MITSUGIRLYS JEWEL OF A CRUISE review and pictorial

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Walking out of the Spa and straight ahead you will find a hallway with rooms off to the side. They are the Library, Card room, and Lifestyle room. Now I'm not sure what a "Lifestyle" room is, but I'm thinking this might have been the photography studio that you can schedule an appointment to have professional pictures done in there with backgrounds and props (outside of them doing pictures around the ship and in the atrium on formal nights).

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the ship across from these areas, you will find the fitness center. Once I discovered it, I ran...I ran really fast away.

 

Edited December 25, 2013 by mitsugirly

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm enjoying a trip down memory lane. :) Hope you had a wonderful Christmas

[mitsugirly]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm enjoying a trip down memory lane. :) Hope you had a wonderful Christmas

 

You are very welcome. Glad to have you join. I had a wonderful Christmas. I hope you did as well. :)

[mitsugirly]

Out the doors that blow like a tornado when they open and then freeze you like a piece of ice...and you make it out to the pool area where you can warm up. Brrrr

 

There are 2 pools located here. I know that people have said 1 is for families and children and the other is for adults. Well, there's clearly a sign that states both are for everyone. There is only the hot tub down by the Sapphire Pool with the waterfall that has an "adults only" sign.

 

 

 

 

The Jewel does have 1 small water slide, unlike the Pearl who has 2 water slides exactly alike.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Here's a few night pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisinderek]

This is a wonderful read. I am even more excited about cruising on the Jewel in a week and a half after seeing the great pictures. I am wondering if you can tell me where the entrance is for the stardust theater. Is it deck 5,6, or 7? Looking forward to more pictures. Thanks again for sharing.

[mitsugirly]

At the end of the pool is Topsiders Bar and The Grill. The Grill usually has a few cold breakfast items out and they serve lunch items such as hot dogs and cold food as well. Several times during the week they had BBQ's out on the deck in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

On the side of the Grill is a hallway that leads to the buffet area. You will find restrooms on the left, but just make sure you watch your step. There is a hump you have to step over to get in.

 

 

Along the way you will find a shower area for the swimmers. I went in here by mistake thinking it was the restroom. I don't remember anything like this on the Pearl but I just might have missed it or don't remember it (the blue prints does show it).

 

 

If you keep walking there is a small cove area with a few tables and chairs that you can sit and eat at.

 

[mitsugirly]

This is a wonderful read. I am even more excited about cruising on the Jewel in a week and a half after seeing the great pictures. I am wondering if you can tell me where the entrance is for the stardust theater. Is it deck 5,6, or 7? Looking forward to more pictures. Thanks again for sharing.

 

Thank you and happy you have joined me. Stardust is on 6 & 7. :)

[mitsugirly]

On the opposite side of the Grill & Topsiders bar you will find the toddler play pool area with the little water slide. However, this part is a little different because they have a full sized hot tub just for kids in this area as well. The Pearl didn't have this and there were some type of small bouncy toys that no one seems to play on.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Right as you walk in to the Garden Cafe to the left, you will find the kids buffet area. Everything is small in size from the buffet area to the tables and chairs.

 

They usually had scrambled eggs, BACON, pancakes, sausage, fruit and french toast in the buffet. There might have been more, but if there was it wasn't anything we ate so I didn't pay attention.

 

There is also a beverage area here (and here you won't find a huge line to get your drink either). They have apple juice, orange juice and "I think" milk?? There wasn't coffee in this area of course, so this won't give you a short cut to the coffee line. ;)

 

They were also open for either lunch or dinner and served hot food, but we did not eat over there during that time. I just happen to notice that there was food in it during those times.

 

This is supposed to be a "kids only and their families" area, but we would find during the entire cruise that all the adults were using this area forcing families to find another spot a lot of the times. :(

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

On to the buffet. The buffet is huge and goes on forever. I just wish that the food section went on forever as well. The food is located at several different stations around this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the following seats that are reserved for the handicap? You would also find everyone sitting in these chairs during the cruise as well.

 

 

 

The seating for the buffet area went on forever with different sections. After the food area, you would find additional seating on the right side as well.

 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the drink station that everyone wants to know about in several threads.

 

They offered Iced Tea, Tropical Mango, Strawberry Kiwi, and Lemon Lime or Lemonade.

 

[mitsugirly]

This is the ice cream machine. Since my last cruise with NCL, there has been a lot of talk about the ice cream police. Well, I'm hear to tell you it's true. You can no longer go and get yourself an ice cream cone or a bowl of soft swirl on your own. You will only be able to touch either your cone or bowl only for a split second and then not be able to touch it again, with your mouth watering, starting to drool as you think about that soft creamy cold delicious ice cream melting in your mouth....until they decide to hand it back to you. You almost feel guilty putting in your mouth in front of them and scurry off around the corner to enjoy it.

 

If you decide you want ice cream during a time there isn't an attendant there to assist you and monitor you, you're out of luck (as seen in this picture).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture is taken from the Great Outdoors area looking into the Garden Cafe in the back. It was taken at night and the Great Outdoors has blue lighting around it, which gives off a neat blue tint to everything.

 

[mitsugirly]

Whew, that was a long walk. We have now arrived at the back of the ship at the Great Outdoors. You will find a small buffet area (there's 2 identical sides however, we only seen 1 open at any given time). They would have breakfast items, lunch and late night snacks out there.

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a bar on the back

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2013 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

You will find table and chairs to sit and eat at that wrap around the buffet/bar area from one side to the other.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

On the port side walking back you will find La Cucina. We have eaten here before on previous cruises, so we decided not to try it this time around. However, we would find ourselves eating here for breakfast several times. Not many people know you can come in here for breakfast and I believe lunch as well, free of charge (you bring the buffet food in here to eat). It makes for a nice quiet place to eat when you want to get away from the buffet atmosphere and the loud noise of everyone trying to talk over each other and the clanging of dishes and silverware.

 

This would probably be the busiest I ever found the place to be at breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, not many people in here the rest of the cruise. The people you see sitting here are actually staff members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One other good thing about this place is they also have a drink station set up so you don't even have to worry about going back out to the buffet and stand in line forever to get your drink. They DID have coffee and the juices here.

[mitsugirly]

Back to the elevators past the Garden buffet and to the other side you will find the kids club Splash Academy.

 

 

 

This is the area for the 6-9 year olds. The 3-5 year olds are aloud to play in the ball pit during free play time.

 

 

 

 

You have to go down a very long hallway (which the cafe staff uses and it gets very sticky and wet at times not to mention they are going in and out of there constantly with carts and trays to take up to the rooms for room service).

 

 

Inside the 3-5 year old room:

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

These miniature bathrooms are used by both the 3-5 year olds and the 6-9 year olds. It is actually located in the 6-9 section, so that means that the 3-5 year olds have to tell someone that they need to potty.

 

 

 

 

 

Bigger kids hang out

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Last but not least, there is also a video arcade between the 6-9 yr old entrance and the hallway leading to the 3-5 yr old area.

 

 

 

 

This completes Deck 12. :)

[gotksgirl]

They had BBQ sauce at the Blue Lagoon??!! I see it on the kids menu. Well I never saw it at the buffet. We never made it to the Blue Lagoon. Oh well.

 

The kids buffet area often had cranberry juice and "chocolate" milk around lunch and dinner. The chocolate milk looked and I hear tasted like cooled hot cocoa. I doubt it had real milk in it. Sometimes they had apple and/or orange juice at the kids buffet. They rarely had cups there, so you still have to go hunt some down by the other drink stations ;-) Lunch and dinner was usually the same: pound cake, banana bread, hot dogs, mac and cheese, jello in a cup, spring rolls (kids eat those?), and french fries (most days until they ran out).

 

Your pictures show so many things I never took time to notice. I can't wait to hear about your excursions.

[mitsugirly]

They had BBQ sauce at the Blue Lagoon??!! I see it on the kids menu. Well I never saw it at the buffet. We never made it to the Blue Lagoon. Oh well.

 

The kids buffet area often had cranberry juice and "chocolate" milk around lunch and dinner. The chocolate milk looked and I hear tasted like cooled hot cocoa. I doubt it had real milk in it. Sometimes they had apple and/or orange juice at the kids buffet. They rarely had cups there, so you still have to go hunt some down by the other drink stations ;-) Lunch and dinner was usually the same: pound cake, banana bread, hot dogs, mac and cheese, jello in a cup, spring rolls (kids eat those?), and french fries (most days until they ran out).

 

Your pictures show so many things I never took time to notice. I can't wait to hear about your excursions.

 

I'm not sure about the bbq sauce since we really don't eat it. There was one night I ordered wings (mild) and they were slathered in the sauce (which I assume was bbq) and I had to take my napkin and whipe them all off. :p

 

Yes, cranberry juice, I couldn't remember what other juice was there with the apple or orange juice.

 

I only remember seeing chocolate milk (in the carton...the real stuff) once at breakfast over by the drinks area. But then again, they only had the real milk in the cartons over there as well about twice during the entire cruise. The rest of the time they only had the fat free or skim milk and my daughter was upset that she couldn't have her cereal the rest of the mornings (if the milk in the "tanks") were empty. :(

 

We never experienced a problem with them not having cups in the kids area thank goodness...but in the adult area, it was a problem.

 

Maybe I did walk over to the kids buffet once during the cruise then, because I do remember the spring rolls being over there (and not that my daughter ate any, but I did and they were pretty good) and Sakari did eat the mac & cheese there one night as well and loved it.

[mitsugirly]

Ok, so where did I leave off...Oh yea, I finished up deck 12 and we are moving on to deck 13 now.

 

We will head up the stairs from the Great Outdoors and up to the basketball area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then back down the steps along the star board side you will find a golfing area

 

 

 

They also have the ping pong tables and the chess games

 

 

The same thing is on each side except the port side has shuffle board instead.

Edited December 26, 2013 by mitsugirly

[BigEasyCC]

Thank you so much for the reviews and great pictures!! The tips are so helpful too. 3 weeks 'til our voyage on the Jewel!

[mitsugirly]

Thank you so much for the reviews and great pictures!! The tips are so helpful too. 3 weeks 'til our voyage on the Jewel!

 

You are very welcome. There's a lot more to come. :D