Jewel Transatlantic – Shoreguy Blogs - 4 September 2005

[shoreguy]

Day at Sea Friday 9 September

 

Grey and windy (40-45 knots – 12 foot seas) – The Jewel is like a rock. Almost no motion.

 

Breakfast this am in the Garden Café. It was packed with the Great Outdoors unusable. The station layout works well. Much better then standing in cue in one of the lines on the Sun/Dawn/Star while those in front of you decide endlessly whether to take the roll of the muffin.

 

Seating tip – Mommas is just across the hall from the buffet and a much nicer room to enjoy a more peaceful breakfast.

 

As far as breakfast food – the usual NCL selections – with the waffle station and an improved omelet station at the food prep area. The cook as the usual three hot plates but also the entire grill to get additional omelets started

 

Off to the spa today – I mentioned the other day that I thought the $15 a day or $60 for 10 days might not sit well with many passengers. The next day Ruth called to make sure I had gotten my pass to the spa.

 

I understand perhaps why the have elected to restrict access. Unlike the Dawn no indoor pool and no large open public spaces. With the limited seating in the relaxation areas they want to make sure those paying $ for treatments will have full use of the facilities.

 

Last night it was dinner in Tangos. This was a first for me. As many times as I had been on the Dawn I had never eaten at Salsa. The food and service was very good. It was nice to eat with the live music from the lobby. The only thing that was a bit confusing is I think 4 different waiters handed our service. I was not sure who was doing what.

 

I don’t really miss the multi story atrium. The icicle ceiling gives it an interesting dimension.

 

I still liked the old Bistro/ Impressions layout better on the Dawn. I miss that third and my favorite main dinning room. That space as Le Bistro does give the staff a lot more room to work in and is nice for dinner. I miss dinning with the masters in that intimate restaurant on the Dawn.

 

All for now

 

A taste of Iceland attached.

[shoreguy]

How's my son enjoying the cruise - He is beating the pants off the old folks at the Texas Holdem table :D

 

Not many if any 20 somethings - good mix of 30s 40s 50s and 60s

[Tomct]

Shoreguy:

 

Great to be able to follow the Jewel's Transatlantic first hand. I'm very disappointed our Jewel plans are currently off the table, as I wanted so much to enjoy the great staff Klaus as assembled. One of my favorites is Rehne, so if you get a chance, say hello to her for me. She's from New Orleans, and I did hear from her immediately following the hurricane, and hope her family is OK. I believe her contract period ends upon arrival in NYC. Ask her if she still gets a chance to play the piano??

 

No Beer Buckets?? I think my son-in-law bought two a day on our recent Bermuda cruise!!

 

Keep up the good work, you have a great following, and over 3K views at this point.

[denims]

Shoreguy,

 

These blogs are great! I look forward to reading them each day.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip. I can't wait to see the Jewel in NYC on Sept. 14. Unfortunately, I'll just be staring at her from the outside. I'll have to wait until April 2006 to see the inside.

 

Claudia,

 

What cruise are you on in April '06? We are on the 14 day transatlantic on April 30.

 

We have a thread going @ http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=183916

[claudie]

denims, I'll be on the April 9th out of Miami to somewhere in the Carribbean.

[greenie]

Shoreguy, great blogging by you. Thank you!

 

Umm ... I believe you left out one teeny tiny thing in your latest report, though. I'm sure it was an oversight. Or maybe you're just hoarding the information in order to write a full report on it once you return. Or, perhaps, you are just a cruel man who is punishing me for something that i KNOW I didn't do! (SEAHORSE prolly did it, though.) :D

 

 

How were the frozen margaritas at Tangos?

[marilynd]

Hi Shoreguy:

 

Thanks again for today's installment. Glad to hear that you are having such a great time.

 

A pass for the spa? I wonder if that is a perk that came with the AE or a special Shoreguy perk? Anyway I agree that with what you said, and I can understand why they want to keep the relaxation area from being crowded for those who paid for a treatment. As I think about it now there were times when all of the lounge chairs were full and the hot tubs crowded. I will miss a place to swim laps without having to use the crowded main pools.

 

What did you eat that you liked in Tangos? We thought that the service was great but didn't much like the food? The salsa and enchilada sauce tasted like ketchup. Must be because we are from the Western US where we have multitudes of good Tex-Mex restaurants.

[cruisingfromMN]

Thanks for the blogs but we wish we were there with you!!! Keep enjoying your cruise.... and now I have to leave Cruise Critic and get over to NCL to see when I can vacation on the Jewel!

[mbisson]

Shoreguy

I don't think I have given my appreciation for ALL the information you've provided about the Jewel. So let me say "thank you". Since food & beverage are an important part of our cruising experience, your insight into those areas are expecially important to my wife & I. She even says now, "ya know, we don't need to eat in any of the extra pay restaurants, if there's a night we don't like the main menu lets eat Italian." However I'm hoping to talk her into at least one night at the Bistro or Cagneys.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise

 

thanks again

 

-Monte

[Debbie in Orlando]

Thanks for the blogs but we wish we were there with you!!! Keep enjoying your cruise.... and now I have to leave Cruise Critic and get over to NCL to see when I can vacation on the Jewel!

 

 

Tami, We have a great roll call going for the Jewel's Dec. 4th Eastern Carribean cruise, come join us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

[Debbie in Orlando]

Thanks for the blogs but we wish we were there with you!!! Keep enjoying your cruise.... and now I have to leave Cruise Critic and get over to NCL to see when I can vacation on the Jewel!

 

 

Tami,

We have a great roll call going for the Jewel's Dec. 4th. Eastern Carribean cruise. Come join us!!!!:D

 

Edited: Sorry it went twice. Wish they'd get this site running better..:(

[las313]

Shoreguy, your posts and blog is amazing. Can't wait until 11/6 when we sail.

We will be celebrating our anniversary on board along with my sister and her husband. What dining room would you suggest we celebrate in and what does NCL do for anniversarys.

Keep up the good reporting.

Louise

[goldmom]

Shoreguy,

 

Thanks so much for the blogs. As you can tell from the responses, we are all enjoying them! So happy for you that you're having a great cruise.

 

Keep 'em coming!

[immargaret]

We will be celebrating our anniversary on board along with my sister and her husband. What dining room would you suggest we celebrate in and what does NCL do for anniversarys.

 

Hi Louise,

 

NCL has a great anniversary package for $79 that includes a bottle of bubbly and chocolate covered strawberries in your cabin when you arrive, dinner for 2 at Le Bistro with a bottle of wine and a cake, and a Anniversary party/cake with other guests who are celebrating anniversaries along with more drinks and a free 8x10 picture.

Many people actually order this package if they aren't cruising on their anniversary, just because it is an awsome deal.

 

:)

[calmac]

Really enjoying hearing about your trip. Just makes me wish I'd worked harder to persuade DH to go either to Jersey or Amsterdam just to experience the Jewel. Loved the photo from Iceland. We were there a few years ago on our way to Boston and just thought they were the most amazing waterfalls - and no people!!

 

Best wishes from Scotland :D

[micheleg]

Shoreguy...keep it coming!!! :) Great info and so glad to hear that everything is living up to your expectations! Can't wait to read the next installment!

 

Thanks again,

Michele

[shoreguy]

Saturday Morning

 

Morning comes later and later – first night out of Iceland we turned the clocks back 1.5 hours and last night another 1. It seems St. John is 1.5 hours off Eastern time.

 

Somebody came up with the bright idea to try and get the CC group together for a 3rd time and haave dinner on Monday. How do we do that? Find Shoreguy!

 

I thought this would be easy. I just gave the list to the Group Coordinator, Gary and asked him to send out a note and see who would be interested. He did except the note said call me. I guess my day at sea will be planning a dinner for 20 or 30 folks. Better yet I think and hope this will be a job for some of Ruth’s magic.

 

Dinner last night was at Teppanyaki last seating. It was empty. They have doubled the size from the Dawn. I think there were 5 quests and 4 NCL staff for our seating and they can hold 32.

 

Tonight is Presidents Menu in the main dinning room but we have another “free” dinner at Cagney’s.

 

Miss the Country Show by GAR last night so I can’t provide feedback. The Comedy of Fred Klett for two shows tonight.

 

The Casino was very very bad to shoreguy yesterday – cold windy sea days can be expensive.

 

Used the Spa again yesterday. I solves the shower problem at sea in this suite. When the ship is moving it is a chore to use the shower as the water will fill the bathroom and if you take a long shower will start to fill the cabin. The cabin steward and I devised a method to make it possible that includes 8 or 10 bath mats positioned as dams.

After we shower the cabin steward has a squeegee on a long handle and can push the water back to the drain.

 

Stay tuned for the story of the closet from hell. Don’t panic the carpenter devised a permanent fix……

[Cruiser#5]

Shoreguy,

 

Thank you for keeping us up to date. I really looking forward to each review. Sounds like you are having a blast!

[Missilecop]

Shoreguy,

 

I am glad you are having a great time. I can't wait til it is my time to cruise on the Jewel. Dec seems so far away. Keep up the good work.

[Whippets]

Shoreguy I am enjoying your every post. Got on here this morning to see what you had done last night! We sail on her Feb. 5th, cabin 9520. Can't wait! Hope you have those cabin problems under control and enjoy your CC dinner!

Diane

[Lyonick]

shoreguy....thanks for the great updates....could you give us a some more

details about the casino...like you, i spend to much time there....

[debjo]

For Shoreguy...

Yes, handicapped cabin showers can be a challenge for those of us who aren't physically challenged! My brother had muscular dystrophy and the shower in his room was great for him as he sat is his commode on wheels...but for a physically able person to take a "normal" shower in his shower stall, the task was near impossible without flooding his bedroom!

I hope that your 3rd CC gathering works out...glad you have Ruth to fall back on so you won't have to spend valuable cruise time "working" at contacting everyone! Ah, the wonders of "suite" life!

As always, each time I turn on my computer, I hope to find another one of your delightful "blogs".

 

Debjo

[marilynd]

Shoreguy: I look forward to reading your daily blog. I can imagine that I am still on the Jewel.

 

Sorry to hear that the casino was bad to you. It didn't like me much either. I only broke even most times.

 

I can't wait to hear about your "closet from hell" story. We had a bent clothes rod but I am thinking that your story is more interesting.

 

I have people who ask me why would I pay the price to get a suite and I tell them that once you have had the services of the Concierge and Butler, it is hard to sail any other way. I am so spoiled !!!!! I have had the top suite on Carnival, with no butler or Concierge. What kind of a cruise is that. If I pay, please spoil me. Conclusion, so great to have the services of Ruth the Concierge.

 

Enjoy your second "free" dinner at Cagney's.

 

Look forward to the next installment.

 

"Hi" to all

 

Marilyn

[Kathy Q]

Shoreguy,

 

I finally had time to catch up and read your blogs this morning. What a treat! Keep 'em coming!

 

Kathy Q

[bragstarr]

Just came across this thread this morning. You are amazing posting all of this. Brought back fond memories of my shower in a handicapped cabin I was bequeathed with on Serenade of the Seas on a guarantee. Great cabin, but let's just say I know what you mean with keeping the water "in the shower." Not to mention the night my husband swung the door open with the passkey, I was less than half dressed, and he couldn't close it manually because it was a handicapped door....I did a lot of hiding in the corner and screaming until the door swung shut!

 

I am amazed they took away the indoor pool on Jewel--one of my favorite places on Dawn--and I also agree with you about Impressions, which was my favorite "free" restaurant on Dawn. Oh well, I guess they have to shake things up and see what works....

 

Robin