Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas (photos and guide)

I believe I have discovered yet another Royal Caribbean. There is, of course, the vacation experience offered on the giant mega-cruise ships that the line has become particularly noted for. On those ships, there is a vast variety of amenities and features as well as almost non-stop entertainment. Then, as I wrote about last month, there are the relatively smaller ships such as Grandeur of the Seas. They do not have all the features of the bigger ships but, at least on Grandeur, the crew really knock themselves out to ensure that the passengers have a good vacation. Both the large ships and the smaller ships have a Royal Caribbean flavor but they are much different vacation experiences.

What is surprising is that there is yet another type of vacation experience under the RCI Crown and Anchor emblem. Jewel of the Seas is one of four Radiance class ships built for Royal Caribbean in Pappenberg, Germany. Most of RCIs ships were built in Finland and they are very good quality ships but the craftsmanship on he Radiance class ships is impressive. This is true not only in the ship’s interior but also extends to her hydrodynamic hull and advanced propulsions system. She can move along at more than 25 knots, which is quite fast for a cruise ship.

At 90,000 gross tons they are larger than the Vision class but also significantly smaller than the line’s giant ships such as Voyager of the Seas. It would be wrong, however, to think of Jewel as a mini-Voyager class ship or as a large Vision class ship.

What makes the Jewel experience unique is the refinement of the product. Yes, she has the trademark Viking Crown Lounge and rock climbing wall. However, she also has a beautiful covered pool area, touches of marble and wooden inlays. Moreover, even though she is larger than the largest Vision-class ship, Enchantment of the Seas, she carries fewer passengers. This means more space per passenger.

Jewel is a quieter, more cosmopolitan Royal Caribbean. In some ways, she is reminiscent of the style of Royal Caribbean’s sister company Celebrity Cruises. Indeed, Celebrity’s Solstice class is derived from the Radiance class. Still, her style is distinctly her own.

The Beyondships Jewel of the Seas profile page with copies of menus and daily programs from the ship is at http://beyondships.com/RCI-JOS-Profile.html The comprehensive photo tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/RCI-JOS-Tour-1.html


Next week, Captain James MacDonald and Hotel Director Robert Taggart will add some inside views on Jewel of the Seas.