5/10/11 Jewel Review - will be longish

[KatWag]

I am so enjoying reading your review and wish it were a two-week journey. I am fretting that it is almost over. I feel like I sailed with you! Thank you so much for sharing your experience in such a well written "memoir". Can't wait for the rest.

 

Thanks! You made my day. :-)

[Scrappy cruiser]

An addition to Day 3

 

Forgot to mention that on Day 3 the show was something called Duo Artmotion.

 

Although they were very flexible and clearly talented in their area, DH and I both found the show to be a bit odd. I think they needed time to change costumes between acts and they put down a screen and played videos on it.

 

This would have been fine. But the videos were a bit strange. The first one showed a teddy bear and was meant to imply a young girl getting dressed while we watched. I finally leaned over to DH and asked if this was for the pedophiles in the audience. It just seemed "off" to us. Although they did suggest parental guidance, we both thought NCL Corporate was asleep at the switch a little on this one.

.

 

 

While I, too, found this show and the video a bit odd, I did not find it untoward. The "young girl" was actually the female performer - clearly an adult. I felt the video was the story of a bear who was sad that his owner was trying on different outfits in preparation for leaving him for the night. When she finally decided on what to wear, she put the bear on the shelf and left the apartment.

 

The video was very artsy-fartsy, as my dad would say. It was not to my taste, but I wouldn't consider it tasteless.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Loving your review. It was a great cruise. Congrats on your 50th and your tanzanite!

[KatWag]

Yikes - sorry I am taking so long with this review - work reared its ugly head this week and I've been crazy. Will try to get everything done tomorrow.

 

Day 6 - St. Maarten

 

Weather not so good today. Got off the ship about half hour after it cleared and took the water taxi to town. Back in the 80's we used to vacation on St. Maarten frequently, DH's parents had a home on the Dutch side. We had not been back in about 12 years and were shocked at how run down parts of the town have gotten compared to the way we remembered it.

 

Many of the shops were closed since it was Sunday so we hired a taxi and took a tour. We really lucked out here - since it was Sunday we did not encounter any traffic. Went all over and revisited old favorite spots. Looked like nothing much was open on the French side, although some shops may have opened a bit later.

 

Back in Philipsburg we did some shopping and then hit the famous Guavaberry Emporium. (Of course we ran into a bunch of folks from the ship.)

 

They have a variety of flavors and free tastings. We tried several and ended up getting bottles of the original and the orange flavor. Usually they deliver to the ship. Since it was Sunday their delivery guy was off so we just took them with us. Of course, we also had to try their coladas to go....saw lots of our shipmates also carrying those pink plastic glasses.:D

 

If you don't make it to Philipsburg they have a small outpost of Guavaberry Emporium right where the ship docks.

 

Back on the ship we did Taste of India in Chin Chin. This was fabulous. Huge thanks to everyone who recommended this to us. DH told me he thought it was his favorite meal of the entire trip.

 

Show was Band on the Run. We loved it. The song choices, the cast....it was really terrific. DH did the behind the scenes tour a few days later and found out it was a new cast that week which made it even more amazing that they put on such a good show.

 

After the show, did our usual and checked out the music in the lounges. Somehow we always ended up back in the Bar City area.........that was definitely one of our "spots" this trip.

 

Tomorrow - Tortola, BVI.

[KatWag]

Day 7 - Tortola, BVI

 

Arrived early - Stunning views all around. We both thought this was definitely one of our most scenic spots.

 

The ship does not stay in Tortola long, so a private tour to the baths was out. We considered a ship tour but although I love the sun, it does not love me back. I burn quickly. Add to that the fact that DH does not do well in tight spaces and we opted to wander around a bit on our own instead.

 

Of course, we had to stop at Pusser's store along the way. Too early for trying any of their famous concoctions, but we enjoyed shopping at the store and brought home some fun items. They really have a nice selection in there - I could have filled a suitcase very easily.

 

There are two outside craft / shop areas. One is right near the ship and the vendors are set up in something like a tent camp with tarps over the merchandise. Downtown there is an area with small buildings and lots of vendors. Good spot for some shopping to take home for friends and family.

 

Only had a few hours and then had to be back onboard.

 

Is it just me, or do most folks get this feeling of vacation starting to be over when leaving the last port? I always have to fight that feeling. We had plenty of time left..............but it just felt really sad pulling out of Tortola.

 

Being NCL, of course, they planned several NCL U activities to choose from to ward off any last port depression. :D

 

We decided to do the 4:30 Mojito Muddling and Tasting. I've never made mojitos before and we thought it would be fun. Now we're hooked, especially since we figured we can make a pretty low calorie version for our life back in the "real world" where we have to watch our calories a lot more than we do onboard the ship.

 

We had thought about the 3PM Old and New World Wine tasting in Le Bistro. But one of the groups that came to the mojito tasting said they tried to do that and it was cancelled for lack of participants.

 

I saw them setting up in Maltings for an Irish Whiskey tasting at 5. It looked interesting, too. I usually have my Irish Whiskey in coffee, so I'm afraid that one would probably have been wasted on me.

 

We were happy with our choice. G, the same bartender who oversees the martini tastings, led the muddling and mojito tasting. As usual, learned a lot and was very entertained. Not only does he give lots of tips along the way, he also does juggling and tricks.

 

The show was going to be the comedian and we usually enjoy them so we planned our dinner around the show times and hit the show.

 

Here is where I goofed a bit. Before we left on the trip I did some shopping and I took along some new clothes. Since it was the first time I wore this top, I did not want to have a drink spilled on it.

 

Well, the showroom on Jewel does not work well for attendees bringing drinks. It is stadium seating. Earlier in the week, I had already had one outfit stained when the person in the row behind me slopped his drink all over me while moving into his seat. And I did not want it to happen again. So when the guy behind me, with a full martini glass came along behind me, I just leaned forward in my seat and then leaned back when he was done.

 

I didn't look at him, or say anything, just leaned forward and then back. But for some reason he decided to be mortally offended and to make comments throughout the entire show. So go figure. Lesson learned for me - wear something I don't care about so I don't need to be concerned if something gets spilled. Problem solved.

 

We thought the comic was good rather than great. He seemed extremely popular though and from the number of laughs lots of folks rated him more highly than we did.

 

We're not into the White Hot party so we skipped it, but I heard good reports from folks who attended.

[KatWag]

Day 8 - Sea Day

 

Mostly a kick-back and relax day......

 

Had a manicure at the spa. Just a "heads up" for those of you who, like me, are novices at some of this. I am an IT Manager and I'm on the computer constantly, as you might imagine. Regular manicures are not an option for me. So I did not understand what this "Shellac" they advertise is about. Sounded good........... you leave with your nails dry. It was an interesting experience.

 

First off be aware that this stuff will not come off later with nail polish remover. You will need to soak your nails in Acetone and then scrape the stuff off with an orangewood stick.

 

But I did not find that out until later in the process. Got there and we started the manicure. I picked my color and she started to do my nails. She couldn't get it to look right - it just kept looking sloppy - missed areas, etc. She kept repainting it and it kept getting worse, not better.

 

Finally she apologized and told me she was from Jamaica and there had been an earthquake there and she was worried about her family. She had been unable to reach anyone. Her young son was there with her Mom. Well of course she was too stressed to work - anyone would be. Finally we had to take everything off since she was too upset to be able to have steady hands to paint the nails. That's when I found out what you need to do to take this shellac stuff off.

 

I was just going to leave after and give up on the manicure but she really wanted me to do at least a regular color. So I picked out a very light almost clear color, figuring that even if her hands were not steady it would not be a problem.

 

By the time I left I had been there over two hours and was way more concerned about her than about my nails. I just cannot imagine what that day must have been like for her. I was her later that night and was happy to hear she had been able to reach her family and everyone was fine. I could not be a manager on a cruise ship if you are expected to make your staff work in situations like that.

 

Headed up to Cagney's and met up with DH who had done the "behind the scenes" tour. He highly recommended it - said it was amazing.

 

Martini tasting again. Believe it or not, by the time we got off the ship I was actually getting sick of martinis. Next time I'll mix it up a bit more. Other options on this day were Italian Wine tasting in Le Bistro and Margarita tasting in the Tapas bar. Also Bourbon Whiskey tasting in Maltings.

 

Dinner was Cagney's. It was very good, but honestly I have to say it did not measure up to some of the other meals we had on the ship. And I don't like their open kitchen - I don't like to smell like my food and I found their ventilation system seemed to be not quite up to the task. (This could be just me though - I'm kind of picky about that.... excessively picky DH would say - he was not bothered by it at all.)

 

The chocoholic buffet was from 7 to 10. On other ships the suites passengers were invited to go in early. We did not receive an invitiation on this ship. Perhaps only the Courtyard level on up? Or perhaps only if you asked? We did not bother because we had 7:30PM reservations for dinner and knew we would not eat chocolate before that anyway.

 

After dinner we stopped up at the buffet to take pictures but were too stuffed to try anything. They did have several items which looked interesting though.

 

Headed over to get seats for the adult comedy show - this was PACKED. We were glad to get there early. In the end it was standing room only. He had some really funny lines.......none of which I am allowed to repeat here. I thought he did a very good job of picking up on the audience and making it part of his show. I'm not quick enough on the uptake for that so I always admire people who are. :)

 

After the comedy show just headed back to the room and read a bit before calling it a night.

[KatWag]

Day 9 - Last Sea Day

 

Packed most of the stuff early to get it over with so I could enjoy my day. Mostly relaxed, enjoyed as much of the balcony as we could in between rain periods.

 

Did the last martini tasting which was fun since they did "off menu" items. They called it their bartender black book session. Interesting items - they did a sunrise one, a fruit and nut one, a chocolate butterscotch one.....

 

Other options would have been tapas and sangria tasting which would have been fun, I think..........global beer tasting............which would also have been fun. Too many good choices. :)

 

Enjoyed our last evening in Bar City area then off to bed - tomorrow is the dreaded last day. :(

[KatWag]

Final thoughts

 

In no particular order, just my observations and thoughts:

• I think in future if I sail a ship with Courtyard villas I'll book those because I think their is a definite difference in service levels between those and the lesser suites. We rarely saw Adrian while those in the courtyard rooms saw him constantly. And we have liked the reserved seating when we did the O/S and then again on Sun where all the suites have that seating. I'd be curious to know if the Courtyard level folks were offered bridge tours and early admission to the chocoholic buffet - those might be other perks not offered to lower level suites on Jewel. (That said, given the six women in the Courtyard Villa I might be just as happy to not have been up there this particular trip).
  
• Krys - the Food and Beverage manager was extremely impressive. We spoke to him numerous times and he is an excellent ambassador for NCL.
  
• Hugo seemed to have a great sense of humor. We did not see him much to speak to but we often heard him speaking to folks around us and we attended a few events where he spoke. The staff certainly thinks very highly of him. "Has his finger on the pulse" was a comment I heard several times from staff.
  
• We really enjoyed the specialty restaurants. Taste of India was a highlight as was the lobster quesadilla in the Mexican restaurant on lobster night.
  
• Two latitudes cocktail parties this trip. I thought it was nice that they did a second appreciation one.
  
• Staff were incredibly friendly. I've read reviews of Jewel which indicated otherwise but I can only think those folks were sailing with an entirely different crew. I don't think I met a grumpy crew member the entire trip.
  
• Passengers - the normal mix. Anytime you get that many people in a smaller area like a ship you are going to have occasional issues.
  
• Dress - we did see a lot fewer folks making even a basic effort here. But in fairness, that is what NCL is trying to appeal to. They clearly state that shorts are OK in a number of dining rooms. I usually don't notice too much - maybe I noticed more this time because our last cruise was Veendam to Bermuda and things were a bit dressier.
  
• Killian from Customer Service served as Adrian's assistant and he was super. Very nice young man. We saw him every morning in Cagney's.
  

Overall it was a great trip and we'll definitely be back on NCL. I think our next up may be Oceania or Azamara since we haven't tried either of those yet. DH and I are determined to be past passengers on all the lines which interest us before we retire and we've got a few left to try out.:)

 

Happy Cruising everyone!

[davesgirl51]

Kathy,

 

I think that was an excellent review :). Although I have never been fortunate enough to be in any of the forward suites, the 6 women clearly had an impact on a lot of people. They were truly obnoxious. I have known Hugo for a long time and he is well known for having "his pulse on the ship" and in doing so resulting in a very happy crew. Happy is as happy does as they say. I have also known Adrian and Kris for some time and they do what they do best, imho.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your time on the Jewel and will look forward to reading your other reviews.

 

Cinci:)

[KatWag]

Kathy,

 

I think that was an excellent review :). Although I have never been fortunate enough to be in any of the forward suites, the 6 women clearly had an impact on a lot of people. They were truly obnoxious. I have known Hugo for a long time and he is well known for having "his pulse on the ship" and in doing so resulting in a very happy crew. Happy is as happy does as they say. I have also known Adrian and Kris for some time and they do what they do best, imho.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your time on the Jewel and will look forward to reading your other reviews.

 

Cinci:)

 

Thanks, Cinci. Hope we run into you on another cruise some time.

 

Kathy

[deb63]

Kathy,

 

I know this is an older thread - but had a question if you are still reading posts on it.

 

I was on here researching the stateroom - 10664, and came across mixed posts on whether or not the stateroom contained a love seat or a sofa in it. We are booked in it for Alaska - but there are 4 of us. So that extra bedding was important. From the threads I read it seemed some of them were changed after 4/2011 - so I was hoping you'd notice since you cruised after that.

 

If you don't mind sharing, I would appreciate it. I'm wondering if we need to change our stateroom choice.