Jewel Alaska Review

[MaxsMom73]

I was on the Jewel to Alaska with my husband the 13th-20th of May. We stayed in an aft penthouse suite.

 

Ship condition: Showed some wear and tear but overall thought it was in pretty good shape.

 

Room: Lovely room, very comfortable bed, and PLENTY of storage. View was amazing and saw a Humpack breach about 7 times from our balcony after leaving Endicott Arm.

 

Butler Service: Didn't take much advantage of it. Breakfast in the room for 2 days. Requested a special treat one day and a pitcher of orange juice to make mimosas.

 

Food: Buffet was not so good and only ate dinner there once and breakfast once. Loved Cagney's. Moderno was ok. O'Sheehan's is a nice go to for breakfast lunch or dinner.

 

Bar Service: Amazing. Had the UBP and never had to wait for service. They didn't skimp on the booze!

 

Concierge: Having a suite means early disembarkation at the ports. Found out that you are treated a bit differently if booking your own tours. We were not let off of the ship until those that had booked through the ship were let off. I found this to be a bit annoying.

 

Entertainment: Keep in mind I'm in my early 40's and the crowd for this trip probably averaged a bit higher in age. Personally, I think the entertainment was sub-par. The lounge singers were painful to listen to. I did enjoy the magician/comedian, the Perfect Couple show, and the Liars Club show. Deal or No Deal was a complete bust. Don't waste your money. I noticed that at times there was nothing going on that I was interested in and then there were times were I had to choose between 3 events I wanted to go to.

 

This was my 3rd cruise with NCL. I have been to the Greek Isles as well as Europe on previous cruises. This by far is a more relaxed cruise. The dress is very relaxed and the vibe is very relaxed.

 

Overall we had a very nice cruise. That being said, if we did it again, I might try a different cruise line for better entertainment value.

[BostonGal35]

odd about the concierge. on my two suite experiences, we were always let off as soon as the ship is cleared.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[BirdTravels]

Thank you for the review. We were in a forward facing suite on the Jewel to Alaska last year. We had breakfast in the suites restaurant or in our room. Didn't bother with the regular buffet.

[lockone]

Nice review. My friend is going on this cruise next weekend and I hope they have an amazing time!

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

We were on same trip.

 

No suite, Deck 5 OV cabin. It was FINE.

Between being Plat., and having Ult.dining, we only ate in the MDR 2 nights.

 

We had a few bumps......like LOUD neighbors next door with 3 in a cabin &

they only knew how to Yell.,,,

 

But we had a much Better Alaska experience with the Glacier Viewing on Jewel (than Pearl).

 

Last year on Pearl, the Ranger took over the ships Loud speaker for 2 hours & ruined our peaceful

glacier viewing time.

But on Jewel, it was Quiet And Peaceful, and very enjoyable.

 

Not sure IF Pearl still indulges in the Ranger? But it was a deal breaker to us. I would Only go on

Jewel for this reason.

 

Ship Entertainment is lacking on Alaska trips it seems. We hit the Comedians & avoid alot of the singers....

 

Never had a prob getting off the ship. We tend to make our Own Alaska excursion, and do a Ton of Walking.

Most ports are very Walkable. You really Don't need to book a tour unless you really want to.

 

Thanks for posting your experience. Fun to hear from the Aft. ;)

[easyboy]

Thank you for your feedback.

[gwsster]

We were on a Pacific Coastal the first week in May. We were in a Balcony room.

 

Ship condition: Showed some wear and tear but overall thought it was in pretty good shape.

The room was good, but the flooring in need of repair. The balcony cork was gone and you stuck to the balcony. This was a forward port side room.

Room: Lovely room, very comfortable bed, and PLENTY of storage. View was amazing and saw a Humpack breach about 7 times from our balcony after leaving Endicott Arm.

We saw many whales out of Long Beach, and San Francisco. Sea Otters in Victoria.

Food: Buffet was not so good and only ate dinner there once and breakfast once. Loved Cagney's. Moderno was ok. O'Sheehan's is a nice go to for breakfast lunch or dinner.

We didn't do the Buffets, went to O'Sheehans often and the main Dining rooms, Teppanyaki, Cagney's and Le Bistro. We did "try" a pool side breakfast, poor cook dropped the spatula x3 and the "Omelet" was a burned scramble.

Bar Service: Amazing. Had the UBP and never had to wait for service. They didn't skimp on the booze!

Agree, we did not have the UBP but the drinks were good and no skimping on the booze. The service was quick.

Entertainment: Keep in mind I'm in my early 40's and the crowd for this trip probably averaged a bit higher in age. Personally, I think the entertainment was sub-par. The lounge singers were painful to listen to. I did enjoy the magician/comedian, the Perfect Couple show, and the Liars Club show. Deal or No Deal was a complete bust. Don't waste your money. I noticed that at times there was nothing going on that I was interested in and then there were times were I had to choose between 3 events I wanted to go to.

This is the same opinion my DH and I had and we are in our very early 60's LOL! The lounge singers except for the house band Soul Singer (I think that was their name) and Alambre were OK. The Comedians were GREAT. The production shows (Band on the Run) were cheesy and we didn't stay. Really, if you are going to poor $$ into a show, why not something with a little sophistication?

This was my 3rd cruise with NCL. I have been to the Greek Isles as well as Europe on previous cruises. This by far is a more relaxed cruise. The dress is very relaxed and the vibe is very relaxed.

I have been on 4 or 5 NCL cruises, have been on Princess and Disney too, trying Celebrity in the fall. I cruise for the itinerary and love cruising. I love the relaxed atmosphere on NCL and one reason I choose to sail with them, DH does NOT like formal nights on other cruise lines. The staff were very good and attentive, even though we don't ask for much. This ship (the Jewel) is scheduled for refurb in the fall of 2018, I think some rooms won't be able to wait that long.

Overall we had a very nice cruise.

We did too, and found that your findings were very similar to what we experienced on the Jewel.

[afwminseattle]

Thanks for these reviews. The shanghainess and I are on the jewel for the Sept 2 voyage to Alaska. It's our first cruise ever, and knowing the details around the shows and dining is super helpful.

[www3traveler]

Thanks for these reviews. The shanghainess and I are on the jewel for the Sept 2 voyage to Alaska. It's our first cruise ever, and knowing the details around the shows and dining is super helpful.

 

I was on The Jewel in april for Her last Mexican Riviera cruise in late April. Had an inside cabin at the rear of Deck 10 which for me as a solo passenger was great. This was one of the best cruises with Norwegian (35 and counting), I have ever had.

 

I will be returning to Her on the 9th of September for an Alaskan cruise. I can not wait.

 

The Jewel is a wonderful ship with a fantastic staff.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[NancyL2]

Thanks for these reviews. The shanghainess and I are on the jewel for the Sept 2 voyage to Alaska. It's our first cruise ever, and knowing the details around the shows and dining is super helpful.

 

I'll be on the same cruise as you. :) The Jewel is a great ship.

[Laszlo]

Thanks for these reviews. The shanghainess and I are on the jewel for the Sept 2 voyage to Alaska. It's our first cruise ever, and knowing the details around the shows and dining is super helpful.

 

 

Thats a great time to go. Check out my video from last September on the Jewel

 

https://vimeo.com/182290904

[jjmsmom]

On the Jewel to Alaska June 17,2017. Looking forward to a great time. Any advice is welcome.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[slapulator]

MaxsMom73, do you happen to have any of the free style dailies you can share for the cruise?

[ARCJCM]

We were on the Jewel for the May 5 - May 13, 2017, Alaska sailing and had an amazing time. This was our first trip to Alaska AND our first cruise. We were in an Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (room 10004), which was great, although our initial reaction to the Jewel wasn't super positive. We grew to love the ship, however, and ended up having an incredible trip. We've already made two more deposits for future cruises in the Haven.

 

 

• For those interested, we made a playlist with a bunch of videos we filmed on the cruise, including a tour of the suite and lots of footage from the ship and excursions, on our
  .
  

• You can also read our full review of the cruise on Cruise Critic by clicking here.
  

In short, we had an amazing time. We can't wait to go back to Alaska once the Bliss starts sailing up there! Have a great trip.

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by ARCJCM Travel Videos

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[jcscv]

Thanks for your review, I just got off the Jewel today, and agree with a lot of what you said.

 

I totally agree about the lounge acts...definitely subpar. It became a running joke with our group, if we didn't hear Sweet Caroline 3 times each night, somebody was slipping. I only saw a couple of the shows in the main showroom, the comedienne, the acrobatic act, and the Cirque act, and thought they were good.

 

I found a lot of the activities, I wanted to go to were in the morning, and not being a morning person, I kept missing them.

 

I had an outside, obstructed view room (yes, I was in cheap seats, lol), and I have never had such a small bathroom, on any cruise ship, ever.