First Time Did Not Disapoint.
First time did not disapoint. |
2 of 2 people found this review informative
|
| |
|
Reviewed By: McMillan, Featherstone, Wolverhampton on 2nd Sep 2010
|
| Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Times cruised before: 0 |
| Cruise Ship: Jewel of the Seas |
Sailed:
July,
2010 |
| Destination:
Scandinavia
|
Age: 46-55 |
| Cabin: Balcony |
Occasion: Family holiday |
|
|
This was our first cruise and we were very excited about it. We had choosen it on recomendation from some friends of ours and it did not disapoint. We ate at both of the speciality restaurants (chops grill and Portofinos) which we had pre-booked on line before sailing. We had excellent service and food in both and would definately eat there again. We ate in the main dining room(Tides) on 8 of the 12 nights. Our waiters (Denis and Ann) were very attentive and helpful. We were on a table of 10 with 3 other families who again were fab. We counldn't have asked for better dining companions. The layout of the ship was fantastic especially the central atrium we spent many a moment just looking out over one of the many overhanging balconies either people watching or even on one evening we were dancing to YMCA with a family across the atrium on the opposite balcony. The cleanliness of the ship was excellent, the staff were very insistent on you using the anti-bacterial hand wash everywhere; which we did. We found our cabin which was a balcony one on the 7th floor to be a little tight on space but this was probably down to the fact that there were 3 grown adults in it and 3 very large samsonite suitcases which wouldn't fit anywhere other than standing up at the foot of the bed. The only thing that we were unsure about was the fact that we didn't get a towel animal every night. We seemed to get them every couple of nights. It had no effect on our holiday what so ever we just found it strange that there seemed to be no pattern for when we would find one on our bed. The entertainment was very good. We went to the theatre most nights after our evening meal, once the show had finished we would then go to the Scooner bar or the Safari club and par take in a cocktail or two. We went to the night club on two occasions and spent some time in the central atrium listening to the guitar player. We attended two of the three midnight buffets which were fabulous. The work and effort that the staff put into them and everything else on board is amazing and it was always done with a smile and manners. We had pre booked all of our tours before we left home over the internet. They were all very well organized and very informative. We enjoyed our cruise so much that we are now planning our next one which is proving very difficult as we had such a fabulous time on board a wonderful ship with a perfect itinery(enough at sea days in-between to rest and enjoy the ship)that we are using this one as a bench mark for the next.
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| The quality of the food was typicaly 3*+ as opposed to 5*. We found the food in the main dinning room to be average to good. In Chops Grille it was 4*+ to outstanding, and the same at Portofinos. In the Windjammer Cafe we found the food to be your typical buffet food. There was something for everyone. | | Entertainment | |
| The shows that we saw ranged from acrobats to West End-style shows, and we enjoyed them all. There was entertainment wherever you were of an evening but none of it was obtrusive; it was there if you wanted to sit and enjoy it and, if not, there were always quiet areas. | | Shore Excursions | |
| The best excursion we went on was the 'Pushkin, City Highlights & Kazan Cathedral' tour around St Petersburg. It lasted 10 hours but didn't seem that long. The Tour Guide was extremely knowledgeable and was willing and able to answer any questions in a friendly manner. We were treated to a typical four course Russian meal with champagne and vodka in a summer house set in the grounds of St Catherine's Palace. We didn't have a least favourite as all of the excursions met our needs. | | Staff | |
| The member of staff that impressed us the most would have to be our table waiter (Denis) in the main dining room. He asked our names on the first night and remembered them every time he saw us. We were lucky enough to be invited to a tour of the kitchens on the last day at sea, and as we were walking through them listening to the Head Chef we heard some one calling out our names. When we looked around it was Denis; our waiter, who had seen us and called out. When you think about how many people are on these ships and how often the turnover takes place they are amazing to keep remembering so many different people's names. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Not being ones for activities we made use of the on board facilities on our days at sea. We used the Solarium (adults only pool) many times, we had a game of miniture golf, we attended one of the art auctions; not to buy anything but for the experience, we went to the midnight buffets and saw the ice sculpting. | | Cabins | |
| Our cabin more than met our expectations. Initially, we were a little disappointed that our 18 year old son had to sleep in a trundle bed as opposed to a sofa bed but that was more of an over sight on our part as we didn't check this out at the time of booking. | | Overall Rating |  |
|
Receive a FREE copy
of Fodor's
Complete
Guide to
European
Cruises
|
.jpg_thumb.jpg "Santorini sunset")
Previous Cruise Reviews
