And so it begins (Jewel 15-20 Feb) review

[NoVaCruiser60]

DW and I flew in to Miami Saturday night and stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental downtown courtesy of Priceline. Visited Bayside Mall Saturday night for a snack and to people watch as scantily-clad Miamians enjoyed a 70+degree February evening.

 

Sunday morning, we went to the 0830 Mass at the Church of the Gesu (5 blocks from the Hotel), got some café con leche from a nearby café and then caught a taxi from the hotel to the port ($10 and 10 minutes). Our boarding went smoothly. We arrived around 1030, when they were just opening the doors to the terminal. As seasoned cruisers, we whisked through the drill of filling out the noro-questionnaire (don’t stop, fill it out as you move forward in line), the metal detector (place all metal objects in a Ziploc bag in your carry-on before arrival), and initial check-in via a short Latitudes line. We were the third arrivals in the seating area, which gradually filled up as we waited around 1 hour. Being so far to the front, we were able to skip past the photographer as we boarded.

 

Once on board, we made reservations for dinner Sunday and Monday; note, the reservation desk is now in the main atrium (good idea), where we also got spa passes. We ignored the several attempts to steer us to the buffet, and instead got to lunch at 1200 just as Tsar’s Palace opened. This was our only visit to either dining room all cruise. The menu was ok, the food good, but the service was “off.” We were the second couple in the restaurant and our waiters were rehashing an earlier disagreement, which lasted thru our short meal. It was nothing serious, but noticeable.

After lunch, we intended to switch into our exercise gear (which we carried on), but both the spa and the gym were closed for “tours” (bad idea). Last cruise, we accidentally went into the spa and became a “static display” during the tours (“note the man sleeping on the heated tile recliner…”) ;) before the staff politely asked us to leave. This time we thought: ok, we’ll leave the spa to its tours, but at least we’ll get some exercise before we eat ourselves silly. No dice. So, we unpacked in the cabin, read, did the lifeboat drill (in Tsars!) then worked out in the gym.

 

We ate early (1830) at Mama’s for dinner. The Antipasti trolley was good, with a nice mix of meats and cheeses; I even tried the anchovies, which were NOT overpowering (pleasant surprise!). I found the Calzone Firenze (primi platti) below average; the cheese was lifeless and the bread bland. However, the lobster ravioli (secundi platti) was quite good, and the panna cotta dessert was also good. Overall, a fine experience: the service was very good, the ambience nice. The $10 surcharge means that Mama’s was full but not overcrowded, which it often seemed to be in the past whe it was "free."

 

Afterward we attended Comedian Joe Yannetty’s show, which was excellent. Joe is a superb “stand-up” comic and makes the most of his interaction with the crowd. In the theatre, he did an excellent job of managing the occasional crowd heckler and those unfortunate enough to walk around during his show. Quiz for cruisers: when the daily says “please, absolutely no children in the front row,” what does that mean? Well, those who failed the quiz got a little polite humor directed their way by Joe!

 

Next post: Adrift at sea

[familyof4cruising]

We loved the comedian also!

[sjbdtz]

 

 

Nothing worse than dead cheese.

 

I've heard that 'white bread' is usually pretty bland.... ;)

[judybooty]

I agree that the service was off...It was pretty off for most of the cruise actually...But we loved the Joe Yannity, the comedian. Did you go to his show in the Spinnaker Lounge later in the cruise??? He was really busting people left and right there...

[NoVaCruiser60]

Monday: Sea day on the way to the Cayman Islands. Slept in and had a late breakfast at the Garden Café. Hint: if you are a coffee addict (as my DW and I are), those tiny cruise coffee mugs are way insufficient. Bring along a large, cheap, plastic travel mug from home, and use it to fill up your first morning coffee. At breakfast, I tried to break into the cruise menu slowly with bacon, eggs, hash browns, and eggs Benedict. OK, so maybe not so slowly.

 

We hit the Spa after breakfast for an hour of reading, tile chair lounging, and dips in the hot tub. After breakfast settled in, my DW hit the gym for some exercise, while I made a futile effort at the running track, a subject I previously “ranted” on.

By noon it had been at least three hours since our last meal, so we hit the sushi bar in Chin-Chin for all-you-can-eat sushi for $15 each. The sushi bar is open for lunch only on “sea days,” and it is delicious. I especially recommend the Unagi (BBQ eel) and the Rainbow roll which is lightly tempura. In any event, also try some sake. When my DW ordered a serving for two plus some other items, the waitress was skeptical of DW's ability to eat it all and suggested we place smaller orders, since we could always order more. We just smiled; I am sure the staff is used to people ordering sushi then saying “Ewww, its raw fish” and sending it back. We finished 4 separate orders of Sushi…not a personal best, but we made an impression on the staff and the sushi chefs when we told them we’d be back for dinner!

The sushi and sake made me miss the afternoon wine ‘n cheese tasting and the beer tasting, but did make for an excellent nap.

Promptly at 1830, we returned to Chin-Chin for the regular menu. NCL’s Asian fusion restaurants were our previous favorites, but the menu was noticeably reduced this time. The new menu has lost many of the Indonesian and Vietnamese items and is more mainstream American-Chinese (Stir fry, Kung Po Chicken, etc.). The pork buns appetizer was good: doughy and sweet; better was the spicy Tse chicken lettuce wraps. Egg Drop Soup, which is always salty, was overly so. I like spicy food, so I tried two “spicy” dishes: Singapore street noodles and Szechuan braised beef. Both were heavily spiced with red pepper flakes, so they were spicy as advertised, but not tasty, just overpowered by the pepper flakes. DW had “spicy fish,” Grouper, which was good. We both really liked the warm banana pancakes, but missed the banana spring rolls they used to offer. DW used to say she could eat every night of the cruise at Chin-Chin; this time she said she didn’t care if we ate there twice. Still, the service was very good, and the ambience quite nice.

After dinner, we took a stroll around the deck seven promenade, then made our way to the Spinnaker lounge for Comedian Joe Yannetty’s late night show. Once again, he did great stand-up, but the intimate setting encouraged some of the more tipsy patrons to think their heckling was really funny, too. Now Joe, like most stand up artists, encourages some crowd interaction, but you need to know when to shut up and let the comic deliver the punch lines. Joe made the best of it, and the hecklers eventually gave up. All-in-all, great entertainment, even if some of it was unintentional.

 

Next post: If this is Tuesday, it must be the Cayman’s

[travel_lover]

I guess our plan for Sunday embarktion day won't be happening we planned on spending all the time in the spa before the muster drill. What time are you finally allowed to be in the spa?

 

Did they have any specials going on throughout the cruise? 2 for 1 deals? for restaurants or drinks?

 

Did you keep the freestyles? Have any pictures? lol lots of questions as you can see i'm so excited 7 days to go!!!! :p

[mafig]

Thank you for your review.

 

Can't wait to hear more.:)

[NoVaCruiser60]

We went to the muster drill in our gym clothes, and straight to the exercise room thereafter, which was just opening. I assume the spa was opening at the same time, but I didn't think to check.

 

No 2-for-1s on this 5 day. There were drink specials every day (remember, you don't have to get the souvenir glass), a variety of deals on internet time, and the standard 100/250 cruise rewards offer (pre-commit to cruise in the future for $250 downpayment and get an immediate $100 OBC). On the cruise rewards offer, they held a raffle on Wednesday for those who signed up.

 

On Sea days, NCL offered sushi/sake tasting, wine 'n cheese tasting, beer tasting, and Margarita tasting...I think each was $15 a session.

 

I still have the freestyle dailies, but am at the mercy of my DW to get them loaded on the net. If you are going on a 5-day, just Google "NCL freestyle dailies Jewel 5 day" (use dailies, noy daily)...someone thoughfully loaded a set from Jan 09 which were spot on with what we experienced.

[Grandpaul]

Glad to hear Joe is still on NCL. I got to know him several years ago but lost contact with him the last couple. Used to have breakfast or lunch with him and it was hard to get any food down from laughing. I guess I'll have to book a cruise.

[Grandpaul]

You are going to Stingray City aren't you? Tell the rays I said "Hi".

[NoVaCruiser60]

it must be the Cayman islands. We dropped anchor on time (circa 0800) in Georgetown and began tendering operations. I say this only by way of hearsay, as I was sound asleep at the time. We took advantage of this first port-o-call to lay claim to the entire ship for the day. We inaugurated our friendly takeover of the Jewel by sleeping in, guarded by the towel serpent our thoughtful steward (Richard) had left for us the night before.

 

When I stumbled up to the garden café to fill up our coffee mugs, I was confronted by an ominous sight: servers in front of every action station, preventing the guests from coming in contact with any food product or utensil. Case in point: you want a small carton of milk? The servers hands you a carton of milk. I had the coffee server deliver 4 lattes, which I dutifully transferred to my two coffee mugs and delivered back to my DW so we could lounge on the balcony and wake up. There was no explanation for the additional sanitary measures, but we surmised (correctly) the Jewel was experiencing “gastro-intestinal distress” and the staff was attempting to lessen the outbreak. These precautions continued until disembarkation day; we had heard of such things, but never been on a cruise undergoing them. As a letter later explained, the procedures were mandated when the cruise experiences a certain level of illness. I talked with a crew member who confirmed that the precautions are a severe drag on the staff, which must still accomplish all their regular duties AND serve every drop of food, AND clean/sanitize each table as they are cleared. They kept smiling, but you could tell how tired some were. There is a real, inevitable degradation of service: no OJ/ice water in the spa, for example, and reduced hours at the Great Outdoors café. I am sure others can provide additional examples.

 

I gorged another great American breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and corned beef hash), while my DW consumed her customary cottage cheese, twigs, nuts and berries. Maybe without the twigs. The corned beef hash was worth avoiding, as the meat was overcooked. All the rest was warm and delicious.

 

After breakfast, we lounged and read a little before heading out for exercise. The gym, crowded wall-to-wall on Monday, was nearly deserted. The running track was all mine (contented sigh). After a great workout, we headed straight to the spa to clean up, rest up, and get some more heated tile recliner time. If you ever want to experience having a cruise ship all to yourself, stay aboard on the first port day. More passengers seem to disembark at the first port, regardless of the location.

 

Having eaten at a terrific clip for a day-and-a-half, DW & I chose to simple snack our way thru lunch at the Garden Café. One of the joys of cruise eating is picking an eclectic set of items from the buffet and eating as little (or as much) as you like. The items were not memorable in and of themselves…there was some pizza, some curry, some rice, some ice cream, some hummus. But it was fun just picking whatever caught my eye.

 

We whiled away the afternoon with naps, reading, watching the other ships in port tender, and catching up on email. For those, who—like us—cannot fully unplug, shipboard internet access is ssslllooowww. But its also expensive! :rolleyes: If you can stand to wait, its probably better to buy a small on-board package (we got 100 minutes for $40, with 15 additional minutes due to Latitudes status) and do any extensive web surfing from port internet cafes.

 

Dinner tonight was 1830 at Cagneys, and it was the star meal of our cruise. The shrimp cocktail was tremendous: large, juicy, fresh, with just the right splash of cocktail sauce. Being from the midatlantic states, we know something about crabcakes, and Cagney’s crabcakes were exceptional: almost all crabmeat with little filler. I found the lobster bisque was very good, and my DW said the grilled portobello mushroom stuffed with blue crabmeat was “hmmmmmm,” while the tuna carpaccio was “hmmmmmm-hmmmmm.” These were positive recommendations. Overall, Cagneys had the best appetizers in terms of variety and quality. DW & I shared the large cuts of prime rib (14oz) and filet mignon (10 oz), both medium rare. The meats were tender and very tasty. Good sides of baked potatoes, asparagus (order two, they are small) and sautéed mushrooms. One suggestion: if you’re a wine-drinker, plan your wine ordering and drinking strategically. I enjoy wine with nearly every dinner, but I did a poor job of planning it out this trip. I ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio at Mama’s, and I sent the remainder back to the wine steward for safe keeping (remember, you don’t have to drink the whole bottle; they will take it back to storage and deliver it to whatever restaurant you want for future meals). I had a “complimentary” bottle coming Wednesday for the anniversary package at Le Bistro. I was looking forward to a nice Cab Sauvignon at Cagney’s so I ended up buying by the glass, because I just would not have finished the bottle, and there weren’t enough future meals for all the bottles I was depositing in storage! Anyway, we drowned our sorrows in a tasty dessert of NY cheesecake and bananas foster flambé: both very good, but we miss the lack of tableside flambé. Oh, I know, all that “fire on board a ship at sea” safety nonsense. The service at Cagneys was very good, the ambiance very nice. It was very much a value at a $20 cover charge.

 

 

It was well after 2000 hours by the time we waddled out of Cagneys for a once-around the promenade deck on the way to the Stardust theater for Second City’s second performance at 2100. Improv comedy is a developed taste, and we enjoy it. The Second City cast performed well, but we did recognize some of the sketch comedy (the blow-up doll, and the pictionary scene, for example) as reruns from previous cruises.

 

 

We returned to our cabin to be greeted by a roaring towel elephant, and dozed off with visions of Mexico dancing in our heads.

 

 

Next post: Land-ho (Cozumel)

[dres40]

Thanks so much for the review. We are going on this cruise in April and are really looking forward to it! :)

[travel_lover]

We went to the muster drill in our gym clothes, and straight to the exercise room thereafter, which was just opening. I assume the spa was opening at the same time, but I didn't think to check.

 

No 2-for-1s on this 5 day. There were drink specials every day (remember, you don't have to get the souvenir glass), a variety of deals on internet time, and the standard 100/250 cruise rewards offer (pre-commit to cruise in the future for $250 downpayment and get an immediate $100 OBC). On the cruise rewards offer, they held a raffle on Wednesday for those who signed up.

 

On Sea days, NCL offered sushi/sake tasting, wine 'n cheese tasting, beer tasting, and Margarita tasting...I think each was $15 a session.

 

I still have the freestyle dailies, but am at the mercy of my DW to get them loaded on the net. If you are going on a 5-day, just Google "NCL freestyle dailies Jewel 5 day" (use dailies, noy daily)...someone thoughfully loaded a set from Jan 09 which were spot on with what we experienced.

 

I will try that, thank you so much!

[travel_lover]

We both really liked the warm banana pancakes,

 

OMG THESE PANCAKES ARE JUST SO DELICIOUS!!!!!:p

[NoVaCruiser60]

As Wednesday dawned, we arrived at the island of Cozumel and pulled in pier side. Our attempts at sleeping in ever later were thwarted by the change to Central Standard Time, so despite our laziness we still managed to hit breakfast in the Garden Café by 0900. My DW continued her healthy morning eating habits, but I gave in to the darkside and went for the sausage gravy over biscuits: now that will stick to your ribs (thighs, belly…wherever you gain weight). DW had researched the Cozumel listings on CC and got us a reservation for noon at Playa Uvas, a local day resort. We let the masses disembark first while we got in some quick exercise, then we casually strolled off around 1100. The new point of entry in Cozumel is ingenious: one must walk through one shopping area, up an escalator, across a skywalk, and back around a u-shaped shopping mall before heading down another escalator and actually being “free.” It was not very welcoming, but probably pretty good for tourist-related shops.

We caught a taxi for the $10, 10 minute trip to Playa Uvas, which is located in Chakanaab state park. Playa Uvas is a small, family-run resort. We paid $45 each for access and an activity: this covered a guided, clear-bottom kayak trip, open bar, and lunch. We also signed up for massages at a rate of $1 per minute; best $60 investment I ever made! Playa Uvas is not on NCL’s list of excursions, but is on other cruise lines, so it pays to make a reservation and work with the owners to time your visit for maximum enjoyment. My DW will post a more detailed review on the destinations page, but the fajitas were wonderful, the drinks strong and plentiful, the kayaking and beach simply fun, and the massages---ahhhhhhh. And everyone was incredibly friendly; Onasis was our most excellent personal attendant for the afternoon.

We taxied back to the port around 1630 and napped prior to our Le Bistro “anniversary” dinner at 1900. I’ve read some debate on the relative value of the honeymoon/anniversary package. Here’s one fact and one opinion. Fact: anybody can purchase one; you don’t need to be on a honeymoon or anniversary. Opinion: what you get is a photo (we didn’t bother), an invite to a champagne ‘n cake party (didn’t bother), canapés delivered to your room one evening (nice), chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival (nice), and the ability to make a whenever reservation at Le Bistro (with a bottle of house wine included). I think the cost was $79, which compares to $30 cover for two at Le Bistro, $20 for house wine, and $15 each for canapés and strawberries. If you look at it that way, you’re breaking even, plus you get to reserve that one meal up front. If you like cake, champagne, and photos, you come out ahead. Enough economics, on to gastronomics.

 

Le Bistro’s appetizers were a very close second to Cagneys. The foie gras and escargots were both excellent, and DW found the seared sea scallops quite good. The soups, french onion for me and mushroom in a bread boule for my DW, were thick, creamy, and filling. DW ordered beef au poivre (very good; great flavor) and I had cassoulet, a form of duck ragout. Now I am not a big fan of duck (just being adventurous on vacation), but this duck was served with some very tasty foie gras, smoked sausage, and white bean ragout. The flavor combination was simply tremendous. DW helped me finish off a simple bottle of house merlot before we had one final surprise: hurrah, the chocolate fondue for two is back for dessert! We missed it last year, and we hadn’t heard that it was back, so this was a most pleasant way to end the experience. After we left, we realized the waiters didn’t deliver a “surprise” cake or serenade us with “let me call you sweetheart.” Maybe we left early, or maybe those efforts are gone from the anniversary package.

Between the wine, chocolate, and relatively active day, we decided to skip the 304th world premier of “Fountains” (which is not to be missed, once) and the comic juggler, Thien Fu.

 

Next post: Homeward Bound

[nlt46]

You write with humor. I enjoyed your review. It's been a couple of years since I have done this trip, but you brought it all back. Thanks, Nancy

[mafig]

RE: Honeymoon/Romance Package

 

 

Don't you also get champagne/sparkling wine in your cabin upon embarkation?

[crew mom]

Nice review! Thanks for writing it

[NoVaCruiser60]

RE: Honeymoon/Romance Package

 

 

Don't you also get champagne/sparkling wine in your cabin upon embarkation?

 

I totally forgot that bottle! So that tips the scales (so to speak).

[Dawnmcl123]

NoVacruiser60-- Can you tell me what type of coffee machine was in the villa? Is it the type that you can bring your own coffee beans or coffee?

 

Thanks

[Dawnmcl123]

Family4cruising: Can you tell me the type of coffee machine in the courtard villa?

Thanks

[lhall85917]

As Wednesday dawned, we arrived at the island of Cozumel and pulled in pier side. Our attempts at sleeping in ever later were thwarted by the change to Central Standard Time, so despite our laziness we still managed to hit breakfast in the Garden Café by 0900. My DW continued her healthy morning eating habits, but I gave in to the darkside and went for the sausage gravy over biscuits: now that will stick to your ribs (thighs, belly…wherever you gain weight). DW had researched the Cozumel listings on CC and got us a reservation for noon at Playa Uvas, a local day resort. We let the masses disembark first while we got in some quick exercise, then we casually strolled off around 1100. The new point of entry in Cozumel is ingenious: one must walk through one shopping area, up an escalator, across a skywalk, and back around a u-shaped shopping mall before heading down another escalator and actually being “free.” It was not very welcoming, but probably pretty good for tourist-related shops.

We caught a taxi for the $10, 10 minute trip to Playa Uvas, which is located in Chakanaab state park. Playa Uvas is a small, family-run resort. We paid $45 each for access and an activity: this covered a guided, clear-bottom kayak trip, open bar, and lunch. We also signed up for massages at a rate of $1 per minute; best $60 investment I ever made! Playa Uvas is not on NCL’s list of excursions, but is on other cruise lines, so it pays to make a reservation and work with the owners to time your visit for maximum enjoyment. My DW will post a more detailed review on the destinations page, but the fajitas were wonderful, the drinks strong and plentiful, the kayaking and beach simply fun, and the massages---ahhhhhhh. And everyone was incredibly friendly; Onasis was our most excellent personal attendant for the afternoon.

We taxied back to the port around 1630 and napped prior to our Le Bistro “anniversary” dinner at 1900. I’ve read some debate on the relative value of the honeymoon/anniversary package. Here’s one fact and one opinion. Fact: anybody can purchase one; you don’t need to be on a honeymoon or anniversary. Opinion: what you get is a photo (we didn’t bother), an invite to a champagne ‘n cake party (didn’t bother), canapés delivered to your room one evening (nice), chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival (nice), and the ability to make a whenever reservation at Le Bistro (with a bottle of house wine included). I think the cost was $79, which compares to $30 cover for two at Le Bistro, $20 for house wine, and $15 each for canapés and strawberries. If you look at it that way, you’re breaking even, plus you get to reserve that one meal up front. If you like cake, champagne, and photos, you come out ahead. Enough economics, on to gastronomics.

 

Le Bistro’s appetizers were a very close second to Cagneys. The foie gras and escargots were both excellent, and DW found the seared sea scallops quite good. The soups, french onion for me and mushroom in a bread boule for my DW, were thick, creamy, and filling. DW ordered beef au poivre (very good; great flavor) and I had cassoulet, a form of duck ragout. Now I am not a big fan of duck (just being adventurous on vacation), but this duck was served with some very tasty foie gras, smoked sausage, and white bean ragout. The flavor combination was simply tremendous. DW helped me finish off a simple bottle of house merlot before we had one final surprise: hurrah, the chocolate fondue for two is back for dessert! We missed it last year, and we hadn’t heard that it was back, so this was a most pleasant way to end the experience. After we left, we realized the waiters didn’t deliver a “surprise” cake or serenade us with “let me call you sweetheart.” Maybe we left early, or maybe those efforts are gone from the anniversary package.

Between the wine, chocolate, and relatively active day, we decided to skip the 304th world premier of “Fountains” (which is not to be missed, once) and the comic juggler, Thien Fu.

 

Next post: Homeward Bound

 

Thanks for your great review. We are still trying to decide what to do in Cozumel in April and may look into Playa Uvas as an option. Interesting that you mention "Fountains", we saw this on the Majesty but haven't seen it on any other ship. Perhaps it is something up to the discretion of individual CD's? We thought it was great fun and would enjoy seeing another world premier sometime! :)

[familyof4cruising]

Family4cruising: Can you tell me the type of coffee machine in the courtard villa?

Thanks

 

 

Sorry we are not coffee drinkers, so we never asked how to use it.

[NoVaCruiser60]

Disembarkation day is a fairly short story. We started to get back to a non-vacation schedule by getting up at 0700, finishing packing and hitting the Garden Café for breakfast, which for me ended up being a couple of pecan-covered sticky buns. We noticed that the strict sanitary rules were gone: I don’t know whether that’s because we were all leaving or because the “outbreak” was under control. Either way, it was nice to fill up my own coffee mug.

 

 

 

We had opted for Freestyle Express Disembarkation, meaning we leave first but we carry off our own luggage. We travel light (1 suitcase, 1 carry-on, 1 overnight bag, 1 laptop) so that works well for us. They announced the disembarkation process was beginning at 0800, so we headed down to deck six, but a problem awaited. Some passengers with later disembarkation tags (on their luggage) were trying to leave; this was the one time I saw the staff being firm and telling people “no.” Also, there were so many express disembarkers that the line kept growing (away from me) as I followed it thru the atrium. Eventually I reached the end, and the line moved steadily back off the ship, thru customs, and on to the waiting taxi lines. We were at Miami airport before 0900, and were (real miracle here) able to catch an earlier flight home.

 

A few things I forgot mention:

After dinner coffee at Cagneys and Le Bistro was served from a french press (a real treat, and delicious).

DW & I visited the bridge viewing area once a day, at different times, and the privacy shades were always drawn closed. I don’t know what was going on in there, but it sure was a secret. Guess I have to cruise the Jewel again to find out what!

 

 

Parting comment: thanks to all you dropped by to read, post a comment, or ask a question! Hope you're next cruise is as fun as this one was for me!