Upcoming cruise on the Jewel and I am AFRAID!

[Shellbelle28]

My last NCL cruise was in 2022 on the Sun (or any cruise for that matter, we've been loyal to NCL since our first cruise). The ship was a little tired, but the food (even on the buffet!) and service were top-notch. I have the Jewel booked for 10/10/2024 (a 9-day end-of-season Alaska in 14008, a Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Balcony), and after reading @YVRteacher 's recent trip report on the Jewel, I am absolutely terrified that we'll have a sub-par experience. I don't think we have entitled attitudes, just an expectation of the competent service we've received in the past.

Lately, we've always booked Haven so we'd have Concierge and Butler services and the nice breakfast/lunch venue. We really enjoy Cagney's, so we eat quite a few of our meals there. I'm getting the impression that those extras aren't as good as they once were. 

My husband has some health issues that limit his ability to roll with the frustrations, so I'm extra nervous. Nobody can change the way things are with the ship and NCL, I'm just expressing my anxiety. I've heard that Rumi, the GM returns to the Jewel on our sailing, so maybe I'm worrying for naught, but ugh....

Edited September 4 by Shellbelle28

[ChiefMateJRK]

19 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

I am absolutely terrified

??

20 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

I don't think we have entitled attitudes, just an expectation of the competent service we've received in the past.

I've always received competent service on NCL.  I'm sure that some experiences are outliers, but I'm certainly am not going to sit around worrying about what "might" go wrong.

[MJSailors]

I recall that @YVRteacher indicated that she enjoyed a cruise on Princess over the recent NCL Jewel fiasco.

Princess has a long-standing reputation for Alaskan cruises.

It may be too late for you to cancel Jewel and book with Princess.

I noted that you have booked a Family Villa with Balcony in the Haven. It seems that accommodation should be comfortable for you and hubby.

You may have to lower your expectations based on the 2022 cruise.

Many things on many ships have changed since 2022.

Make the best of the cruise- enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alaska, the reprieve from cooking and cleaning and being in the Haven.

If you plan another cruise to Alaska-consider a Princess cruise.

MJ👩🏻

 

[cruiseny4life]

Good luck! I'm fretting my February Getaway cruise....but I still have the option to cancel with no penalty. 

[schmoopie17]

24 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Good luck! I'm fretting my February Getaway cruise....but I still have the option to cancel with no penalty. 

You could always do the Panama Canal February 6th cruise. I hear some celebrities will be on board.

[julig22]

I was on the Jewel in April, transpacific, Japan to Alaska. It was wonderful - but I sailed in a balcony. Food was fine, ship was clean, no complaints. I'd only be afraid if someone said the ship wasn't seaworthy.

[Travelling2Some]

Absolutely terrified???  Save your energy in case the boat sinks.  I'm sure everything else is very survivable. 

[complawyer]

we were on the jewel transit canal jan 2022. 2 bedroom suite, had absolutely no problems whatsoever.

 

while we tend to book haven or suites, like chiefmate who books steerage, we book for the joy of cruising. in 30 ncl cruises, i have never encountered any of the problems people have listed. granted, last april on the star, i was unhappy, across the board with the food, but nevertheless had no issues with the cruise or ncl.  maybe, some people should lower their expectations slightly.  this isnt a ship with a major ballroom for fancy dinners, no formal attire needed, no tuxedoed waiters, just a good old fashioned ride to some really amazing places. and almost free booze!  who could ask for anything more?

[www3traveler]

I would not worry!!  Your cruise is "what" you make it not what someone else says.

 

I have sailed on The Jewel many many times and never have had the issues she reported.  Will there be a meal or two not to your standards, maybe.  Will there be a rude crew member or passenger--maybe.

 

Go into the cruise thinking you will have a wonderful time.  Like her, you do not  know when your spouse may not be able to cruise again.  She has said several times that she though this would be Dad's last cruise.

 

Enjoy this special time together.

 

 

[Nilbog]

We were on the Jewel in the Haven for the last cruise of the 2023 Alaska season and had a great time.  I've not read YVRteacher's review, but we didn't have any bad experiences on the Jewel last year.  Each cruise is what you make of it.  If you go into it thinking it'll be bad then you'll look for the things that go wrong.  If you go into it thinking you're going to have a blast, then you will.

[suech1970]

We sailed Malaysia to Bali in February on Jewel and had the most fantastic time. I can’t think of any negatives we had on board, all my photos are of mouthwatering food!  You’ve picked Alaska because it such a beautiful area to cruise, I’m sure by focusing on that you will have a great time.

My motto…..fear the worst, hope for the best, especially when you read some ropey reviews of your ship.  
We’re on Sun next year and the reviews are stinking atm but I couldn’t care less, I’ll be in the South Pacific, I’ll row if I have to😆 and still be grateful to be there!

[Ellis1138]

Take all reviews with a grain of salt. I've been on cruises and had an amazing time, while others on the same sailing as me have posted that they were miserable. 

Since YVRteacher has not states which cabin they had, it might not be 14008. Or, for all we know, the dad flushed something he shouldn't have and it wasn't quickly fixable. 

It's possible to get on a cruise, even in the Haven, and have things go wrong. While I do bring things for "just in case X happens", I try not to cross over into non-productive worry.

 

[Shellbelle28]

9 minutes ago, suech1970 said:

We sailed Malaysia to Bali in February on Jewel and had the most fantastic time. I can’t think of any negatives we had on board, all my photos are of mouthwatering food!  You’ve picked Alaska because it such a beautiful area to cruise, I’m sure by focusing on that you will have a great time.

My motto…..fear the worst, hope for the best, especially when you read some ropey reviews of your ship.  
We’re on Sun next year and the reviews are stinking atm but I couldn’t care less, I’ll be in the South Pacific, I’ll row if I have to😆 and still be grateful to be there!

We loved the crew and the food on the Sun two years ago. We were in an aft Penthouse and a good portion of the aft of the ship had an odor of sewer, including inside of our stateroom at times, but that was the only negative we experienced. 

Edited September 4 by Shellbelle28

[Shellbelle28]

8 minutes ago, Ellis1138 said:

Take all reviews with a grain of salt. I've been on cruises and had an amazing time, while others on the same sailing as me have posted that they were miserable. 

Since YVRteacher has not states which cabin they had, it might not be 14008. Or, for all we know, the dad flushed something he shouldn't have and it wasn't quickly fixable. 

It's possible to get on a cruise, even in the Haven, and have things go wrong. While I do bring things for "just in case X happens", I try not to cross over into non-productive worry.

 

At times it's hard not to become overly influenced by a single person's experiences shared on Cruise Critic.

[Shellbelle28]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

I was on the Jewel in April, transpacific, Japan to Alaska. It was wonderful - but I sailed in a balcony. Food was fine, ship was clean, no complaints. I'd only be afraid if someone said the ship wasn't seaworthy.

Good to hear!

[Shellbelle28]

1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

I recall that @YVRteacher indicated that she enjoyed a cruise on Princess over the recent NCL Jewel fiasco.

Princess has a long-standing reputation for Alaskan cruises.

It may be too late for you to cancel Jewel and book with Princess.

I noted that you have booked a Family Villa with Balcony in the Haven. It seems that accommodation should be comfortable for you and hubby.

You may have to lower your expectations based on the 2022 cruise.

Many things on many ships have changed since 2022.

Make the best of the cruise- enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alaska, the reprieve from cooking and cleaning and being in the Haven.

If you plan another cruise to Alaska-consider a Princess cruise.

MJ👩🏻

 

I don't think anything will ever overtake our 2020 Australia/New Zealand cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl. The ship was in perfect condition, the crew were outstanding and the food never disappointed. But time marches on...

[suech1970]

28 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

We loved the crew and the food on the Sun two years ago. We were in an aft Penthouse and a good portion of the aft of the ship had an odor of sewer, including inside of our stateroom at times, but that was the only negative we experienced. 

Good to know know, on both accounts 😁

[Distinctive-Destinations]

If I was “terrified” about going on any vacation, I’d just not go. 
 

I think you’ll be perfectly fine, but if you aren’t, let management know.

[Travelicious]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Good luck! I'm fretting my February Getaway cruise....but I still have the option to cancel with no penalty. 

Don't you dare!

[graphicguy]

This kind of hand wringing entertains me.  It shouldn’t, but it does.

 

If you go to Princess or HAL you’ll see people fretting about being bored.  If you go to Royal, you’ll see complaints about the

cost of their drink packages etc.

 

Point is, go to any cruise line and you’ll see complaints.

 

The question is, how much weight do you give to the complaints?  And, what influence would any cruise line’s complaints have on your cruise?

 

You’re sailing in less than a month.  Are you going to cancel if you find some people complaining?  

 

Sail, smile, be happy!  That’s my best advice!

[hoops71]

We were on the Jewel from Japan to Seoul in March. Everything was amazing.  For every negative review on this site how many positive reviews never get posted?  I’ve been on 15 NCL cruise, never had a bad one.  And this is the closest I’ve come to ever leaving a review.  Had decent cruises on Carnival and Royal as well.  They also did not get one.  I would hazard a guess that negative reviews dominate these boards 10 to 1.  If that was the true customer satisfaction score all of the lines would be failing.

[YVRteacher]

2 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

Take all reviews with a grain of salt. I've been on cruises and had an amazing time, while others on the same sailing as me have posted that they were miserable. 

Since YVRteacher has not states which cabin they had, it might not be 14008. Or, for all we know, the dad flushed something he shouldn't have and it wasn't quickly fixable. 

It's possible to get on a cruise, even in the Haven, and have things go wrong. While I do bring things for "just in case X happens", I try not to cross over into non-productive worry.

 

Don’t make assumptions. The toilets were not working the moment we went into the cabin. Neither dad nor I flushed anything other than the provided toilet paper.

 

We were in cabin 11018 the first week and 11530 the second week.

Edited September 5 by YVRteacher

[Biffire]

I think you need to maintain a positive attitude, if you look for/expect problems, you will find them. I am sorry your husband has health problems that affect his frustration level. Having a GM board during your cruise, no matter how good he/she is does not give the GM time to evaluate or propose solutions to any perceived issues. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Goldenknight]

This thread is a wind-up, right?

 

Read some of the comments above, regarding the negativity and, bless, "hand-wringing"...the laundry list of complaints some people spew.  Some reviews are filed on the Fiction shelves . . .

 

 

[JerseyGem]

10 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 

We were in cabin 11018 the first week and 11530 the second week.

We'll be in 11018 in 2026.  By then, so many things will have changed (for better or for worse), whether crew, furniture, pillows, etc. that our cruise will be very different from any in 2024.  Hopefully, NCL also reads these trip reports and realizes that they need to step up and fix issues promptly.  We love NCL but have to admit that sometimes dealing with issues on a cruise are very frustrating.