Norwegian Jewel Sept. 3rd

[texrose]

Just returned from the Sept 3rd Classic Mediterranean sailing on the Jewel. First let me say that it was a fantastic itinerary and I thoroughly enjoyed every port we visited. I did want to post my opinions (good and bad) on various aspects of the cruise. This was my first cruise on the Norwegian line and I will admit up front that I did do comparisons to past cruises on the Royal Caribbean line. I don't mean this as a bash to NCL, just stating my opinion.

Embarkation/Disembarkation

Norwegian handles this process better than any cruise I have been on in the past. They provide many attendants to handle the check in process and we had a minimal wait and even got through the line quicker than my parents did in the special Latitudes line. Disembarkation also went smoothly and we found no wait to get off the ship, quickly located our luggage and proceeded to the airport. One note to those that have not flown recently; while I had been told that airport security had been lifted slightly and that they were now allowing makeup items of less than 4oz to be carried on, this was not true. They did not search my sister's makeup case, but went through mine and discarded everything with any liquid consistency (mascara and lip gloss as an example).

Ship and Crew

The ship was very clean and still in top notch shape. The crew, with the exception of the Shore Excursion desk, was very polite, friendly and quick to respond to your every need. We found the crew at the excursion desk to be grumpy and non-apologetic when many people voiced complaints about several of the shore excursions (more on that under shore excursions).

We were in a mini suite on deck 11 and while I believe it may have been only slightly less square footage than the junior suites on RCL, the layout of the room made it seem much smaller and hard to navigate. I shared the suite with my sister and with the beds separated into twin beds, the space left prevented you from having room to fully open the doors to the closet. I had to sit on the bed, open one door slightly and put my knees there and then open the other door….quite comical to say the least. The space around the mirror/hair dryer was also was very tight. During the night, our room did seem to get hot as though they turned the air conditioner off automatically. Never found a reason for this, but it did make for a few uncomfortable nights. On the up side, the bathroom space was great!

Shore Excursions

In Rome and Naples we hired private drivers and had a marvelous time. I can definitely recommend Bellantonio Limo Service for your excursions ( http://www.bellantoniolimoservice.com/). First let me say that I realize that the Venice, Dubrovnik and Turkey shore excursions were the first of the season for this cruise. We took the Wine Tasting in Veneto tour in Venice and the tour detail provided on the ship stated we would visit two wineries and have lunch in a neighboring town. After a 2 hour drive to the first winery, our tour guide informed us we would only be visiting the one winery and there was no mention of lunch at all. After the 2 hour drive back to the main port, we pulled up just as our water taxi pulled away from the dock and had to wait for another boat. We basically received less than half of the tour we paid for. We were told to ask for a Guest Feedback Form from the Shore Excursion desk to voice our complaint. The crew at the desk acted like "how dare we ask for a form to complain", but did provide us with the form. Quite honestly, with their attitude, we all had the feeling that when we turned the forms back in they were probably immediately thrown away, but I am happy to say that a few days later they did reimburse us for half of the tour charge. I also heard other passengers complaining that the Walking Tour of Venice was a major disappointment and they submitted feedback on this as well. I don't know if they received any refund. The tours we took in Dubrovnik and Turkey were excellent tours, but the ship needs to account for the fact that all of these tours took much longer than the estimated total tour time. Each one ran 1 to 1 1/2 hours over the stated time. While I didn't have an issue with the good tour taking longer, you need to know the time up front to be prepared for it. The extra time did impact some peoples dinner reservations. The ship actually had to wait for a couple of late tours in Izmir, so they might be making some changes to the tour itinerary.

Dining

We ate at the following specialty restaurants and had excellent service and fantastic food: Mama's Italian Kitchen, Cagney's Steak House, Chin Chin and Le Bistro.

We were very disappointed with the main dining rooms. The service lacked and the food choices and quality were poor compared to previous cruises. They also seemed to have way too many tables crammed into the dining rooms. You had to work your way through a maze to get to and from tables as you tried to find space to walk around tables and chairs. At one meal, our table was so close to the table behind us that the waiters had to pass dishes across the tables since they couldn't even get close enough to serve properly. The buffet was a major disappointment. While a buffet is a buffet, it is inexcusable to serve yourself from a hot entrée just as you see it placed on the serving line and find that the food is cold. Food that should have been hot always seemed to be cold. Tip: For breakfast eat from the omelet and waffle bar so that it is made while you wait. We also found that the area was not large enough to handle a busy breakfast rush before people left for morning tours. Nothing worse than fighting the crowd to fix your plate and then not finding a place to sit.

 

I do want to say that I enjoyed meeting everyone from the CC Roll Call at the meet and greet and it was a very nice surprise that those of us attending were given "VIP" status and received a very nice "treat" in our cabins each evening. Thanks to NCL!! Hope everyone else had a great cruise. I guess this is enough to mention for now. As I stated above, I did have a fantastic time and don't intend for this to be a put down of NCL. I am just offering honest opinions on some of the good and bad from this cruise.

[heelfan94]

A very nice review. I like it when people state facts as they happened, and why it was necessary to complain.

 

It sounds like a great cruise. I've looked at the mini-suites on this ship and wondered about the layout. Thanks for the info.

 

:)

[heelfan94]

One quick question. Did you have VIP status because of the mini-suite? I couldn't tell from the way you worded the part about the CC Meet & Greet.

[newmexicoNita]

Just returned from the Sept 3rd Classic Mediterranean sailing on the Jewel. First let me say that it was a fantastic itinerary and I thoroughly enjoyed every port we visited. I did want to post my opinions (good and bad) on various aspects of the cruise. This was my first cruise on the Norwegian line and I will admit up front that I did do comparisons to past cruises on the Royal Caribbean line. I don't mean this as a bash to NCL, just stating my opinion.

Embarkation/Disembarkation

Norwegian handles this process better than any cruise I have been on in the past. They provide many attendants to handle the check in process and we had a minimal wait and even got through the line quicker than my parents did in the special Latitudes line. Disembarkation also went smoothly and we found no wait to get off the ship, quickly located our luggage and proceeded to the airport. One note to those that have not flown recently; while I had been told that airport security had been lifted slightly and that they were now allowing makeup items of less than 4oz to be carried on, this was not true. They did not search my sister's makeup case, but went through mine and discarded everything with any liquid consistency (mascara and lip gloss as an example).

Ship and Crew

The ship was very clean and still in top notch shape. The crew, with the exception of the Shore Excursion desk, was very polite, friendly and quick to respond to your every need. We found the crew at the excursion desk to be grumpy and non-apologetic when many people voiced complaints about several of the shore excursions (more on that under shore excursions).

We were in a mini suite on deck 11 and while I believe it may have been only slightly less square footage than the junior suites on RCL, the layout of the room made it seem much smaller and hard to navigate. I shared the suite with my sister and with the beds separated into twin beds, the space left prevented you from having room to fully open the doors to the closet. I had to sit on the bed, open one door slightly and put my knees there and then open the other door….quite comical to say the least. The space around the mirror/hair dryer was also was very tight. During the night, our room did seem to get hot as though they turned the air conditioner off automatically. Never found a reason for this, but it did make for a few uncomfortable nights. On the up side, the bathroom space was great!

Shore Excursions

In Rome and Naples we hired private drivers and had a marvelous time. I can definitely recommend Bellantonio Limo Service for your excursions ( http://www.bellantoniolimoservice.com/). First let me say that I realize that the Venice, Dubrovnik and Turkey shore excursions were the first of the season for this cruise. We took the Wine Tasting in Veneto tour in Venice and the tour detail provided on the ship stated we would visit two wineries and have lunch in a neighboring town. After a 2 hour drive to the first winery, our tour guide informed us we would only be visiting the one winery and there was no mention of lunch at all. After the 2 hour drive back to the main port, we pulled up just as our water taxi pulled away from the dock and had to wait for another boat. We basically received less than half of the tour we paid for. We were told to ask for a Guest Feedback Form from the Shore Excursion desk to voice our complaint. The crew at the desk acted like "how dare we ask for a form to complain", but did provide us with the form. Quite honestly, with their attitude, we all had the feeling that when we turned the forms back in they were probably immediately thrown away, but I am happy to say that a few days later they did reimburse us for half of the tour charge. I also heard other passengers complaining that the Walking Tour of Venice was a major disappointment and they submitted feedback on this as well. I don't know if they received any refund. The tours we took in Dubrovnik and Turkey were excellent tours, but the ship needs to account for the fact that all of these tours took much longer than the estimated total tour time. Each one ran 1 to 1 1/2 hours over the stated time. While I didn't have an issue with the good tour taking longer, you need to know the time up front to be prepared for it. The extra time did impact some peoples dinner reservations. The ship actually had to wait for a couple of late tours in Izmir, so they might be making some changes to the tour itinerary.

Dining

We ate at the following specialty restaurants and had excellent service and fantastic food: Mama's Italian Kitchen, Cagney's Steak House, Chin Chin and Le Bistro.

We were very disappointed with the main dining rooms. The service lacked and the food choices and quality were poor compared to previous cruises. They also seemed to have way too many tables crammed into the dining rooms. You had to work your way through a maze to get to and from tables as you tried to find space to walk around tables and chairs. At one meal, our table was so close to the table behind us that the waiters had to pass dishes across the tables since they couldn't even get close enough to serve properly. The buffet was a major disappointment. While a buffet is a buffet, it is inexcusable to serve yourself from a hot entrée just as you see it placed on the serving line and find that the food is cold. Food that should have been hot always seemed to be cold. Tip: For breakfast eat from the omelet and waffle bar so that it is made while you wait. We also found that the area was not large enough to handle a busy breakfast rush before people left for morning tours. Nothing worse than fighting the crowd to fix your plate and then not finding a place to sit.

 

I do want to say that I enjoyed meeting everyone from the CC Roll Call at the meet and greet and it was a very nice surprise that those of us attending were given "VIP" status and received a very nice "treat" in our cabins each evening. Thanks to NCL!! Hope everyone else had a great cruise. I guess this is enough to mention for now. As I stated above, I did have a fantastic time and don't intend for this to be a put down of NCL. I am just offering honest opinions on some of the good and bad from this cruise.

Great objective review. I don't think anyone would take it as a put down to NCL. As for the food, as I have said, we didnt see much difference in the Sun in April or any other line but one thing you mention: the crowded dining rooms (main that is) you, know I never noticed it on the Jewel, but you are right. They are pretty jammed together. NMnita

[sjbdtz]

One quick question. Did you have VIP status because of the mini-suite? I couldn't tell from the way you worded the part about the CC Meet & Greet.

 

No, they provided VIP status to everyone at the CC meet'n greet (they don't tell you that's what they're doing...but they take-down everyone's room number!)

 

 

===============

TexRose:

Great review! I posted mine a couple of days ago, too! Was nice meeting you!

[kataiga]

How large was your cc-group? Just wonder if we will get the same VIP status on our transatlantic, our cc-group counts to about 85 people:eek:

We can always hope and pray

[Zeno]

Nice mixed review! I NEVER felt you were melodramatic or whining unnecessarily. Any issues you had were very reasonably described.

[garycarla]

What comes with this new "VIP Status"?

 

Hmmmm....

[garycarla]

....They did not search my sister's makeup case, but went through mine and discarded everything with any liquid consistency (mascara and lip gloss as an example)....

 

So, are you saying they only discard what they find, and they do not look in everyones bag? Seems a bit silly that they threw your stuff away but your sister carried stuff onboard. Not blaming your sister, just the silly rules.

[texrose]

No, they provided VIP status to everyone at the CC meet'n greet (they don't tell you that's what they're doing...but they take-down everyone's room number!)

 

 

===============

TexRose:

Great review! I posted mine a couple of days ago, too! Was nice meeting you!

 

 

Nice meeting you too Stephen! Sorry to hear that you had a few issues on this cruise as well, but it sounds like we agree that it was still a great trip!

I'm fighting a cold that I started coming down with the last day in Turkey. Even with all the hand disinfectant on the ship, with all the sneezing and coughing I heard onboard and on the plane going over, it was a miracle that no one else in our group got sick. Sounds like you also had an issue with your air arrangements going home? From now on we will probably make our own air arrangements to try and get more direct flights. Every flight we had was delayed due to weather or mechanics and we missed the connection in Atlanta and ended up spending Friday night there. Also lost luggage somewhere in between, but it showed up and was delivered to us on Sunday. Even with all that, I still say this was a great vacation! :)

Take Care!

TexRose - Rhonda

[texrose]

So, are you saying they only discard what they find, and they do not look in everyones bag? Seems a bit silly that they threw your stuff away but your sister carried stuff onboard. Not blaming your sister, just the silly rules.

 

Seemed silly to me as well. We were side-by-side at the inspection point in the Turkey airport and the security person opened my little makeup bag and went through item by item and with each one that she felt wasn't allowed she said "no" and threw it away. I looked over my shoulder at my sister and saw her security person pick up her large makeup bag, open it slightly and then close it up and put it back in her carry-on. One other sister flying out earlier that morning had her mascara taken from her, but not her lip gloss tubes. Doesn't seem very consistent or secure, does it?

[flvol77]

We were in a mini suite on deck 11 and while I believe it may have been only slightly less square footage than the junior suites on RCL, the layout of the room made it seem much smaller and hard to navigate. I shared the suite with my sister and with the beds separated into twin beds, the space left prevented you from having room to fully open the doors to the closet. I had to sit on the bed, open one door slightly and put my knees there and then open the other door….quite comical to say the least. The space around the mirror/hair dryer was also was very tight. During the night, our room did seem to get hot as though they turned the air conditioner off automatically. Never found a reason for this, but it did make for a few uncomfortable nights. On the up side, the bathroom space was great!

Dining

We ate at the following specialty restaurants and had excellent service and fantastic food: Mama's Italian Kitchen, Cagney's Steak House, Chin Chin and Le Bistro.

We were very disappointed with the main dining rooms. The service lacked and the food choices and quality were poor compared to previous cruises. They also seemed to have way too many tables crammed into the dining rooms. You had to work your way through a maze to get to and from tables as you tried to find space to walk around tables and chairs. At one meal, our table was so close to the table behind us that the waiters had to pass dishes across the tables since they couldn't even get close enough to serve properly. The buffet was a major disappointment. While a buffet is a buffet, it is inexcusable to serve yourself from a hot entrée just as you see it placed on the serving line and find that the food is cold. Food that should have been hot always seemed to be cold. Tip: For breakfast eat from the omelet and waffle bar so that it is made while you wait. We also found that the area was not large enough to handle a busy breakfast rush before people left for morning tours. Nothing worse than fighting the crowd to fix your plate and then not finding a place to sit.

 

I am not sure what ship you have been on with RCCL but a jr suite including balcony is 364 sq ft and the mini on NCL Jewel is 284 including Balcony. I know its only 80 sq ft but I guess that 80 sq ft made a difference to you.

 

That is really disappointing to hear about their main dining rooms. Question if you remember, Did the daily dining room menus have Ceaser Salad, Salmon and Steak on the always available portion of the menu?

[texrose]

I am not sure what ship you have been on with RCCL but a jr suite including balcony is 364 sq ft and the mini on NCL Jewel is 284 including Balcony. I know its only 80 sq ft but I guess that 80 sq ft made a difference to you.

 

That is really disappointing to hear about their main dining rooms. Question if you remember, Did the daily dining room menus have Ceaser Salad, Salmon and Steak on the always available portion of the menu?

 

Can't remember if the Salmon was on the always available menu, but the salad and steak were.

 

I think what made the biggest difference in the suites between the two ships (besides the 80 sq ft - I didn't know the dimensions for RCCL) was that RCCL has a very large walk-in closet that is accessible from the entry way, where as the NCL closet was very small and on the wall next to the bed. Even in my parents mini suite where they left the bed together, they said it was hard to get into and hard to see since there was no light source close by. There also seemed to be a lot more shelf and drawer space in the RCCL jr suite. Two women traveling together really noticed the differences in these spaces :)

[sjbdtz]

Can't remember if the Salmon was on the always available menu, but the salad and steak were.

 

I think what made the biggest difference in the suites between the two ships (besides the 80 sq ft - I didn't know the dimensions for RCCL) was that RCCL has a very large walk-in closet that is accessible from the entry way, where as the NCL closet was very small and on the wall next to the bed. Even in my parents mini suite where they left the bed together, they said it was hard to get into and hard to see since there was no light source close by. There also seemed to be a lot more shelf and drawer space in the RCCL jr suite. Two women traveling together really noticed the differences in these spaces :)

 

The salmon is, too.

[oceannotion]

We thought that the main dining rooms on the Jewel were great...no complaints from all eight of us. The service, food, and "space" were excellent...(Med-August).

[mandiecandie5]

Texrose thanks for your review, great port info. How does the RCCL solarium area compare with the NCL Jewel. How were weather temperatures for you? Thanks again :)

[sbncl]

We were also on this sailing and had a wonderful time. I felt that the service was exceptional (as always) and the food was fine. There are always plenty of choices. The weather was perfect & the tours were wonderful. No complaints here. Another great NCL cruise under out belts!! :)

 

I'm sorry we missed the CC Meet & Greet. :(