Jewel vs Dawn

[Nekochan]

I've been on 2 NCL cruises before. I loved my trip on the Dawn, and was very unhappy with the Gem. Some of the problem was the itinerary, but some was the ship. I'm considering the Jewel out of NYC - it looks to me like the Jewel is the sister ship to the Dawn. Other than the decor, what are the differences in the 2 ships. Thank you

[ZoneHPH]

I've been on 2 NCL cruises before. I loved my trip on the Dawn, and was very unhappy with the Gem. Some of the problem was the itinerary, but some was the ship. I'm considering the Jewel out of NYC - it looks to me like the Jewel is the sister ship to the Dawn. Other than the decor, what are the differences in the 2 ships. Thank you

 

I believe the Jewel and Gem are in the same "class". While IMO, i think they share commonality with the Dawn...i think the Gem and Jewel are more similar to one another.

[Ms belp]

The Jewel and the Gem are both "Jewel" class ships, hence the names. They are larger and more modern than the Dawn. I have sailed both the Jewel (3 times) and the Dawn. They each have things in their favor. I would choose based on destinations rather than the ship.

[Grandpaul]

The one thing on the Jewel and Gem that I wish the Dawn had is the Great Outdoors. It's an area on the back of the ship on the top deck. Just off the buffet area and there is a bar there. Also, unfortunately for me, an ice cream machine. Nice area to sit while cruising or leaving ports.

[Ms belp]

The Great Outdoors is wonderful, I agree! I loved the atrium with the glass elevators on the Dawn as well. The Jewel also has the special "coffee" machines that the Dawn doesn't have. There are trade offs.

[Grandpaul]

Those elevators are nice. I was just on the Dawn last week. Still my favorite ship. But I don't dislike any ship.

[florida-mom]

I was just getting ready to pose this exact question, looking forward to the replies! We loved the Dawn, the Jewel does look like it's sister ship, I am especially interested in the differences of the AB Penthouse and AF mini-suite.

[NoPiratesPlease]

The Star is our favorite ship with the Dawn, her twin as a close second (and NYC based). But the Jewel is a little different and the model for the "Jewel-Class". The Jade is nearly identical, but the layout of deck 7 is QUITE different on the Pearl/Gem from the Jewel/Jade. The Pearl/Gem is almost a sub-class of the Jewel class. Some things are better (the Atrium) some worse, depending on your POV.

 

We've been on all 6, most of them more than once. We like the Star and Dawn best, and the Jewel and Jade next (Jewel a little more). We are indifferent between the Pearl and the Gem and would go on the other four first---but that's just us. Itinerary should REALLY be your deciding factor--where do you want to go?

[Nekochan]

My interest is a cruise out of NYC President's week - there's NCL to Florida and Bahamas, and RCCL to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the timing of the RCCL cruise is such that my kid would miss too much school. I don't like the Florida/Bahamas itinerary, and was unhappy with the Gem, but was hoping that the Jewel would be more like the Dawn, but it sounds like not, so I'll have to stick with RCCL out of Florida.

 

BTW, the great outdoors is a terrible idea for a ship leaving NYC in the middle of winter. I can't imagine the idiot that decided to choose a ship leaving NYC in the middle of winter that uses an outdoor area for the buffet overflow. NCL Dawn was specifically designed for leaving cold climates in winter, and I don't know why they don't keep the dawn in NYC.

[NoPiratesPlease]

BTW, the great outdoors is a terrible idea for a ship leaving NYC in the middle of winter. I can't imagine the idiot that decided to choose a ship leaving NYC in the middle of winter that uses an outdoor area for the buffet overflow. NCL Dawn was specifically designed for leaving cold climates in winter, and I don't know why they don't keep the dawn in NYC.

 

You know, I never thought of that but you are EXACTLY correct. We were on a 1-night CTN on the Gem (Jewel-class) in December and we froze our tootsies off. We were in a Courtyard Villa which was lovely except--90% of the bathroom floor is tiled and over the Deck 13 outdoor running track, ie, it's OPEN under there and it was 13 degrees that night. That was the COLDEST floor I've ever stood on that wasn't outside. The shower area was the coldest of all! Combine that "The Great Outdoors" and you have truly unusable areas for anyone not in long johns and expedition-grade down parkas!