Jewel from NY review w/ Lots of Pictures, Food Porn, and Helicopter Rescue Oh My!!!

[www3traveler]

It was he Star berthed next to you in NYC. The Dawn sails out of Boston until this weekend before She heads for Her winter in home in Tampa.

I am enjoying your pictures and review. I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon/vacation.

[cruza]

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The Norwegian Dawn following us out to sea amid all the smaller sail boats made for a beautiful sight.

 

We saw this RCCL (?) ship docked at the Brooklyn Dockyard. She came out between the Norwegian Dawn and Jewel en-route to the open sea.

 

!

 

Little corrections:

1. It was NCL Star sailed to Bermuda.

2 It was Royal Carribean Explorer of Seas docked at Cape Liberty port in Bayonne, NJ. Brooklyn cruise port before Verrazano Bridge on opposite side...

 

Thanks for review!

[CTCruiser001]

It was he Star berthed next to you in NYC. The Dawn sails out of Boston until this weekend before She heads for Her winter in home in Tampa.

I am enjoying your pictures and review. I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon/vacation.

 

Ack! Call it a brain fart...I was reminiscing of our oh-too-short weekend cruise on the Dawn last year. I knew it was the Star...Thank you for catching that! :)

[CTCruiser001]

I'm surprised nobody is on that top deck.

 

There were several people on the deck with us. I just did my best to get shots without them included. ;)

[CTCruiser001]

Little corrections:

1. It was NCL Star sailed to Bermuda.

2 It was Royal Carribean Explorer of Seas docked at Cape Liberty port in Bayonne, NJ. Brooklyn cruise port before Verrazano Bridge on opposite side...

 

Thanks for review!

 

Thank you! I just assumed...should have thought more about it as the RCCL ship is obviously on the NJ side! :D

 

I think I need more sleep to recover from this vacation! :rolleyes:

[embo slice]

Me and DW were on this cruise as well...glad to see you enjoyed yourselves(so far atleast it seems) we had some issues, but enjoy reading another perspective...btw, see you on breakaway next year, you can't get rid of us!!

[CTCruiser001]

Once we started getting further out to sea, the winds picked up considerably, especially with us being on the top deck. We decided to head back down the the suite and in the hallway we met Rineah, who was our room steward. She was one of the best staff members we had the pleasure to be with on this sailing!

 

We got to the room and found that our large bag had finally been delivered. After hauling the beast into the suite, we proceeded to unpack everything and boy did the junk really spread! I even wondered if perhaps I had packed too much...Nah!

 

At this point I was really getting knackered. After such a long day, plus the wedding and reception the night before, I was nearly a zombie on my feet. We lay for a while on the bed enjoying the movements of the ocean and were soon lured into a blissful sleep.

 

Only for an extremely loud horn to sound causing me to lurch to my feet! Was there another ship heading on a crash collusion course to us?!? Was this the start of an alarm of some sort?!? I grabbed my camera and jumped out to the balcony in time to snap a few pictures of the Pilot ship sounding it's horn as it made it's way off the side of the Jewel.

 

 

 

At this point we were both wide awake from the loud noise, so we took the time to go explore the Haven. What a wonderful treat this week will be! Here we met Cris who would be our butler for the week. I asked him to please have the minibar items removed completely from the room and he assured me it would be done soon.

 

 

We then went off the explore the ship some more and among my pictures, I even snapped off a photo of the gift shop candy which was all the talk a few weeks ago on here...:rolleyes:

 

[CTCruiser001]

Already it was dark out and we decided it was time for dinner. A quick consensus decided that we would go the Tsar's Palace as it was lobster night. I've never been a seafood eater, but she does enjoy it.

 

However, she decided that the lobster wasn't what she was in the mood for later and started with the Mushroom Quesadillas.

 

 

I had a simple Caesar Salad...

 

 

For dinner I tried the Specialty Steak which was delicious.

 

 

And she decided to have the Specialty Barbeque Chicken dish, vs. the Lobster as originally planned!

 

 

Dessert soon followed where I got my first French-pressed coffee....Yum!

 

She enjoyed the Bread Pudding while I stuck with my tried and true...Cheesecake!

 

 

 

It was getting late in the evening of a very long day. DW and I headed to the Spinnaker Lounge where we listened to the Jewel Band perform some songs and watched couples dance...Soon it was time for bed!

[EaglesWin]

Yes, the Mushroom Quesadillas... one of my favorites. Looking forward to them in 12 more days.

[RIvacationgirl]

Great pictures. We went on the Jewel last April for our first cruise, and it made us fall in love with cruising! Beautiful ship and great crew:D

[francina]

Great review and pics.

[mizLORInj]

The suite check-in in NYC usually has its issues. It is not clearly marked and yes, the ladies on the other side of security just direct you to the Latitudes line. It takes "we are in a suite" to get to the right line.

Still, I can't believe how the check-in person talked to you. Downright unacceptable.

Thanks for posting your review and photos!!!

[mizLORInj]

 

 

We saw this RCCL (?) ship docked at the Brooklyn Dockyard. She came out between the Norwegian Dawn and Jewel en-route to the open sea.

 

 

 

 

That was Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas you passed at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ. Very nice ship too.

I always enjoy the journey down the Hudson River! Lots to see.

[poemmimi77]

I like your review so far. Do you have any menu picture or dailles for the ship. We are going for thanksgiving and can't wait. Congratulation by the way.

[MiamiSpartan]

Great review so far....looking forward to the rest...

[vicnkojo]

great review ! ...keep it comming, its keeping my mind off the" Sandy Storm " ... and congrats on your wedding!!

[best Oma]

that review was great and now I want to try that fish sandwich... looks yummy and the cabin looks almost as good LOL

[SuiteRose]

I am loving your review.. we sailed on the Jewel last January (however, not in the Haven but in a Penthouse Aft Suite)

 

looking at your pictures is bringing back all of the wonderful memories of the ship and her amazing crew.

 

Can't wait to read the rest..

 

Congratulations on your wedding... my nephew got married that same day!

[coka]

I am enjoying your review. Thanks for including the pictures of the haven area top ship. I hardly see pictures up there and when I do, it entices me to consider it in the future. I appreciate your humor and thanks very much for the pic of the bread pudding! Anxiously awaiting more....

 

coka

[Carguylee]

thanks for the review so far... have sailed 5 times between carnival and Royal and recently started looking into NCL, liking what I see so far....

[embo slice]

thanks for the review so far... have sailed 5 times between carnival and Royal and recently started looking into NCL, liking what I see so far....

 

 

royal carribean is better IMO, much better...maybe I just got unlucky with a few things on the Jewel and thats why I might give them 1 more chance...but if you have a choice I would go RCCL...I would be doing Royal again but I hate flying and live in the NYC area so all there seems to be is the Explorer going to Bermuda and we have done that twice already...Breakaway will be a new ship and we are currently booked for that, so we are hoping for the best

[CTCruiser001]

Day Two: Day at Sea

 

Late last night we put out a tag for room service breakfast. We requested a delivery time of 8 am, and sure enough, our phone rang a few minutes prior to the selected time with Cris calling to see if we were awake. Why in god’s name did we agree to have a breakfast delivered at 8 am on a sea day!?! Who knows, but it seemed like such a great idea at 1 am when we put the sign out!

 

Moments later the doorbell rang and we heard Cris knock before letting himself into the room. We saw a cart in the hallway which remained until Cris got the table set up with white linen and silverware. Our breakfast soon came out of the cart and Cris left, while wishing us an enjoyable “light” breakfast. DW had a croissant and grapefruit juice, and I had a banana with blueberry yogurt and apple juice…We ate awhile laughing at the silliness of having fruit and croissant’s with a linen setting. It was especially enjoyable as we watched the sun rise from our balcony.

 

 

Shortly afterwards, we dressed and went to check Cagney’s out for breakfast. There was a buffet type setup with fruit, muffins, pastries, and other assorted items. Also available was a menu to order from with many types of breakfast foods. DW decided to try the Fruit De Mar while I being a traditionalist, stuck with a ham and cheese omelet.

 

 

 

Since this was a day at sea we browsed the daily looking for events to occupy our time…We were pleased to note there was a cooking demonstration in the atrium starting at 10 am. We were lucky to score a seat right up front. There were several chefs from the specialty restaurants. We watched how to make a perfect California Roll from the sushi bar, we were treated to the knife skills of the Teppanyaki chefs and finally the part I was waiting for…The filet migon cooking demonstration from the Le Briso chef. We watched as he showed us how to butter a hot pan, and season the beef. My mind wandered as I heard a nice long sizzle and started smelling delectable aromas of cooking meat wafting in the air when we realized the time…10:53 am!

 

 

I was due at the Star Bar at 11 am for a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet which I set up with the Norwegian Jewel’s Group Events coordinator a few weeks prior. We had a pretty decent roll call going and there were about 25-30 people who agreed to attend the meet and greet. We rushed to the event and got there right the same time as Veronica the Cruise Events Officer arrived. Already there was Toby517, a great couple who later in the cruise we ended up doing a bunch of events together. A few more people trickled into Star Bar before we were greeted by the Captain Idar Hoydal and Hotel Director Hugo!

 

 

There had been a sign in sheet on the piano and this became the invitation to a dinner with an officer later in the cruise. Toby517 asked about a bridge tour which was offered as well! What a treat! And thanks to Toby517 for asking! In all, the meet and greet went quickly, with only 10 people in attendance. I felt bad as Norwegian made an effort with a really nice set up of water/coffee/juice/tea plus cookies!

 

 

After we left the Star Bar, DW and I walked around the ship still learning the layout. We decided to try Blue Lagoon for lunch which was a favorite of ours from the Spirit. She tried the Spinach Dip and Chicken Tenders, while I tried the Mozzarella Sticks and a Burger…The food was just okay, but the whole atmosphere wasn’t really anything like the Blue Lagoon on the Spirit.

[EaglesWin]

Thanks for the info! This is really helpful as I am setting up the M&G for the Jewel 11/4 sailing.

[boopsahoy]

Loving your review! How often did you use the haven pool and courtyard? Trying to decide if its worth the extra money or just stick with the PH Suite.

[CTCruiser001]

After lunch we went back to the suite and decided to get caught up on some rest. She slept well while I was a little too awake. I made the decision to try the Jacuzzi in the Haven and it was like having my own private oasis! Surprisingly, this afternoon, and most of the time on this cruise, the Haven was void of other guests. I never complained.

 

After soaking for a bit then returning to the suite for a shower and short nap, we woke and decided to leave the suite for another walk throughout the ship. We happen chanced upon a booth outside Stardust selling tickets for Deal or no Deal. The game junkies wanted to play! If was a fun game with two people getting randomly selected as contestants, and the first won $111 while the 2nd took home $247 dollars. DW made enough matches to win $50 on board credit!

 

We then went to the Latitudes party hosted by the Cruise Consultant, and enjoyed some Champagne and Rum Punch while listening to some of the officers speak about their duties and what they do for us; The on-board Cruise Consultant, Dave seemed at first a weird guy but once he started speaking was really funny and had the crowd rolling with some of his jokes. He was quite a surprising funny dude!

 

 

 

As the sun was sinking further and further down, we made our way back to the suite to get ready for what Norwegian is calling, “Norwegian’s Night Out”. From what I understood, this was the first such event on the Jewel, and this replaced Dress up or Not Night. We went to Bar City to get our photos taken with the Captain, and the daily had advertised 2-4-1 drinks during this time which turned out to be a disappointment as this only included select beers and house wine.

 

 

We attempted to go to Tsar’s for dinner tonight, but the Maitre’d didn’t have a seat for us and the nearest table would be 30 minutes - Rather than call the Concierge as I wanted to, Diana insisted it wasn’t important and we ate light pickings at the buffet in the Great Outdoors which was empty all to ourselves. We then decided to head back to the suite and relax a bit.

 

When we woke, we decided to give Tsar’s another try, and she had the Specialty Pina Colada Chicken, and I tried the Mushroom Ravioli; Both were delicious, but tonight I totally forgot to take photos!! :(

 

We made our way to Spinnaker for the Norwegian’s Night Out party being hosted by Ultimat Vodka and we watched the band perform music from the 50’s thru today…Great crowd on the dance floor! There were lots of yummy drinks to try and overall we had a good time.