The Jewel of the Seas

The Jewel of the Seas

"Come sail away, come sail away, come and sail away with me!"-Styx

Our view from the stern of the boat. Off we go!

From the port of Miami to the port of Harwich, our study abroad experience began on a twelve day cruise across the Atlantic aboard the Royal Caribbean ship, the Jewel of the Seas. From formal dinners to competitive gameplay, the cruise consisted of numerous opportunities to explore new cultures, meet new interesting people, and gain precious experience for the future. 

This page will guide you through the wonderful (and at times embarrassing) adventures that our 2012 European Study Abroad group experienced while crossing the Atlantic.

Day 1: From Berry to The Jewel of the Seas.

A couple of the students playing cards in a Frisbee 

to pass the time at the airport. (I was winning)

Copyright of Caleb Timmerman

Bright and early at 4.45 in the morning, a brave band of Berry students set out on a mission to go see Europe, experience life abroad… and sleep of course. We set out for Hartsfield, Atlanta to board our flight to Miami, passing the time by playing cards, singing random songs, and debating about how awesome it would be to throw the frisbee in the middle of the airport (we didn’t… so no worries).

After our two hour plane ride, we finally arrived at the Miami International Airport and boarded our bus to the cruise ship.  We then proceeded to get our passports checked, obtain our Set Sail Card, and board the marvelous Jewel of the Seas. Imagine: you walk into the main lobby, crew members smiling and greeting you, and lovely piano music playing in the background as you gaze upon the massive Centrum in the middle of the ship. Priceless.

We then brought our belongings to our four person staterooms (which were small, but comfortable) and headed to our very first dinner aboard the ship. This is when our group first met and eventually fell in love with our amazing Waiter Juan Rocha and Assistant Waiter Marlon Rivas—more on those two later though. After dinner was eaten, everyone split up, exploring the ships crevasses and peaks. It had everything: two salt water pools, a casino, conference rooms for our schooling, shops, plenty of lounging rooms, a minigolf course (!), and even a rock climbing wall. There was so much to do and see, but we were rather exhausted. Excited and spent after a day of traveling and expectation, we all retired to our rooms, anticipating the trip and adventures ahead of us.

Day 2-6: Lack of sleep+college students+college credit+competitive nature=Gold Medals

The following days that came began with a 9:00am (sometimes 10:00) International Business class  and Travel and Tourism at 1:00pm. (sometimes 2:00) in our very own conference room (which I might add our professor Dr. Miller worked very hard for.) Classes were varied and informative, and occupied much of our day, but at the same time gave us applicable assignments outside of the classroom. For example, one of our first assignments was to go out and interview some of the foreign guests abroad the ship and learn a little bit about their past experiences and perspective relative to our own. We were split into groups of two and explored for potential elders to interview, where groups got varying results but overall had some amazing stories, ranging from individuals with marketing background to those who served for the Irish Government.

In Travel and Tourism, one of our assignments looked more on the employee side, and how they are supposed to cater to the different social and cultural needs of their customers. We were required to find a crew member aboard the ship and interview them on the differing challenges to meeting the culturally diverse audience they work with and serve. This is where we met our activities director, Becky, who would end up involving us in many events, one of those being a prestigious opportunity: being in a flash mob in front of the whole ship. Becky suited to the differing needs of young people comparatively to the rest of the ship, creating activities and opportunities that we would be able to participate in and engage with the other guests of the ship. 

Of course, we didn't only have class. After all, we were on a cruise ship, with many different cultures and people to interact and learn from. We jumped into all kinds of events: Belly flop Competitions, Dodge-ball, Volleyball, Speed Climbing, the Quest Game Show, Bingo, Name that Lyric, Trivia... you name it, we attempted it... and usually won. Here is just a couple of our honorable winning teams:

All of our Volleyball Team winners for Berry College. We had a 1st
and 3rd place standing team!

We have our King Flopper (Alex Livingston left) and the
Queen of the Safari Lounge (Marley Simonis right) showing
off their winnings.

Our undefeated Dodge-ball team claiming Gold for Berry College.
FOR MARTHA!

Bragging rights.

One of the biggest challenges to the cruise ship--as the students soon found out--was adjusting to the changing time zones while we were at sea. Over the course of the entire cruise, we would cross through 6 different time zones, and on average would lose an hour every other day! Often times we would find ourselves being rocked to sleep during free time and taking naps in the middle of the day. The first days at sea really allowed our study abroad to not only learn about different cultures, but also to grow closer knit together as well. As we won and worked together to win events, the teamwork and cooperation between the groups grew and by the middle of the cruise, many of us became best of friends.

Day 7-11: Dining Room Shenanigans, Beautiful Sunsets, and Ports Ahoy!

Dressed for Formal Night.
Copyright of Marley Simonis

Our Waiter, Juan Rocha. Comical, easy going, and isn't afraid
to tell you if a dish you ordered is not good. Excellent.

Oh the dining room. Fancy food, formal dress, and unbelievably amazing and hilarious waiters. As I said earlier, our group of students were blessed with two truly extraordinary waiters. Juan Rocha, in the picture at the left, served as our main waiter while Marlon Rivas served as an assistant waiter. From remembering our drink orders night after night to going out of their way to tend to our needs, these waiters truly spoiled us for the rest of our trip. Still to this day, we still joke around and say "Where's Juan?" around the dinner table. They would tell jokes, interact with us, and would even perform unique and entertaining table and napkin trips while we were eating. From fabulous Catch of the Day entrees to sweet Chocolate desserts, the food at dinner too never failed to satisfy. While some nights were formal, others were more casual, and a few were even themed. 70s night anyone?

After seven days at sea, our group now had quite the reputation on-board. Guests all over the ship knew of the "Georgia Students". But don't worry, we had a good reputation. The vast majority of the guests--exempting some of the super competitive players that we beat in competitions--thought very highly of the students, and  not only respected but enjoyed our presence among them during activities and entertainment.

Within this time period, we also embarked on journeys off the ship, which for some of us was our first time to lay foot in another country. On day 8, we disembarked into Ponta Delgada, the Azores, which is a Portuguese territory near the middle of the Atlantic. Here we explored the city, visited the beautiful churches and gardens, and get used to there not being a rocking sensation like there was on the boat. On day 11, we arrived at Brest, France, a small town at the northwestern most corner of France. Here, we dived into the open markets filled with the aroma of food, worked on our French, and explored the city center and monuments of the area.

Day 12: Final Goodbyes to our Jewel of the Seas

 And before we knew it, we were coming down to our final days aboard the Jewel of the Seas. The days seemed to have flown by, and we couldn't believe all that we had done in just two weeks. Europe was calling us... but we had to go out with a bang. On the twelfth day, we were scheduled to perform our flash mob dance, which we had spent hours  out of the week preparing and practicing the routine. When the moment came, we celebrated our final day on the ship, singing and dancing our way into the very history of the ship. Just as we will never forget the crew members and guests that made this trip memorable and special, we believe that we left a good impression on the people we met and worked with while aboard the Jewel of the Seas.

TCJulian