jewel in February

[MsJ]

Hello, I just booked a last minute cruise on the Jewel for 2/17/13. We have been on 15 plus cruises 2 of them on NCL.I called to book a mini-suite but the NCL rep told me that an aft cabin on deck 8 had just been released due to a cancelation. He highly recommended the aft cabin instead of the the forward minisuite I was looking at. This will be our first aft cabin and I am looking forward to this new experience. I am getting alot of info from this board and wanted to say thanks to all. I just have a few questions...

 

Was it a good choice to get the aft cabin instead of the min-balconey?

 

On Princess last year we got the wine package....I see that there is a discount on 6 or more bottle of wine on NCL. Has anyone taken advantage of this and what did you think it was worth it?

 

On Princess my husband is able to carry on a 6 pack of beer at different ports....no questions asked......I read that carrying on beer is not allowed but Princess also says this and he has never had a problem...has anyone experienced carrying on beer?

 

Can each of us carry on a 2 bottles of wine at embarkation or is it 2 bottles per cabin?

 

On Princess we always get the weekly pass at the spa......one poster said that only 50 weekly spa passes are sold on NCL......do these passes sellout the first day or are there more than 50 sold for the week? On Princess we always go straight to the spa the day of embarkation to get the passes. Is that recommended for the Jewel?

 

Does the coffee maker in the balcony cabin use the cup pods or is it a pillow type pod that you get in some hotels?

 

We are driving from north of Boston to NYC and parking in the lot. We did this on our July 2002 NCL cruise to the Bahamas on the old NCL Sea. This will be our third time leaving from NYC but the first time in winter. I am looking forward to sailing out of NYC harbor..past the Statue of Liberty. Our other NCL cruise was in the Caribbean on the no longer NCL Wind. It had been stretched when we went on it. I am excited about this cruise as it was last minute and feel we go a good deal.

[jdvmd]

Hello, I just booked a last minute cruise on the Jewel for 2/17/13. We have been on 15 plus cruises 2 of them on NCL.I called to book a mini-suite but the NCL rep told me that an aft cabin on deck 8 had just been released due to a cancelation. He highly recommended the aft cabin instead of the the forward minisuite I was looking at. This will be our first aft cabin and I am looking forward to this new experience. I am getting alot of info from this board and wanted to say thanks to all. I just have a few questions...

 

Was it a good choice to get the aft cabin instead of the min-balconey?

 

On Princess last year we got the wine package....I see that there is a discount on 6 or more bottle of wine on NCL. Has anyone taken advantage of this and what did you think it was worth it?

 

On Princess my husband is able to carry on a 6 pack of beer at different ports....no questions asked......I read that carrying on beer is not allowed but Princess also says this and he has never had a problem...has anyone experienced carrying on beer?

 

Can each of us carry on a 2 bottles of wine at embarkation or is it 2 bottles per cabin?

 

On Princess we always get the weekly pass at the spa......one poster said that only 50 weekly spa passes are sold on NCL......do these passes sellout the first day or are there more than 50 sold for the week? On Princess we always go straight to the spa the day of embarkation to get the passes. Is that recommended for the Jewel?

 

Does the coffee maker in the balcony cabin use the cup pods or is it a pillow type pod that you get in some hotels?

 

We are driving from north of Boston to NYC and parking in the lot. We did this on our July 2002 NCL cruise to the Bahamas on the old NCL Sea. This will be our third time leaving from NYC but the first time in winter. I am looking forward to sailing out of NYC harbor..past the Statue of Liberty. Our other NCL cruise was in the Caribbean on the no longer NCL Wind. It had been stretched when we went on it. I am excited about this cruise as it was last minute and feel we go a good deal.

 

Let's see if we can answer some of those questions.

 

Can't make any comments about aft cabins. CC members seem to love them but I had one once on RCCL and there is no way I would ever book one again. Too far of a walk and having the same view for the entire trip would bug me. Again, to each his own. If you like afts, go for it! I think everyone should experience everything at least once in your life. It just wasn't for us.

 

There are wine packages offered with four, six and eight bottles. You purchase this when you get onboard. It is roughly a savings of 20 percent overall.

 

There is no limit to the amount of wine that can be brought on a NCL ship. We routinely bring a case or two. We pay the $15 per 750-ml bottle corkage fee and we are allowed to enjoy the wine anywhere on the ship: dining rooms, specialty restaurants, bars and lounges and your cabin/balcony. No boxed wines are allowed. Also, the corkage fee has nothing to do with opening the bottle even if you do it yourself.

 

Coffee maker will use the pod/teabag style. It is a Hamilton 4-cup maker and Maxwell House is the coffee that is provided.

 

No beer is allowed to be brought on.

 

Spa passes are limited so head up there and get you one if you decide to purchase.

[MsJ]

thank you for your quick reply I appreciate it.

[dongordon]

Great job in answering all the questions JDVMD.

 

IMHO, the aft facing cabin is my favorite on the ship. Here is why:

 

Right down the stairs (or elevator) from the Great Outdoors (Buffet) for snacks or a great breakfast.

 

Great view at all times.

 

If you keep the balcony cabin door open, it sounds like a waterfall and puts me right to sleep at night! :)

 

Good exercise when walking back from shows (or anywhere or any event on the ship).

(Could be a bit challenging after the Martini Tasting!) :D

 

Don

[dutchess43]

Great job in answering all the questions JDVMD.

 

IMHO, the aft facing cabin is my favorite on the ship. Here is why:

 

Right down the stairs (or elevator) from the Great Outdoors (Buffet) for snacks or a great breakfast.

 

Great view at all times.

 

If you keep the balcony cabin door open, it sounds like a waterfall and puts me right to sleep at night! :)

 

Good exercise when walking back from shows (or anywhere or any event on the ship).

(Could be a bit challenging after the Martini Tasting!) :D

 

Don

 

It sure is challenging to get to your aft facing cabin after martini tasting I personally can attest to that on the Gem last Oct.

[cruiserssandr]

Love the aft facing balconies. As others have said the view is awesome. We found it to be very quiet. Not alot of foot traffic walking by your room.

[davesgirl51]

Coffee maker is not a coffee maker at all but a pot that boils water for instant coffee or tea. It heats FAST and it is HOT !! Awesome for tea drinkers - coffee .. not so much unless you bring your own International or such. :)

[maggie cruises]

That would be a President's Week cruise and just an FYI, many school districts in the area have the week off. I knew a family who did this cruise 2 years ago and they did say that the 3 southern days were nice but that most activities on sea days were held indoors and were crowded.

 

Also, many folks from the area that vacation this week usually do not do it on a cruise out of NYC, most will just fly down to a southern island and some school districts in the area did cut the week back to just a 4 day weekend.

 

We did the Jewel once and I would suggest using the specialty MDRs as much as you can afford. They are spectacular and reasonable. The Jewel MDR is not to my liking and I found the specialty costs to be well worth it.

[davesgirl51]

That would be a President's Week cruise and just an FYI, many school districts in the area have the week off. I knew a family who did this cruise 2 years ago and they did say that the 3 southern days were nice but that most activities on sea days were held indoors and were crowded.

 

Also, many folks from the area that vacation this week usually do not do it on a cruise out of NYC, most will just fly down to a southern island and some school districts in the area did cut the week back to just a 4 day weekend.

 

We did the Jewel once and I would suggest using the specialty MDRs as much as you can afford. They are spectacular and reasonable. The Jewel MDR is not to my liking and I found the specialty costs to be well worth it.

 

Maggie, you are correct about the cutback - in fact, some schools haven't even decided whether they will cutback or not. I guess they are just waiting to see if there are any major snow storms between now and then.

 

BE WARNED : flu, bronchitis and whooping cough are out there. Be prepared and please don't board the ship if you are sick.

[MsJ]

Thanks to everyone. I am a teacher so the 3rd week in February is my only choice. We usually cruise that week from Fort Lauderdale but I waited so long to book this year that we thought going out of NYC would be cheaper as airfare is so expensive that week. I am looking forward to retirement when I can cruise other weeks and not have to pay the extra charge that is added on both airfare and cruise prices for that one week in February. Thanks again to everyone for all the info.

Marianne

[truecruiser]

Hello, I just booked a last minute cruise on the Jewel for 2/17/13. We have been on 15 plus cruises 2 of them on NCL.I called to book a mini-suite but the NCL rep told me that an aft cabin on deck 8 had just been released due to a cancelation. He highly recommended the aft cabin instead of the the forward minisuite I was looking at. This will be our first aft cabin and I am looking forward to this new experience. I am getting alot of info from this board and wanted to say thanks to all. I just have a few questions...

 

I tried to get on this sailing -- completely sold out. :(

 

Enjoy it! Please post when you return!:)

[newcruiser48]

I tried to get on this sailing -- completely sold out. :(

 

Enjoy it! Please post when you return!:)

 

I just tried "fake" booking and got OA and BA available. I don't know what category you're looking for, but a few of these were open. I tried for 2 occupants.

[MsJ]

Hi, I have been checking the website each day to see if the ship is full and I keep seeing many unreserved cabins.I haven't checked today though. I wonder if those cabins are being saved for upgrades or guarantees. I'm don't really know how all that works. I am feeling so grateful that the storm is this weekend and not next weekend when we will be driving to NYC. That would be a nightmare. Last time we drove there we sat for 3 hours in traffic right outside the city as a truck had overturned on the GW bridge. It took us 7 hours total from hoe to the hotel.

Marianne

[davesgirl51]

Hi, I have been checking the website each day to see if the ship is full and I keep seeing many unreserved cabins.I haven't checked today though. I wonder if those cabins are being saved for upgrades or guarantees. I'm don't really know how all that works. I am feeling so grateful that the storm is this weekend and not next weekend when we will be driving to NYC. That would be a nightmare. Last time we drove there we sat for 3 hours in traffic right outside the city as a truck had overturned on the GW bridge. It took us 7 hours total from hoe to the hotel.

Marianne

 

No way the ship is full.

[nursegrrl8]

I love love love aft facing cabins. I am pissed that they charge extra for them now.:mad:

[MsJ]

I love love love aft facing cabins. I am pissed that they charge extra for them now.:mad:

 

it does seem a little strange to me that abaft balconey cabin is more than a mini suite.....but the agent was adamant about it being better....I am looking forward to trying the aft.....