just back from the Jewel

Back from a wonderful week on the Jewel. The weather in Alaska was unseasonably warm and dry. Few things I want to share.

-had the all inclusive package, internet 250 free min. each

-photo package, 20 prints, any size, each......They have wonderful photographers doing beautiful shots, unfortunately, we did not have clothes/makeup to do great portraits, if you have this perk, plan to have a session done, just to take advantage of the package.

-Drinks, yes, each bar area had its own 5-7 specialty drinks, but if you wanted something not on the list, they could make it for you. noticed that they did not "peddle" drinks in the lounges, like they used to and sometimes you had to hunt down a server.

-Specialty resturants food was ok, nothing spectacular, think applebees, and Olive Garden. Also, many times drinks were not offered.

Main resturants we only had lunch in Tsars. Some of the waitstaff totally rude.

Overall, the staff was more than friendly and helpful.

Ports of call were charming. Do not miss Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway however our Catamaran out to see the whales and wildlife had to turnaround an hour into the trip, because of engine trouble. Our fees were totally refunded, as non-refundable credit.

Taking food from the buffet......saw a few folks with full plates in the elevators, no one seemed to stop them. You were also able to take your food from the buffet into La Cucina for breakfast and lunch, great extra seating. Only saw a 1 coffee cup and small dish sitting where they should not have been.

Port presentation.....skip it, unless you want to know all about the jewelry stores. At the Skagway talk, the man actually said, "You can see plenty of whales from the ship, so go to Diamonds international"

DO NOT MISS RANDON the guitar player, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Jim Croce kind of music. Best on the ship if you like that music. Piano players voice was horrid, as was Fire and Ice. The Illusionist was a hoot. I personally did not care for the acrobats, but my husband was enthralled.

Pools are heated. But the outside activities were canceled a lot. Very windy and cold on deck, even though the ports were warm.

Bingo was back to papersheets, no more machines, (yea!!) I won $450.00

Slots were loose the first two days, after that, very tight.

Deal or No Deal $19.95 a card, not worth it IMHO needed two matches for a instant pull tab, three got you a 8x10 picture (that now gave me 41 pictures) prizes went up from there, didn't see anybody win more than that.

Ship was immaculate, bedding very comfortable, loved it.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you Thank you...leaving Saturday :)

Great to read your post! We also will leave Saturday on the Jewel for my son's high school graduation trip! Looking forward to the cruise! Hope our weather is descent:) What activity do you recommend in Skagway? Are nice jeans okay in restaurants? Will I need a heavy winter coat? Thanks!

We're leaving Saturday too, woohoo, mother and daughter plus a friend cruise celebrating my 40th birthday! Thanks so much for the info:)

Loved the Jewel last September. Going back to Alaska on the Jewel again this September!

So glad to hear that Randon is still on the ship...he does some mean John Denver songs also. Great entertainer.

My friend was on the Jewel too and saw her today .

She said she was charged 18% tip for the drinks from her free UBP.

Came to around $20 a day she said.

Did you have the free UBP ?

Thank you, we will be leaving on the Jewel in a few weeks.

We were not charged anything extra on the UBP, although it showed on the receipt, my gratuities were included.

As I said, our weather was extremely out of the ordinary (per the locals) keep your eye on weather.com We did not need heavy coats on land, but it was pretty brisk most times while we were sailing.

Jeans were permitted in all dining areas, but I think Tsars was the exception, with the need for more formal dress.

We were scheduled for a catamaran trip to see whales, but the 5hr trip was cut short after an hour because the generator went out. We were refunded the full amount. Unfortunatly we did not have time to rebook anthing else, so

we walked around the city. It was cute and quaint.

Back from a wonderful week on the Jewel. The weather in Alaska was unseasonably warm and dry. Few things I want to share.

-had the all inclusive package, internet 250 free min. each

-photo package, 20 prints, any size, each......They have wonderful photographers doing beautiful shots, unfortunately, we did not have clothes/makeup to do great portraits, if you have this perk, plan to have a session done, just to take advantage of the package.

-Drinks, yes, each bar area had its own 5-7 specialty drinks, but if you wanted something not on the list, they could make it for you. noticed that they did not "peddle" drinks in the lounges, like they used to and sometimes you had to hunt down a server.

-Specialty resturants food was ok, nothing spectacular, think applebees, and Olive Garden. Also, many times drinks were not offered.

Main resturants we only had lunch in Tsars. Some of the waitstaff totally rude.

Overall, the staff was more than friendly and helpful.

Ports of call were charming. Do not miss Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway however our Catamaran out to see the whales and wildlife had to turnaround an hour into the trip, because of engine trouble. Our fees were totally refunded, as non-refundable credit.

Taking food from the buffet......saw a few folks with full plates in the elevators, no one seemed to stop them. You were also able to take your food from the buffet into La Cucina for breakfast and lunch, great extra seating. Only saw a 1 coffee cup and small dish sitting where they should not have been.

Port presentation.....skip it, unless you want to know all about the jewelry stores. At the Skagway talk, the man actually said, "You can see plenty of whales from the ship, so go to Diamonds international"

DO NOT MISS RANDON the guitar player, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Jim Croce kind of music. Best on the ship if you like that music. Piano players voice was horrid, as was Fire and Ice. The Illusionist was a hoot. I personally did not care for the acrobats, but my husband was enthralled.

Pools are heated. But the outside activities were canceled a lot. Very windy and cold on deck, even though the ports were warm.

Bingo was back to papersheets, no more machines, (yea!!) I won $450.00

Slots were loose the first two days, after that, very tight.

Deal or No Deal $19.95 a card, not worth it IMHO needed two matches for a instant pull tab, three got you a 8x10 picture (that now gave me 41 pictures) prizes went up from there, didn't see anybody win more than that.

Ship was immaculate, bedding very comfortable, loved it.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

very good and very objective review. We will be on the Jewel in October. Thanks again.

Thanks for your candid observations and information! Leaving on June 6.

Question I never thought I'd ask, but if bingo is paper sheets, will we wish we'd brought our own ink daubers?

Janice

Thanks for your candid observations and information! Leaving on June 6.

 

Question I never thought I'd ask, but if bingo is paper sheets, will we wish we'd brought our own ink daubers?

 

Janice

no the sheets are perforated so you just push back the number called. But I found it easier to use a highlighter

Thanks for the quick reply on the bingo!

you just made my day! I'm so excited that RANDON is still on the JEWEL! I just hope he says there till my trip in September! =)

Was the typical mid-week Laundry Special being offered on the Jewel - stuffed the bag full for a flat rate ? Not available on the Pearl - so just wondering, it's usually not a big deal for tropical sailings, but for Alaska ports ... TIA.

send from my Google Nexus 5/7 MD via Tapatalk

Back from a wonderful week on the Jewel. The weather in Alaska was unseasonably warm and dry. Few things I want to share.

 

-had the all inclusive package, internet 250 free min. each

 

-photo package, 20 prints, any size, each......They have wonderful photographers doing beautiful shots, unfortunately, we did not have clothes/makeup to do great portraits, if you have this perk, plan to have a session done, just to take advantage of the package.

 

-Drinks, yes, each bar area had its own 5-7 specialty drinks, but if you wanted something not on the list, they could make it for you. noticed that they did not "peddle" drinks in the lounges, like they used to and sometimes you had to hunt down a server.

 

-Specialty resturants food was ok, nothing spectacular, think applebees, and Olive Garden. Also, many times drinks were not offered.

 

Main resturants we only had lunch in Tsars. Some of the waitstaff totally rude.

 

Overall, the staff was more than friendly and helpful.

 

Ports of call were charming. Do not miss Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway however our Catamaran out to see the whales and wildlife had to turnaround an hour into the trip, because of engine trouble. Our fees were totally refunded, as non-refundable credit.

 

Taking food from the buffet......saw a few folks with full plates in the elevators, no one seemed to stop them. You were also able to take your food from the buffet into La Cucina for breakfast and lunch, great extra seating. Only saw a 1 coffee cup and small dish sitting where they should not have been.

 

Port presentation.....skip it, unless you want to know all about the jewelry stores. At the Skagway talk, the man actually said, "You can see plenty of whales from the ship, so go to Diamonds international"

 

DO NOT MISS RANDON the guitar player, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Jim Croce kind of music. Best on the ship if you like that music. Piano players voice was horrid, as was Fire and Ice. The Illusionist was a hoot. I personally did not care for the acrobats, but my husband was enthralled.

 

Pools are heated. But the outside activities were canceled a lot. Very windy and cold on deck, even though the ports were warm.

 

Bingo was back to papersheets, no more machines, (yea!!) I won $450.00

 

Slots were loose the first two days, after that, very tight.

 

Deal or No Deal $19.95 a card, not worth it IMHO needed two matches for a instant pull tab, three got you a 8x10 picture (that now gave me 41 pictures) prizes went up from there, didn't see anybody win more than that.

 

Ship was immaculate, bedding very comfortable, loved it.

 

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Applebees?

Applebees?

My thoughts exactly. I know food is very subjective and I think the OP did a very good, objective review,but I certainly would not think "Applebees" when I think Le Bistro, or Modernos" and certainly not Cagney's. Cagney's for us, even though we haven't always received the best service, is closer to Ruths Chris, maybe one star down.