The crew shines brightest on the Jewel

[DroopySails]

Back from the 11-27 Jewel sailing and dealing with a serious case of dock rock. Hope my chair stops swaying soon.

 

Others have given great and detailed reviews of the Jewel, so rather than repeating them I'll just offer a few observations on this gorgeous and wonderfully planned ship:

 

--Expanded deck space is GREAT. Unlike on many ships, lots of shady spaces for those of us who can't take the sun in big doses. Absolutely loved the promenade deck and its comfy chairs, but unfortunately using the jogging track on 13 is impossible, as everyone pulls their recliners over it. Oh, well, my fault for not getting up earlier.

--The Bar City concept works excellently for people watching, one of the most fun onboard activities! Didn't notice too much smoke from the cigar bar; either we had few cigar smokers or they've improved the ventilation system.

--Main restaurants are very reliable, with a nice range of choices. Specialty restaurants are knockouts. Everyone loves Le Bistro, but also check out Chin Chin and its extensive Pan Asian menu--a huge choice of interesting dishes. Great teppanyaki and decent sushi. Cagney's was fun...I don't eat a lot of red meat, so I cobbled together a plate of yummy side dishes (and don't miss the crab cakes). If you go to Tango's, you may want to stick with the tapas or the Mexican choices; meatloaf and ribs were mediocre at best.

--Embarkation goes a whole lot faster if you wait until 2:00 to arrive at the pier. We were on board in 15 minutes. You miss lunch in the dining room, but avoid standing in line.

--Express disembarkation (I can't bring myself to say "debarkation," as I keep picturing someone shaving a tree or removing a dog's larynx) ROCKS! We sailed (heh) off the ship with no waiting, even in customs. The only drawback is that we had to carry our bags down four flights of stairs, as the elevators were jammed with luggageless Garden Cafe patrons who were unable or unwilling to walk downstairs after breakfast. Incentive for us to pack more lightly next time!

--About packing lightly...the laundry rooms are convenient and easy to use. Loved having a full-size ironing board and iron at our disposal. Wouldn't want to spend too much time washing clothes on a week-long cruise, but delighted to have this option on next year's two-week jaunt.

--I don't think I've seen the bridge viewing room mentioned here. It's on deck 11 in the bow and is an interesting place to visit.

 

But the most important thing to report is that the Jewel crew is fabulous. They have culled the very best staff from their other ships (where we've always received great service) and created a world-class team. We had a delightful time talking with different crew members about everything from their homes to their experiences getting the Jewel up and running. So many smart, charming, funny, interesting people who did some really amazing things at home before joining NCL.

 

We were really disappointed to see that not all passengers treat the crew members with respect. We witnessed a number of incidents in which guests spoke inexcusably rudely to the staff apropos of nothing, and heard quite a few indignant complaints about non-issues. One lady was loudly grumbling that another person at our breakfast table (we shared a large table) got two more pieces of fruit on her fruit plate; another threatened to "write up" the waiter if she had to wait any longer for her prunes (she'd waited a total of about two minutes...um, from her attitude, I think she needed more than prunes). Someone else was giving a crew member a hard time in the Stardust Lounge after being told graciously that saving 12 (or any) seats is not allowed. Blah blah blah...get a life, folks. I know no one here would act like this, but I had to vent about how impossible some passengers are to please.

 

NCL should be extremely proud of the Jewel, but especially of this talented and hardworking crew. Outstanding ship, dynamite people. Can't wait to sail her again.

[cruisin0504]

Thanks for the great review!

[kruzkupple]

Thanks for your comments, DroopySails. I was on your cruise as well and, while I agree pretty much with what you reported, I can't go along with your "great crewmembers" in one regard. From your remarks, I would assume that you didn't spend much time at the casino tables. Without exception, members of my party (experienced gamblers to the core) thought that the majority of the dealers lacked a basic criterion for their profession ... people skills. Talk about a stoic bunch! And without meaning to insult any ethnic group, I must say that the East Europeans (especially from the Balkan states) were the worst of the lot. While we would acknowledge that dealers have no control over the cards that they deal, we saw little that might be called "empathy" for the players who were less than lucky.:) If those dealers didn't get tipped well, IMO they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

I suppose that we're accustomed to the American, Brit and Aussie dealers who for the most part come to the table with a sense of humor and a quick wit. They're skilled at "playing" to the players. The only dealers or supervisors who regularly met that criterion on the Jewel, I feel, were the Phillipinos. Of course, there were exceptions. A few of the others showed some degree of "caring". But for the most part, I'm sad to say, they were without humor or the talent to amuse (if not to entertain). I tend to think that their English language abilities, or lack thereof, have much to do with their generally unemotional personalities.

 

But to my way of thinking, and that of most seasoned gamblers, the one skill that a competent casino dealer must possess (since he or she can't control the cards) is the ability to be friendly and at times sympathetic to the players. Dare I say that they should be "on our side"? Perish the thought if you're playing blackjack or one of the poker-related games on the Jewel. We've all seen casino dealers who constantly receive generous tips even though they're dealing lousy cards. Why? Because they're genuinely friendly and they seem to be rooting for the players' success. You will not find this to be the case if you're a player on the Jewel, from my personal experience. Let's hope that the situation improves.

 

For the most part, however, your observations about the staff on the Jewel were right on the mark. Although we found some carelessness and in some cases unfamiliarity with the menu contents by restaurant servers, the crewmembers by and large were efficient and courteous to the nth degree. And let's not fail to mention the professional entertainers who graced the Stardust Theater. I've never seen the Jean Ann Ryan performers do a better job on any previous NCL vessel than these youngsters did. The Band on the Run and Le Cirque Bijou shows were spectacular, and showcased talents seldom seen on cruise ship productions. And the specialty acts (Gossamer Magic and Romano Frediani) were first-rate as well. That thing that Romano did with five balls and two kettle drums blew my mind, and apparently the minds of the rest of the audience! Don't miss a single show if you sail on the Jewel...that's my advice. They're that good!

 

Jack

[mafig]

You're so right about the dealers in the casino.:rolleyes: No personality whatsoever. I thought it was because at the $5 tables they had the CSMs, so I blamed the machines. Maybe they were like that regardless of what/how much you played.

[DroopySails]

Hi, kruzkupple, and thanks for your comments. Other than occasional informal poker games with friends, I don't gamble--I find casino gambling monotonous and necessitating a willingness to ignore basic mathematical principles--so I can't speak to the casino staff's attitude.

 

I'd be curious to know, however, whether others who do gamble found the Jewel casino crew to be different than other casino staff on ships and on land. Could this "stoic" attitude you mention (although it sounds like you needed the stoicism if you kept losing; my condolences!) have more to do with casino work than with any generalized national "personality"? In the restaurants, bars and elsewhere, we interacted with many Eastern Europeans, and didn't find any to be "humorless" or "without the talent to entertain." Like people of any nation, they don't have a single personality, but all we met were efficient and courteous, and many were utterly charming. And we certainly didn't find their English skills lacking; most of them spoke far better English than some of the American passengers. Two Romanians in particular, Alina the assistant maitre d' and Adrian in Cagney's, had us in stitches every time we saw them.

 

I haven't spent enough time in any casino, on land or on sea, to know what the norm is for dealers. What say others who gamble regularly? Is "caring" or "empathy" an expected part of a dealer's job, in your opinion?

[shoreguy]

Another view on the casino posted earlier today. Very positve. Must have been a winner;)

 

 

I have just returned from a week on the NCL Jewel, and for anyone interested, have posted a review of the ship's casino at http://www.cruise-casinos.com/CruiseReviews/norwegianjewel.htm.

[marilynd]

Thanks for the great reviews.

 

I agree that the Jewel is a great ship with a tremendous crew.

 

 

Marilyn

[sjbdtz]

I was a winner at the Jewel casino, and I got into conversations with several dealers and supervisors, but I understand what you're saying about the aloof demeanour of some of the dealers.

 

My own impression was that the dealers whose hair was tightly pulled-back from their faces must have been so absorbed by the pain that they had little interest in doing more than robotically dealing the cards.

 

On the other hand, once I got to chatting with a few of them, they opened right up and were very friendly.

 

I seem to recall it varying by day, too. So maybe you caught a few on their less-than-stellar days.

 

SJB

[DroopySails]

My own impression was that the dealers whose hair was tightly pulled-back from their faces must have been so absorbed by the pain that they had little interest in doing more than robotically dealing the cards.

 

This made me laugh really hard. Thanks! (And don't forget those bright yellow shirts made of some unnatural material--they look itchy as all get-out!)

[Dolphins]

One of the reasons that the staff of the Jewel is outstanding is that many of them were selected from the Dawn. The staff would have been even better if Dawn alumni entertainers Pamala Stanley and Anna Y Los Vientos were not forced to leave prematurely for medical reasons.

I can't comment on the staff of the casino (avoid the smoke), but I can say that the Eastern European waitresses (from Romania, Poland, Slovakia etc.)in all the restaurants were the very best in geniality, efficiency, service and their mastery of the English language which never ceases to amaze me.

I will miss many of them when I board the Dawn again in January and hope their replacements are up to their previous standards.

[kruzkupple]

My earlier comments had nothing to do with winning or losing, DroopySails, and I cannot imagine why you would think I lost anything. I was actually a pretty consistent winner. My point was the manner in which so many of the dealers reacted to the players in general, and especially to those who did lose (and quite a bit in some cases). Since you told us that you didn't gamble in the casino, I'm a bit surprised that you would question my personal observations and/or opinions about what occurred there.

 

And you must have missed my reference to those professional dealers from other nations (Australia, U.K. & Canada in particular) who frequently work in U.S. casinos, and how they react favorably with the players. And I certainly have no bone to pick with E. Europeans in general ... just the ones I encountered as dealers in the Jewel casino. I only wish that more than one or two of them were utterly charming.

 

And by the way, sjbdtz, I was there every day ... and every night too.:)

 

Jack

[sjbdtz]

 

And by the way, sjbdtz, I was there every day ... and every night too.:)

 

Jack

 

 

By the way, Jack...when you book your cruises, do you go through the Casinos at Sea program?

 

Depending on how often & how much you were playing, you may be entitled to discounted (sometimes complementary) cabins.

 

Their number is on the NCL website.

 

SJB

[DroopySails]

One of the reasons that the staff of the Jewel is outstanding is that many of them were selected from the Dawn. The staff would have been even better if Dawn alumni entertainers Pamala Stanley and Anna Y Los Vientos were not forced to leave prematurely for medical reasons.

I can't comment on the staff of the casino (avoid the smoke), but I can say that the Eastern European waitresses (from Romania, Poland, Slovakia etc.)in all the restaurants were the very best in geniality, efficiency, service and their mastery of the English language which never ceases to amaze me.

I will miss many of them when I board the Dawn again in January and hope their replacements are up to their previous standards.

 

Glad to hear that others found the Eastern European staff members as generally congenial, service-oriented and well-spoken as we did. Dolphins, do you know if most of the Jewel crew comes from the Dawn? I spoke with a lot of folks from various ships, but I got the impression that the Dawn was the largest contributor to the Jewel's great crew.

[Dolphins]

Glad to hear that others found the Eastern European staff members as generally congenial, service-oriented and well-spoken as we did. Dolphins, do you know if most of the Jewel crew comes from the Dawn? I spoke with a lot of folks from various ships, but I got the impression that the Dawn was the largest contributor to the Jewel's great crew.

 

Among the Jewel staff who came over from the Dawn were Hotel director Klaus, Cruise Director Paul Baya, Food & Beverage Director Sean, Concierge Ruth, Pianist Vladimir, Cagney's: Elena, Mama's Italian Kitchen: Jana, Alena & Alga, Azura:Efrem & Patricia, T'sar's Palace: Florina, Nicolina & Cristina. They were outstanding on the Dawn and we were delighted to see them again on the Jewel. I do believe more of the Jewel staff came from the Dawn than any other ship. NCL apparently likes to staff their new ships with some of the best people from their other ships.

An example of the kind of service they provided on Jewel: After a delicious dinner on Azura, my wife was so full she said she wanted nothing for dessert. Our waitress Patricia from Poland brought my dessert and a plate for my wife with the word "Nothing" written on it in chocolate. Wonderful people.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks for your comments, DroopySails. I was on your cruise as well and, while I agree pretty much with what you reported, I can't go along with your "great crewmembers" in one regard. From your remarks, I would assume that you didn't spend much time at the casino tables. Without exception, members of my party (experienced gamblers to the core) thought that the majority of the dealers lacked a basic criterion for their profession ... people skills. Talk about a stoic bunch! And without meaning to insult any ethnic group, I must say that the East Europeans (especially from the Balkan states) were the worst of the lot. While we would acknowledge that dealers have no control over the cards that they deal, we saw little that might be called "empathy" for the players who were less than lucky.:) If those dealers didn't get tipped well, IMO they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

I suppose that we're accustomed to the American, Brit and Aussie dealers who for the most part come to the table with a sense of humor and a quick wit. They're skilled at "playing" to the players. The only dealers or supervisors who regularly met that criterion on the Jewel, I feel, were the Phillipinos. Of course, there were exceptions. A few of the others showed some degree of "caring". But for the most part, I'm sad to say, they were without humor or the talent to amuse (if not to entertain). I tend to think that their English language abilities, or lack thereof, have much to do with their generally unemotional personalities.

 

But to my way of thinking, and that of most seasoned gamblers, the one skill that a competent casino dealer must possess (since he or she can't control the cards) is the ability to be friendly and at times sympathetic to the players. Dare I say that they should be "on our side"? Perish the thought if you're playing blackjack or one of the poker-related games on the Jewel. We've all seen casino dealers who constantly receive generous tips even though they're dealing lousy cards. Why? Because they're genuinely friendly and they seem to be rooting for the players' success. You will not find this to be the case if you're a player on the Jewel, from my personal experience. Let's hope that the situation improves.

 

For the most part, however, your observations about the staff on the Jewel were right on the mark. Although we found some carelessness and in some cases unfamiliarity with the menu contents by restaurant servers, the crewmembers by and large were efficient and courteous to the nth degree. And let's not fail to mention the professional entertainers who graced the Stardust Theater. I've never seen the Jean Ann Ryan performers do a better job on any previous NCL vessel than these youngsters did. The Band on the Run and Le Cirque Bijou shows were spectacular, and showcased talents seldom seen on cruise ship productions. And the specialty acts (Gossamer Magic and Romano Frediani) were first-rate as well. That thing that Romano did with five balls and two kettle drums blew my mind, and apparently the minds of the rest of the audience! Don't miss a single show if you sail on the Jewel...that's my advice. They're that good!

 

Jack

20 cruises and never have we seen such wonderful crew menbers as on the Jewel, well this was alos true on the Sea our first sailing 200 zillion years ago, but I agree about the casino. the slot gals were the best I have ever seen, Vegas should take lessons. DH said those working the tables were not friendly and not fun. That was one reason he only played a couple of times. NMnita

[Joe1690]

Dolphins, I wonder if that waitress previously worked for Celebrity or received the same training as a waiter I had 2 years ago on my Celebrity Galaxy cruise where the waiter also wrote nothing on a plate in chocolate. He was the most memorable waiter I ever had and even with the numerous cruises since then I can still remember his name Goday. You are right though that it is the small things that can make a cruise even more memorable and I am happy to see that NCL has some outstanding waiters and waitresses. I have had nothing but good to excellent service on NCL and can say that their staff has often been very friendly and enjoyable. I hope to sail on one of their newer ships in the not to distant future.

 

JC

[DroopySails]

Thanks for the info, Dolphins. We did meet some of the people you mention.

 

It's funny how our lives cross so fleetingly and yet some people still make such a lasting impression on us. I heard some amazing stories I won't forget about the interesting things people did in their home countries. We sometimes forget that these folks weren't born waitresses or dealers or room stewards...they have real lives and real families at home, and working looooong days seven days a week on the ship is a temporary means to the end of economically improving those lives.

 

I've heard so much good stuff about the Dawn and her crew that I can't wait to try her. Now that the NCL exotic Southern Caribbean routes are accessible mostly by sailing out of New York, we'll be sure to do so at some point. Those sea days going down and back look almost as appealing as the islands themselves.

[big al]

Guys & Gals- I just booked the Jewel for next Thanksgiving.My Wife & I were previously on the Sun in '01.We just got off the Westerdam (HAL) and I had similar experiences playing Blackjack on HAL.Dealers dealt me terrible cards and WORSE,they beat me when they had bust cards (3,4,5,6) 4 out of 5 times!!!! That is a BIG NO-NO......The book says the dealer should bust 75% of the time with bust cards.The dealer kept saying "I'm not trying to give you bad cards..." my father once told me,"if the dealer beats you with crummy cards,how are you going to win when they get good cards?" GOOD POINT.You can't win with 12's,13's,and 14's.You will never beat the house with 12-14's.I don't mind being beat..if I get 17,you get 18,fine.If I get 20,you get 21,fine.I love Blackjack.But at least deal me decent cards.I once on RCL got SEVEN 13's in a row!! SEVEN 13's in a row!Sometimes I wonder about cards and dealers on cruise ships...and they were also not personable on HAL.Vegas is still tops overall.....Another tip my father gave me:If the dealer has had 4-5 Blackjacks already and you've had NONE-Quit,this won't be your night......I only play with $50-100 (Max),so no real harm ever done......looking forward to the Jewel,after being on the HAL ship,where average age was death......

 

Big Al

[Dolphins]

Thanks for the info, Dolphins. We did meet some of the people you mention.

 

It's funny how our lives cross so fleetingly and yet some people still make such a lasting impression on us. I heard some amazing stories I won't forget about the interesting things people did in their home countries. We sometimes forget that these folks weren't born waitresses or dealers or room stewards...they have real lives and real families at home, and working looooong days seven days a week on the ship is a temporary means to the end of economically improving those lives.

 

I've heard so much good stuff about the Dawn and her crew that I can't wait to try her. Now that the NCL exotic Southern Caribbean routes are accessible mostly by sailing out of New York, we'll be sure to do so at some point. Those sea days going down and back look almost as appealing as the islands themselves.

 

The sea days on the Dawn never bothered us as there was always lots to do and it sure beats flying a day earlier to Florida to spend a night in a motel. We will be doing our 4th Caribbean cruise on the Dawn in January and to us the ship has always been more important than the ports. Our scheduled stop in Grand Cayman will have no less than ten ships tendering at the same time so we will have no problem enjoyng the Caribbean sun on the Dawn instead of bucking the mobs ashore. Plus there are a variety of good dining venues available only a few steps away.

Hopefully, the many defections to the Jewel have not reduced the quality of service we have previously enjoyed on our favorite ship.