Gizmosmum

I used the new app on the Jewel in Dec but I was unable to figure out how to set up and access the messaging  service on the new app. Hopefully I'll figure it out for our April cruise on the Jade.

The tours my DH & I did were:-

-Ketchikan -Misty Fjord Flight then walked to Creek Street

-Juneau -Helicopter to a Glacier & dog sled (definitely worth the money. We also had to pay an extra 50% due to DH's weight) then caught a taxi to Mendenhall Glacier and the bus back

-Icy Straight (Hoonah) -whale watching cruise was so so. We didn't see ANY wildlife on our wildlife tour in May

-Victoria BC -Butchart Gardens and Craigdarroch Castle

It's a shame you aren't going to Skagway. We did the railway and bus tour. We were dropped off at the airport and flew over Glacier Bay, beyond amazing.

My DH & I were on the SUN in March 2017. I booked two penguin tours in the Falklands. One through the ship (Bluff Cove) and the other with Estancia (USD$100 7hrs) to see a large group of King Penguins at Volunteer Point. We received an email saying the family that owned the land you went through to get to Volunteer Point was closed. The ones we saw at Bluff Cove whilst few in number melted my heart.

My DH & I sailed on the Jewel 13th Dec. We took 14 bottles of wine on board. We paid USD$15 per bottle. We used a wheeled cabin luggage bag to carry it on board. Once our bag was scanned they set it aside and took it over to a staff member at a table to sign a chit for the cost of the wine. My DH stated how many bottles we had and he didn't even check it. We were give a sticker to put on the bottles showing we had paid for them. We took them to our room once we had access to it. We took a bottle to the Azura's every night and left a few in Spinnakers Lounge (with our name on). 

I did the same on the Jewel in Jan when I took 6 bottles on my 16 night cruise but wasn't given any stickers.

7 hours ago, Muckyduckway said:

 

We have booked the same tour in Akaroa - what did you think about the boat in terms of access for your knee and for your Mum?  How was the process for the tender tickets - I saw on another trip report that distribution started at 6:30 in the morning.  Our wildlife tour is booked for 10:15 which means a 9:45 checkin, with our arrival in Akaroa scheduled for 8:00.  I'm anticipating that there shouldn't be a problem if we get on the tender by 9:15?

Tender tickets were available near the pool from 6.30. I picked ours up after breakfast around 7.30. My mum is a slow walker so we should have caught the previous tender. The boat isn't large and my mum stayed at the back. I managed to walk to the front of the boat by holding on but there isn't a lot of room to manoeuvre.  My mum gets sea sickness but still enjoyed the trip.

 

We're viewing Picton as a rest-day, so weather depending, we will probably take a walk by the beach or visit the Edwin Fox Museum (do you think it was a worthwhile visit?)

I really enjoyed the museum. There is a film about the renovation process of the Edwin Fox. I actually like the way it is presented in its very rustic state.

 

How did you find walking downhill through the Botanic Gardens?  This is on our plan, but years of mountain hiking has left us avoiding steep downhills more than uphills as the strain on the knees can be brutal.

According to my notes the first part was tough on the knees. I remember it was very steep. I had originally intended to walk up hill but am glad I did it the other way around. The Rose gardens are near the bottom. You can walk on the flat or walk uphill (10mins total) to view the Rose gardens from above.

 

Good to know about the free shuttle - intend to do a self-guided Art Deco tour here.

The tour to the Gannets was worth it NZ$230 for 2.

 

Do I have the following shuttle info correct?

Dunedin - paid shuttle -not sure about the shuttle here as we were transferred by bus tour into Dunedin(14kms)

Akaroa - tender (no shuttle)

Picton - free shuttle

Wellington - free shuttle

Napier - free shuttle

Tauranga ? I believe there isn't a shuttle 

Auckland - no shuttle needed, walk from port

 

Thanks for all the info.  It sounds like you both had a very good cruise.

The cruise was amazing. I had an absolute ball and can't wait to check her refit out next week for our Tassie cruise. The entertainment staff were great. Bar tender Vladan in Spinnaker was great.

A link to my review of the Jewel after our 16 day trip to NZ in Jan 2018.

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=607711

Ports

The original itinerary was changed prior to our booking so our first port was Melbourne. We needed a MIKI card ($6)to get into Melbourne. We were dropped off near the Art Gallery where there were some artisan markets and only a short walk into the city centre. After church I walked to Captain Cooks Cottage which was a very long walk. I also went to Melbourne Central a shopping precinct and bought ridiculously expensive Kit Kat chocolate before walking back to the bus pick up. 

NZ Ports

Dunedin -My mum & I went on a private tour with Good Company Tours to Larnach Castle with a 2hr city tour (pick up 9.30). Our tour guide met us in the departure hall. There was an option to do a tour of the Cadbury factory but it involved lots of stairs so we just bought chocolate from their store. I enjoyed our day as I hadn't been to Larnach Castle since 1976. We were dropped off at the port at 4.30. There is free wifi at the port.

Akaroa -we tendered(20mins). My mum & I did a wildlife tour with Akaroa Dolphins. The office is at the end of the Jetty. After our tour my mum went back to the ship and I walked around the town. I wish I had made the effort to walk up the hill to The Giant's House ($20pp) but my knee wasn't up to it.(I was only 8wks post a total knee replacement). A young man in his early 20's thought  it was worthwhile visiting. There is a public toilet near the end of the pier.

Picton -the buses dropped us off at the information centre. I visited the Edwin Fox Museum $15pp(200m flat walk from the info centre). The Edwin Fox is the 9th oldest ship in existence. I then walked into town where it was lightly raining so ducked into a shop and walked out with a dress and a pair of shoes before heading back to the ship. 

Wellington -I went to church then walked to the cable car via the waterfront. I walked through the Botanic Gardens (all down hill) then through the Bolton St cemetary, past the Beehive and back to the bus pick up. At the port an Immigration Officer boarded the bus to check our ID & NCL cards.

Napier -I booked a tour to see the Gannets with Gannet Safaris Overland. We had to meet them opposite the information centre in town at 8.30. We caught the free shuttle into town which stopped at the information centre and also the Aquarium.  We arrived back into town at 12.45. Mum returned to the ship and I wandered along the foreshore from the sculpture of Pania to the Millenium Sculpture then wandered around town checking out the Art Deco buildings. There were 8 vintage cars with ladies & gentlemen in period costume at the dock with their cars and a four piece band playing music. 

Tauranga -I booked a tour to Te Puia with Rotorua Discovery Tours. The tour guide was waiting just outside the port gates. We drove along the beach in Tauranga then stopped at a Kiwi farm where we could taste both green and gold Kiwi fruit. We had lunch when we arrived at Te Puia (my hamburger was delicious) whilst we waited for the cultural show to start at 1.15. After the show we went to check out Pohutu Geyser and the mud pools. We were unable to see the Kiwi's in the Kiwi bird house as they were sleeping. We were given a choice between going to see the Redwood forrest or Government House. We stopped at a honey bee shop and I bought another icecream.

Bay of Islands -it was too rough to tender. 

Auckland -a miserable wet day. I lived there for 5 yrs so was catching up with a school friend.

Apart from Wellington there was nothing special at any of the ports other than showing our NCL swip cards as proof we were eligible to be there.

I've had problems with the new website crashing during my searches over the last few weeks saying 'Bad request". It's been driving me nuts.

Photos from the Jewel January 2018. I didn't get many photos when we boarded. I've never uploaded photos so apologise they are such hodge podge. 

Our inside cabin, the Great outdoor cafe, Tsar's restaurant, the pool deck, Chin Chin, the bridge, O'Sheehan's, Spinnaker Lounge

On the Jewel in January there were men in plastic stripping everything out of the cabin opposite including all the furniture. 

everything i read on here is about dressing casually. What about dressing up? I enjoy dressing up on vacation. Does anyone on ncl dress up, or will I feel out of place?

 

I’m not talking about formal attire, but nice dresses or jumpsuits that I would wear to a night club or something.

I also like to dress up as I don't get the opportunity at home. On my NCL Jewel cruise in January there were a number of people who dressed up, including ladies in floor length gowns and gentlemen in tuxedos.

Thank you for you review and comparison of NCL and Princess. My parents are die hard Princess cruisers and my mother criticised almost every aspect of the NCL Jewel to Australia/NZ we went on in January.

My DH & I have sailed Carnival, Celebrity & NCL. The naturalist on our Celebrity cruise was absolutely brilliant. Our last two cruisers were on NCL and we enjoyed them both. I guess you get what you pay for.

I am new to the boards. Is it to late to find out about Meet and Mingle on NCL Getaway departing 2/18? Sounds like it could be fun .

Its only too late once the ship sails.

Here is the link for the roll call Getaway 18th Feb

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/showthread.php?t=2494010

Thank you karoo, I did have a great cruise.

I didn't notice Australia or NZ theme at the garden cafe.

 

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Hey Andrew I was also on CC but missed talking to you at the Meet n Greet.

They had an international day in the Garden Cafe. The only food product to represent Australia was 'Tomato sauce" and no Pavlova.

I was informed on my cruise (by the Cruise Next staff) in January the Spirit is moving to the Baltic as people love the Spirit but want to visit different ports. I'm not sure how accurate this intel is.

NCL offered tour bundles(2-3 tours) on their South American cruise in April this year. I had already prebooked my trips privately so didn't pay much attention. I assume they were trying to fill their tours.

DH & I did a 15 day South American cruise earlier this year. We had the UBP and didn't pay any extra for our drinks as none were over the maximum amount $16.95sic. We did have to pay gratuities as they were not included in our package.

HEALTH FORM & CHECK-IN DELAY

When my DH filled in his health card in Buenes Aires earlier this year, he said 'YES' he had a runny nose(I suspect it was due to his allergies). It was during our check-in the form was checked. He was taken to one side where we waited for 30mins for him to be spoken to by one of the ships doctors. The doctor asked him to present to the ships medical centre on boarding. We waited over an hour in the same area, although I don't remember why. During that time he exhibited NO symptoms of a cough, cold or sniffle so he was then told he was okay to board. Since we had already made it to the check-in counter we only had to wait for one of the check-in staff to be free.

In the meantime the computers being used to check Canadian and Aussie visas(for Brazil -which had already been checked when we all arrived in the country) went down. Instead of continuing to process all the other nationalities the whole check-in counter almost ground to a halt. Out of 20 or so check-in counters approximately 5 were processing the passengers whilst the others just stood around waiting for the separate computer system to come back on line. The whole system was farcical. To keep the lines moving all they needed to do was cancel the check-in's they couldn't complete and keep processing the passengers that didn't require visas. Yep I would have waited hours but that didn't mean the 2000 people behind me needed to wait that long.

Take a moment and be considerate of your fellow passengers by having all your documents completed so everyone can get on board promptly and start to have a good time.

There is no charge to use iconcierge on ship. It’s more like a daily guide onboard.

 

 

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There is a one off charge of $9.95 or thereabouts for iconcierge for each phone.

My DH & I had it on our SA cruise in April. Because we weren't attached at the hip it was a great way to find out where the other person was during the day. I checked it frequently to find out what activities were on where. I agree it would be great if you could set an alarm for activities you wanted to participate in. I plan to use it on my next cruise in January with my mother.

My DH & I used the iConcierge app on our South American cruise and loved it. Great value for $10pp. We weren't attached at the hip so if we wanted to find each other we could just message each other. Also the daily activities were on it so I was able to decide where I wanted to be at what time or check details for various activities.

Thanks

KeithJenner, mypleasure and ECCruise for your responses.

Julie

Can anyone tell me when they do the life boat drill for this cruise since it stays in port the first night? After we check in I would like to leave the boat to do a free walking tour at 3pm, is this doable? The next day i wanted to do another free walking tour at 11am.

Thanks in advance Gizmosmum

My DH & I did this in May. I wore layers with a parka and my DH wore two T shirts and ended up removing his parka. We were only provided with overshoes nothing else. The company we originally booked with cancelled on us but we found another company at the dock that flew in the opposite direction and were still flying. I'm glad I had my parka because I fell off the back of the dog sled and couldn't get up in the soft powdery snow. The guide couldn't leave the sled to help me. It was amazing.

Thanks!

 

That was our main concern about booking this on short notice, for early in the season.

Turns out a prime suite is still available, or suddenly became available.

 

Does the amount of snow cover (as one heads north) change a lot from late May/early June til August?

We'd rather see snow topped hills/mountains than nice greenery, which, beautiful though it is, can be seen further south, etc.

 

Thanks again.

We did an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle in May and saw lots of snow covered mountains. The white pass was spectacular and the lakes still partially frozen. I would only go later so I could see the bears catching salmon.

We are on the Sun in 2017 for a South America cruise. Can't wait! I think she's going in for some refurbishment later this year, perhaps in May.

Hi Kathy

When are you cruising SA?