shipoargetofftheport

Apparently the Jewel goes in for a refurb before our cruise but I don't know if they will do a staff change at the same time.

 

The refurbishment is in Singapore and is scheduled for 3 weeks so it looks as if it will be a major one. Then there is a "shake-down" 7 day cruise Singapore-Singapore.

I cannot see them doing a full staff change as there will have to be some on board to "oversee" the refurbishment. They will also have to "test-runs" of many things before they leave port. The "shake-down" and the Singapore-Sydney cruises could be a little hectic especially if there are too many new crew.

Thanks Mike. Appreciate your comments. It will be interesting to see how much they change in 3 weeks. It seems like a short period of time but I daresay they will throw a lot of resources at the refurb in that time. Hopefully they work out all the bugs before the cruise at Christmas through Aus/NZ.

OP sorry to hear about your trouble tendering. I was on the Jewel over Christmas and made friends with a few of the bar staff, I know they were recently moved to new locations around the boat so I couldn't tell you where my favorite people are. I am considering the Jewel again this summer for a quick trip in Alaska. We only tendered 1 day and it was very smooth with help from the local tour companies at the end of the day to get everyone back onboard. I can agree with you about your room steward. I never met my room steward but he/she did a nice job. It was hard for me to tell who was working on my room because it was clearly a transition location different people cleaned the rooms on both sides of my cabin and I swear there could have been a third person cleaning the room across the hall. Oh well, at least they did a good job keeping it clean!

Nelsj099, how did you find the Christmas Cruise with NCL? Did they do anything special for Christmas Day and New Years? We are booked for the 16 nights this December but are getting a bit nervous after reading some of the reviews. Apparently the Jewel goes in for a refurb before our cruise but I don't know if they will do a staff change at the same time. Did you enjoy all of the ports?

Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

My wife and I are looking to book a cruise over Christmas and New year through New Zealand, but have read reviews and they don't paint a good picture. Everyone seems to dislike the a la carte food and most comments are around the paid dining.

Is the food on the ship that bad? We have just come from NCL spirit and although it didn't change my life, the food was ok.

I would appreciate any comments you have on this.