Turnaround Day
June 30, 2025
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
After 26 cruises... It's time for a BACK TO BACK!
Cruise #27 STARTS NOW!
Morning
Our alarm woke us up at 6:45AM and we got ready for the day as this would be a day we have never experienced. We decided to eat in the Main Dining Room for breakfast and the service was quick and painless. After breakfast, as the rest of the passengers were getting off the ship, we went back to our stateroom to get our passports so we could make the turnaround for the back to back cruisers.
Hello Monday and day #1 of Cruise #2.
MDR Breakfast Burrito- 2.5
The sausage was super weird and dry
We were scheduled to meet in the Main Dining Room on Deck 5 at 9AM but it was still early so we grabbed a coffee at Café Latitudes and then went exploring various cabins on the ship. We were able to see standard balcony cabins, junior suites and even the presidential "Vivaldi" suite on Deck 10.
At 9AM we made our way to the MDR to sit with the other 34 Back to Back cruisers. We were supposed to have a special B2B lunch in the Main Dining Room but "due to the number of back to back cruisers" we cannot accommodate the meal this time. I was pretty frustrated about this as obviously, Royal Caribbean knew how many of us would be continuous cruisers and could have left this lunch announcement out of the letter they sent us and I would not have known it was a thing. But, we got over it and moved on.
Around 9:15AM an officer came to walk us off the ship. The ship had to get a "Zero Count" of all passengers so we walked off the ship into the terminal at Ft. Lauderdale so the Coast Guard could complete their assessment and ensure the "Zero Count". We waited in the Port Everglades terminal for about 10 minutes and then we went into the customs area to get checked back into the next cruise. They gave us new cards and we were even able to see the Captain who was waiting with his wife in the terminal. We were scanned back into the Jewel of the Seas at 9:43AM and they never even looked at our passports.
Waiting in the Port Everglades terminal to get back on the ship!
Back on the Jewel of the Seas for Cruise #27
Our Jewel of the Seas Turnaround experience!
We then made our way back to the Centrum to watch the crew "flip" the ship. This calm before the storm was just incredible to watch. The crew did all kinds of cleaning including the floors, bars, elevators, stair rails and so much more. We even saw a crew member go around with some sort of disinfecting spray all over the Centrum area. Unfortunately, Café Latitudes was not open during this time but we did not let that bother us.
Around 10:30AM the suite guests started arriving on board and the ship almost immediately came to life. It was so special to watch and made me have a new appreciation for the crew members. We walked around and sent a few videos to the kids before going to the Windjammer for lunch.
Jewel of the Seas may not have been my favorite but a day on a cruise is ALWAYS better than NOT being on a cruise!
Afternoon
We were able to eat lunch in the Windjammer before the major crowds arrived and despite it not being my favorite of any cruise, the buffet was not absolutely terrible and since it was early we were able to find seats without any issues. After lunch we went to Schooner Bar and checked emails and texts before Chris went and took a nap in the stateroom.
I opted to read a book in the Safari Lounge before going back to Schooner Bar for Afternoon Trivia. Chris and I met up for this trivia and we were able to win this general knowledge trivia and this would be the THIRD trivia win of the cruise. We sat at Schooner Bar for the majority of the afternoon before going to Vortex Lounge. We noticed this 4 day cruise had a LOT more kids and less "drinking" from the adults. In fact the 2 cruises could not have been more different. 3 Day= Booze Cruise and 4 Day= Family Cruise. The amount of kids was some what shocking as this ship literally had NOTHING to offer for kids and teenagers but with only 2,100 passengers on board, over 900 were under 18.
Our sail away from Ft. Lauderdale was delayed so we opted to go to the outside area of Deck 5 to enjoy the weather and hope to watch sail away form there. The Jewel of the Seas set sail for Nassau nearly 2 hours late at 5:40PM but the sail away was beautiful. We were able to see Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach from the ship and the waters were calm and peaceful.
It's FINALLY time for Sail Away... Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale!
Ft. Lauderdale hotel district and beach area as we sailed away!
Disney Dream sailing towards Castaway Cay (their private island).
Evening
After sail away we went to Vintages on Deck 5 and then Schooner Bar for 80s Trivia but we did not win this one and once again, the vibe was more family friendly than the previous 3 day cruise. We decided to play our traditional Mini Golf contest on Deck 13 since the weather was not too hot and we assumed it would not be too crowded this early in the cruise. We did have to wait a bit but we were able to play all 9 holes and believe it or not, I actually WON. I have been on a 13 cruise LOSING streak so this felt pretty good.
Winner Winner... I am FINALLY the Winner!
He swears he didn't "let me win" so I will take it!
After golf we went to the Centrum to listen to the live music and enjoy coffee and snacks from Café Latitudes. This band was really good for a smaller ship and really enjoyed listening to them all week. We then got ready for our late dinner at 8:30PM in the Main Dining Room.
The MDR dinner service was not near as good as the Anthem of the Seas and made us question the theory of "Smaller ships provide better service". While our service in the MDR for the 4 day cruise was good, it was also forgettable and did not stand out as exceptional service like the Anthem did. Our wait staff worked hard and was overloaded each night it seemed. The most disappointing part of the MDR experience was the actual food. It has been a long time since I have been disappointed in the Royal Caribbean food but this 4 day cruise in the MDR was lacking quite a bit. AND, we had just sailed on Anthem of the Seas with the same menu so we were very disappointed.
The Welcome Aboard Menu
Crab cake- 4.0
Tomato Soup- 3.0
Lacking in flavor and thickness... I was immediately disappointed!
Spaghetti Bolognese- 1.5
Wow... This was truly awful. I couldn't even finish it!
We were able to get out of the MDR before 10PM and make it to the comedy show in the Coral Theater. The comedian was the same from the previous cruise and we weren't even surprised that the show as the exact same- jokes and all. We left the show early and went to the Pit-Stop for late night drinks before going to bed around 11PM.
It was a very unique and some what odd day spent onboard the Jewel of the Seas. I am not sure if I like my traditional day 4 (that is usually spent at sea or port) being interrupted with the turnaround but it was definitely an experience! Now it's time to enjoy cruise #2 of our Back to Back adventure!
It wasn't a typical DAY 4... But memories were made!
Up Next... Sea Day 2 on the Jewel of the Seas!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
