Jewel Summary Review: Short n Sweet

[gardiner41]

Thanks for the review. :)

 

Is 46 middle age???

 

I'm sticking with 62 as middle aged. :p

 

hahaha My hormones tell me it's middle aged lol;):p

[B6ConMe]

hahaha My hormones tell me it's middle aged lol;):p

 

60 is the new 40...I'm only 21 though with XX years of experience, only my hairdresser knows for sure....NOT ;)

[gardiner41]

Great review written with a very good attitude. I'm glad you had a great time! :)

 

Thank you :-)

We had a lovely time. Not perfect..there is no such thing. But any thing that needed attention we addressed immediately and it was always taken care of swiftly and with a smile. One can not ask for more than that :)

[jjikids]

No NCL does not require it. What I am saying is you are entering a different country at each port. As when traveling across boarders on land one should always have proper photo ID with them as if one should be stopped for any reason by security, police, etc etc and not have their ID. It can be a big problem. Ships key card is not proper identification and though it is all that is required to get back on the ship...it is not sufficient identification for security or policy in foreign countries.

 

Though it is not usually an issue, in some countries especially mexico in the Caribbean. should they decide to question you for any reason while on land and you not have ID you may not need your ship key to get back aboard, as they will provide you with new less appealing accommodations :)

Several people ein line to leave ship when asked by the NCL crew if they had their ID said no and were told to go get it..not to get off the ship but to prevent problems while ashore.

 

You are correct. Some ports you will be told to make sure to bring ID with you.

[jmele999]

Thank you :-)

We had a lovely time. Not perfect..there is no such thing. But any thing that needed attention we addressed immediately and it was always taken care of swiftly and with a smile. One can not ask for more than that :)

 

Just stopping by to say hello. Great review.

[halehana]

Thanks very much for your great review! We're going on the Jewel next month for our very first cruise, and your review answered many of my questions. :)

Can I ask which shore excursion you did in Belize? (I'm thinking of booking Caye Caulker through NCL, since I'm a bit worried about timing if I do it on my own using the water taxi.)

[newmexicoNita]

Very nice post. Balanced and fun to read. We look forward to your future posts :)

 

I too enjoyed reading it: good advise, written in an easy to read form and long enough to makes some points but not too long. It was really nice, because there have now been 3 postings about the same cruise. It shows how different people see things differently. One poster found their cruise to be a disappointment, the other 2 found it to be just what they wanted.

[newmexicoNita]

Just what I needed today! :D I'm home in bed with a sinus infarction and it's snowing like mad outside...

Less than 2 weeks for me! :D

Thanks for cheering me up.

 

Sorry you are not feeling well. Take care, have a good cruise and don't fret about the snow, I keep telling myself, only a few more weeks of this crap. We have had one of the worst winters in history. I am getting so tired of being inside and still freezing. How is Conner doing?

[gardiner41]

Thanks very much for your great review! We're going on the Jewel next month for our very first cruise, and your review answered many of my questions. :)

Can I ask which shore excursion you did in Belize? (I'm thinking of booking Caye Caulker through NCL, since I'm a bit worried about timing if I do it on my own using the water taxi.)

 

Your welcome :) We did the Lamanai ruins which was very good.

My friend Jmele999 did the independent excursion using the water taxi you are interested in. I will ask him to comment on this for you :)

[gardiner41]

I too enjoyed reading it: good advise, written in an easy to read form and long enough to makes some points but not too long. It was really nice, because there have now been 3 postings about the same cruise. It shows how different people see things differently. One poster found their cruise to be a disappointment, the other 2 found it to be just what they wanted.

 

Thank you. I find the research ahead of times and knowing what you want out of a trip and what your preferences are make a huge difference.

As I mentioned we sailed Epic last Feb (2012) she is not getting good reviews right now but then every one was raving about her. We thought it was just ok and realized the big mega ships are not necessarily for us..at least the ones with lines like NCL that really cater to kids and families.

We also found once you see the main shows, if you don't drink or gamble..not much else to do.

I also happen to think attitude goes a long long way.

Take for instance our cabin. It was DIRTY when we arrived. Only thing clean was the bed. I did not go into detail but for this example will.

There was coffee stains and scraps on the balcony table, the night stand had wrappers and toothpicks, the shelves were filthy..needed a very good dusting and wipe down. The balcony floor and railing was dirty.

Some people would have handled this by not saying anything but complaining about it when they got home..when nothing can be done.

Some would have yelled or been rude to the steward and complained and looked for faults the rest of the week.

I chose to address it respectfully, but firmly and in detail. The problem was rectified above and beyond my expectations (he even cleaned the carpet on hands and knees!) and the rest of the week it was perfect. I have VERY high standards for cleanliness, so I do not say this lightly.

 

I also gave a number of examples where I wanted something slightly different than was on the menu and every time the request was fulfilled.

 

I will say it again attitude is everything..and knowing the product or service you are purchasing. Sometimes it appears to me people are buying a mass market cruise at mass market prices and expecting the food, and amenities of a luxury cruise.

If one did not pay the price of a luxury cruise they can not expect to get the food and amenities of one. IF one wanst that, pay more and go on one of the smaller cruise lines that cater to that market.

 

Though I always find it funny to have a cruise line deemed mass market or luxury when any cruise is really a luxury vacation..to put everything into perspective. I know many people who save for years just to be able to go on one cruise on any of the mass market lines. And it ends up being a once in a life time thing. And even more who can only dream of ever taking any kind of cruise. Those of us who are blessed to be able to take multiple cruises...should be thankful for the ability to enjoy the finer things in life that many only dream of.

[gardiner41]

Just stopping by to say hello. Great review.

 

Hello my friend..thanks for stopping in :) And for taking the time to read my review. You and your DP helped make it the wonderful trip that it was :)

[jmele999]

Thanks very much for your great review! We're going on the Jewel next month for our very first cruise, and your review answered many of my questions. :)

Can I ask which shore excursion you did in Belize? (I'm thinking of booking Caye Caulker through NCL, since I'm a bit worried about timing if I do it on my own using the water taxi.)

 

Hi halehana,

 

Gardiner41 has asked me to reply to question regarding Cayer Caulker.

 

I can totally understand your concern about wanting to go with NCL for the Caye Caulker excursion. We did not have any problems getting to or returning from Caye Caulker on our own. The pier for the water taxi is right next to the cruise terminal. My only recommendation will be to keep track of the time. There is a water taxi returning from Caye Caulker at 3:00 pm, which should give you plenty of time to return to the ship before 6:00 pm. I am posting below a link to my review - please see page 6 for information regarding our visit to Caye Caulker. Also let me know if you have any additonal questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1979682

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the informative review. We will be on the Jewel next week and this will be our first time on NCL. We have been on Carnival twice and enjoyed both cruises a lot, but went with NCL this time because of the extra port.

 

The one thing that we are confused about is the picking up of the luggage the night before the cruise ends. Is this a time consuming thing and where do you go to get your baggage? We will be driving there and parking at the pier, so we where hoping to just walk off the ship and get on our way home as quickly as possible.

 

Thank you,

Eddie & Karen

[LAKECLIFF]

I too enjoyed reading it: good advise, written in an easy to read form and long enough to makes some points but not too long. It was really nice, because there have now been 3 postings about the same cruise. It shows how different people see things differently. One poster found their cruise to be a disappointment, the other 2 found it to be just what they wanted.

 

Hi, Nita! Vie Lee and I were on this cruise and just loved it! Miss seeing you around on a cruise, been a long time since our last time together from Long Beach. I have lots of pictures on fb if you are still on there. Hope you and Pat are well...XOXO

Pama

[realtorlady42]

Thank you for the informative review. We will be on the Jewel next week and this will be our first time on NCL. We have been on Carnival twice and enjoyed both cruises a lot, but went with NCL this time because of the extra port.

 

The one thing that we are confused about is the picking up of the luggage the night before the cruise ends. Is this a time consuming thing and where do you go to get your baggage? We will be driving there and parking at the pier, so we where hoping to just walk off the ship and get on our way home as quickly as possible.

 

Thank you,

Eddie & Karen

 

Your welcome. Ncl has 2 options for disembarking. We always choose the walk off option. As long as you can manage all your own luggage you can do easy walk off. It is very easy for those of us who want freedom to leave when we are ready. You do not put your luggage outside you keep it with you. Have your breakfast in the morning then get your luggage from the cabin and walk off when u r ready. It works well. We passed many people sitting and waiting for their turn. No lines no rush.

have a great time.

[halehana]

Hi halehana,

 

Gardiner41 has asked me to reply to question regarding Cayer Caulker.

 

I can totally understand your concern about wanting to go with NCL for the Caye Caulker excursion. We did not have any problems getting to or returning from Caye Caulker on our own. The pier for the water taxi is right next to the cruise terminal. My only recommendation will be to keep track of the time. There is a water taxi returning from Caye Caulker at 3:00 pm, which should give you plenty of time to return to the ship before 6:00 pm. I am posting below a link to my review - please see page 6 for information regarding our visit to Caye Caulker. Also let me know if you have any additonal questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1979682

Thanks very much for the additional details. I think we will probably go for it! I saw in your review that you reserved your water taxi tickets. Does that guarantee you a seat on the way back? I'd also like your opinion on whether you think you had enough time there. We will most likely be on one of the later tenders, since we don't have a concierge or ship-sponsored excursion, so we would probably be on the 10:30 taxi, leaving us only 2 hours on CC if we take the 1:30 taxi back. I'm still a bit confused about times though...our itinerary shows us in port from 8-6, but this will be after the end of daylight savings time, so would that put us on the same time as Belize? If so, we could probably take the 3:00 taxi back to Belize City.

 

Thanks again for your help and for your review. It's really making it easier for me to decide what I want to do. :)

[gardiner41]

Thanks very much for the additional details. I think we will probably go for it! I saw in your review that you reserved your water taxi tickets. Does that guarantee you a seat on the way back? I'd also like your opinion on whether you think you had enough time there. We will most likely be on one of the later tenders, since we don't have a concierge or ship-sponsored excursion, so we would probably be on the 10:30 taxi, leaving us only 2 hours on CC if we take the 1:30 taxi back. I'm still a bit confused about times though...our itinerary shows us in port from 8-6, but this will be after the end of daylight savings time, so would that put us on the same time as Belize? If so, we could probably take the 3:00 taxi back to Belize City.

 

Thanks again for your help and for your review. It's really making it easier for me to decide what I want to do. :)

 

Tender tickets are available starting at 7:00 a.m. Just one person in your party needs to be there. So send whoever is the early riser to go down at about 6:30 to wait in line and get the tickets for the first or second tender off. Then you can get the first water taxi. Though if I remember correctly the 10:30 was the one my friends took and they all found they had plenty of time...but that really depends on what you want to do while there.

 

If you have any other questions specific to the ship please ask away :)

[PrincessJen]

Thank you. I find the research ahead of times and knowing what you want out of a trip and what your preferences are make a huge difference.

As I mentioned we sailed Epic last Feb (2012) she is not getting good reviews right now but then every one was raving about her. We thought it was just ok and realized the big mega ships are not necessarily for us..at least the ones with lines like NCL that really cater to kids and families.

We also found once you see the main shows, if you don't drink or gamble..not much else to do.

I also happen to think attitude goes a long long way.

Take for instance our cabin. It was DIRTY when we arrived. Only thing clean was the bed. I did not go into detail but for this example will.

There was coffee stains and scraps on the balcony table, the night stand had wrappers and toothpicks, the shelves were filthy..needed a very good dusting and wipe down. The balcony floor and railing was dirty.

Some people would have handled this by not saying anything but complaining about it when they got home..when nothing can be done.

Some would have yelled or been rude to the steward and complained and looked for faults the rest of the week.

I chose to address it respectfully, but firmly and in detail. The problem was rectified above and beyond my expectations (he even cleaned the carpet on hands and knees!) and the rest of the week it was perfect. I have VERY high standards for cleanliness, so I do not say this lightly.

 

I also gave a number of examples where I wanted something slightly different than was on the menu and every time the request was fulfilled.

 

I will say it again attitude is everything..and knowing the product or service you are purchasing. Sometimes it appears to me people are buying a mass market cruise at mass market prices and expecting the food, and amenities of a luxury cruise.

If one did not pay the price of a luxury cruise they can not expect to get the food and amenities of one. IF one wanst that, pay more and go on one of the smaller cruise lines that cater to that market.

 

Though I always find it funny to have a cruise line deemed mass market or luxury when any cruise is really a luxury vacation..to put everything into perspective. I know many people who save for years just to be able to go on one cruise on any of the mass market lines. And it ends up being a once in a life time thing. And even more who can only dream of ever taking any kind of cruise. Those of us who are blessed to be able to take multiple cruises...should be thankful for the ability to enjoy the finer things in life that many only dream of.

 

 

Well said!

[gardiner41]

I have recently had a few requests for my opinion and experiences on the Jewel so I thought I would bring this review from our Cruise in January back to the first page.

We loved this cruise and have booked the Pearl for 3 weeks in December after having such a great time on the Jewel.

 

Angie

[cruise-addict]

I always sail with children, and am appreciative of the fact that you know when is a good time to avoid them. We sailed on HAL (never again) during spring break. Every corner we turned we heard something about all the "damn kids" on the ship. Yes, my kids had to hear that word dozens of times, directed at them. And my kids were extremely well behaved, it was just their mere presence. Excuse me, but it IS Spring Break.

 

I love it when people do their research and know what to avoid!

[Doandroidzdream]

Exceptional ship report! :)