Jewel--Istanbul to Athens

[Mountaineers2]

We are just back from the Sept. 15 Jewel sailing from Istanbul to Athens and since I got so much insight and advice from this site prior to sailing I want to take this chance to give back some with my review and comments.

First, the Jewel is beautiful and immaculate. Everything gleamed and shined. The crew were friendly, professional, helpful and hard-working. I have never seen so many officers on a cruise constantly patrolling the ship and checking into the little things----picking up a piece of trash, answering questions, etc. It must come from the Captain because I have never seen such a hands on one. Saw him throughout the cruise, he made himself available for pictures, and was even at the gangway at disembarkation to wish us goodbye and shake our hands. General thoughts and observations follow at random:

EMBARKATION---Met at airport by NCL and whisked to ship. Check-in took only minutes. First time, though, I have had my passport kept by the ship. We were only given them back while we were in Egypt and then had to return them when we left Egypt. And for the visa question in Stanbul---easy. When you get off the plane you proceed to a line that says "Visas". You pay them $20 if you are US citizen(no checks, change, credit cards), they stamp passport, and then you move over to the the passport line right next to it, get stamped and then go pick up language and go outside to bus. Easy and simple.(I really have no memory of the visa for Egypt---I think NCL arranged for passports to be stamped and we merely showed it to an Egyption official on gangway as we got off first day. Only time in two days it was looked at.)

CABIN---We had a balcony cabin and it was quite spacious. Plenty of closet and drawer space and luggage could be stored under the bed. Refrigerator but it was packed with their mini-bar stuff you could purchase so you have to remove that stuff if you want to store anything yourself. Bathroom had a separate sliding door for toilet and one for shower. Only two power outlets through cabin so you might want to bring a power strip.Unlike some ships, all balconies have a roof totally covering balcony so the people above you are not peering down on you. We found the bed and duvet quite comfortable.

HEALTH---They are taking health and germs quite seriously. At the entrance to every dining place, casino, or other facilty there are disinfectant dispensers and they have crew members standing by to direct you to them. And for good reason. On the third day out my DW made a rushed trip to the bathroom at 7 in the morning and several others over the next hours. And this was projectile vomiting--later on intestinal. We contacted the ship clinic and the nurse had us come right down where she examined DW, gave her some medication, had her fill out CDC forms regarding her meals and recent travels, and had her come back when the Dr. started hours. We came back and he saw her right away. He said it had been clear that some people had caught something in Istanbul and it had been brought on the ship. There was no charge for either visit even though a price chart was on the wall setting out cost for visits. I think this was a customer service thing. Two days later I got an abbreviated version of it for one night. Later on though supposedly a lot of people came down with GIS after spending the night in Cairo. After this new outbreak, the last two days no one was allowed to serve themselves at the buffets, coffee machine, water dispenser, etc. You told crew members what you wanted and they served you. I applaud the positive measures they took here with something that was clearly not their fault. I would not be surpised if passengers are advised on future sailings on this itinerary to receive certain immunizations ahead of time. We talked to couples whose doctors had advised them to do so.

By the way, the crew and staff were superb when my DW was ill. They went back into the kitchens to find me soda crackers one time, and apple juice another, and kept inquiring after her.

ITINERARY AND SHORE EXCURSIONS---We made a mistake in not booking a couple of days in Istanbul prior to sailing but time would not allow. A fascinating city we intend to go back and see on our own more sometime. We booked an excursion the day of sailing and had a great time but the end of the tour promised a visit to a Turkish rug store to learn "the history" of rug-making. It was actually a high-powered sales pitch with no history. Given free time for the Grand Bazaar but we stuck our head inside, saw the teeming mass, and said no. Spent the rest of time avoiding salesmen that would come out of stores and try to bring us in. Did not help that we had tour stickers on identifying us as tourists

Izhmir---A trip to the ruins of the Roman city of Ephesus is a must, especially if history fascinates you like us. Crowded but we had a fantastic guide with great grasp of history to divulge to us on the 45 minute bus ride to the site.

Mykonos---I spent on our balcony with wife sick inside. People I talked to were divided on it--some unimpressed, some loved. Ship docked away from town but NCL had a constant stream of shuttle buses taking people to and fro.

Santorini---OK, little editorial time. Having cruised a number of times I am starting to wonder how the cruise industry might be negatively impacting the whole reason a tourist spot became a point of interest. Part of the allure of this itinerary for us was the variety of experiences offered. And part of that was the picturesque and peace suggested by the Greek Isles. As we pulled into Santorini the Captain informed us it was going to be crowded---there were 6 cruise ships anchored with a total of 7000 passengers. This for a port where the inhabitants number about 2100 and the only way up the cliff is by a cable car that handles only 36 people a time, or by walking up the nearly 700 cobble-stoned steps shared with donkeys, or riding the donkeys up. We went in after lunch and wated about 45 minutes for the cable car. At the top it was wall-to-wall people. We got away from the crowds in the quiet sections briefly and it was beautiful but then it was back to the crowds. We finally decided to leave but the line for the cable car had to be at least 2 hours long. So we decided to walk down. We still try to suppress the memory. There was donkey and people gridlock. One woman had been knocked down by the donkeys and was bleeding profusely. The donkey guys were yelling. It stunk. You would hear the bells behind you of donkeys coming down or up and look frantically for a way to get out of their way. Twice I had to push them away from me as they went by. Almost an hour to get down the cliff. Would have been beautiful and quaint but just too many peop[le were there at the same time. But at least we laugh about it now.

Iraklion---We just wandered through the city. Picturesque and big enough that our ship did not crowd it up too much. Easy to walk into yourself.

Alexandria/Cairo---Must make a note here about claims that NCL is all about money. We were supposed to get into Alexandra at 7 in the morning. The afternoon before the Captain informed us there was a medical emergency and he was going to maximun speed to get to Alexandria. It was a crew member ill and we got there early that evening. Thus the Capt. incurred the extra fuel costs and lost casino income from that night to get an injured crew member ashore. Bravo I say.

Egypt certainly seems to be open for tourism. We ported at a spanking new, beautiful terminal that is not completely finished but obviously cost a lot in hopes of new tourism. Security was high. An armed government agent was put on every tour bus to protect us from any harassment and the tour convoys were given precedence on the highways. 3 hours by bus to Cairo but again an excellent guide with a great grasp of the history of Egypt. And you could order ahead for souvenirs on the bus. I will not try to describe the awe of the Pyramids. Experience it yourself. Fantastic buffet meal at a 5-star hotel in Cairo with a band playing outside welcoming us. Worse experience is the hawkers all over the sites. They constantly harass you to buy something and sometimes will pretend to give you a gift and then demand money. Saw at least two hauled away by the Tourism Police for going over the line----though I wonder what that line is. People on camels everywhere trying to get you to take pictures and then charge you. DO NOT GO OUT IN DESERT ON CAMEL. they will get you out there and demand more. Our guide volunteered to get us any souvenirs we wanted or pictures and thus protect us. If you take pictures of anyone or have them take your picture expect to be harassed for money. After awhile it got quite maddening.

We took the city tour of Alexandria the next day and it was quite pleasant. Just fascinating sites. Alexandria is much cleaner than Cairo but both have pretty filty areas. Trash just seems to be thrown anywhere. Ordinary citizens seemed friendly though and were constantly waving and smiling at our buses. By the way, the port terminal has established booths for vendors so you can find about anything you want there. You could not exchange for Egyption pounds on the ship unti an Egyption bank came aboard to exchange. But US dollars are the universal language. We always got offered things in US dollar prices. Take a lot of US dollar bills because they are like gold for buying water, soft drinks, souvenrs, everything. Dollars were taken about every place we stopped.

Corfu---Just beautiful. We might want to go back there. Perfect for walking on your own and seeing the sights and the maze of streets. European style outdoor cafes everywhere. Nice shopping---not crap.

Katakalon---Not much here but the Olympic Ruins. Worth it too mostly and some wonderful upscale souvenirs outside the Olympic site. WARNING--We only exchanged money twice for Euros. On the ship there was a $6 charge for changing. At the Bank of Greece at Olympic site they charged my DW 20 Euros as a commission to change $100 US to Euros! And were rude in the process.

Athens---We stayed an extra day. Toward the end of the cruise they offered tours on the day of disembarkation for those with late flights or those going to a hotel. We left right from the ship and had a wonderful tour ending at the Acropolis and the Old Town. Breath-taking and well worth it. Then we were delivered to our hotel which I will describe below.

FOOD---We ate almost every time at the Garden Cafe buffet. Sometimes at the Great Outdoors which is great for snacks.

The Garden Cafe is the best set up cruise buffet we have experienced. Numerous stations so there is no grid-lock. Found the food varied and tasty. There is a separate pasta station where they will make it to your order throughout the day. Separate carving stations for meat. Vegetarian section. Stir-fry section. Coffee machines have latte. Sugar-free desert section. Make your own sandwich, or get one of various premade sandwiches, station. Of course, hamburgers and hot dogs at all times. For the two main restaurants reservations not needed most times. Speciality restaurants fill up pretty quick---especially Mama's Italian.

DISEMBARKATION---NCL did not abandon you at the dock as some do. We had booked the pre-hotel tour and gathered at 7:45 in the Theater.(Almost every shore excursion starts with you gathering in the Stardust Theater and then having your tour called and given stickers telling you what bus you are on. Worked pretty well.)Of course our luggage had been collected the night before and as we got off ship we collected it in the terminal and took it to the buses where NCL staff sorted us out according to hotel or airport. After the tour we arrived at the InterContinental(5-star class) where NCL people had a conference room where are room keys were already in envelopes with our names along with a letter informing us when to have our luggage out in hall for airport and when to meet bus to airport. Luggage was delivered to our room and we went right up. Next morning we had a great buffet included and our luggage was delivered from our room to the bus. At the airport NCL reps helped us through check-in and stayed there till we all were settled. Back at the hotel NCL had a courtesy desk that they would continue to man through Saturday and were offering additional tours to people staying longer. I thought it was all done in a first class manner.

GENERAL THOUGHTS--A lovely cruise. Some surpises for me. For instance, most nights the Casino had free drinks for people actually playing. Rarely do you get free things on a cruise! Admittedly, waiters were not assiduously tracking you down for orders, but I would go up to the bar with the slot machines built in and play the nickel slots and always have a free drink offered right away.(For those not that adventuresome there are plenty of nickel and penny slots. You can play a long time on a dollar. In fact I won $17 on a 1 cent bet.) Also was surpised how much US dollars accepted. Again, bring plenty of singles and small bills for souvenirs, water, tips, etc. In fact the restrooms at Ephesus were 50 cents to use. Texas Hold Em Tournament was held two days at sea with only 29 buying in the first day and I think 15 the next. $60 buy-in but be warned---players down to their last few chips are allowed additional buy-ins for another $60. This upset some of the serious players.

Entertainment was OK but I was not blown away. Almost all entertainment was in the Theater with no professional entertainment in the other venues other than bands. Usual standbys by crew were performed by crew such as Newly Wed Gane and skits that if you have sailed more than twice you probably have seen.

NCL really,really, really wants you to use their shore excursions and nothing else. This is probably half revenue purpose and half not getting passengers spread lost all over ports. Almost nothing is given to you describing the port, such as maps, so you can find your own way around. I asked the purser for a map of Iraklion and got one but it had street names I could not read and was not very helpful. In Corfu I asked for a map and was given a xerox page where he indicated where we were ported and where the passenger terminal was. After I lookad at it for awhile I went back inside and told him he had us marked down in the wrong port. After consultation in back he realized they had been giving out wrong maps all morning. I got an accurate one when I went ashore. Kudos for them having a couple of experts on board who gave history lectures. There were also a number of demonstrations by the chefs and the Capt. and officers gave a presentation and Q and A one day. A happy ship with a happy crew. Self serve laundry facilities on board. Also ship delivers to you a laundry bag where you can have laundry done and delivered back to you. I think it was $25. Any questions I will be happy to try and address.

[Carey and Kerry]

Sounds like you had a great time - we are going to be doing this cruise next year and am wondering which side of the ship had better views for docking and such?

[newlywedcruisers]

Glad you got out already, i'm sure the hijacking is gonna put some dents in scheduales now.

[Mountaineers2]

We were port side and had the majority of best views. Of course the ship might dock in different locations for you.

[Toyz711]

we were lucky, there were only 3 ships on Santorini the day we were there (a couple of years ago). we did the tour to the ruins, it was great.

the tours go to the "other" landing zone, where you can take a bus up the hill. with the small streets and limited access, i can see where it could be troublesome. but when there aren't 7 ships in port, it can be a nice place for walking and pictures. when they re-open the ruins, it is a place you want to see.

the lines for the tram down, go fast. it's a constant stream of trams that hold more then a few people at a time.

[mandiecandie5]

Wow, great information thanks for reporting back on your trip!! We are taking this next year..although have been on the fence about switching to a different route to avoid more crowds. We live out here so aren't into the huge tourist rush of summer. Your donkey story was quite funny (not laughing at you just could picture myself in the same situation) must make for some good stories :rolleyes:

A few questions for you...

 

In Izmir and Cairo did you use the ship excursion or private tour?

Is there anything to do in Katakalon at the pier--cafes, shops, small town?

How was the weather?

 

Thanks again for great reporting! :)

[Mountaineers2]

In Izmir and Cairo we both used ship excursions and were very pleased with them. We only took the one-day Cairo tour instead of the overnight because we also wanted to tour Alexandria the next day. In Katakalon there is basically just one short main street with some souvenir shops and such that we did not even stop at because the ship was a good walk away and we were tired. At the Olympic site there are very nice shops and cafes. One couple said they went to a nearby beach. As for the weather, it was pefect every day. Hot but dry in Cairo and Alexandria. If you plan this trip I cannot overemphasize getting shots or something beforehand to combat what so many of us came down with.

[dreamtravelr]

:) Hello Mountaineers2. Not far from you myself, near Harpers Ferry.

Sounds like you had a great cruise. I had looked into this itinerary myself. I have friends stationed in Istanbul that invited me for a visit

and figured it would be much better to mix a visit in with a cruise.

Did you get a copy of the Freestyle Daily for the Jewel that you can post? Thanks.

[7SeasLover]

We are set to leave tomorrow night on a flight to NY. We'll toot around NY before flying to Istanbul via Paris. I just hope the flight GETS to Istanbul. We'll spend a couple days in Instabul before boarding the Jewel on the 9 for a 12-day cruise to Barcelona.

 

Really looking forward to this trip. Hope it's quiet with no restless folks doing crazy things.

 

This hijacking may hurt the tourism in Turkey. Too bad.

 

This is my first time on the Jewel. I'm sure I'll love it!

[IrisF]

Thanks Mountaineers2 for the great review. DH & I will be going on this itinerary next September and we were looking forward to reading a review like this.

 

Of course, it makes it seems like a long way off at this point, but your review gives us lots to look forward to.

 

Thanks again,

IrisF & Dean

[German]

Mountaineers2,

Thank you for posting the 1st review of this itinerary. We were on the Jewel the same time, and I pretty much agree with your assessment. I think you were very diplomatic about Egypt. I remember somebody getting off the bus to board after we disembarked the ship and he asked me about Egypt, the only thing I mentioned to him was to be cautious of the vendors. I do think Egypt will be a different experience for a lot of people, my advice for everybody going there is to make sure to ask a lot of questions of their guide to get a better understanding.

Mountaineer2, you mentioned the captain being approachable, absolutely, he (Captain Constantinos Fafalios), even attended our sail away Cruise Critics meeting.

We were able to spent Tue-Thur in Istanbul before boarding the ship on Friday, and I am glad we did, we also had stayed in Athens for an additional two nights. We had a private tour guide on Wed and Thur in Istanbul, as well as private tours on Izmir and Crete.

Overall, I have to say that this really was an incredible itinerary and waiting 10 months for it since we originally booked was well worth it.

[Noorderdam]

Thank for very nice informative review.

Can you tell me were Jewel docks in IZMIR ? Is it in "passport-harbour" (so, right in the city-center, Konak square) or in "industrial-harbour" (and how far is that from city-center)?.

Thanks.

[Mountaineers2]

I kept our Freestyle Dailies but unfortunately do not have a scanner that would allow me to post them. Maybe someone else can. As for the Izhmir port, I am embarassed because I have absolutely no memory of where we ported there! I was major brain dead that morning and got on the bus in a fog. Funny thing is I remember everything else in detail but not that. When I view our video I am sure it will come back to me .

[texrose]

Thank for very nice informative review.

Can you tell me were Jewel docks in IZMIR ? Is it in "passport-harbour" (so, right in the city-center, Konak square) or in "industrial-harbour" (and how far is that from city-center)?.

Thanks.

 

I was on the Sept 3rd Jewel sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul. Can't remember much either about the port in Izmir, but I think I remember it being rather industrial. We immediately got on a bus for the Ephesus tour (not to be missed!), but my sister chose not to go on the tour and found shops within walking distance from the ship and bought several nice things including a great looking leather jacket for $35 Euros!

[mandiecandie5]

Mountaineers2 thanks for the reply. Do you feel you got enough of Cairo in the day tour or would you do an overnight if you could do it over? Same question to the others who have just returned...

 

What would you say was the average age on board this cruise? I've never been on NCL and have no idea what to expect.

 

What are everyone else's experiences in each port...any highlights? :)

 

Thanks again, its great to hear about this itinerary finally! :D

[Mountaineers2]

To be honest I think I got enough with the 1 day Cairo because otherwise I would have seen none of Alexandria---the overnight Cairo people got back late afternoon the 2nd day. Plus, the noise, vendors, and such were enough for one day. Now, if we ever go back to Cairo ourselves I would like to see more but then we would be a little less conspicuous. When you are traveling in convoys of several buses they come out of the wood work.

As for average age, my wife and I both commented that this was a definite Baby Boomer crowd with a lot lower average age than several cruises we have been on. Very few children too.

[DragonflyCruiser]

NCL Jewel 9/15-27/2006 OK, I will post this here. I tried to post on member reviews but am not sure what happened. So hope you enjoy...

 

We arrived in Istanbul 2 days prior to sailing. We stayed in the lovely Sari Konak and enjoyed the breakfast spread that was included with the room. The inn was well maintained, clean , excellent and very helpful staff and the best location for seeing the area attractions. We walked everywhere and found the historic Sultanhamet to be safe and easy to navigate with some help and a map. The Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace are not to be missed. We didn’t stop for 2 days! The harbor is one of the busiest and most exciting we have ever seen. Just mesmerizing to watch the heavy traffic pass majestically by. We enjoyed every minute of Istanbul.

 

Boarding was set to start at 1:00, but we arrived around noon. The lines hadn’t really started to form at check in so we breezed thru and were in our Penthouse, #9000, in minutes. Soon after, we met our butler, Karan. A very nice person who was available to take care of the little things that make a cruise really special. I’m missing him now and the appetizers delivered around 5:30 each day.

 

We had been on the Jewel last Sept.2005, we are happy to report that she looks just as beautiful now as she did a year ago. In fact , we decided to just stay on that day to enjoy and relax and watch the harbor rather than try to go back into Istanbul. The Jewel was in port over night. We ate dinner at Le Bistro. One of our favorites!

 

We had a wonderful Cruise Critic gathering with 26 in attendance and 6 of the ship’s staff including our captain. We met in Maltings after sail away. It was fun to put faces with screen names! Thanks to all who attended.

 

The next morning we were docked at Izmir and soon on the tour bus to Ephesus. It’s a fairly compact site and the day we were there extremely crowded. We had a guide who enlightened us on the way of life and history of the area. The biggest challenge was to take pictures that were not filled with the hoards of people. In spite of that, we enjoyed the site and had a great time.

 

At Mykonos we opted for the tour to Delos. This site was more open and spread out so the crowds didn‘t seem to bother us as much. Our guide was able to steer us away from some of the rush and that made it so much nicer. A not to be missed site but be warned…the museum is not open on Monday and the cave of Hercules is probably going to be too far to hike in the time you are there. We were disappointed by that! And, wear a hat and sunscreen and carry water.

 

Santorini is beautiful. Again we encountered many ships at anchor with us and too many people. This day we did not take a ship tour. We opted to hire a guide upon arrival with some CC friends. The town of Fira is 1,000 feet up from the base where the tender drops you off. There are 3 options for reaching the top: cable car, donkey or walking. Don’t walk if you aren’t in really good shape! I need to also mention that the donkeys also use this cobble stone walk so lots of droppings to avoid and smells to endure…not to mention dodging donkeys!!! We used the cable car to go up and no line since we were among the first off the ship. Coming down was a different story. Seems everyone wanted to leave at the same time and the line for the cable was huge. We walked. It took about 20-30 minutes of moving pretty fast and being careful of our footing. It was not something I’d want to do again. We decided that it would be impossible to take a bad picture of Santorini. Just a wonderful place, beautiful towns and even some nice red wine. We enjoyed the island in spite of the crowds and would do it all again.

 

Next we were docking at Iraklion, the capitol of Crete. Again we opted not to take a ship tour. Mainly because this cruise itinerary was so active we felt we’d need a ‘down’ day. We negotiated a taxi and went straight to the museum. It’s not a huge one but very well done. We ran into The History Chanel’s team filming a segment for Digging for the Truth with Josh Bernstein. Since we were about the only people who recognized him, and we stood there to watch for quite a while, he came over to talk with us and give us autographed pictures. Nice man and easy to look at! The show should air late Jan 2007. From there we walked to the shopping area and wandered up and down the streets full of small shops and markets. Then, found a taxi and returned back to the ship.

 

A day at sea!!! Finally! Yea!

 

The port of Alexandria is really beautiful. It’s all new. The circle drive was filled with busses and taxi’s were waiting. Again, we opted to hire a private tour for Cairo, the first day and Alexandria, the second. We did this prior to leaving home. There are lots of registered tour companies to choose from. We were met by our driver and Egyptologist and headed out for the 3 hour drive to Cairo. We were stunned by the conditions of the city, the crowded living conditions and the trash in the streets. Do go to see the pyramids, the museum and several other sites of interest. We had tried to go to the bazaar but were turned away by police due to some danger in the area. With such unsettled times don’t try to do anything in Egypt without a guide. We were boarded on the first class train for our return to the ship. In Alexandria we were met by our driver and taken back to the port. The next morning we were met by our driver and a different Egyptologist. We toured the Catacombs, Roman Amphitheater and new library. All of these are not to be missed. We lunched at the Fish Market and had a great view of the old harbor where the Great Lighthouse once stood at the opening. A very enjoyable day. The popular opinion was “glad we came to Egypt but probably won’t return“.

 

Another well deserved day at sea to relax and enjoy the ship!

 

We docked in Corfu and walked to town. Again let me warn you that the museum wasn’t open on Monday! We found out the hard way. Several ship tours are offered…we opted not to do them. We just spent the day taking in the sites of the town. A nice way to spend any day!

 

We docked in Katakolon. It would be easy to walk to the small town and enjoy the shopping but this day we did take a ship tour. We visited the site of the Olympic Games. We arrived after a 40 minute bus ride thru the countryside. Again we were met by lots of busses from other ships and large crowds. Once inside the site groups dispersed and it was easy to move around thru the ruins and enjoy the area. Since it’s spread out and not easy to know what you are viewing, we thought a guide was important. She talked all the way to the site and part of the way back. That was before most of us dozed off. With an itinerary this intense it’s hard not to get worn down.

 

Sadly the cruise came to an end at Piraeus (Athens) Greece. We felt this trip was a once in a lifetime itinerary. We enjoyed every minute! I noticed it will be offered again next year on the Jewel. You won’t be disappointed if you decide to book it. We spent 2 days in Athens and stayed at the Electra Palace and just loved the place and the location. The Acropolis is under serious restoration. You have to work to get good photos and no cranes. The museum on the property is lovely. We toured on our own here and were glad we did. We arrived about 8:30 and as we were leaving the tours were arriving. It’s much nicer to see it all without the crowds.

 

Things I learned: 2 times laundry was offered for $ 25 a bag…rolling clothes allows for more room in the bag.

There are washer, dryer and irons on several decks.

Butler and Concierge services are really nice as well as forward facing suites.

Freestyle is just the greatest way to sail!

Reading and joining in Cruise Critic Boards the best way to start a cruise.

NCL was wonderful to handle all visas for everyone on board!

[mandiecandie5]

Dragonfly thanks for adding your great report here also! Sounds like everyone had a trip of a lifetime! Can I ask what tour company you used for Cairo?

 

When you got off the ship were there tour companies waiting in case someone didn't have a tour booked?

 

Was it crowded at the pyramids and overrun with tours like some of the other places you mention or what was the overall feeling there?

....Thanks, I'm really just on the fence about all this so trying to ask lots of questions :)

[DragonflyCruiser]

Dragonfly thanks for adding your great report here also! Sounds like everyone had a trip of a lifetime! Can I ask what tour company you used for Cairo?

 

When you got off the ship were there tour companies waiting in case someone didn't have a tour booked?

 

Was it crowded at the pyramids and overrun with tours like some of the other places you mention or what was the overall feeling there?

....Thanks, I'm really just on the fence about all this so trying to ask lots of questions :)

 

We used a company called SEEgypt Travel. They were wonderful. Fairly expensive but we felt we had great service and it was worth it. Our guides were both Egyptologists and would be as deep as you wished with the history lesson. Our guide in Cairo was Mohamed Omar and in Alexandria, Sameer Abbass (he once played basketball and is well known by everyone. Just a fun personality and very nice man.) The agency is on the web under the list of those licensed. They were with us every minute except for the train ride but they did put us on the train and meet us at the exit. We had a driver as well as another person in the nice mini van. We were steeped in history for the 3 hour drive from Cairo to Alexandria. You can easily set the pace and move thru the sites much easier than the bus load of tours.

[mandiecandie5]

Thanks for the Egypt guide tip, I am checking them out. :)

[dreamtravelr]

Does anyone have the ship no for the Jewel, and names of the Cruise Director, Hotel Director, and F&B Director? Thanks.

[DragonflyCruiser]

Does anyone have the ship no for the Jewel, and names of the Cruise Director, Hotel Director, and F&B Director? Thanks.

 

Several people will be moving to the Pearl. As of Sept. 27th. when we returned, Mike Szwajkowski was the Cruise Director, DeSalvo was Hotel Director. Can't remember F&B. Contact info for each ship should be on the NCL web site.

[Travelling Scot]

I relived my holiday reading your wonderful review of this cruise and I agreed with everything you wrote.

 

However, I also managed to come down with the GI illness. What I would like to say about this unfortunate end to my fabulous holiday was firstly, I did get all necessary vaccinations before leaving home. I'm sure I did not catch it in Istanbul, as some passengers were told (took too long to become ill). I didn't eat off the ship except in the luxury hotel in Cairo which was part of the ships tour. I didn't do the overnight trip in Cairo. I have cruised with NCL before (Jewel) last year (Sun) in 2004 and they never waive the charge for doctor consultation $78, they did this time. I was given 2 injections $115 which I had to pay for but luckily I had my own medication for the runny bots. I was so ill, I don't remember packing and have vague recollection of travelling home. I would really like to know how many people became ill on this ship.

 

It was an awful experience and although I loved my holiday and the Jewel is a gorgeous ship and I enjoy freestyle cruising. I don't think I will ever go back on an NCL cruise despite the continous cleaning and sanitisation.

[Host CMLA]

NCL Jewel 9/15-27/2006 OK, I will post this here. I tried to post on member reviews but am not sure what happened. So hope you enjoy...

Check to see if your review is posted. If it isn't, submit it again and I'll go in and release it today. I'm the new "review person" and I can release it right away.

[Host CMLA]

DragonflyCruiser...I just checked. Here's the link to your review. DragonflyCruiser's Review