Live from the Jewel May 2-16, 2022

[YVRteacher]

We are onboard the Norwegian Jewel from May 2-May 16 for a B2B Alaskan cruise.  We are Diamond Latitudes with NCL and have done this trip many times before as we live in Vancouver and are grateful to have a quick, easy and flightless trip to the port.  I am a teacher librarian and I travel with my dad.  

 

Embarkation was long.  Really long.  All  the cruise passengers departing from Vancouver go through the same security line and this took 90 minutes.  Then Covid test results check and vaccination check then NCL check in which was quick, friendly and efficient.  We were escorted to our suite by a member of the casino team.  The Jewel is newly refreshed with modern, no longer garish decor (except those turquoise doors) but they removed the carpet with the fish so I will be turned about and likely going the wrong way for the next two weeks.  Extra steps for the win!

Once onboard we went right to our cabin (2 bedroom Garnet Penthouse) and unpacked a little.  Our room steward came by and of course knew our names and asked how we liked the room set up and how many pillows we wanted on the beds.  His name is Francis and he is wonderful.

Then we went to guest services to pick up a week’s worth of anti-seasick pills for me (for free!) and Cruise Next to say hi to Terry O’Leary who had already loaded the $50 Diamond latitudes onboard credit onto our account.  Our Latitudes returning guest party is Wednesday.  We are signed up for dinner with the officers.

 

We are sailing at 30% capacity.  There are so many rooms available that they are giving room upgrades as Bingo prizes.  I don’t play bingo but I think this is a fun idea.

 

I don’t like the Haven lunch menu so we ate in the buffet.  The best item I had was the welcome aboard cake (vanilla cake with layers of chocolate cream icing, vanilla icing and cherries covered in more vanilla icing with a top coat of chocolate ganache!!) but everything I chose was delicious.

My usual first onboard drink is a Mudslide but today I felt like whiskey so we went to Maltings for beer for my dad and an Old Fashioned for me.  

Now that we had taken care of the “what to do once you get onboard” it was time to unpack.  We travel with carry-on only luggage (I switched to carry on only after my suitcase got jammed and destroyed in YVR’s luggage conveyor belt on a return trip home from New York and I use the Briggs and Riley compression system where you pack your suitcase full then sit on it and the compression system makes it not like you packed one too many sweaters.) Loads of room in the cabin for all our clothes and other items.

 

We had an informal cruise critic meet and greet at 4:00pm in Maltings and it was fabulous.  14 wonderful people came and it was great to talk and connect and make new friends.  We did not arrange this through NCL and it was one of the best meet and greets I’ve ever attended.   Lots of stories and lots of laughter.  We are meeting again today at 3:00.  

While at our meet and greet the ship started moving and we dispersed for Sailaway.  Remember when Canada used to have pennies and you would toss a penny over your shoulder when going under the Lions Gate Bridge?  No penny tossing this time but the Sailaway was beautiful and we passed right by my dad’s house.

 

We usually book Cagney’s for our first night on board.  I had pre booked our dinners online and our concierge, Armando, had the confirmation letter ready in the cabin.   I am a vegetarian and they no longer have the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup appetizer at Cagney’s so they let me create a plate from the Moderno salad bar then I just order side dishes from Cagney’s for the main course.  I tried to order a half portion of caramel butterscotch cheesecake for dessert but they brought the whole thing and OMG it was dense.  Usually I save the stretchy pants for day five but on this trip they will likely be needed tomorrow.  

Yes, we tip at the restaurants. Yes our meal and the service were fabulous and it it was probably one of my favourite Cagney’s dinners.  My dad had steak and he said it was perfect.  He ate the whole thing!

After dinner we came to the cabin and our butler met with us to discuss preferences and how he could make our trip special.  We asked for no afternoon snacks to be delivered (we find it overwhelming, don’t like wasting food and prefer to enjoy dinner without filling up on 3:00pm snacks.) No we don’t give our butler a letter and never would.  I asked for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears (one time in Curaçao I may have fed the peanut M&Ms to a hungry iguana sunning himself on a rock but there are no iguanas in Alaska so all these treats are for humans, not reptiles.  For the record, the iguana spat out the red M&Ms but happily munched away on the blue ones.)

As with many NCL ships the entertainment on board seems sparse. We checked out the guitar player in Magnums and the band in Spinnaker (both too loud and not our style) then had time to kill so went to the casino.  Put in a $5 bill and won $26.  I may have wildly exclaimed “cash out! Cash out now!” 

The best part of the evening show was someone in the Stardust theatre having a deep love for alcohol and proclaiming their love (and a marriage proposal) to the bar manager when the ship’s officers came onto the stage.

We have a dream team on board with both Rumi and Steven leading the staff.

The comedian was terrible and no one was laughing.  A lot of his bit was about his own body or being fat and it was neither funny nor appropriate.  We left after waiting 45 minutes for drinks to arrive.  I have never seen such a non-full theatre.

 

Still full of cheesecake, I wanted some exercise so we walked around the ship a few times to enjoy the lingering sunset over Vancouver Island.

I feel immense gratitude to be on the NCL Jewel and to be cruising with my dad.  He had a deep brain thalamic stroke at the beginning of the pandemic and our lives flipped upside down.  I can tell there are moments that feel a little overwhelming for him but he is doing great and is also happy to be cruising again.

 

To answer the frequently-asked questions on Cruise Critic:

-No, we didn’t blow bubbles off the balcony only because I forgot the bubbles (I also forgot the name tag stickers for our meet and greet.)

-No we don’t tip in advance.  We tip after meals, with drinks and at the end for the concierge, steward and butler.

-There are no chair hogs because it is a little chilly and all the deck chairs are stacked and secured.  

-we received two small Just Water containers in our room for our latitudes water.  I have my Yeti and I fill it in the Garden Cafe using a clean glass with each pour.

-there are 4 kids on board and Splash Academy is open!

-yes we have a Nespresso machine in the room and I am looking forward to my first coffee tomorrow morning 

-yes people have door decorations and no NCL has not removed them

-although it wasn’t needed, they served a straw with my raspberry guava mojito with dinner.  I carry my own metal straws on NCL but thought it was interesting to receive a straw.  On the Bliss in March there were no straws.

-Yes they removed the bathtubs from the penthouse suites and turned this area into a lovely large shower.  Careful because there are two windows that are not one way only!

-they have switched the fancy soap from Bulgari to L’Occitane

-there are comfy robes and non-comfy slippers in the room

 

I will be updating daily (I type in the Notes app on my phone then copy and paste here so as to conserve internet minutes) and will answer questions when I return the week of May 16.  For anyone else on this cruise please feel free to add to this thread.

[ColeThornton]

Looking forward to your review but just wanted to tell you your font is huge.  🙂

[www3traveler]

WOW!!!  Interesting 1st evening in the theater.  What was the Bar Manager's reaction?

 

When you get a chance could you please post the Officers including the Bridge Officers?

 

Can you are able to sail again and especially with your Dad.

 

I hope you both have a wonderful adventure.

[ggTexasGal]

@YVRteacher  So far, this is wonderfully informative and enjoyable.  So, thank you!

Have a fantastic cruise!!!

[UKstages]

great trip report... thanks for taking the time to share. i'm glad you're having such a special experience with your dad.

 

as a very frequent traveler, i share you passion for briggs and riley (best luggage i've ever bought) and their compression technology.

 

we'll have to agree to disagree on the haven lunch menu, however... i think it's great! perhaps less so for vegetarians. i did try that spaghetti squash entrée once and i thought it was atrocious. but the mushroom flatbread? tastiest bite on the ship, in my opinion.

[magicsoccer]

When coming back from Seward to Vancouver approximately how far out is the Lion's Gate Bridge?  (Meaning how early do I need to outside so that I can see it)

 

And... I love the large font.  Great for my old eyes.

[luvcruzing]

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Looking forward to your review but just wanted to tell you your font is huge.  🙂

And, I love it.

[Yo Adrienne]

We will be doing the same B2B cruise in September...so really looking forward to hearing your experience of how the turnaround (arrival/testing/departure) is handled in Seward...and upon your return to Vancouver.  

 

Till then...enjoy...! 🙂 

[casofilia]

@magicsoccer

 

Here they are on a map, Lions Gate Bridge and Canada Place (where the ship docks)

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lions+Gate+Bridge,+Lions+Gate+Bridge+Rd,+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada/Canada+Place,+Canada+Place,+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada/@49.3021106,-123.128818,14z/data=!3m1!5s0x5486719d2fa2d817:0x8744a3435e0647f2!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x548671e4314afbf5:0x3e51e1a4f59d56fa!2m2!1d-123.1392099!2d49.3146651!1m5!1m1!1s0x5486719d24e2e021:0xb7057fe085c86109!2m2!1d-123.1111209!2d49.2888248!3e0

[casofilia]

@YVRteacher

 

Do they still provide the small, paper wrapped, individual soaps; the small bottles of hand cream and the small bottles of shampoo/conditioner that they used to do when it was Bulgari?

 

Thanks

 

[Middleager]

Thanks for the report.  So it's still only 30% capacity.  It was like that on this ship's first re-start sailing on 2022.3.29.   That'll mean little or no waiting most of the time.

 

The GM Steven was everywhere on our sailing.  You'll probably see him a lot too.

 

Yap the Moderno and Cagney are next to each other, so getting the Moderno salad bar is a good idea.

 

Several people did mention they miss the fish carpet.  For those who don't know, the fishes on the carpet were pointing to front (bow) of ship.  My wife also gets direction wrong often, especially coming out of elevator/stairs.  Sometimes I let her walk first, until she found out and turn around (yes my bad).  But later on I suggested to her to look at the wall showing shape of the ship, and where the bow/front of the ship is pointing.  I also suggested to an officer of the ship, to maybe use some color coding on the wall for one side of the ship vs the other, as you're coming off the elevator/stairs.

 

Sounds like you're enjoying the cruise well.

[Cruising Lynne]

3 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Looking forward to your review but just wanted to tell you your font is huge.  🙂

It is a little large, but I like that I can see it with out my glasses on. It reminds me of the old large print Reader's Digests that they used to make for the vision impaired.

[mking8288]

Wonderful. Great report, following along and thank you for making the time to write & share. 

 

Enjoy the scenery & if you got pictures, please upload later to share so we can share the dreams. BTW, we love Richmond, BC when we come to your area. 

 

[hoopslover]

Thanks for the report.  We will be on a b2b in August.

[kattybiz]

My parents and I just got off May 2, and we also loved Francis!!   

 

For entertainment, we really enjoyed the Love Brothers and the Tina Turner show Fire & Ice did in the theater.   We had a wonderful time, hope you do too!!

[casofilia]

I know Steven Jacobsen is the GM (HD); excellent fellow we have travelled with him a number of times.

 

Who is the Cruise Director please?

[YVRteacher]

Day 2

Day 2 Sea Day Cruising the Inside Passage.

When we woke up this morning it was not really by choice but more so with a clanging metal thump from above.  I never wake up at 6:00am so it was a shock to the vacation system.  Outside it was 2 shades of grey: dark grey and light grey.  When we went to Moderno for breakfast we saw how hard it was raining.  It was the kind of rain the hits the ground then bounces back up for a second go.  There were definitely no deck chairs out today.  The pool was sloshing back and forth and up and over the sides.  This did not bode well for the rest of the day: many people were seen dashing for barf bags or suddenly turning green.  Others were lurching back and forth as they matched their center of gravity to the ship’s rolls.  I had my acupressure bands, anti-seasick medication from the front desk and ginger ale with bitters and was still queasy until about 4pm.  Emma, the cruise director, had to phone the bridge to ask if it would be safe for the evening performance to go ahead.  It’s a rock and roll show with extra rock tonight!  This was a day of big waves and big ship movement both from bow to stern and from port to starboard.  Not many people were out and about.

 

We enjoyed a really wonderful breakfast from the breakfast bar after making Nespresso coffee in the room.  I drink coffee about 12 times a year and today was one of those where coffee hit the spot.  One of our cruise critic group members brought a latte maker on board for his morning coffee!  

For breakfast we had yogurt parfaits, mixed berries, croissants with Brie and tomato and we shared one of the famous almond croissants.  We were both still full from last night’s dinner so a petite déjeuner was perfect.

 

After breakfast we dashed across deck 12 to get up to Spinnaker in time for Tri Bond Trivia.  Lots of hard questions but we were surprised to win.  From there we spent the day

bouncing from one activity to the next like college kids (or NCL cruise critic members on a bar crawl.) Met with the officers in the Atrium and had a lovely chat with Emma the cruise director.  If you have the opportunity to cruise with her, seize it because she is wonderful.  So personable and friendly!  Then lunch in the garden cafe (the pizza was the best we’ve ever tasted on NCL) followed by afternoon general knowledge trivia (we won again) and Pictionary.  Next up was a really special part of the day.  Our Cruise Critic meet and greet group met up again today and we stayed together on the Starboard side next to Magnum’s chatting, drinking, sharing stories and connecting for 2.5 hours! We all had different drinks including Irish coffees, beer, Miami Vice, Bushwhackers, Mudslides, Rebellious Fish, Amaretto sours, mojitos and Old Fashioneds.  Fabulous service, fabulous drinks and fabulous conversation.  The time flew by and we are meeting up again on Saturday.

 

My dad and I had a cocktail party to attend in the Haven and the rain had stopped so the lighting was gorgeous and set the mood for a fun party.  The best part? Rumi was there!!! We were so, so happy to see him and talk to him and hear about his time on the Jewel when Covid first started until now.

 

At 6:45 we headed to La Cucina for dinner.  My dad enjoyed calamari and seafood linguini while I had the misto salad and fettuccini con funghi.  We ordered half portions of everything and it was still a lot.  The meal was delicious and so flavourful and who doesn’t love a beach Bellini with dinner?? We ordered one dessert to go then scurried up to Spinnaker for the Newlywed Not So Newlywed Game.  It was ok but the real show was the hundreds of whales that were on both sides of the ship. Orca after orca flipping, splashing, showing their tails and rolling back and forth.  I’ve seen orcas many times before but never this many all together.  As we walked past the card game room on the way to Spinnaker every person was lined up against the window gasping and pointing.  The bar waiters in Spinnaker were excitedly pointing out each spout and terminal dive.  A special occurrence for certain.

 

After the Newlywed show my dad was tuckered out so we came back to the cabin, had some chocolate covered strawberries and some tiramisu, read tomorrow’s information about Ketchikan and made a plan not to wake up early!  We have one document that says priority disembarkation begins at 6:45am, another that says 7:45am and the Freestyle Daily says 8:00am.  I plan to still be asleep for all of these times!  We have been to Ketchikan many times before and have done hiking, bear watching, eagle preserve, kayaking in two different places, Misty Fjords, eco adventure trek, some kind of high speed adventure boat to an island where we hiked and had a campfire and the lumberjack show.  I think we also did the hovercraft out of Ketchikan.  Correct me if so have the wrong port.  Tomorrow we are taking the shuttle from Ward Cove to downtown and spending the day in Ketchikan.  Will report back on how that transpires.  We are hoping to find an idea for next week when we are back in Ketchikan again for a longer period of time.

 

The Jewel went into dry dock for part of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 and there are many refreshes in addition to her major dry dock in 2018.  Both bathrooms in our suite have been refitted with new walls, floors, sinks, counters, shelves and showers. The carpet is new everywhere on the ship.  The bedside lamps all have USB ports and our cabin has many outlets for appliances.  The phones are new and so are the hair dryers.  

The energy on board is positive and people are frequently expressing how happy they are to be cruising again.  This is a special ship with a crew that loves the ship and a superb management team.  It shows!

The forecast tomorrow in Ketchikan is 3 degrees Celsius and rainy so we will be bundling up.  Wish us well!

[YVRteacher]

12 hours ago, casofilia said:

@YVRteacher

 

Do they still provide the small, paper wrapped, individual soaps; the small bottles of hand cream and the small bottles of shampoo/conditioner that they used to do when it was Bulgari?

 

Thanks

 

No. Everything is in larger dispenser bottles.  The shower products are wonderful and I will be picking up this brand to use at home.

[YVRteacher]

Brief update: it is 2:30am and we seem to have encountered rough waters.  The closet doors are opening and closing, the ceiling is squeaking and rattling, at one point my bed felt vertical and have now taken my life jacket and my bra to bed.  If this ship goes down I need to be prepared.

[YVRteacher]

The font size is caused by me typing these posts in the Notes app first then copying and pasting here to avoid using internet minutes.  I’ll try to adjust tomorrow.

[YVRteacher]

…if I survive the night!

[YVRteacher]

14 hours ago, www3traveler said:

WOW!!!  Interesting 1st evening in the theater.  What was the Bar Manager's reaction?

 

When you get a chance could you please post the Officers including the Bridge Officers?

 

Can you are able to sail again and especially with your Dad.

 

I hope you both have a wonderful adventure.

So yesterday at the Haven party the bar manager was there and the proposing person was there too!  I think she is serious because she found him right away.  I heard something along the lines of “are you single?” then Emma came to talk to us so I didn’t hear his response.  Later in the party when he came to chat with us we talked about mojitos rather than his marriage status so I don’t have an update.

Her husband is on this cruise too!!!

[YVRteacher]

3 hours ago, casofilia said:

I know Steven Jacobsen is the GM (HD); excellent fellow we have travelled with him a number of times.

 

Who is the Cruise Director please?

Cruise Director is Emma Dalton and she is phenomenal.

[ggTexasGal]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

…if I survive the night!

🥴 Wishing smooth waters going forward!

[argyll1881]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

and have now taken my life jacket and my bra to bed.  If this ship goes down I need to be prepared

Best line of the entire site LOL