Before you book NCL Jewel - - - Some thoughts

Hi Everyone,

We just got back from he 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on he Jewell. It was a little different than I expected. So here are some things you might want to consider.

1. If you have lots of tattoos ..... you might like NCL

2. If you want to sit around and drink all day long at the pool with ....you might like NCL.

3. If you don't care about great food....you might like NCL. (To be fair the buffets had some good food, but for fancy dinners the food is awful.)

4. If you are in Risk Management and seeing kids running amok in he pool area and spa with parents lounging with drinks...you might hate NCL.

5. If you like an all inclusive ... you might hate NCL...unless you pre buy all sorts of plans.

6. If you hate being nickle and dimed, you will hate NCL.

7. If you are looking for a really laid back relaxed non pretentious time...you might like NCL.

8. The Jewell is small for a cruise ship...but really big enough.

9. The water slide is for kids. Slow, but I loved that as my kids are afraid of fast ones.

10. You don't mind your kids.....mine hated the kids program Splash academy...so they hung out with us for most of the cruise (8 and 10.)

11. If you like music.....you might like NCL. At least on Jewell there was a lot of music - ironically not Salsa or flamenco in Mexico but what ever...It was nice. Not in morning, but started afternoon and all night.

12. If you are not too uptight about cabin.......you might love NCL. (Our cabin was not always cleaned up well, only received towel animals half the time, bunk bed was not pulled down most of the time...same with my mom in other cabin.)

13. If you love to dance at night....and DONT get seasick... you might like the NCL. The main dance floor is on 13th floor in he very front...so if you are prone to sea sickness is awful.

14. Kids are okay everywhere! That is generally a good thing. Most kids where well behaved. I liked being able to bring them most places. I was bummed so many events thought were 13 and up for adult content. - So lastly. I thought there was way too much sexual innuendo - even in he kid friendly comedy shows and acts. Seriously...???

15. If you never want to dress up and want to wear shorts and t-shirts the whole time ...you found your cruise line! (Although there is opportunity to dress up if you want.)

I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight. However, I had a great time. The first two days I was like get me off, but then I settled in. The ship was so dated! The people were .... well too casual lets say for me... It is sort of a what happens on the Jewell stays on the Jewell. There were surely really elegant couples who were super "classy", but you only saw them slow dancing piano or jazz music. I never saw them in he buffet! There are several paid for restaurants which is probably where "those types" ate. But there were all types of people. Classy to ghetto - thought mostly somewhere in between. I won't say I would never take NCL again, I might. But next time I want to try another line.

P.S. I am 40 and from Southern California, married, with 2 kids.

Hi Everyone,

We just got back from he 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on he Jewell. It was a little different than I expected. So here are some things you might want to consider.

1. If you have lots of tattoos ..... you might like NCL

2. If you want to sit around and drink all day long at the pool with ....you might like NCL.

3. If you don't care about great food....you might like NCL. (To be fair the buffets had some good food, but for fancy dinners the food is awful.)

4. If you are in Risk Management and seeing kids running amok in he pool area and spa with parents lounging with drinks...you might hate NCL.

5. If you like an all inclusive ... you might hate NCL...unless you pre buy all sorts of plans.

6. If you hate being nickle and dimed, you will hate NCL.

7. If you are looking for a really laid back relaxed non pretentious time...you might like NCL.

8. The Jewell is small for a cruise ship...but really big enough.

9. The water slide is for kids. Slow, but I loved that as my kids are afraid of fast ones.

10. You don't mind your kids.....mine hated the kids program Splash academy...so they hung out with us for most of the cruise (8 and 10.)

11. If you like music.....you might like NCL. At least on Jewell there was a lot of music - ironically not Salsa or flamenco in Mexico but what ever...It was nice. Not in morning, but started afternoon and all night.

12. If you are not too uptight about cabin.......you might love NCL. (Our cabin was not always cleaned up well, only received towel animals half the time, bunk bed was not pulled down most of the time...same with my mom in other cabin.)

13. If you love to dance at night....and DONT get seasick... you might like the NCL. The main dance floor is on 13th floor in he very front...so if you are prone to sea sickness is awful.

14. Kids are okay everywhere! That is generally a good thing. Most kids where well behaved. I liked being able to bring them most places. I was bummed so many events thought were 13 and up for adult content. - So lastly. I thought there was way too much sexual innuendo - even in he kid friendly comedy shows and acts. Seriously...???

15. If you never want to dress up and want to wear shorts and t-shirts the whole time ...you found your cruise line! (Although there is opportunity to dress up if you want.)

I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight. However, I had a great time. The first two days I was like get me off, but then I settled in. The ship was so dated! The people were .... well too casual lets say for me... It is sort of a what happens on the Jewell stays on the Jewell. There were surely really elegant couples who were super "classy", but you only saw them slow dancing piano or jazz music. I never saw them in he buffet! There are several paid for restaurants which is probably where "those types" ate. But there were all types of people. Classy to ghetto - thought mostly somewhere in between. I won't say I would never take NCL again, I might. But next time I want to try another line.

P.S. I am 40 and from Southern California, married, with 2 kids.

I have found other cruise lines on what I call "local" cruising. Those who don't travel much and have limited vacation time each year seem to gravitate towards the shorter cruises that don't go far but that start in places that are easy to drive to from large cities. (LA, Baltimore) Most of the folks are perfectly nice folks but tend to let go a little and live it up and perhaps drink too much or their one vacation per year.

I would agree with your comment. I would they are perfectly nice people living it up a little....I didn't hear a lot of swearing and there were not fights...you are prob right..just living it up a bit.

I guess NCL isn't for the OP.

I'd give NCL another chance, you didn't pick the right ship.

I don't want to dress up for vacation!

If I'm going on vacation, I'm not packing dress clothes or jackets.

I hope you find something that fits you! Happy Cruising!!

Hi Everyone,

We just got back from he 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on he Jewell. It was a little different than I expected. So here are some things you might want to consider.

1. If you have lots of tattoos ..... you might like NCL

2. If you want to sit around and drink all day long at the pool with ....you might like NCL.

3. If you don't care about great food....you might like NCL. (To be fair the buffets had some good food, but for fancy dinners the food is awful.)

4. If you are in Risk Management and seeing kids running amok in he pool area and spa with parents lounging with drinks...you might hate NCL.

5. If you like an all inclusive ... you might hate NCL...unless you pre buy all sorts of plans.

6. If you hate being nickle and dimed, you will hate NCL.

7. If you are looking for a really laid back relaxed non pretentious time...you might like NCL.

8. The Jewell is small for a cruise ship...but really big enough.

9. The water slide is for kids. Slow, but I loved that as my kids are afraid of fast ones.

10. You don't mind your kids.....mine hated the kids program Splash academy...so they hung out with us for most of the cruise (8 and 10.)

11. If you like music.....you might like NCL. At least on Jewell there was a lot of music - ironically not Salsa or flamenco in Mexico but what ever...It was nice. Not in morning, but started afternoon and all night.

12. If you are not too uptight about cabin.......you might love NCL. (Our cabin was not always cleaned up well, only received towel animals half the time, bunk bed was not pulled down most of the time...same with my mom in other cabin.)

13. If you love to dance at night....and DONT get seasick... you might like the NCL. The main dance floor is on 13th floor in he very front...so if you are prone to sea sickness is awful.

14. Kids are okay everywhere! That is generally a good thing. Most kids where well behaved. I liked being able to bring them most places. I was bummed so many events thought were 13 and up for adult content. - So lastly. I thought there was way too much sexual innuendo - even in he kid friendly comedy shows and acts. Seriously...???

15. If you never want to dress up and want to wear shorts and t-shirts the whole time ...you found your cruise line! (Although there is opportunity to dress up if you want.)

I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight. However, I had a great time. The first two days I was like get me off, but then I settled in. The ship was so dated! The people were .... well too casual lets say for me... It is sort of a what happens on the Jewell stays on the Jewell. There were surely really elegant couples who were super "classy", but you only saw them slow dancing piano or jazz music. I never saw them in he buffet! There are several paid for restaurants which is probably where "those types" ate. But there were all types of people. Classy to ghetto - thought mostly somewhere in between. I won't say I would never take NCL again, I might. But next time I want to try another line.

P.S. I am 40 and from Southern California, married, with 2 kids.

I am sorry it was not up to your expectations. I found the Jewel to be more than satisfactory and enjoyable. But we are all entitled to our opinions!

Happy future cruising to you!

Hi Everyone,

We just got back from he 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on he Jewell. It was a little different than I expected. So here are some things you might want to consider.

1. If you have lots of tattoos ..... you might like NCL

 

I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight.

 

But next time I want to try another line.

 

P.S. I am 40 and from Southern California, married, with 2 kids.

OH MY GOD!!!!

I guess I need to cancel all my Princess Cruises.

I wasn't aware of the Tattoo restrictions.

Do you think they will let me use my "formal attire" to cover my tattoos while I'm sitting by the pool being forced to listen to the overly loud movie/concert on MUTS?

P.S. I'm 56 and am usually considered, as you say, "those types"

Jewel

Hi Everyone,

We just got back from he 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on he Jewell. It was a little different than I expected. So here are some things you might want to consider.

1. If you have lots of tattoos ..... you might like NCL

2. If you want to sit around and drink all day long at the pool with ....you might like NCL.

3. If you don't care about great food....you might like NCL. (To be fair the buffets had some good food, but for fancy dinners the food is awful.)

4. If you are in Risk Management and seeing kids running amok in he pool area and spa with parents lounging with drinks...you might hate NCL.

5. If you like an all inclusive ... you might hate NCL...unless you pre buy all sorts of plans.

6. If you hate being nickle and dimed, you will hate NCL.

7. If you are looking for a really laid back relaxed non pretentious time...you might like NCL.

8. The Jewell is small for a cruise ship...but really big enough.

9. The water slide is for kids. Slow, but I loved that as my kids are afraid of fast ones.

10. You don't mind your kids.....mine hated the kids program Splash academy...so they hung out with us for most of the cruise (8 and 10.)

11. If you like music.....you might like NCL. At least on Jewell there was a lot of music - ironically not Salsa or flamenco in Mexico but what ever...It was nice. Not in morning, but started afternoon and all night.

12. If you are not too uptight about cabin.......you might love NCL. (Our cabin was not always cleaned up well, only received towel animals half the time, bunk bed was not pulled down most of the time...same with my mom in other cabin.)

13. If you love to dance at night....and DONT get seasick... you might like the NCL. The main dance floor is on 13th floor in he very front...so if you are prone to sea sickness is awful.

14. Kids are okay everywhere! That is generally a good thing. Most kids where well behaved. I liked being able to bring them most places. I was bummed so many events thought were 13 and up for adult content. - So lastly. I thought there was way too much sexual innuendo - even in he kid friendly comedy shows and acts. Seriously...???

15. If you never want to dress up and want to wear shorts and t-shirts the whole time ...you found your cruise line! (Although there is opportunity to dress up if you want.)

I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight. However, I had a great time. The first two days I was like get me off, but then I settled in. The ship was so dated! The people were .... well too casual lets say for me... It is sort of a what happens on the Jewell stays on the Jewell. There were surely really elegant couples who were super "classy", but you only saw them slow dancing piano or jazz music. I never saw them in he buffet! There are several paid for restaurants which is probably where "those types" ate. But there were all types of people. Classy to ghetto - thought mostly somewhere in between. I won't say I would never take NCL again, I might. But next time I want to try another line.

P.S. I am 40 and from Southern California, married, with 2 kids.

I dont have one tattoo and I think the NCL Jewel is great. I also found it to be one of the best ships as far as "nickel and diming" goes and as for "all inclusive" you need to do some research because all the cruise ships in this price range have basically the same inclusions and amentities. I have never had a bad meal on a cruise ship either but that's also my opinion. Sorry to hear about your disappointing cruise.

While I agree that NCL is not for everybody I do enjoy the product esp the Jewel class ships as to me they are right sized. I have never had poor room stewards or other service issues that weren't resolved onboard (one cruise my room was not cleaned very well upon arrival, I went to the front desk, they sent the crew back and gave us a drink, the steward was perfect the rest of the week) - it sounds like the OP might more be better suited with the Away class ships.

I go on vacation to relax and love to just hang around either in the cabin or on the deck - I also like exploring new ports so I tend to gravitate to port intensive cruises and see the ship as a floating hotel. I also do not like to dress up all that much. NCL is perfect for me.

We love the Jewel and have sailed on her in 2015 and 2016. And we have an upcoming Mexican Riviera cruise scheduled next month.

,,,, but we don't have any tattoos,,, so we better go invest in a few,,,,

Been on Jewel twice. Loved it. No tatoos but hey I don't judge.

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7. If you are looking for a really laid back relaxed non pretentious time...you might like NCL.

Sounds perfect or me.

12. If you are not too uptight about cabin.......you might love NCL. (Our cabin was not always cleaned up well, only received towel animals half the time, bunk bed was not pulled down most of the time...same with my mom in other cabin.)

No towel animals sounding better every step.

I love the jewel, but I must not have received the tattoo memo.

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op, you do sound like more of a Princess girl; I am rather relieved to know you will not be on our cruise this coming week. Not all lines are right for everyone, but you must consider the embarkation point, the itinerary and the time of year you cruised. Los Angeles to Mexico isn't an itinerary everyone wants; it is more a get away cruise and any time anyone cruises in March or even early April they must be prepared for lots of kids, not all kids are well behaved and they are on vacation just like mom and dad.

We have cruised the Jewel twice; once on her first Atlantic crossing. She is a good sized ship, much better than many of the mega ships and does offer a relaxed atmosphere. As for the Latin music, I believe that goes with the territory. I do agree, we are not lovers of it either, but do understand the reason it is played when cruising to Mexico.

Food is subjective let me add: we find the food on NCL much more to our liking than on Princess. We also find the people on NCL to our liking; NO we do not have tatoos and yes, we are older adults. I can add one more thing, we were born and raised in So CA. so we know a little bit about the west coast..The dress code you are talking about on the Jewel fits in with a lot of the dress styles in CA. ;p:cool:

I sailed on the Jewel in mid March and will soon be posting a very detailed review. I've been on the Jewel twice and think it is a very well run and nice sized ship. There were quite a few kids (I didn't see any misbehaved ones), and many of the activities were geared towards families, but that was appropriate and fine with us (over 60). If you travel during spring break, you need to expect families!

We liked all of the restaurants except LeBistro. Please don't listen to anyone who says they didn't like the food. Most people have the UDP and can go to Cagneys, Teppanyaki, etc and those places are great!

BTW- the average age was about 44 years old. We got to do a behind the scenes tour (Latitudes Platinum perk) and they posted lots of stats for that sailing. Princess may attract an older crowd who don't do the tattoo thing.

Also, if you like to ballroom dance, the Jewel on our sailing was lacking. It wasn't the ship's fault, but the lack of passengers who knew how to dance. We were the anomaly. The ship's entertainers and bands made a gallant effort.

If you are looking for more "refined people", you need to choose your cruiseline carefully. We love that we can travel with less luggage and not be burdened by formal nights.

Just remember, unless you are Oprah, Warren Buffet, Mark Cuban or the like... there is always someone looking down at YOU perhaps. Just sayin.

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Mexican Riviera cruises are often party boats, so the OP's experience doesn't surprise me. We took a New England cruise on the Gem, one of the the Jewel's sister ships, and at 60 we may have been the youngest people on the boat. It was a very laid back, older group of people and therefore a calmer cruise with more people dressing nicely at dinner time. Never once saw a drunk vomiting on that cruise!

The cabin cleanliness and service level is not what I would expect from NCL. They are usually just as attentive on NCL as they are on any of the other lines we have sailed. We would also expect the MDR food to be acceptable, although we have yet to be really impressed with any cruise line's MDR. What NCL does lack in comparison to Princess is the speed of service in the MDR (if you choose a set dining time on Princess), and the presentation of the food itself; Princess takes a lot of care to make their food look appealing on the plate, where on NCL you tend to get food that has been quickly placed on the plate. But the taste of the food all seems about equal, in our opinion.

Princess has / had horrible beds, but I understand they are swapping them all out. We switched from Princess as our preferred line to NCL a number of years ago due to the horrible beds, tasteless desserts, and enforced formal nights. But I understand a lot of those things have changed in the years that have passed since then.

We are sailing Celebrity this September after our last scheduled NCL cruise coming up at the end of April. We might like X better than the new, degraded experience we have had on NCL recently. X's relaxed dress code is one reason we are trying them.

For the OP, you know what to expect from the dining and dress code issues, but beyond that you should keep an open mind for price, itinerary and included extras when looking at NCL for a next cruise. There's no reason to limit yourself to just one cruise line. Based on your experience and reaction, I would also stay away from NCL for Caribbean cruises (or any other place that is hot), as I think you will see similar issues. They will be less frequent on those cruises than on a get away trip to Mexico, but you'll still see them, and they will probably bug you more the second time around!

NCL is the only cruise line that we have seen repeated instances of vomit in public areas, usually by an elevator. It has happened on our last three NCL cruises, with the exception of the octogenarian New England cruise I mentioned before. I'm sure it happens on other lines too, but it is disconcerting to have it happen so often on NCL. I think it's the overindulgence by "free booze" passengers.

 

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I discovered I am more of a Princess sort of girl. I fully admit I can be sort of uptight. However, I had a great time.

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But there were all types of people. Classy to ghetto - thought mostly somewhere in between. I won't say I would never take NCL again, I might. But next time I want to try another line.

I find it hard to believe you actually had a great time. I think you were doomed from the start considering this post:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2427805

Clearly you should stick with Princess as NCL (or any other mass-market line) isn't for you.

I'm trying to figure out how someone else's tattoos affect the OP? Last time I checked my tattoos have no effect on other people. I must be missing something. Don't want one, don't get one. Of all the 3 cruises I have been on, they are all about the same. Same kind of people, same kind of stuff on board. They all nickel and dime unless you pay top $$$ for one of those all inclusive cruises that have like 100 people on board. Yeah no thanks. I am not going on vacation where I have to worry about if my make up in on point or my formal ball gown is pressed. Nope, give me relaxed and happy instead of full out dressed up and uptight. OP, there are other cruise lines out there and I really hope you find the one you love. If all your points are indeed true, stay away from RCCL and CCL. They're just like NCL. I love them too.

Mexican Riviera cruises are often party boats, so the OP's experience doesn't surprise me. We took a New England cruise on the Gem, one of the the Jewel's sister ships, and at 60 we may have been the youngest people on the boat. It was a very laid back, older group of people and therefore a calmer cruise with more people dressing nicely at dinner time. Never once saw a drunk vomiting on that cruise!

 

The cabin cleanliness and service level is not what I would expect from NCL. They are usually just as attentive on NCL as they are on any of the other lines we have sailed. We would also expect the MDR food to be acceptable, although we have yet to be really impressed with any cruise line's MDR. What NCL does lack in comparison to Princess is the speed of service in the MDR (if you choose a set dining time on Princess), and the presentation of the food itself; Princess takes a lot of care to make their food look appealing on the plate, where on NCL you tend to get food that has been quickly placed on the plate. But the taste of the food all seems about equal, in our opinion.

 

Princess has / had horrible beds, but I understand they are swapping them all out. We switched from Princess as our preferred line to NCL a number of years ago due to the horrible beds, tasteless desserts, and enforced formal nights. But I understand a lot of those things have changed in the years that have passed since then.

 

We are sailing Celebrity this September after our last scheduled NCL cruise coming up at the end of April. We might like X better than the new, degraded experience we have had on NCL recently. X's relaxed dress code is one reason we are trying them.

 

 

For the OP, you know what to expect from the dining and dress code issues, but beyond that you should keep an open mind for price, itinerary and included extras when looking at NCL for a next cruise. There's no reason to limit yourself to just one cruise line. Based on your experience and reaction, I would also stay away from NCL for Caribbean cruises (or any other place that is hot), as I think you will see similar issues. They will be less frequent on those cruises than on a get away trip to Mexico, but you'll still see them, and they will probably bug you more the second time around!

 

NCL is the only cruise line that we have seen repeated instances of vomit in public areas, usually by an elevator. It has happened on our last three NCL cruises, with the exception of the octogenarian New England cruise I mentioned before. I'm sure it happens on other lines too, but it is disconcerting to have it happen so often on NCL. I think it's the overindulgence by "free booze" passengers.

We have been on 20 plus NCL cruises and never saw anyone get sick unless it was a rough sea. Of course we do not stay up late and hang out near the bars. We usually hit the bed about 11pm.

delete

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Good riddance! It makes me happy to know I don't have to worry about meeting someone like you on an NCL cruise.

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I have tattoos, but don't like to drink all day at the pool.

I'm confused....am I supposed to like NCL or not?