Review of the Norwegian Jewel 10/13-10/20/13

[RobinSie]

I am going to try to cover a lot of the aspects of this trip and ship, but will probably have to do it in pieces as I don't always have a lot of time to sit (2 young children and a full-time job).

 

After booking in February, the wait was finally over and we were setting sail! This was my 4th NCL cruise and DH's 3rd. I sailed on the Starward in 1990, then hubby and I together on the Dawn in 2003, & the Epic in 2012.

 

We flew in to NOLA on Saturday. A cab will cost a flat $33 for 2 to go from the airport to anywhere downtown. Suggestion - have correct change for the fare and whatever tip you want to give as the drivers don't like to give change. There is also a shuttle available in the baggage claim area, but the cost difference is minimal and you don't have to wait for it to fill up and drop other folks off.

 

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Warehouse district. It is a bit of a hike to the French Quarter, but the trolley stop is only a couple blocks away; in fact, it is right in front of the port. We also stayed here the night we got off the ship and flew home Monday. There is a great pizza shop, Bei Tempi, that just opened a block away. It is right beside the Subway and Community Coffee Shop. They have some amazing looking cheesecake there also.

 

We walked to the port at about 11:15 am. Unless you have a lot of luggage, you really don't need a cab from where we stayed. Luggage is dropped off across the driveway from the door you go into to board. The line was just beginning to form. Within 20 minutes we were cleared, had our cabin cards in hand and were sitting in the waiting area. We met several of our CC friends and chatted for a few minutes while we waited. Beverages (juice and coffee) were set up in the waiting area. Just a note here - be sure you have your passport/bc and documents in hand when you go to board. There was an unfortunate occurrence with a couple who were denied boarding after their passport was packed in the luggage and not found till after sailing. We were in the "A" group, which was the first of the non-suite groups to be called. We were aware that boarding would not start until 12:00, but they were prompt and we were walking through the welcome aboard party and on the ship by 12:15pm.

 

We headed to the Garden Café for some lunch and to wait until the all clear was given for the rooms. I didn't look at the time, but they were probably ready around 1pm.

 

We had a mid-ship mini-suite, 11568. We like having rooms with easy access to the café and pool decks. The space was more than adequate for the 2 of us. We book the minis as we like the extra few sq. feet and the larger bathrooms. This room happens to be right below Splash Academy, so there is noise from that area. We have small children (who stayed with their grandparents this time) so we hardly noticed the noise. What I did notice was a sound of swishing water (not just from the ocean), but again it was not enough to really bother me. There were robes hanging in the closet for us and our excursion tickets, latitudes invites and OBC info on the bed when we arrived. The balcony was large enough for the two chairs and small table without feeling crowded. It is also completely covered. Felix, our room steward, met us as we got to the room the first time and called us by name for the duration of the cruise. He kept our room tidy and well stocked and was responsive to our request for additional towels and to have the frig emptied.

 

We signed up for the CAS cards, took the tour of the spa and fitness room and walked around to get familiar with our "home" for the next week.

 

There were issues with getting all the luggage onboard, so we left port later than expected. Our luggage was in our room by 7pm, but there were others who didn't get theirs till after 8. I'm not sure what the delay was. We were surprised to find out that it takes 8 hours to sail out of the Mississippi River and into the Gulf.

 

Next installment will be our dining experience...

[cruisinmeme]

Can't wait to hear more!!

We sale the jewel in 4 weeks and have an aft suite.

This is our 16th cruise, but still get crazy excited.

Who in their right mine packs away their passport? Sad but seriously.

[cggurl]

Thanks for taking time to do your review. We leave in 2 weeks!!!

I read that there are barbeques on sea days, weather permitting, is that still going on? And what kind, I read even a paella was served? Sounds yummy! Looking forward to the rest of your review. Thanks!!!!

[terrydtx]

Looking forward to the rest of your review. We sail on the Jewel in 5 weeks :D and this is the first NOLA review I have seen on the Jewel.

[coocooforshoes]

Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the rest..... We sail in 8 weeks from today!:)

[RobinSie]

Thanks for taking time to do your review. We leave in 2 weeks!!!

I read that there are barbeques on sea days, weather permitting, is that still going on? And what kind, I read even a paella was served? Sounds yummy! Looking forward to the rest of your review. Thanks!!!!

 

They do have the barbeques and they did have paella on our sailing. In addition to the hamburgers, I believe they were grilling whole chickens. We loved this option...yummy! This is in addition to the offerings that they have at "The grill", which is right beside.

[RobinSie]

Looking forward to the rest of your review. We sail on the Jewel in 5 weeks :D and this is the first NOLA review I have seen on the Jewel.

 

Although we were on the first sailing out of NOLA for the year, I was surprised at the lack of reviews for the ship in general. I will try to put something in each day. We have a lot of pics of the ship. If I can figure out how to post those, I will add as well.

[RobinSie]

Can't wait to hear more!!

We sale the jewel in 4 weeks and have an aft suite.

This is our 16th cruise, but still get crazy excited.

Who in their right mine packs away their passport? Sad but seriously.

 

I love cruising and always look forward to the next one (Disney 10/2014 BTW). I felt really bad for this couple. I am always careful to have my passport on me, but I know how easy it is to accidently do something like this...if it can be messed up, I have probably done it or will do it. I believe NCL gave them a voucher for a future cruise, which I think was a wonderful gesture.

[RobinSie]

Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the rest..... We sail in 8 weeks from today!:)

 

To me, the anticipation is half the fun. We certainly didn't experience everything on the ship, but if you have questions, I will try to help. Hope you have a great trip!

[B6ConMe]

I love cruising and always look forward to the next one (Disney 10/2014 BTW). I felt really bad for this couple. I am always careful to have my passport on me, but I know how easy it is to accidently do something like this...if it can be messed up, I have probably done it or will do it. I believe NCL gave them a voucher for a future cruise, which I think was a wonderful gesture.

 

Yes, this would be devastating but seriously, I even keep copies in my "Good to go" file just in case they're stolen. And the file is kept in my carry on bag. I'm not sure copies would even help though.

 

Still, I feel badly for the couple who missed their cruise but glad NCL took care of their next one.

[B6ConMe]

Robin,

Thank you so much for the review, we'll definitely be reading along. We've booked an aft suite on the Jewel for our Anniversary next year, so while your departure is from NOLA, ours will be from Houston.

 

I'm sure it won't make any difference as far as the cruise goes though so I'm excited to read along.

[dgparent]

The same thing happened on some TV show I was watching about a RCL ship, but they managed to find the passports before they left so they got on.

[terrydtx]

Why didn't the couple just retrieve their luggage and get the passprts? Seems like they had plenty of time for that.

 

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4

[hsmcruise]

Thanks for your review. Since you were on the epic, I would be interested in

Your comparison . Obviously, size is different, how we're the gyms and spa areas in comparison.?

[realtorlady42]

really looking ff to this review. Thaks for taking the time to do it!

I also would love a few comparison's to the Epic.

She was our first NCL cruise last year, and we did not like her very much...too big, too many kids, not enough adult spaces, spa was not great etc..just not the ship for us..but we liked NCL enough to book future cruise credits.

Now that we have Jewel Dailies from your cruise we are convinced the Jewel Class ships are the right NCL ships for us.

 

Hopefully you can figure out pics..if not maybe someone who knows how to do it can post how :-)

 

We have an Aft balcony, really looking ff to hearing what you thought of the views.

 

Also, if you could mention the sail away party..was it any different than other sail away parties..with a NOLA Flare?

Did you go to the Fat Friday Parade and party? if so How was it..We are planning on attending those.

We don't usually go to sail away parties because we enjoy sail away from our balcony but if this one is different with NOLA flare, we will do it for sure!

[kchiumento]

I am going to try to cover a lot of the aspects of this trip and ship, but will probably have to do it in pieces as I don't always have a lot of time to sit (2 young children and a full-time job).

 

After booking in February, the wait was finally over and we were setting sail! This was my 4th NCL cruise and DH's 3rd. I sailed on the Starward in 1990, then hubby and I together on the Dawn in 2003, & the Epic in 2012.

 

We flew in to NOLA on Saturday. A cab will cost a flat $33 for 2 to go from the airport to anywhere downtown. Suggestion - have correct change for the fare and whatever tip you want to give as the drivers don't like to give change. There is also a shuttle available in the baggage claim area, but the cost difference is minimal and you don't have to wait for it to fill up and drop other folks off.

 

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Warehouse district. It is a bit of a hike to the French Quarter, but the trolley stop is only a couple blocks away; in fact, it is right in front of the port. We also stayed here the night we got off the ship and flew home Monday. There is a great pizza shop, Bei Tempi, that just opened a block away. It is right beside the Subway and Community Coffee Shop. They have some amazing looking cheesecake there also.

 

We walked to the port at about 11:15 am. Unless you have a lot of luggage, you really don't need a cab from where we stayed. Luggage is dropped off across the driveway from the door you go into to board. The line was just beginning to form. Within 20 minutes we were cleared, had our cabin cards in hand and were sitting in the waiting area. We met several of our CC friends and chatted for a few minutes while we waited. Beverages (juice and coffee) were set up in the waiting area. Just a note here - be sure you have your passport/bc and documents in hand when you go to board. There was an unfortunate occurrence with a couple who were denied boarding after their passport was packed in the luggage and not found till after sailing. We were in the "A" group, which was the first of the non-suite groups to be called. We were aware that boarding would not start until 12:00, but they were prompt and we were walking through the welcome aboard party and on the ship by 12:15pm.

 

We headed to the Garden Café for some lunch and to wait until the all clear was given for the rooms. I didn't look at the time, but they were probably ready around 1pm.

 

We had a mid-ship mini-suite, 11568. We like having rooms with easy access to the café and pool decks. The space was more than adequate for the 2 of us. We book the minis as we like the extra few sq. feet and the larger bathrooms. This room happens to be right below Splash Academy, so there is noise from that area. We have small children (who stayed with their grandparents this time) so we hardly noticed the noise. What I did notice was a sound of swishing water (not just from the ocean), but again it was not enough to really bother me. There were robes hanging in the closet for us and our excursion tickets, latitudes invites and OBC info on the bed when we arrived. The balcony was large enough for the two chairs and small table without feeling crowded. It is also completely covered. Felix, our room steward, met us as we got to the room the first time and called us by name for the duration of the cruise. He kept our room tidy and well stocked and was responsive to our request for additional towels and to have the frig emptied.

 

We signed up for the CAS cards, took the tour of the spa and fitness room and walked around to get familiar with our "home" for the next week.

 

There were issues with getting all the luggage onboard, so we left port later than expected. Our luggage was in our room by 7pm, but there were others who didn't get theirs till after 8. I'm not sure what the delay was. We were surprised to find out that it takes 8 hours to sail out of the Mississippi River and into the Gulf.

 

Next installment will be our dining experience...

 

We were with you on that cruise. Still mourning the fact that we had to get off the ship. We were in 11530 & 11532

[RobinSie]

Why didn't the couple just retrieve their luggage and get the passprts? Seems like they had plenty of time for that.

 

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4

 

Unfortunately, it turned out the bag that had the passports was delivered to the wrong room and not turned in by those passengers until the next morning. It was just a series of events gone wrong. I hope that they have a wonderful time when they do finally get to sail!

[RobinSie]

We were with you on that cruise. Still mourning the fact that we had to get off the ship. We were in 11530 & 11532

 

We met on the ship and talked a few times. We are the couple from St. Peters. Is your dad doing ok? Hope you and your family had a safe trip home. Maybe when you come this way to visit your sister you can stop by. : )

[RobinSie]

really looking ff to this review. Thaks for taking the time to do it!

I also would love a few comparison's to the Epic.

She was our first NCL cruise last year, and we did not like her very much...too big, too many kids, not enough adult spaces, spa was not great etc..just not the ship for us..but we liked NCL enough to book future cruise credits.

Now that we have Jewel Dailies from your cruise we are convinced the Jewel Class ships are the right NCL ships for us.

 

Hopefully you can figure out pics..if not maybe someone who knows how to do it can post how :-)

 

We have an Aft balcony, really looking ff to hearing what you thought of the views.

 

Also, if you could mention the sail away party..was it any different than other sail away parties..with a NOLA Flare?

Did you go to the Fat Friday Parade and party? if so How was it..We are planning on attending those.

We don't usually go to sail away parties because we enjoy sail away from our balcony but if this one is different with NOLA flare, we will do it for sure!

 

We sat in the Sky High Bar during the sail away party. I don't honestly remember it having a NOLA flare. It was a lot like what I remember from the Epic. We did not attend the FF Parade or party, so maybe Kara can chime in on these if her family attended.

 

I will try to do some comparisons between the Jewel and Epic as I go. We preferred the Epic. We have decided we like the bigger ships for the expanded buffet choices and headline entertainment, but we like the current itineraries of the smaller ships better. Everyone is different in what suits them. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to book on another smaller ship if the itinerary was appealing.

[kchiumento]

We met on the ship and talked a few times. We are the couple from St. Peters. Is your dad doing ok? Hope you and your family had a safe trip home. Maybe when you come this way to visit your sister you can stop by. : )

 

 

OHHHHH Hi Robin!!! I didn't even put it together. I feel silly now. Did you know that ESPN was out for the rest of that cruise? John even tried to pull it up Sunday morning before we left and it was still out. GO CARDS!;)

[RobinSie]

We had a CC Meet & Greet with several of the ships officers. We met at 11am on Monday in the Star Bar. There was a set up of juice and coffee along with cookies, which was nice. I always enjoy these meetings. The one thing I would suggest is to choose a different time, as that is the same time as the port and shopping talk.

 

A slot pull followed the M&G, but unfortunately the machine didn't pay out.

[RobinSie]

OHHHHH Hi Robin!!! I didn't even put it together. I feel silly now. Did you know that ESPN was out for the rest of that cruise? John even tried to pull it up Sunday morning before we left and it was still out. GO CARDS!;)

 

We did notice that. It was disappointing not to see the rest of game 6. Hope they had it back for the following week!

 

Please feel free to chime in with your thoughts as I go through this.

 

GO CARDS!!!!!!

[kchiumento]

We sat in the Sky High Bar during the sail away party. I don't honestly remember it having a NOLA flare. It was a lot like what I remember from the Epic. We did not attend the FF Parade or party, so maybe Kara can chime in on these if her family attended.

 

I will try to do some comparisons between the Jewel and Epic as I go. We preferred the Epic. We have decided we like the bigger ships for the expanded buffet choices and headline entertainment, but we like the current itineraries of the smaller ships better. Everyone is different in what suits them. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to book on another smaller ship if the itinerary was appealing.

 

No we didn't go to the FF parade or Party. We missed everything. I completely forgot about the Sail away party. And the CC meet and greet on Monday since we had the vow renewal that day. We missed so much on this cruise that I think we have to take another one ;)

[jdvmd]

Thanks for your comments!

[RobinSie]

Let me start by saying I am NOT a food critic. I am just as happy with a grilled cheese and tomato soup as with a gourmet meal, so if you are looking for specifics on quality and taste, I'm more Texas Roadhouse than Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We also are early eaters, usually around 5:30pm for dinner, which really helps alleviate the issues with wait times.

 

Garden Café - I am an early riser and appreciate that, while the main buffet area is blocked off, there is access to the beverages. Also, they have an early riser's area in the back section (closer to La Cucina) that has muffins, cold cereal and a few other options. I don't know how early they set this up, but I went up around 5:30am a couple times and it was ready. My overall happy level on a scale of 1-10 was a 6, mostly because it was available and I wasn't cooking. The food was pretty much the same everyday and the desserts were really disappointing. We ate here several times for the convenience factor. It was busy pretty much all the time, but were always able to find a table aft of the main area. They also have a special area for children and their families with kid friendly foods and tables. I had to laugh in remembering how people talk about the bacon police on Carnival. The Jewel has the ice cream police. There are 2 soft-serve machines that are staffed the entire time. You (or mostly likely children) cannot be trusted with the ice cream!

 

(Comparison to Epic - Epic, I my mind, has a much superior buffet with many more choices, as well better desserts, including hard packed ice cream)

 

The Great Outdoors - This is a small buffet type area, all the way aft of the Garden Buffet with limited choices, but is a nice quiet place to get away from the crowds and the view of the wake is very cool. This is also the only place we found that has COOKIES available, I repeat...the only place that has COOKIES (other than some of the private parties). They have chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin. I have to admit that this was one of my favorite places on the ship to just sit and read.

 

Topsiders Grill - an outdoor limited buffet area by the pool, with burgers and a few salads. They have big BBQs set up for parties. We ate here one dinner and enjoyed it...who doesn't like a bbq by the pool in the middle of the Caribbean????

 

Blue Lagoon - We had breakfast here one day and lunch another. It's a good, small place with a limited but nice menu. One important note - the brownie sundaes are only available at lunch. If you want one late night you have to order brownies and ice cream from room service (then wait an hour for delivery).

 

Azura - this is the more formal MDR. We ate here only the first night for the surf and turf. Because we eat early there was no line. The service was pretty slow after we ordered. The rolls were very good, the lobster was pretty good, the strip steak that went with it was not edible. It was overcooked, dry and tough. Neither I nor my hubby took more than a bite.

 

Tsar's Palace - we ate here only one time for breakfast. Like Azura, the service after we ordered was very slow. The food was ok, but not good enough for us to want to wait that long for it.

 

Next installment Moderno, La Cucina (Mama's), and Cagney's.