Live from the Jewel April 29-May 13, 2024: will definitely contain sarcasm and grumpiness

[YVRteacher]

We arrived at the port at 10:55am and were on board at 11:06am.  It was an amazing experience!

The moment Armando saw us he came and hugged us! The port worker didn’t even get a chance to do her spiel before he grabbed our luggage and whisked us to the Haven counter.  We didn’t need an escort since there were no line ups. Every single employee at the port today was friendly and had a smile, even the Us customs guy (but I had to smile and say hi first!)

 

This was the most efficient, pleasant boarding experience we’ve had in Vancouver.

 

The second we transitioned from the security hallway to the Haven and Suites priority area The GM, Rumi, stepped out to greet us and hug us! I was t expecting him so I squealed with joy! Do you know what I was most looking forward to today? Seeing Rumi!!

[www3traveler]

WHAT A RELIEF!!  Given three ships, could have been a nightmare. 

 

Prayers for a wonderful cruise and making lots of warm memories.

Edited April 29 by www3traveler
Add a comment

[YVRteacher]

Dad report:

Wow to the port experience

 

He loved his corn chowder for lunch

 

His soup spoon was too heavy

Dad says this feels like home. And it does. Both Armando and Rumi said, “Welcome Home!” to us.

[YVRteacher]

Second Dad report:

”That’s good beer!”

[Maanio]

Idk how you got onboard so soon. Lines are huge and priority is not enforced lol.

[Jojo27]

Looking forward to another one of your great reviews.  Thanks too for sharing all your precious memories you are making with your dad. Enjoy your cruise.   

[Faulkh]

@MrsTocko thank you so very much. 

[Faulkh]

So glad embarkation was so smooth for you and dad and he got his beer!  Wishing you a wonderful cruise. My dad has been gone for almost 20 years, keep making those memories. My dad loved his beer too and we often tell stories about his beer enjoyment. My sons love hearing those stories. 

[Yo Adrienne]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

We arrived at the port at 10:55am and were on board at 11:06am.  It was an amazing experience!

 

Wow...so glad everything went so smoothly for you...! 

 

When we did this cruise back in September of 2022, security/check-in was a nightmare.  The ships that had come into port were on time, so there was nothing unusual on that end.  But none of the port/cruise terminal staff (including the NCL staff) knew what they were doing...and it was total chaos...almost like none of them had ever done this before.  Our check-in time was 9:30-10...but we couldn't even go through security till almost 11...and there weren't any places for people to sit and wait.  (It looked like a "sit in" with everyone just sitting on the floor.)  Once we got through security and could check in though, things went a little more smoothly.

 

Hope our embarkation day (in two weeks) will go as well for us as yours has gone for you...! 🙂

 

Enjoy your cruise...looking forward to hearing your reports...! 🙂 

[schmoopie17]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The car is loaded 

 

Cool...your car has a trampoline. But you have to be really short to use it...

[schmoopie17]

50 minutes ago, Faulkh said:

So glad embarkation was so smooth for you and dad and he got his beer!  Wishing you a wonderful cruise. My dad has been gone for almost 20 years, keep making those memories. My dad loved his beer too and we often tell stories about his beer enjoyment. My sons love hearing those stories. 

We beer enthusiasts are quite an amazing group of humans.

I'd love to discuss further, but all this beer talk is making me thirsty...

[KACTravels]

That’s so GREAT!  That Rumi is the current GM on your Cruise. I know how much you love him!  It’s also wonderful that your embarkation went so well. We are 100 days away from our NCL Star Iceland cruise. Based on your reviews of the Star, my expectations are low 🤣. So I’m expecting to be pleasantly surprised.  Also based on your review, I can’t wait to see the ports in Iceland and the scenery 😊

[ceilidh1]

I need to know some very important information:

 

1. How many pillows a) started on dad's bed and b) remain on dad's bed?

 

2. How many mistakes are in today's Freestyle Daily?

 

3. How much do you DESERVE this break? (Spoiler: I already know the answer to this one)

[Norwegianprincess]

Bon voyage and a wonderful cruise to you and your dad

🌊🚢🏔️

 

I leave for London/British Isles on thursday, Princess cruise start on friday. 

Edited April 29 by Norwegianprincess

[Mommu98]

On 4/21/2024 at 6:06 PM, YVRteacher said:

It’s the time of year for the annual father/daughter birthday cruise on the lovely NCL Jewel from Vancouver to Seward to Vancouver.

 

My name is Yvonne and my dad and I have been cruising with NCL for 14 years. We have been on the Jewel, Jade, Gem, Pearl, Pride of America, Sun, Star, Breakaway and Encore together and I have been on the Bliss. I will become an Ambassador on this cruise and the day I hit 700 points will be my birthday! (Yes, I know the points aren’t awarded until after the cruise is completed but I’m allowed to be excited for this!) NCL and especially the Jewel are so special to us. 

In my real life, when I’m not cruising, I am an elementary school teacher librarian and literacy mentor. I love to read

 

and enjoy being outdoors, eating meals out with friends, photography, art, planning and organizing anything and everything and drinking mimosas with @ceilidh1 

 

Thanks to @ceilidh1 my dad and I and two friends will be attending the Vancouver Opera’s production of Carmen the day before the cruise. My dad I both love exploring, animals, theatre, musicals and fancy production shows. Since NCL has changed their entertainment offerings we are going to buy thermal spa passes for the two weeks. Two weeks of spa! This is a first!

 

For anyone who doesn’t know, my dad and I went on our first NCL cruise in 2010 when my mom died and I just couldn’t be home for Christmas that year. My dad and I discovered a shared love of cruising and that we travel extremely well together. In 2020 my dad had a deep brain thalamic bleed (severe stroke) and he now has Cognitive Vascular Dementia which he denies. The past year has been a year of change for him and he is finding daily tasks to be more and more difficult. He lives in a senior’s residence where he has his own suite but has meals provided in a main dining room. There are bus trips, pub nights, Bingo sessions, farm animal visits, chicks for Easter, bee hives and a beekeeper, flamenco dancers, luaus, and a 24 hour concierge. He gets his place cleaned but does his own laundry. It’s pretty much like living on a cruise ship that doesn’t go anywhere (except for the bees.) When I asked my dad what he was most looking forward to on this cruise he said, “getting away from it all.” 

Our cruises have become less adventurous as my dad’s needs have changed so this won’t be a review that includes helicopter trips or ziplining. In lieu of adventure and feats of daring I will be sharing all my dad’s complaints  and comments.

 

 

We always book the same two-bedroom penthouse suite and when I returned from the spring break cruise aboard the Breakaway this was waiting in the mail

 

 

 

Who needs six luggage tags for one week?  Someone attending an Overpackers Anonymous convention??

 

The next week an envelop arrived with the same letter and six more luggage tags for the southbound cruise. Now we have 12.
 

Since we only do carry-on luggage the number of luggage tags we need between the two of us is zero. NCL could have saved the money they spent printing and mailing these luggage tags and purchased a bag of hashbrowns instead.

went on this cruise Seward to Vancouver last year the week before you and your Dad sailed. I so enjoyed this blog! the trip was a once in a lifetime experience. Once because when I do it again, i'll have more experience than the first time. Thank you and Blessings to you and your Dad. Enjoy! 

 

[quillwercruisers]

Enjoying your review!! Happy cruising to you both. We filled out the accessibility form for me and one other person we are traveling with for wheelchair assistance, can you tell me where you would actually meet someone to get this assistance? We are in a suite, but the other person is not. Thanks in advance.

[YVRteacher]

You will meet them at the NCL check in desk inside Canada Place.

 

[YVRteacher]

Lunch 

Once we dropped off our luggage we 

were both hungry so went to Cagney’s for lunch. The host was phoning someone, saying over and over that there were already 20 guests seated and there was only one waiter.  

 

They found some more waiters but I don’t think they found our waiter in a pool of trained waiters. He was awful.

 

I tried to order a Brie burger without the burger patty and the onions.  I listed over and over and over what I wanted. I asked him to write it down. He didn’t.

 

When I ordered a beer for my dad the waiter rolled his eyes. This is not ok!

 

He didn’t even give me a chance to order a drink.

 

My dad’s soup (which was his entree) came 30 minutes before my burgerless burger. The table next to us was seated before we were and it took 90 minutes for their burgers to arrive. 

 

The waiter did not communicate my order to the kitchen properly but the maître d’ was checking tables and she fixed it then she pulled our waiter (we didn’t say anything. She just knew.)

 

In the end I kind of enjoyed a burgerless Brie burger which was a sesame brioche bun, Brie, lettuce, tomato and perfectly ripe avocado. The bun was cold and soggy. The plate was burning hot and they reached across the table to hand it to me instead of placing it on the table and I now have burnt fingertips. 

 

My dad’s banoffee pudding was delicious; my pavlova was inedible as it was just crunchy raw sugar. The fruit on top was perfectly nice plus it was nicely presented.

 

We are both so happy to be here that a less-than-stellar lunch didn’t impact our day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Ship scenes shortly after boarding. What a gorgeous day!!

 

 

 

 

This is the owner’s suite with private-ish hot tub

[YVRteacher]

 

@ceilidh1 kept a secret and arranged a truly wonderful treat for us! It’s the spa! You should have seen my dad’s face! He was blown away and just kept saying “wow!”

 

My dad and @ceilidh1 met in person for the first time yesterday.

[YVRteacher]

 

The first afternoon on board passed quickly! 

The Cruise Next desk was well-staffed and we signed up for Wines Around the World, Sail and Sustain, Dinner with the Officers and the Behind the Scenes Tour.

 

Normally the Behind the Scenes Tour on this itinerary is held around 9:00am on the first sea day which would be tomorrow.

That has changed and it now takes places at 7:50am the day we are in Juneau. We like the Behind the Scenes Tour but we also really like sleep! A 7:50am start is not reasonable.

 

Like on the Breakaway, Sail and Sustain is held on a port day. We are in Skagway from 8am-8pm and Sail and Sustain is at 1:00pm.  I don’t get why NCL is scheduling a tier benefit during port time.

 

I was only one French Raspberry in

at Magnums when we made some new friends (Hello Chris and Chip from Phoenix!) and introduced them to Mudslides. Time passes quickly when you’re drinking Mudslides with friends! They were able to draw stories out of my dad by asking him about his childhood and his life adventures and really connecting to him and made  sure he was included in the conversation.  Both my dad and I really enjoyed our time with Chris and Chip.  We saw Aan (head mixologist) and he came and hugged us! I’m so happy to be cruising with him and am already looking forward to Sail and Sustain and the martini tasting session with him.

 

As we rounded the corner at the top of the staircase from deck 6 to deck 7 I saw Siegfried! He is the wonderful wine steward who did Wines Around the World last year and who kept my dad in rich Cabernets in La Cucina. He calls my dad papa.  He is the wine steward in Le Bistro this week.  He hugged us both and told my dad he looked great. 

 

I had a shore excursion to cancel and that was easy.  I had booked Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Gardens but due to permitting restrictions the excursion was changed to a glacier drive-by and the gardens. Our new plan is to book something fun at a kiosk in Juneau. If not we will walk about and enjoy the town as we always do. Truffles will be involved.

 

[ceilidh1]

Have you done Treadwell Mine in Juneau? The kids and I go everytime we are there. It's easy to get to by public bus, or a quick cab ride over the bridge to the opposite side of town. It has some nice walking trails and things to see, as well as a beach and stunning views of the ships from the opposite side of the island!

Treadwell Mine Historic Trail | Juneau Walking Tour | ALASKA.ORG

 

[YVRteacher]

We haven’t done that. Thank you for the tip!

[YVRteacher]

A few of us from the Cruise

Critic roll call met today at 4:00pm at Maltings. It was so, so lovely to put faces to names and real names to usernames.  We chatted for an hour then I could tell my dad felt overwhelmed so we excused ourselves. 

 

I brought him back to the cabin to have some quiet time. He sat on the couch while I watched the shoreside operations

 

 

and blew bubbles on the balcony. 

 

It is always important to chill the bubbly!

 

 

Our port mate today is massive!

One of our Cruise Critic roll call members who came to the get together today was just on the Quantum and he said the entertainment was fantastic but the ship was extremely crowded and not well-designed for crowd management.

 

I love the helicopter landing pad on the Quantum of the Seas!

[YVRteacher]

10 hours ago, Jojo27 said:

Looking forward to another one of your great reviews.  Thanks too for sharing all your precious memories you are making with your dad. Enjoy your cruise.   

Thank you so much!