It may or not be clear from my recent posts that we have been cruising on the Royal Caribbean vessel “The Jewel of the Seas”. This is the fourth fly/cruise holiday we have be able to take. All of the prior ones have been both excellent value for money and extremely enjoyable.
She has been designed to be the largest vessel that can actually pass through the Panama Canal both in terms of length and width.
You can find out more about this ship and its facilities by following the next link.
She is powered by two propulsion pods which are more like airplane propellors in that the screws actually face forward and the pods can be turned from side to side to steer the ship. These pods are actually powered by electricity which is generated by gas turbines. This makes the ship very smooth and vibration free – the contrast with other ships we have sailed in was remarkable in this respect. She is also equipped with stabilisers which can be deployed when needed. We had one day with rough seas and it was clear to feel the difference the stabilisers made.
One amazing feature was the two full size snooker tables which were self-levelling and I can assert that even when the ship did roll it was possible to play a game. The self -levelling surfaces are able to react to ship movements at the speed of light so that the balls actually remain still unless brought into play by the players.
Of course all this technical wizardry does not alone make for a good holiday experience – it was evident to me that the crew was very well motivated to provide the highest possible quality experience for the passengers. This was evident to me at all levels that I experienced. So I raise my hat to every one of the 800+ crew who collectively contributed to what for us was a very enjoyable week on-board.
Even the Captain was very visible around the ship – I don’t recall seeing the senior staff with such regularity during our other cruses so I think this is testimony to their priorities and regard for the passengers.