reporterbabe
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19 hours ago, libtrek said:
OMG, I feel like an idiot. We too were on Jewel in a 11th floor club balcony. I used the two door closet and the couple desk drawers. As we were leaving yesterday, I asked hubs to check everywhere so we wouldn’t forget anything. He opens the small panel next to the closet and there is the safe and 3 good sized drawers. That I didn’t see or use. After 30 cruises, I was so surprised there was no safe in the room. Smacks head, I am getting old.
Oh. My. GAWD. THERE WERE DRAWERS????????!!!!!!!
Do you think this is used as a secret IQ test? It even went over my engineer husband's head. We couldn't figure out why there would be so little space, especially for a cold weather cruise.
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1 hour ago, Aprilfoolx said:
If you have copies of the freestyle dailies I’d love to see them! Going on this ship in 2 weeks
I think I do still have them in my suitcase! I'll see if I can scan them in.
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We have survived our journey home -- docked in Seward Monday morning, about a 3 hour bus ride to Anchorage (traffic backup), about 3 hours waiting for plane to Seattle, and finally wheels up in Seattle again at 11:45 p.m. before finally, finally, landing in Boston at 8 a.m. Tuesday. I had no sleep, plus I don't think I've seen a sunset since embarking from Vancouver.
Have you seen the Sandra Bullock movie, "The Proposal?" The one where she tries to force her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can get American citizenship, leading to wacky hi-jinks in Sitka, Alaska where the sun apparently never sets? Yes. You need those blackout curtains. Yes. Night does look like day (I can't say how late, but I swear that final night, it was still bright after 11 p.m.
(In any case, "The Proposal" is also in constant rotation on the ship's romance channel if you find yourself sick in bed on your cruise. That would be me, blearily calling at my husband "that's not Alaska, where we are! That's Rockport, where we used to be!")
We haven't been on a cruise since 2017, when we cruised Hawaii on the Pride of America. That was an amazing experience, and hard to top and it was also the last vacation we took, period.
DH and I are in our mid-50s. Since 2017, we've put two kids through college (without debt thanks to the combination of saving since their births and very smart kids who earned merit scholarships and, yes, graduated with job offers). I also was laid off from my news job -- my third layoff in a decade. And did I mention the pandemic?I ended up finally landing the perfect job late last summer and to celebrate, we booked this cruise! We, ah, spent a long time during the pandemic looking at Norwegian cruise brochures. We picked the Jewel because it didn't have a race track on top (it just seemed inappropriate around glaciers?) AND it left on June 12 -- my 56th birthday.
So what happens when you have a birthday during your cruise? Something sweet arrives out of the blue while you're unpacking.
Let's talk about the room. We had 10120, a balcony cabin, midship. Not a lot of room for storage. There are two small closets, each with a single shelf. There's a desk, which holds the hair dryer (solidly inside the top drawer, cannot be removed) and two desky drawers. This is a room that calls for magnet hooks, which we put everywhere.
And we definitely overpacked. Temps all week were in the high 40s, low 60s. We needed the rain gear, not so much the winter coats and Bean boots. My best option on excursions were leggings under these water-repellant hiking pants I bought on a whim during one of those late night Amazon binges, which was really comfortable and not overly warm. And we only dressed up for dinner on one night.
I'll tell you about the other birthday surprise tomorrow. It involved a gift of underwear, seaweed, giant mylar blankets, and a really festive hairstyle.
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We are sitting at the airport in Seattle so I figured I’d start off our review of our week on the NCL Jewel.
The questions you didn’t know you wanted answered:
Is Alaska actually cold in the month of June?
Do you know the washy-washy guy, and have you danced with him?
What really happens during a couples massage and why is this woman handing us disposable underwear?
Why is NyQuil more valuable than gold on an Alaskan cruise — and what unexpected place can you find it in Ketchikan?
Why are so many tour buses driven by dad joke cracking young people?
Are you really going to see whales?
Is it in unAmerican to yell at the eagle who is dive-bombing you?
Why is it 10:30 pm and still sunny out?
Why does the wi-fi not work?
yay! Our flight to Boston is ready to board! Will update when we have finally caught up on sleep!
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My daughter tells me that performers are avoiding Norwegian, in part because they have very strict daily weigh-ins (you’re out if you gain five pounds) and not the best working conditions.
If you can get the talent, why even try for the best shows?
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Different kind of insurance, unfortunately. Allianz only covers medical if there is no pre-existing condition, and mental health emergencies are not covered. This upcoming trip, we are insured for everything.
My child went through a partial residential program that changed her life, became an advocate for mental health in her high school and now, a couple years out of college, works with troubled youth.
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We had to cancel our cruise to Hawaii a week before sailing a number of years ago. We had travel insurance, BUT...
The reason for cancellation was the emergency hospitalization of one of our kids for mental health reasons. The insurance did not cover anything related to mental health, despite the fact that the child was a minor and only a monster would abandon them during an extreme time of need.
We were able to cancel all our trip excursions, flight, and hotel. Our travel agent worked tirelessly to get at least a portion of a refund for the cruise itself.
I have no regrets for canceling for my kid. It was a lifesaver and worth every penny. And when we rebooked a year later, our travel agent got us better rates and deals on everything.
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Following! We're on the Jewel for the June 12 sailing -- my birthday!
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We are going on our third NCL cruise next month, to Alaska. Our last cruise was on POA and we loved almost everything about it (I think my recap is linked in my signature; the things I didn't like were not typical). You essentially are using the ship as a floating hotel so you can get a taste of all the islands. We went in the spring, before school let out, so there weren't a ton of kids running around and we were among the younger adults on the ship.
Our very first cruise was Boston to Bermuda, a big family trip that included our then-young kids, and they absolutely loved the kids programming during the at-sea days. -
Grand Hyatt, info on page 3, review page 2.
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How was your flight? We are going in April with our 8 yr. old grandson (I hope). We picked this time frame so he doesn't miss school (except 1 day for the flight out). Did you stop in LA on the way? We have the package through NCL. Flight and hotel my sister & her husband are flying from LA and we hope to meet up before the hotel. Not sure how long of a trip this is and wonder if we should wait until he can go on the RT Princess for 2 weeks instead out of LA area.
Thanks for your review enjoyed your pictures as well.
Our flight -- United, Logan Airport to San Francisco, 2 hour layover, then San Francisco to Hawaii.
First of all, do keep in mind that you aren't going to be fed unless you pay for it/bring it on board and both are LONG flights to be hungry, especially if you're traveling with a child. We pre-Dunkin'd at Logan, then grabbed food in SF during the layover.
United flies shockingly nicer planes on the Hawaii leg. More legroom in coach, first class had some very covetable blankets (so tempted to lift one while walking through).
I had serious issues with leg swelling on the return journey, despite appropriate socks, and couldn't sleep at all. The crew was very nice about allowing me to pace. I can only guess that it was the combo of coming from a warmer climate where I had been exercising a lot.
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Hi. Thanks for the great post. Can you tell me if every passenger gets a lei when they get on the ship? Or do you have to pay separately for them? Also, are there any flower leis or just shells? Thanks!
Everyone gets a lei! I received a flower one (just like the one in the pic, but it was limp at this point in the cruise so I left it out) and DH received a shell one. I believe I posted the pic of the two of us with our leis waiting for the doctor early in this thread.
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LOL, yes. DO NOT CHECK THE YES BOX. Full story here (and review of the POA).
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Formal night was the night we sailed out of Maui when we took the cruise back in March. Lobster was not on the menu but they set up a whole bunch of backgrounds for photos.
There was a BBQ on the pool deck when we sailed from Kauai. Lunch. Possibly the first night as well but DH and I were quarantined and missed everything. I believe the White Hot Party was the second night of the cruise, but don't hold me to that one.
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You can change it by calling the cruise line now -- I never found a way to do it online but I was easily able to cancel by phone. We also had to cancel an excursion unexpectedly the night before while on the ship, with no issues.
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Also, on the port side, you get a .... port view at every island. Keep that in mind when you go out on your balcony. But I thought port was worth it just for the luxury on being on our own balcony during the Na Pali coast sail-by -- they do turn around, but the sail back is faster and further out.
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Also, on the port side, you get a .... port view at every island. Keep that in mind when you go out on your balcony. But I thought port was worth it just for the luxury on being on our own balcony during the Na Pali coast sail-by -- they do turn around, but the sail back is faster and further out.
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This is my daughter's ring from this ship, which has meile leaves on either side.
From the little bag, the pick-a-Pearl line looks like it's called Pearl Factory in the ship's jewelry store. Not as blingy as the Maui Divers but also not as expensive.
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The pearls!
This is my ring, which I've worn nearly every day since I got back. I love love love it. It's silver, with plumeria on either side.
There are Pearl-picking places all over the islands. Mine is from Maui Divers Jewelry, the one inside the macadamia nut factory on Big Island. They have places everywhere.
I'm pretty sure the whole idea is to get you so excited about getting a Pearl -- or two! -- you immediately splurge for a nice expensive setting. I was prepared for this. I tend to wear silver anyway, so when the fast-talking sales lady whipped out platinum, I said "no-no -- silver!"
I was ready to buy it for myself, but my husband snuck up behind me and said something along the lines of "I'm buying this for the pretty lady!"
Anyway, I loved the whole thing. It's an experience. They had coupons on the table for 50 percent off choosing a Pearl (there are coupons this everywhere). Picking an oyster is about $15 (pre-coupon), the lady advises you to get an ugly one for the best pearls, then she opens it right there.
I had two pearls. She tried to convince me to put both in a setting but that was too big for my hand. We kept the second one loose, then decided to see if the store on board could set it.
Na Hoku is on on the POA. They also have a Pearl picking station and settings that were quite a bit less than Maui Divers. I think the ring for my daughter was about $40? It's very pretty and I hope she'll like it for her 17th birthday this month.
Oh yes, and both places gave me lots of lifetime guarantee paperwork for the rings!
In sum: loved it, suffering no illusions it's museum quality, and it's a wonderful souvenir!
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Final thoughts:
We were hesitant at first to book this trip because it's so much more expensive than just going to the Caribbean. But it's so worth it.
First of all: it is the best way, hands down, to get a taste of all the major Hawaiian islands. We had talked about this trip for a long time (anyone else hooked on HGTV's Hawaii Life?) and our list of places we wanted to see stretched across several islands. But the idea of Island-hopping and changing hotels just didn't appeal to us.
The Pride of America was our floating hotel. Seven days without a suitcase. Every morning, a new island. No worry about finding restaurants or figuring out what to do -- we mostly took ship excursions and only researched trips on our own at the places we definitely wanted to customize.
The food was okay. Loved the buffet at breakfast and for dessert at night. Main dining room was decent. We didn't spend more for the other restaurants because food just wasn't a priority.
I will never cruise without a balcony again. I loved our room. It was just enough for the two of us and way more room than in our camper!
Something I would change about the ship: it only sails around Hawaii. Why isn't that reflected more in the food? Shave ice, anyone? There were guides on the ship with Hawaiian themes but, really, it's a ship that mostly is a floating hotel.
I was so relaxed by the end of the trip and I never even hit a spa. Heck, by the end of the trip, I hadn't worn makeup in days! That's me right before leaving our balcony for the last time. The necklace is a gift from me to me from the jewelry store on the ship.
At 49 and 52, DH and I were among the youngest couples on the trip. I imagine that changes during peak season -- we sailed right before spring break in early March, so there were hardly any families on board.
Thought: does anyone actually pose with those weird mascots in costumes when you disembark at the various ports?
Best excursion: Road to Hana with Epic Experience Maui, hands down. If we do go back to Hawaii, a longer stay on Maui -- and more time with Emily -- is at the top of the list.
Need to see again: I still want to see the lava flowing into the ocean! Hope our fellow passenger made it through okay.
Must souvenir: An aloha shirt/dress! Even if DH and I did disappoint the sales lady on Oahu who kept trying to convince us we needed to match.
Also: You will convince yourself you can find Moana Loa macadamia nuts at home. If you live on the east coast, you are very wrong. Ship twice as much as you think you need at home!
DH and I are now talking about a river cruise in Europe or Alaska or the Panama Canal. Someday. But we will always have Hawaii!
Aloha! Any questions? Thanks for reading!
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Aloha! Time to wrap things up!
And on our final day on Kauai, we went up in a helicopter!
The time in Kauai is really short -- just a day and a half -- and you can't get too far away from the ship. Unless, of course, you fly. And it seemed like everyone on the boat was going to either Jack Harter or Blue Hawaiian to do just that.
First of all, this is the helicopter with closed doors. I don't mind helicopters. Heights without doors freak me out, however, and it was the first time my husband had ever been on one. It was a really gentle flight, however.
They warn you when you book to wear dark clothing so your reflection doesn't spoil your photos. They also will weigh you and assign positions based on your weight. We ended up with two women and a little girl around 4....
... who fell asleep about 5 minutes after takeoff and proceeded to take a very expensive nap!
I put this picture up first because when I sent it to my son, he begged me to tell him we weren't wearing fanny packs! They aren't -- they are floatation devices with a complicated instruction list which, thankfully, we didn't have to follow.
The whales probably appreciated it.
We flew around Waimea Canyon, past waterfalls and setting used in Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark. We flew down the Na Pali coastline. We did NOT crash into any ridges, although my husband is positive the pilot missed by thismuch at least once.
Then it was back to the ship, where we gathered on the pool deck for a cookout and some alcoholic drinks.
Finally DH and I settled in on our deck for the grand finale: the sail up the Na Pali coast. So beautiful!
This is why you need a balcony.
The one downside: the guy on a balcony near us believed he saw a campsite on a beach. "I see people." "Yes, those are definitely people." And so on. Over and over.
All through dinner, my husband and I randomly said "I see people."
That night, we had to pack up our suitcases and admit the sad fact: our trip was coming to an end.
The only morning I was sad to see an island in the distance was the next day, when we pulled into Oahu.
Disembarkation was so much easier than actually getting on the boat!
I will have some final thoughts a little later.
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I know, I'm almost wrapped up!
Will hopefully have time to write about our last day on Kauai and wrap things up. There's a helicopter and possibly dinosaurs. And the world's most expensive nap.
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Visiting the glaciers before they melt: NCL Jewel, June 12-19
in Norwegian Cruise Line
Posted
MIER. Sadly more expensive (it was a late night Amazon purchase that may have involved gummies) but I regret nothing. So many pockets. So comfortable. And I live in New England, so they'll come in handy!