The Jewel is a JEWEL

I have just returned from the 24th January to the 31st January on The Jewel. WOW!!! WOW!!! This was my 29th Norwegian cruise and my 3rd on The Jewel. This was such a wonderful cruise for myself and two friends from Northern California. The staff was phenomenal lead by Hotel Director Claus, Food and Beverage Director Hasan, Restaurant Manager Noel and Cruise Director Tom.

Tom has only been a Cruise Director for a few weeks. As with anyone in a new position he was a little nervous. The three of us thought he did an excellent job.

I only had a chance to see two shows: Duo Deja Vu- the young Russian couple doing the acrobatic, gymnastic, aerial show. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was fantastic. The other was the Le Cirque Bijou/ Farewell Show. It was also amazing.

I did one shore excursion in Cabo San Lucas- the Semi- Yellow Submarine. Very interesting and lots of fun.

Other than one night in O'Sheehans did we encounter an issue. It had nothing to do with the food just the fact that the restaurant filled to capacity 45 minutes prior to the prime rib dinner special was to be served. Staff was very much overwhelmed.

My friends and I had such a good time on The Jewel that all of us will be back in May of 2017 for an Alaskan cruise.

Thank you to all those on The Jewel for a wonderful time.

Thanks for sharing review Mandy.

I've done something similar. We had such a wonderful time on the Jewel to Alaska last May, in November we went to Mexico on her. We liked that cruise so much we did it again in January. Great ship with a great crew.

I've done something similar. We had such a wonderful time on the Jewel to Alaska last May, in November we went to Mexico on her. We liked that cruise so much we did it again in January. Great ship with a great crew.

Same here. We sailed in may and got off and booked mexico. We also booked that may one because of a cruise two years earlier.

Good to hear she is still doing good :)

We were on that cruise last week, too. Third time on Jewel. I thought the cruise director, Tom, was fabulous!

This was our 90th cruise and fourth on NCL so I have a very large amount of cruises to compare it to. The service i found lacking. The ship was clean, there were lots of dining venues and the shows were generally good. The staff never seemed happy, just doing their job and no extra. The amount of nickel and diming were more then other cruise lines, although they all try to sell something. I couldn't understand the cruise director when he MC'd the shows because he didn't finish his sentences and spoke so fast it was all one word instead of sentences. The restaurants were slow, 2 1/2 hours for a meal is more then I need or want. We each have different expectations and mine weren't met on this particular cruise.

We were invited by the captain to a VIP event in the Haven. They served cold hor'douvers (we're used to seeing more upscale hot appetizers) and thought the Haven pool area was small and depressing. It took forever to get a diet Pepsi since it wasn't one of the watered down drinks they were walking around serving on a tray. I think Princess is more of a class act personally.

I can't imagine booking again with NCL. My next 3 cruises this year are with Princess and I might get a Celebrity one in there. If you have never sailed other lines then you don't know what you're missing.

If you read our roll call you will see more negative reviews then positive ones.

One thing that was fabulous was the people from our roll call. We met with many of them and plan to get together with some again.

This was our 90th cruise and fourth on NCL so I have a very large amount of cruises to compare it to. The service i found lacking. The ship was clean, there were lots of dining venues and the shows were generally good. The staff never seemed happy, just doing their job and no extra. The amount of nickel and diming were more then other cruise lines, although they all try to sell something. I couldn't understand the cruise director when he MC'd the shows because he didn't finish his sentences and spoke so fast it was all one word instead of sentences. The restaurants were slow, 2 1/2 hours for a meal is more then I need or want. We each have different expectations and mine weren't met on this particular cruise.

We were invited by the captain to a VIP event in the Haven. They served cold hor'douvers (we're used to seeing more upscale hot appetizers) and thought the Haven pool area was small and depressing. It took forever to get a diet Pepsi since it wasn't one of the watered down drinks they were walking around serving on a tray. I think Princess is more of a class act personally.

I can't imagine booking again with NCL. My next 3 cruises this year are with Princess and I might get a Celebrity one in there. If you have never sailed other lines then you don't know what you're missing.

If you read our roll call you will see more negative reviews then positive ones.

One thing that was fabulous was the people from our roll call. We met with many of them and plan to get together with some again.

Not sure why you would hijack this nicely written review and not post one of your own if you wanted to be so negative. :confused:

Not cool.

I have just returned from the 24th January to the 31st January on The Jewel. WOW!!! WOW!!! This was my 29th Norwegian cruise and my 3rd on The Jewel. This was such a wonderful cruise for myself and two friends from Northern California. The staff was phenomenal lead by Hotel Director Claus, Food and Beverage Director Hasan, Restaurant Manager Noel and Cruise Director Tom.

 

Tom has only been a Cruise Director for a few weeks. As with anyone in a new position he was a little nervous. The three of us thought he did an excellent job.

 

I only had a chance to see two shows: Duo Deja Vu- the young Russian couple doing the acrobatic, gymnastic, aerial show. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was fantastic. The other was the Le Cirque Bijou/ Farewell Show. It was also amazing.

 

I did one shore excursion in Cabo San Lucas- the Semi- Yellow Submarine. Very interesting and lots of fun.

 

Other than one night in O'Sheehans did we encounter an issue. It had nothing to do with the food just the fact that the restaurant filled to capacity 45 minutes prior to the prime rib dinner special was to be served. Staff was very much overwhelmed.

 

My friends and I had such a good time on The Jewel that all of us will be back in May of 2017 for an Alaskan cruise.

 

Thank you to all those on The Jewel for a wonderful time.

So glad you had a nice cruise! We love the Jewel and will sail again on her this Sunday. I expect we will have a great cruise and look forward to meeting the staff.

Negative Nelly's are a bummer :(

This was our 90th cruise and fourth on NCL so I have a very large amount of cruises to compare it to. The service i found lacking. The ship was clean, there were lots of dining venues and the shows were generally good. The staff never seemed happy, just doing their job and no extra. The amount of nickel and diming were more then other cruise lines, although they all try to sell something. I couldn't understand the cruise director when he MC'd the shows because he didn't finish his sentences and spoke so fast it was all one word instead of sentences. The restaurants were slow, 2 1/2 hours for a meal is more then I need or want. We each have different expectations and mine weren't met on this particular cruise.

We were invited by the captain to a VIP event in the Haven. They served cold hor'douvers (we're used to seeing more upscale hot appetizers) and thought the Haven pool area was small and depressing. It took forever to get a diet Pepsi since it wasn't one of the watered down drinks they were walking around serving on a tray. I think Princess is more of a class act personally.

I can't imagine booking again with NCL. My next 3 cruises this year are with Princess and I might get a Celebrity one in there. If you have never sailed other lines then you don't know what you're missing.

If you read our roll call you will see more negative reviews then positive ones.

One thing that was fabulous was the people from our roll call. We met with many of them and plan to get together with some again.

Hear, hear.................I concurr. I was on this sailing and I could not agree more. My wife and myself have 44 cruises under our belt, 10 of them with NCL. We are Platinum on NCL. Although the Jewel is in pristine condition, in my opinion, it is the most mis-managed ship we have ever been on, at least this particular cruise was!

NCL has a real management problem on this vessel. Like any other business, management sets the tone and on this sailing, it was NOT good.

Tom, the cruise director, although certainly a nice guy, I think he would be more comfortable and feel more at home working on a Carnival ship. I could never understand his need to constantly yell and shout at every single presentation he made.

The atmosphere on this sailing was akin to a Carnival cruise, and I have nothing against Carnival as we are also Platinum with them as well.

And for a January sailing, there sure were a lot of kids on this sailing.

Tons of little ones everywhere. Not complaining, just mentioning that I find that odd for a January sailing.

www3traveler -- so glad to hear that you had a great time!! I thought HD Claus was super nice and quite funny. I guess we had close to the last week with CD Sin -- we didn't attend a lot of the organized activities, since we had several roll calls ones that were a lot of fun, but Sin was pretty good from what I saw. Sounds like a perfect cruise for you and your friends :-D

Not sure why you would hijack this nicely written review and not post one of your own if you wanted to be so negative. :confused:

Not cool.

I agree! I'm not looking forward to your comments on your 91st cruise!

Welcome home, glad you enjoyed your trip.

This was our 90th cruise and fourth on NCL so I have a very large amount of cruises to compare it to. The service i found lacking. The ship was clean, there were lots of dining venues and the shows were generally good. The staff never seemed happy, just doing their job and no extra. The amount of nickel and diming were more then other cruise lines, although they all try to sell something. I couldn't understand the cruise director when he MC'd the shows because he didn't finish his sentences and spoke so fast it was all one word instead of sentences. The restaurants were slow, 2 1/2 hours for a meal is more then I need or want. We each have different expectations and mine weren't met on this particular cruise.

We were invited by the captain to a VIP event in the Haven. They served cold hor'douvers (we're used to seeing more upscale hot appetizers) and thought the Haven pool area was small and depressing. It took forever to get a diet Pepsi since it wasn't one of the watered down drinks they were walking around serving on a tray. I think Princess is more of a class act personally.

I can't imagine booking again with NCL. My next 3 cruises this year are with Princess and I might get a Celebrity one in there. If you have never sailed other lines then you don't know what you're missing.

If you read our roll call you will see more negative reviews then positive ones.

One thing that was fabulous was the people from our roll call. We met with many of them and plan to get together with some again.

You are definitely correct when you say we each have our own expectations and I have a feeling yours contributed to your dissatisfaction. I was expecting a bit of lackluster service from the crew, given all the changes of late -- but found most to be really great (friendly, good attitude, and prompt service). I was never served a watered down drink -- in fact the Cosmo I was served at the Haven cocktail party was so strong the flavor of the drink was affected, as was the Lemon Drop martini one of us had. The Haven Courtyard is small, intimate and quite inviting. It was my absolute favorite space on the ship.

We ate in every specialty restaurant, Tzars, O'Sheehans, and the buffet. No meal took over an hour and a half, and most were about an hour. Fine dining, relaxed with the food presented in a timely manner. Honestly, I was very surprised by the pronounced negativity of your post because it was so different from our experience. But then I realized my expectations were always positive, and probably yours were always negative while on the cruise. What we bring to the equation has impact on the crew, as much as what they bring to our experience. I hope your future cruises better meet your version of a great cruise, and I hope I'm able to sail the lovely Jewel again soon.

You are definitely correct when you say we each have our own expectations and I have a feeling yours contributed to your dissatisfaction. I was expecting a bit of lackluster service from the crew, given all the changes of late -- but found most to be really great (friendly, good attitude, and prompt service). I was never served a watered down drink -- in fact the Cosmo I was served at the Haven cocktail party was so strong the flavor of the drink was affected, as was the Lemon Drop martini one of us had. The Haven Courtyard is small, intimate and quite inviting. It was my absolute favorite space on the ship.

 

We ate in every specialty restaurant, Tzars, O'Sheehans, and the buffet. No meal took over an hour and a half, and most were about an hour. Fine dining, relaxed with the food presented in a timely manner. Honestly, I was very surprised by the pronounced negativity of your post because it was so different from our experience. But then I realized my expectations were always positive, and probably yours were always negative while on the cruise. What we bring to the equation has impact on the crew, as much as what they bring to our experience. I hope your future cruises better meet your version of a great cruise, and I hope I'm able to sail the lovely Jewel again soon.

3kidsncaats,

What are you doing the week of May 13- 21, 2017? Several from this cruise are coming again for the Jewel's first Alaskan sailing out of Seattle. A couple are planning to sspend a couple of extra days in Seattle.

Mandy

3kidsncaats,

 

What are you doing the week of May 13- 21, 2017? Several from this cruise are coming again for the Jewel's first Alaskan sailing out of Seattle. A couple are planning to sspend a couple of extra days in Seattle.

 

Mandy

No specific plans at the moment, but it will be finals time for our youngest that is still home for a few more years. It's also tough for us to plan anything from April to October, as that's the busy time for DH -- he's a singer and that's when the work is plentiful. But can I say how nice it is to be invited? Would love to join if I can, just not able to commit right now. Will see what we can manage

:-D

Have been on the Jewel three times. First to Alaska in 2013, second to the Western Caribbean in 2014 and most recently to the Mexican Riviera in 2015. Each and every time has been exceptional. She's our favorite ship and the crew are fabulous in our opinion. Now, to be truthful, the only other ship we've been on is the Getaway and we'll be on the Escape in a few months and Pride of America next year. We enjoyed the Getaway but the staff seemed overwhelmed at times. Heck, we only saw our cabin steward twice in a week. On the Jewel, we see our steward multiple times a day. I'd happily sail the Jewel exclusively if she went everywhere I wanted to go. Sadly, that's not gonna happen. For us, we go, we see and we make the best of it. If it doesn't live up to our expectations, we move on. Thanks for your review!

I have been on the Jewel twice. Twice is nice. Loved them both.

We are Platinum on NCL and Diamond Plus on RCL. My first cruise was on the Grand Princess where I found the fellow passengers pretentious, the food bland and repetitive, and customer service the absolute worst. I have zero desire to cruise with them again.

We were on the Jewel last week (Jan 24-31) and enjoyed the trip. The weather could have been warmer, that's a risk when traveling out of CA in January. We had UDP and never waited more than 5 minutes for a table. Service in all venues was friendly, prompt, and attentive. We avoid shows and shipboard activities as they never change. Been there done that. We enjoyed Tom's morning shows on the TV and were happy to see him during the week all around the ship. I got the feeling that he was trying really hard to make sure everyone was having fun. We're sailing on the Jade in a month and would love to have Tom as our CD.

I am sorry that your experience was disappointing for you. I understand that you had looked forward to the trip and unfortunately it didn't meet your expectations. Hopefully your next one on whatever line you choose will be better. Isn't it wonderful that you have other options? [emoji41]

I am very sorry for those that did not enjoy this cruise. For me, it was a extra special cruise in part because of the generosity and kindness of several several Senior Staff Officers.

Given the events being reported out of San Perdo Harbor this evening, with the colliding of two small aircraft, both going into the Pacific Ocean just outside of the harbor entrance. The last report I read said it was unknown how many lives were lost. Depending on how the salvage operation goes by Sunday morning, Captain Niklas may have a difficult time The Jewel into port.

Mandy

I am very sorry for those that did not enjoy this cruise. For me, it was a extra special cruise in part because of the generosity and kindness of several several Senior Staff Officers.

 

Given the events being reported out of San Perdo Harbor this evening, with the colliding of two small aircraft, both going into the Pacific Ocean just outside of the harbor entrance. The last report I read said it was unknown how many lives were lost. Depending on how the salvage operation goes by Sunday morning, Captain Niklas may have a difficult time The Jewel into port.

 

Mandy

What horrible news, and far more worthy of our concern and attention. I hadn't heard it yet, but I feel so awful for all of the devastated families and friends of the victims.

And I'm so sorry to be involved in a digression of your lovely review. Not my intent at all. It just really bugged me to hear the wonderful staff being dismissed so readily, when I know the ones I encountered for the most part made our trip extra special.

UPDATE TO SAN PEDRO HARBOR STORY:

ABC NEWS is reporting that at least 2 people were killed late yesterday afternoon when two planes collided 2 miles from the mouth of San Pedro Harbor. Searchers have located one of the aircraft with 2 passengers on board. The second aircraft with one passenger is still missing. A very wide and intensive search is being made at least through today.

Captain Niklas may have a difficult time coming into the San Pedro Harbor tomorrow as well as the Princess ship.

Mandy

You are making a real presumption that I've never experienced excellent service and am not able to tell the difference -- I may not have cruised as many lines as you have, but I've had ample travel experience in 5 star resorts, with suite accommodations -- the very best service possible at many of them, with high-profile people in our party eliciting people to practically trip over themselves to be of service. I've had experiences where we had police escort, and government officials greeting us as we got off the plane in other countries, where our bags were brought to the car and a personal escort was provided to the resort. I just don't need that level of over-the-top, silver platter service to recognize really good service when I get it. The staff I encountered on the Jewel were predominantly gracious, hard working, and dedicated to providing the best experience they could --- I need no more than that to enjoy my vacation. This is where the expectations come into it -- if you need three waiters for a table for six to think it was good service, then your expectations are likely not to be met very often -- but that doesn't mean you didn't get really good service, it means you apparently couldn't appreciate it.

 

I'm grateful for the really wonderful opportunities that have occasionally come my way to enjoy the high life, but I hope to never be so jaded from it, that I can't enjoy a vacation, simple or deluxe. The little things in life have great value, if you let them. I just think our definitions of what is of value are quite different. So again, hope you enjoy your cruises on the other lines that you prefer.

I really like your response here. Kudos to you and your choices for YOUR vacation. My wife and I have cruised a lot and were on the Jewel right after you, and concur about the high level of service. We too have had the entire spectrum of service on cruises, and are reasonably certain as to what we like and what works for us. I am sure this cruise worked for you, and from your review and pictures, sounds like you had a wonderful time as we did.

UPDATE TO SAN PEDRO HARBOR STORY:

 

ABC NEWS is reporting that at least 2 people were killed late yesterday afternoon when two planes collided 2 miles from the mouth of San Pedro Harbor. Searchers have located one of the aircraft with 2 passengers on board. The second aircraft with one passenger is still missing. A very wide and intensive search is being made at least through today.

 

Captain Niklas may have a difficult time coming into the San Pedro Harbor tomorrow as well as the Princess ship.

 

Mandy

Thanks for the update...we sail on the Jewel tomorrow.

Prayers for the friends and family of those killed.

I found this info:

The search was continuing over a 200-square-mile area, although dive teams were recalled at sunset.

The Coast Guard, which ordered the Angels Gate entrance to Los Angeles Harbor closed to all vessels, was “coordinating a surface level search effort” and a safety zone was established around the search area, an official said.

Vessels seeking to enter Los Angeles Harbor were being directed to the Long Beach Queens Gate entrance. Dive operations would resume, possibly along with sonar searches, Saturday morning, according to the Coast Guard.

www3traveler, am very glad to read that you enjoyed your cruise. We were on that cruise in Nov./Dec, 2015 and it was a great cruise. The crew and officers were outstanding.

We've been on over 40 cruises from Hurtigruten to Cunard and NCL's personnels makes us want to return.

Read so much about Princess's food being great but it was not that great. Also some passengers like to have people know that they are elite. One lady asked me what category I am and she told me that she is elite and showed me her black card. My brother told me to next time paint my card black. We cruise Princess ever so often because of their itinerary but NCL makes us at home with their personnels.

Enjoy your cruise to Alaska. We'll be on the JEWEL and SUN in 2017.

www3traveler, am very glad to read that you enjoyed your cruise. We were on that cruise in Nov./Dec, 2015 and it was a great cruise. The crew and officers were outstanding.

 

We've been on over 40 cruises from Hurtigruten to Cunard and NCL's personnels makes us want to return.

 

Read so much about Princess's food being great but it was not that great. Also some passengers like to have people know that they are elite. One lady asked me what category I am and she told me that she is elite and showed me her black card. My brother told me to next time paint my card black. We cruise Princess ever so often because of their itinerary but NCL makes us at home with their personnels.

 

Enjoy your cruise to Alaska. We'll be on the JEWEL and SUN in 2017.

Thank you. In the Farewell Song, there is a line that says " your home away from". I feel very much at home on a Norwegian ship. I think that I could comfortable live on a Norwegian ship.

I hope you enjoy your cruises on The Jewel and The Sun. The Sun is a neat little ship and very different from the rest of the fleet. She too has a wonderful staff. I just sail on Her this past September.

Mandy