Photo tour of Norwegian Jewel 10002, forward penthouse suite with large balcony

[ranran87]

DW and I were on NCL Jewel out of Houston from Jan 3 - 10, 2015. We were in stateroom 10002, an SE class penthouse suite in the front of the ship. I would like to show you what the stateroom was like, for those who might be considering the same stateroom or another in the same category.

 

 

This is a view of the door, which is as far forward and starboard as you can go on the 10th floor. I celebrated my 50th birthday during the cruise, and the stateroom steward decorated in celebration, as you will also see inside.

 

 

Once you open the door, you see the hallway which leads into the room. On the immediate left is an alcove with four pool towels. Next to the towels you can see three switches which can be used to turn off (most) all the lights on your way out. Just beyond the switches are the closet double doors. If you make a U-turn to the left just past the closet, you will find yourself in the passageway to the bathroom, and there are similar double doors on that side which allow you to access the other side of this same closet. On the right side, you can see the elevated wine bucket which held our complimentary sparkling wine and bottle of water, on ice. Because of the Texas liquor laws, those bottles were not delivered until the second day. Beyond the wine bucket you can see the TV on the wall and then the dining table and chairs in the corner. There is a desk under the TV, but you can’t really make it out in the picture.

[ranran87]

 

Now inside the door and looking back to the left, you can see there is an alcove with a shelf. The top shelf held the pool towels, and the bottom shelf was empty. We put the wet pool towels on the bottom shelf whenever we used them, and the steward promptly replaced them with fresh ones.

 

 

Just past the towel alcove, a better view of the double closet doors.

 

 

With the closet doors open, you can see there is a lot of space to hang clothes. The hangers NCL supplies are very nice wooden ones, but they are very wide, which cuts down on the number which can fit in the space. We brought our own plastic hangers, which take up much less horizontal space. We put several of the NCL hangers in a small space in the top of the closet (which also held our lifejackets), in order to make space for our own hangers, thereby fitting many more clothes. As you might be able to see, there are also hooks on the inside of the closet doors, on which I hung my shorts and trousers.

[ranran87]

 

Just past the closet, you can now see into the main part of the room. Along the right wall is the desk under the TV, then the dining table in the corner. On the far wall, you can see the brown inside door to the balcony, the orange chair, the window onto the balcony, and DW sitting on the couch/fold out bed. On the left of the frame, you can see the coffee maker, then the orange curtain, then the end of the bed and the bench.

 

 

Now turning back to your left, you can see the coffee maker (actually a Lavazza Espresso machine). Above the coffee maker you can see various glasses and silverware, to the right of the coffee maker you can see the espresso packets and creamers and sweeteners. Under the coffee maker, you can see the housing for the mini-bar in the middle and small storage areas on each side. To the right of the photo, you can see the orange curtain, which I suppose is meant to provide privacy for the main bed when there are other guests in the fold-out bed.

[ranran87]

 

Here you can see the open mini-bar. Because of Texas liquor laws, it was sealed the first and last night in Texas waters. We never used it anyway.

 

 

Here you can see the small storage areas just to the left of the mini-bar. Small plates, salt & pepper, and ketchup are supplied.

[ranran87]

 

Now turning back to the wall, you can see the TV and the desk. On the right side of the desk, you can see the ice bucket and glasses. There is a waste basket on the floor. There are informational booklets on the left side of the desk, but there is plenty of desk space open in the middle of the desk. Or there was, until we piled so much of our stuff there. We plugged in a surge protector there, and used it to charge our various electronics (phones, tablets, camera). There are storage drawers under the desk, and an ottoman for the orange chair which also doubles as a backless desk chair.

 

 

Just to the left of the desk, in the corner you can see the dining table. We did not eat in the room, so we just used it and the chairs as temporary storage areas. You can see a very nice bouquet of flowers they supplied, and a tray of snacks, which they left each evening.

 

 

Continuing left from the dining table along the far wall, you can see the inner door to the balcony. Next to the door you can see an electrical outlet near the floor. I was glad we brought an extension cord, because there was not an outlet near the bed. I ran the extension cord along the wall and behind the couch/pullout bed to my side of the bed, so I could power my CPAP machine and a charger for my cell so I could use it as an alarm clock on my bedside table.

[ranran87]

 

When you open the inside door to the balcony, you find the sea door.

 

 

Just past the balcony door, you find the window to the balcony. There is a sheer curtain and a heavier curtain to block the light. The couch/pull out bed is very hard and I did not like sitting on it, but the orange chair was very comfortable. There is a small glass table between the two. To the left of the couch, you can see a collection of towel animals the steward left for us. His name was Santiago, and he was very nice and very accommodating. To the bottom left you can see where my extension cord came out from behind the couch to be next to the bed.

 

 

Here you can see the other half of the orange curtain which can be drawn to provide some measure of privacy between the occupants of the main bed and those of the fold out. You can also see the phone on the bedside table, the bedside light, the lighting control switches on the wall, and the reflection of a guy who just turned 50. The silver thing behind the phone is my CPAP, which allows me to sleep in the same bed as DW by preventing me from snoring. NCL does not supply them; you have to bring your own.

[ranran87]

 

Here is the bed. It came with two big sitting-up-in-bed type pillows and two nice feather pillows. We asked for and received two extra feather pillows. The colorful bunting on the ceiling and the happy birthday banner on the mirror were added by Santiago on my birthday. We brought magnets to hang up important papers so as not to forget them, but the wall to the left was the only wall in the room which was metallic enough for our magnets to bond. We posted our dinner reservations schedule up there, and our excursion tickets, embarkation instructions, etc.

 

 

At the foot of the bed, you can see a wooden bench. This thing is just the right shade of brown so that it disappears when the room is dark, such as when your partner is sleeping and you are making your way around the bed to or from the bathroom. I lost count of how many times I barked my shin on it. Those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat it. Based on the pain, you would think I would remember banging my shin after the first time, but no.

[ranran87]

 

Continuing our anti-clockwise tour around the room, we come to the hallway to the bathroom. It is a bit tricky to make out, because there is a mirror on the wall over the makeup table at the end, and the closet doors on the left are also mirrored, but this short hallway is parallel to the hallway in from the entrance door. You can see the side of the espresso machine on the left and the edge of the bed on the right as we start down this hallway. Just to the right as we enter the hall are storage cabinets which also contain the safes.

 

 

Here is a view of the storage with the left doors open. You can see there is a mini-safe operated by setting a 4 digit code, and four rather large shelf areas which we used for folded clothes, shoes, etc. Three shallow drawers under each shelving area could be used for smaller items.

 

 

Here is a view from inside the hallway of the right side of the storage with the right doors open. On the top shelves you can see that DW brought either way too many shoes (my opinion) or too few (her opinion).

[ranran87]

 

Just past the storage area on the right, you can see the door to the bathroom. Dangling from the handle is a very small LED flashlight we bought. DW turned it on at night, because it was dim enough not bother a person trying to sleep, but helped to guide the way to the bathroom in the darkness should the need arise. To the left of the photo you can see the right side of the makeup table, and a “birthday cake” made of folded towels left by the steward.

 

 

Here is the makeup table at the end of the hall just past the door to the bathroom. There is only one stool and one makeup mirror, but they seem doubled because of the reflection from the mirrored doors to the closet, which comprise the left side of the hallway. The lighted magnifying makeup mirror (whose light was really too dim to be of any help), the hair dryer, the box of facial tissue, and the small glass container of cotton swabs were all supplied by NCL. The electric toothbrush and the small bottle of Woolite were brought along by DW. There are three storage drawers to the right side of the makeup table, with the bottom being the deepest. Above the makeup table to the left, there are two recessed shelving areas which are quite large, but it is hard to make them out in the photo because DW hung a bag with her toiletries from the top shelf.

 

 

Here in the top center of the photo you can just about see the two storage shelves. The top shelf area looks somewhat like a dark cave with an arched top, and the bottom shelf area is behind the hanging bag of toiletries. The shelving areas were quite deep, each going back about 18 inches or so, if I recall correctly.

[ranran87]

 

Now if you back up a step or two from the makeup table, turn right, and open the door to the bathroom, this is what you will see. The center area has the sink with a mirrored wall behind it, shelves with washcloths and toiletries supplied by NCL, and a rail around the sink with hanging hand towels. Just behind the hanging bath towel on the left is another facial tissue dispenser on the wall. Unseen on the right side of the mirrored wall behind the sink is a liquid soap dispenser. To the left you can see the entrance to the toilet, and unseen to the right is the shower/tub area. Under the sink on the floor there appears to be a scale. Didn’t pull it out, so don’t know whether it works.

 

 

Here is another view of the sink, closer and straight on. Now you can see the soap dispenser above the black thing, which is my shaving kit. At the bottom right you can see the bathroom waste can, which is set into a shelf below the sink. The far right is a section of the shower/tub door.

 

 

Here is a close-up view of the shelves to the left of the sink. The toiletries on the top shelf, the washcloths, and the drinking glasses were supplied by NCL. I think the things on the second shelf were some small toiletries we brought along.

[ranran87]

 

Here you can see the view from the main bathroom into the toilet area, with the toilet door closed. Not much privacy if someone else is in the bathroom.

 

 

Here is a view of the toilet area. Behind the toilet is the flush button, so it cannot be pushed with the toilet lid open. Just as well, because the flush was extremely loud, even with the lid closed. To the left of the toilet is a toilet brush. In the bottom left of the photo you can see one of two side-by-side toilet paper dispensers. Above that is an ashtray, which I suppose is a relic from the time when they allowed smoking in the room. We used it to hold our mini air freshener spray. Just visible above that is the bottom of handle one could use to support oneself when the ship was rocking.

[ranran87]

 

Here is a view of the shower/tub with the door slid shut. You can see through the doors that we were using the clothesline inside to hang a few items to try to dry them.

 

 

Here you can see the far wall inside the shower/tub enclosure. I’m sorry I did not get a shot of the tub underneath, but it was quite small. On the left are dispensers of shampoo and shower gel, and on the right are two shelves to hold other toiletries. On the top left, you can see one end of the clothesline. The shower pressure and temperature were both excellent. One note of caution, though, the shower area is quite short. I am 6’1”, and the ceiling was about an inch and a half above the top of my head. It was not a problem for me, but if you are taller you might find yourself having to bend to avoid hitting your head.

 

 

One last photo inside the bathroom, this time the inside of the bathroom door. This door is directly across from the sink and leads back out into the hallway. You can see several towel bars and a handy row of hooks for hanging clothes or towels.

[ranran87]

 

Finally we get to the balcony. Before we go out, here is a view of the balcony from inside the room looking out the window. You can see it is very deep. We requested ahead of time to have two loungers, and when we arrived we had two loungers, a chair, and two tables. I don’t know if that is the standard configuration.

 

 

Here is a view from the rail of the balcony back toward the room. DW is playing Words With Friends against her phone, since we didn’t sign up for the Internet on board. The sea door is held fully open with a clip to prevent it swinging around, because it is quite heavy. You can’t really see into the room through the window, because the sheer curtain is pulled over. The chair cushions were very comfortable for sitting, and they dried quickly after a rain.

 

 

This is view from my eye level while sitting in a chair toward the back of the balcony. As you can see, from this vantage the bow of the boat and much of the sea is not visible, but you can see the horizon and the sky.

[ranran87]

 

Here is a view from the railing. You can see the openings of the balconies for the corresponding rooms on deck 9, and beyond them you can see the crew lounging area on the bow deck. They had a small plunge pool there, and sometimes when they were not working, several of them could be seen out there soaking up the sun.

 

 

Here I used my camera’s features to attempt a panoramic photo of the view from the rail. The ship appears somewhat distorted, but I think it gives somewhat of a sense of what a sweeping vista you have from a balcony at the front of the ship.

[ranran87]

 

Here is a view from the starboard side of the rail looking to port. You can see our inboard neighbor’s balcony and window. If I went to the left side of the rail and looked toward his room, I would be able to see his entire balcony and perhaps into his room, if his door was open or curtain was not drawn. Of course I never did that, but I was always conscious of the possibility that my neighbors could do that to me, if they wished.

 

 

A similar view from the opposite direction. Here you can see the outboard neighbor’s balcony opening.

[ranran87]

 

One was never truly alone on the balcony, for even if the neighbors were not out, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the bridge loomed just above us. Here is a photo of the inboard side of the bridge above our balcony.

 

 

And here is a photo of the outboard side of the bridge above our balcony.

[ranran87]

 

This photo of the towel animal menagerie we collected over the week concludes the photo tour of NCL Jewel suite 10002. If you have any questions about the room, feel free to ask.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Randall,

 

Wow that was a wonderful photo review of your suite. I always wondered about the balcony door and you provided the answer with your photos. The balcony is fantastic.

 

Linda

[Freespir8]

Thank you so much for your pictures and review! We have room 10000 booked on the Dawn. I appreciate seeing the balcony pictures. Was curious how you felt about the lack if privacy on the deck? Did you feel "watched"? Privacy is a big deal for us and we are trying to balance the need for privacy (Family Penthouse) with the deck space and experience of a forward facing penthouse that we haven't experienced yet.

[ranran87]

Randall,

 

Wow that was a wonderful photo review of your suite. I always wondered about the balcony door and you provided the answer with your photos. The balcony is fantastic.

 

Linda

 

Thanks for the feedback, Linda. :) It took me quite a few hours to put it together, so I was hopeful it was not time spent in vain and someone would find it helpful.

[ColinIllinois]

Thanks for posting the pics. Honestly though, except for the balcony it looks pretty unimpressive. Looks like 1950's decor.

[ranran87]

Thank you so much for your pictures and review! We have room 10000 booked on the Dawn. I appreciate seeing the balcony pictures. Was curious how you felt about the lack if privacy on the deck? Did you feel "watched"? Privacy is a big deal for us and we are trying to balance the need for privacy (Family Penthouse) with the deck space and experience of a forward facing penthouse that we haven't experienced yet.

 

The bridge never bothered me, maybe because I wasn't doing anything they might have found interesting--when I was out I was either gazing out to sea or sitting and reading. It was a little disconcerting when the neighbors, either to the side or below, were also out. If they were just sitting quietly, I wouldn't know they were there, but then I would hear a cough or smell cigarette smoke, and I would be reminded I was not alone.

[ranran87]

Thanks for posting the pics. Honestly though, except for the balcony it looks pretty unimpressive. Looks like 1950's decor.

 

I suppose you are right, although I did not pay any attention to the decor. That stuff means little to nothing to me, though DW may have noticed it. She perceives stuff like that, but I couldn't even tell you what the colors of the bedspread and the drapes in my bedroom were if I weren't looking at them at the time. :o

[Freespir8]

The bridge never bothered me, maybe because I wasn't doing anything they might have found interesting--when I was out I was either gazing out to sea or sitting and reading. It was a little disconcerting when the neighbors, either to the side or below, were also out. If they were just sitting quietly, I wouldn't know they were there, but then I would hear a cough or smell cigarette smoke, and I would be reminded I was not alone.

 

I suppose the people on the bridge have probably "seen it all"...not that we would be doing anything "interesting" either.;) A little disconcerting though about the neighbors being able to look into the room from their balcony. I know I wouldn't look over onto theirs out of respect but not everyone is like that. My fingers are crossed that it will be similar to when you walk by a bathroom stall... although you can see through the cracks you don't look in...LOL

[coscab]

I can identify with the bench at the foot of the bed, we were in an aft suite on the Pearl in Dec., after I hurt my foot on it the first day (and lived with the pain for the next week or more) I had DH stand it on end in the closet, I told our room steward what we did and said we would put it back on our last day, he said he was always hurting himself on it when trying to make the bed so I guess we made his job easier for 10 days!!