The Alaskan Jewel! Welcome Aboard….You don’t Exist!

Good idea on the extra snacks.

 

We love the Cabins and have already stayed there twice. Rented a golf cart last time as we were there for 9 nights. My daughter loved the MNSSHP and we know all my nieces and nephews would too as they will range in age from 2to 8 at that point.

 

We def want to do a Disney Cruise just have to figure out when.

 

Found you and sent a request and I have lots of Disney pics. We got some Pixy Dust this past year and my daughter was chosen to start the fireworks for Illuminations!!

I did the party once about 4 years ago. (also did the christmas party that same trip) and it was so nice. In a perfect world we would make this trip so that I could do both again, but when you have to coordinate with family it doesn't work the way you want it always. I think it's going to be Oct. 22 for the cruise...just waiting on one more person.

I did the party once about 4 years ago. (also did the christmas party that same trip) and it was so nice. In a perfect world we would make this trip so that I could do both again, but when you have to coordinate with family it doesn't work the way you want it always. I think it's going to be Oct. 22 for the cruise...just waiting on one more person.

After we did MNNSHP in 2014 we decided to do MVMCP this past Nov as I really wanted to see it decorated for Christmas. As much as I liked seeing it all done up for Xmas and would not pass up another trip to see it done up of course, in the end we decided we liked MNSSHP a little bit more. We think that MNNSHP fit better for a family trip. I know the kids will love trick or treating in the MK as my daughter loved that more compared to hot chocolate and just snicker doodle cookies. Had hoped for more options cookie wise but after a few cookies we didn't bother getting any more where as we stopped at every place to trick or treat. There was something about getting used to seeing all the Xmas decorations and snow on Main St wearing shorts (not that I'm complaining about wearing shorts in Nov) :) We did get to see the Osborne Lights which was nice. Seeing both Halloween and Xmas in one trip would be great.

After we did MNNSHP in 2014 we decided to do MVMCP this past Nov as I really wanted to see it decorated for Christmas. As much as I liked seeing it all done up for Xmas and would not pass up another trip to see it done up of course, in the end we decided we liked MNSSHP a little bit more. We think that MNNSHP fit better for a family trip. I know the kids will love trick or treating in the MK as my daughter loved that more compared to hot chocolate and just snicker doodle cookies. Had hoped for more options cookie wise but after a few cookies we didn't bother getting any more where as we stopped at every place to trick or treat. There was something about getting used to seeing all the Xmas decorations and snow on Main St wearing shorts (not that I'm complaining about wearing shorts in Nov) :) We did get to see the Osborne Lights which was nice. Seeing both Halloween and Xmas in one trip would be great.

I sure hope the rumors of the Osborne lights going somewhere else is true. Those are just so amazing.

My snicker doodle was hard so it wasn't a treat at all. LOL.

I just finished reading your review, and I loved it!

Thought I love reading your reviews at the Dis Boards also.

Thank you for sharing :)

I just finished reading your review, and I loved it!

 

Thought I love reading your reviews at the Dis Boards also.

 

Thank you for sharing :)

Thanks!! :D

What a great review, Jenseib. We just booked our last minute Alaska cruise (June 4-11, 2016). Your review definitely help us in planning. Very informative and we enjoy reading it very much. I finished in a day [emoji2].

What a great review, Jenseib. We just booked our last minute Alaska cruise (June 4-11, 2016). Your review definitely help us in planning. Very informative and we enjoy reading it very much. I finished in a day [emoji2].

Come join our Roll Call!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50045224&posted=1#post50045224

What a great review, Jenseib. We just booked our last minute Alaska cruise (June 4-11, 2016). Your review definitely help us in planning. Very informative and we enjoy reading it very much. I finished in a day [emoji2].

Thanks!

You are going to have a fantastic time!

I am unable to find Sunday's Daily. Could you tell me which page it is on.....or re-post it? Thanks!

Less then two weeks to go for me!

I am unable to find Sunday's Daily. Could you tell me which page it is on.....or re-post it? Thanks!

 

Less then two weeks to go for me!

I have no clue what page it would be on.

Is Sunday Aug. 2? I don't have my folders arranged by day of the week.

daily2-1 by Jenseib, on Flickr

daily2-2 by Jenseib, on Flickr

daily2-3 by Jenseib, on Flickr

daily2-4 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Thanks!

Just what I needed.

Jen,

Finally, I made it to the end of this transparent, humorous, and wonderfully written trip report. It took me a minute to figure it out, but when I did, I breezed through with a few days to spare.

I leave Saturday and your report has equipped me so much information and answered so many of my questions about the nuances of this ship. There are 15 of us going and I am the "group leader." I've done Alaska before, so the group trusted me to make all of the arrangements from selecting the cruise, flights, excursions, and group meals. I am exhausted from all of the planning and ready for this vacation.

You have me: 1) rethinking one of the specialty restaurants I selected (Moderno) and 2) very glad about the other (Teppanyaki).

I am so thankful you commented on all of the events, even if they did not interest you, Claire, and Skip. I am looking forward to the White Hot Party and I can totally appreciate it holding absolutely no interest for you. But I am so glad you gave me an idea of when it might be: Day 6, Second Sea Day, the night before Victoria. This is perfect.

I even follow you on Flickr, now. I went there and downloaded each Freestyle Daily. It was easier (for me) to do that on Flickr than here. THANK YOU!!!

I'll be looking at cruise staff and wondering, "Is he Mr. Gnat?" LOL I'm sure I'll be excited when/if I see "washy washy guy." And Burly Dude was hilarious and memorable as well.

Thanks for the story and the accompany photos. I'll see you around the cruise boards!

Best,

Sheletha

Brilliant review 😀 2 weeks till my Alaska cruise on the Jewel really excited after reading your review. I think I will have to rethink my packing.

Brilliant review 2 weeks till my Alaska cruise on the Jewel really excited after reading your review. I think I will have to rethink my packing.

Hey Kerry,

We are on the week before you. I promise we will keep the ship in good shape for you.

Thanks!

Just what I needed.

Great!

Jen,

 

Finally, I made it to the end of this transparent, humorous, and wonderfully written trip report. It took me a minute to figure it out, but when I did, I breezed through with a few days to spare.

 

I leave Saturday and your report has equipped me so much information and answered so many of my questions about the nuances of this ship. There are 15 of us going and I am the "group leader." I've done Alaska before, so the group trusted me to make all of the arrangements from selecting the cruise, flights, excursions, and group meals. I am exhausted from all of the planning and ready for this vacation.

 

You have me: 1) rethinking one of the specialty restaurants I selected (Moderno) and 2) very glad about the other (Teppanyaki).

 

I am so thankful you commented on all of the events, even if they did not interest you, Claire, and Skip. I am looking forward to the White Hot Party and I can totally appreciate it holding absolutely no interest for you. But I am so glad you gave me an idea of when it might be: Day 6, Second Sea Day, the night before Victoria. This is perfect.

 

I even follow you on Flickr, now. I went there and downloaded each Freestyle Daily. It was easier (for me) to do that on Flickr than here. THANK YOU!!!

 

I'll be looking at cruise staff and wondering, "Is he Mr. Gnat?" LOL I'm sure I'll be excited when/if I see "washy washy guy." And Burly Dude was hilarious and memorable as well.

 

Thanks for the story and the accompany photos. I'll see you around the cruise boards!

 

Best,

Sheletha

Thanks so much for reading and enjoying. I always hope people will learn from what I write. Of course my experiences will not always be the same as others but I try to give info to help others make decisions on whether it works for them or not.

As for restaurants, If you decide to change out Moderno (and I really don't think I will ever go back to it again) I highly suggest Cagneys. It really was good food. Also Le Bistro was amazing. If we have do the dining plan again, I will for sure get there because that steak was one of the best I have ever had.

I am hoping maybe next summer I can get Skip in the mode to do Alaska again. Next time I think I will try the Pearl. Actually I would like to do it on Princess but we have a credit with NCL that has to be used up by the end of next summer, so we need to do a cruise with them by that time. I am cruising the Disney Fantasy in Oct. and Skip is skipping out on that one, so I am hoping by next summer he is antsy to go somewhere.

Great!

 

 

 

Thanks so much for reading and enjoying. I always hope people will learn from what I write. Of course my experiences will not always be the same as others but I try to give info to help others make decisions on whether it works for them or not.

As for restaurants, If you decide to change out Moderno (and I really don't think I will ever go back to it again) I highly suggest Cagneys. It really was good food. Also Le Bistro was amazing. If we have do the dining plan again, I will for sure get there because that steak was one of the best I have ever had.

 

I am hoping maybe next summer I can get Skip in the mode to do Alaska again. Next time I think I will try the Pearl. Actually I would like to do it on Princess but we have a credit with NCL that has to be used up by the end of next summer, so we need to do a cruise with them by that time. I am cruising the Disney Fantasy in Oct. and Skip is skipping out on that one, so I am hoping by next summer he is antsy to go somewhere.

I really think the Pearl will be great for you. Glacier Bay is a great experience!

Brilliant review 2 weeks till my Alaska cruise on the Jewel really excited after reading your review. I think I will have to rethink my packing.

Have fun!!! Bring a little of everything as the weather can be all over the place.

I really think the Pearl will be great for you. Glacier Bay is a great experience!

I really do want to see Glacier Bay!

Jen,

Many thanks for your excellent trip report. Your style of writing is engaging and informative. I am going on a RT Seattle cruise on the Pearl in July - so much of the information you provided is pertinent. I am also a big Walt Disney World enthusiast. Have visited there most years for the last twenty or so, but have never been on a Disney cruise. You have me thinking I really need to do that!

Jen,

 

Many thanks for your excellent trip report. Your style of writing is engaging and informative. I am going on a RT Seattle cruise on the Pearl in July - so much of the information you provided is pertinent. I am also a big Walt Disney World enthusiast. Have visited there most years for the last twenty or so, but have never been on a Disney cruise. You have me thinking I really need to do that!

Thanks for reading!!!

I love Disney Cruise Line. We are heading out on the Fantasy in Oct. I can't wait! (and I sailed the Magic in Feb!) ;)

Hope it's OK to latch onto your thread, but we just had a fantastic time on this itinerary!

We even saw bubble feeding FROM the ship! In my many cruises I have only seen that once close up and that was on an excursion vessel.

Also got to see Dawes Glacier calve from the excursion vessel. I had never been there so that was a nice treat.

Hope it's OK to latch onto your thread, but we just had a fantastic time on this itinerary!

 

We even saw bubble feeding FROM the ship! In my many cruises I have only seen that once close up and that was on an excursion vessel.

 

Also got to see Dawes Glacier calve from the excursion vessel. I had never been there so that was a nice treat.

Sounds like you had an amazing time. I would love to get back there soon, but we now have my oldest daughter getting married so things like this might be pushed another year or two

So glad I found this! Jen - thanks for taking the time to record your experiences. We will be first time cruisers on the Jewel - last cruise of the season. I picked that one in hopes that there will be less kids (not that there's anything wrong with that!) However, your details will allow me to "sound" knowledgeable even though I have never been. This was at the top of my bucket list for 10 years and finally I just said "we're going!" We booked a mini suite/w balcony and I am hoping for an opportunity to upgrade and surprise my better half. He is ALOT like your husband in that he will likely act unimpressed initially, but I know the sheer awesomeness of everything will eventually overwhelm him. In addition to that, the only excursion I know for sure we are doing is Deadliest Catch. We are both huge fans and we are doing that one no matter what.

So, many thanks again for taking the time to write this. Very helpful, I only hope I can do something similar to pay it forward.

p.s. I know this thread is kind of old, but did someone go delete out the post(s) with the negative comments about writing style and the length of time it took to put it all together? I see the comments about the negativity, but I don't see any of the original post(s). So, that was a little confusing.

This is where the baggage drop off is.

walk26 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

And I took a quick peek inside where people were coming through after getting off the ship.

walk27 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

Back around the other side I took a picture of the gangway.

walk28 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

This was much different than any other ship I had ever boarded. You actually board the ship on the Promenade deck outside and then go in. Now I had seen pictures that this is how it is done for this ship, but it still seemed weird to me.

Brook and Deb told me to find my room and take a picture.

walk29 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

I am the 2nd balcony down on the aft…right on the corner.

walk30 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

I have to admit I was now super excited. Seeing the ship makes it much more real. I also felt better seeing the port area and having an idea of how it looked now. That makes me a bit nervous when I am not familiar with the area.

It was neat to see people getting off the ship and I wondered how their experience was. I also wondered how cold it had been as it was pretty hot here already in Seattle, but most people were getting off wearing jeans or long pants.

My phone was getting low on battery and I had never told Skip where I was going, so I figured now was a good time to head back and get ready for all the fun in store for us.

This makes me laugh because I'm pretty sure I know both Brook and Deb!! The Disney "world" is a small world! Lol

We are leaving on Jewel in a couple of weeks! Loving the review

Wanted to let you know I just started my Alaska Trip Report on the Pearl from a few weeks ago. It's still in the early stages though. If it's half as good as your report on the Jewel I'll be very happy. Hope you don't mind I linked it here. If you do I'll delete the link.

NCL Pearl- June 26, 2016- The Suite Life

So glad I found this! Jen - thanks for taking the time to record your experiences. We will be first time cruisers on the Jewel - last cruise of the season. I picked that one in hopes that there will be less kids (not that there's anything wrong with that!) However, your details will allow me to "sound" knowledgeable even though I have never been. This was at the top of my bucket list for 10 years and finally I just said "we're going!" We booked a mini suite/w balcony and I am hoping for an opportunity to upgrade and surprise my better half. He is ALOT like your husband in that he will likely act unimpressed initially, but I know the sheer awesomeness of everything will eventually overwhelm him. In addition to that, the only excursion I know for sure we are doing is Deadliest Catch. We are both huge fans and we are doing that one no matter what.

 

So, many thanks again for taking the time to write this. Very helpful, I only hope I can do something similar to pay it forward.

 

.

Thanks for reading. You will have an amazing time. Your cruise may be a little chillier, but you never know. Weather can change and be odd as we all know.

Skip just loved this trip so much and can't imagine why anyone would ever travel anywhere else now. He was impressed, so that was such a good thing.

Skip was all smiles on the Deadliest Catch tour. Also on the Klondike family experience because it offered so much and he wasn't even aware what we were doing beforehand. Ideally I would like to sail the Pearl next year, but my oldest daughter is getting married so those hopes may be thrown out the door. LOL. Of course her getting married is a good thing.

This makes me laugh because I'm pretty sure I know both Brook and Deb!! The Disney "world" is a small world! Lol

 

We are leaving on Jewel in a couple of weeks! Loving the review

That's funny. they are both on social media and big Disney fans, so probably in a lot of groups. They are both great gals and some of my closest co-workers. I talk to both pretty much daily and love them to death.

Have fun on the Jewel.