NCL Jewel 3/24/13 Sailing review

Hey guys i'm still unpacking and recuperating(you'll understand why later) but i will post my review in the next couple days! If you have any questions ill be happy to answer!

anxious to hear how the cruise went! :)

Welcome Back! Looking forward to your review. :)

Hey guys i'm still unpacking and recuperating(you'll understand why later) but i will post my review in the next couple days! If you have any questions ill be happy to answer!

Waiting and waiting (Im)patiently.;) Leaving 4/21 17 nights....All comments appreciated.

I guess they have a lot of luggage to unpack :D

Sorry for the wait its a long review lol

A review in the eyes of an adventurous 21 year old

March 24 – 31st, 2013 Norwegian Jewel Cruise to Florida and the Bahamas

* I tried to make this review as short as possible but whoever has done one knows is impossible *

* This review was written on a 6 hour flight from Newark to San Francisco  hence the length *

* This year vacation is from March 24-31 then work April fool’s day  Then Off to Cali April 2-7  *

Day 1(Embarkation Day New York City at 4pm)= My original plan was to leave my house around 10am however due to parents being my transportation, 10 am became 11am we got to the port at around 12pm and since this was the first time ever that we were there we were a bit confused but they guided us and got us on our way! We gave our bags to a porter and went inside. We boarded the ship in about 20 minutes and soon thereafter after wandering for about 10 minutes they said the rooms were ready. So we checked our room out Inside room 5535 kind of small and no windows but we figured we would barely use the room just to sleep little did we know we would be sleeping a lot! After checking out the room the mandatory boat drill took place at 315 which was a 5 minute demonstration on how to put on a life vest lol after this we went and saw the boat take off which was phenomenal but cold! Side note our luggage arrived soon before the drill with everything in it including the alcohol we had smuggled in a Listerine bottle and two Capri sun pouches similar to the rum runners. I took many pictures during this and videos which are posted as well. We adventured the ship more until 6 when they had a liquor tasting and raffles at the galleria shop they sampled Sheridan’s, nuvo, ciroc and baileys. The first day was a lot of adventuring around and I was surprised to see how small the ship was I imagined it to be way bigger. We had pre-booked Cagney’s for this night and it was really good I had the steak which was good and very filling. They also gave us a free bottle of wine because we had booked a specialty restaurant for the first night. After this we adventured some more and then went to bed around 130am.

Day 2 (1st Day at sea) = We imagined waking up at around 930ish because this was the day we had our meet and greet but to our disadvantage we did not set an alarm because we figured we would wake up without needing one well that didn’t happen because our room had no windows lol instead we woke up at around 1245. Next time I know if I get an inside room to set an alarm because it seems it’s like 8pm in the room when it’s actually like noon lol that or get a room with a view of something lol. So since we missed out on the meet and greet  we decided to go to the buffet and get some food. One thing I have to say is the food was very yummy but everyday seemed to be the same except for certain things. After getting food we wandered around and my friend did the beer tasting which was fun but it was 15 dollars for 5 cups of beer which were fosters, blue moon, miller lite and two others I can’t remember. After this we saw the friendly feud game show which was like a scavenger hunt and it was funny to watch! Since we had a couple hours to kill we went to try the pool which was an amazing 86 degrees but salty due to the fact that they use the ocean water. Also the seas were a bit rough until we go to Florida. This night we had pre booked le bistro which again was very good. After it we went to the night out party in spinnaker and then club hits with DJ Felix which was a lot of fun! We ended up going to sleep around 330 am we tried to find people our age(21) to have some drinks with but everyone was either really little like elementary school kids or high school kids like 17 or older than us like at least 30’s.

Day 3 (Port Canaveral, FL from 12pm-10pm) = Again we set no alarm and woke up around noon but hey we are on vacation this is allowed  so we got up and went to the buffet and ate upon getting off the ship we noticed it was a bit windy but we started walking anyway our plan was to walk to classic beach scooters which is just past the port area and rent scooters but my friend got cold and didn’t feel like walking so we walked back to the port and got sweaters and here is where he said he didn’t want to go to the beach anymore  thus ruining the plans we had made to go to cocoa beach and renting scooters for the day and have a couple drinks and food at sandbar. So we purchased the shuttle pass which was 12.99 and dropped us off at the complex where the hotel is and shark pit is which by the way has dollar margaritas on port days. We were in the area at like 230pm so we walked around trying to kill time and adventure until 4pm when the happy hour at sandbar started. In the complex they are home to I-drive scooters which have scooter rentals for an hour for 20 dollars and 10 dollars for insurance which I declined and I was like hey let’s rent these it’ll be fun. What I didn’t expect was what would happen next. We started off good and went down the main road but my friend wasn’t too comfortable driving the scooter among cars even though he was the one that had rode a scooter before so his idea was that we should go down the side roads so being a good sport I said sure. We continued forward I was in front and he was behind me and I didn’t see a stop sign so when I went to stop I had pressed the brake as well as the accelerator and lost control of the bike and fell  I started to bleed from pretty much everywhere (nose, leg, arm, forehead, lip and etc.) it took a while to stop the bleeding but I was ok I could still walk and etc. so even though I was hurt we had 40 minutes left on the rental so I kept riding and was fine and got back and this is where the pain started in my wallet lol. I had scuffed up the bike and cracked the back left bumper but the bike still worked which I was happy about. The total I had to pay for damages to the bike were 120 dollars which I got a receipt for just in case. After this I cleaned up and we ended up just going back to the ship where I showered and disinfected the cuts. By the way the looks I got from everyone were endless! We had nothing planned for tonight on the ship thankfully so we just went to sleep so I could recuperate!

Day 4 (Great Stirrup Cay from 10am-6pm) = Waking up today at 11ish was very hard because my body hurt from the fall from yesterday  but we got up and ate at the buffet and then headed out to the island. The ride over took about 20 minutes but the island is amazingly beautiful! We had pre-booked the wave runner excursion for 3pm but it was cancelled due to low tides so we received a full refund which was good but I took it as a sign as no more motorized vehicles while on vacation lol last year I fell off an ATV being the passenger and this year a scooter while being the driver lol. Plus I couldn’t lift my arm past a certain point so I wasn’t sure I could even drive the jet-ski. So we spent about 4 hours on the island although didn’t go in the water due to my injuries so we just sunbathed and had a drink (pina colada) which was 10 dollars with the souvenir cup. We then went to the casino and saw this slot tournament which seemed a lot of fun but because I was injured I didn’t partake in it. Tonight we had pre-booked Mama’s which was amazing as well. I had the chicken parm and couldn’t finish the pasta that came with it lol after this we went to see the karaoke which was supposed to be 18+ but wasn’t so this was a bit of a drag because these little kids kept taking over lol after this we again tried to find more people our age but no luck  so off to sleep we went around 130am after playing card games by ourselves!

Day 5 (Nassau, Bahamas from 8am-6pm) = Again we woke up late around 1pm lol the earliest we woke up all cruise was 11am! We headed to the buffet again and ate before heading out. Here we were supposed to go to breezes resort but because we woke up late that threw off our plans so we just went to senor frogs which was amazingly fun and close to the port the drinks are huge(get the Yard which is the souvenir cup ) and strong  I had an ice blue margarita in the yard and then an a Bahamarita which was like a mango margarita both really good  both drinks with cup and gratuity was 36 dollars which is kind of expensive but so worth it! The experience of senor frogs is like no other! For those of you in the new York city area Senor frogs is coming to us   we went back to the ship around 5 but stopped for Wi-Fi at the market. Which I have a galaxy s3 and I was able to call via Wi-Fi, text, get emails and go on Facebook where my friend has an IPhone 5 and wasn’t able to get anything!  Go team Galaxy! Boarding the ship was quick and easy .Tonight we had no restaurants booked so we went to the blue lagoon and ate there which was really good. Just note you may want to get more than one item if you get the tenders because it’s not a lot of food. After this we went to the casino where we spent like two hours! Note Casinos will not hesitate to take your money lol. I lost 40 dollars in the slots and my friend lost at least 50 dollars trying to win that key claw machine with the money in it! We then went to the party music at spinnaker which was a lot of fun but again overtaken with under 18 kids. I think we tried to find friends every day of the cruise and were unsuccessful  Also the soda package is very good we got it after we left New York and it was 50 dollars with taxes and everything and you got to keep the cup! I think getting soda refills really helped us stayed active lol because we would just walk around after and then need another refill. Off to sleep we went around 4am!

Day 6(2nd day at sea) = As usual we woke up pretty late this time like noon lol we went and got something to eat at the buffet and then was able to see Magic mike get crowned Mr. Sexy legs lol we then went and took a nap since there was not much to do till about 6pm where we showered and headed to the chocoholic buffet which was amazing I took many pictures that are posted. Note that I am a chocolate fiend lol and even this was too much chocolate for me lol we then headed over to see cirque bijou which was an amazing show after this we had pre-booked Moderno and this was amazing as well after the salad and the first go around of meat we were full and could not continue  We then went to the White hot party which was a lot of fun and thus followed by late night party music with DJ Felix. Here we bought a bucket of beer which was 3 blue moon and 3 bud light which came to 33 dollars and u get a bottle opener and bucket which I brought home with me in my luggage  Honestly I liked DJ Felix but when the band new season was there I didn’t like the show. We then tried once more to find friends but nothing! So the 2 Musketeers stayed alone once again  my friend went to bed at 5am and I went to bed around 9am watching a movie lol

Day 7(3rd day at sea) = Today we ended up waking up at like 1pm after the long night we had! So we got something to eat then headed to see the basketball/soccer shootout which we got there too late so we saw the ping pong tournament which was intense. Congrats to the Italian Federico I think his name was who won the mug lol (1st place) after this we hung out at the room and then went to blue lagoon for food and I got a blue margarita(I don’t know why I really like blue margaritas ) at Moderno’s bar which came to 5 dollars  . We had pre-booked Teppanyaki which has to be the best of all the restaurants! They give you a great show cooking the food and it’s A LOT of food! After this we went to see the Quest game show which is an adult scavenger hunt which was hilarious  do not miss! After the show was over we went to our rooms to pack since we had to leave in the morning  Packing was a hassle for my friend since he bought some liquor onboard, his suitcases looked like they would explode lol me on the other hand didn’t buy much due to the fact that I had to pay for the scooter damages in Florida so all souvenirs for friends were not bought! I brought my parents each a cup from GSC (1 of which I found on the ship late at night when we were bored) and I got my sister the soda cup and my little brother who’s only 15 I gave him one of the Yards I got from Senor frogs . So off to bed we went around 2am after packing everything. My friend who was obsessed with his phone went to the pool deck at like 3 am to try and get service instead of waiting like 5 hours lol I however stayed in the room. By the way the liquor we smuggled was not drunk at any time except for one pouch the other pouch and the Listerine bottle I brought back with me  I know what you are thinking and I know! OMG LIQUORS GOING TO WASTE LOL

Day 8 (Disembarkation Day  New York City at 8am)= we decided to do the easy walk off program so for the first time all cruise we set an alarm  so we can get up shower and then be on our way. Disembarkation took not even twenty minutes  and from there we walked to 50th street and 10th avenue to take the train which on the way my friend’s luggage wheel broke off so he wasn’t happy lol we then took the d train to 34th where we took the 11:07 NJ transit train to Rahway! When I got home I was so happy to be home because I wouldn’t be bored anymore, plus away from my friend who was starting to annoy the hell out of me lol instead of taking the stairs when we took the subway he decided to walk far to take the elevator as well as in 34th street and again in NJ getting off the train lol.

*Pros: Warm weather, new places, great drinks, hot girls, Getaway from life, Great Jewel staff and shows, Great food! *

*Cons: Not much to do for two 21 year olds traveling alone , not many people our age*

THIS IS THE LINK TO THE PICTURES

http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/Adrian_Leon91/library/?page=1

Thanks for the review. I think you had a great attitude about the scooter incident. Your souvenirs made me LOL. It's the thought that counts. :)

Sent from my DROID Pro using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the review. With you going during Spring Break, I would have thought there would have been more people your age. We are leaving for the Jewel on Sunday 4/7. We will not be renting scooters. lol. In fact that is a pool day for us in Florida.

Thanks again,

By the way, we are neighbors. We live in Carteret. :D

Thanks for the review. I think you had a great attitude about the scooter incident. Your souvenirs made me LOL. It's the thought that counts. :)

 

Sent from my DROID Pro using Tapatalk 2

thats wat i said lol plus i was broke so yea lol

Thanks for the review. With you going during Spring Break, I would have thought there would have been more people your age. We are leaving for the Jewel on Sunday 4/7. We will not be renting scooters. lol. In fact that is a pool day for us in Florida.

 

Thanks again,

 

By the way, we are neighbors. We live in Carteret. :D

i thought that too but i went during the middle school/high school spring break, most colleges had spring break the week before. and florida was supposed to be beach and drink day but my friend decided otherwise thus causing the scooters thus causing my accident lol and scooters are a bit dangerous so you just have to be careful cuz everyone rents them and ah near what part?

THIS IS THE LINK TO THE PICTURES

 

http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/Adrian_Leon91/library/?page=1

Thanks for the fun review and pictures. Hope you are all healed up by now!! Must be great to be young and be able to sleep sooooo late..Enjoy it while you can!

Can't wait to sail in 17 more days...

Stay safe!

Thanks for the fun review and pictures. Hope you are all healed up by now!! Must be great to be young and be able to sleep sooooo late..Enjoy it while you can!

 

Can't wait to sail in 17 more days...

 

Stay safe!

no prob and im still healing i have cuts and scrapes all over and my arm still hurts but i got my xray results back and nothings broken :)))))) and yea it wasnt a choice it just happened cuz we would wake up and it would seem early so we would go back to sleep lol

Hi Adrian

Sorry that you got hurt but it seems that you recovered really well, also sorry we didn't get a chance to meet maybe on a future cruise.

Adam

Hi Adrian

 

Sorry that you got hurt but it seems that you recovered really well, also sorry we didn't get a chance to meet maybe on a future cruise.

 

Adam

Its ok this whole experience has taught me alot lol and yea i know i was really disappointed i couldnt meet any of you guys :( you guys seemed like a crazy fun bunch :)

Sorry we did not get to meet at the M&G. Glad to see you're recouping. Alcohol is great medicine.

Great review and cool pics.

Hope we cross paths on another cruise in the future.

Sorry we did not get to meet at the M&G. Glad to see you're recouping. Alcohol is great medicine.

 

Great review and cool pics.

 

Hope we cross paths on another cruise in the future.

yea i know :( next time for sure ill set an alarm :) and i didnt have any alcohol :( i smuggled a 1.75 L bottle and i think i brought back 1.5 L lol and thanks

Also this is a packing list based on my experience

Packing.pdf