Jewel Haven Mexican Riviera Photo Review 1/3/16

[3kidsncats]

So that's about it -- after that bit shopping, we reached the northern end of the Malecon, and everyone was ready to head back to the ship. Have a few more random shots, and a bit of the streets as we walked to the road where the bus runs. Not great shots, but was walking and wanted to capture the feeling of the area as we went thru. To get back, you just board on the other side of the street. The buses run very frequently. On the return bus, there was a guy performing with a guitar and harmonica for a ways -- made it fun, and we gave him a nice tip. The ship is super easy to see on the way back, so no worries about missing the stop. Will add some photos to this post, then done for a bit --maybe will post more tonight, but need another computer break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rfkeith10]

I had heard that also -- and that the noise at night from Spinnakers is now a problem for the cabins nearby. There are Owners Suites on the Jewel, on decks 9 and 10 that are all the way forward, according to deckplans I've seen. No idea what the balcony situation is on those suites. Really haven't seen much about them on the internet, and with the drydock changes, it's sometimes hard to know how accurate the deckplans are at any given time.

 

We have thoroughly enjoyed your review and the great pictures. We have booked a Haven Owner's Suite (OS) for the March 13-20 cruise. There are four OS at the forward part of the ship. Two on deck 9 and two on Deck 10. While they are not located within the Haven, the occupants have access to all of the Haven perks. Each OS has two balconies: one facing forward and one that faces the side of the ship. Our experiences have been that the forward balcony can be rather windy while at sea but the side balcony is comfortable no matter where the ship is.

 

Since we also live in Southern California, we plan on driving to the port. Looking forward to hearing about your disembarkation experience. Again, thank you for your great review. You have a lovely family.

[3kidsncats]

We have thoroughly enjoyed your review and the great pictures. We have booked a Haven Owner's Suite (OS) for the March 13-20 cruise. There are four OS at the forward part of the ship. Two on deck 9 and two on Deck 10. While they are not located within the Haven, the occupants have access to all of the Haven perks. Each OS has two balconies: one facing forward and one that faces the side of the ship. Our experiences have been that the forward balcony can be rather windy while at sea but the side balcony is comfortable no matter where the ship is.

 

Since we also live in Southern California, we plan on driving to the port. Looking forward to hearing about your disembarkation experience. Again, thank you for your great review. You have a lovely family.

 

Wow -- thank you Ray! I'm enjoying doing it -- it's such a fun way to relive the trip, and it was an exciting part of the pre-cruise stage, reading other's reviews. The OS sounds great, and definitely something to consider on a future cruise if I can make it happen. I hope you will do a review on your return! Have a fantastic cruise

[chery4lbooks]

Loving your review! In PV, did you walk past the the Rio Cuale to the pier and also is fleamarket right along the Macedon or set back?

[3kidsncats]

Loving your review! In PV, did you walk past the the Rio Cuale to the pier and also is fleamarket right along the Macedon or set back?

 

Unfortunately, we didn't walk along the Rio Cuale -- we drove over a small area of water while on the bus that I thought might have been it, but not sure. The flea-market entrance is right on the Malecon -- the photo of my daughter I mentioned shows the entry archway that leads back into the market, which is enclosed. The market is at the northern part of the Malecon, just before it ends. (The tall arching statue with the skeletal looking man is right at the end also.)

[3kidsncats]

I just looked on Google maps, and we did NOT go as far south as the Rio Cuale. We got off the bus just before Calle Galeana and then walked the length of the Malecon from there.

 

The flea-market is basically between Calle Allende and Calle 31 de Octubre

[3kidsncats]

We were all pretty hungry by this point, so we went up to the cabin and dropped off our purchases and cameras, and then went off on our various lunch agendas. Mine was the buffet, as I know they have good Indian food, and I love Dal and Naan. They had several Indian options that day, and I took some of everything. DH filled his plate as well, and then we went out to the Great Outdoors, since I love that area. Didn't spend as much time here as I would have liked, but did manage a few times. (This would be my one "complaint" of the courtyard --it's a courtyard and has no ocean views. The sundeck is great, but the railings are waist high, so it's not functional when it is windy. I know this is something that has been addressed in the newer, larger ships, and hope to check those out someday. I do think I won't love the mega-ship, but still want to check one out.)

 

The food was delicious, and although I only had the Indian food, some of the other offerings looked good. We also grabbed drinks at the bar -- I think I had a strawberry margarita. I used the time to get up to date on my trip notes. (If you plan on doing an in-depth review, definitely take notes while on the cruise)

 

 

 

After lunch, we were just relaxing and enjoying the lovely day and view, when the kids came up -- they wanted to go back off the ship to the little outdoor market just past the security area as there were still some Pesos to spend, but the staff wouldn't let them off without parental consent-- even though DD1 is 19. I'm totally ok with this, although DD1 shouldn't have been hassled, as she's an adult and could have been on the trip without parents. So we said we would go, but DH needed to head up to the cabin first. We went ahead. There was a different person scanning people off the ship, and even though I was last in the group, this person didn't comment at all on the ages of the departing guests.

 

It was now quite hot out there, and we quickly walked out of the secure area and over to the market. It's four (I think) long buildings positioned lengthwise next to each other. There are some trees scattered about, and lots of people. The vendors here were particularly pushy. The kids went into a store at the front end of the first building, and I wandered on ahead straight down towards the ocean. Mistake. OMG -- must have been harrassed by 20 people. I amuses me, how they all want to know what you are looking for -- window shopping doesn't seem to compute, because if you say nothing, they will just push you towards something. If I answered anything other than "No, Gracias", I said I was looking for my kids (even though I wasn't). That was a good answer, lol. That first aisle was the worst -- not very many shoppers were finding their way down that way, and the vendors were a bit desperate. One woman at the end was utterly rude and obnoxious --how on earth she thought being rude would get me into her store, I have no idea.

 

I did see a cool metallic dragon wall hanging, burnished with rainbow hues that I would have bought if I wasn't pretty well tapped out at that point. I asked how much, and could see the guy thinking how much to ask, before answering $30. If DH had been there, I might have negotiated him down, as I knew DH still had a few hundred Pesos to add to my own, but didn't have the energy to bother going back. DD1 loves dragons, so it would have been a purchase for her. But then I would have had to get something for the other two -- see how it escalates? lol. I walked back and down the next aisle, where I found the kids. They were worried about where I'd gone off to. They hadn't found anything, so we continued wandering, and avoiding the pushy vendors. Eventually they popped into a store and I checked out the one next door. Then back to the one they were in. This guy started out pushy, then pulled back. Good call. We ended up buying here. DD1 and DD2 were selecting earrings as gifts for friends, and DD3 found a silver-tone dolphin bracelet she loved, but he wanted 240 Pesos, and she only had about 30. I had 50, and knew DD2 had some of my change from earlier in the day, so we cobbled together 90 or so, and then I told her -- we will get some more from Daddy, so just wait. The shopkeeper really seemed taken with her and her sisters -- maybe he noticed how they all pulled together to get opinions, hand over some change to little sister, and just generally were very polite. DD3 didn't ask me for money, she just sadly put it back and said not to ask Daddy for more money. The shopkeeper said, "no, she loves it! I will take what you have for it" so she got it for 90 Pesos.

 

Now he probably would have gone there anyway, I know the first price is always way over what they will take, but it made her day, so I felt very appreciative. After we left, the older two went into a shop with real silver jewelry as DD1 still had Pesos and wanted something nicer, in the $15 range. She found some pretty silver and malachite earrings that suited. While waiting, I bumped into Mamacita4 and her two sons and had a nice chat. Took their photo for them -- which I later found out was the only one they got of all three of them. As we were heading back to the ship, DH finally came out, and DD3 took him back to the shop with the nice shopkeeper, where he spent his last few hundred Pesos on me --he surprised me later at our last dinner with some beautiful earrings and a pendent.

 

We relaxed in the cabin for a while, then a few of us went back to the Great Outdoors for sailaway. It's a great location for that.

 

 

This is the side you exit the ship from -- to get to the bus, you go to the left, and the little market area is to the right of this image

 

Pulling away

 

In this photo, you can just see the little outdoor market area -- left side of image, and sort of in the middle just below the white building with balconies.

Edited January 17, 2016 by 3kidsncats

[3kidsncats]

 

Looking to the north of Puerto Vallarta

 

 

 

This image shows the Walmart and shopping mall that is next to the port (actually, the mall is not in the photo, just a little bit of one building next to the Walmart, but it looked like an upscale mall from what I could see) -- if you desperately need something from either of those places, the basic directions to get there are:

 

Exit ship, go to the right to exit the secure port area, then sharp left and walk straight until you get to the main street, then left again and the stores will be uphead and across the street. (last part I'm assuming, because we didn't actually go there, but that's the general way you would need to go).

 

OK, going to spend some time with DD3, and maybe do some house work, so not sure when dinner will get posted. Don't have much in the way of photos for dinner, but it was a fun and interesting night ;-)

Edited January 17, 2016 by 3kidsncats
added info

[3kidsncats]

I had forgotten to mention in the post about monday that in my rush to get ready for the Courtyard cocktail party, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't ever gone to guest services, and put in for the chance to dine with an officer. You had to request it by 6pm Monday, and at that point, it was 5:15 (actually 5:35 because the clock was wrong). So I found the extension for GS, and called. The guy on the other end of the line seemed unclear on what I was talking about, but then said, "Oh yes, I will help you with that, Ma'am" and then hung up. I figured nothing would get done, and we definitely wouldn't be dining with an officer. Oh well, there was no time to bother with it anymore.

 

BUT, I was wrong. On Wednesday, I believe, there was a note delivered telling us that we had been selected to dine with the Chief Electrical Engineer on Thursday night. I had intended to just request it for DH and I, but in the confused phone call, hadn't had the chance to mention that, so the invite was for all 6 of us. I called and RSVP'd right away, because I knew it would be easy to forget. Then on our way out the door (I was heading to the pub crawl at that moment, and didn't want to be late, again) we bumped into Richard, our butler. I asked about finding Joaquin, and here comes the one thing we requested of the Concierge during our trip. We had reservations for Moderno's Thursday night, so I wanted to cancel that, and try to get our second time at Le Bistro at 7 on Saturday switched to any time at Modernos on Saturday. We had already eaten at Le Bistro once, and hoped to try Modernos at least once during the trip.

 

Richard whipped out his phone, called Joaquin and handed me the phone. Joaquin seemed stressed by the request, and only wanted to cancel the Modernos reservation. I re-iterated could he at least try to switch the Saturday one, and that we would take any available time. And I pointed out that that would open up a 7pm Saturday night slot at Le Bistro -- which would make some one super happy, I'm sure. He said he would get back to us, and I never heard from him again, the rest of the trip. Other than us attending the disembarkation meeting where he didn't know who we were, and then leaving on Sunday morning from the meeting point. So, wasn't particularly impressed with Joaquin. I have no idea what demands others were putting on him, what other stressful things were going on in his day, but at the bare minimum, he should have followed up and didn't. I personally think all he did was cancel the Moderno's reservation, and left it at that, because during the call, his attitude seemed to be that we were already well set with the reservation we had made at 100 days out. More on that situation later.

 

So on Thursday night, we had dinner with an officer and were to meet up in the art gallery. BF was actually interested, as he is studying electrical engineering and computer science. We arrived at the meeting point and checked in. We were offered champagne, and a photographer was taking pictures. OK, time to insert another mini-complaint. All during the trip, the photographers only ever wanted to take photos of part of our family. On this occasion, just the kids. Didn't take one of all of us, or even just DH and I. This happened at Teppenyakis as well, and usually when we got off the ship. I had to specifically ask for a shot of all six of us. I loved the shot from this evening of the kids -- but they printed it in the large format, and it was $25. If it had all six of us, I would have bought it.

 

We were then introduced to Zlatko Saran, the CEE from Croatia, and escorted to Tzars, where we did take a group photo with Zlatko on the stairs. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good shot, so could get that one either. So bummed. DH did take a random shot of me that night, so that's all I have :-/

 

We were seated at a table in the center of the venue, and taken wonderful care of by the waitress, Aliza. The secretary, Chariz Aquilar, also checked in from time to time. Wine was offered, and our orders taken. I feel weird referring to the CEE by his first name, but he was so personable, that it also feels right. Plus, not sure what the correct form of address is?? We had a lovely chat -- learned about his time with NCL, and that he had only recently been promoted and came aboard the Jewel a few weeks before. Previously he had been on the Pearl, and had been on some other lines, as well as worked cargo ships initially. Some really interesting stories, and he also mentioned that the engine room is the entire length of the ship!

 

As soon as we finished with our appetizers (I had a yellow pea soup that was very good) he received a call, and had to excuse himself for an urgent matter on deck 2. Charliz and Aliza were all a flutter, worried that we would be upset, but of course, we completely understood and would be more upset if he didn't attend to the issue! We were fine with continuing the dinner alone -- we already felt we had been very lucky with our evening so far. But Charliz quickly called and arranged for another officer to dine with us. And as much as we enjoyed chatting with Zlatko, the next officer was utterly delightful.

 

Mario Markovic, the newly appointed Assistant Hotel Director, who had boarded in Los Angeles with us, on his first NCL contract, promptly arrived to dine with us just as the entrees arrived. He quickly scanned our meals, and selected the same as DD2 -- a shrimp and mushroom pasta dish that was really good. (I had the salmon, also very good). Mario is also from Croatia, and has previously worked with several other lines, including being on the Carnival Triumph during its four day drift a few years back -- he said that was only his second week aboard. He had some good stories to tell about it, and his work in general. I think NCL is very fortunate to have him join their team. Because the table was just our family and the kids didn't talk much, we had the chance to have some really indepth conversation. More so, I think, than the average "dine with an officer" meal that has several different couples attending at the same table. In that conversation, it was clear that he is an exceptional person, and I very much hope that we are fortunate enough to sail with him again!

 

Regrettably, the meal came to an end, and Chariz asked if we would like to attend the show (comedian/magician). The kids had planned on catching the late one, but it was almost show time. Chariz indicated she had reserved seats for all of us, and whisked us, and the other diners that ate with Claus (HD) off to the showroom. So do yourself a favor, and take the chance that you might be selected. Put your name in for this opportunity, as it was wonderful! And if you are on the Jewel anytime soon, and Mario is at a Meet and Greet -- do say hello if you can, and have a chat if there is time.

 

The show was pretty funny, although he does include a fair amount of raunchy humor. Made DH a bit uncomfortable with how he approached the female helper from the audience. But he's very good, and quick at improv -- like when the 7 year old boy he selected to help onstage said, when asked what his father does "he sits on the couch all day" -- so funny, and the comedian completely capitalized on it.

 

Mianmike were also at the show, and we bumped into them on the way out - we decided to head with them to Magnums, where we also met up with Berkley123 and LW. I had been pestering DH all week to sing with the soloist there, Marissa Hollenbeck. She had learned a few songs that he does, and he finally agreed to do it. It was a bit rough, as the mic was not great and had reverb issues, and she hadn't really had time to perfect the guitar part, but still fun to hear him sing. He hates doing it without his regular gear (mics, monitors, etc.) but he's a trouper and likes to make me happy. At that point, we called it a night and went off to bed.

 

Here is a photo from a few nights later, at the end of Le Cirque where they bring out the officers and staff -- we were happy to see Mario (on the left, then Claus, and in the middle is Captain Niklas -- who apparently likes to be called by his middle name?) and had a chance for a very short chat afterwards, and then the photo of me from that night, mostly because it's the only photo, and I'm wearing the dress I made for the trip, lol.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by 3kidsncats
add photos

[3kidsncats]

I was awoken by DH, with some comment about where were the binoculars, he wanted to see the arches better. Huh?? It had been a pretty rocky night, which didn't bother me, but at one point a really big dip of motion woke me up, and it too, a while to get back to sleep, so I was on the groggy side. We got back one of the hours we had lost, which wasn't helping yet, lol. I stumbled out of bed and looked out the bathroom window -- what the heck -- there were the arches coming into view. It was a sea day, not a Cabo day.

I put on my contacts, and went out on the balcony with DH. Yep, we were definitely in Cabo, and not just sailing past. Basically getting into position just as if we were there for the day.

 

I grabbed my camera, and took a bunch of photos. Since it was about 8am, the light was completely different from when we were there on Tuesday, and the harbor and beaches were virtually empty, so everything looked so pristine. We snapped away, and then got dressed and went up to the sundeck to see the view on the other side of the ship. We bumped into Len, and DH ordered a bloody mary -- he was choosing to start the day out right, I guess, lol.

 

We weren't sure if the stop was related to the problem that the Chief Electrical Engineer had to deal with the night before, or a medical stop -- turns out it was a medical stop. The ship did a rotation to face in the correct position for our departure, and blew the horn quite a few times. One of our rollcall peeps told me later that some paddle boarders had come in close to the ship (maybe thinking we were staying put for the day?) and were dangerously close as we started to leave. They started furiously back paddling, and got safely out of the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[www3traveler]

Thank you very much. I love your pictures. I will be boarding this Sunday. I can not wait. Three of my very favorite Norwegian officers are on board: Captain Niklas, HD Claus and Restaurant Manager Noel Chaves.

 

Mandy

[3kidsncats]

 

 

 

 

It was a lot of fun to see Cabo both as a bustling harbor, and a sleepy morning town. The vivid colors of the ocean show better later in the day, but the misty morning has it's own kind of magic that I'm glad we got to see. We went down the courtyard and split a traditional eggs benedict -- the perfect amount for us. We finished up the morning with a lazy lounge in the courtyard, and the kids came trickling out and joined us -- I used the photos from this morning in the courtyard part of the review, so won't repost them here. The weather started to cool down as we left Cabo, and soon the ship was moving pretty good with some ocean swells. Ended up being the most challenging day of the cruise, motion wise. DD1 was the most affected, and several of us took some bonine just in case.

[3kidsncats]

We moved back to the cabin, got officially dressed for the day, and just hung out chatting and relaxing. I then went out and got a few of the Haven detail shots I wanted -- didn't do the full range I meant to do, but got some of the art in the hallways and the courtyard statue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also spent a few minutes reviewing the daily for the bar schedule, and made calls to the rollcall members to set up the second pub crawl for later that afternoon. This one would be more about hanging out, than actually hitting a bunch of bars.

[MamaMia2]

While 3kidsncats were enjoying the beach and taking beautiful family photos in Cabo San Lucas, DH and I did a little walking around Cabo prior to taking a two hour whale watching excursion. Included below are a few pictures from our trip, it was a spectacular show. DH and I have been on a number of whale watching trips over the years, in various locations and know that you don't always get this kind of show, in fact, sometimes you don't ever see even see a spout so this was a real treat for us! The whales in these photos are humpback whales that summer in Alaska and winter in Hawaii and/or Mexico.

Prior to our whale watching excursion we went shopping

 

On the walk into town

 

The boat that took us on the tour

On the boat. The crew provided beverages (sodas, water, rum punch, margaritas, and other adult beverage options), chips, cookies, and commentary, all free of charge and were truly wonderful!

 

Next post will include whale photos.

[bccanadamom]

Thanks for the tip!

[MamaMia2]

On the way out we saw these people getting ready to jump off of the rocks into the Sea of Cortez, just out of sight is Lovers Beach.

 

The first we saw of any whales were some spouts and humped backs, which of course means there will be some tails as well.

 

 

A spout and a whale tail at the same time!

 

This tour boat was extremely close to where this whale came up!

 

I really like the water pouring over the tail in this one.

 

This next photo is one of my favorites. This whale surfaced so close to the boat that you could easily hear it clearing its blowhole

and I didn't use any zoom to take this picture. (I'm using the Canon EOS 60D with an 18-200 lens)

[3kidsncats]

MamaMia2

 

--Thank you so much for sharing your whale watching adventure! I'm so glad you were able to see whales, and get such great shots of them. I didn't see anyone on the rocks when we went out to the arches -- although I knew people jump off of them. Crazy!! I could never do it.

[MamaMia2]

The entire time we were on this excursion the crew were serving us drinks and telling us over the intercom what we were seeing and where to look for the most recent whale sighting. You never had to leave your post to get another beverage or a snack, they were always roaming the boat asking if they could get you anything. I don't know that we've ever had a more attentive crew than this one. It really was a top notch adventure all the way around. DH and I would both highly recommend this tour.

 

The lighting wasn't always the best but we did the best we could.

 

 

 

 

 

[MamaMia2]

A couple of good splashes after the breaches:

 

 

 

Coming into the harbor:

 

 

 

 

That's it for me for now.

[MamaMia2]

MamaMia2

 

--Thank you so much for sharing your whale watching adventure! I'm so glad you were able to see whales, and get such great shots of them. I didn't see anyone on the rocks when we went out to the arches -- although I knew people jump off of them. Crazy!! I could never do it.

 

3kidsncats,

 

You're more than welcome! Thank you for letting me piggy-back off of your review! I only wish I could have been more on top of things and gotten these pics in the timeline of events as they happened. BTW, I would never jump off of the rocks either. We saw several of them do it, I just didn't capture them on film (I guess I was too busy watching and cringing).

[wilmingtech]

While 3kidsncats were enjoying the beach and taking beautiful family photos in Cabo San Lucas, DH and I did a little walking around Cabo prior to taking a two hour whale watching excursion.

 

Mama Mia -

 

Curious - Did you prebook your whale watching excursion and (if you don't mind me asking) what was the cost for the excursion?

 

Thanks!

 

-Sean

[3kidsncats]

3kidsncats,

 

You're more than welcome! Thank you for letting me piggy-back off of your review! I only wish I could have been more on top of things and gotten these pics in the timeline of events as they happened. BTW, I would never jump off of the rocks either. We saw several of them do it, I just didn't capture them on film (I guess I was too busy watching and cringing).

 

I'm so happy you joined in -- Last night I was missing meeting up at Magnums with everyone, lol.

[MamaMia2]

Mama Mia -

 

Curious - Did you prebook your whale watching excursion and (if you don't mind me asking) what was the cost for the excursion?

 

Thanks!

 

-Sean

 

Hi Sean -

 

Yes we prebooked the "Deluxe Whale Watching" excursion through NCL at $72 per person.

[MamaMia2]

I'm so happy you joined in -- Last night I was missing meeting up at Magnums with everyone, lol.

 

Thank you! I can't believe it's already been two weeks since the pub crawl. What a fun time! We'll just have to figure out a way to do it again, that's all. :)

[3kidsncats]

Thank you! I can't believe it's already been two weeks since the pub crawl. What a fun time! We'll just have to figure out a way to do it again, that's all. :)

 

We do come to your neck of the woods every so often -- even if you'll be off on a cruise the next time we are there