Tips for first-timer on Jewel

[Bustaty]

Hello all,

 

Does NCL have a thread with best kept secrets or something to that affect. I have seen them on other sites.

 

If not, can we have input on what you love about the Jewel and things to try not to miss.

 

I saw in a thread about the soft serve free ice cream, that is a good one as several members of our family would really enjoy that.

 

Any other idea....big or small....certainly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Dancinfeet]

Hi

 

If you go to the top of the page you will see where it says boards. If you click on that it will give you a ton of catergories to look at like cruise lines,discussion topics (anything from fashion to picking a stateroom), there is a roll call board for your specific ship and date of cruise, special interests, fun stuff, ports of call, etc.

 

Also if you do a search for NCL you will come up with their own website. There you will also find lots of stuff. If you click on at the top of their page where it says ships and then Jewel you will find out everything about the Jewel including pictures of all the public room on board, Restaurants, lounges, etc.

 

You can also see what excursions are available. We book our excursions on line through the NCL site. The tickets are waiting in the room when we get there, and we avoid the hassle and waste of valuable time standing in line waiting to book our excursions .

 

My DH and I will be on the Jewel for the first time March 4th

This will be our 6th cruise with NCL. We love the freestyle concept. Do whatever, whenever, and dress however you please (resort casual is the way most dress) Hope this info will be of help to you. Enjoy your cruise!

[Dancinfeet]

I just seen something else. Go to the top of this page, click on find a cruise, put in NCL and the Jewel and you will come up with more info. Click on reviews and you can read reviews on the Jewel.

[NoVaCruiser60]

Searching the boards is the best way to go, but since I have a minute, here are some thoughts from my 12/3 Jewell cruise:

-- in addition to the soft serve ice cream, there are free coffee/espresso machines in the cafe...very good

-- on sea days, the sushi restaurant is open for lunch at half price the cover.

-- one of the most restful places on board is the relaxation room inside the spa...it costs ($10 a day or $63 for a week) to access the spa, but you can also use it (the room, for free) any day you are getting a spa treatment.

-- the room service grilled cheese sandwich is great.

-- if you agree to get the "drink of the day" ask that you NOT get the souvenir cup--its costs more.

-- hit the reservation desk in Tangos as soon as you arrive, to at least view all the menus for the specialty restaurants, if not to make reservations

-- dont put all the meat/veggies in your shabu-shabu bowl at once...it doesn't work well that way.

-- Hit the Latitudes reception: good info from the CAPT, free drinks and nice snax

-- Plan on 1.5-2 hours for a meal in the specialty restaurants.

-- Get a nice waterbottle (sip-type) and keep it filled with ice water, which is available in the cafe...goof for you, and cheaper than soda.

-- Even if you're a "news junkie" like me, skip the "pay" newspaper option...the editions they print for you come in late in the morning and are always a day behind...get some internet access and read/print what you want instead.

-- take care with your requests (and tip generously) your room steward on Day one...it sends a good message, and its the craziest day for him/her. They have to clear your room out, clean it, and welcome a whole new set of customers, smiling ang grinning from ear-to-ear the whole time. Its your day one, it just another day to them: be nice!

-- at all time, remember, its a vacation...when things aren't perfect, take a deep breath and laugh it out.

ENJOY

[Bustaty]

Thanks Dancinfeet and NoVaCruiser60 for taking time to post and your great suggestions. :)

[Bustaty]

Thank you very much Dancinfeet and NoVaCruiser60 for your replies.

 

I tried to post several times, but I guess the boards were having technical difficulties.

 

Thanks again for those tips!:)

[TrojanCruiser]

Hello Bustaty- I was on the Jewel last week with my wife. One of my cousins from Hawaii and her husband joined us as 1st time cruisers. The trip was a lot of fun & the Jewel has plenty to offer. Here are some of the highlights from my perspective:

1) We usually eat dinner in a specialty restaurant only a couple of times in our previous cruises but on this trip we splurged & ate at Le Bistro (2x), Cagneys, Sushi, Teppanyaki, Chin-Chin, and Mama's (no cover charge). This isn't a knock on the main dining rooms (Tsar's or Azura) but we were looking for a little more intimate dining experience & just something different each night for dinner. Maurus, the maitre'd at LeBistro got us lobster on lobster night even though the reservation service said you had to go to the main dining rooms for it. Cagney's has an excellent menu and the food was, in my opinion, very good. Sushi was fun- not the best I've had, but William and Jerry, the Filipino sushi chefs are great to talk to. Teppanyaki is another fun place and Gary, our Filipino cook, kept us laughing with his jokes and antics as he cooked our meal. Chin-Chin is great if you like Asian food- most of the servings were huge (chow fun, sea bass, fried rice) and very tasty. Mama's had a nice variety of Italian dishes with everything from various appetizers to a delicious tira misu. As stated earlier, make your reservations when you get on the ship or you could be left out. If you like a nice, quiet, leisurely breakfast then go to Tsar's- it's not crowded and there's a different "Cooking Light" selection and entree each morning. The Garden Cafe is busy for breakfast & lunch but they have a wide variety of food and it was pretty good in my opinion.

2) Casino treated my wife well so on this trip, we came out ahead when it came to gambling.

3) My wife went to the spa & raved about her massages.

4) Most of the crew we met were excellent. I enjoy speaking with them and getting to know them. Our cabin stewards were Pedro & Michael (10th deck mid-ship) and always had our cabin cleaned & ready for us. Maurus, Danny, Giri, & Nalan worked mainly in Le Bistro but we would see them elsewhere during the day- great to talk to & even better at servicing you at dinner. Marcellina from Mama's was very bubbly and always said hello to us. Rey & Harold from the bar staff always kept our 6-pack container full.

Obviously, food is a priority for us on our cruises and the Jewel didn't disappoint us.

5) The only excursion we took was the St. John's Island Tour- if you've never been there, I would recommend it as an overview of what that island has to offer.

If you have any specific questions, just let me know. Have a great time! Gene

[coka]

1. The promenade deck is a quiet place to escape the sometimes crowded sun decks...especially when leaving the ports.

2. There is a wonderful water fountain with a tall spout in the fitness center to also fill up water bottles.

3. The Jewel has a viewing area of the bridge. The viewing area also shows a video on how the ship was built.

4. You see some interesting things and meet some interesting people walking around the ship late at nights when most are in bed.

5. You see some interesting things and meet some interesting people walking around the ship early mornings while most are in bed.

6. There is more than one omelette station and waffle station. One each on opposite ends. If there is a line at one, go to the other. If there is not a line when you arrive at the cafe, then order your omelette first because there may be a line once you have your other breakfast items.

7. If you are not able to reserve a specialty restaurant, then check back. Passengers often cancel the reservations they made.

 

Have fun!

 

Coka

[troyphoto]

it's been a year since we were on the Jewel. I loved that ship... the worst day of my life was disembarkation day :(

 

However, my favorite place to just hang and relax was in "The Great Outdoors"... just walk all the way through the Garden Buffett area and out on the back deck. One side is for smokers and the other for non-smokers.

 

If you've brought your laptop, and the correct power adapter, there are a select few power outlets along the railing (inside, close to the snack & bar area). I sat out there and caught up on email, and wrote in my journal. They put out mid-afternoon snacks, as well as limited items for breakfast and lunch (weather permitting).

 

It was also a great place to catch some quiet music. When we were there, it was Guitarist Eric "Mr. Jones". But, he is now band leader on the Dream.

 

Also, if you're a coffee fiend like me, bring or buy a larger coffee tumbler. Fill it up in the morning, and take your coffee with you. Those little cups in the buffet just aren't big enough. (Remember to fill your cup, by using another CLEAN cup, so you don't spread your germs to the coffee dispenser.)