Review NCL Jewel - 01/23 - 02/02

[shenaniganzz]

We just returned from our 10 day Jewel cruise. Here is our review based on our opinions/experience. I am also throwing in a comparison to DCL for anyone trying to decide between a cruise line.

 

I will preface this review by saying that we got sick - out of our 8 travelers, 5 were ill. I don't think it was wide spread because according to the others, they never stopped people from serving themselves at the buffet. The fact that the majority of our group became ill did impact our vacation and our experience.

 

Embarkation - Simply, it was a breeze. I think we arrived around 11am via shuttle from our hotel. There was plenty of assistance with luggage, direction, etc. Fortunately, it wasn't that busy when we first arrived but by the time we had our NCL cards, there were long lines at security.

My parents had booked a suite and they allowed us all to stay together so we got to experience VIP embarkation. Their conceirge, Adrian, was amazing (more on that later). They also really liked their butler, Mary Jane.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - Well, I didn't get VIP service at Disney so in all fairness, I cannot compare apples and oranges. I can tell you that boarding was smooth with both lines for us and no complaints.)

 

Cabins - We booked a aft, ocean view, Deck 8. Small. Horrible? No, but small. It was probably far more evident because we were confined due to the illnesses. Had we booked a suite, it would have made life somewhat easier. While my daughter was ill, she wanted me to care for her and for the hours she was sick, I was confined to a stuffy (smelly, TMI but true), small cabin. Even a balcony (some sun, fresh air) would have made a big difference.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - Disney was better. We had an interior on Disney and the cabin was larger, more room to move. One thing that stood out after our NCL cruise was that Disney had far more to offer in the event you were ill. NCL played the same five Nick shows on a reel ALL DAY LONG. :( I think there were only a handful of movies rotating, too. Obviously there were other channels, but only one that was toddler appropriate and by the end of the cruise, I was ready to jump! Disney had more channels, Disney Pixar movies and DVDs and games to borrow.. we were never sick on the DCL cruise but it would have made a HUGE difference to have the amenities DCL offers.)

 

Pools / Hot Tubs - Great! There seemed to be ample room (though apparently there were only 150 children total on our cruise) in the pools and hot tubs. They were heated on the cold days for the brave, too. The salt water was a little unusual, IMO. The splash area for kids was fantastic. It was out of direct sunlight, had a slide and a hot tub specifically for kids and their parents which was a nice touch.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - NCL was better, especially the toddler/splash zone.)

 

Food - The first night we ate at Tzars and the food was... meh. The rest of the time we ate at the buffet or specialties. The buffet has a good number of choices, but we all found it was pretty monotonous. IMO they don't change the variety enough. Especially noticeable at breakfast. I found the quality to be pretty darn good, though, for a buffet. Specialites we tried - Mamma's, Chin Chin, Teppanyaki, Bistro, Tangos. The food was hit and miss. For example, the apps at Mamma's were excellent but the actual entrees were so-so. Bistro, the meal overall was really good but not earth shattering. Tangos was alright, though I found the lobster tacos to be a little overrated. The best meal I had was at Teppanyaki (though the desserts were so-so) followed by the meal at Chin Chin. My husband (who never became ill) was fortunate enough to eat at Cagney's and was really, really impressed. I think he said he had surf and turf. Desserts were largely disappointing and we all felt the same way.. exceptions were the tart (pineapple, I think?) at Tangos and the tiramisu at Mamma's.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - Disney overall was far superior with regard to food itself. While NCL had certain items that were amazing, Disney just had better quality/taste in a consistent manner. I was never really blown away on DCL but I never walked away from a meal saying anything was disappointing like with NCL. HOWEVER, a huge deal to us was freestyle. Disney's set dining times would actually deter us from cruising with them again. It was great being able to eat when we were ready. So, for this category I would have to say draw for us. )

 

Service - Fantastic. There was only one staff member who was extremely rude (towel steward, Joseph, I think) and the room service staff did seem somewhat unfriendly. The rest of the staff was absolutely wonderful. Always friendly hellos from the maintenance staff. We never encountered any wait staff who were rude or remotely indifferent. They were all friendly and happy to accomodate. A couple of times I ordered extra apps or desserts and only once did I not receive (though it was the first night and in all fairness I think he just forgot). A special shout out to Justin and Jesus who were working in Chin Chin and Teppanyaki. We were fortunate enough to have them serve us both times and Justin is probably the best server I've ever met. He went out of his way to make sure we were happy and we were. Our room stewards were excellent and we even got some towel animals. The staff works hard and they work extremely long hours.

We had absolutely no issue tipping extra to all the staff in addition to the DSC. We made sure our room stewards got a nice tip at the end of the week especially considering there were extra bedding changes, etc. while we were sick.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - I thought NCL was better. Not exceptionally so, but definitely better.)

 

Excursions - We only booked one but it was the night before my daughter got sick. When my mother tried to get a refund, she was told no - even though it was due to illness. A quick call to their concierge fixed that however, and we were all given full credit.

 

On a side note, the only island I got to see was Antigua and we went (on our own) to Hawksbill Beach Resort. The setting was gorgeous. The beach is beautiful but there are lots of shells and pebbles and it drops off quickly so not much wading room. The lunch here was awful (raw burgers, slimy chicken) and the drinks were extremely watered down. My mother is a lightweight and didn't even have a buzz after 4 drinks. I even asked for more rum just to make sure they didn't think we were ordering non-alcoholic drinks, but it didn't help. The staff was very friendly and random staff members stopped to chat with us throughout the day. The resort was very chill and quiet and that was a nice change from the buzz and activity of the ship. The kids had the whole pool to themselves all day. The driver we hired warned us about sharks though and told us to stay close to the shore.

 

(Disney vs. NCL - I can't compare for obvious reasons though it seems to me that NCL had MORE to offer than DCL)

 

Entertainment - Shows are not high on our priority list. Entertainment for the kiddos is. My youngest niece attended the kids club and seemed to have a good time. My daughter (3 y.o) went once and refused to go back. As for the Nickelodeon events, there wasn't much for toddler, IMO. There was only one character appearance per day and at 6:30pm - dinner time, makes no sense. The Nick stuff for older kids was fun - game shows, poolside challenges, etc. Now, this wasn't the "All Access" to be fair but it would've been great for a few more character appearances and better timing. I got to see the comedian and that was a good show. Others got to see the hypnotist and thought that was great. My sister and I attended the margarita tasting w/ David- EXCELLENT. Well worth the money and lots of fun.

 

(NCL versus Disney - I think Disney was better for my daughter's age bracket. I think the entertainment on NCL was geared towards 6-ish and up. As far as shows and events for adults, they seemed pretty well on par)

 

Medical - Thankfully, not everyone will have a comment on this. After my daughter was ill (I suspect noro) she developed another issue which I thought was a UTI (she kept shaking and crying and that it was stinging when she peed). This was while she still had the runs. Anyhoo - it was a rough few days. The medical clinic seems to only be open for a one hour period every day around dinner time. You can see a doctor outside of that hour, but it costs around 50% more I think. Then, if you want a cabin visit, it's even more.

 

I was convinced my daughter had a UTI (as did the docs, I thik, because we never got an "official" diagnosis or any opinions on what else it might be). So, off to the doctor we went and $225 later, we had some penicillin for her. She would NOT take it and when we forced it down, she threw up. I called the clinic. I was pretty disgusted because it was VERY evident it was all about the consultation fee more than her health. Every time I asked a question, they mentioned the fee. IE.

 

Me: "She will not take the medication, are there other options?"

 

Them: "No."

 

Me: "Well, what if she gets worse because she won't take the meds or vomits them?"

 

Them: "Well, then we will intervene. You will have to pay another fee".

 

Me: "So, there ARE other options if necessary?"

 

Them "Yes, but you will have to pay another fee to see the doctor".

 

(Now I am getting downright mad. :mad:)

 

Me: "Alright. When does it become necessary to intervene with another option?"

 

Them: "If she is running a high fever for example"

 

Me: "Okay, well I need to monitor her temperature. Do you have a thermometer I can purchase or borrow?"

 

Them: "No. But if you pay the consultation fee we can do it for you".

 

It is NOT about the money, it was about the fact that their focus was more about the $$$ and not about my daughter being ill... that they kept bringing it up several times during a conversation. We had medical insurance, I was just peeved and the constant need to make sure we knew OVER AND OVER AGAIN about the fee. Head meet wall. I felt like yelling I will give you $500 to shut up about about the fee and focus on my daughter's health.

 

Also, a couple of times we called, they didn't understand our questions. IE. I called once to ask if they had children's Advil. We had Tylenol and you can admininister these together if needed. I explained that I knew that I could do that and could they provide me with the Advil. They put me on hold and came back and told me that yes, I can double up Tylenol and Advil. This happened another time when my husband called, too... asked a question and got an inappropriate answer.

 

All that said, in the end we ended up with Dr. Peter who was extremely kind, knowkledgeable and refused to charge us for subsequent visits on the same issue. He even gave us a different med to try after she threw up the penicillin and he did not charge us.

 

Just be prepared that if you do need the clinic, you may hear about that fee until it makes you want to scream.

 

I also want to point out that ironically, when my niece sprained her ankle at their kids club, it was a different story. She got first class medical attention, not a word about fees and not ONE but TWO follow-up phone calls to see how she was and if they could do ANYTHING to help.

 

Another annoyance, they will not dispense OTC meds without a consult either. One elderly lady came into the clinic and needed lubricant drops for her eye (it appeared she was blind in it). They didn't have anything in the gift shop and while they admitted they had OTC stuff at the clinic, they advised her she had to pay the $105 to get it. Seriously? For OTC meds? I realize they aren't a store front and fine, charge a minimal fee for dispensing, but $105 for some cough medicine or eye drops?! :eek:

 

Debarkation - Another breeze. We did get VIP debarkation (with our parents) but we also decided to wait until the 11th hour to get off the ship. There was a delay with immigration and I think it delayed everyone 30 - 60 minutes. I was pretty surprised that people (despite all requests, announcements not to) lined up in the hallways. Then, these people got raving mad when there was a delay because they had been waiting in line to get off. Ayiyi. :rolleyes: There weren't really any long waits to get assistance with our luggage or get through immigration.

 

(NCL vs DCL - NCL was better, hands down. It didn't help that we were on the DCL cruise that got stuck in the Bahamas last year because that changed our port and DCL was ill prepared. Debarkation was a nightmare. Probably not fair to compare the two given the unusual circumstance, but DCL didn't handle it well at all)

 

Note to NCL - I was DISGUSTED by the people refilling their personal bottles/cups at the self serve drink stations. One lady (and I am biting my tongue REALLY hard) actually put the mouth of her empty water bottle right over the nozzle of the water dispenser!!!! RIGHT OVER. :mad: You, lady, are a big part of the reason people like us get noro only to have our vacations ruined. It was right after we recovered so I nearly throttled her. We followed the washy, washy, etc. and still got sick. After talking to others, apparently this is quite common. People should be courteous and hygenic, but in those large crowds you're always going to get people who feel entitled and don't want to follow the rules (like the guy who decided HE needed the creamer carafe at his table because I suppose it was too inconvenient to get up off his lazy duff)... who don't give a flip if they ruin someone else's vacation. In my recollection there are two stations at the buffet for drinks, they really should have someone there to stop offenders. Should they have to? No, they shouldn't. They also shouldn't need the "washy, washy" staff but there is a need due to poor hygiene (and another shame on those who were rude to that staff.. saw it several times). Also, sad as it is, NCL should not be providing the mugs with the soda cards. They were among the worst offenders! I suppose if they had someone stationed to watch, it wouldn't matter.

 

They did offer the laundry special twice - once mid-trip and then again at the end. Due to the illness, we had lots of soiled clothes so it was especially helpful. (I'll make a side note that on Disney you can do your own laundry. While I would prefer NOT to do laundry on vacation, it would have helped immensely to have had the option on this trip)

 

As for NYC, we booked at Staybridge Suites. I have never been to NYC before so I don't really have anything to compare to. Room sizes were on the small size (expected for NYC I guess) but adequate, clean and NO BED BUGS! I have to say that the front desk staff at this hotel leave a little something to be desired (ie. not overly friendly and we left a stuffed animal there and when we asked about it, were told they didn't have it and to be more careful!!!???) but it is more than made up for by Marcin, Sunny and Andy (bell hops, concierge?). They were fantastic! They recommended great places to eat and helped us whatever way they could. The shuttle service they set up also hooked us up with sight seeing around NYC for $50/hour which is an excellent rate! Must try- Capizzi's for lunch or dinner. It was phenomenal!

 

So, to sum it up, I *might* consider NCL again. I haven't decided yet. It certainly didn't help that for some of us, the cruise was ruined (not NCL's fault). Please spare me the "any cruise is better than stuck at home" because IMO that is not true when you spend that kind of money to be holed up in a cabin for 85% of your vacation watching repeats of the same Nick shows over and over. I was honestly so thoroughly unimpressed with the medical staff (minus Dr. Peter) that it would affect my decision to cruise with NCL again. As a parent, I want to know that my child's health is PRIORITY ONE, period. I don't want someone to nickel and dime me over the telephone while I am trying to get my questions and concerns answered - and I was careful NOT to ask specific medical advice. To add insult to injury was the level of "care and concern" my niece received when they were obviously concerned about liability versus a listless, sick 3 year old toddler who is still passing diarrhea and having trouble passing urine. Not cool.

 

I might eventually try NCL again but I would be more likely to choose DCL in the next few years. I have been wanting to try RCL too, but I think I might stick to a cruise that is more child-oriented until she is a bit older. Regardless of which cruise I choose, I can say for certain I will choose no less than a balcony! Live and learn! ;)

[JohnGaltny]

Nicely done Trudy.

 

Hope you all feel better and, most imporatant, that the kid is fine.

[Sea Monster 2]

Thanks for this review and hope you are all feeling well again soon. We have sailed DCL our past two cruises and are trying the Epic next month, so it was very interesting for me to see your comparisons. The age of the kids' programs is the motivator for the switch-- my son is eight and I think he feels he has aged-out of Disney (although we love it and would definitely cruise with them again!), so in our case, it's good news that you find NCL's programs geared towards his age group. Some of the things you for which you gave NCL the advantage surprised me, in a good way. We are really looking forward to this trip and trying something new!

[shenaniganzz]

Thanks John!

 

The other kiddos and adults all recovered on the ship.

 

I am happy to report that my daughter is well on the mend now that we are home. Her appetite is almost back to normal and no more "stingies" or runs! :D

[MMMD]

We were getting off as you were getting on. I agree that Adrian is wonderful. Nothing you ask is too much for him.

 

When we arrived for our cruise on the 12th, we were delayed a little for extra cleaning and given a paper that said 2% of the previous cruise passengers were sick.

 

While on the cruise I can't begin to tell you how much cleaning was going on. It seemed to be constant wherever we went. I don't remember hearing that anyone on our cruise became ill. You are right that our fellow passengers endanger us all and unfortunately some of us will end up sick.

 

I'm so sorry this happened to your family.

 

We loved Mamas so much we ate there a few times. Their pizzas were so good and we loved their desserts. In fact we don't have any complaints on the food. No matter where we ate, it was good.

 

We enjoyed the perk of having breakfast and lunch at Cagneys, and I only wish the lunch menu could have added something different half way through the cruise.

 

This was our first cruise experience and are planning on booking the Gem for January 2012. We enjoyed it that much.

 

I'm very glad to hear that your little one is better and enjoyed reading your review. Thank you for posting it.

[lalapodip]

I enjoyed reading your review (although sorry for the sickness) and thank you for sharing the details of your experience. Much appreciated!

[rzdj96]

Nice review Trudy. We also were on your cruise and found it as night and day compared to last years GEM cruise (especially in the food department). We agree with the medical department. We looked for an "ace" bandage for the wife's ankle and the first words were the $105 fee. Although she did add to say that there's a CVS to the left as you leave the pier in San Juan. Our balcony cabin was the smallest we've ever experienced. Although it was workable, I question the age of the beds. I mean, a mattress, with an inch foam pad, with a mattress pad, another inch foam pad on top followed by another mattress pad was a bit much for the normal sized sheets to stay in place. That, along with the huge "square" pillows was a bit much for us, so we traded them in for normal ones. We liked the "salt & pepper" packets over the GEM's shakers (which were nasty). I believe that alone curbed a great deal of any germ transfers one may have acquired (especially since we didn't observe anyone with the "washy, washy" bottle coming into the buffet from the aft elevators. It was our first NCL cruise (of four) that NCL confiscated the wifes birthday champagne at the brow. NCL said it was policy but couldn't produce any documentation supporting their claim (so they lost that $15 corkage fee). Another was "smokes". You could walk on with them (or purchase them in the store) but if they were delivered to the ship, you couldn't retrieve them 'til the last night. Upon disembarkation, the line was re-routed to the port side, around Azars, to the starboard side. Only problem there was the folks that "dropped in" from the elevator (thus adding to the line that was already established).

Other than that, the Jewel was most pleasant and it's sad to see her not doing the 10 night winter departures from NYC (as we'd prefer the Jewel over the GEM anytime). One last note is after 4 years of the exact same winter itinerary, it's time for a port visit change, like St Croix or somewhere. Arriving in Tortola on a Sunday (when all is closed anyway) could be a better incentive (or change of pace) to exchange it with say St. Croix on those days. Just our thoughts though.

[Shelli]

Great review! So sorry you all got sick... what a shame. :( I commend you for such a fair and balanced review in spite of that.

 

I agree about the Jewel staff-- they were fabulous on our November cruise.

[emmtee]

It seems that medical personnel are really hit or miss in general. My parents were recently on Carnival Dream and Dad had a fall. One doctor was extremely rude and was threatening to put them off the ship for medical care at the next port because the onboard X-Ray didn't produce a clear enough image. He did eventually apologize and acknowledge that since Dad's pain went away, it was unlikely anything was broken. Later, they spoke with a different doctor and she was extremely nice.

 

At least your niece was well treated. I'm not surprised since she was injured onboard. When I was on a Jewel cruise and broke my ankle on an NCL shore excursion, they took really good care of us. I had to stay in a hospital for 3 nights, and while I was there, they kept in contact with my mom (who stayed behind with me) and tour guide and made arrangements for our return. We had been 4 in a cabin, and when I reboarded they put 2 of us in a second cabin and loaned me a wheelchair for the rest of the cruise - no charge. I had to give myself shots of a bloodthinner to prevent blood clots, and I asked the nurse to tell me how. She was really nice and showed me. (That was one less of the 30 shots I had to give myself.)

 

You should really write a letter to NCL and let them know about the service, or lack of service, that you received. It sounds like someone before you may have complained that they didn't know about the fees, and now they're going overboard (pardon the pun) to let people know. :rolleyes:

[Alliea]

Nice review Trudy. We also were on your cruise and found it as night and day compared to last years GEM cruise (especially in the food department). We agree with the medical department. We looked for an "ace" bandage for the wife's ankle and the first words were the $105 fee. Although she did add to say that there's a CVS to the left as you leave the pier in San Juan. Our balcony cabin was the smallest we've ever experienced. Although it was workable, I question the age of the beds. I mean, a mattress, with an inch foam pad, with a mattress pad, another inch foam pad on top followed by another mattress pad was a bit much for the normal sized sheets to stay in place. That, along with the huge "square" pillows was a bit much for us, so we traded them in for normal ones. We liked the "salt & pepper" packets over the GEM's shakers (which were nasty). I believe that alone curbed a great deal of any germ transfers one may have acquired (especially since we didn't observe anyone with the "washy, washy" bottle coming into the buffet from the aft elevators. It was our first NCL cruise (of four) that NCL confiscated the wifes birthday champagne at the brow. NCL said it was policy but couldn't produce any documentation supporting their claim (so they lost that $15 corkage fee). Another was "smokes". You could walk on with them (or purchase them in the store) but if they were delivered to the ship, you couldn't retrieve them 'til the last night. Upon disembarkation, the line was re-routed to the port side, around Azars, to the starboard side. Only problem there was the folks that "dropped in" from the elevator (thus adding to the line that was already established).

Other than that, the Jewel was most pleasant and it's sad to see her not doing the 10 night winter departures from NYC (as we'd prefer the Jewel over the GEM anytime). One last note is after 4 years of the exact same winter itinerary, it's time for a port visit change, like St Croix or somewhere. Arriving in Tortola on a Sunday (when all is closed anyway) could be a better incentive (or change of pace) to exchange it with say St. Croix on those days. Just our thoughts though.

 

I'm glad that we will at least have the Gem here still. I heard that the Spirit will do Bermuda? I didn't like the Spirit though. If this cruise goes well (Jewel Sunday), I will want to go on the Gem next winter. The Gem is newer..right? Is it the workers you liked better on the Jewel vs Gem?

[Alliea]

Thanks for your review. I am sorry your daugher got sick. I remember way back when we took our 4 yr. son to Disney, and he got so sick. I was so sad this had to happen. I almost could not believe our luck! I can just imagine an inside room on a cruise ship!

[rzdj96]

I'm glad that we will at least have the Gem here still. I heard that the Spirit will do Bermuda? I didn't like the Spirit though. If this cruise goes well (Jewel Sunday), I will want to go on the Gem next winter. The Gem is newer..right? Is it the workers you liked better on the Jewel vs Gem?

 

Yes, the GEM is newer than the Jewel by two years ('05 - '07). It's the Star that'll be doing Bermuda in '12 as the Spirit is heading for the Med then. It's not a case of which ship is newer, there's a lot of preferred uniqueness found in every ship. Sort of like "different strokes for different folks". On the GEM we didn't even see our cabin steward 'til day 4. On the Jewel they were right there upon embarkation. It just felt like more of a welcome.