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NCL Jewel Tips


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I just returned from the Jewel April 9-16 Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was excellent. There have already been some comprehensive reviews on the cruise, so I'll just list some tips that came in really handy...

 

  • Arrive at the pier early (we got there at 11 am. They hadnt started embarkation yet but this gave us plenty of time to complete the Bahamas paperwork before there was a line)
  • If you arrive early you can be on the ship by noon and eating lunch in Tsars while others are still boarding!! It also ends up giving you what feels like an extra day onboard.
  • Prior to boarding figure out which specialty restaurants you want to go to. Call the reservation desk as soon as you board and you'll have first choice of reservation times. We even got reservations at Teppanyaki for the first night.
  • GSC - if you want to do parasailing book it early (preferably before leaving for the cruise) because it was booked by Monday and no one cancelled.
  • Cirque Bijou - get there early to get a good seat
  • Deck chairs - forgo the mad rush to sit near the pool and head to the upper decks where you can usually find chairs
  • Le Bistro is a must - we had reservations for 6:00, so I had filet mignon for $5.
  • For those with children, the Kids Crew dinner is Wednesday night

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LeBistro and Teppanyaki are absolute "must do's". Also, the Sky High Bar, on deck 13 above the pools is a great place for lunch. They have mostly burgers, fries, stuff like that, but occasionally have fried shrimp, and other treats. And...unlike the buffet where the meat is precooked, they cook it when you order it. I think we had lunch or an afternoon after lunch, before dinner snack there almost every day!:)

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I just returned from the Jewel April 9-16 Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was excellent. There have already been some comprehensive reviews on the cruise, so I'll just list some tips that came in really handy...

 

  • Arrive at the pier early (we got there at 11 am. They hadnt started embarkation yet but this gave us plenty of time to complete the Bahamas paperwork before there was a line)
  • If you arrive early you can be on the ship by noon and eating lunch in Tsars while others are still boarding!! It also ends up giving you what feels like an extra day onboard.
  • Prior to boarding figure out which specialty restaurants you want to go to. Call the reservation desk as soon as you board and you'll have first choice of reservation times. We even got reservations at Teppanyaki for the first night.
  • GSC - if you want to do parasailing book it early (preferably before leaving for the cruise) because it was booked by Monday and no one cancelled.
  • Cirque Bijou - get there early to get a good seat
  • Deck chairs - forgo the mad rush to sit near the pool and head to the upper decks where you can usually find chairs
  • Le Bistro is a must - we had reservations for 6:00, so I had filet mignon for $5.
  • For those with children, the Kids Crew dinner is Wednesday night

 

Your "tips" were/are great!

 

You sound like a "seasoned" cruiser.

 

I agree with all that you have posted;)

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Excellent tips!

 

I hope you don't mind if I add one more.

 

When looking for your cabin after getting off an elevator and don't know which way to turn, just look at the carpet in the cabin corridors. The fish are swimming toward the front of the ship. :)

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All good tips so far. How about never using the elevator to combat all the food we consume? We were on the same Eastern Caribbean cruise returning last week and I always climbed the stairs, consequently, I only gained 3lbs!! We were on deck 5 - so the climb up to the sun deck on 13 was quite a hike.

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Tartanlassie, a very good tip. I was on deck 10 and made sure to use the stairs all the time. I would even double up when noone was around. I don't know about weight loss numbers but I do know my clothes fit me the same way as before I left.

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1. If you like lobster find out what night it's served so you don't book a specialty. They will know at reservations. Seems like it's typically Monday's.

 

2. The steak is better at Cagneys then Le Bistro.

 

3. In Cagneys and Le Bistro you can ask for the cheese cart at appetiser time, it's normally listed on the desert menu. Some very fine cheeses. Seems like it's rarely touched, at first I thought it was for show only as it was never cut into. In Cagneys they offered to put Blue Cheese from it on the steak, I've have that and it's good, but the Black Angus they server there is very good stuff all by itself.

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