Our short cruise on Jewel of the Seas starts rather chaotically. Well before the advertised check in time, a seemingly endless line has formed in the lobby of Oslo's glitzy 37-story Radisson SAS Hotel. After checking in, coaches bring all guests and their luggage to the ship which is docked in the shadow of the Akershus fortress. There it takes another hour to get on board, with hundreds of guests shoving and pushing their way towards the two security checkpoints. Once on board, we find all doors leading to cabin corridors shut with a note saying our staterooms will not be ready for another hour. And since there is no porter service available, there is nothing left for us than bring our luggage to a lounge and wait...

On the various decks directly adjacent to the towering Centrum you will find some useful shipboard services such as the 24-hour Guest Relations desk, the Shore Excursion office, several Internet stations and a comfortable Concierge Club that is available to suite guests only. Large stainless steel "pan flutes" (my interpretation) hover over dancers and drinkers in the Centrum Bar down on deck 4. The mood changes constantly as colorful lighting sets the atrium art in a different glow every few minutes, while at night nifty lighting effects are projected on the large white wall on starboard side. With its circular terraces, its wooden railings, mirrors and daylight streaming in from all sides, the Centrum does justice to its name and really serves as Jewel's "Town Square".