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Jewel Review (from first time cruisers)

Kells3738

By Kells3738,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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We just returned from the Dec. 20-27 cruise on the Jewel: my wife and I (both 53), and our 20 year old college sophomore daughter and 18 year old high school senior son. These longish, idiosyncratic reviews helped us, so here goes.

 

Just to put us in perspective: fairly well travelled (couple of weeks in Europe every other year, a week in the Caymans most years, and a few weeks on Kiawah most summers). We have never cruised or done package tours; even out of the way Greece, Turkey, or Italy we plan ourselves, albeit at mostly higher end places. My wife is concerned that as the kids' schedules get more hectic, family trips will be harder. (I suspect the lure of free vacations will take care of that.) Anyway, we decided to try a cruise (and to not host Christmas for the first time in many years).

 

Worked with a great TA, researched on Cruise Critic, and decided on NCL Jewel as a good balance of ship, itinerary, etc. We live outside D.C., but it is an easy direct flight to Houston. We had an aft suite (I could never figure out if it was a penthouse or not, but it had the butler and concierge, so not sure it mattered). We had the kids share a balcony room next to us; they haven't shared rooms when we travel for many years, but we were--needlessly, in hindsight---concerned about security (not really concerned, but never having cruised....) that we put them together near us. They were good sports about it, and the steward made some tweaks to give them more privacy.

 

Bottom line, had a great time. Different than what we were used to, but a lot of fun. Bunch of comments and observations below:

 

1. Food: we ate in the specialty restaurants every night. Just our preference, but food quality is important to us, and the supplement seemed reasonable (did the package). LOVED Moderno for breakfast and lunch; much better than the couple of times we ate in the Garden Café for those meals. Best meals: Cagneys (ate there twice, once much better than other time): not up there with Palm or high end steakhouse ashore, but good. Also really enjoyed La Cucina--limited menu but well prepared. Enjoyed all of the others, but food was nothing really special (I enjoy almost anything with my family on vacation)

2. Other food observations: found service slow at specialty restaurants, even when not that full; my sense was that the servers were stretched a little thin. Felt that there could have been a higher high end on the wine list; it topped out at about $65 (except for the Champagne). Not much of a mark up, which was nice, but even a small "reserve" list would have been nice. Had the butler serve breakfast in the suite a couple of days: very nice, and he was happy to get off menu items.

3. Steward, Butler, and Concierge (Florentia) were outstanding. Helpful, always there but not obtrusive, friendly. Could not have been nicer, and a major part of the trip being great.

4. From what we saw, the priority boarding and disembarkation made a real difference. We breezed on and off in just a few minutes, and missed the customs lines when we returned.

5. The bars were nice, well staffed, and I thought well priced. They could all make a "real" drink (martini, Manhattan, etc.) as well as the various specials.

6. We really enjoyed the various "small" musical acts, generally at Magnums (one of the bars). Fun hearing Italian piano players and Brazilian guitarists playing and singing classic rock, folk rock, etc. Not being sarcastic--really enjoyed it, and we wished they stayed open past midnight.

7. We found the back of the boat suite very quiet, with no foot traffic past our rooms. Folks we talked to in the other suites, including Haven, said it was often "noisy." No personal experience, just repeating a couple of comments.

8. We all enjoyed the spa. My wife and daughter both had facials and massage(s), and said they compared favorably to higher end day spas in and around D.C. I had a shave--full hot towel, face massage, etc. like in the old time (and new!) barber shops, and it was great. We got the week passes to the steam, whirlpools, sauna, complex (with great views!), and found them both very nice, and usually pretty empty. Gym was ok, a little crowded for my taste but pretty nice.

9. Wifi was confusing and slow, but usable if you need to stay connected.

10. All of our excursions were through the ship. We did the Mayan ruin trip in Cozumel (ok, a little too commercial but Angel was a great guide). Son and I did the already-certified scuba dives in Belize and Roatan (outstanding in both places; professional, well run, good equipment, great reefs and wall dives). Wife and daughter went to animal preserve/beach day in Roatan and had a great time. Daughter (budding classics/archeology teacher) did another Mayan ruin in Belize and found it great, much "better" than Cozumel in scope and depth. All well run; no standing around waiting (except for a short weather delay in Belize).

11. I didn't see many (ok, any) of the "big" shows, but wife and daughter enjoyed them. The "risqué" ship-run programs (think PG-13 truth or dare) were fun, and good natured, and the cruise director said several times before they started that they were really for those over 18. Nothing explicit, all double-entendre stuff. Fun, and funny.

12. I thought the dance bands and/or DJ in Spinnaker at night were good, but hampered by the age rang from 18-65 all together. Motown followed by hip hop followed by 80's hair bands: hard to please everyone, but they did their best, and most people were able to dance most of the time.

13. Bars were a great place to people watch, particularly the row of bars in "bar city."

14. Kids, as kids do, found groups of other 18-21 year olds, and had fun by themselves, which was fine with us. We signed the beer and wine waiver for them (they have the occasional glass of wine with dinner at home, and we let them follow local laws when we travel), and they were reasonably responsible.

15. Initial thoughts: we would cruise again, although not necessarily right away, and would probably go NCL again for a family cruise (but kids could have their own cabins next time). If it is just my wife and I, we would probably try to go a little more "luxury," although I get a little confused about all of the labels. But if it is just us, not sure I would do a week cruise vs. a week in Tuscany or France. But will probably try it at least once more. I am sure I will revise those opinions a few more times as the experience percolates.

Hope folks find this useful.

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Susie51

Susie51

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I got off Jewel Dec. 6, 2014. We had the Trujillo itinerary.

 

DH29 did the River safari and Mayan ruins tour with NCL. She climbed the tallest pyramid and enjoyed the experience very much.

 

We stayed in the Family suite which has two bedrooms and two baths. Our butler, Lazaro, is excellent. He promptly served us breakfast on shore ex. days in our room. One night we had dinner in the room. Everything was hot and exactly as we ordered it.

 

A gentleman from our roll call came to a before dinner party we had in our suite. He was in a Haven suite and he liked our suite better.

 

I don't want to hijack your thread. You posted some excellent info about your cruise.

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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No worries about hijacking! (Not sure that is the best word to use in any post about travel, these days. :) ). Lazaro was our butler as well; really outstanding. We had an aft suite, and at the cocktail party for people in the suites (held in the Haven), a couple of people staying in the Haven/more forward suites mentioned being bothered by noise (pools and outdoor band and DJs) and a lot of younger kids running around. The aft suites were very quiet, and also not foot traffic/noise going past our doors.

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AF-1

AF-1

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No worries about hijacking! (Not sure that is the best word to use in any post about travel, these days. :) ). Lazaro was our butler as well; really outstanding. We had an aft suite, and at the cocktail party for people in the suites (held in the Haven), a couple of people staying in the Haven/more forward suites mentioned being bothered by noise (pools and outdoor band and DJs) and a lot of younger kids running around. The aft suites were very quiet, and also not foot traffic/noise going past our doors.

 

thanks for the review; I will be on Jade/ sister ship to Jewel in May. We have an aft penthouse suite. What deck were you on? We are doing a 14 night cruise out of Venice.

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

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We just returned from the Dec. 20-27 cruise on the Jewel: my wife and I (both 53), and our 20 year old college sophomore daughter and 18 year old high school senior son. These longish, idiosyncratic reviews helped us, so here goes.

 

Just to put us in perspective: fairly well travelled (couple of weeks in Europe every other year, a week in the Caymans most years, and a few weeks on Kiawah most summers). We have never cruised or done package tours; even out of the way Greece, Turkey, or Italy we plan ourselves, albeit at mostly higher end places. My wife is concerned that as the kids' schedules get more hectic, family trips will be harder. (I suspect the lure of free vacations will take care of that.) Anyway, we decided to try a cruise (and to not host Christmas for the first time in many years).

 

Worked with a great TA, researched on Cruise Critic, and decided on NCL Jewel as a good balance of ship, itinerary, etc. We live outside D.C., but it is an easy direct flight to Houston. We had an aft suite (I could never figure out if it was a penthouse or not, but it had the butler and concierge, so not sure it mattered). We had the kids share a balcony room next to us; they haven't shared rooms when we travel for many years, but we were--needlessly, in hindsight---concerned about security (not really concerned, but never having cruised....) that we put them together near us. They were good sports about it, and the steward made some tweaks to give them more privacy.

 

Bottom line, had a great time. Different than what we were used to, but a lot of fun. Bunch of comments and observations below:

 

1. Food: we ate in the specialty restaurants every night. Just our preference, but food quality is important to us, and the supplement seemed reasonable (did the package). LOVED Moderno for breakfast and lunch; much better than the couple of times we ate in the Garden Café for those meals. Best meals: Cagneys (ate there twice, once much better than other time): not up there with Palm or high end steakhouse ashore, but good. Also really enjoyed La Cucina--limited menu but well prepared. Enjoyed all of the others, but food was nothing really special (I enjoy almost anything with my family on vacation)

2. Other food observations: found service slow at specialty restaurants, even when not that full; my sense was that the servers were stretched a little thin. Felt that there could have been a higher high end on the wine list; it topped out at about $65 (except for the Champagne). Not much of a mark up, which was nice, but even a small "reserve" list would have been nice. Had the butler serve breakfast in the suite a couple of days: very nice, and he was happy to get off menu items.

3. Steward, Butler, and Concierge (Florentia) were outstanding. Helpful, always there but not obtrusive, friendly. Could not have been nicer, and a major part of the trip being great.

4. From what we saw, the priority boarding and disembarkation made a real difference. We breezed on and off in just a few minutes, and missed the customs lines when we returned.

5. The bars were nice, well staffed, and I thought well priced. They could all make a "real" drink (martini, Manhattan, etc.) as well as the various specials.

6. We really enjoyed the various "small" musical acts, generally at Magnums (one of the bars). Fun hearing Italian piano players and Brazilian guitarists playing and singing classic rock, folk rock, etc. Not being sarcastic--really enjoyed it, and we wished they stayed open past midnight.

7. We found the back of the boat suite very quiet, with no foot traffic past our rooms. Folks we talked to in the other suites, including Haven, said it was often "noisy." No personal experience, just repeating a couple of comments.

8. We all enjoyed the spa. My wife and daughter both had facials and massage(s), and said they compared favorably to higher end day spas in and around D.C. I had a shave--full hot towel, face massage, etc. like in the old time (and new!) barber shops, and it was great. We got the week passes to the steam, whirlpools, sauna, complex (with great views!), and found them both very nice, and usually pretty empty. Gym was ok, a little crowded for my taste but pretty nice.

9. Wifi was confusing and slow, but usable if you need to stay connected.

10. All of our excursions were through the ship. We did the Mayan ruin trip in Cozumel (ok, a little too commercial but Angel was a great guide). Son and I did the already-certified scuba dives in Belize and Roatan (outstanding in both places; professional, well run, good equipment, great reefs and wall dives). Wife and daughter went to animal preserve/beach day in Roatan and had a great time. Daughter (budding classics/archeology teacher) did another Mayan ruin in Belize and found it great, much "better" than Cozumel in scope and depth. All well run; no standing around waiting (except for a short weather delay in Belize).

11. I didn't see many (ok, any) of the "big" shows, but wife and daughter enjoyed them. The "risqué" ship-run programs (think PG-13 truth or dare) were fun, and good natured, and the cruise director said several times before they started that they were really for those over 18. Nothing explicit, all double-entendre stuff. Fun, and funny.

12. I thought the dance bands and/or DJ in Spinnaker at night were good, but hampered by the age rang from 18-65 all together. Motown followed by hip hop followed by 80's hair bands: hard to please everyone, but they did their best, and most people were able to dance most of the time.

13. Bars were a great place to people watch, particularly the row of bars in "bar city."

14. Kids, as kids do, found groups of other 18-21 year olds, and had fun by themselves, which was fine with us. We signed the beer and wine waiver for them (they have the occasional glass of wine with dinner at home, and we let them follow local laws when we travel), and they were reasonably responsible.

15. Initial thoughts: we would cruise again, although not necessarily right away, and would probably go NCL again for a family cruise (but kids could have their own cabins next time). If it is just my wife and I, we would probably try to go a little more "luxury," although I get a little confused about all of the labels. But if it is just us, not sure I would do a week cruise vs. a week in Tuscany or France. But will probably try it at least once more. I am sure I will revise those opinions a few more times as the experience percolates.

Hope folks find this useful.

 

Thanks, nice fair and balanced review. Cruising isn't for eveyone. I don't know the acual stats, but they go something like this: 60% fall in love with cruising the first cruise and it becomes their vacation of choice: 20 to 30% are like you. They will cruise again but will continue to choose other forms of vacation and 10% just find cruising not for them.

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CruisenCple

CruisenCple

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Thanks for taking the time to post this review. I am booked on The Jewel leaving 1/10, and have never sailed NCL. It's fun to read about the ship ahead of time.

 

Terry

 

We are on the Jewel also leaving 1/10 and will be our first on NCL also. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the honest review of the Jewel. It is true that cruising isn't for everyone but at least give it a try to see.

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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We were in 9672. It was a handicapped-accessible suite; we are not disabled, but it was the last suite available when we booked, and had a balcony room next door for our kids. The only differences I could tell were a few hand bars in the bathroom, and a couple of minor things. We found it relatively roomy and very comfortable. The view and the quiet were lovely--we spent a lot of morning coffee and afternoon (pre) cocktail hour out there. (BTW: the French press coffee Lazaro would bring was outstanding; much better than the in-suite capsule machine, which wasn't bad.)

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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Each locker room has steam, sauna, whirlpools, and different types of rain showers. You can use them if you are there for a spa treatment, or you can buy a day or week pass to use them (I think the week was $149). There is also a co-ed room with a while pool and neat heated semi-firm lounge chairs, for reading or chilling out. Not sure of the women's locker room, but the men's and co-ed rooms all had great ocean views, right at the front of the ship, out of big picture windows. Our ship was full, but the men's side was usually empty or near empty, and even the coed side was not crowded. My wife never mentioned if the women's side was also empty. I am sure you could by the pass at the spa desk; they had a table in the main atrium the first day selling them also. You get a little sticker on you key/charge card.

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deerhuntingal

deerhuntingal

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Each locker room has steam, sauna, whirlpools, and different types of rain showers. You can use them if you are there for a spa treatment, or you can buy a day or week pass to use them (I think the week was $149). There is also a co-ed room with a while pool and neat heated semi-firm lounge chairs, for reading or chilling out. Not sure of the women's locker room, but the men's and co-ed rooms all had great ocean views, right at the front of the ship, out of big picture windows. Our ship was full, but the men's side was usually empty or near empty, and even the coed side was not crowded. My wife never mentioned if the women's side was also empty. I am sure you could by the pass at the spa desk; they had a table in the main atrium the first day selling them also. You get a little sticker on you key/charge card.

 

So the spa pass gets you access to use a sauna, hot tubs and showers plus heated lounge chairs to sit and relax. Is that all?

A massage is probably extra $$. Don't they have hot tubs on the ship that are free to use? Maybe it is to crowded at the public one so the spa allows you to pay for access. I'm new to this and just wondering what to do on our May trip!

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Tenderpaw

Tenderpaw

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We were on the November 29 sailing in a family suite (11018). We were very impressed with the room(s) and service also. I have heard complaints from other people of noise in the deck 11 suites but we didn't notice any. However, there was a lot of hallway traffic.

 

We were invited to a "suite" cocktail party one night that was held in the Haven. I have to say while its exclusivity is probably nice, i wasn't that impressed with the Haven's private pool area. I was happy to have paid less for the family suite.

 

We previously sailed in an aft suite on the Star. While not as nice as the family suite, it was certainly nice. I agree with the previous poster that it was very quite because there was no passing traffic in the passageway.

 

Dave

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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We were in 9672. It was a handicapped-accessible suite; we are not disabled, but it was the last suite available when we booked, and had a balcony room next door for our kids. The only differences I could tell were a few hand bars in the bathroom, and a couple of minor things. We found it relatively roomy and very comfortable. The view and the quiet were lovely--we spent a lot of morning coffee and afternoon (pre) cocktail hour out there. (BTW: the French press coffee Lazaro would bring was outstanding; much better than the in-suite capsule machine, which wasn't bad.)

 

Ah, you were in "my" suite. Best cruise I ever had in that room on that ship, and my only suite room ever. It's also hubby's favourite NCL spa. The Jewel is our favourite ship, bar none, I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. Great review, super balanced and fair.

Edited by lisakoivu
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AF-1

AF-1

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We were in 9672. It was a handicapped-accessible suite; we are not disabled, but it was the last suite available when we booked, and had a balcony room next door for our kids. The only differences I could tell were a few hand bars in the bathroom, and a couple of minor things. We found it relatively roomy and very comfortable. The view and the quiet were lovely--we spent a lot of morning coffee and afternoon (pre) cocktail hour out there. (BTW: the French press coffee Lazaro would bring was outstanding; much better than the in-suite capsule machine, which wasn't bad.)

 

thanks for the feedback. Handrails in bathroom may be good in choppy seas; a few quick questions; did you ever notice soot from the engines on your balcony; and I do plan on using the coffee machine each day.

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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and the steam room too.... :) But yes, the spa pass is for the spa facilities (and a great view!) in a very quiet atmosphere. (Never saw a kid in there; even my 18 year old wasn't really interested.) There are both adult and family hot tubs on the pool deck. They always seemed full, and the pool often had a band or DJ. Just personal preference, but I thought we got a lot of value out of the spa passes.

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Kells3738

Kells3738

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thanks for the feedback. Handrails in bathroom may be good in choppy seas; a few quick questions; did you ever notice soot from the engines on your balcony; and I do plan on using the coffee machine each day.

 

No soot; the smokestack are pretty far forward. There was some white noise from the propellers; actually pretty soothing; we slept with the balcony door open most nights. Didn't even notice it when reading (and napping) out on the balcony.

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