DocLC

To be honest, the only reason I gave them a second chance was price and itinerary. I really wanted to do a Canada/New England cruise again and they were one of two ships doing it in June a couple of years ago out of Boston when we could go. Plus, their revitalization program was intriguing with new comedy clubs, Guy's Burgers, etc. what we really liked were the movies on deck, Guy's Burgers, cabin size, and the comedy club with four different comedians during the week and four shows per night. Their main showroom entertainment and MDR were inferior in my opinion to Royal as is their loyalty program. On their newest ship, I would argue that the buffet is better for lunch as are the additional daytime dining choices, but the WJ is much better for dinner. My wife did feel that Carnival nickel and dimed you a bit more, but it wasn't excessive. I think our onboard spending wasn't much more than that on Royal. NCL is similar, with need to spend more for better dining. Of course, if that's not important to you, then you're saving money.

They don't have any forms of entertainment that require a reservation on the Jewel. They just offer the traditional main showroom and the lounges.

We've den a number of different things in Cozumel. One of our favorites was a cooking class that was all-inclusive and was at a beach club so that you could enjoy the beach activities afterwards.

It really depends on what you want to do and pricing. On our recent Jewel cruise, we mostly, but not entirely, did ship-based excursions as the pricing on what we wanted to do was competitive or because there was no other way to book the excursion. For long and/or late excursions, there is safety with booking through Royal. For instance, in Barbados, our excursion returned right at the all aboard time, so we were the last to board the ship before the Jewel set sail. If we weren't on a ship-sponsored tour, I would have panicked. Check sites like TripAdvisor and you might find some interesting tours. For instance, if we go back to Aruba, I'd book the Trike tour, which is a tour where you drive three wheel motorcycles across the island.

I think the biggest impact MIGHT be on Euopean sailings assuming the dollar continues to strengthen and the Euro and Pound weaken as you might have fewer Europeans cruising. However, these are big ifs and the required cost to travel are greatly reduced for Europeans compared to those of us in North America. The only way it might have an impact domestically would be if enough Europeans stopped cruising out of the US because of the strengthening dollar, which would then force Royal to cut fares. However, given that Royal's Domestic departures largely attract North Americans, I don't see this happening.

I swore to never cruise Carnival again after our honeymoon cruise on them in 1996 as it in no way compared to Royal. However, we recently sailed them and were fairly impressed especially for the money paid. While I think Royal is a superior product, Carnival has improved enough that I wouldn't hesitate sailing on one of their newer ships again.

The rates are definitely going up. Our cruise on the Brilliance is about $1,000 more now than when we booked; it's been as high as $2,500 more with price fluctuations, but never less than what we booked at. Even with the strengthening dollar, Europe is still expensive for Americans with the dollar still below the Euro and Pound, but is getting better. It seems that the gamble is to book early if you're in a country that offers refundable deposits and hope that airfare drops. Fortunately for us, we found a very good airfare; otherwise, we might have cancelled the cruise. If the predictions are true, we may see international airfares drop with less passenger demand coming out of Europe and with lower oil prices. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the Canadian dollar improves, too.

I'd like to see more promotions like Celebrity has run in the past where you could choose between prepaid gratuities, drink packages, etc.

On our January 3rd cruise, the guest entertainers were on the first night as part of the Welcome Aboard show and on the last night, sea day, with production shows in between. I'm guessing, though, that this scheduling may vary with the different itineraries that the Jewel has.

I'll disagree with not needing a car at Disney. We've travelled to WDW 4 times over the holidays using Disney transportation all but the last time. Having our own car was much more convenient than relying on Disney transportation especially if going to the parks around opening or closing and/or park hopping. Plus, Disney doesn't charge for parking for resort guests.

Sorry; I thought you were referring to a car service. Given the proximity of the airport, that would probably be your best bet in terms of options. You'll need to price drop off locations. Sometimes airports are cheaper than in town. It also depends on if you need/want the car while in Orlando.

Smart. It's the best source of advertising any cruise line could hope for in the end.

Yes, you can. They were actually selling it all week in the Windjammer, although I've read previously that it has to be purchased during the first two days of the cruise.

There is a bus that runs from Miami and FLL to Orlando, but to be honest it is probably cheaper and more convenient to rent a car one-way. We did this last year for a Miami-based cruise and it was much cheaper ($100 + tax = $140) than the cost of the bus.

For those contemplating a cruise to Europe this summer, now may be the time to consider going. I just read an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune stating that the US dollar had strengthened over the past year. While this won't likely affect cruise prices, it may make the related costs (e.g., precruise hotels, transportation, etc.) much more affordable. Thus, if you're considering a European cruise on Royal Caribbean, it might be worth putting down a refundable deposit if you live in the U.S. and letting the strength of the dollar and associated airfare costs determine whether you make final payment or not. While the cheapest airfares to Europe from the U.S. seemed to be offered around Thanksgiving for this summer, the article suggests that the weakening Euro and British Pound may force foreign airlines to reduce fares if fewer Europeans book travel this summer. The article can be found at utsandiego.com - Strong dollar make world traveler cheaper for Americans For those of you on the fence, this might be a good opportunity to take advantage of a strengthening dollar.

We did the train as well and did enjoy it, but felt that it offered the lowest value in terms of price compared to some of our other excursions. Fortunately, we had a discount through Royal, which significantly reduced the cost for us. If I had to do it again, I'd probably consider a private taxi tour and do what you stated that you did on the second visit. I heard great things about Nevis, so I can't argue with your logic.

We did Dominica last week on the Jewel; it was awesome. St. Kitts was nice, but wasn't one I'd personally rush back to necessarily.

Perhaps you need to enter from the rear of the Windjammer, then. When we went by just after 9 p.m., the main doors were closed and there were ropes across the sliding glass doors on the side.

Had a great time and it was a great return to RCI after having not sailed the line in quite some time. Weather was great, ports were great, excursions were great, etc. What was most striking, however, was the friendliness of the fellow passengers.

Completely agree, Matt. Everyday last week was pool/beach weather in every port including San Juan. In addition, the nighttime temperatures are quite warm (70-75f), meaning that it's pool weather even at 2 am if you're at a hotel with a 24 hour pool like we were.

I did the Royal Replenish package on the Jewel last week after having enjoyed a similar package on Celebrity. After trying it, I won't likely purchase it again. While I did break even, I felt like I was ordering that extra specialty coffee and/or soda just to make the package worthwhile. In addition, unlike Celebrity, Royal only gives you the small bottles of water rather than the larger, better water (I.e., Evian). Celebrity also gave you cans at the bar so you could take them back to your room unopened to enjoy later and/or with room service. I will say that I did enjoy the Latte-tudes and the Starbucks offerings. I used that much more than the virgin drinks that were included in the package. If the soda tasted better onboard, the package may have been more worthwhile.

We love the freestyle machines locally and were really excited that they had them on the Jewel. However, the flavor of our preferred drinks was off. I could tolerate it, but my wife ended up requesting a refund for her beverage package as a result, which RCI granted.

I think it was my first cruise after the Viking Serenade. Then after sailing Carnival based on a TA's, we quickly retreated back to Royal. After the birth of our son, however, we've floated among various cruise lines primarily because of itineraries and/or pricing. However, we're now back to Royal.

On the Jewel, the soft serve was available most of the day in the rear of the Windjammer, which closed nightly at 9 pm. However, there was a beverage station available even after closing time. Remember that room service is another option especially for coffee and tea by the pot. I can't remember if ice cream was available or not, but there were other dessert options available.

excellent point, Michelle. We had dinner with a couple last week on the Jewel out of San Juan that had this occur. Fortunately, they left Montreal several days in advance as they ended up stranded in New York on the way down. Had they flown day of or even the day before, they would have likely missed the ship. We toured with another couple last year who had to change airlines at the last minute out of DC to make the cruise; unfortunately, their luggage didn't make it as a result so they spent time in every port buying necessities and ended up with a lot of souvenir clothing.