JUST BACK FROM THE JEWEL** I will try to answer any questions!!

[cindibplus4]

We had a blast!!! Let me start out by saying our trip was not without issues. My luggage never made it off my direct flight from Boston to Miami. It wasn't until Tuesday night and $500. worth of shopping in San Juan Tuesday morning that my luggage arrived. PACK A COUPLE OUTFITS IN YOUR CARRY ON" The store on board didn't really have anything that I would normally buy for clothing which left me with my 16 year old's way to short shorts and tank tops for options. I will say it pays to have insurance on you trip. American gave me $150 towards delayed luggage and my isurance will send me $250 towards delayed luggage. So besides the inconvience and $100 balance I will get the rest back plus a few new outfits. For all you shopping fans San Juan has the BIGGEST and I mean BIGGEST mall I have ever seen called "Mall of America"

 

The kids had a blast and I can't say enough good things about the Kids Club. I have a few thoughts about things on the ship that I will list and then if you want to know anything about the ship while it is still fresh in my memory ask. If I can answer your questions I will.

We went with 4 children. Kids club a must * never met such loving, fun indiviuals....ever

 

If you have young children that can't swim don't forget water wings the pools are a min. of 5'

 

The slide does not empty into the pool but into a canal next to the pool so even samll children can use it supervised ( about a foot of water)

 

take advantage of a few dinners with out the kids. The kids can (and will want to..trust me) do the kids club:

9:00 am-12:00 2:00-5:00pm 7:00-10:00 We found out early that the kids didn't want to do big dinners with us every night. The garden cafe was great to take them to from 5:00-7:00 They have such a variety of food: Pasta bar where they make you any pasta you want while you wait, two carving stations ( each night something different), chicken nuggets, salad bars, ceasar salad made to order, many veggies, home made mac and cheese, hot dogs, burgers, etc. OH and two Ice cream Bars My husband is very picky and enjoys gourmet food and found the garden cafe great for breakfast and lunch. He even loved the pasta bar.

After the kids went back to the kids club at 7:00 we went on romantic dinners and then shows.

We also got them lunch in the cafe and then went swimming with them for a couple hours ( ok they swam and we watched with a drink in hand:rolleyes: ). We also picked them up a couple afternoons at 4:30 and brought them swimming before dinner.

The main shows were great and so worth seeing. There is one male singer that I ( ok most that I talked to) could do without ever hearing again but the rest of the group of singers and dancers were great. What I liked most about the concept of this ship and its employees is that even the top performers have other tasks and jobs on the ship so they don't take themselves too seriously and are not to high on themselves.

I can't say enough about the gentleman that looked after our room (9526 and 9527). I don't drink coffee but like a diet coke with lime in the morning. He made sure I had fresh limes and soda in the fridge every night when he turned down our beds. It always pays to give a tip at the beginning of the wee as well as at the end of the week. I have always found it goes a long way.

*Things that we found so so about our trip:

Lost luggage (obviously)

*Small room We had the two beds with a sleep sofa and balcony. When the sofa bed is open it is VERY tight in the room. My husband is 6'5" and 210. He felt a little confined in the room. We also had the 3 twin bed deal accross the hall for the other kids.

* Not enough variety for us on the menus for main meals.

*Ice cream bars.... pants not fitting as well as when we left!!!LOL

Sorry for any type O's. I am trying to get this down while it is fres.

 

Oh another thing. We liked having the chairs above the pool area on windy days. Much less crowded and windy. Get the soda pass too. I never found any issues with waiters not helping you if you have a pass like I had heard from past viewers so maybe they addressed this problem.

[Tinkerbellmom]

We are going on the Jewel over Spring Break with four kids ages 10,11,12,13. Did you go to any of the up charge resturants? Was the Sushi resturant and up charge. Do you know if the children in our age group can have in and out privleges in the kids club. We found this a problem on the last NCL trip. I would have to sign them in and out and the older ones wanted nothing to do with this type of system. I understand for younger children, but the older ones felt like babies. I am very excited about our trip, is there anything I should know or try?:)

[Coastalbreezes]

Hi -- we were on the Jewel 2/19 -- I am pretty sure that under 13 you have to sign the kids in and out. 13 and over, they can come and go with a parental signature. The Sushi Bar was $5.00 all you can eat; Teppenyaki (which I HIGHLY reccomend!) was $10 extra and worth every bite (don't forget to have the coconut ice cream for dessert -yum). On sea days Chin Chin was open for sushi and Bento Box lunch ( I think $5) and very very good! Your kids will have a ball -- mine did!

Enjoy!

Tracy

[YogiMia]

Thanks for all the great info. Supposedly the Jewel has a deck with a tennis court that can also be converted into a basketball court. Did you see this? How do they convert it? How do they decide which court it will be? How big was it, and was anyone using it?

 

Also, gym facilities: treadmills? does the gym have a view of the sea? Did it look crowded, if so when?

 

Know anything about the yoga classes offered?

 

Was there a jogging track? Was it being used?

 

(Hey, you want questions, I got 'em.:))

[cindibplus4]

Mia,

My daughter used the basketball court often so I will ask her tomorrow how it was converted. I only went up there when I needed to find missing teenagers! LOL There are plenty of treadmills ( maybe 6-8), elipical (sp)machines, bikes, free weights and even row machines. I only used the treadmills twice because my running shoes were in my lost bag. It was killing me to go past the gym and have nothing to work out in because I run 3-4 miles four days a week. I did find the exercise room very hot. I was told to try to get a treadmill under a vent but it was the last time I got in to work out so I am not sure how much cooler it would have made it. So keep that in mind. And yes the treadmills are in front of the beautiful water with big picture windows.Each treadmill has a tv with headphones attached. Also there is a track layed out on the 12th floor but I found the one on I believe it was the 7th floor ( not marked but used as a walking track) a little cooler and quieter. I believe the walking track is every four laps is 1.4 miles.

I do not know about the yoga classes. I believe there is a fee for those classes as well. It's not much maybe $5. per class.

Did I miss any of your questions. If so just ask. I don't mind answering them especially while the trip is so fresh.

Cindi

[mkad1109]

Cinibplus4, your situation sounds very similar to mine. I have 4 children 8-13. My children (all of them)hated the kids club on the Dawn last year. My third got sea sick ( we were going out of NY in February and I guess the ocean was rough). I was just wondering, how much time did your tweens spend there? Did they meet friends and move on? I am in contact with some people for my 13 year old on the roll call, but would be curious what you experienced. My husband and I loved our private time together last year, but felt bad that the kids were for the most part in the room. I want my older ones out and about this year on the Jewel and my younger ones safely tucked away in the kids club. Did you go on a peak week? Thanks! susan

[cindibplus4]

sUSAN,

No we did not go on a peek week. In fact from what we heard it was a zoo the week before. Our 13yr old made a few great friends. They didn't stay in the club much. The team leader took them to play sports, and shows the club under ground for teens. At that age they hang out and listen to music and probably talk about how unfair their lives are as early teen agers with parents!!! LOL But he had a blast and by nature he is not a social butterfly like the 11 year old and he had the time of his life. He had to keep realing him in. I think he wanted to be more independant then we allowed. We had him checking in at certain times and if he didn't we went looking for him. He soon figured out that it was far less embarrassing to check in then to be checked up on. One small battle won. Even our 16 year old had fun. She used the club to meet a couple kids her age then they branched off and didn't really hang out at the club at all but did stuff as a group.

I hope this helps!

Cindi

[mkad1109]

Yes, it definitely helps. I have a feeling the peak week thing was what turned my children off-there were over 900 kids on board last February. I will encourage them to give it one more try during April since I don't believe everyone has the same week off and it may not be quite as crowded. thanks!

[Laurba99]

How many of the restaurants out of the 10 is there an extra charge for and how much does each place charge?

[cindibplus4]

I believe there are three specialty rest.

[ssabaste]

I guess it sort of depends on what you mean on the number of restaurants and cover charge:

 

LeBistro is $10 (but they had a menu option for more than that...if I remember correctly $15)

Cagney's is $15 but you can do Surf and Turf for $25

Chin Chin is $10 (but then they had some ala carte sushi and other items)

Teppanyaki is $10, $12, or $15 depending on the menu choice that you make.

 

Each night the "cover charge" for LeBistro, Chin Chin, and Cagney's was 1/2 price between 5:30pm and 6:30pm.

 

Hope that helps.

[Laurba99]

Thank you--I guess I'm confused because I thought that the price of the cruise included meals but it's annoying to me that there are 4 places that charge extra--for a family of four that adds up-no? Are they all much better than the ones you don't have to pay for?

[ssabaste]

Hmmmm...kind of depends on what you like.

 

LeBistro was more of a "fine dining" experience. Service was very personalized, and a little showy. When the waiter / waitress brought out the entrees they were covered with silver domes, and they did an orchestrated "wala" removal of the covers. The food was fabulous! And the atmosphere somewhat "romantic", kind of dark and cozy. Too bad hubby wasn't on this trip! :o

 

I know you can search this board and find the menu for all the specialty restaurants and that might help your decision. See if your kids like what is on the menus.

 

I don't know where you are from or what restaurants you have around your area but Cagney's can be described like "Morton's", or "Ruth's Chris" or "Shula's" Steakhouse. In Chicago I would compare it to the "Chicago Chop House". They had an open kitchen within the restaurant so that made for a neat experience. The steaks were excellent!!

 

Teppanyaki is just like you might find in your neighborhood, or at a Benihanna's. They cook the food in front of you on a flat grill, and the chefs perform a show along with the meal. IMO very fun for a family. But they don't offer a 1/2 price discount.

 

We didn't try Chin Chin specifically but the menu looked amazing. Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and a Sushi bar that was charged ala carte.

 

If you don't mind eating a little earlier, than the 1/2 price cover charge does save you some money, and you get to experience some of the more fun dining experiences on the ship. We made our reservations when we got on board, and booked the "early bird" no problem. The service nor the food was any different earlier in the night.

 

Mama's Kitchen and Tango's are no charge "specialty" restaurants and were very good. Make reservations early in the cruise for Mama's because it tends to book up quickly during the entire week.

 

The main restaurants had excellent food, and superb service. We (Mom, Sis, and I) didn't really care for a couple of the evenings menus and those were the nights that we did the "fee" restaurants. You can review the menus at the front desk when you board or you can preview them by searching on this site as well.

 

You would not be disappointed in your cruise if you didn't do the extra fee restaurants, but it might be a special treat for one night!:D

 

Let me know if you have any other questions! Enjoy your trip!!!

[Laurba99]

Thank you--That was amazingly helpful! We do have Mortons, Ruth Chris and the Palm here (Washington, DC) so that is impressive if it is as good as thought-you can't eat under 120 per couple at those places! I guess if the whole meal is 10/pp that is not bad-I just wanted to be informed but don't want to skimp on the trip-The japanese one sounds really fun-I love the place here :) Again--I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of that!~

[ScubaJim]

Which dock did the ship docked at in St Thomas? I understand that there are 2 dock one of which is near a large shopping area.

[tarjan]

I will be posting up a better review soon as I was also on the jewel last week, but I hate to tell you that Cagneys is no Palm or Mortons. Definitely 100% worth 10 bucks each and I would have no problem going out to eat at cagneys on shore, just set your expectations at the right level.

 

Basically the specialty places are standard run of the mill nice restaurant. That is a very good thing, but in no way will it compare to a dinner at the palm which I would rate as an excellent restaurant. The steak is good, but not stupendeous. The appetizers are ok, and the desert is a modified form of something else already on the ship. Again, good but not amazing. I wanted something truely inspired, like the carrot cake at the palm (if you have never had a peice of cake as large as your head and after one bite determined come h*ll or high water you would finish it, you haven't had their carrot cake) or the godiva chocolate lava goodness at mortons, but got a peice of chocolate something that I ate and promptly forgot about. Good mind you, but not superb.

 

I mean come on, the cesar salad is exactly the same EVERYWHERE on the ship. Nothing cool or different. No specialty ingredients or "cagney's recipe" for dressing. Oh, that one has darker lettuce.... Most of the appetizers and deserts are like that.

 

The only two restaurants that break this trend are chin chin and teppenyaki. Just because its hard to make the asian style at chin chin the same as le bistro or tsars palace. Good stuff. The sushi menu was too limited IMO, and without unagi... yummy smoked eel.

 

(Before anyone thinks I had a bad time, quite the opposite. Had an absolutely fantasbulous time on the ship. Got a bit stir crazy on the last night, but other than that the weather, the ship, the people. All tremendous.)

[dmb1031]

Which dock did the ship docked at in St Thomas? I understand that there are 2 dock one of which is near a large shopping area.

 

We stopped at the one where the Havenwood ( something like that) Mall was. It was mostly souvenirs and jewelry. It was within walking distance from the ship

[jaxon41]

Do you tip on top of the specialty restaurant cover charge? I have on other lines and just wonder what the protocol is on a ship with so many specialty restaurants.

[newmexicoNita]

Thank you--I guess I'm confused because I thought that the price of the cruise included meals but it's annoying to me that there are 4 places that charge extra--for a family of four that adds up-no? Are they all much better than the ones you don't have to pay for?

Don't let this bother you: many never try the specialty restaurants so you do not have to splurge. Addding extra charge dining experiences now is the trend for every line and almost every ship, but you will have plenty of options without spending more money. I don't know the age of the 2 children, but if they are younger you may want to take them to kids camp for the evening and enjoy a really nice dinner without them. You are only talking another $20 or $30. You can always try Mama's with no extra charge or Tangos plust eh Blue Lagoon is a fun place to grab a late night snack, lunch or even dinner for a change. Go and don't worry about the extra charge eateries, do what you feel comfortable with. NMnita

[sjbdtz]

but I hate to tell you that Cagneys is no Palm or Mortons. .. just set your expectations at the right level.

 

Basically the specialty places are standard run of the mill nice restaurant.

 

 

I have to disagree with Tarjan. I eat at 5 star restaurants ($200 - $240 / 2 people) at minimum monthly. Last week was 3 times in 3 days.

 

I live 5 minutes from 4 of the best restaurants in the country.

 

I have found that the dinner and experience of Le Bistro is comparable to any of these restaurants.

 

Cagneys....is a toss-up. Sometimes it is excellent, other times they have trouble living up to their superior rating.

 

Between the two, Le Bistro has the lower cover charge. And the quality is more consistent.

 

If I were recommending to a friend where they should eat, Le Bistro is a definate. $20 for a couple to eat food that would cost $200 (the other $40 is for a bottle of wine!) is a savings of $180 / couple.

 

If on the other hand I eat at the main dining rooms, the estimated value of the meal would be in the $25 - $30 range p.p.

 

SO....even though I have to pay a supplement to eat at Le Bistro, the VALUE I receive is much greater.

 

Stephen (Post #300!)

[tinkerbelldee]

Thanks for answering questions for us.

 

Was there a murder mystery dinner? Is there a decent pino player? We really enjoyed Bobby Hamilton on the Sun and were hoping for someone similar.

 

Thanks!

[ssabaste]

Stephen,

 

Thanks for that response...I have eaten at all the restaurants I mentioned in my reply and I absolutely agree with you that for the "value" Cagney's and LeBistro were excellent restaurants.

 

I don't understand people who expect on a 2300 passenger cruise ship to get the same food and quality of food that you would get at a land based restaurant that can get fresh ingredients EVERY day. Use Prime Cuts of beef, and can use open flames to cook.

 

No the steak at Cagney's was not the best that I ever had, but it certainly was the best that I have had on a cruise ship.

 

In my reply to Lauraba99 I was attempting to give her an idea of the type of restaurant that Cagney's or LeBistro can compare to not knowing her background or the city in which she lives; Cagney's is not Outback, but it is also not The Palm...where you can spend over $200 per person for Surf and Turf (not $25).

 

Now that I know that she lives in the DC area, as do I, for a good comparison for Cagney's...The Great American Steakhouse in Ashburn, Va or maybe Fleming's in Tyson's, and for LeBistro I would say The Daily Grill in DC and Tyson's or Sequoia in Georgetown; it is certainly not Labuerge Chez Francios. But you can't expect that on a mid line cruise ship. Maybe on the QM 2. Possibly on Silver Star or Windstar where the chef chooses the menu based on the fresh ingredients that are available in the port they are in that day.

 

Mama's is not Magianno's or Da Domenico in McLean, but it is decent Italian fare. And Tango's is not Jamilito's in Georgetown, but it's okay especially for being on a cruise ship (kind of reminded me of Chi Chi's).

 

Like I said before, you really won't go wrong in trying these restaurants, enjoy your trip!!! And I hope this helps in your decision making in how you want to spend your money on your vacation.

[Chewmonkey]

We were on the Jewel the week before Christmas, and we're going back 3/19 to do the Western Itinerary.

 

I've heard that the Cruise Director Paul Baya was no longer on the Jewel. Can you confirm? We liked Paul, but thought perhaps with a new CD the entertainment wouldn't be the same as it was a few months ago.

 

Do you remember who any of the nightly acts were? I remember an Italian Juggler, a Magician/Comedian and an Improv comedy troup. There was also a crew talent show, as well as a passenger talent show, which were sort of cheesey.

 

Thanks for your help.

[ssabaste]

The Cruise Director last week was Mike S. Good guy; funny personable, and very capable.

 

There was a magician, a juggler, 2nd City Improv Comedy, "Band on the Run", and Cirque Bijou. Also, Jeopardy, passenger talent show, and the Crew show.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[snorklinbarb]

Thanks for answering questions for us.

 

Was there a murder mystery dinner? Is there a decent pino player? We really enjoyed Bobby Hamilton on the Sun and were hoping for someone similar.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi tinkerbelldee,

 

I'm not Cindi but can help. Was on the Jewel Feb. 5-19. No piano player like Bobby Hamilton (who sings). There are 2 pianists but not that "crooner" thing. We missed it (see part 6 of the Good Morning, Jewel review on main bd for more on the entertainment).

 

Murder mystery dinner not yet introduced. But could come soon.

 

p.s. Chewmonkey - Paul Baya - on vacation. Mike S. is doing a great job as CD. We've sailed with Paul a couple of times (when Mike was ACD). Different personalities but both enjoyable and talented CD's.