Radiance Class / 2700 Passengers / Maiden Voyage: 2004 / Revitalized in 2021 / Ports:  Ft. Lauderdale, Nassau, Coco Cay

Back to Back to Back

• A FIRST for us; we took consecutive cruises of 3, 4 and 3 days, leaving from Pt. Canaveral and returning 3x.
• After the 1st and 2nd trips, we followed a smooth process to leave our cabin, gather as a group of about 50, receive distribution of our subsequent sea pass, walk off the ship, pass through the immigration station, smile into the camera, and walk back onto the ship and to our next cabin.
• The entire process took an hour each time.  Luggage arrived in our new stateroom within 75 minutes of our departure from the previous cabin.
• At the second cabin, our stateroom attendant had already been informed of our special needs (See below), including towels, ice and preferred cleaning schedule.
• Why different cabins?  The three cruises were booked separately, immediately after receiving awards (“instant credits”) for casino play.  Our lack of planning resulted in otherwise unnecessary, albeit smooth moves.  One nice touch - our stateroom attendant urged us to leave clothes on hangars, which were hung up for us in the new stateroom.

Cabin Plusses and Minuses - location, location, location

• #1146; #9504; #1158 - all Starboard (right side) front
• All three were close to the Fitness gym, elevators and stairs
• Noise was rarely an issue on any of the three; 1st and 3rd had the least passenger traffic
• Two cabins on the 11th deck were very close to the gym and were located on a short hall of only 12 cabins on only one side.  Instead of interior cabins across the hall, the outside wall of the spa was outside our cabin
• The 9th deck cabin had more traffic, but we experienced no issues
• The Windjammer is on the 11th deck, at the back, no stairs or elevators from 2 of the 3 cabins
• The Solarium was very close (2 of 3 times), with morning coffee available less than a 2 minute walk from our door

Crowded?  Kid-friendly?

• With expectations for summer travel, families and 2500 passengers, we found the crowd experience to be “average”
• With the B2B2B experience, our 2nd and 3rd legs totally avoided the usual embarkation process
• Compared to bigger ships (Oasis class and larger) with multiple kid-centric options, the Jewel has moderate space for the younger set.  The number of large families, reunions, and guys/gals trip vibes varied
• (Address kid activities, babysitting??)

Entertainment

• Every ship has something for everyone.  As an older and smaller Radiance Class ship, fewer entertainment options were “must-see.”
• There was a talented comedy juggler who was not as family-friendly as advertised, although some of those jokes must have gone over the heads of the pre-teen set.
• A comedian was very funny, and we checked him out on a second and third time - his sets were repeated on all three legs.  We did not attend his adults-only option, as we often have an earlier bedtime.
• Crazy Quest is presented on the penultimate night of most RC cruises.  We skipped the 3 opportunities on the Jewel (but stayed up late for the event on the Adventure, later in June 2025 - funny per usual, but hard to match the rip-roaring laughter elicited the first time we saw one - a decade ago).
• Music - several very pleasant solo and duo artists, playing piano, violin, and guitar.  Surprisingly, very good available seating in the music venues.
• Miscellaneous - game shows, Silent parties, Name that Tune, Belly Flop competitions, Karaoke, dance classes, onboard movies (a small cinema, and poolside), and more.  (I saw a relatively recent Captain America movie, in the cinema, which looks like it seats about 50.)

Dining (also, see Tips)

• We enjoyed the Main Dining Room (MDR) for most dinners, scheduling the 5:00 seating (in advance).  The food was high quality, sufficiently varied for a 3-4 night cruise, and usually (90%) the correct temperature.
• For 3 consecutive cruises, the selections were repetitive.
• We enjoyed ordering the cheese dessert plate - as an appetizer.  After a couple days, the waiters began delivering this choice before even taking our order.
• Drink orders are a little slow in the MDR.  Patience is in order…or, bring your own.  The price is the same, or free if you have casino drink privileges.
• We enjoyed one specialty dining option - Chops.  We’ve had excellent service and tasty meals here - a few times.  
  • Pro-Tip:  Lunches at specialty restaurants are only available at select restaurants, but you can save big by opting for lunch vs. dinner.  Reserve in advance of your cruise to obtain 20-30% reduced prices; we’ve been paying $20-$23 each (+18% gratuity included), although I have not determined why the prices vary by ship.
• On day one of each cruise leg, we avoided the rush/crush of Windjammer patrons by either a) enjoying pizza in the Solarium, or b) taking advantage of the special MDR luncheon - limited to Back-to-Back cruisers.
• With dinner as our main meal, we varied breakfast and lunch times to mostly avoid the busiest rush.
  • It’s not hard to run into the WJ, grab a bowl of oatmeal and return to your cabin for a quiet meal.
• Check your Ship App for up-to-date venue hours; breakfast or lunch times vary between port and sea days.

Vitality Fitness Center

• Fortunately (for committed exercisers), not everyone hits the gym while aboard.  The gym is open early to late, although I’ve not been there for either.
• Compared to other ships I’ve cruised in 2025, the Jewel was not often crowded.
  • First days aboard bring out the “resolution” folks, i.e., similar to January in your landed gym 
  • Busy-ness can vary, especially on port days, so one strategy is to time your exercise to the least popular times, if you can also alter your port visit times.
• The hardest equipment to access was stationary bikes (too few, and not all were in good repair), and free weights (a common issue on ships, AND at my local fitness center).
• My respectful report to staff regarding the poor condition of spin bikes was met with a shrug.
  • Like all ships I’ve seen, the “good bikes” are saved for fee-paying class participants.

Ports

• On this trip, we made 3 visits to Coco Cay, and 1 visit to Nassau.
• Coco Cay - interesting that you will likely have a sister ship docked next to you (and not far away, you may see another cruise line which tenders its passengers to its own island)
  • You can pay a lot, or nothing - no charge for food; your drink packages are valid/active on the island
  •  Food is cooked aboard the ship and brought out to the island venues
  • There are activities and special beaches with service that are pretty expensive
  • We enjoy a brief frolic in the Oasis Lagoon pool, with a swim-up bar.
    • If the swim-up bar is overly crowded, you can walk around to the land-side of the bar and receive very quick service
• Nassau - only the 4 day leg stopped here
  • RC plans a new Nassau experience in late 2025, maybe similar to Coco Cay
  • We’ve walked around Nassau a few times; it gets a little hectic once you leave the gated RC area
  • Some people swear by the bar experience just off the pier.  We’ll have to try it.  A few blocks away, we checked out a theme bar, but decided not to invest in what seemed to be overpriced libations
  • There is a market FULL of stalls with somewhat aggressive sales people.  There are dozens of stalls, each staffed by an individual, usually selling the same merchandise