Jewel to Alaska 06/06 - 06/13/15

[cruiserninja1]

I know there are a lot of people wondering about Alaska and the Jewel . I hope I can answer some questions that some of you may have as I write my review.

 

First ,some information about me and my cruising party:

 

I am 24 years old , this is my 3rd cruise , second on the Jewel to Alaska ( my other cruise was on the Disney Wonder to the Bahamas)

 

With me were my parents : Mom 44 and Dad 39 . They celebrated their 10th Wedding anniversary and renewed their vows onboard this trip. My 12 year old little sister also cruised with us . This was their second cruise (first was DCL Wonder).

We stayed in Aft mini suite 11128

 

My boyfriend and his mom joined us too . This was also their second Jewel cruise to Alaska .

Our newbie cruisers were my boyfriend's uncle and his wife, his MIL and his SIL.

 

Day 1

 

We all traveled on Southwest Airlines out of Houston Hobby. Every group thought they had purchased the same flight out of Houston but we actually purchased different flights . My group had a direct flight lasting 4 hours , my boyfriend and his mom had a 2 stop flight Lasting 9 hours and his uncle's family had a one stop flight lasting 6 1/2 hours . Communication is key lol

 

My family and I live about 15 minutes from hobby so we drove to the airport and used Preflight parking for $112 for covered parking for 9 days . They pick you up at your car and shuttle you luggage and all across the street to the airport .

 

We arrived in Seattle 10 minutes early . I did my research and used Aces Town Car Service for less than $350 for 3 total trips with them. Our driver, Dawit, was in luggage claim holding a sign with my name on it when we arrived. He helped us grab our luggage from the carousel and them helped us haul it to the parking lot where a clean and comfy Suburban was waiting . The fare I quoted included a stop at a grocery store. Dawit took us to Fred Meyer where we bought a 24 pack of Coca Cola and 3 24 packs of mini bottles of water all for less than $15. Then he took us to the Westin Seattle. Check in at the Westin was a breeze and we were given a clean and spacious room overlooking the Sound . Pike place was within walking distance (about 4 blocks) we had lunch there at a Japanese restaurant . Then we walked around and explored . We turned in early that day because the 2 hour change was already messing with our sleeping schedules.

 

Stay tuned for day 2 and ask any questions if you have them.

[cruiserninja1]

Some pics of Day 1 now that I'm home :

Flying over the Rockies

Our driver , Dawit , with Aces Town Car Service taking us to the Westin.

Food from the Gourmet Japanese Restaurant

Exploring Pike Place Market

Chilling at the Westin

Westin pool on the 5th floor North Tower

[js4rq]

Great review so far! Looking forward to more.

[cruiserninja1]

Day 2 coming right up!

 

The sun started to make its way through our curtains at 3:30 AM!

 

I called down to my boyfriend's room and we all met up at the Starbucks across the street to enjoy a pick me up.

[ATTACH]352273[/ATTACH]

 

We then made our way to Pike Place Market once again to explore some more .

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I mentioned that my parents renewed their vows on this cruise so I really wanted to buy my Mom some flowers so she could make herself a bouquet for the renewal. They had huge bunches at the market for $15 . [ATTACH]352277[/ATTACH]

 

My boyfriend bought a bouquet for me as well so my mom boarded the Jewel like this [ATTACH]352278[/ATTACH]

 

Back at the Westin , I noticed that we had been charged for some sodas we removed from the mini bar to cool some water bottles . Turns out the mini bar is weight managed so we had been charged for those sodas . I went to guest services and they removed the charges with no hesitation. We made our way down to the lobby because Dawit was to be there at noon.

Dawit was at the Westin 15 minutes before noon and again helped us our luggage. He asked if there was something we didn't have a chance to see during our time in Seattle and we mentioned the Space Needle so he drove us to it so we could get some pictures and then to Pier 66 we went.

 

We checked in our luggage at the port and got in line for security and check in. The line was long but moved fast and we were in our room by 1pm . We had lunch at Tsar's Palace with my boyfriend and his mom and didn't have to worry about fighting people at the buffet.

 

After the safety drill ,we headed out to the pool area for the sail away party . Not a good idea. People were pushing and shoving and there was no where to sit so my parents are their BBQ standing up in the heat. I told them that I would take them to a nicer place to experience Sail Away . I took them to the Spinnaker Lounge and where my parents shared a mimosa and my sister and I shared a virgin Piña Colada

 

The view at the Spinnaker was amazing and we spent most of the afternoon there. Before boarding I called NCL and set up dinner for all 10 of us at Tsar's Palace for the first night . This was the only night where my family and I had dinner at a complimentary restaurant because we got free UDP when it was on promo.

 

I had a voicemail in our room telephone from Claudia Mitrea , the group services director on the Jewel . She wanted us to coordinate details for my parents' vow renewal . She included champagne and cake for the entire group attending the renewal (the package originally included cake and champagne just for the couple) and booked us for a private no obligation photo shoot. She also helped me book dinner at Le Bistro for after the ceremony which was very nice of her because they were able to accommodate 6 of us not just 4 which was all I was offered when I tried to book it earlier that day.

 

My sister didn't eat much for dinner on embarkation night because she hadn't quite gotten her sea legs yet. I asked if she wanted to go to the kids club but she peeked inside and decided that hanging out with my boyfriend and I would be more fun because she could explore the ship.

 

I went to the spa and booked an Elemis head massage and shave for my dad and a shampoo, blow out and nail service for my mom for the first sea which also was their ceremony day . They gave us a spa tour so my sister got to see the inside of the spa which was nice for her.

 

We headed to bed early because we were still tired from the time change . Our stateroom was dark when we came in that night . Our steward had set up my sister's Nickelodeon bed time kit on the double sofa and even set up the flameless candle light . The kit included a blanket , a pillowcase, a toothbrush , a book, the flameless candle with batteries and a drawstring backpack . The bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries that were included in my parents' vow renewal package were also delivered on embarkation night .

 

Day 3 was the busiest for me and I even missed the Meet and Greet but more on that later .

[carollois]

We are on the Jewel in 19 days, so I am loving this review. Keep it coming!

[cruiserninja1]

Before Day 3 , here are some more pictures of Day 2 :

 

Nickelodeon bedtime kit . I ordered one for my sister and my parents had done so as well so we both ended up with a bedtime kit .

 

Bridge viewing room before sail away

 

View of Seattle from Stateroom 11128 Aft mini Suite.

 

Brought 5 collapsible based on Amazon for $5 . So glad that I brought them even though I was not sure if we would buy flowers

 

My sister enjoying a non- alcoholic piña colada at spinnaker lounge before sail away.

 

So glad they were able to accommodate 10 people at Tsar's on embarkation day and proud of myself for booking it ahead of time although you can go to restaurant reservations throughout the cruise to book any restaurants including those that are complimentary for large groups

 

One more thing that I would like to add at this time is that downloading the iConcierge App before boarding is a must! You can book excursions , reserve restaurants , check dailies to see what's going on around the ship, and check your onboard account at anytime as long as you're connected to the ship's wi-fi and its all free. You only pay the $7.95 surcharge for the week IF you decide to sign up for calls and text messaging but I did not use that feature.

[cruiserninja1]

Day 3

My mom woke me up at the first sign of the sun. She was so excited to explore the ship and about the vow renewal.

I wasn't too happy because the double sofa bed was a little too hard for my liking but my sister thought it was very comfortable .

My mom and I took turns getting in the shower and getting ready and then we began the arduous task of waking my sister and my Dad up.

Soon it was 9am and everyone was hungry . I had a lot to do today but my parents had a bad experience with impatient people at the BBQ line during sail away so they didn't want to eat at the buffet . We opted for O'sheehan's

 

Service was well paced and the food was not cold as some have reported .

 

By the time we finished breakfast , I had about an hour before the CC Meet & Greet so We went back to the room to help my mom make her bouquet . My boyfriend arrived to our room and had I paid attention to the time , we would have arrived on time to the Meet & Greet . A few minutes before noon We rushed to but Alas , the clean up crew was already cleaning up [emoji24]

I think I sat at Magnum's looking grim for a good half hour until my boyfriend mentioned that we should use the time before the latitudes party to find something fun to do with my sister .

We located the arcade and although a bit expensive ( $1 to $5 per game using your key card) we played some games until it was time for the latitudes party

 

There was a line outside spinnaker before the party began but no one pushed or shoved and we were able to find a comfortable spot . Free wine and drinks were served and canapés were passed around as the cruise staff introduced the Captain and senior officers

 

We went back to the room and I took my Rum Punch to my dad so he could try it . He thought it was strong. Not too long after we arrived , we heard a knock on the door and room service arrived with a Rose , a plate of canapés , and an anniversary cake for my parents .

 

Soon it was time for my parents to get their spa and salon treatments before the renewal so I took my sister to the family pizza making event in la cucina

Not quite what I envisioned but they had a system and we made and got our pizzas in less than 20 minutes

My sister enjoyed her pizza back on the room and began to get ready for the ceremony

[jenseib]

enjoying your review...though I can't really see your pictures..They are too small for these old eyes even when I click on them.

So they offer a family pizza making session? That sounds like something my daughter would love.

Also did your sister ever go to the kids clubs? My daughter is 12 and I am curious what types of activities they offer.

[cruiserninja1]

Day 3 continued

The group services director , Claudia , did an awesome job getting everything ready for my parents .

The ceremony was short and we enjoyed cake and champagne afterwards . The officiant was the food and beverage director who is from Spain so he was able to perform the ceremony in Spanish for them.

We had some time for pictures in the Chapel and Claudia had our leftover cake sent to our stateroom.

She then took us to the photo studio where we had a private photo shoot for the couple and the guests . The photographer , Kate , was funny and we all had a good time . The photos were edited and Kate gave us a private show on a big screen the next day so we could see all the pictures . Unfortunately the packages for the photos were really expensive

$300 for 5 digital photos

$500 for 15 digital photos

Or all 97 digital photos taken for $900

 

With the extra OBC in our account we purchased the $300 package and they were put in a small flash drive that we were sure not to lose for the rest of the trip.

 

Claudia met us outside Le Bistro at 8PM and asked the Maitre'd if they could sit the 6 of us for dinner . Although they were packed , they made an exception and set up a table for us . During my first trip on the Jewel, Le Bistro had been my favorite restaurant . However , service was sooooo slow for us this time around that we all almost fell asleep at the table and skipped dessert but still left the restaurant at around 11pm . Again we arrived at 8PM! I suspect that the slow service had to do with them being full and still fitting our group in but I was sad that my parents' dinner was not fully enjoyable .

 

While we were waiting for dinner to arrive, I booked the Ketchikan duck tour for the following day on the iConcierge app. Our tickets were waiting on our room number holder by the time we went back to our room.

 

Here are some pictures of my mom's bouquet and my dad's boutonniere that they made with the flowers we bought in Seattle

 

 

[theloo]

Hope to hear more about your cruise, especially thoughts on the Jewel.

[cruiserninja1]

I've been having some problems with uploading pictures so I stopped my review . I will continue without pictures and try to post them if anyone is interested in a particular event or something

 

Day 4

Ketchikan!

 

My mom woke up at the first sight sun again. I got dressed and went up to decks 12 and 13 to take pictures and watch the Jewel approach Ketchikan .

 

We had to be at the Stardust Theatre at 7:30 AM for our 8AM duck tour so we woke up my sister and Dad and headed to Tsar's Palace for breakfast . Since we were already docked by the time we were finished with breakfast, I called my boyfriend and he let me know that he was already at the Theater and that the staff was releasing groups by excursion number . The gangway was right outside the Theatre so this caused some confusion and traffic if you were not paying attention.

 

Once we debarked , we were lead to one of the Ducks and our guide took our excursion tickets and let us on . They had blankets on every seat which was nice but the day was not windy or too cold so they were not necessary. We were given a quick safety briefing and then they offered Duck whistles for sale for $3 each which we bought as souvenirs . We started with an informative tour of the town with plenty of picture opportunities and jokes provided by our guide . The second part of the tour took us into the water where we had an opportunity to see a lot of sea planes and about 8 Bald Eagles! The guide walked around the Duck giving each person a one on one opportunity to ask him questions about the town , Alaska and his life as a native Alaskan . After coming out of the water , our guide hosed down the outside of the Duck and our driver told us some personal stories about where he is from , how he got the job and what it's like to be from another state and move to Ketchikan.

 

We were dropped off right in front of the Jewel and I did notice some people getting back on the ship but we still had about 4 and a half hours left so we went to a souvenir shop, Kerchikandies ( marzipan and chocolate covered Oreos are highly recommended ) then walked down to creek street , took the fox cape lodge tram for $2 each ( good for all day ) and spent some time taking pictures and exploring the Lodge . Then we hiked back down to town through Married Man's Trail and took more pictures of the Creek and just beautiful nature around us.

I FaceTimed my bosses because they were having trouble with some of our computers and got excellent reception ( we use Verizon ) my boyfriend called his father and he had great reception as well ( AT&T ) . We met up with my boyfriend's mom at Fish Pirates Saloon for some Clam Chowder . They had love music and great service . After lunch we headed down to more shops and found a Christmas store where Santa himself was handing out candy canes .

 

Then we headed back to the ship and were welcomed aboard with warm towels , hot chocolate and cookies .

We sat on our bacons until we left port . We had reservations at Tenpannyaki for dinner but headed down about an hour early which was a good thing because we got to see some whale tales . My boyfriend came down to meet us so that he could put his name on the list for dinner with his mom at Chin Chin which gets packed now because it's complimentary and you can not reserve it ahead of time. My boyfriend got my dad to try Sake while we waited and the bartender was really nice and gave us some quick facts about Sake even thought they were a little busy .

 

Tenpannyaki was delicious and my little sister had a blast throughout dinner . My mom didn't like the part where the chef throws egg and you have to catch it with your mouth but it seemed that she was the only one bothered by it . We sat with another family from Texas whose son spoke Spanish , he was so polite and held conversations with my parents the entire dinner hour . My sister loved her chicken and noodles but she eats a little slower than the average person so we asked if she could take her left overs back to our room , our server asked the maitre'd and she said that we paid for the food so we had the right to take it with us . They packaged it In a bowl and gave her new chopsticks . She finished the rest of the plate while watching a movie in our room. My parents were pretty tired but my boyfriend called to see if we wanted to go see the show at the Theatre so my sister and I went down to meet him and made it inside just before it started . The show was Band On The Run and my sister really enjoyed it especially because be sat in the first row and the dancers would look down and smile at her throughout the performance . After the show , they gave the audience a chance to go up onstage for pictures with the cast. My sister is really shy by she went up there anyway and the performers were so nice giving her high fives and asking if she enjoyed the enjoyed the show . She was still talking about the experience at breakfast the next day .

 

My sister had a little trouble sleeping due to the motion of the ship but she seemed to be the only one bothered by it . We read the daily for the next day to see what she wanted to do when we got back onboard and where she wanted to go for breakfast , I think this took her mind of the motion and she went right to sleep.

[jenseib]

Don't upload your pictures here, load them to a hosting site like photobucket or flickr. Much easier. And they will be at a size we can see then too.