Jewel Review March 10, 2013

[aprylstar]

OK party people - here we go! It's Great Stirrup Cay day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We woke up and it was actually semi - sunny outside, that was a plus! We watched from our balcony as we approached GSC and marvelled at how much bigger and better it looked than Coco Cay!

 

I had met a family on Cruise Critic & we decided to share my cabana. (side note - When you book a Cabana, they provide you with a single ticket that gives you priority boarding on the Tenders. As well, if you book any excursion or clam shell on the island, you get a Tender ticket. If not & if you want to get off the boat earlier than later, you need to go down to the pool around 8 am the morning of to grab your tender ticket). We made arrangements to meet at my room for 9:45. It was perfect timing - we met, walked down & were one of the first people on the tender. IT was super wavy that day, and I heard we were lucky that we got to make the stop!

 

Once on the island,you head straight to the snorkel centre (ahead and to the right) where they provide everyone in your group (up to 8 people) with Cabana wristbands. You can choose to pay for up to 2 more. We had 7 in total & it worked out great. The wristbands also get you on the hipposlide for the day! Unfortunately the hipposlide was closed for the day due to high winds (sad face). When you're all settled an NCL staff escorts you to your Cabana where you proceed to be pampered for the day! lol

 

Alot of people seem concerned with the distance between the Cabanas & the action. They are far enough away that you get your own private relaxing area, but close enough that you are at the bathrooms, eating area & general party area within 2 or 3 minutes. The hipposlide & ping pong etc are farther out, but we never actually left our Cabana zone except for bathroom breaks and to eat. The weather that day got cloudy very quickly & it down right poured for an hour or so. Many people went back to the boat & we were very glad we had a Cabana booked! Again, my son brought his ipod & docking station. There was a power outlet, so we had the tunes going. WE also used our $50 Cabana Credit to get 12 beers. You have to hand the card in (provided with the tender ticket) by Monday afternoon.

 

The Cabana was great. Complete with storage, fridge, loungers, tables, 4 floating matts, towels, hammock & shower! NCL staff were by at least every half hour if not more frequently to see if we needed anything & they delivered delicious salsa's & bowls of fruits.

 

The kids had an AWESOME day. They'll make the best of anything. They swam, found caves, built sand castles, fed the random island cats & captured crabs & salamanders. Us parents relaxed & had cocktails & just when we decided to head back to the boat, the sun came out, so we parked our butts in the sand for another hour or so! Considering the weather we had a great day. I know if the sun had been shining & the wind not so strong, we would have ventured over to take part in the action, music & shopping on the central part of the island. The food the served for lunch was fairly decent - salads, pizza, sandwich station & bbq fair.

 

All the pictures below are of the cabana area. The very first photo is a view of the Cabanas from my balcony. To the left is an area at least 4 times as big where the majority of the chairs & all the action is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nicki1pt]

I'm curious about what rides did you all enjoy the most at Atlantis? I heard that even the lazy river is pretty rough lol. I have back issues and may just have to let my daughter enjoy. :(

 

 

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[aprylstar]

At around 4:30 we decided to head back to the boat. WE were the first tender on that day & the last tender to leave :) We got back, showered, hit the dining room (I had the delicious Kung Pao Chicken) & made it to the 730 show. Duo Elagia was very impressive, however, my husband and son were a little bored (by mid week they were spoiled by all the great entertainment on board). They do perform later in the week as part of Cirque Bijou, and my husband commented that he was glad he attended their solo show b.c it was a great build up to the Cirque act.

 

After the show we went down to the pool for the family deck party. The Jewel deck is beautiful when it's all lit up at night. They had face painters, tattoo artists & balloon animals for all the kids. Nick was there doing interactive games with the audience and all the kids 2 - teen were loving it. My son tried to get picked to go on stage and to his delight as a front row fan the announcer broke a balloon of slime over his head even though he wasnt chosen. This, I believe, was the highlight of his vacation! They started a dance party after that. My son & his friend Zach headed up to play some golf in the driving range while the girls & moms were dance. We tried our hardest to party hard, but after late party nights & 8 hours on the beach were were wiped. We headed to bed to rest up & get ready for our day in Atlantis!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

[aprylstar]

We LOVED atlantis. I am going to do that part tonight. I will be sure to talk about the GIANT 1 MILE long lazy river. You are right - it is more like white water rafting in some parts, but it was totally awesome & people of all ages were enjoying it. It has 8 different entrances, so if the next part looks rough, just hop off :)

 

I'm curious about what rides did you all enjoy the most at Atlantis? I heard that even the lazy river is pretty rough lol. I have back issues and may just have to let my daughter enjoy. :(

 

 

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[aprylstar]

We had a great nights sleep Wednesday & got up bright and early for our day in Atlantis. It was still dark when I headed out to the balcony to watch us sail into Nassau. To my surprise we were the first boat there. I thought the Magic was supposed to dock at 7am, but their plans must have changed b.c she pulled in after us. She is a beauty!

 

 

 

At around 815 we still hadn't heard any announcements, so we were going to wander the ship until they said it was time to get off. Again, perfect timing! As we approached the elevators, they announced we could get off & we were the first people off the boat. Over the bridge we went & hopped into a cab. Instead of waiting for it to fill up ($4 pp to Paradise Island) we left right away & paid the extra $$$. We paid $25 + tip and went straight to Comfort Suites. We had reserved a room ahead of time b.c it included passes to Atlantis for the day. We had enough points saved that we got the room for free! All we had to do was pay the $20 pp (adults only) energy fee & taxes when we checked in. They printed off our tickets that we would redeem for wristbands at Atlantis & directed us to the breakfast buffet. We didn't eat much on the ship, so we took advantage. We also asked for bandaids & toothpaste. Gotta love hotel freebies especially when NCL only provided soap, shampoo & conditioner. I missed my free basket of goodies that I received on Carnival.

 

After breakfast we left Comfort Suites & headed across the street to Atlantis. Within 5 minutes we were through the Casino (AWESOME if you are a casino lover) & checking in to get our waterpark wristbands. The hotel is completely gorgeous! High ceilings & murals everywhere.

 

We had to walk through the Dig to get to the waterpark. My son was getting distracted, but we reminded him that it was spring break & the park was going to fill up fast. We zipped through the halls, promising to come back later to check it all out. It was a smart decision! The main pool area where the Shark Slide, Leap of Faith & the Challengers were located was open & ready to go when we arrived at 9am. We got our locker ($7), grabbed tubes and did all the slides. My husband was the only one brave enough to do the Leap of Faith. Here are a few pics in the order listed above:

 

 

 

 

There was another small slide or two in this area & a hot tub along with the pool. The lazy river area with the 4 other tube slides didn't open until 10. There were no lines at this time of day, so we went down the slides a few times.

 

[aprylstar]

At 10 am we went to the lazy river & stood in line (only a few people in front of us) for 5 minutes until they opened the doors to the tube slides in this area. The slides here were FANASTIC. Not only did you go down slides in your tube, but you were shot back upwards on your tube on some of the slides. The slide complex has 4 big slides and you can access them by climbing stairs or from the lazy river. The lazy river is 1 Mile long and is anything but lazy! There are some relaxing parts, but there are also some areas like river rapids & others like a wave pool. I could have stayed in here all day & the fact that you could float in your tube up to the next slide was way cool. If you check this pick out you will see water in the bottom right crashing out of the building ready to come down and slam the tubers on the left! This was the wave pool portion of the lazy river.

 

 

We spent about an hour and a half, maybe 2 hours here. In this time we managed to do 3 of the 4 slides and the entire lazy river. Again, no long lines, which was nice. We headed back to the chairs we had reserved and ordered lunch. Combos at the pool were around $10 each & included a refillable pop cup. The boys had combos (my son said his burger was delicious) and I ordered onion rings. The 2 beers I ordered were nearly as much as lunch - $7.50 each!!!!!!!!!!!!! They tasted great though! Especially in the sunshine that we were finally enjoying.

 

After lunch we decided to tour Atlantis. We crossed the bridge to the lagoon area, walked along the walkway & visited the beaches (one was closed due to winds & rip tides) and eventually ended up at Dolphin Cay. You could pay to interact or swim with the Dolphins or get a $30 day pass for the Dolphin beach. We decided to grab a chair over looking the beach (FREE!!!) and enjoy the show & snap a few photos.

 

 

 

 

[aprylstar]

After Dolphin Cay, my son made it his mission to find the "BlUE Pool". He wanted to see every pool in Atlantis, but something about this one was like a magnet to him (along our tour we had swam in 2 additional pools! lol). We located it on the map & conveniently from Dolphin Cay we could tour back through the dig & leave my DH at the Casino while we hit the pool. WE put him on a timer & told him to meet us there by 3pm. Of all the pools we visited we loved this one the best! I think it was the music. We had a dance party in the pool & tossed the nerf football around for an hour or so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 3:30 we hopped in a taxi & headed back to the boat. Here she is docked beside the Magic & the Pride.

 

 

I have to say that Atlantis was awesome. I have read so many complaints, but I think if you do your research & come prepared you will have a great day. It was packed for spring break, and lines for the slides were hundreds of kids deep, but that was at 12pm & later. If you hit the park & do the slides first, you can do Atlantis in a day during the peak season. I know we got a great deal using our Comfort Points, but I would pay full price to go again. Also - of note - -the Atlantis day passes at the Casino entrance were $80 for the waterpark. I have read that they only sell a limited amount though, so it's a gamble you take buying on your own rather than through the boat or by reserving a Comfort Room.

 

Once on the boat, we enjoyed one of our favourite afternoons on the ship! We sat on the balcony, made a nice cocktail & watched the party as people arrived back to the ship. From 4 - 6, NCL had ~ 30 staff lined up on either side of the red carpet including Dora & the dude on stilts. The party music was cranked, everyone was dancing and they were providing cool towels & water to guests arriving. All Carnival had was a LONG line & a big dumpster of garbage! My husband told me to take a pic & mail it to Carnival and say is that what we have to look forward to if we book Carnival again in the future? There were people from Carnival dancing in our line, dancing through our line, taking photos with the NCL staff & then going back to their own ship. It was a great time! Really funny, especially with all the tipsy people running back to the ship at the last minute. That was one thing that really impressed me about NCL. NO LINES & if there is a line, it moves fast. Everything is quick & well organized. Everytime the Carnival line got a little longer, the NCL music seemed to get a bit louder! lol it was great!

 

As per the usual routine, we had an early dinner & then hit the Stardust Theater for the 7:30 show. JP the Magician was great. My son loved the show! I wish it had a little more magic & a little less comedy, but what can I say - he was funny! My son relaxed in the room after that. I won at roulette. We ordered the honorary late night Turkey Sandwich from room service. It was a great day!

Edited March 21, 2013 by aprylstar

[aprylstar]

 

 

 

[newcruiser48]

Loving your review. Reading the dailies is making me "homesick". Sounds like you had an awesome time.

[aprylstar]

Thanks! Having a hard time not booking another cruise right away! Lol.

 

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[Godiva830]

Thanks! Having a hard time not booking another cruise right away! Lol.

 

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Ugh I know the feeling!! Lol I was on the Jewel last month and reading your review is making me miss being on the ship. I had an amazing time on the Jewel. Loving the pics :p

[sayla27]

April

 

We also booked a cabana on GSC. Your pictures are great! I have a quick question about the drink credit. Are you required to spend it prior to coming to the island or can you use it on the island for individual drinks ( piña coladas etc).

 

Thanks

Joanne

[aprylstar]

Thanks Joanne :)

 

In reading reviews prior to the trip it sounds like people did spend it while on the island & then just double checked their bill at the end to make sure the credit was applied.

 

We chose to order off the menu ahead of time b.c there were 3 adults having drinks, so we knew the 12 pack of imports (we got Corona) for 49.50 would be great for an afternoon on the beach. We each ended up having 2 pina coladas each on top of that! lol I did go to customer service the last night & requested a copy of my charges so that I could double check everything right there rather than waiting for the copy to come in the morning.

 

April

 

We also booked a cabana on GSC. Your pictures are great! I have a quick question about the drink credit. Are you required to spend it prior to coming to the island or can you use it on the island for individual drinks ( piña coladas etc).

 

Thanks

Joanne

[gambee]

When I went last time to Atlantis the place was a dump. Very dirty, from your pictures it looks like they cleaned it up nicely. I would give them another chance now that I know they are taking better care of it.

[FLgirlCruises]

Very appreciative of the advice about the Comfort Suites. We have enough points as well, so may go that route for our May cruise on the Gem. Do you think an almost 4 year old would like the lazy river?

[aprylstar]

Yes for sure! They have double tubes so they could ride with you :-) all the slides will take double or single tubes also. I didn't check height restrictions, so I am not sure if our what they were.

 

Yw

 

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[aprylstar]

Yes it looked great. I had seen some reviews saying it was dumpy but everything was nice and clean when we visited. Maybe enough people commented/complained and they decided to so something about it :p

 

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[FLgirlCruises]

Yes for sure! They have double tubes so they could ride with you :-) all the slides will take double or single tubes also. I didn't check height restrictions, so I am not sure if our what they were.

 

Yw

 

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That sounds like a blast! Thanks again.

[nicki1pt]

We LOVED atlantis. I am going to do that part tonight. I will be sure to talk about the GIANT 1 MILE long lazy river. You are right - it is more like white water rafting in some parts, but it was totally awesome & people of all ages were enjoying it. It has 8 different entrances, so if the next part looks rough, just hop off :)

 

Thank you so much...awesome review! I love the pictures...that wave portion of the lazy river looks great...i can see us spending most of the time there :D

 

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[nicki1pt]

I found these online prior to my trip & downloaded them. They were accurate for the cruise I was just on.

 

I have blue lagoon somewhere & will post that too.

 

Did you eat at Cagney's or any other specialty rest? If so, did your son enjoy? Sorry, I can't see these menu attachments at the moment to tell. Thank you.

 

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[newcruiser48]

Thanks! Having a hard time not booking another cruise right away! Lol.

 

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I know the feeling, at least I have the Breakaway to look forward to. I've had it booked since Oct 2011! Been waiting a long time for it.

[Quincella]

I love this review!

 

I know what you mean about Freedom having more of an initial "wow" factor than Jewel. I find that's true with pretty much all of the NCL ships, at first. Then I spend a week on them and I fall in love. Every time.

 

I have enjoyed my Carnival cruises, including Freedom, but I really love NCL and the jewel class ships.

 

I'm on Epic (non-jewel class, of course) two weeks from tomorrow and I can hardly wait! Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review.

[KevinsCruising]

Keep those Dailies coming !!! Also any pix of the ship too :D

[KevinsCruising]

On the Dailies, I notice on the sea days it says DJ Fransisco a lot. Didn't they have a Raggae band playing during the day ??? :confused:

[nyjjim]

I found these online prior to my trip & downloaded them. They were accurate for the cruise I was just on.

 

I have blue lagoon somewhere & will post that too.

 

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Great review!

 

What restaurant are menus day 1-7 from?