NCL Jewel - A Trip Report

[wiselindag]

Embarkation

 

This is a report on a one-week cruise on the NCL Jewel from NYC to Florida and the Bahamas. A friend of mine wanted to go on a short cruise and asked me to accompany her. When we booked in January, we started with a balcony cabin, but upgraded to a mini-suite in February when prices dropped. A few days before the cruise, we got an upsell to a Courtyard Villa, which was fantastic.

 

We drove to the pier without difficulty even though it was pouring. Because it was Sunday, traffic was light, and we pulled up and dropped off our suitcases. I had planned to drop off my 83 year old traveling companion as well, but decided it would be better to take her with me to the parking deck. In order to get there, it was necessary to drive back out to 12th Avenue, take a left uptown and circle back, but all that took only a few minutes and we were soon parked upstairs in the appropriate lot. It costs $30 a day to park in NYC at the pier, which is a lot. You prepay and may use a credit card. Then you just take the elevator down to the check-in level.

 

Because we had priority embarkation as suite passengers, from this point on, it was quite easy. I had been in a Courtyard Suite on the Epic a month prior to this trip so I was quite interested to make the comparison between the two ships with regard to the Courtyard and the process for suite passengers. We were directed through the security line and then on to the priority desk where we were quickly processed and escorted to the lounge. Although simply a room off of the big hall and not in the least bit luxurious, the same refreshments I had observed in Miami when boarding the Epic as a suite passenger, were there – sandwiches, cookies, orange juice, iced water, coffee and tea. We were greeted by the Concierge, Adrian, and asked to sit down for a short wait and soon thereafter, Amita, who is the Assistant Concierge, welcomed us to the Jewel and brought us and another couple onto the ship and directly to Cagney’s. There we were seated and given the lunch menus. I enjoyed a delicious lunch of Crab Cakes, Sliders, and a Brownie with Macadamia Ice Cream… a great start! When we finished lunch we headed up to the Courtyard to check out our suite.

 

The two-bedroom Courtyard Villas on the Jewel are very much like those on Epic, but there are differences. The living room/dining room is slightly smaller and the television and lighting system are several generations older and less sophisticated. There’s no interactive television and no lighting panel with a dozen or so lighting options. There is, however, an entrance hall and a lock-off arrangement for the second bedroom and the doorway to the main room so I suppose at one time NCL considered selling the back bedroom as a separate unit although I’m not sure if that ever happened. It reminded me of the timeshare we had in Hawaii last year except that it’s a hundred times smaller. There are doorstops to prevent the back door from closing, but sometimes it blows closed in which case, you need the keycard to re-open it, so it’s smart to keep your keycard with you if, like me, you need to get in and out of there frequently. The master suite looks very similar to the one on Epic, although there are some minor differences.

 

Since my companion for the week was 83 and has difficulty sleeping, she took one look at the sleeping arrangement in the back bedroom and declared that an impossibility for her (we had previously said we would split the week). That left me with only one option, so, of course, I slept there). I did not like the back bedroom as much as I did the one on Epic. This second bedroom feels smaller and is laid out differently. The sleeper couch is rock hard and although our cabin steward, Eric, added foam toppers and duvets each night and then asked if it was okay, it wasn’t until the fourth night, that the bed actually became reasonably comfortable. Given the hardness of the bed, if an adult or a teenager is sleeping back there, the bed should automatically be made up with at least one eggshell, three thin foam toppers and two duvets or else replaced with something more comfortable. I don’t think it should be necessary for the guest to ask… the need is obvious. In addition, the mirror and shelf combination present on Epic was not present and I missed it. On the Jewel, there was a low table that apparently serves as the command center for video games. It was not useful for me, whereas the shelf on Epic could serve as both a desk for my computer and a make-up area since it was in front of a mirror and was a good height. The second bathroom, although stylistically different, had a better sink design on the Jewel. I rated it as excellent.

 

Although the ship is six years old, everything looked great and was very clean. Our luggage quickly arrived and we unpacked. Because there was less storage space in the back bedroom, I used some of the big double closet in the master bedroom to hang up my clothes and used the three drawers in the back for items that could be stored there. There were two wall safes, so we each got our own with separate combinations.

 

Our butler, Juremar Cristostomo, came by to introduce himself, show us features of the suite, and ask us what we needed. It was readily apparent that he was a top-notch butler from the way he introduced himself, to the level of detail he imparted, and the caring attitude he exhibited. We put away our clothes, took a stroll through the courtyard, and looked around. The set-up on the Jewel is different in many ways from the Epic. Suite guests eat breakfast and lunch in Cagneys, which is located on Deck 13, directly below the Courtyard and is easy to access via a staircase which has a locked door mid-way down. To get back up, you must use your keycard. That also goes for the elevator, which only goes to the 14th deck if you use your keycard in the card slot. I had some trouble mastering the correct technique, but once Juremar explained to me that I should put the card in and slowly take it out, then press 14, I had no more problems (until the card was demagnetized on day 2, but we’ll get to that shortly). The Courtyard is smaller and in my opinion much cozier and more functional than the one on Epic and has a full-time butler during the day, named Zandra, who is very sweet and helpful. She is leaving for vacation in April, so there will soon be a new courtyard butler and Juremar will be on break from May until August. Adrian is also off on break soon and says he won’t be back on the Jewel. He’s planning to be based out of Miami after his break, so for suite passengers, there will be a big “changing of the guard.”

 

Adrian also stopped by to explain everything and was extremely positive and helpful from the outset. He stressed that we should call him for anything and gave us his number should we have any needs. We also had a letter next to the portable telephone with Juremar’s number and when Eric, our cabin steward, came by later and talked with me about the bed, he also wrote his extension down on the sheet so we could contact him. I asked Juremar if we could swap our complimentary champagne for more bottled water and he did this expeditiously. He also explained that he would bring snacks and could serve us whatever meals we wanted in the suite. The menus from all the specialty restaurants were on the living room table and were later stored underneath it on the shelf.

 

We went down for a short and perfunctory safety drill. Our station was Tango’s Restaurant. Then we bought soda cards, which were being sold only in the atrium (although the waiters thought you could buy them at the bars and so did I since that used to be the normal procedure.) As it turned out, we bought the card from a young and interesting bar server named Alfredo Andaya, who managed to make an impression on me in the short time it took to process my card. When he saw that we were staying in a Courtyard Villa, he expressed his love for the villas and told me he hoped some day to decorate his home in the same or a similar manner. We took a quick stroll through the shops, which seemed better equipped than those on Epic (more usable items), and then went up to dress for dinner. We ate in the Tsar’s Palace, which I had read was the better of the two complimentary Main Dining Rooms. For my first dinner I had Salmon with Dill Sauce (excellent!), Mixed Greens and Vegetable Curry (okay, but not great) with Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert. We enjoyed the able table service of our waiter, whose name was, as he said, unpronounceable and so he was called by his initials, P.J.

 

After dinner, we went to the Opening Show in the Stardust Theater. The Suite Passengers have a reserved section on Deck 7 at the front of the balcony and Adrian is there at the beginning of each show to walk guests past the barrier and open the door of the area. Most nights this area affords an excellent view, especially for the production shows, the CrazeeHorse aerialists, and the Cirque Bijou.. It was less ideal for the comedian, who selected some young men in the front row, lower left as targets of his humor, making it impossible for us to see them and making it difficult for us to understand everything he said, since he directed his words out and not always up and they often got lost toward the end of the sentence (I suspect he is accustomed to working smaller venues.) On the first night, however, there was the usual pastiche … we had a number from the singers and dancers, (very weak) and a short program from the magician, which was identical to the act he performed when we saw him on the NCL Sun last year except that he dropped the dumb blonde jokes. I hoped that was because he no longer was abusing passengers and let the excellence of his magical abilities speak for themselves, but I suspected it was because he selected a brunette for this particular show.

 

At the first show, we also got our first look at our Cruise Director, who used to be on the Epic, Silas Cook. Silas is a bundle of energy and a quintessential cheerleader CD. That is not my favorite C.D. type since I like the low key ones better, but it seems to work for him and he apparently has a big following. I do wish he would lose the old lady jokes (why are old ladies regular fodder for cruise directors? How come they don’t have jokes about old men or better yet, young men? The answer is obvious since the C.D.’s are invariably younger men. In this case the only jokes I heard him tell were old lady jokes and since they are jokes I’ve already heard a million times, I wasn’t impressed… you can do better, Silas!)

 

I checked out the Casino – much worse than the Epic since there didn’t seem to be anything shaking loose on night one and went to bed. The seas were extremely rough leaving NY and the ship sailed through turbulent waters all night long with the wind picking up the ship and creating lots of motion. All night long there were bangs into waves and enough noise and movement to wake all of us up numerous times. At one point in the night one of my dresser drawers popped open. I’m told by those in the aft suites that they experienced lots of falling and flying objects, and, of course, the front suites had a wild ride. All week I kept hearing about people who were sick or almost sick on Sunday night and Monday.

 

Rough seas are always subjective. My husband, who spent three years in the Navy with much of that in the South Pacific including experience in several typhoons, always laughs if I think the sea is rough. Since we had been on the outskirts of Hurricane Earl last September when returning from Canada on the Celebrity Summit, the seas on this cruise, while rougher than usual, didn’t faze me… I have experienced quite a bit worse.

 

Monday, March 7 – Sea Day

 

Breakfast in Cagneys was very pleasant. Although we got up early, I looked at my watch as we were heading down the hall at 9:30 and realized we were going to be late. We saw Adrian as we left the Courtyard (exactly where and when we needed him!) and he called down to Cagneys on his portable phone to tell them to keep breakfast open for us since we were on our way... a perfect way for him to demonstrate his helpfulness! I had Crab Cakes Benedict along with some items from the buffet, which contained all the items I remembered from the buffet on Epic (Melon, Smoked Salmon, Tomatoes, Cereal, Figs, Prunes, and more). Then we took a walk around the ship and went to the Cruise Critics Party in Azura. This was attended by about 2/3 of the people on the Roll Call. Most of the Ship’s Officers were there and it was very good to see them. I had a nice chat with Brian Walters, Hotel Director, who had been on the Sun last year when we were in South America, and, of course, I enjoyed meeting the CC folks who were there and getting to know a little about them.

 

Then we went to lunch in Cagneys (tough day with parties and meals filling up pretty much the entire day and evening!) Today the hostess was Martha, who was very pleasant and told me she was looking forward to our port day in Florida because it would be her first day off the ship in six weeks (she has been in training). One difference between this ship and Epic is that the hostesses and waitstaff for Cagney’s rotate while the Epic Club folks are there pretty much every breakfast and lunch (fewer staff for lunch because there aren’t as many lunchers in the Epic Club). Lunch consisted of the Fatoush Salad with Lamb Chops, which was delicious, and Apple Crisp with Chocolate Ice Cream.

 

After lunch it was time for the Latitudes Party so I went to the party in the Spinnaker Lounge and again saw the officers including the Captain. This was a nicer party than the one on Epic because they had lovely little hors d’oeuvres instead of cheese and crackers (although we did have the cheese and crackers later in the week so I guess this first party was for everyone and the second party was more limited. (I think because of the size of Epic, they limited the Latitudes party to only Silver and up). I sat with some new friends and was served three cocktails (two above my daily limit) by none other than the seller of my soda card the day before. What astonished me was that when I said I remembered him, he replied that he remembered me too and then told me my name and asked me about the whereabouts of my traveling companion by name… a very impressive feat of memory!

 

As if I needed anything more to eat, today’s afternoon suite snack was cheese and crackers, four little pastries, and a plate of sliced fruit (in addition to our fruit bowl). After the party, we spent some time reading in the Courtyard, and I checked out the hot tub (which was great). There were dispensers of orange juice, iced water, coffee, and tea as well as cookies, pound cake, M and M’s, gummy bears, and peanuts available as snacks this afternoon (and every afternoon as it turned out) in the dining area of the Courtyard. I missed viewing the morning spread of croissants, fruit, and other continental breakfast items, but I learned from my suite-mate that they had a very nice spread out there every morning. She got up early and went out for coffee since the door to the courtyard was quite close to our suite.

 

Then it was time for the third party of the day – the Captain’s VIP party for Suite Guests. This was held in the Courtyard. This was a very nice party with a jazz combo, passed hors d'ouevres, and trays of drinks. I had no interest in eating and having had more than my drinks quota, had some ginger ale, while meeting more lovely people.

 

For dinner in Tsars, I had the Watermelon Salad, the Pumpkin and Ginger Bisque with Crabmeat, and the Crispy Soya Glazed Duck with Crème Brulee with layered Semi Sweet Chocolate Ganache for dessert… all quite good. . Once again, P.J. was our excellent waiter.

The show was a production show “Band on the Run”, which was only fair with the weakest male singers I’ve heard in a long time, or maybe ever, on a cruise ship stage.

 

Tuesday, March 8 – Cape Canaveral, Florida

 

The first meal today was not up to Cagney’s breakfast standards. My Poached Eggs were too hard with no runny yolk. The hot chocolate was so weak that I asked Carleton if he could improve it. (He got it just right and we had a good conversation about his hometown area of Ocho Rios. In addition, my cruise companion’s coffee has yet to please her in either Cagney’s or the suite (she is 83 and doesn't do well with machines so the latter probably has more to do with the fact that she hasn't been able to master the coffee machine.) She was especially unhappy with the weak coffee served this morning. Of course the waiters are only too happy to replace anything that isn’t pleasing, so they worked on the coffee problem until they got it the way she wanted. I really didn’t need more eggs.

 

Lunch in Cagney’s was not good either – the kosher chicken was way too salty. The chicken was a strong recommendation by several previous suite denizens who posted reviews on Cruise Critics, but it’s hard to believe we ate the same chicken. At this point, I asked one of the waiters if the chef had the day off (he didn’t.) Later in the cruise I was introduced to one of the head waiters and I asked him about the chicken. He said it shouldn’t have been salty and most likely that particular bird had been injected with a flavoring solution containing too much salt.

 

After we docked at Port Canaveral and I finished lunch, I walked over to the Lynx Shuttle for a trip to the Merritt Island Mall. There I ran into a number of Jewel passengers and staff members including our Concierge, Adrian, and one of my favorite waiters from Cagney’s lunch – Genevieve Gomes, at the mall, As the days had gone by, we had been getting friendlier with the waiters in Cagneys including Gomes, as he is called plus Dino, who has done a great job of waiting on us from the first day.

 

Gomes and Dino both suggested I try the European Corner for inexpensive internet. Here, for $2 an hour, the very helpful and friendly proprietor provided me with the code so I could go online and helped me with my low-memory netbook, when I had some problems making it work. The shuttle cost $7 for a round-trip and also stopped at the Walmart and Coco Beach if I had wanted to make a couple of extra stops. Gomes was surprised to see me at the internet place, even though he had explained how to get there in detail. I imagine he thought it was funny that I was staying in a suite, but looking for free or cheap internet. Of course he had no idea I bargain shop for everything (including suites on NCL!)

 

I probably should point out that I normally buy the 240 minute internet package on the ship for $100 and then get whatever first day and Latitudes bonuses are available. Sometimes that is enough time for me, and sometimes it isn't. On this cruise reception was terrible and many nights I either kept getting knocked off or couldn't send messages ... so the money spent on the internet was a huge rip-off. On some cruises when that has happened I've been able to get minutes back, but on this one my schedule and the schedule for whoever was working at the Internet place downstairs never seemed to mesh and I never even met the guy who worked there (I think that was a first.)

 

At dinner we were fortunate to be seated at a table which enabled us to chat with those at a neighboring table. One problem with the Tsar’s Palace is that such tables are tough to come by. We met a lovely couple who were on Spring Break from their teaching jobs at a college, and provided us with an interesting conversation to go with our food. I enjoyed the Cheesy Cauliflower Soup, but wasn’t fond of the Beef Stroganoff (red peppers did not improve this dish and I don't know what they were doing there). The Orange Chocolate Bavarian Cream dessert was tasty, but I have noticed that most of the desserts in the MDR are of a similar type – pudding or mousse-like and varying very little from night to night. Jovee and Rosevy provided excellent service. Rosevy trained Jovee and seemed very proud of him.

 

This evening I made the acquaintance of Dragana Milenkovic, one of the Head Waiters in the Tsar’s Palace. She inquired about my dislike of the Stroganoff and then continued to listen to my concerns and ideas regarding the dining room food all week. It was great to meet her and to be able to rely on her help. Dragana is very smart and a credit to NCL.

 

I'll continue the rest of the report in the next post.

[peg013]

For future reference, there is free wireless internet right there at the port. If you have a balcony you can use it right from the ship. I did on the Gem in December. The security guard told us when we decided it was too expensive to take a taxi out to McDonald's for the internet. I was happy because I needed to change players on my fantasy football team.

[maledicta]

Thank you so much for posting your wonderfully detailed trip report. Can't wait to read the rest :)

[wiselindag]

Wednesday – Great Stirrup Cay

 

The day started with Priority Tendering. Suite guests were invited to meet with Adrian in the lobby in front of Le Bistro at 10 a.m. in order to board the first tender going over to Great Stirrup Cay, thus guaranteeing the best seating on the island. I ended up purchasing a Clam Shell, which I shared with a family of three who set up next to me (they bought a clamshell, but needed more space and an extra chair and since I only needed half, I offered the other half. I said they could buy me a drink, which they did and they offered to buy me more, but one of those giant drinks was all I wanted or needed and I brought some of it back to the ship.) I had a chair under some trees on my last visit some years ago, but they have cut down many of the trees (about where the clam shells are now since the trees did not produce revenue and the clam shells do!) Since it was a sunny day and the company was pleasant both on the beach and in the lunch pavilion, I ended up staying on the island longer than usual. I ate some salad, fruit and macaroni and cheese, and thought NCL did a nice job with the lunch. Later I had a snack in the Great Outdoors Buffet to supplement the light lunch. In the Great Outdoors, I met a doctor on his first cruise who inquired about my cruise card holder and lanyard. Later in the week, I admired his new cruise lanyard and met his wife… more interesting and pleasant cruise companions.

 

We were seated near the big windows in a very full Tsars Palace tonight and I found the noise level almost unbearable. On top of all the loud voices (some Spring Breakers at a table across from us played card hands between courses and were very loud, but it wasn’t only this group because the whole dining room was noisy. I noticed that on top of the noise, they played music, which you couldn’t actually hear. It just added to the din. I wondered why. Later I found out that NCL corporate requires it and that although they can turn it down, they can’t turn it off. That seems very silly to me. Surely the person in charge of the dining room should have the authority to turn off the music if it’s making the dining room noisier and less pleasant… corporate, please take note!

 

Excellent service was provided by Annaliza and Debbie. I had the Mezes appetizer, which included lamb sausage (good), two tiny dots of Feta, two miniscule Chickpeas, and a teeny dab of Hummus. Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, this appetizer was good, but should have offered a little more to eat! I enjoyed the Tortilla Soup (added to my order when I realized how small the appetizer was!), the Fatoush Salad, and although the Spaghetti Carbonara could have used more sauce, it was all delicious. The Chocolate Dome needed some Vanilla Ice cream, but once that was added, the dessert was also excellent.

 

I had another bad night in the Casino, which remained tight all week. The show, Crazeehorse, was very impressive. There were lots of people talking about it the next day. Some people I met liked it so much they saw the show twice. This is an acrobatic duo and very unusual. I have seen two men do an act like this in Cirque du Soleil, but never a man and a woman, and these two are unsually strong and talented. He has a great voice and she is a trained ballerina.

 

Thursday – Nassau

 

We had another leisurely breakfast in Cagneys. I went back to Crab Cakes Benedict and asked for extra sauce to make it especially good since they tend to go light if you don’t ask. As usual I got some excellent fresh fruit from the buffet, which gives me the illusion that I’m eating healthy. We chatted with our usual suite friends. It’s funny that the so-called Epic Club didn’t feel like a club because due to size and language issues, folks didn’t get to know each other much on our sailing, but Cagneys does feel like a club on this sailing. Every day, we are getting to know more people and like the crowd we have met in the restaurant and in the Courtyard very much.

 

After breakfast I went over to the water taxi, which cost $6 for a round trip to Paradise Island. There is a woman in the main hall as you walk through from the pier, selling tickets, and the price was right even though she said the next boat was leaving in ten minutes when it was actually another 25 minutes (they seem to leave on the half hour). I chatted with some nice people on the boat. A very funny guy who gave us a travel chat regarding Nassau and Paradise Island (celebrities, the hotel development, the Club Med that previously occupied the site, real estate prices, yacht prices, etc.), produced a great comedic spiel and was for me, funnier than the comedian on the ship. The guy referred to us as people very interested in expensive real estate and suites at the Atlantis, noting that we were big spenders who were on the public ferry for $3. It was a pleasant ride over on a beautiful morning. I walked around the resort, checked out the Marina shops and the billion dollar yachts, left a contribution in the casino which seemed about as stingy as our ship, and then returned to the Jewel.

 

We went up to the Great Outdoors for a late lunch snack and ran into some people we met the day before, who introduced us to some people they had gotten to know. Then we returned to the Courtyard, where I enjoyed reading my book, the hot tub, and a chat with Zandra. Our wonderful Butler, Juremar, saw me sitting in there (my companion had gone off to an activity in the late afternoon) and brought the afternoon snacks in there for me. It wasn't that I was hungry... I just knew if the food stayed in the cabin, it wouldn't get eaten at all.) Every day he brings whatever the snack of the day might be (today it was chocolates), along with a plate of sliced melon and pineapple, and a plate of cheese and crackers. If I were hungry, these, along with the very good chocolate chip cookies in the Courtyard, would certainly do the trick, but I’m never hungry. If we wanted sandwiches or some other snack, we could substitute that for these plates, but it really doesn’t matter since we are always full from the three big meals we eat each day.

 

As usual, we had dinner in the Tsar’s Palace and made the acquaintance of Dragonisa Milenkovic who found us a better table in a less noisy spot. I noticed the resemblance between his first name and Dragana’s without paying any attention to his surname, and had a good laugh when it turned out he was her husband! They are both serving as Head Waiters and he was just as helpful as she was. Tonight, after Dragana explained about the music requirement, she turned it down, which improved the noise quality in the room. (N.B. Dragana simply said she wasn’t allowed to turn it off. The complaining about music on top of noise is entirely mine… she did not offer an opinion.)

 

Tonight I had the Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, which were good, the Tomato Bisque, which I didn’t like very much but my dining companion enjoyed, I thought the Couscous and Tabouleh Salad was too dry, but the Prime Rib was quite good. When I pointed out the continued problem with the dessert menu (more food that belongs on the menu of an assisted living facility and would be great for folks without teeth), Dragana ordered the flourless chocolate cake for me from room service so I could have some chocolate cake and ice cream. I also ordered the coconut flan from the menu and thought it was delicious. Now if only I could get some chocolate cake with flour or chocolate profiteroles! I also mentioned to Dragana that it would be nice to have a simple garden salad on the menu in addition to the couscous served that evening and the Caesar Salad on the Always Available side. She said it’s always possible to get one and I should just ask. I said in that case, it should be listed on the Always Available Menu, otherwise how else can passengers know it is always available in the MDR? It made me wonder if there is anything else always available that we are unaware of?

 

Jean Pierre Parent, the magician, was tonight’s show. As previously noted, I think he is a very good magician, but too mean-spirited as a comedian and definitely too sexist. One of the people he called up from the audience even mentioned to him that one of his comments "wasn’t very nice". He always brings an attractive young woman to the stage and then – wants her to “dance sexy and walk sexy.” What gives him the right to require a poor person plucked from the audience to be abused in front of an audience? He pointed out to the woman who noted his mean comment, that “It’s my show.” True, but the young woman he attempted to embarrass, was not interested in performing “a sexy dance” and made that very clear. The poor little boy who he had sitting on a chair for too long on the stage needed to use the restroom and eventually left the stage and wouldn’t go back up. Perhaps the young woman should have walked off and refused to return, too. People try to be good sports, but it is up to the performer to keep within accepted bounds when dragging people out of the audience. When NCL continues to employ this guy they endorse this humor but I find him offensive and I have seen many other magicians/comedians on other cruise ships in the past few years who manage to perform their magic tricks in a far more pleasant manner. Mr. Parent is a talented magician, but a nasty comedian.

 

I might add that I asked the C.D. about this and he said he "doesn't interfere" with people’s acts. I find that strange since I was under the impression that the C.D. was responsible for the entertainment on the ship… but perhaps this isn't true on NCL? To make matters worse, NCL no longer has a passenger questionnaire where people can rate the individual entertainers (and so much more!). The online version is sadly lacking because there’s hardly any place where you can give an unstructured opinion and they don’t ask for specific feedback on many aspects of the cruise that in my opinion, should be rated separately. I think there’s only one general question about the entertainment on this cruise to which you give a number rating. How is that going to help NCL improve their entertainment? There should be ratings for each performer/program.

 

 

Friday, March 11, 2011 – At Sea

 

At breakfast in Cagneys I had the Seafood on Brioche and Choron Sauce. This is a dish I had tried on the Epic and enjoyed and it was equally good on the Jewel. By Friday, we found we had friends all around us now in Cagneys, both among passengers and wait staff. After breakfast I went to the Bridge Tour, which was offered for suite passengers. We met Adrian and friends who were on the tour at the Star Lounge and were escorted to the Bridge where a 2nd officer conducted the tour. I was surprised to find no captain or staff captain on the bridge, but the tour was nicely done and all questions were answered.

 

Then we went to take a look at the Garden Villa, where we had been invited by the occupants. Even though I had seen descriptions of this place and some photographs, it was still a wow! The Garden Villa is definitely over the top! There’s a private hot tub and steam room plus sun deck and outside eating area. The main Living/Dining Room is large enough to host a huge party overlooking the pool deck. There are three lovely bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Unlike our suite, all the bedrooms have a great view of the sea. I do find it somewhat weird that the master bedroom also has a pullout couch so if there are extra people, you need to put them there… it seems to me that the largest bedroom with the nicest view and nicest bathroom should be kept separate and the folks on the pullout, whoever they may be, should be in one of the other rooms. It certainly wouldn’t be very romantic to have your kids sleeping on the couch in the bedroom with you.

 

Someone mentioned viewing the penthouse, so I asked Adrian if a penthouse was empty so I could see it. He took us to a forward penthouse which was quite nice, but not sensational. There are much nicer suites on the ship in my opinion and this one had way too much motion for me. I can only imagine what it was like on the really rough first sea day! In my opinion, suites should not be located at the front of any ship since you end up paying big bucks for what is often a rough ride with limited opportunities to use the balcony because of the wind. I would certainly book a penthouse elsewhere on the ship, however.

 

We had lunch in Cagneys, and decided we weren’t that hungry after a big breakfast (not a big surprise since we have this problem every day!) I had Sliders again, which are always good and enjoyed watching Gomes playing with a little girl from one of the courtyard families… he is such a great guy and very popular with folks in the suites. For dessert I had a Brownie with ice cream, which is reliably delicious. My companion’s steak was tough (later another courtyard friend who regularly sails on the Jewel said, “tell me about it… every time!) Since my companion decided she wanted pizza, I planned to either take her down to the buffet or get it for her, but Gomes overheard her say she wanted it and offered to go down and get it for her. He brought her three slices up to Cagneys, which was two too many, but she ate quite a bit.

 

After lunch I went back to the courtyard and read for a while. Then I took a walk around the ship to see where everyone was (it was windy and most people were inside). Today was a day to truly appreciate the Courtyard – windy and chilly outside; crowded inside… the Courtyard was an oasis with the sun shining and the blue sky above and no wind except the occasional breeze when a door was opened… quiet and often empty;

Later I went back to watch more earthquake and tsunami news and dozed off for a while before I got ready for dinner… a very relaxing, but very upsetting day, with all the terrible news on the television. I am a news junky and in the Courtyard Villa there are televisions all over the place (one in each bedroom, one in the master bath and a big one in the living area.)

 

Tonight we had a Latitudes party in Fyzz . This was the one with the wine and cheese that I remembered from Epic. I sat with two new friends and had a champagne cocktail. Then I went to dinner in Tsar’s Palace. I have learned to ask for a table near the entrance, where it is quieter. Our excellent server tonight was Heidi with able assistance from I Made from Indonesia. It was quite nice that both Aileen from last night and PJ from earlier in the week were serving in the vicinity and made a point of coming over to say hello and ask us how our cruise was going… old friends on a very short cruise. It is moments like that when I feel most positive about a cruise experience and on the strength of the staff and crew of this ship plus the ship itself, which I like quite a bit, although it may be that I haven’t gotten a balanced picture, spending so much time in the Courtyard, I signed up for a cruise deposit today for a future cruise. I figure I’ll want to cruise again on the Jewel because of the staff or on the Pearl when it arrives in NY next year, so the future cruise certificate will be used one way or the other.

 

Tonight my meal consisted of Risotto with Wild Mushrooms (I asked Heidi to split the entrée into two for an appetizer and this was done perfectly), Salad Nicoise, Roasted Lamb Loin with Mint Jelly and Lyonnaise Potatoes, and Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. .. all quite good. Once again Dragana came over to check on our meal several times and make sure we were happy with everything. Even Adrian put in an appearance and sat with us for a short while.

 

Before dinner, I had seen Brian Walters again at the Latitudes party and spoken once again with him about the water/plumbing noises in the bedroom. I suggested he come to the cabin to hear it for himself. He said he would bring Adrian, too, so when I saw Adrian in the dining room, I thought he had been up to the suite with Brian and had come to report on his visit. He said he didn’t know anything about this visit. I have been particularly interested in the answers to two questions: a) the noise source and b) the extent of the problem – do other villas have the same problem or is it just in 14008? I asked these questions when I arrived on Sunday, again on Monday and again last night. If I were prone to nightmares, I would have dreamt all week that I was on the Titanic as it sank, with the water gurgling around me. As it is, dressing and sleeping in a room with a loud sound of gurgling and gushing water all the time, which is there when you walk in, there when you try to go to sleep, there when you wake up during the night, and there when you wake up in the morning, and which gets louder and sounds quite distinctly like flushing, is very unpleasant. When you are paying extra for a suite and experiencing such noises, it’s even more unpleasant.

 

Later in the evening I went up to The Chocolate Buffet, which looked very nice, although I don’t know why they set it up in the buffet instead of in one of the dining rooms. The buffet is obviously not an elegant location and the display would look much better in the dining room or perhaps the Spinnnaker. The items on display including cakes, eclairs, chocolate statues, ice sculptures, cream puffs, and dozens of other chocolate desserts looked delicious, but after the brownie for lunch and the lava cake and ice cream for dinner, I was not interested in eating any more sweets. I did think they could have added even one of these chocolate items (brownie sundae, éclair, cream puffs, or more varieties of chocolate cake to name a few) on the MDR dessert dining room each night and improved that menu considerably. As usual, as suite passengers, we had priority viewing (and eating) of the buffet. Adrian escorted us in before the others from the back portion of the buffet.

 

Saturday, March 12, 2011

 

We sprang our clocks forward last night even though the rest of the country will do so tonight. As a result, we lost an hour of sleep, but fortunately today is a sea day and we don’t have anything special on the agenda, or even a special invitation after two yesterday!” Well, actually there was an invitation this morning, but it was a Cruise Critics group invitation to the bridge. Since I did that yesterday with the suite guests, it was not something I needed to do twice. We started the day in the usual fashion with breakfast in Cagneys. Even though it is only a week (not even!) our familiarity with the wait staff and the other guests continued to make this a friendly, familiar way to start off each day. We sat, as we do almost every day, at a table next to the window overlooking the pool deck and the ocean and today’s bright sunshine outside made the view spectacular. We had a perfect view of people walking and jogging by (we are on the jogging track, which is not ideal) but because of the glass, they can’t see us.) Because it’s gotten quite chilly as we head north, there weren’t many people outside this early.

 

I had decided that on this ship the one breakfast that is most satisfying in Cagneys is the Crab Cakes Benedict so once again, that is what I ordered. I know I will pay for this frequent morning choice when I get home and step on the scale, but other than a handful of cruise ship breakfasts, this is not a breakfast I get very often, so why not enjoy it while I can? This morning our waiter was Charles, who is a lovely guy with a nice, soft-spoken disposition who always goes the extra mile to make breakfast pleasant. After breakfast I decided that I wanted to enjoy the sunshine in the courtyard and so I headed back upstairs and settled into a comfortable chair, put my feet up, and read for a while. Several couples with small children took advantage of the pool and hot tub and when the children got a little loud, one of the Moms asked if the children were disturbing us. I told her that the sound of little children having a great time like that was a wonderful sound and we were enjoying watching and listening to them. Later I went back to the cabin and called Juremar to ask him if he had a menu from the MDR lunch so we could decide where to eat. The menu, which is used on each of the sea days, is very good and has a nice selection of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, hot dishes, and desserts. We went down to the Tsar’s Palace and asked for a table near the windows so we could enjoy the lovely view of the wake and were given a table right next to the big windows. Since the dining room was almost empty, noise wasn’t a concern. I ordered Fried Calamari, Garden Salad, Fish and Chips, and at the urging of our server, the Strawberry Short Cake. I enjoyed everything but the dessert, but wouldn’t hold that against Ruth Ellen since she was otherwise completely on top of the service, anticipating my need for a second coke (the first server all week to do that) and picking up on all the little things that make dining room service pleasant. Apparently she just liked the cake more than I did or perhaps they were trying to get rid of a surplus.

 

After lunch we went back to the cabin and figured out the tips, which we placed into envelopes. I also had filled out a dozen S.T.Y.L.E. cards for various staff members who had impressed me during the week. That was a lot of cards and an indication of how much I enjoyed this staff. Packing and customs forms were the last chores to be completed, so we spent some time getting that accomplished. A seven day cruise goes by so fast and these last day chores always make the end so real!

 

My cabin mate headed out to an activity and I spent a luxurious hour in the master bathroom enjoying the tub and then the shower. (I’d given them to her and used the back bathroom shower all week until this last day, but in the interests of a thorough report, decided one bath and shower in such splendor was required.) Okay, I admit it was delightful to look at the sea while bathing and showering, but I still think it would make more sense to give this view to the bedroom. Then it was off to dinner and the final show, which everyone has said is worth attending – Cirque Bijou.

 

Before we left, I received a telephone call from Mr. Walters, the Hotel Director. He visited the cabin while we were at dinner last night and listened to the sounds in the back room. He told me he believes there is a plumbing pipe running down there and perhaps through other cabins in the area “where it shouldn’t be”. He also said he will assess the extent of the problem tomorrow when everyone leaves their suites. He plans to walk around the area with the Chief Engineer and listen for the sounds in the other cabins and then, he said, they will determine a course of action. Perhaps something can be done while the ship is in drydock. Perhaps the problem is insurmountable… I have no idea, but I did ask for an update since I would like to know more of the story. (Note: It has been more than three weeks since our return, and so far I have heard nothing from NCL regarding this problem.)

 

For dinner tonight in Tsar’s Palace, I had some trouble ordering and then discovered that half the items I chose were not very good so it’s a good thing I over-ordered. First up was the Salmon Tartare, which I didn’t like at all, although I loved the Gravlax on Day One. Then I tried and enjoyed the Escargot. I ordered two entrees – the Tortellini from the Every Day Menu and the Vegetable Tempura from the Daily Specials and when the Tempura arrived with the Jasmine Rice in the seaweed, I remembered that I have enjoyed this entrée in the past. It was quite good again. The Tortellini, on the other hand, was very dry and not at all enjoyable so after two bites the waitress took it away and I finished up the Tempura and then had a slice of quite good German Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream... finally a good piece of Chocolate Cake! (Next time I take an NCL cruise, I should remember to re-read past reports so I'll know what to order.)

 

As was his custom, the Asst. Maitre D’ Reinaldo from Colombia stopped by to chat. He said they had a big crowd when the restaurant opened so I suppose many people went to the first show. By the time we got there at 7, it wasn’t crowded, which helped keep the noise level down.

 

After dinner I went back up to the courtyard to pick up some cash for the casino and had a brief chat with Eric and Juremar, both of whom are very sweet and friendly guys. Then I was off to the show. The Cirque Bijou production show was fairly good and was enhanced by the extra appearance of the performers called CrazeeHorse. Since they are only on the ship for three weeks, I wondered what took their place the rest of the year. (They ate breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s and so I posed this question to them at breakfast on the last morning when giving them a compliment for their outstanding performances. They said they had replaced an act that had been on the ship for over five months so I suppose the answer is an act that is on break and will return, or another act is getting ready to go into the show.) Once again I was struck by the fact that the singers and dancers who are cast for their ability to do the aerial stunts in the Cirque look and perform quite differently than those cast on other ships in regular production shows. When I first saw and heard this cast in the production show earlier in the week, I was surprised some of them were up on the stage, but after seeing them in the Cirque, it seems clear that some of them are in the show for their aerial skills. That still doesn’t explain the weak male vocalists, who are truly the worst I’ve heard on a cruise ship in a long time. They didn’t perform any aerial stunts.

 

After the show, I checked to see if anything had changed in the Casino (it hadn’t.) I met a few more friends there also doing a final check, and equally disappointed.

 

Sunday – March 13 – Disembarkation

 

On this ship the disembarkation options for suite passengers are presented in a final letter from the Concierge. You can either meet him at the Stardust Theater and then walk off with all your luggage at 8:20 (or as soon as the ship is released by authorities), or you can put your bags out by 1:00 a.m. with VIP luggage tags, and meet him at the Theater at 9:10 a.m. We had a leisurely breakfast in Cagney’s, said our good-byes, presented our envelopes, and went down to Deck 7.

 

What we found there at about 9:05 was a line of people lined up with their luggage stretching around the deck. I have no idea if the line went completely around Deck 7, but it certainly was an extremely long line. To the theater at the other end of the ship, we had to walk next to those lined up to leave. Occasionally, someone trying to get to the end of the line would come from the opposite direction, which created something of a traffic jam as we tried to negotiate our way to the theater. If I had it to do again, I think I would have taken the elevator to Deck 8 and walked there, although then I suspect we would have encountered other obstacles.

 

At any rate, when we got to the Theater, we found Adrian and Amita and many of our friends. We said some more farewells and then Adrian said we had the go-ahead and he walked all of us off at about 9:15. In the terminal, we quickly found our luggage under the VIP sign, got a lovely gentleman (who told us we were fortunate in that he was the best porter and I think he was!) to load up our luggage on a cart, speedily went through the porter line at customs, and took the elevator up to the parking deck and got the car. We were on our way home in only a few minutes and arrived just over an hour after leaving the ship. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

 

Although this was the first of the Spring Break weeks (more Spring Breakers were apparently coming on for the second and third weeks of the month), it was a very nice crowd and a good cruise. I was surprised that so many students chose to take a cruise from NY to Florida and the Bahamas (instead of going directly to Florida or the Caribbean where I thought they would have filled the all-inclusives), but now know that this is apparently a popular option. The seas could have been calmer, but we had good weather at all three of our ports. NCL is usually my "good value" cruising option and when that value includes a courtyard villa, it's definitely a winning situation. I love the convenience of cruising from my home port although would definitely choose a longer cruise next time (which I normally do, but in this case I was taking the cruise chosen by my traveling companion who could only do a week). This was my first Jewel-class cruise, but I am sure I will be back on either the Jewel or the Pearl. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[wiselindag]

Peg - I'm amazed that the crew guys didn't know that... they usually know all the ways to get free internet! Usually when in port, the ship's internet signal stays on and makes that impossible (I even had trouble getting off the ship's signal and onto Starbuck's in San Juan because of the proximity to the port). I'm surprised you were able to do it, but will remember for future reference although I don't plan to make this port a regular stop if I can help it!

[JrzCruiser]

Great review! Thank you for all the details. You mentioned you stopped by one of the AC Penthouses, was the rocking really that bad? Was it a sea day? I'm on an AC Penthouse in July, hopefully the sea is calmer. What would have been the latest disembarkation if you didn't leave around 9:15? Or is that the only option?

 

Thank you.

[Carnac767]

Very detailed and thorough review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. Nice to see Juremar getting some well-deserved recognition. He's been our butler twice and always done a great job. I would disagree with your characterization of Jean-Pierre, however. We've always found him to be extremely funny and not the least bit sexist.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thank you for taking your time and sharing with us. We are taking our first family cruise for Easter on the Jewel.

Do you recommend the clamshell?

[A1SusieQ]

Thank you so much for this well-written detailed review. It is nice that you made so many friends onboard.

[mommyto2girls]

What a wonderful review..I feel like we were right back on the ship with you. As you know we did the 10 day on the Jewel in January and then got right back on in March for the 7 day. We just loved the Jewel, the Courtyard, and especially Juremar, Eric, Zandra and Adrian. Silas is a great guy I enjoyed him as a CD. Loved the White Party and Disco night and I thought the crew talent show was alot of fun. Seeing Amita at the Port when we checked in was like "coming home". I know everyone loves Cagney's for breakfast and lunch but we loved it for eating in the courtyard. I did not see alot of people take advantage of it but we did have quite a few dinners in the courtyard as well.

It was not the ideal itinerary (spoiled by the 10 day). It was a really nice group on that cruise and fortunately for us we did well in the casino. I do love the ease of getting around on the Jewel. We have already booked the Gem 10 day out of NY in January but I am hoping to get in a cruise with Adrian on the Sky before that. Please send our best to Stella it was great meeting both of you!

 

Andrea

[Journey11]

Thanks for preparing such a detailed and informative review. I am glad you enjoyed yet another taste of the "suite life."

[runmomrun]

Thank you for the detailed review. We will be on Jewel in August and your trip report is making the wait even more difficult!!

[rkeate0804]

Thank you for a great review...we leave on the jewel april 24th.....

[miched]

What is the purpose of a butler? What did he do for you?

 

thanks

 

 

 

 

.

[miched]

I find that interesting about the magician. We never sit in the front rows just for that reason. We have noticed on every cruise that there are always those that what to sit in the front so they can go on stage or be picked on. For some reason they think it is fun, or funny to do so.

 

We have also talked to many CD's and entertainers. We have been told by both that the CD is responsible for the act and has to approve the content.

 

Your remark about saving money on the internet is so true. It is the same as people clipping coupons to save money and then go to casinos and blow it. Truth is that is why they have the money to do that. Everyone has a priority on how they want to spend their money. If they didn't save it on useless stuff they wouldn't have it to spend on the necessities.

 

If I hit the big lotto I would spend it wisely on booze, women, and gambling. If I had any left over I would blow it on useless stuff like food and housing.:eek:

[NY cruiser 75]

great review...thank you for all the info...i will be sailing the Jewel in July

[NY cruiser 75]

Thank you for a great review...we leave on the jewel july 16.....

[wiselindag]

Miched - Your question on what the butler does for you has been answered in detail in an earlier thread on the boards. I have a set of notes taken from that thread and the list is fairly lengthy, but to sum it up, he is responsible for your "in the cabin" issues and for bringing you food. You can order any meals you want brought to the cabin. If it's breakfast or lunch, there will be no charge, but if it's dinner from one of the restaurants with an up-charge, you will receive the charges on your account. You should tip the butler for his services and add to the base tip for extra services such as meal delivery, set-up and service. He will deliver snacks to your cabin every day in the late afternoon and you can ask him to switch the snacks if you would prefer something else. You can order drinks from him - check on what you have to pay for and how much it costs. He can also help you with the coffee machine in your suite. If you'd like your meals served in the Courtyard, then you would order from the Courtyard Butler. They should explain all of this and more when you arrive on the ship.

 

The Concierge handles "out of suite" issues such as dinner reservations, priority tendering, priority seating in the theater, shore excursion reservations, and probably more that I am forgetting.

 

First Timers - Yes, it was a sea day and yes, the motion was considerable in the forward penthouse. You need to be a good sailor with a strong stomach or bring good meds if the seas are not calm to be comfortable in that location in my opinion. I was not sick on this cruise because I always medicate myself when at sea since I am very prone to motion issues (I can't sit in the back seat of a car or watch circus acts go in a circle!), but I was uncomfortable when visiting this suite, and would have been miserable if I'd been in this cabin on the trip to Florida and on the trip back.

 

I don't know what time they finally got everyone on that long line off the ship, but my guess would be around 10. To be escorted off by the Concierge and avoid the line, we needed to be there at 9:15. If you're not in a suite, that's not an issue. They put the luggage tags out at Guest Services and you select the ones you want for Freestyle Disembarkation and they give you a sheet with the approximate times, so you can select the last tag color if that's your preference.

 

Pooh - Since there's no shade facing the ocean and no umbrellas, clamshells are your only option if you don't want to sit in the sun... of course you don't know if it will be sunny until you get there, so it's a gamble. I was fortunate to have the option of booking it after I saw the weather.

 

Andrea - It's great to hear from you! I agree that a 7 day itinerary out of NY, especially in the colder months, is too short with too much time taken up getting to and from the warmer weather. I normally do a longer cruise, but this was the most Stella could handle and it really was for her. I'm glad to hear you did well in the casino - I knew my money was going somewhere and it's good to know at least some of it was to you! If you see Adrian on the Sky, please give him a hug for me. I don't think I'll be doing any three or four day cruises! Enjoy the Gem in January! We'll be on the Eclipse in the Caribbean the week of the 14th, and I'll probably book another cruise to go back-to-back with that cruise. Might join some friends and their friends on the Pearl on the 27th of November... we'll see.

 

To those of you sailing on the Jewel - I hope you have a wonderful cruise! Please say hello and send my best to anyone on the ship who I have mentioned in the review. I'm not planning any cruises between now and October, but I'll admit I'm thinking about cruising again before that.

[atlantahopper]

Thank-you, thank-you, for that incredibly detailed review of the Jewel. We are on this ship in less than two weeks and you gave me terrific insight which I certainly appreciate!

[reggie50]

do you have any dailies from jewel cruise ny