On a gray and chilly Monday morning in May, I rush to the open decks of the DFDS Seaways ferry Pearl of Scandinavia as she navigates the beautiful Oslo fjord after a short overnight passage from Copenhagen. When Pearl of Scandinavia rounds the last corner, Oslo comes in full view.  And there she is: big, bold, beautiful! Even on a cloudy

day, Royal Caribbean's new jewel in the crown outshines all other ships in port. Last in a series of four, Jewel of the Seas was delivered by respected German Meyer Werft in late April and is now about to set sail from Oslo on a short two night preview cruise to Southampton.

When I noticed Royal Caribbean was offering "short and cheap" two-day preview cruises to the general public on their brand new Jewel of the Seas, I jumped at the chance and convinced my brother and sister in law that this was an opportunity not to be missed. My friends Lucy and Ilona did not need much convincing, having previously sailed with me through the Panama Canal on sister ship Radiance of the Seas. And so the five of us booked passage and flew to Copenhagen where we spent a few sunny days before hopping on the overnight ferry to Norway. It is in Oslo that our Jewel is waiting to take us to Southampton on what turns out to be a very short, but sweet cruise!

Please note the photos that accompany this article were shot during the two night cruise from Oslo to Southampton and during the vessel's pre-delivery transfer from Papenburg to Eemshaven.