When booking a cruise, one of the biggest decisions is usually choosing which ship you want to sail on. Different cruise ships can provide drastically different vacation experiences. Newer vessels often feel like floating resorts packed with dining, entertainment, and attractions, while older ships tend to offer a smaller and more traditional approach to cruising.
Because of this, I normally spend a lot of time researching ships before booking a cruise. However, for my recent Iceland cruise, I threw caution to the wind and didn’t care what ship we booked.
My husband and I had wanted to visit Iceland for years, and finding the right itinerary was our top priority. As someone who loves European cruises, visiting Iceland had been near the top of my bucket list for a long time. We also needed to travel in June to fit our work schedules, which narrowed down our options considerably.
When we started comparing options, we quickly realized that sailing to Iceland wasn’t going to be cheap. While several cruise lines offered appealing itineraries, the prices varied dramatically depending on the ship.
Ultimately, we booked Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas, a ship that first entered service in 2004. As one of the oldest and smallest ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, Jewel of the Seas is often overlooked compared to the cruise line’s snazzy new vessels. At the time, I wasn’t concerned about sailing on an older vessel, as I was focused on finally visiting Iceland.
Unfortunately, after spending nearly two weeks onboard, I decided that booking a cruise without caring about the ship was the wrong choice.
Why I chose Royal Caribbean compared to Celebrity or Norwegian
When we started looking at cruises, we found options with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. All three cruise lines offered Iceland itineraries during the timeframe we were considering, but the pricing was very different.
My dream option was actually aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer vessel, Norwegian Prima. The itinerary sailed from Iceland to London with stops in Norway, Amsterdam, and Belgium. It checked every box and would have allowed us to sail on one of Norwegian’s newest ships. Unfortunately, the price was nearly $7,000 for an inside guarantee cabin.
Celebrity Cruises also offered a similar 12-night sailing aboard Celebrity Apex, one of the cruise line’s newer Edge-class ships. That cruise was priced around $6,500 for an inside guarantee cabin. Compared to Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises would have been a more premium experience with more upscale dining, newer cabins, and luxurious amenities.
As much as I wanted to sail on one of those newer ships, I couldn’t justify spending that much money. We still needed to budget for flights to Europe, hotels, excursions, and everything else that comes with an international vacation.
The option that fit our budget much better was Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. At roughly $2,700 for an inside guarantee cabin, the sailing cost less than half the price of the alternatives we were considering.
This cruise also departed from Amsterdam, which was already a city we wanted to visit, and included $200 in onboard credit. Since we have loyalty status with Royal Caribbean, we would also receive our daily drink vouchers and other onboard perks.
When everything was considered, Jewel of the Seas was the winner. The truth is, we didn’t care very much about the ship, as we booked the cruise almost entirely because of the itinerary. Visiting Iceland was the priority, and Jewel of the Seas happened to be the ship that would get us there without blowing the budget.
As the sailing approached, we were even able to upgrade to a balcony guarantee for only $300 more. Considering the scenery we expected to encounter in Iceland, this felt like money well spent.
Jewel of the Seas is drastically different than Royal Caribbean’s newer ships
Although Royal Caribbean is known for building some of the most innovative ships in the world, the company still operates several smaller vessels that were built long before waterslides, surf simulators, and sprawling entertainment districts became standard.
Jewel of the Seas definitely falls into that category. Built in 2004, Jewel of the Seas is one of the oldest ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. The ship carries roughly 2,500 passengers and is part of the Radiance Class, which is now among the cruise line’s oldest classes of ships.
Compared to newer ships like Icon of the Seas, which can carry more than 7,000 passengers, Jewel of the Seas feels tiny.
You won’t find waterslides, zip lines, neighborhoods, or major onboard thrills. Instead, Radiance-class ships focus on ocean views, relaxation, and a more traditional cruise experience.
None of that bothered me when booking. In fact, I actually enjoy smaller ships and have sailed on many of Royal Caribbean’s Radiance class vessels before. Since this itinerary was focused almost entirely on Iceland, I figured the ship itself wouldn’t matter much. Looking back, that was probably my biggest mistake.
The ship felt older than I expected
Sailing on an older ship doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have a bad experience. Some cruise lines do an excellent job keeping their older vessels feeling fresh and updated. Because of that, I thought my expectations were realistic heading into this cruise.
However, once onboard, the ship felt more worn than I expected.
My husband and I both agreed that Jewel of the Seas seemed overdue for some attention. It quickly became apparent that Royal Caribbean has not invested much into refreshing the ship in recent years.
One of the first things I noticed was a shattered window overlooking the outdoor walking track near the coffee shop. I have sailed on more than 50 cruises and had never seen anything like that before. It seemed like the kind of thing that would be a high-priority maintenance item, but it remained untouched throughout our sailing.
This was just one example. Throughout the ship, there were signs of wear that made it feel tired compared to other vessels I’ve sailed recently. It wasn’t enough to ruin the vacation, but it was certainly noticeable.
Our balcony cabin was worth every penny
The condition of our balcony stateroom told a similar story.
I never expected a nearly 20-year-old balcony cabin to feel modern, but it looked more worn than I anticipated. The furniture was heavily scuffed, portions of the balcony showed visible rust, and the wooden railing outside looked so weathered that I worried about getting a splinter.
Because we booked a guarantee cabin, we were also assigned a stateroom near the back of the ship with a somewhat obstructed balcony. This is always the gamble when booking a guarantee cabin. Most of the time, you end up with whatever inventory is left over.
Normally, I wouldn’t have cared much about the location. However, the balcony itself ended up being one of the highlights of the cruise.
If we had booked Norwegian Prima or Celebrity Apex, we likely would have remained in an inside cabin because of the significantly higher cruise fare. Instead, we were able to enjoy a balcony cabin while still spending thousands less overall.
Every morning, we would wake up to dramatic Icelandic scenery right outside our room. Some mornings we ordered room service and enjoyed breakfast on the balcony while sailing into port.
Those moments alone made the balcony upgrade worthwhile. Even with the rust and weathered appearance, I wouldn’t change that decision for a second.
Jewel of the Seas’ dining options became my biggest disappointment
Like most people, one of my favorite parts of cruising is the food. Over the last decade, cruise lines have transformed dining into a major part of the onboard experience. New ships feature everything from food halls and specialty restaurants to casual grab-and-go venues and unique dining concepts.
Before sailing, I knew Jewel of the Seas would be more limited than newer ships. However, I didn’t realize was how noticeable that difference would feel over the course of a 12-night cruise.
Outside of the buffet, main dining room, and specialty restaurants, there were very few complimentary dining options.
For example, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., there was only one small café serving complimentary food. The selection consisted primarily of sad-looking sandwiches, a few salads, stale cookies, and a couple desserts. After spending an entire day exploring Iceland, it would have been nice to return to the ship and have more substantial options available.
The buffet was consistently crowded as well, as there weren’t many other options available.
Every morning seemed to involve searching for a table while trying to eat quickly before heading out on an excursion. There was also only one location onboard serving specialty coffee, which resulted in long lines each morning.
Thankfully, we anticipated some of these limitations and booked several of Royal Caribbean’s specialty dining experiences ahead of time, including Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi, and Chef’s Table.
Those meals ended up being some of the highlights of the cruise. In fact, the specialty dining experience reinforced something I already knew about myself: food is a major part of why I enjoy cruising. The limited dining options onboard Jewel of the Seas made me realize how much I value having variety when choosing a ship.
I underestimated how much I’d miss the entertainment
I made a similar mistake when it came to entertainment. Because this itinerary was so port intensive, I assumed I wouldn’t care much about what was happening onboard in the evenings.
After all, we were spending long days ashore and returning to the ship exhausted. However, after sailing on newer ships with Broadway-style productions, ice skating shows, and large-scale entertainment venues, I underestimated how much I would miss those experiences.
Jewel of the Seas follows a more traditional cruise experience by only offering one main production show each evening along with smaller entertainment options throughout the ship. During the entire cruise, we only attended two of the production shows because the others didn’t appeal to us.
Even though Iceland was the focus of the vacation, we still spent 12 nights onboard. The itinerary also included four sea days, which meant there was more downtime than I originally anticipated.
I found myself missing the big, glitzy entertainment that has become standard on many newer ships.
Choosing Jewel of the Seas mattered more than I thought it would
Going into this cruise, I viewed the ship as a means to an end. My husband and I needed a comfortable place to sleep and eat while exploring Iceland.
To a certain extent, Jewel of the Seas accomplished exactly that. Iceland exceeded every expectation, and the cruise allowed us to visit one of the most beautiful destinations I’ve ever experienced.
The ship itself didn’t ruin our vacation by any means. At the same time, after spending 12 nights onboard, I realized I had underestimated how much the ship still contributes to the overall experience.
The worn condition of the ship, limited dining options, and lack of entertainment didn’t overshadow the destination, but they were noticeable enough that I found myself missing many of the amenities found on newer ships.
Looking back, I don’t regret booking Jewel of the Seas. The cruise cost thousands less than many competing Iceland itineraries, and that savings allowed us to take the trip in the first place.
However, this experience changed how I’ll approach future bookings. Even on a destination-focused itinerary, you’re still spending a significant amount of time onboard the ship. The ship itself shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Next time I’m choosing between a newer ship and an older one, especially for a longer cruise, I won’t be so quick to dismiss the importance of the ship itself.
