A great week aboard the Jewel - A heavenly experience

[jmele999]

Hi jmele999 -

Just catching up on your posts after getting that wedding business out of the way. I'm loving the photos! We took a spur of the moment trip in Roatan with Bodden Tours, and ended up being the only ones there visiting the monkeys. Was the highlight of my daughter's trip.

 

 

 

Is that the monkey that you were telling us about? It looks like he knew where he wanted to go. LOL

[jmele999]

I am thoroughly enjoying your review. The pictures are amazing and I like how detailed your reviews are of each port of call. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

Thanks for following the review.

[jmele999]

Loving this review - DH & I will be on the Jewel in October. Caye Caulker sounds perfect - we were debating even getting off the ship in Belize since we've been there and done the cave tubing and zip lines before. I had never even heard of this as an option!

I would highly recommend doing Caye Caulker. It is an excellent experience.

[jmele999]

Day 6 - Goodbye Costa Maya

 

After a short 10 minute wait at Tropicante, the rain stopped, and we took at taxi back to the cruise terminal. The taxis are $2 per person and they are readily available near the beach area. We did some more shopping at the port and were back onboard by 2:30 pm.

 

As described by LAKECLIFF above, the NCL crew members were outside welcoming everyone back on board. At 3:00 pm we said goodbye to the Ryndam.

 

 

After getting back onboard, we decided to enjoy some quiet time in the Haven. It was cloudy and winding, but still very peaceful. In order to celebrate our last port of call and a great cruise, we had some champagne and chocolates. We never got see the beautiful sunset that we were hoping for, but really enjoyed the chocolates, champagne, and the cool ocean breeze. Overall, another great day in Costa Maya.

 

 

 

Next - Dinner at Cagney's

Edited February 14, 2014 by jmele999

[LAKECLIFF]

Have been wondering where you were...Glad you are feeling better and sorry you were ill.:( Been looking forward to each post and re-living our great times. Kinda sad today thinking about you getting close to the end of our adventure. Maybe when it comes to an end, you can start over and add things you forgot???

Thanks again and again for the great review!!!!!

[jmele999]

Day 6 - Dinner at Cagney's

 

Prior to this cruise, we had visited Cagney's a total of four times and had always had an ok, but not a great dinner experience. We pre-booked Cagney's as part of the trio restaurant package and because we wanted to try some of the items on the new menu.

 

Upon arriving at Cagney's at 7:00 pm, we were greeted with a smile by our waiter, Gary. He is one of the regular waiters serving breakfast and Lunch at Cagney's. Service was slow at the beginning, which is understandable considering that the restaurant was very full. For appetizers, we enjoyed the shrimp cocktail and the lump crab salad.

 

Shrimp cocktail - Excellent - The shrimp were very fresh. Maybe we picked them up in Costa Maya that day. LoL

 

Lump crab salad - Excellent - Lots of lump crab meat with the right amount of seasoning.

 

DP also enjoyed the baked potato soup with bacon, chives, and cheddar cheese. He said it was great, and I agreed after just a taste. Baked potato soup - Excellent

 

 

For entrees, DP enjoyed the 5-oz filet mignon with roasted mushrooms and mac and cheese. I had the Lobster tail and shrimp.

 

Filet mignon - Excellent - DP and I agree that it was the best steak we had all week. The mushrooms were also great and the mac and cheese was very creamy, but light. .

 

Lobster and shrimp - Disappointing - Grilled lobster tail served over linguine with shrimp, snow peas and sauce Americaine. The dish was very salty, and the shrimp were the size of the snow peas. I was disappointed, but I was too busy enjoying DP's steak.

 

By the time dessert came around we were very full, so we decided to share the Raspberry Creme Brulee, which was also Excellent.

 

 

Overall, we had a great dinner at Cagney's. With the exception of the lobster and shrimp entree, everything was great, and the service significantly improved as the dinner progressed. One of the things that we noticed is that NCL has cut down on the number of assistant waiter/waitress. In our our previous experiences, there was an assistant assigned to each waiter. However, during our dinners we noticed that one assistant was helping multiple waiters/waitresses.

Edited February 14, 2014 by jmele999

[gardiner41]

Is that the monkey that you were telling us about? It looks like he knew where he wanted to go. LOL

 

That monkey loves the ladies..he got fresh with me several times as well hahah That was also one of my fav things. Rob still talks about how nervous he was in there with that little guy ripping around..but I know he was just jealous the monkey was cutting in on his action ;-) lol

[gardiner41]

Looks like many of us have been battling illness since returning. I was very ill this week with a violent flu or food borne illness..not sure which. It only lasted 36 hours which was long enough. I was wondering where you were when I checked back in and had not seen any recent posts. glad to hear you are feeling much better!

 

DH and I made final payment for our next cruise yesterday. Heading to the Bahamas in April for our Anniversary. We booked the UDP for this one so I am very thankful to see your report on Cagneys. The alfredo we both had at La cuchino was MUCH nicer than the one you were served here...and I will skip ordering it in April.

The steak however made my mouth water as did the soup. Though we think we may do appetisers earlier in the evenings at one of the Other specialties, mains at Cagneys and then have desert later after the show. An old fashioned progressive dinner :-)

 

This cruise will just be the two of us spending time together no agendas, no scheduling just coming and going as we please. Part of my gift to my DH ;) lol He was such a good sport for our Jewel cruise and really enjoyed being forced out of his comfort zone a bit.

 

Can't wait to see the rest of your entries. This week I have to get back to editing and sifting my photos so I can create a couple of photo books for our lovely southern adventure.

[Cruisingwithtommy]

Thank you so much for your review! Your fellow passengers can so make or break a cruise. I want to cruise with you!!!!

[jmele999]

Looks like many of us have been battling illness since returning. I was very ill this week with a violent flu or food borne illness..not sure which. It only lasted 36 hours which was long enough. I was wondering where you were when I checked back in and had not seen any recent posts. glad to hear you are feeling much better!

 

DH and I made final payment for our next cruise yesterday. Heading to the Bahamas in April for our Anniversary. We booked the UDP for this one so I am very thankful to see your report on Cagneys. The alfredo we both had at La cuchino was MUCH nicer than the one you were served here...and I will skip ordering it in April.

The steak however made my mouth water as did the soup. Though we think we may do appetisers earlier in the evenings at one of the Other specialties, mains at Cagneys and then have desert later after the show. An old fashioned progressive dinner :-)

 

This cruise will just be the two of us spending time together no agendas, no scheduling just coming and going as we please. Part of my gift to my DH ;) lol He was such a good sport for our Jewel cruise and really enjoyed being forced out of his comfort zone a bit.

 

Can't wait to see the rest of your entries. This week I have to get back to editing and sifting my photos so I can create a couple of photo books for our lovely southern adventure.

 

Great to hear that you are feeling better. My illness also lasted 3 days, but also feeling better now.

 

The UDP for a weekend cruise sounds great - Enjoy appetizers at one restaurant and later an entree at another restaurant sounds like me type of dinner.

 

Stay away from the monkey until we meet again.

[jmele999]

Day 6 - Le Cirque Bijou and White Hot Party

 

After a wonderful dinner at Cagney's we went back to the room to get ready for an exciting night. As we entered the bedroom we were welcomed by a new friend.

 

 

I am not going to give a lot of details about Le Cirque Bijou, but just wanted to say that it is an excellent show. We were also glad to see that NCL has moved its best show from the last night to the penultimate night. By doing so, more people can enjoy the show as most of us are busy packing on the last night. Kudos NCL!

 

 

The show was great and after the performance, selected crew members, staff and officers joined the singers on stage to say thanks to everyone. I know that some people think that this is cheesy, but it is one of my favorite parts of the cruise. It is great to see how many people work so many hours to make our vacation a truly memorable experience.

 

 

 

After the show we attended the while hot party in the spinnaker lounge. We only stayed for one drink, but it looks like everyone had a great time.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

 

Taking a break for now to enjoy a nice dinner at home with DP.

[jennas_mum]

Thanks for the great review! We are doing these exact ports in March except we are leaving from Tampa. I have a few questions I hope you can help me with. My son is in a wheelchair and I notice Belize is a tender. Is that the only port that is a tender? It stinks but they will not let him off the ship on a tender. I understand it's a safety thing but it still stinks. (not complaining really just saying).

 

Also, we were hoping to go to one of the beaches in Costa Maya. Did you see any way that we could transport him? He has to stay in his wheelchair. If there is no way to transport him we will probably just hang out at the pool by the pier. The last time we were there though the venders were so pushy they took the fun out of everything. Also, any ideas in Cozumel? In Roatan we are doing a Victor Bodden tour. DH and I were at that port last December and had a great time on that tour. Victor told me he has an 8 passenger van that we can get his wheelchair in so I am super excited.

 

Thanks again,

 

Donna:)

[jmele999]

Thanks for the great review! We are doing these exact ports in March except we are leaving from Tampa. I have a few questions I hope you can help me with. My son is in a wheelchair and I notice Belize is a tender. Is that the only port that is a tender? It stinks but they will not let him off the ship on a tender. I understand it's a safety thing but it still stinks. (not complaining really just saying).

 

Also, we were hoping to go to one of the beaches in Costa Maya. Did you see any way that we could transport him? He has to stay in his wheelchair. If there is no way to transport him we will probably just hang out at the pool by the pier. The last time we were there though the venders were so pushy they took the fun out of everything. Also, any ideas in Cozumel? In Roatan we are doing a Victor Bodden tour. DH and I were at that port last December and had a great time on that tour. Victor told me he has an 8 passenger van that we can get his wheelchair in so I am super excited.

 

Thanks again,

 

Donna:)

 

Hi Donna,

 

Thanks for following the review.

 

You are correct that Belize is the the tender port. Sometimes a tender is required in Cozumel, but only when there are three NCL ship in ports. However, the ship from Tampa almost never tenders in Cozumel because they pick up passengers and they need to dock for that.

 

I am not sure how big your son's wheelchair is, but it might fit in one of the shuttles that they have running from the beach to the port area. They are bigger than a minivan. Once you can get the beach area, there is a paved road called "el malecon" than runs right next to the beach.

 

As per transportation in Cozumel, I think that you should be ok since it is the most developed of the ports that you will be visiting.

 

Whatever you decide to do, just remember to have fun.

[olesiabr]

What a fantastic review! We were on this cruise as well, and it was fun seeing our group show up in your photo of the White Hot Party!

I agree with your assessment of the dining...the MDR was pretty good the first night, but then went downhill. This was the first cruise that we tried upcharge restaurants, and actually enjoyed dinner in the buffet on two evenings!

All in all, I would do this cruise again, the price was right and we can easily drive to NOLA from Little Rock.

[LAKECLIFF]

Thank you so much for your review! Your fellow passengers can so make or break a cruise. I want to cruise with you!!!![/quote

 

I can't agree more!!! (Keep looking for a "like" button on these threads but then remember where I am posting...lol.) A group of us from this cruise are looking at the Jewel out of Houston next January for the same week...Come join us! :D

[tmcmom]

Is that the monkey that you were telling us about? It looks like he knew where he wanted to go. LOL

 

Yes, that is the grabsy monkey that had a penchant for touching things that didn't belong to it!!:D

[tmcmom]

Your fellow passengers can so make or break a cruise. I want to cruise with you!!!!

 

Agree so much with this statement - so glad I got to cruise with this great bunch of people!

[jmele999]

Day 7 - Day at sea

Kitchen & galley tour, another martini tasting, dinner at Le Bistro, adult quest

 

Woke up early to enjoy another sunrise, but quickly remembered that sadly it was going to be our last full day on the cruise. For the first time on all of our cruises, DP decided to get up early and join me in the balcony to enjoy a cup of coffee and a beautiful sunrise. We sat in the balcony for almost an hour enjoying the fresh air and reminiscing about a wonderful week.

 

 

After the sunrise, I went back to sleep until 9:00 am, followed by a relaxed breakfast in the Haven. While waiting for breakfast, I decided to have some fun and prepare my own fruit platter.

 

 

DP and I both enjoyed the french toast.

 

 

After breakfast we met with others from the Chef's table dinner for a tour of the kitchen and galley.

Edited February 17, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 7 - Last day at sea

Kitchen and galley tour

 

One of the benefits of attending the Chef's Table is that in addition to a wonderful dinner, you also get a free tour of the kitchen and galley. The tour is typically held on the last sea day, and it is conducted by the Executive Chef.

 

As soon as you walk into the kitchen one of the first things you notice is how clean everything is.

 

 

Even though it was only 10:00 am, there were lots of crew members working and getting ready for lunch.

 

 

As you can imagine, cooking for 2400 guests is not easy and requires large boilers.

 

 

 

Chicken stock anyone?

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 7 - Last day at sea

Kitchen tour and galley, lunch

 

 

So who does the dishes when you are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2400 guests? Several giant dishwashers.

 

 

More impressively, the dishwashers have to be taken apart everyday for cleaning.

 

 

 

One more picture from the kitchen and galley tour. During the tour, we encountered a lot of crew members. They were all very friendly. I don't think that I would be that friendly and happy if I had to do the same job everyday for 9 months straight. Kudos to all NCL crew members.

 

 

After the tour we walked around the ship and went to lunch at Cagney's. The breakfast and lunch menu is still the same, but there is one new item which is great - the Bruschetta.

 

Bruschetta with roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella. Arugula salad.

Edited February 17, 2014 by jmele999

[gardiner41]

Agree so much with this statement - so glad I got to cruise with this great bunch of people!

 

LOVED meeting you and your Dh would cruise with you folks again anytime!

PS Rob was not to happy with that monkey. He was very grabby with me as well lol.

[PrincessJen]

AMAZING review! Hanging on for the rest.

[jmele999]

Day 7 - Last day at sea

Relaxing afternoon, martini tasting, dinner at Le Bistro, Quest

 

After lunch we enjoyed our last afternoon at sea. DP enjoyed the Haven while I went to the casino to watch the finals of the blackjack tournament. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of our CC friends had made the final table, and so I waited by her side to find out the outcome of the game. She was the least experienced at the table and did not play the best hand, but at the end she ended up winning a total of $500.00. Congrats K!

 

At 4:00 pm we attended the second martini tasting. It was well attended and we were joined by tmcmom, her DH, DD and her SIL. We really enjoyed their company as we sipped on very colorful martinis. tmcmom - I think that Kansas City is half way between Montana and Maryland. Should we meet there for a martini?

 

 

After saying goodbye to tmcmon and her family, we went back to the room to get ready for our last dinner onboard. At 6:00 pm the captain informed us that a helicopter was coming to pick up a sick passenger. Twenty minutes later the helicopter arrived, but left very quickly. Over the next two hours, the helicopter made several attempts to retrieve the passenger, but all the attempts failed. Finally, after 8:00 pm the captain informed us that the passenger had been successfully picked up by the helicopter.

 

Our last dinner at Le Bistro was excellent. The steak was superb and the Bouillabaisse was excellent. We had the same waitress, Nad, and the service was outstanding. There is a reason why we always choose to have Le Bistro as our first and last dinner onboard.

 

After a great dinner we met up with our friends Gardiner41 and BigEasyCC and went to the spinnaker lounge for the Quest game. As always, it was very entertaining and a fun adult scavenger hunt.

 

After Quest we went to bed early because we wanted to get up early to catch an early flight back to Baltimore.

Edited February 18, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 8 - Saying goodbye to the Jewel

 

We woke up at 6:30 am and quickly made our way to the front balcony only to discover that we were already docked in NOLA.

 

 

Disembarkation was a breeze. We left our room at 8:10 am carrying our own luggage, met Virginia who escorted us off the ship, cleared custom and were at the airport by 9:30 am.

 

Our flight from NOLA to Washington, DC was right on time, but we encountered a one-hour delay in DC. We finally landed in Philadelphia at 5:30 pm and had to remove snow from our car. How quickly did a week go by? On Tuesday, we were sunbathing in Cozumel and now we are cleaning snow.