Just Back from 5 day Jewel 11/23-28

[Lissete]

This is only our 2nd cruise with NCL and our very 1st freestyle cruise. I’m just going to make note of a few observations, likes & dislikes. Keep in mind that it’s all just my opinion. We have sailed n RCCL, Carnival, Disney, Princess & Costa. We have also sailed on the now defunct Premier (Big Red Boat) & the short-lived American Family Cruises when our girls were young. We have never had a “bad” cruise and this was no exception. It’s all what you make of it. We had a great time being together.

 

This cruise was a last minute thing. We booked a deal that we just could not pass up. Since this was just a whim and we had already taken our 2 big vacations this year, we booked 2 guarantee inside cabins. We paid under $600 per cabin inclusive of all taxes, port charges and dreaded fuel charge. Plus we received $50 OBC per cabin. Traveling with me was my husband (we’re both 42) and our daughters (18 & 19). We were assigned cabin# 9151 & 9155.

 

This is not going to be a blow-by-blow trip report. Actually, it will probably be a bit fragmented. But here goes…

 

We arrived at the port a little before 1PM and the line was already formed around the building. We waited outside for about 20 minutes or so before we were inside. It started to drizzle a bit while we waited but it wasn’t that bad. The whole process took about 1-½ hours. Since we boarded after 2PM, we went directly to our cabin, dropped off our stuff and went to the buffet since that was our only option at that time.

 

 

Food:

Ok. Here is where I remind you that this is just my opinion. Actually, our opinion, as my family agrees with me. The food was just ok in the dining room. Of the two dining rooms, we only dined in Azura. We did not like the selections on most nights, so we only dined there twice. According to my parents, who also sailed with us, the menu was the same for both lunch & dinner. We don’t expect gourmet from cruise ship food, but we have never been disappointed. We actually liked the Garden Café better and we don’t normally care for buffets. My husband was not very happy with the “baby” shrimp cocktail in the dining room, so he was happy to see regular shrimp cocktail in the buffet.

 

We dined at Cagney’s one night and at Le Bistro on Thanksgiving night. I have read many glowing reviews on Cagney’s, but we might have been there on a bad day. Service was great but the food was not as expected. Between the 4 of us, we ordered Filet Mignon, Strip steak & Prime Rib. I ordered the filet, medium. It was served totally charred and was definitely not tender. I managed to cut it and found not a hint of pink. I hate to send food back, but I hate a dry filet even more. My husband’s strip came out well done as well. I was looking forward to the Truffle fries and was very disappointed. The fries appeared to be frozen fries, but did taste like they were fried in truffle oil. If you’re ever in Vegas & you want the absolute best filet & truffle fries, try Envy Steakhouse. My husband was very happy with the Colossal Shrimp cocktail though.

 

Le Bistro was actually a tad bit better. We were a party of six including my parents. They squeezed us into a small semi circle booth, which was very uncomfortable. The booth itself would be ok for a couple or maybe even for a party of three, but not for six. This also, made it difficult for the servers. Not only did they have to hand us our food, but we also had to hand them our plates when they were clearing. Service was ok, but their timing was not very good.

The food was good but not what I would describe as excellent. The chocolate fondue was dark (bitter) chocolate; I prefer milk chocolate. The fruit was fresh and delicious though and nicely presented.

 

Since we’re on the subject of chocolate, let me mention the Chocolate Buffet. This was done in the Garden Café. Nothing out of this world. Everyone packed in like sardines. The chocolate? Quite honestly, not worth the calories. I did not try anything that I would consider decadent. Many items did not even taste like chocolate.

 

One other thing, I LOVE spinach artichoke dip. What they served us at the Blue Lagoon was NOT Spinach Artichoke dip, it can best be described as soup!

 

Service:

This is where I was very surprised. We are used to being greeted while walking around cruise ships. Just a quick hello & eye contact. On this cruise, however, the staff seemed to avoid eye contact. With a few exceptions. Our cabin stewards were always quick to offer a smile and a greeting. The entertainment staff was also friendly. We had to deal with several staff members at the purser’s desk. I dealt with just one girl who was really helpful. On one occasion I was at the desk, there was a pseudo line and someone just walked up to the next available staff member. When the person that was next in line complained, the crew member actually rolled his eyes and said “ So what do you want me to do? “ On the last night, my mom screwed up and totally forgot to attach a color tag to her bag. When they woke up the next morning, they find their bags outside their door. When she called down, she said that not only were they rude but that they basically said “too bad, so sad, deal with it and carry down your own bags. Problem is a) they’re not spring chickens & b) my stepfather is handicap & can barely see. They finally agreed too send someone to assist. The crew member that they sent was very nice and told them not to worry and that since her bags already had the green embarkation tags that he would put them in the green section.

 

The $10 pp per day is pooled and shared among all. There was not one crew member that stood out so we just left it as it was plus we left a little extra something for our cabin stewards.

 

Entertainment:

Daytime entertainment is basically limited to trivia & bingo. The latter being highway robbery. Bingo is VERY expensive on this cruise. Yes, you have package options. But I believe that the cheapest package was $39 for 6 on sheet for 4 games. It went up from there and by the last day the best chance option was about $140. Mind you, the payouts averaged about $200 per game. They did have a free cruise bingo & a final must go jackpot of about $1900.

 

Lounge chairs are hard to come by, as is the case on all cruises that we have been on. I cannot really fault the cruise lines for the chair hogs. I personally observed 4 lounge chairs, all together, with a neatly folded towel and a book on each, from about 11AM when I first walked by till about 2PM when I passed by again.

 

We enjoyed the magician and Cirque Bijou. We also liked the Second City shows except for the Adults Only show. It just wasn’t as good as the other two shows. In all fairness though, it all shows are different and depend on audience suggestions.

 

The Casino was not very kind to us and the slots were very tight.

 

Debarkation was really easy and we were not rushed.

 

One thing that we did notice was that the Stardust Theater is not very handicap accessible. My parents had to arrive very earl to secure the back row on the 1st fl entrance since my stepfather cannot walk down the steps.

 

Our cabin was tiny but adequate for 2. The beds were comfortable as were the pillows. The a/c in the cabin did not get really cold though. The bathroom amenities include Shampoo & Shower Gel dispensers in the shower, hand soap dispenser by the sink & a little bottle of lotion which was replenished as needed. All Elemis. I took my own shampoo & conditioner though. I like my own but my husband could care less.

 

Ports:

We have been to Grand Cayman before so we just tendered to town simply to walk around on land. We find GC the most expensive island for shopping so we rarely shop there.

 

We’ve been to Cozumel as well, but this time my daughter & I did the Dolphin Swim adventure at Chankanab. One word, AMAZING! Next time I would like to do the Royal Swim. I booked online and got a better price than through NCL. We have been to Chankanab before, but last time it was soon after a hurricane. The park looks fantastic now. One other note, this is the first time that we cruise to Cozumel and have to change our watches. We usually stay on ship time. I really prefer staying on ship time especially if it’s only for one day. I understand if we would be there for a couple of days but for one day, it sort of messed with our internal clocks.

 

 

 

We did buy a future cruise certificate on the 1st day, but we are debating on whether or not we will use it or request a refund. In our opinion , there is no such thing as a “bad” cruise. But there are definitely many things that we prefer on other lines. But currently, NCL prices can’t be beat. Plus we like the freestyle concept. We have 20 more days to decide.

 

I’ll try to scan my dailies and post them soon.

[prg2101]

This is only our 2nd cruise with NCL and our very 1st freestyle cruise. I’m just going to make note of a few observations, likes & dislikes. Keep in mind that it’s all just my opinion. We have sailed n RCCL, Carnival, Disney, Princess & Costa. We have also sailed on the now defunct Premier (Big Red Boat) & the short-lived American Family Cruises when our girls were young. We have never had a “bad” cruise and this was no exception. It’s all what you make of it. We had a great time being together.

 

This cruise was a last minute thing. We booked a deal that we just could not pass up. Since this was just a whim and we had already taken our 2 big vacations this year, we booked 2 guarantee inside cabins. We paid under $600 per cabin inclusive of all taxes, port charges and dreaded fuel charge. Plus we received $50 OBC per cabin. Traveling with me was my husband (we’re both 42) and our daughters (18 & 19). We were assigned cabin# 9151 & 9155.

 

This is not going to be a blow-by-blow trip report. Actually, it will probably be a bit fragmented. But here goes…

 

We arrived at the port a little before 1PM and the line was already formed around the building. We waited outside for about 20 minutes or so before we were inside. It started to drizzle a bit while we waited but it wasn’t that bad. The whole process took about 1-½ hours. Since we boarded after 2PM, we went directly to our cabin, dropped off our stuff and went to the buffet since that was our only option at that time.

 

 

Food:

Ok. Here is where I remind you that this is just my opinion. Actually, our opinion, as my family agrees with me. The food was just ok in the dining room. Of the two dining rooms, we only dined in Azura. We did not like the selections on most nights, so we only dined there twice. According to my parents, who also sailed with us, the menu was the same for both lunch & dinner. We don’t expect gourmet from cruise ship food, but we have never been disappointed. We actually liked the Garden Café better and we don’t normally care for buffets. My husband was not very happy with the “baby” shrimp cocktail in the dining room, so he was happy to see regular shrimp cocktail in the buffet.

 

We dined at Cagney’s one night and at Le Bistro on Thanksgiving night. I have read many glowing reviews on Cagney’s, but we might have been there on a bad day. Service was great but the food was not as expected. Between the 4 of us, we ordered Filet Mignon, Strip steak & Prime Rib. I ordered the filet, medium. It was served totally charred and was definitely not tender. I managed to cut it and found not a hint of pink. I hate to send food back, but I hate a dry filet even more. My husband’s strip came out well done as well. I was looking forward to the Truffle fries and was very disappointed. The fries appeared to be frozen fries, but did taste like they were fried in truffle oil. If you’re ever in Vegas & you want the absolute best filet & truffle fries, try Envy Steakhouse. My husband was very happy with the Colossal Shrimp cocktail though.

 

Le Bistro was actually a tad bit better. We were a party of six including my parents. They squeezed us into a small semi circle booth, which was very uncomfortable. The booth itself would be ok for a couple or maybe even for a party of three, but not for six. This also, made it difficult for the servers. Not only did they have to hand us our food, but we also had to hand them our plates when they were clearing. Service was ok, but their timing was not very good.

The food was good but not what I would describe as excellent. The chocolate fondue was dark (bitter) chocolate; I prefer milk chocolate. The fruit was fresh and delicious though and nicely presented.

 

Since we’re on the subject of chocolate, let me mention the Chocolate Buffet. This was done in the Garden Café. Nothing out of this world. Everyone packed in like sardines. The chocolate? Quite honestly, not worth the calories. I did not try anything that I would consider decadent. Many items did not even taste like chocolate.

 

One other thing, I LOVE spinach artichoke dip. What they served us at the Blue Lagoon was NOT Spinach Artichoke dip, it can best be described as soup!

 

Service:

This is where I was very surprised. We are used to being greeted while walking around cruise ships. Just a quick hello & eye contact. On this cruise, however, the staff seemed to avoid eye contact. With a few exceptions. Our cabin stewards were always quick to offer a smile and a greeting. The entertainment staff was also friendly. We had to deal with several staff members at the purser’s desk. I dealt with just one girl who was really helpful. On one occasion I was at the desk, there was a pseudo line and someone just walked up to the next available staff member. When the person that was next in line complained, the crew member actually rolled his eyes and said “ So what do you want me to do? “ On the last night, my mom screwed up and totally forgot to attach a color tag to her bag. When they woke up the next morning, they find their bags outside their door. When she called down, she said that not only were they rude but that they basically said “too bad, so sad, deal with it and carry down your own bags. Problem is a) they’re not spring chickens & b) my stepfather is handicap & can barely see. They finally agreed too send someone to assist. The crew member that they sent was very nice and told them not to worry and that since her bags already had the green embarkation tags that he would put them in the green section.

 

The $10 pp per day is pooled and shared among all. There was not one crew member that stood out so we just left it as it was plus we left a little extra something for our cabin stewards.

 

Entertainment:

Daytime entertainment is basically limited to trivia & bingo. The latter being highway robbery. Bingo is VERY expensive on this cruise. Yes, you have package options. But I believe that the cheapest package was $39 for 6 on sheet for 4 games. It went up from there and by the last day the best chance option was about $140. Mind you, the payouts averaged about $200 per game. They did have a free cruise bingo & a final must go jackpot of about $1900.

 

Lounge chairs are hard to come by, as is the case on all cruises that we have been on. I cannot really fault the cruise lines for the chair hogs. I personally observed 4 lounge chairs, all together, with a neatly folded towel and a book on each, from about 11AM when I first walked by till about 2PM when I passed by again.

 

We enjoyed the magician and Cirque Bijou. We also liked the Second City shows except for the Adults Only show. It just wasn’t as good as the other two shows. In all fairness though, it all shows are different and depend on audience suggestions.

 

The Casino was not very kind to us and the slots were very tight.

 

Debarkation was really easy and we were not rushed.

 

One thing that we did notice was that the Stardust Theater is not very handicap accessible. My parents had to arrive very earl to secure the back row on the 1st fl entrance since my stepfather cannot walk down the steps.

 

Our cabin was tiny but adequate for 2. The beds were comfortable as were the pillows. The a/c in the cabin did not get really cold though. The bathroom amenities include Shampoo & Shower Gel dispensers in the shower, hand soap dispenser by the sink & a little bottle of lotion which was replenished as needed. All Elemis. I took my own shampoo & conditioner though. I like my own but my husband could care less.

 

Ports:

We have been to Grand Cayman before so we just tendered to town simply to walk around on land. We find GC the most expensive island for shopping so we rarely shop there.

 

We’ve been to Cozumel as well, but this time my daughter & I did the Dolphin Swim adventure at Chankanab. One word, AMAZING! Next time I would like to do the Royal Swim. I booked online and got a better price than through NCL. We have been to Chankanab before, but last time it was soon after a hurricane. The park looks fantastic now. One other note, this is the first time that we cruise to Cozumel and have to change our watches. We usually stay on ship time. I really prefer staying on ship time especially if it’s only for one day. I understand if we would be there for a couple of days but for one day, it sort of messed with our internal clocks.

 

 

 

We did buy a future cruise certificate on the 1st day, but we are debating on whether or not we will use it or request a refund. In our opinion , there is no such thing as a “bad” cruise. But there are definitely many things that we prefer on other lines. But currently, NCL prices can’t be beat. Plus we like the freestyle concept. We have 20 more days to decide.

 

I’ll try to scan my dailies and post them soon.

 

 

Thanks for the Review...........Great deal on the booking....got to love that. On other lines do you have that type of deal or no??Just wondering...

[Deckhandoug]

Thanks for posting, we will be on the Jewel in May.

 

We have never had a bad cruise either, we always make sure we have a good time!

 

Doug & Lisa

[nursallie]

DH and I just got back from the 11/14-11/23 cruise.. I 100% agree with your review.

The spinach artichoke dip was a joke.

The staff was not friendly and did the minimum to get by.

The food in the dining rooms was awful and the selection terrible. Instead of all kinds of gourmet duck, fish, etc dishes, can't they just serve some really tasty steaks and pasta dishes??

[opshannon]

Also just back from this cruise and agree with your review completely. This was our first "Freestyle" cruise. Our family joke was that "Freestyle" means "you are free to enjoy subpar service and mediocre food unless you're willing to pay a cover charge." One thing you left out of your review that really got on my nerves was the people harassing you in the "free" dining rooms to buy roses. Give it a rest. Also found our cabin steward in our room watching Batman at one point. I'll go back to cruising on ships that are tip based, thanks.

[travel_mom_1]

Lissete - Thanks for the review. Glad to hear you still enjoyed yourselves. I would love to see the freestyle dailies if you can scan them.

 

Thanks so much!

[davidnkim]

I never want to post when someone has had problems or are stating their opinion, but I enjoy NCL and have many friends who have been sailing them since the NORWAY who are going Platinum. I'm not starting a words war here, just giving my $.02 if it is helpful to anyone else.

 

I'm glad you had a decent time even tho there were things that were not enjoyed, but we just got back from the 11/14-11/23 S. Caribe 9 day and enjoyed the cruise, the entertainment and the staff. Every cruise has it's items that someone doesn't like, but the only things I found unenjoyable were the Spinach dip in Blue Lagoon and the thin salad dressings.

 

My DH & I as well as others we met on the boat really enjoyed the Choc Fondue.

 

Cagney's has FABULOUS Filet! They did mess up on my steak at Cagney's, well done instead of med-rare, but as soon as I let them know they corrected the problem and WOW it was a Great Filet! We enjoyed their shrimp cocktail, my DH enjoye Surf & Turf and everyone was very nice as well as apologetic for the well done Filet that was corrected. Bananas Foster was scrumptious!

 

Azurs was nice, we were never approached to buy anything except a soda when we wanted it and food was very good. Never even saw someone walking around selling flowers.

 

Buffet is fabulous when you want a really good salad since dinners seem so heavy, tho the dressing seems to be thinned out, real runny. But, sushi, pasta, hot dishes, soups, salads, subs, a lot of different items to choose from.

 

Funny that the crew members eye contact is mentioned because just last night we were telling my mom how everyone was so friendly, we were constantly talked to by staff, had personal conversations in regards to their time on the boat, home countries, contracts, etc. Sometimes you run into someone having a bad day or who isn't real friendly, but they all seemed to atleast have a nice attitude.

 

We have sailed RCCL & NCL, will try Carnival in a few months and RCCL & NCL staff are all friendly.

 

The casino slots were not great, but we saw others on the tables making some good pocket change and paying for their cruise. You never know how much they spend to get to that point tho. One guy started with $500 and was up over $12k when we walked away.

 

The entertainment was Great on most nights and decent on others, but we didn't attend them all.

 

Try them again, one of the best times to get a first class ship with first class service is going to be when the F3 is launched. The staff on the boat will be the most posh of the line! I just hope they don't go to Samana. I was not impressed with Samana.

[kenmacdonald4]

We were also on the same cruise (booked on a whim) and agree with the orginal post.

[CC Help Michell]

.

 

<snip>

 

We did buy a future cruise certificate on the 1st day, but we are debating on whether or not we will use it or request a refund. In our opinion , there is no such thing as a “bad” cruise. But there are definitely many things that we prefer on other lines. But currently, NCL prices can’t be beat. Plus we like the freestyle concept. We have 20 more days to decide.

 

I’ll try to scan my dailies and post them soon.

 

I really liked your review, and I think the comment I highlighted and snipped above is really significant here.

 

We personally have never had a bad cruise, but we think the quality of a cruise is about 90% up to us, and maybe 10% due to the cruise line, ship, itinerary, service, etc. That's not how everyone feels. We saw and recognized a HUGE difference in service on HAL last summer, versus what has made us happy on NCL, Carnival, RCCL in the past. But we also paid more for it, and since the lower level also led to great cruises for us, we are still happy with our decision-making matrix of "itinerary + price." But we aren't everyone, thank goodness!

 

The OP's review here is really a good one to raise a flag to those who in these days of "cut rate" cruise pricing want to come here to CC and post about how "wah, wah, wah, this wasn't the same as Azmara and Cunard, even if it was 1/10th the cost." The most worthwhile reviews are those that do not begin by saying "we got a great deal compared to X line so we booked...." but then conclude by saying ".... but it wasn't the same as when we booked X line; we like them better and this line sucks."

 

Price IS a factor, for most folks. It's great to acknowledge it up front, but it also needs to factor into the bottom line opinion on whether the experience was "worth it," in my view.

[ce2000]

Lissete, thanks for your honest post. Perhaps there is a reason that NCL cruises are so reasonable now, they could be having a hard time filling the cabins, but experiences like yours and some of the others who posted here, that were on the same sailing, that agreed with you won't help. No Football in the sports bar, how could that be at this time in the football season?

[davidnkim]

There was Football in the bar and even posted in the "Freestyle" which many enjoyed. I know, I'm a Jags fan and it was there....even tho they weren't:(

[Lissete]

There was Football in the bar and even posted in the "Freestyle" which many enjoyed. I know' date=' I'm a Jags fan and it was there....even tho they weren't:([/quote']

 

Yes, there was football listed in the Dailies. I really wouldn't have noticed otherwise, since I was trying to avoid football! ;)

 

 

We personally have never had a bad cruise, but we think the quality of a cruise is about 90% up to us, and maybe 10% due to the cruise line, ship, itinerary, service, etc.

 

I basically agree with this as well. But, I also believe in customer service regardless of the price that we pay. No matter what type of establishment, be it Burger King or Morton's. But then again that's just me. I tend to wonder how unhappy and/or underpaid the employees are, when they act like they could care less. I know that I compared a burger joint and a steakhouse but it's just an example. I'm not talking about the food, just simple customer service.

 

I really don't sweat the small stuff. Plus I don't expect the staff to fawn all over me but a little common courtesy is expected & appreciated. When staff members look down on customers and act like you are wasting their time, then I get annoyed. I feel that a business should give alot more than 10% though. Especially if they want repeat customers. As for a person being in control of their enjoyment, I agree 100%!

 

 

My DH & I as well as others we met on the boat really enjoyed the Choc Fondue.

 

Cagney's has FABULOUS Filet! They did mess up on my steak at Cagney's' date=' well done instead of med-rare, but as soon as I let them know they corrected the problem and WOW it was a Great Filet! We enjoyed their shrimp cocktail, my DH enjoye Surf & Turf and everyone was very nice as well as apologetic for the well done Filet that was corrected. Bananas Foster was scrumptious!

 

[/quote']

 

Food is always subjective to taste. I can only give my opinion. As I stated, I like milk chocolate versus dark chocolate. For those that enjoy dark choc., then they will be happy. Plus it's better for you! ;)

I agree, that the problem at Cagney's was quickly corrected. But for a "steak house" to serve charred well done steaks to folks that ordered "medium" or "med-rare", makes me wonder if they had a new cook or something. My second filet actually came out slightly pink and was closer to med-well. But I did not send it back a 2nd time.

 

 

 

We are still considering the Jewel repo from NYC. Yes, price is definitely an option for this cruise. This is a longer, more port intensive itinerary, the price really can't be beat and we can make concessions when it comes to food quality, selections and such. At that price I can literally live on buffet food! :)

[ce2000]

If you do book the Jewel repo cruise, you won't be disappointed, because you know what to expect. It is a great cruise for the money. For me price is a factor, but not a major factor. To those whose major factor is price, NCL is your cruiseline. It is good that we have so many options for cruising, I would not want to lose any of them.

[cruisingchemist]

Lissete

 

Thanks very much for the review.

 

Have you had a chance to scan in the Jewel Freestyle Dailies yet. I am looking at the Jewel for a 5 day Western in March '09 and I am interested to see the recent info.

[tokidoki]

:):):)thanks for the reviews, I sail in 3 weeks and I am wondering when the first group of passengers were allowed to disembark with their own luggage and I would love someone also to post any freestyle dailys!!!!!!!!!

[molly361]

:):):)thanks for the reviews, I sail in 3 weeks and I am wondering when the first group of passengers were allowed to disembark with their own luggage and I would love someone also to post any freestyle dailys!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Just off the Jewel today and thought the crew great and very friendly. First self disembark was around 7:45 am maybe a few minutes before that. We were in our car at 8am