasons to sail on a smaller cruise ship, like Jewel of the Seas, is the connection to the sea. Many have glass elevators with ocean views and outdoor seating areas to take in the sea views.
The outdoor seating in the buffet area was especially lovely. We could sit and enjoy breakfast while sailing into our daily port. I could see that view every day and never get bored.
What is YOUR favorite cruise ship? Leave a comment below.
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