The Jewel was a jewel

[janpo]

Just off the Jewel December 13th 2015.

 

Had a fantastic time. Stayed overnight in LA. Embarkation was a breeze. Getting off the ship, not so much. Long lines, 3 custom agents checking people through. Was in line over an hour.

 

The ship itself is a sister to the Pearl. We sailed the Pearl so we knew we'd like the Jewel.

 

We had the UDP so we ate in a specialty restaurant almost every night. Cagneys was our favorite.

 

We did excursions but not through NCL. My favorite port was Mazatlan because of the tour guide. $25 for an over 5 hour tour of the city. He was great and I enjoyed that the most.

 

I did see some unhappy workers on the ship.

 

Upon embarkation we ate at Tsars dining room. Our server got into an argument with another server right in back of us. It got loud. She started out serving us but another guy finished. I inquired about the chicken salad on wheat and if i could get it on another kind of bread since wheat doesn't agree with me. She told me No, that is a special order and it would take time. She told me to just take the sandwich and scrape it off the wheat bread. Seriously???? I did order it and it came plain with cucumbers which was fine. Not sure why she told me to scrape it off the wheat bread.

 

My husband noticed cutbacks in the buffet with the lunch meat. Instead of the good meat such as salami he noticed it was cooked salami which is cheaper. Small thing but a cutback. I noticed the cutback in the chocolate they leave in your cabin. Instead of the good chocolates they left Andes candies which is what Olive Garden gives you. Again, a little thing but a cutback. Prices for pictures ranged from $14.95-$29.95. We didn't buy any.

 

Other than that i really didn't notice anything. I heard complaints about the long waits for drinks especially pool side. We only ordered in the casino and had no problems.

 

The last two days of the cruise were sea days and we had 15 foot waves. The ship was really rocking and because of that, the pools were closed and they also cancelled the cirque show. A lot of people were wandering around not finding much to do. I was wondering why they didn't show movies in a public place such as the atrium or the lounge that wasn't being used, especially with the weather the way it was. It was in the 50's so no one was on deck with lots of wind.

 

All in all it was a great cruise and I would cruise NCL again depending how what happens in the near future with their decision making and all the changes.

[3kidsncats]

Glad to hear your experience was great -- we leave on the Jewel in less than 3 weeks!! We did have some stormy weather here in LA this past weekend, so sounds like you caught in a part of that as you came north. Will be watching the weather forecast as we get closer, so I can adjust the wardrobe, if needed. January in So Cal can be hot one day, cold the next.

[DoctorFeelgood]

That 3Kids person again... sheesh! ;-)

 

Please post or private message me the name and contact information for your Mazatlan guide. Looking for something to do at that port of call.

[3kidsncats]

That 3Kids person again... sheesh! ;-)

 

Please post or private message me the name and contact information for your Mazatlan guide. Looking for something to do at that port of call.

 

I'm everywhere, lol

[janpo]

That 3Kids person again... sheesh! ;-)

 

Please post or private message me the name and contact information for your Mazatlan guide. Looking for something to do at that port of call.

 

 

They're called the white van tour and they're right as you come off the ship. They wear white shirts and pants. Fantastic tour.

[GoAndHaveFun]

They're called the white van tour and they're right as you come off the ship. They wear white shirts and pants. Fantastic tour.

 

I will be on the lookout for these guys as I will be on Jewel in 2 weeks. Haven't been on Mexican Riviera cruise in almost 6 years! What did you do in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta? Last time we were in Cabo, we just got dranks, went online and chilled.

 

As for activities on board, hopefully the cruise director staff or rec staffers notice this and try to come up with more activities to do during those 2 sea days.

[janpo]

In cabo we took a glass bottom boat tour. They haggle with you on price. It started out at $40 pp and we ended up paying $15 a person. It was nice but not very long.

 

In puerta Vallarta we used that white van tours again. This guide was not as good as the one in mazatlan . It was still good though and the cost again was $25.

[GoAndHaveFun]

Ohh I see.

 

How was the cruise director and his staff? As someone who typically attends a lot of events, I am hoping they will be friendly.

[janpo]

Ohh I see.

 

How was the cruise director and his staff? As someone who typically attends a lot of events, I am hoping they will be friendly.

 

 

Very good. The cruise directors name is Sin. He likes to say he was made in Mexico since he is mexican. Staff was good also.

[Kingofwylietx]

It's nice to see a new review of an older ship, thank you. Was the ship in good condition (like the carpet and furniture)? We are on the Pearl late next year. We've never been on her and I was a bit concerned about them cutting resources to keep her up since she's getting a little longer in the tooth...

[3kidsncats]

It's nice to see a new review of an older ship, thank you. Was the ship in good condition (like the carpet and furniture)? We are on the Pearl late next year. We've never been on her and I was a bit concerned about them cutting resources to keep her up since she's getting a little longer in the tooth...

 

NCL has actually been working on keeping them in good shape -- the Gem just had a pretty major drydock -- search the boards here and you'll see the overhaul that was done. The Pearl will be on the schedule for that as well, but I don't know the timing. The Jewel was done in 2014, but I believe that was before they decided to do more extensive changes like on the Gem.

[janpo]

It's nice to see a new review of an older ship, thank you. Was the ship in good condition (like the carpet and furniture)? We are on the Pearl late next year. We've never been on her and I was a bit concerned about them cutting resources to keep her up since she's getting a little longer in the tooth...

 

 

The Jewel was in very good shape. Carpeting and furnishings all looked good. Cabin was in good shape, everything worked.

 

You'll love the Pearl. We sailed her in 2012 though so I'm not sure what she looks like today.

[Sand and Seas]

The Jewel was in very good shape. Carpeting and furnishings all looked good. Cabin was in good shape, everything worked.

 

You'll love the Pearl. We sailed her in 2012 though so I'm not sure what she looks like today.

 

We were on this cruise too. We had been on the Jewel before and she had a dry-dock since then. Everything was updated nicely. OSheehans was great and we had several breakfasts and lunches there.

 

We really loved the Spinnaker lounge and they had several events there. Great group called 'Next Stage' on board. One night they did a Beatles tribute in the Spinnaker and there was standing room only so get there early. Lots of people dancing.

[theloo]

The last two days of the cruise were sea days and we had 15 foot waves. The ship was really rocking and because of that, the pools were closed and they also cancelled the cirque show. A lot of people were wandering around not finding much to do. I was wondering why they didn't show movies in a public place such as the atrium or the lounge that wasn't being used, especially with the weather the way it was. It was in the 50's so no one was on deck with lots of wind.

 

Thanks for the review. What a shame about the Cirque show :( Maybe they should have that on a port day instead of a sea day? I'm a little worried about the weather now with all the hype about the "Godzilla" el Nino coming and our trip leaving in just 3 weeks :eek:

[Debbydif]

We are a little nervous we have never been on Norwegian Cruise lines. We have only sailed on Royal Caribbean our past 10 cruises. Looking forward to a new adventure

[janpo]

We are a little nervous we have never been on Norwegian Cruise lines. We have only sailed on Royal Caribbean our past 10 cruises. Looking forward to a new adventure

 

 

Which ship are you sailing on?

 

 

It's normal to be nervous but I'm sure it will be fine. We had a great time even with the weather the way it was.

[NLH Arizona]

It's nice to see a new review of an older ship, thank you. Was the ship in good condition (like the carpet and furniture)? We are on the Pearl late next year. We've never been on her and I was a bit concerned about them cutting resources to keep her up since she's getting a little longer in the tooth...

The Pearl is my favorite ship; great ship and great crew. I sailed on her twice in 2014 and she was in fantastic shape, but then I don't go around looking for things to be wrong. I was just on the Dawn less then three weeks ago and I really didn't notice any cutting of resources. Never had an issue getting a drink at the bars or pool deck (disclaimer, didn't use the pool decks on sea days, so can't speak to those times).

[Dorothy]

I know they won't allow you to post this info, but can you tell me how you found him? You can email me privately, if need be. Thanks.

 

dorothymonette@yahoo.com