AusQueen

I just want NCL to bring in newer ships to the area - Asia, Aus and Alaska. Princess is bringing in its newest ship - the Majestic for the next season. I think it believes in the potential of the region. While NCL only has the very old Jewel. When compared with the Joy, the interiors of the Jewel looks like a run down motel. I have said enough about our recent cruise at the Jewel on a separate thread. This is the reason why I am hoping for a better ship in the region.

Methinks this is a "Should I order chocolate or pistachio ice cream?" question. No single answer,

just an answer for you and a (possibly the same, but maybe not) answer for me.

Love your analogy. I only wish that the chocolate or pistachio ice cream would not cost about US $ 1000 more each :) The trip is still about 8 months away. Still a lot of time to ask myself what flavor I want :)

This is NCL's newest ship at sea (is the Bliss on the TA now? Maybe 2nd newest ship at sea.) Regardless, I think it's ridiculous to be discussing NCL sending it into dry dock for renovations at this point.

Renovating it would be too costly. I don't think they have recouped their investment on this ship yet to spend more on it.

The people working at the port work for the port they don't work for NCL. They probably have no idea what you are talking about. Did you try talking to them in their language as a guest to their country? As a person going to visit this region you must know about the visa requirements...

 

The food was salty? Did you try asking for something cooked with less salt? They would have accommodated it. Things are stressful when you have a family emergency, trust me I understand and it is hard to be away from home during these times, I have lived overseas for almost 6 years. .

As I have stated before, I knew those porters do not work for NCL. I have no issues about that nor do I have an issue with them not wearing the uniform or IDs. All I was expecting was for their area of work to have been properly marked as NCL so as not to cause concern as to where our luggage was going after getting off the car . There were 2 ships at the port that day. No signs and proper representatives made it confusing.

I may have been a guest in their country BUT I dont think I should be expected to speak Chinese - LOL.

I complied with all the visa requirements, etc. I never blamed them for this - if you read my post.

On the food being salty, Yes - I did call the attention of the Maitre d in both the La Cucina and Le Bistro. They apologized and told me that a few people did comment on their food being salty but they could not do anything because and I quote - their Chef is Hindu. Most of the dishes in these restaurants have been cooked in batches. Hence, altering it would be difficult without affecting the presentation, etc. It is not up to the guest to correct these things to enjoy a good dinner. Somehow the management should review its quality standards with how their food is prepared. I really don't care if their chef is from Timbuktu or wherever for as long as the dish would be better.

As far as the family emergency that everyone cheering for NCL has been blaming for our stress, please note the emergency happened on Day 8. The blunders of NCL started on Day 1 and continued on a daily basis till Day 9 of an 11 day cruise! I could not believe I would be in a NCL cruise and experienced all these. NCL is a good brand and the Jewel is not representing it well.

I think this was me I put a short review on here about the segment from Sydney to Singapore.

The staff were overworked in some areas at peak times and this is down to rotas supplied not by them but by management.

In one of the bars nearest to the theatre they had one person working when the theatres were coming out. Stupid planning.

at peak times when people were coming away from the pools and back from trips they had one person serving he was rude stressed and very unfriendly he was called Abdul. I saw numerous altercations between him and guests. He shouted at people to get in line.

As I stated there was some of the worse customer service I have even come across on a cruise.

Lambasted me all you want I am telling you what I witnessed on this Jewel cruise

Not surprised at all by your comments. If you read my original lengthy post, we were subjected to a few of them as well. It was unbelievable. We have cruised with Norwegian before and the staff behavior and culture in this ship is different. It is sad because some of them are trying their best. Hopefully, management will wake up and sort this mess out.

I have been subjected to ridicule and abuse here for stating the facts of our experience.

And in reply to another post here that was addressed to you jaxw117, in our case we hardly touched the alcohol on board. Hence, our observation was never muddled or confused. And yes, they even stuffed up the delivery of the 12 prepaid water bottles we ordered because they did not have stock due to an admin ordering error. Who runs a ship this size and not have bottled water available for their guests???? It took three follow ups during our first day before the truth came out. We got the water the next day.....

Thanks for all your inputs. A bit confused and will give it some serious thought. About 8 more months to go. More feedbacks to read :)

This is how the Joy looks inside. Am envious and impressed.

http://www.iceportal.com/brochures/ice/brochure.aspx?did=3719&brochureid=ICE95210&mtype=4280&type=vr&browser_popup=700x450

but we discussed during the trip that staff overall seemed unhappy (someone else mentioned this on another post here on CC) and that perhaps this resulted from poor Management (?). This does seem to translate down to how they perform their job and is evident in small things. .

Totally agree with this observation which is sad because the staff could really perform better and interact with the passengers better, etc if they had good training and management support. This is what I pointed out to the HD. I just hope they try and improve things for everyone's sake.

Porters in a foreign country speaking their own language and not English? This is a problem?

Yes it could be a problem if you don't speak their language and don't really know where your bags are going when there are 2 ships at the port. These porters were situated in the middle of the 2 ships. It is easier to lose your luggage in an airport as it can follow you faster. It is not the same story for a ship.

So we were on the Jewel the week before - Singapore to HK. Our experience was excellent. I posted a live review. That does not mean that the OP did not have miserable time.

 

Everyone has different expectations, does different excursions & comes in contact with different crew members - I’m sure that for every great experience you can find someone on board who thinks the cruise was horrible.

 

For the $4000 credit I would give it one more try.

Totally agree with this. I honestly wished none of those I posted happened to us as now we need to use another cruise liner if we want to travel around Asia and Alaska. The Jewel is the assigned ship of NCL along these shores at least for the next 12 months. My husband refuses to set foot on the Jewel ever. And for years we were happy with NCL. We are now are a bit wary. The other passengers who posted similar experiences on the Jewel only confirmed what we went through. However, it is sad that we went through more than they did.

And yes - to scooter's dad - for the sake of the $4,000 credit - give it one more try or find another cruise with NCL. It is not a gift or freebie. It is your entitlement for the Star dramas. Norwegian is already making heaps from all of us.

Has anyone tried to contact the head office of NCL? Have you heard of anyone getting a reply at all? Their post cruise survey does not even load or process properly :rolleyes:

There are many many threads on this subject out there. Just do a search and you will read all about it.

 

If you do, you will see that I love CC dining and its midship mini-suites with bigger angled balconies. CC dining is, at this time, the best of ATD and traditional dining. Love going at around 6pm or so and getting right in and having my special drink by my side in a couple minutes, etc. etc. If dining isn't a thing with you as it is to me, and you enjoy the buffet, then I would say that paying the extra monies probably wouldn't be worth it to you, but to me it is worth every penny.

 

Pooh

Thanks for your feedback. Dining is a big deal for us when we are on a cruise - LOL. I think I will pursue the CC option. Norwegian has a similar one - private areas for breakfast, lunch or dinner BUT it is only offered when you are in a Suite and not in a mini-suite. I don't think I can survive 49 days being in a buffet - LOL. It will drive me mad. I enjoy those private and quiet rooms to have my meals from time to time. Buffet and the normal dining areas are okay but the CC option seems like a great idea for a long cruise. Thanks again.

The only MDR you cannot reserve at is the Chin Chin. Not crazy about that place but still it is an option especially for long haul cruises.

I forgot to share earlier that I got sick aboard the Regal. Nothing of their doing. I was just basically tired even at the start of the trip and the change of weather from Australia to the chilly Baltics did not help. I am just glad it happened towards the end - so I only missed one port stop. Anyway, we went to their medical facilities and I was impressed how it was ran. Gave me confidence that someone can do something with their passengers if something horrible did happen. Am just glad I have travel insurance as it did cost a bit. They were thorough - even did urine and blood tests to make sure it was just an ordinary fever. About an hour after we got up to our cabin, lo and behold 4 men dressed like the Ghostbusters came to our room - wiping and disinfecting anything around our room and the corridors even. I was so impressed with how they were taking precautions with my condition. It was not that bad really. My husband did not even catch it. I was just tired and I paid dearly for it - literally and figuratively. Reception and room service were very sympathetic with my situation as I had to rely on room service for the next 48 hours. Princess Regal is not perfect but I would happily board her again - soon.

Princess Regal is a great ship. We did the Baltics in mid 2015 with her. She was basically so brand new then. Her mini suites are quite luxurious. You even had direct access to your room steward if you needed anything. Sabatini's is great. I still have to find an Italian restau on a ship that can beat it. Regal and Royal are great ships. I hope they remain that way.

Booked for the 49 day South American thing for February 2019. Have been wait listed for a Club Class cabin after booking a mid ship mini-suite. Has anyone tried the club class thing? Is it worth getting into one as compared to just a mini-suite? Have tried the mini -suite before and it was very good at the Regal.

Be happy that they are not sending the Encore to China also,,, which was the original plan.

Yes, I did hear that the Joy experiment in China did not really produce the results they wanted. The ship has not been at full capacity for awhile. I am glad they are rethinking their options. Glad Encore was taken off from the exclusive Chinese market too.

Any news as to when the Norwegian Joy will be "freed" from the exclusive Chinese market? I heard that it is a beautiful ship.

I think you should continue to reserve - especially if you want to dine after 7 pm when the crowd swells as everyone wants to eat at around 7 pm. I think it is always better to get in by 6:30 - you still have someone willing to serve you - LOL. When the bulk of the guests come in - you tend to have problems with waiting for your and drinks. If you do reserve make sure you have a print out handy when their system fails- which happened at the Jewel ( which they had no idea until a few of those who reserved complained). You would not want to get the 3rd degree from the staff wanting proof of your reservation when the queue has swelled. Yes, they demanded proof....without checking where the problem came from - their end !

Totally not impressed with the Jewel but if it is the ship they will park around Australia & Asia then for sure they will have a problem. Princess is assigning its most modern and newest ship - the Majestic into the area starting Sept/October 2018. Just looking at the pics, the Jewel needs more than a redecoration. It needs an overhaul inside and outside to compete with the Majestic. And I am not even talking about the staffing. Princess Majestic being the newest on the fleet will for sure have the best trained staff for its maiden year. Good luck to them.

Wife and I are on Jewel in June for our first Alaska cruise!

 

Any tips for the ship? We generally are low key and keep things simple.

Pre-book your onshore excursions at least a month before the cruise. It will save you the hassle of lining up at the Shore Excursion desk. We normally book them online and find the tickets in our cabin when we arrive. Doing this also ensures you get the tours you want instead of joining something that was just a left over because the other tours were sold out. You can book it online or call them. They can also do it for you on the phone.

If you are into the specialty restaurants, I think Cagney and the Teppanyaki are the only ones worth going into. La Cucina and Le Bistro at the Jewel are both quite disappointing as most of their food are just way too salty as compared to how they do it in the other ships. With the main dining areas, it is best to get into them before 7 pm to avoid the crowds. The staff in the main dining areas are not really well trained to deal with the crowds. You need a bit of patience with them as they can keep you waiting.

Just really really lower your expectations in order not to get frustrated. The Jewel is my least favorite ship at Norwegian. Enjoy !

lol it was rude, but quite frankly their customer service needs a lot of improvement, and no worries about the NCL cheerleaders...they don't affect me at all....:')

Yes, there are a lot of those cheerleaders even in the other threads. And they always think we don't notice them. I even had someone who tried to alter my understanding of my own sequence of events just to prove their point. I do hope NCL treats them well - LOL. You are doing the right thing, don't let them twist and affect you.

NCL as a brand, overall, has earned its reputation for having some of the best crews, going above & beyond - nowadays, not so sure anymore ... at least, inconsistent in its delivery. And, we've seen some of that first hand last year on 2 ships, just a handful, perhaps. Trending and direction, are, what some of us are concerned about.

 

Don't have a good reason and sorry to read about these subpar experience, can't explain it to say cheer up, no. More reasons to pause and consider - leaning toward, strongly, not choosing the NCL products & going to the other lines.

 

Maybe it's the revolving door, since we are on a different NCL sailing here in the Americas soon ... will see, and, extended family will be on a TA. Good news are great to share but bad news travel even faster in the digital media age, no censorship or suppression can mask it all.

 

Let's hope for a better sailing on NCL for all.

I certainly hope most of the disappointments only happen in the Jewel. It is sad though because it is based in our part of the world. We were looking forward to taking more short cruises around this region for a change. We are never going back to the Jewel that I am very sure of. I do hope NCL does something about most of the issues raised on these threads.

Don't worry about it just yet. For sure they will give everyone ample time to cancel. Any tour around St Petersburg is normally well controlled. You can get your visa upon disembarkation at the port but you need to be part of a tour group or a cruise in order to be able to avail of such visa at the port. We had our tour of St Petersburg amidst the dramas of Ukraine shooting down a Malaysian Airline plane. It still proceeded. St Petersburg is a must to see. The Hermitage and Peterhof is a must in this lifetime. So just relax for the time being and lets hope all these diplomatic rows will calm down in the coming months.

I understand the disappointment and thank you for your review. The only thing I can add is cruising in a full suite versus cruising in a min suite and under can be a completely different experience. The VIP treatment you get in a suite can really alter reality once you are in a 'steerage' room. No excuse, but the difference between the VIP versus non-VIP is usually startling.

So true. I actually brought this matter up with the HD when he called our room. I told him - correct me if I am wrong but do you only favor people from the Suites and those that are even on a mini-suite and lower would be treated differently? I told him that would be a stupid move because a boat only has about 30 suites. Of course he said it was not true and that everyone is treated the same.

We knew that staying in a mini suite would be different from that of a Suite. We have stayed in a Mini Suite before in other cruise lines and it was all good. Can't fault the room for this cruise on the Jewel - as nothing was wrong with it. Our steward kept it immaculate. It is when we got out of our cabin did all the issues surface - LOL.

In fairness, they probably try to treat everyone the same. And of course when you are in a Suite you expect more,etc The problem is the Jewel does not have well trained staff to carry out what it is supposed to do so. I don't think the management of that ship has accepted this fact. I also don't think they are aware that it is a problem they have to face as soon as possible.