Live from the Jewel! - Jan 17 - Jan 24

[Zubsin]

I would like to know more about the orphange and how you arranged to drop the school supplies off...did you contact the orphange ahead of time? We are there in late March and would love to contribute in such a wonderful way!!! Donna

[BeinKc]

Really enjoying your review....keep it coming. One question, how is the coffee? Our last couple of cruises the coffee was not very good and we have considered taking along some of our own for our Jewel trip.

[gdwoods]

BeinKc: We've been fiddling with the machine in our rooms to try to improve the coffee. We are definitely coffee snobs so it is important to us too. By using a combination of espresso and half cups I've been able to extract an acceptable brew but I would probably bring some of my whole beans next time.

 

Zubsin: we knew that we wanted to bring some supplies for the kids on Roatan and looked up a few of the children's facilities ahead of time online. In the end we asked our driver and he suggested Sandy Bay Lighthouse. He knew the facility and said that a few of the VB drivers contributed personally.

[gdwoods]

DAY FOUR

 

The weather has been perfect and today looks like it will continue the streak. There are only a couple of channels deep enough to allow cruise ships into Belize and it was fun watching from the front balcony as the captain zigged and zagged his way into port. Two other ships were steaming into Belize, the Carnival Valor and the HAL Ryndam. After eating our room service breakfast we proceeded to the theater to join up with our Lamanai tour group and get on the tender.

 

The tender ride into Belize City is about 20 minutes and as can be expected with NCL land excursions, everything is well coordinated. We boarded our bus and set out on our adventure. Our tour guide gave us an expansive overview of Belize, pointing out landmarks and explaining the history of his country. The bus ride takes you out of the city to the north, and after about 40 minutes we reached our destination where we were able to use restrooms and browse some local vendors as we got ready for the next leg of the tour. Quick note: don't forget your bug spray. If you do, you CAN buy a can at this stop, but it will set you back $10 US!

 

We then boarded a 40 passenger river boat and got underway on the New River and its tributaries. This was a great experience as our captain, and his assistant who acted as a spotter, pointed out various wildlife and native plants and flowers. You can expect to see spider monkeys, all kinds of birds, form herons to cormorants and kingfishers, crocodiles and even bats! The boat is quite fast and it's a thrilling ride as the captain guns the engine and navigates the narrow tributaries.

 

We arrived at Lamanai and were served a very nice lunch of grilled chicken, rice and beans and chips and salsa, There are restrooms and a very interesting archeological museum that will give you a good education on the Mayan history. The tour includes a hike through the jungle to a few different Mayan structures and is a bit rocky but easy enough to handle for most people. The main temple is very impressive and you can climb it if you so choose. We did, and it was quite an experience. Not for the faint of heart, the steps are quite steep and narrow, and it's definitely not something that would be allowed in the USA. There is a rope that runs down the middle of the steps and you can use it to steady your descent. The view from the top is absolutely spectacular!

 

The return trip is the same, only in reverse. The boat ride is done at full speed and the bus ride does not include the tour guide narration. We got back around 4:00pm and caught a tender back to the Jewel. As we entered the ship the comedian Tim Kaminski was there greeting passengers and we chatted for a few minutes and he invited us to join him for drinks later that night in the Fyzz lounge.

 

Dinner tonight was at Cagney's, and we were treated to a most wonderful meal. Our server, a Romanian beauty named Raluka, chatted and joked with us as she recommended various items on the menu. We put ourselves in her hands and ordered the shrimp cocktail (accurately described as "colossal"!), the chopped salad (Cagney's signature salad which is an upscale take on the Cobb) and the porterhouse steak for two, which is sliced and served table-side. One side dish not to be missed is the truffle french fries which were incredible. We had a number of visitors, including Hotel Director John O'Hara (he's everywhere!) Maitre D' Melvyn, and even Tim Kaminski (again!) who in his booming voice told Raluka and Melvyn that we HAD to get some of the mashed garlic potatoes and mushrooms, in addition to the sides we had already ordered. It's nice to be in an atmosphere where everyone is having a good time and the good-natured ribbing between Tim and Cagney's staff had us belly laughing! The meal lived up to it's expectations and was a trip highlight. At the end I was presented with a special cheese plate, compliments of the house. I guess I'm now officially the cheese guy! :-)

 

We had lingered so long at Cagney's that we only were able to catch the last 10 minutes of the show, which tonight was the Country & Western tribute production by the Jean Ann Ryan troupe. It was well attended and we stood at the back with a few other late attendees. We got to the Fyzz bar in time to catch the last few songs by "The Amigos", the three piece guitar band, and ordered up a couple of Red Stripes. Tim soon joined us and the fun began. Tim insisted on buying us a "Fun Drink" and got the bartender involved in creating a couple of special martinis for us. We were soon joined by a few members of "Cats Pajamas" and had a great time joking with Tim. He's a real character. Just to give you an example: somehow we mistakenly referred to the guitar band as "The Three Amigos" which of course caused Tim to mimic the zany coughing pelvic thrust that Martin Short, Chevy Chase and Steve Martin do in the comedy movie. He said that it would be funny if the band imitated that move. Of course we dared him and he ran up on to the stage, talked briefly with the band, demonstrated the move and had them do it! Not everyone in the audience got the joke, but we were dying laughing! Please make sure you get to know Tim if you can, he'll become your best pal in one day, he's a great guy…

 

Tomorrow Costa Maya!

[Zimomiller]

"For lunch we had signed up for the "Taste of India" buffet lunch which took place in the Bistro. It's a $10 extra fee but worth it. The food was delicious and it made me think of all the great experiences one can have on a cruise, discovering and trying new things."

 

I found this comment to be interesting and alarming. It appears that NCL is now trying to find ways to charge for the buffet.

 

Last cruise on the Jade they were experimenting with a Jazz Brunch as an upcharge event.

 

I find these trends disturbing and annoying. The quality of food and service in the main dining rooms used to be terrific. Now they are at best average as all the effort is to get the guest to upcharge into something that used to be the free.

[alidee12]

is this the dining room that comes with the cruise price? as in, you don't have to pay extra? if so, that is great! Sounds like you do get quality food for what you pay! i can't wait!

After seeing the menu, we decided to have an early dinner at Tsar's, one of the main dining rooms on board. The food was quite good. I had a black bean soup and the Mahi Mahi which was served with braised endive and sun-dried tomato polenta. Lorraine had the crostada with mushrooms and buffalo mozzarella, followed by the pappardelle pasta with short rib ragout and ricotta. For desert I had a disappointing cheese platter which consisted of a few pieces of swiss, blue and 2 other innocuous cow's milk cheeses served with a handful of grapes and one walnut piece. On previous cruises they have had a cheese cart that they bring to your table, with lots of interesting cheeses that you select from. Lorraine had a vanilla soufflé with creme anglaise that was quite tasty. We brought the bottle of leftover wine back to our room to enjoy later.

 

[gdwoods]

Yes, Tsars is one of the main dining rooms, without any surcharge.

 

In response to the previous post about the Taste of India special lunch, I don't understand the cause for alarm. It is an optional activity and not a replacement for any of the usual free lunch options which are numerous on board. I appreciate having options and can decide for myself whether or not I want to pony up any additional fees, or go with the free meals that are included in my cruise fare. As I noted, the food in the main dining rooms is quite good, and I would not hesitate to recommend them. Although we have not yet tried the Garden Cafe buffet option, we've walked through during lunch and dinner times and found that the selections were quite large. I don't think you'll have any trouble finding the right fit for your style of cruise dining...

 

is this the dining room that comes with the cruise price? as in, you don't have to pay extra? if so, that is great! Sounds like you do get quality food for what you pay! i can't wait!

[TSUmom]

I think I met Tim Kaminski on the Pride of America if I am not mistaken and if so he is alot of fun to hang with!!

[arabrab]

"For lunch we had signed up for the "Taste of India" buffet lunch which took place in the Bistro. It's a $10 extra fee but worth it. The food was delicious and it made me think of all the great experiences one can have on a cruise, discovering and trying new things."

 

I found this comment to be interesting and alarming. It appears that NCL is now trying to find ways to charge for the buffet.

 

Last cruise on the Jade they were experimenting with a Jazz Brunch as an upcharge event.

 

I find these trends disturbing and annoying. The quality of food and service in the main dining rooms used to be terrific. Now they are at best average as all the effort is to get the guest to upcharge into something that used to be the free.

 

No -- this was nothing like charging for the buffet. We did it last week and it was fabulous. They take over Chin Chin (and put a sari-like wrap on the statue of Marianne at the entrance), and a full buffet of Indian specialties is set out. As far as I could see, each of the waiters for this lunch is from India, and they really enjoy telling you about the different foods and specialties. We had a lovely discussion about the amazing soup, which is how we learned that tammarind was the ingredient that gave it such a great flavor. With respect to the buffet foods, some were things you'd see on the buffet at many Indian restaurants, but I don't think you'd find any but really top end restaurants offering huge, juicy, spicy lamb chops even on the dinner a la carte menu, or shrimp curry with plentiful big shrimp. There were papadum, roti, fresh chutneys, and probably fifteen other dishes. It was far better than any Indian buffet we've ever been to, and we eat Indian food a lot at home and while we travel. That's something we won't forget.

 

This lunch was one of the things that NCL does very, very well, and I'd like to see them successfully do even more. The food court experience is really different. If the Garden Cafe offers Chinese, my best hope is that they approach the quality level of Panda Express. They aren't going to include foods with a high food cost and complex preparation, it isn't going to be thematically consistent in the entire restaurant, and it isn't likely to feel like a particularly special meal.

 

Some people go to the thermal suite even though there are public hot tubs available to everyone on the pool deck. We feel the same way about offerings like the Indian Lunch. If you're just looking for a meal, Azura or Garden Cafe are there at no extra charge. But for us, the Indian Lunch was a real treat, and well worth the price. (I think it was $15 per person on our cruise, not $10, but I could be wrong.) We also found the Jazz Brunch to be well worth it.

 

Our cruise review for last week's Jewel sailing has more info on the Jazz Brunch and other meals:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=62027

 

I'd love to see a Basque lunch on a future cruise, or a dim sum brunch in Chin Chin.

[Zubsin]

gdwoods...thanks for the information on the orphange...we have a couple months until our cruise so I have time to prepare. THIS IS A GREAT IDEA! thanks so much for sharing we are going to steal your idea. Donna (zubsin is our CC name)

[CruisinMaterial]

gdwoods - Great review so far! You REALLY REALLY do NOT want to miss Cirque Bijoux. Make sure you get there at least a 1/2 hour prior to show time for either the early or the late as the seating is VERY hard to come by! :) The Jean Ann Ryan performers onboard the Jewel are fantastic and you really don't want to miss that show. The performers who come into the audience are especially fun to watch!

 

I'm also happy to hear that John is treating you famously! He's a great guy and treated mom and I so great I'm tempted to book another cruise for Spring Break onboard the Jewel. I'd hope the weather is better this time around if I do book it. We'll see...

 

That Lamani tour was something else! You're right though about it not being for the faint of hear or for those not 100% able to get around because it's not terrain that's easy to get around on. Mom had some issues with her arthritic knee. I was fine though. Glad you mentioned that too but that tour was INCREDIBLE! It was the best tour I took in on the Jewel cruise!

 

Keep those posts coming! I know you were at Costa Maya yesterday and today you're at sea. Tomorrow is the private island and I really hope you get to make it ashore!

 

~Jake

[tgptmp]

Thanks for the update--we board the Jewel soon.

[gdwoods]

DAY FIVE

 

The seas were a little bit less calm last night and the ship's rocking was noticeable as we slept. I don't mind as it makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth from being at sea! Lorraine had trouble sleeping though, and we were glad that we had arranged a day pass at the Maya Chan private beach, with nothing to do but relax all day.

 

By this time on a cruise most everyone has relaxed quite a bit and pleasantries are invariably exchanged as passengers cross each other in the hallways or meet in the elevators. Once or twice a day I get a "Hey Scarecrow!" greeting from someone who recognizes me from my embarrassing stint up on the stage with the comedian on our first night.

 

We had breakfast in Cagney's again this morning and I had the "Fruits de Mer" which is a wonderful brioche that is hollowed out and filled with lobster, scallop and shrimp, and topped with a poached egg and hollandaise, and potatoes and veggies on the side. THIS is the dish that I could eat every morning! Very delicious and this time the poached eggs were perfectly cooked.

 

The Jewel's captain spins the ship around and actually backs into the Costa Maya docking area. Back to the room to grab our beach towels and apply sunscreen and we debark.

 

Costa Maya is an interesting area, purpose built for tourism. As we walk out of the port area to find our Maya Chan representative, we can see nothing but commercial buildings, many of them still being built. Workers are digging ditches, filling in paths and building new walls in what will eventually probably be an impressive shopping district. For now it sort of reminds me of how Las Vegas must have looked as the first buildings went up in the desert, creating a new town. There are no residences that we could spot as we take the 5 mile taxi ride to Maya Chan. The roads are extremely rough, and made more so by the use of large ship rope placed across the road every half mile or so, forming a unique type of speed bump.

 

We arrive at Maya Chan and are greeted, handed a drink and led to what will be our private area for the day. It consists of a Palapa, essentially a bed in an open hut, with a table and a couple of chairs. We also have a sun bed and chairs out in the sun down by the water. As we walk past the bar area we can see a few of our fellow passengers, who had arrived before us, checking their email on the laptops that are set up on the bar. There is free wireless Internet service so bring your laptops if you want. Maya Chan was built by a San Diego native, Mark, who runs it with his wife and son. Only 30 guests per day are allowed, and you are pampered with an open bar, delicious chips with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo and a delicious authentic Mexican fajita lunch with grilled chicken flank steak, sea bass, and all the trimmings. Servers will bring you an endless supply of drinks as you lounge on your Palapa enjoying the beautiful view. Activities include bicycle tours, kayaking and snorkeling, but unfortunately it was too windy for kayaking and the conditions were too murky for good snorkeling, although we did attempt the snorkeling as we had brought our gear and Lorraine had never tried it before. One note about the sea grass, which grows abundantly in these waters: previous guests have written complaints about it, the only negative thing I've ever read about Maya Chan. It is true, and actually the rough seas had a large quantity washing up onto the beach. Mark, the owner, addresses this as best he can, by hiring a worker who does nothing but rake up the grass… all day long! It's a Sysaphean task. Mark explained that other beaches don't do this, which actually causes an opening on his beach for the grass to accumulate even more. Today was exceptional, and usually the raking will clear the beach for the day's guests. For us it was not a big deal, it's part of nature and we appreciate the unspoiled caribbean coast in it's wild state. The day seemed to speed by, even though we did little but read our books, tan in the sun and drink our beers. Other guests hung out at the bar and partied, enjoying the top-shelf liquor and bartending skills of Mark's son. Make sure you try their house drink special, made from vodka and limes in the fashion of a mojito. There is a small gift shop, lockers and showers on the premises, and snorkel gear is provided. At the end of your day the staff will have a taxi ready for you and get you back to port safely, regardless of your state of sobriety. I highly recommend Maya Chan. The day we were there, a couple who were doing a back-to-back Jewel cruise were there for their second week. They loved it so much that they chose to come back twice.

 

The shopping in the port area is not bad, if you're looking for jewelry, booze or souvenirs. It's quite large, and we ran out of time before we could visit all of the stores. The walk up the pier is a long one, but there is a shuttle cart that will drive you to the ship if you do not want to walk.

 

Tonight we dined at Mama's, the Italian restaurant, and again the food was great. We ordered carpaccio and calamari for our appetizers, and osso bucco and lobster ravioli as our entrees. The attentive staff insisted on bringing the antipasto cart to our table and we gladly took a few dishes upon their recommendation. I had the sardines and parma ham, which were very good. The mozzarella looked good too. For desert we had tiramisu.

 

In the theater tonight was "Cat's Pajamas". There was a section of the theater roped off for the kids club and they came into the theater singing a song as they were led by their chaperones. Very cute! It's nice how the kids have their own activities, and I'm sure the field trip to the theater was a lot of fun for them. "Cat's Pajamas" is a four-piece a-cappella group and they are phenomenal! If you get a chance to catch them make sure you do. With only their voices they create a huge musical sound (ok, for you techies out there, they did make use of an octave doubler for the bass parts and some reverb and delays.) Their production was very tight, the sound, and especially the light show, were amazing.

 

That's it for our three day port extravaganza. The weather has been perfect, and we feel very fortunate as we've been told that cruisers on the previous three trips were not as lucky. Tomorrow is an at sea day and we are looking forward to it...

[jordan52]

DAY FIVE

 

The seas were a little bit less calm last night and the ship's rocking was noticeable as we slept. I don't mind as it makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth from being at sea! Lorraine had trouble sleeping though, and we were glad that we had arranged a day pass at the Maya Chan private beach, with nothing to do but relax all day.

 

By this time on a cruise most everyone has relaxed quite a bit and pleasantries are invariably exchanged as passengers cross each other in the hallways or meet in the elevators. Once or twice a day I get a "Hey Scarecrow!" greeting from someone who recognizes me from my embarrassing stint up on the stage with the comedian on our first night.

 

We had breakfast in Cagney's again this morning and I had the "Fruits de Mer" which is a wonderful brioche that is hollowed out and filled with lobster, scallop and shrimp, and topped with a poached egg and hollandaise, and potatoes and veggies on the side. THIS is the dish that I could eat every morning! Very delicious and this time the poached eggs were perfectly cooked.

 

The Jewel's captain spins the ship around and actually backs into the Costa Maya docking area. Back to the room to grab our beach towels and apply sunscreen and we debark.

 

Costa Maya is an interesting area, purpose built for tourism. As we walk out of the port area to find our Maya Chan representative, we can see nothing but commercial buildings, many of them still being built. Workers are digging ditches, filling in paths and building new walls in what will eventually probably be an impressive shopping district. For now it sort of reminds me of how Las Vegas must have looked as the first buildings went up in the desert, creating a new town. There are no residences that we could spot as we take the 5 mile taxi ride to Maya Chan. The roads are extremely rough, and made more so by the use of large ship rope placed across the road every half mile or so, forming a unique type of speed bump.

 

We arrive at Maya Chan and are greeted, handed a drink and led to what will be our private area for the day. It consists of a Palapa, essentially a bed in an open hut, with a table and a couple of chairs. We also have a sun bed and chairs out in the sun down by the water. As we walk past the bar area we can see a few of our fellow passengers, who had arrived before us, checking their email on the laptops that are set up on the bar. There is free wireless Internet service so bring your laptops if you want. Maya Chan was built by a San Diego native, Mark, who runs it with his wife and son. Only 30 guests per day are allowed, and you are pampered with an open bar, delicious chips with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo and a delicious authentic Mexican fajita lunch with grilled chicken flank steak, sea bass, and all the trimmings. Servers will bring you an endless supply of drinks as you lounge on your Palapa enjoying the beautiful view. Activities include bicycle tours, kayaking and snorkeling, but unfortunately it was too windy for kayaking and the conditions were too murky for good snorkeling, although we did attempt the snorkeling as we had brought our gear and Lorraine had never tried it before. One note about the sea grass, which grows abundantly in these waters: previous guests have written complaints about it, the only negative thing I've ever read about Maya Chan. It is true, and actually the rough seas had a large quantity washing up onto the beach. Mark, the owner, addresses this as best he can, by hiring a worker who does nothing but rake up the grass… all day long! It's a Sysaphean task. Mark explained that other beaches don't do this, which actually causes an opening on his beach for the grass to accumulate even more. Today was exceptional, and usually the raking will clear the beach for the day's guests. For us it was not a big deal, it's part of nature and we appreciate the unspoiled caribbean coast in it's wild state. The day seemed to speed by, even though we did little but read our books, tan in the sun and drink our beers. Other guests hung out at the bar and partied, enjoying the top-shelf liquor and bartending skills of Mark's son. Make sure you try their house drink special, made from vodka and limes in the fashion of a mojito. There is a small gift shop, lockers and showers on the premises, and snorkel gear is provided. At the end of your day the staff will have a taxi ready for you and get you back to port safely, regardless of your state of sobriety. I highly recommend Maya Chan. The day we were there, a couple who were doing a back-to-back Jewel cruise were there for their second week. They loved it so much that they chose to come back twice.

 

The shopping in the port area is not bad, if you're looking for jewelry, booze or souvenirs. It's quite large, and we ran out of time before we could visit all of the stores. The walk up the pier is a long one, but there is a shuttle cart that will drive you to the ship if you do not want to walk.

 

Tonight we dined at Mama's, the Italian restaurant, and again the food was great. We ordered carpaccio and calamari for our appetizers, and osso bucco and lobster ravioli as our entrees. The attentive staff insisted on bringing the antipasto cart to our table and we gladly took a few dishes upon their recommendation. I had the sardines and parma ham, which were very good. The mozzarella looked good too. For desert we had tiramisu.

 

In the theater tonight was "Cat's Pajamas". There was a section of the theater roped off for the kids club and they came into the theater singing a song as they were led by their chaperones. Very cute! It's nice how the kids have their own activities, and I'm sure the field trip to the theater was a lot of fun for them. "Cat's Pajamas" is a four-piece a-cappella group and they are phenomenal! If you get a chance to catch them make sure you do. With only their voices they create a huge musical sound (ok, for you techies out there, they did make use of an octave doubler for the bass parts and some reverb and delays.) Their production was very tight, the sound, and especially the light show, were amazing.

 

That's it for our three day port extravaganza. The weather has been perfect, and we feel very fortunate as we've been told that cruisers on the previous three trips were not as lucky. Tomorrow is an at sea day and we are looking forward to it...

was the maya chan beach $64/pp or $64 for 2 of you?

[yoyocruiser]

We were at Maya Chan two weeks ago and it was absolutely lovely--just as you describe!

 

And wasn't the calamari wonderful at Mama's--we kept ordering it!!

 

You are bringing back the wonderful time that we had--I truly feel that the Jewel and that current crew are quite special!

[arabrab]

was the maya chan beach $64/pp or $64 for 2 of you?

 

I think we paid $60 a person a week ago, but it might have been $69. (The bookings were paid when we received confirmation of the reservation.)

 

Either way, it was absolutely worth it. We're not big drinkers, but there is so very much more to a day at Maya Chan than that. When I think that we paid more than $60 per person for a two and a half hour snorkeling/beach shore excursion through NCL in Belize, and compare that to what Maya Chan has there really isn't any comparison at all.

[gdwoods]

DAY SIX

 

The perfect weather streak continues and the calm seas gave us a very restful night's sleep. Today I decided that indeed the large mural photos that are placed in the stairway areas are changed every night. I wasn't sure, and looking at how they are installed, I could not imagine how they could easily be swapped out, but I kept seeing different pictures. At first I just thought I was imagining things and what with the ship being so big… Anyway, it's pretty cool. Check it out.

 

Another wonderful breakfast in Cagney's where the server remembers us and our order from yesterday. How they do that with 2500 new passengers each week is astounding to me...

 

I had asked our concierge to deliver a bottle of wine from our first day 20% discounted purchase and we decide that we will have lunch in our room and enjoy a few hours of sun on the balcony. Nothing much to report today because although there are tons of activities on board, we are feeling pretty lazy and chose to simply relax…

 

Later we take our video camera and do a walking travelogue of the ship to show the folks back home just how big and spectacular the Jewel is. Many non-cruisers are worried about being cooped up on a little boat all week; or that there's nothing to do on board. The first scene of our documentary involves walking the entire length of the deck 9 port side hallway while counting the steps. 320 paces later we reach the aft of the ship and head downstairs to film the beautiful Tsars dining room before it opens for service. John O'Hara is there talking with the dining room manager and they gamely participate in our filming by waving and greeting the folks back home. The sun is setting and throwing a beautiful golden glow in through Tsar's windows illuminating the artwork. It's a beautiful room. Then we move upstairs and Lorraine narrates as I film, again walking the entire length of the ship, twice, once through the inside public areas and then once more along the outside promenade

 

By the way, make sure you take a walk up to the front of deck 11, port side. There is a room there that looks into the bridge, and during the day the shades are opened and you can watch the ship's navigation crew at work. There are also a couple of large screens showing actual output from the ship's systems and radar.

 

Tonight is the Cirque Bijoux show that everyone has been talking up, and at breakfast our concierge Carlos had told me that the lines start forming very early and last week extended all the way to the reception area by 7pm when the doors open in the theater. He recommended having an early dinner and going to the late show instead which is what we do, again dining in Tsars.

 

Tonight is lobster night, and it's also the second "Dress Up or Not" night and as Tsars is the the dressier of the two MDRs we see quite a few well dressed diners; more than I expected actually. It makes for a nice dining atmosphere. The lobster is good. It's not the best I've ever had in my life, but quite enjoyable. Lorraine's duck is a bit overcooked but also quite tasty. I want to mention the dining room staff because they are a big part of the dining experience on a cruise. I know that working on a ship is not a glamorous or particularly rewarding job, but NCL must be doing something right for their staff. The smiles, "hellos" and tableside small talk are genuine, and the staff seem to truly be interested in their guests. I frequently witnessed staff laughing and kidding around together at times when they were not in plain sight. You just can't get that sort of behavior from a staff that is not treated well or is working in an unhappy environment. I guess what I'm saying is that enjoying the service and hospitality offered on board during your vacation is something that you should look forward to, and we had a wonderful time engaging the staff in conversation and getting to know everyone, from the room stewards to the waiters, all the way to the Hotel Manager. NCL is obviously proud of this, as they should be.

 

After dinner we head into the Theater, which is about halfway full at 9pm. We manage to get good seats in the middle of the room and watch as it fills up. This is one show where you don't want to be up front. The best seats are at least ten rows back, as the performance is not limited to the stage and you will miss parts of it that occur behind you if you are too close to the stage. Cirque Bijou was the best of the three production shows, and quite entertaining. No one who has seen one will mistake it for a Cirque du Soleil performance, but given the limitations of a at-sea production, it was very enjoyable.

 

After the show Cat's Pajamas was performing in the Spinnaker lounge, their last show as they leave the Jewel on Sunday. We've missed most of the late-night entertainment such as the newlywed game, dancing with the stars and "liar's club", but these are filmed and played on the cabin TVs the next day and are usually hilariously funny.

 

The seas have been very calm and the weather looks to hold up, so we will most likely make it to Great Stirrup Cay tomorrow...

[familyof4cruising]

Enjoy your last day on board!

[alidee12]

thats great. thank you! we're planning on opting for the main dining rooms most of the time with maybe 1 night out in one of the specialty places so we can have enough $$ available for excursions and booze.

 

Yes, Tsars is one of the main dining rooms, without any surcharge.

 

In response to the previous post about the Taste of India special lunch, I don't understand the cause for alarm. It is an optional activity and not a replacement for any of the usual free lunch options which are numerous on board. I appreciate having options and can decide for myself whether or not I want to pony up any additional fees, or go with the free meals that are included in my cruise fare. As I noted, the food in the main dining rooms is quite good, and I would not hesitate to recommend them. Although we have not yet tried the Garden Cafe buffet option, we've walked through during lunch and dinner times and found that the selections were quite large. I don't think you'll have any trouble finding the right fit for your style of cruise dining...

[barbl123]

We are on this cruise in March- excting to read about it before! Keep the stream c oming!

[CruisinMaterial]

You are bringing back the wonderful time that we had--I truly feel that the Jewel and that current crew are quite special!

 

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement! The crew are quite special onboard and they all worked so hard for us that I hope they continue to please passengers on her upcoming sailings. I might be one of them again too if this works out right! :)

[CruisinMaterial]

gdwoods - As you get ready to disembark the vessel and get your packing done, be sure to head up to Spinnaker's Lounge for the Adult QUEST game show. You don't have to participate but it's a TON of fun! :D I know because I was there on our cruise and it was the start to the best and sadly the last night onboard the Jewel.

[lappl22]

Yes, she is on the Gem. I guess we missed something by not going to her shows

[pumpkin228]

Saw the Cat's Pajamas last year on the Spirit, they are amazingly talented. They are disembarking the Jewel so they can start their Music in Schools tour to promote Musice and Arts programs in High Schools. I am extremely lucky as they are coming to my state and town on this tour. I can't wait to share the experience of one of their shows with my family and friends that weren't on board with me last year! Absolutely amazing!

 

Great Review of the jewel!!!

[Makorr]

Really enjoying your review....keep it coming. One question, how is the coffee? Our last couple of cruises the coffee was not very good and we have considered taking along some of our own for our Jewel trip.

 

We are definitely coffee snobs... our Saeco fully automatic espresso machine is our baby! In the Garden Café (buffet restaurant) there are multiple beverage stations. There you will find the closest thing to free long coffee on the ship. Make sure you use the right machine... push on the button and it will grind and brew a fresh cup everytime. It is stronger than the coffee coming from the machine right beside it (the one that says Regular/Decaf). It took us a few days to figure this out... and made for better mornings :D