New to NCL - What should I know???

[Bandit2301]

My husband and I book a cruise in Oct on the Jewel.  We haven't done an ocean cruise for many years and we always used Royal in the past.  What are some great tips we should know onboard, what places are free on the ship to eat, what should we avoid, any free things to do in the spa and so forth.  I'm very excited about our trip and hope everyone can give me some great tips for our trip onboard the Jewel! Thanks! 

[Cruise5life]

Watch some YouTube videos.  Great info.   

[genealogyfan]

Google your specific ship and sailing. Find your "roll call" for your specific sailing". Norwegian is free style, which means you can eat anytime and dress casually. Some specialty restaurants have requirements for a dress code like no shorts, etc..but nothing too fancy. There will be info on your NCL account of which are free/complimentary restaurants and which are the specialty. I'd recommend going to a free sit down restaurant on embarkation day. More relaxed and quieter.  Here on cruise critic, there is an option to search just for posts by your ship.

 

It depends on your sailing, but if you can book your restaurant reservations, shows etc ahead of sailing. Not a major thing if you don't, as they always hold a large percentage back until you board.

 

There are alot of youtube vloggers who are really good and informative. I personally don't know any of them and have no connection to them, but here are several that have been very helpful.

 

"Life Well Cruised"

 

"Tips for Travellers"

 

"Emma Cruises" 

 

and "Cruise WIth Grant" does Norwegian Cruises only.

[ggTexasGal]

I always use NCL's site to explore their ships: (I bookmark that ship, so I can easily return quickly for further research.)     

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship

 

Then I narrow my search by the appropriate ship:

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/jewel#!#highlights

 

Then I use the "what's on board":

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/jewel#!#whats-on-board

 

If I still want "a better picture" of something, I perform "YouTube" video searches and usually find what I want to know.

 

Also, there is a "Search" function (upper right hand side of this page).  If you type in Jewel, you might find some threads with exactly the info you want.

 

Have fun with your research!

 

[hallux]

Find other 'new to NCL' threads (there have been a few here recently, titled similar to yours) and read those...

[fshagan]

We are weeks away from our first post-pandemic NCL cruise, so I hope this isn't out of date. I think the main difference you'll see is centered around dining.

 

1. NCL has a main dining room open for lunch on embarkation day if you want to avoid the buffet.
2. There is no formal night. There is no "dress up" dress code. They usually designate one or two nights as an optional dress up night if you want pictures from the photographers. But otherwise you can leave the suits and evening dresses at home.
3. The Jewel has 2 main dining rooms that are included in the fare. You can eat at either one. The menu is the same in both each night.
4. There is no assigned dinner time for the main dining rooms. You show up when you want to eat during the dinner hours (typically 5:30 to 9).
5. You are not forced to share a table with others. You can be seated as a couple.

 

 

[graphicguy]

On 5/2/2023 at 4:53 PM, ggTexasGal said:

I always use NCL's site to explore their ships: (I bookmark that ship, so I can easily return quickly for further research.)     

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship

 

Then I narrow my search by the appropriate ship:

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/jewel#!#highlights

 

Then I use the "what's on board":

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/jewel#!#whats-on-board

 

If I still want "a better picture" of something, I perform "YouTube" video searches and usually find what I want to know.

 

Also, there is a "Search" function (upper right hand side of this page).  If you type in Jewel, you might find some threads with exactly the info you want.

 

Have fun with your research!

 

Great resources.  

 

MDRs are Taste and Savor….same menus, just different venues (and literally across from each other).

 

SD venues common on all ships is Cagney’s and LeBistro.  Italian SD is either Onda or LaCucina.  They just upgraded LaCucina menu and I found it to be quite good on my Bliss cruise.

 

24 hour places to get a bite is either O’Sheehans or The Local.  Garden Cafe is the buffet.

 

Entertainment can be found most days (and nights) in the Atrium.  Main theater has their big shows.  Other shows worthwhile can be found in the Carvern Club or Syd Norman’s on the ships that have those.  Both are very highly recommended.

 

The Waterfront area is on the Away and Away Plus ships.  You can dine and drink outdoors in those areas.  Really nice way to enjoy great weather.

 

As @ggTexasGal points out, fun to explore and plan your cruise based on what you like.  Don’t depend on someone else’s likes/wants.  Plan what you want/like.  You’ll get a Daily Planner every day in your cabin.  That’s a great resource to see what you can do.  It identifies everything going on nearly every waking minute on the ship.  Use it.