Just Back From Jewel 2/11/07 Cruise-Review

[new2crus]

This was my first NCL cruise and fifth cruise overall. We've sailed on Carnival and RCCL in the past. I want to say thanks to all the members on this board for all the great information I had prior to sailing on this cruise.

 

EMBARKATION: We processed through the tents as the Pearl was in dock at the same time as the Jewel. Others in the past had stated that it took several hours to get through but NCL must have fine tuned the process. We arrived at the dock (Jewel was at dock #4, the first dock position, no where near the normal NCL terminal building) at 11:30 a.m. Baggage handlers quickly took our bags, we had already attached our cabin tags.

 

There was a fairly long line, however it moved very quickly. If you are a Lattitudes member or staying in one of the suites, you can proceed to the front of the line and process through a separate VIP line. The normal processing line moved just as fast as the VIP line and we were in our cabin within 45 minutes of arrival at the dock. One of the fastest embarkations I've ever had. I was very impressed.

 

CABIN: We had a standard mid-ship balcony cabin. It was a little small but plenty of room for two people. As others have stated, the bathrooms are really nice, though may be a little tight if you're over 6 feet tall. Plenty of hangers and closet space including three drawers and four open shelves for storage. We had more than enough space for everything. The bed was comfortable for us, however some people may find them a little on the hard side. However, we like a firm bed. I had to get an additional top sheet for the bed because the comforter/top sheet is all one piece and can get a little too warm for me. The cabin stewards were great and did anything we'd ask of them. The balcony was a little small with 2 chairs and a table. I wish there were a lounger on the balcony but there just wasn't enough room for one. Overall the cabin was great and served us very well throughout the trip.

 

BAR SETUP AND ANNIVERSARY PACKAGE: I placed a bar setup order by email and also purchased the anniversary package. On arrival to our cabin, the bar setup was already in place and the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries from the package arrived about 2:30 p.m. I also pre-ordered shore excursions online and the tickets were in the room when we first arrived. I have to gave NCL five stars for the way all of my email and online orders were processed and delivered. I know others have had problems so I was a little concerned, but everything went great. The Anniversary package was money well spent. I think everyone should get it even if you're not celebrating anything.

 

RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS: I mentioned this in another post but you can not make restaurant reservations for the whole week any longer. They would only take reservations 48-hours in advance (i.e. on Sunday you can make reservations for Sunday and Monday only, on Monday--for Monday and Tuesday only, etc.) Don't know if this is true for other NCL ships but the Jewel was very strict on this. Don't know if having a concierge made any difference as I as in a regular balcony cabin. You can call in your reservations from your cabin or go can go to Tango's (they have all the menus) from 8:00 - 5:00 everyday. Speaking of menus, the were exactly the same as the New Dawn Menus posted on this board.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

[CruisinMatt]

Where did you embark?

[new2crus]

We took a cab from our hotel in Miami and we were dropped off at Dock #4 next to the Jewel. As you enter the cruise ship terminal area continue straight, pass all the ships and the Jewel was the last one on the left.

[lgfromdg]

Can't wait for the rest of your review. All information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Less than a month until my Jewel cruise!

[Don Haynes]

From another review, they said those who booked through the concierge where able to book reservations for the entire week. Another treat for those who book mini-suites or higher. Since other reviewss from other ships have said the same, it appears NCL has reverted back to its former policy.

[new2crus]

THE SHIP: Everyone’s mostly described the ship here on the boards already so I won’t go into much here. Our cruise was sold-out as most others are but the ship didn’t seem crowded. Only the pool areas on days at sea and most restaurants between 6:30-8:00 p.m. were places really crowded. Oh, and the buffet at breakfast time (try to stay out of there between 7:30-09:00, you might get trampled) The normal deck chair hawks were out with their towels down by 7:30 a.m. and no one to be seen before 10:00. Some people would move the unattended towels but others just walked away frustrated. The numerous bars, shops, casino, restaurants, library, spa, fitness center, deck areas, pools, hot tubs, etc., provided so many different places to go, that the ship seem half empty in many of the areas. The fitness center was very good (only one broken treadmill) and plenty of aerobic and weight lifting machines. The spa offers everything any spa on land offers. Overall, I think the ship offers something for everyone.

 

Note: I have copies of the dailies but I don’t know if they’re worth scanning. They are completely different than some that were posted here 2 months ago, so I don’t know if spending the time making copies of something that’s going to change soon is worth it. If I get some free time, I’ll post them.

 

THE FOOD: How I hate to cover this subject, so I’ll give only my very humble opinion. First, I’m not a food expert who expects a 5-star meal on a cruise line when I’ve paid $1,200 for a 7-day cruise. I’m an average person who’ll enjoy a meal at Outback or Red Lobster as much as a 5-star meal at one of Las Vegas’ (that’s where I live) finest restaurants. I won’t go into detail here but I’ll just list the restaurants where we ate and give them a grade. (A=Excellent B=Good C=Satisfactory) I won't gave any unsatisfactories because everything was okay, it's just some things were much better than others.

 

All restaurants took about 1 to 1 and half hours (except Cagney's 2-hours) to get through a dinner meal. Time your dinner reservations and show times accordingly.

 

 

Cagney’s -- Food = C- Service = C (Guess I love steak too much and I was not impressed)

Teppanyaki -- Food = A Service = A

Tango’s -- Food = C Service = B

Chin Chin’s -- Food = A Service = A

Le Bistro -- Food = A Service = A (Best place to eat on the ship)

Tsar’s -- Food = B Service = A

Buffet -- Food = C Service = C (my advice is skip the buffet and go to the main dining room for breakfast or lunch)

Blue Lagoon Food = B Service = B (Most under utilized restaurant on the ship. I never saw more than 10 people there at any one time)

Poolside Buffet = The hamburgers are great. You make your own with all the fixings you could imagine. Best buffet hamburger I’ve ever had.

 

If someone wants details, I’ll gladly provide them. But then again, this is only my opinion and if I visited the same restaurants again, I might have different results.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[lgfromdg]

Great review. Not too opinionated which is a real help to those with up-coming cruises. I also can't wait for the next installment.

[lilant]

what a great review. straight to the point and without all the moaning and groaning. it was a big pleasure to read....somtimes people get stuck on how the steak was med. and not med rare and had to send it back twice......

 

cant wait for the rest.

[new2crus]

THE PORTS: Arrived at San Juan at 12 noon. Since my wife is not a water enthusiast, we opted for the historical tour since it was our first visit to Puerto Rico. Tour lasted about 2 and a half hours but really wasn’t worth the cost. Since the ship docks right in downtown Old San Juan, you can walk just about anywhere you need to go. Also, there are lots of companies on the pier area offering tours at half the price we paid. I would suggest that anyone going to San Juan to read one of the vacation guide books and decide what you’d like to do before you get there. There are also lots of good suggestions right here on these boards. We had lunch in town and did a little shopping. We did see enough to entice us to plan a 7-day vacation to Puerto Rico in the future.

 

St Johns: Again we took the historical tour. It took about 3 hours but this tour covered a lot more than the one in San Juan and we felt it was worth it. Our tour guide was a very nice, elderly gentleman who made the tour of the island a real pleasure. It’s a beautiful island but very underdeveloped. Not much available except some really nice beaches and a sort of rainforest/National Park tour. Again, I’d read a vacation guide book or get some suggestions from the boards on activities.

 

St. Thomas: We have been here several times so we went out on our own. The ship docks close to the main downtown area. You can get a cab to town, takes about 5 minutes to get there, at a set price of $4.00 per person. Taxis are everywhere downtown so it’s easy to get back to the ship. There are literally 100’s of things to do here but this is the main shopping destination of this cruise and my wife would have it no other way. The bargains on alcohol, jewelry, watches, electronics and other items are unbeatable. Take a list from home of any prices of items you may be looking to buy and I guarantee you, St Thomas will easily beat your best price. Plus, everything is duty and tax-free.

 

Great Stirrup Cay: The morning we arrived at the private island was cloudy and cool (62 degrees). There was no mass exodus to get to the island. The first four tenders (8:30-9:30) were only half full. We went over at 10:00 and there were plenty of chairs right on the beach. The island finally started to fill up about 11:00 as most of the prime spots (beach loungers and chairs, hammocks) were taken. The Caribbean band from the ship played music from 10:30-2:30 and a BBQ lunch was served starting at 11:00. Some people were brave enough to snorkel (water was a little chilly) for $29.00 if you rent their equipment and others did the parasailing (79.00 per person - tandem rides only). Pretty easy to get lunch, no lines, as many people headed back to the ship early. The sun never did sun and the temps never warmed up. I think its worth a couple of hours even if you just go over to walk around and browse the straw market and the lighthouse area. Just wish it was a little warmer for us.

 

DISEMBARKATION: We used the Airline Baggage Service ($15.00 per person) that checks your bags to your final destination and issues you a boarding pass before you ever leave the ship. Only four airlines participate in this program. We were on American and I think Delta and Northwest were also part of the program. I’ll have to verify that. The first people started unloading at about 8:00 a.m. with nearly everyone off the ship by 10:00 or so. We left the ship at 8:45, found our luggage and proceeded through customs. We were out the door in less than 15 minutes. We met an airline baggage rep, after leaving customs, who took our checked bags and threw them into the back of a large truck. I didn’t think we’d ever see those bags again. When we reached home, nearly 12 hours later, off comes our bags at baggage claim area, just as advertised. For $15.00, the baggage service worked great. If your airline is part of the program, it’s definitely worth it.

 

Overall, I thought NCL did a really good job. I think my wife and I are hooked on the freestyle concept. It’s going to be hard to go back to the rigid dining hours. Great cruise for a great price. If anyone has any questions, I’ll try to answer them for you. Thanks for the comments.

[MNSusan]

Thank you for your review. We are sailing on the Jewel in a couple of weeks and I really appreciate hearing about it.

[Fargo2]

MNSusan, are you on the Mar 11 trip? If so, check the roll-call thread - several couples are having a meet and greet the first day at sea, you're welcome to join in. And, if on the Mar 11 trip, are you flying out of Mpls? Perhaps we'll see you then! Pam

[Mom Taxi]

The bar set up in the review caught my eye...how do you order it and is it economical? We like to have some wine in the evening but it sounds expensive!

[new2crus]

You can contact the Jewel's Ship Coordinator: Mayra Mateiro at this email address: MMateiro@ncl.com

 

She can give you all the information you need on Bar Setups and make all the arrangements for you. She handled all my requests very quickly, usually within 24 hours.

[Mom Taxi]

Thanks for the info re:bar set up. I just sent my email to have my questions answered.

[old faithful]

 

DISEMBARKATION: We used the Airline Baggage Service ($15.00 per person) that checks your bags to your final destination and issues you a boarding pass before you ever leave the ship. Only four airlines participate in this program. We were on American and I think Delta and Northwest were also part of the program. I’ll have to verify that. The first people started unloading at about 8:00 a.m. with nearly everyone off the ship by 10:00 or so. We left the ship at 8:45, found our luggage and proceeded through customs. We were out the door in less than 15 minutes. We met an airline baggage rep, after leaving customs, who took our checked bags and threw them into the back of a large truck. I didn’t think we’d ever see those bags again. When we reached home, nearly 12 hours later, off comes our bags at baggage claim area, just as advertised. For $15.00, the baggage service worked great. If your airline is part of the program, it’s definitely worth it.

 

 

Great review - Thanks

 

How would I go about the Airline Baggage Service ???

 

Sounds like a great idea :)

 

Thanks again,

Old Faithful

[new2crus]

For the Airline Baggage Service, they will provide you with all the information and the sign up form included with the Freestyle Daily on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The form needs to be turned in by Friday. You can always go to the information desk and pick up a copy.

[old faithful]

For the Airline Baggage Service, they will provide you with all the information and the sign up form included with the Freestyle Daily on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The form needs to be turned in by Friday. You can always go to the information desk and pick up a copy.

 

Thank you so much! I will be sure to use it!

 

Old Faithful:D