1st time cruiser!!!

My girlfriend and I are going on the Jewel of the Seas in March of 2005..This is my 1st cruise..not hers...Wondering if anybody out there has info on this ship and can recommend some activities on and off the boat..We are cruising the western carribean..key west, cozemel, caymans etc..please let me know ..any info would help..THANX!

The pictures I've seen of the Jewel are beautiful! My fiance took me on my first cruise, on the Mariner, this past January. My suggestion would be to you to get to the ship as early as possible. We were on by 12:30 and it was great because we could walk around and see everything and get aquainted with the ship before it got too crowded. You will be less overwhelmed this way. I wish we could do this on our honeymoon cruise in October, but we won't be getting there early enough. Have a great time!!

In Cozumel - our dive shop operator goes there 5 or 6 times a year. He says Chakanaab is the best snorkeling. We had our parasailing cancelled in Labadee so we rescheduled it for Cozumel. It rained us out in Cozumel - so we didn't get to parasail or snorkel. Our friends did the dolphin experience through the line in Cozumel and really enjoyed it.

In Grand Cayman - Don't miss Stingray City - great experience.

Ocho Rios - On the western route but you didn't mention it... Highly recommend Peat Taylor. He will take you wherever you want to go and is very honest, professional, dependable, and downright enjoyable!

Key West - Mallory Square and then ask the locals where they eat. I had the best conch fritters, coconut ice cream, and key lime pie becasue I didn't go to a tourist spot but a hole in the wall local favorite. Go for it!

Try the Destinations index side of this site. There's lots of information over there on each of the ports you mention. Go to http://www.cruisemates/mbindex and choose the Destinations drop down.