JJAuckland

59 days until Christmas cruise from Sydney...its been a looong countdown from when I booked and I am getting excited!

I did a short cruise on Cunard (on my own) and must say I prefer NCL. There was a certain restaurant I was told I could eat at (club class) I wasn't allowed to disembark when I wanted (even though they hadn't give any options) and I felt very under dressed (even though I dressed up) for dinner. I found the crew friendlier on NCL. I guess its how you prefer to spend your holidays and what kind of service/formality you want. The food in the dining room was nice but not so great in the buffet

Loving your review...gosh that ship was moving!

Looking forward to your review....

I will be cruising "downunder" Australia & New Zealand for Christmas & I am so looking forward to it. Can't wait to hear more about your Hawaiian cruise though.

Loving your review. Thanks for posting. I am on the Jewel at Christmas and so its great to see the ship & all she has on board (as well as Hawaii of course). I cruised on POA doing the Islands for my 50th with a group of friends & we had the most fantastic time!

Looking forward to reading your review as its lovely to read about other peoples experiences & pick up any tips along the way, thank you for sharing

Oh my goodness. I hadn't thought of taking a Christmas outfit on my cruise but I am def packing some now!! I am doing an Australian/New Zealand Christmas & New Years cruise this year and am so looking forward to it. Although we celebrate Christmas day as a family (20 + of us) its become kind of like a regular get together with a BBQ & I am on the hunt for some extra Christmas spirit! Christmas carols and decorations and smiles … am starting to get excited however I am travelling on my own for this Christmas cruise (cant quite persuade anyone else in the family to try something new) and am a bit nervous as I am not sure how many people travel on their own at Christmas but I am sure it is going to be a wonderful experience

Thank you so much for letting us all come along with you all on your trip. I have enjoyed coming home from work each night and checking out what you all got up to. It’s kinda weird that I can’t wait for you to go on your November cruise..right? It’s made me put Alaska on my must do cruises. Most cruises for us involve long flights from down here in New Zealand so having someone covering a trip so thoroughly is fantastic! Love that you included photos of the food, on and off the ship as I’m a bit of a foodie and can’t wait to start planning...maybe a north followed by south trip . A big thanks to you both for sharing, Julie.

Oh my goodness. Reading this is so much fun! I am enjoying every step of the way and am kind of wishing you were all on a month long cruise so I could enjoy your review for longer!

So excited to read your review. Have enjoyed your previous reviews. Loving the photos so far

I have loved reading your review so much. Thank you for taking the time to share. I have a Christmas cruise booked on the Jewel (Australia & New Zealand) and don't see too many reviews of her on here (lots on the larger/newer ships). I have loved your honest opinion on things & really enjoyed "going with you" to Alaska. Its a place on my list of cruises to do in the future!

Am excited to see your pics & review. Its my first time on the Jewel at Christmas this year & I cant get enough of hearing about peoples holidays and experiences. I am always so thankful for the people who take the time to share

Thank you everyone for your responses. Don't worry Barb, this will be my longest cruise, all others have just been 7 days & I always leave wanting more so I will be home & back to the ship in a flash...not wanting to miss much of "in port" relaxing onboard

Absolutely you can. People haul all kinds of things on and off ships when going to beaches or various excursions. I think this is smart, and it also made me giggle. I can’t imagine going home in the middle of a cruise, then finishing the cruise. That’s great! (Not possible where I live).

 

 

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Thanks LrgPizza - It suddenly came to me.....I don't need to do any trips in Auckland, so I could go home, catch up on a few things & have the added bonus of being able to shop (even more) in Sydney before flying home with all the extra room in my case :-) and less laundry to do when I get there

I am on a Christmas cruise in Australia/New Zealand this year & one of the Ports, Auckland, is my home port & we arrive there 3 days before the end of a 16 day cruise.

My question is this....does anyone know if I can take off a carry on bag, as I was thinking of heading home for the day, checking the house, doing a bit of washing (hence the carry on bag) & leaving those clothes at home...making room for all the "purchases" made during the cruise for the flight back home from Sydney ..avoiding any chance of "overweight" luggage ? My sister says I won't be allowed to ...any thoughts, or has anyone done this?

I am loving your review and very envious of the mango & sticky rice (yum!)

Loving your review - thank you for taking the time to bring us all along on your cruise. I am loving all the photos, dailies & descriptions of food

Am looking forward to reading your posts as I am on the Jewel in December. Enjoy your holiday. Its so exciting when the holiday starts!

Thank you ColinIllinois and herdingdogmom for your replies... I am off to search port of call forums and holiday inn

Hi

I am booked on a Christmas cruise leaving Sydney Australia on 20th December & want to book a hotel prior to the cruise. Can anyone share their experience and any suggestions of where to stay?

Not sure if the Jewel sails from Darling Harbour or Circular Quay?

Did anyone stay at a hotel that had a view of the ship?

I am so excited even though I am so far out from my sail date & I just LOVE all the threads on this site especially everyone who takes the time to write their blogs and reviews with photos and dailies for us all to enjoy...thank you!

I am on the Jewel in December this year & have taken the drinks package as one of the "free" options. I like the idea of paying whatever I can up front and having less of a surprise when I get my bill at the end of the cruise (did I really drink that much??)

I am looking at taking either an Alaskan or Hawaiian cruise in 2019 for my 50th birthday. Has anyone done either or both of these cruises on Norwegian? Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

I did the Hawaiian cruise for my 50th and had the best time! We all had such great fun on board the ship ( had an aft balcony which was the best for the scenery) and every day on such beautiful islands was bliss... I am a holiday in the sun kind a gal however I am saving Alaska for a later time.... enjoy whichever you choose

Thank you so much for your response. The link was excellent & the spa area

looks lovely & perhaps would be a nice retreat on sea days when its a bit busy!

Am so excited for this trip!

Thanks again, Julie:)

Hi Everyone

We are getting ready to fly to Europe for our wonderful NCL cruise out of Venice leaving on 17th may. Does anyone have any recent dailies for the Jade?

Are there spa passes on the Jade & what do they provide (is it worth getting one? We have 2 at sea days out of the 7 & plan to be out & about at each port for the whole time)

Thanks so much for any response :-)

:)