Jewel observations

[deliver42]

I just got off the Jewel on 05/20/17, and this is not a full review, but my observations of the ship and crew. First, let me start with the cigar lounge which was very available and comfortable, contrary to a previous post some time ago that the lounge had been closed due to smoke escaping. There was no smoke escaping from the lounge, and they have 3 very capable exhaust fans there. The ship itself is in pretty good shape. I didn't find a whole lot of rust unless you looked for it. The inside was also in very nice condition. We were in a balcony cabin, number 9654, and found the cabin in very good condition, both inside and the balcony. The crew was very friendly, and seemed quite happy. The food, which is subjective, was good, if not great, but I wasn't expecting gourmet either. We had the SDP and ate in Tappenyaki, Cagneys, and Moderno's.Cagneys was excellent. Tappenyaki was very good and a lot of fun. The less said about Moderno's the better. What a disappointment. The service was awful, and the food not much better. The entertainment was among the best I've seen, and much better than Royal, which, if you look at my signature, has been my go to line for the most part. There was live entertainment in almost every bar at night, and the main shows were great.

[mking8288]

Thank you, the last time we sailed the Jewel was 2011 - nice to read about her again & hitting the key areas.

 

That was our recent Gem conclusion about food, being good, better than 2016, not great but as you noted, not expecting gourmet in general. Definitely true about the main shows in entertainment.

[casofilia]

Thank you; sounds good. We have a lot of time booked on Jewel and your brief review helps.

[iyaayas]

Good info. Did you use the new free airport luggage service from Pier 66? If so, how was it. Also how was boarding the Jewel thru the newly renovated terminal?

[BirdTravels]

We were on the Jewel last month and agree with all of your points. The ship and room were in good shape.

[deliver42]

No. I didn't use the luggage service because we got in on Friday and used the hotel shuttle, and on Saturday we had a shuttle to the port. I don't know what they did to the terminal since it was my first time there, but it's by far the WORST terminal I've ever been in. Luckily it wasn't raining.I felt I was at Disney World. First stand in a snake line to drop off the luggage, then walk to the other end of the terminal to go check in. There is no seating at all. Another snake to get checked in, then FINALLY onto the ship. I heard from other passengers that the other terminals are the same way. What is Seattle thinking? I really hate to think what will happen with the Bliss next year with about 2000 more passengers.

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for your update on the Jewel. On our recent Dawn cruise, Moderno was the only venue we were disappointed in too! Perhaps they need to revamp this venue across the fleet.

It has been years since we were on the Jewel so it's nice to hear you enjoyed your cruise. We have a Jewel cruise from New Orleans booked for November.

[casofilia]

We have a Jewel cruise from New Orleans booked for November.

 

Difficult considering it will be travelling from Vancouver to Sydney, October and November, and then in the Australian/New Zealand waters for the summer.

[www3traveler]

Thanks for your update on the Jewel. On our recent Dawn cruise, Moderno was the only venue we were disappointed in too! Perhaps they need to revamp this venue across the fleet.

It has been years since we were on the Jewel so it's nice to hear you enjoyed your cruise. We have a Jewel cruise from New Orleans booked for November.

 

The Pearl is sailing out of new Orleans.

 

The Jewel will be in Australia and new Zealand.

[www3traveler]

No. I didn't use the luggage service because we got in on Friday and used the hotel shuttle, and on Saturday we had a shuttle to the port. I don't know what they did to the terminal since it was my first time there, but it's by far the WORST terminal I've ever been in. Luckily it wasn't raining.I felt I was at Disney World. First stand in a snake line to drop off the luggage, then walk to the other end of the terminal to go check in. There is no seating at all. Another snake to get checked in, then FINALLY onto the ship. I heard from other passengers that the other terminals are the same way. What is Seattle thinking? I really hate to think what will happen with the Bliss next year with about 2000 more passengers.

 

The Port of Seattle is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation in preparation for The Bliss next Spring. Scheduled completion date is sometime mid- March.

[Sand and Seas]

The Pearl is sailing out of new Orleans.

 

The Jewel will be in Australia and new Zealand.

 

Sorry for my mistake...Just realized that after it was to late to edit my post:eek:

It's been years since we have been on either ship, but we have fond memories of both.

[slapulator]

Would you happen to remember the evening show times and possibly the daily for the day in Juneau? My 15 yo wants to know if there will be activities like trivia while the ship is sailing toward the glacier.

[deliver42]

I don't remember if they had trivia going to the glacier,but they had some trivia every day. The show times were 7:15 and 9:15, but only one at 8:15, if I remember right the first night, and the 6th night they had a show with the officers and crew. The last night they had a back to back show with all the entertainers on the ship doing thier own thing.It included the singers and dancers from the shows and the singers from the other venues. Excellent show.Started at 7:15.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your feedback. Looks like you had a good cruise overall!

[deliver42]

We had a great cruise, and will probably sail NCL again.Maybe in 2019 on the Bliss in the Carib.

[MaxsMom73]

Would you happen to remember the evening show times and possibly the daily for the day in Juneau? My 15 yo wants to know if there will be activities like trivia while the ship is sailing toward the glacier.

 

There was visual Disney Characters trivia at 5:30 on glacier day.

[IrieBajan54]

I was on the Sun recently and I agree about food in Moderno's. It was down right awful. The meat was tough and the salad bar was so so. There were only 4 tables with guests at prime time. The service was good but NCL should really redo the concept.