trish99

My DW and I love Osso Buco and that alone is why we will try Moma's on the Jewel, you are the 2nd person who has said it was good in a review from this fall.

 

I see you live in Cedar Park Texas, I lived there from 1997 to 2004 and was on the Planning and Zoning commission most of that time too. We lived in Forest Oaks subdivision.

Small world! We just moved there this past summer after living in Pflugerville for almost 30 years. Lots of changes.

Really glad to see some positive comments coming for Mama's. One of our booking perks was a comp dinner at Mamas and while the menu looks good to me, many were saying they didn't like it.

What were some of the menu items you and your party ordered that you enjoyed and what to you made it best value?

I had the osso buco which was falling apart tender. SIL had the lobster fettucine and the guys both had chicken parmesan. Everyone loved what they had. I thought the service in there was as good or better as any of the other specialty restaurants. I couldn't finish my dessert and asked the waiter to pack it to go for me. When he smilingly brought it back, there was my dessert along with a serving of tiramisu. Didn't try the steak, but I wish someone in our party had, just for comparison sake. Had we tried the place earlier in the week, we probably would have done it again.

Teppanyaki was lots of fun, try to get Frederick as your chef. Cagneys was very good, but I thought the filet was just as good in Le Bistro for less $$, but the Cagney fries might have been worth the price of admission, lol. Best value for me was the Italian restaurant. Didn't try Moderno, so can't comment on that one. Service was very good in all of them.

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Trish, it was a pleasure meeting you. Glad you enjoyed your B2B!

 

Nancy

We loved meeting you as well. We're so ruined now, I don't see how we'll ever be able to do another 7 day cruise.

We were wondering how people stored their scooters. On the first week we were on the Jewel, there were a LOT of scooters. I can't imagine that there were enough accessible cabins to accommodate them all.

We just got off the Jewel, had a kettle in the room, balcony deck 8 (although our friends had a 4 cup coffeemaker in their's, balcony, deck 10, I think). We brought a drip coffeemaker--the kind you set over the cup with the cone filter and pour boiling water through--and brought our own coffee. Worked great.

I second the note about easily making a 1:00 flight.

I just got off the Jewel yesterday as well. Just haven't posted my review yet.

 

You are right, this was my first NCL cruise but I've never seen so many senior officers out and about on the ship on any Carnival cruise I'd been on.

 

This cruise also had the least number of children on a ship I'd ever encountered on previous cruises (Carnival) as well.

 

Was your wait getting into Azura during the first night? We tried to get in and were told to go to Tsar's (aft dining room) because it had the same menu. Absolutely no wait to get into Tsar's, no crowds.

We only ate in Azura for dinner with the exception of the specialty restaurants and the dinner with an officer night. That was by design as the guys in our party intentionally only brought 1 pair of long pants, LOL. The first week we were on there was at least 1 person turned away for wearing shorts to Tsars (saw her complaining at guest services afterward). My guess is that this would be the reason Azura stayed so busy.

Just returned from a fabulous time on the Jewel, b2b out of New Orleans. First off, I thought I had made it home with the dailies, but can't find them anywhere. So sorry! This was our first experience at freestyle cruising, and I am a convert. Absolutely loved it. Were there a few hiccups? Absolutely, but we rolled with them. We did have to wait for about half an hour at peak times in Azura, but no biggie. Grabbed a pager and our free bubbly coupons and off to the bar we went. The ship is showing her age, carpets were a little stained in places, some chipped paint here and there, but certainly nothing earth shattering. Embarkation was a breeze, arrived to the port about 10:45 and were on the ship before noon.

Entertainment was good, really enjoyed all of the live music around the ship. Food was hot when it should be hot. Previous reviews about the desserts were spot on, not great, other than in the specialty restaurants. Cabin service the first week was ok, nothing special, but nothing really wrong either. We did find out that it was the last week of his contract, so that probably explained things. Next week was better.

This is probably the most visible I've ever seen senior officers when on a ship. They were everywhere and very approachable.

I'll be happy to answer any questions.

I'm enjoying your review very much - would love to do Alaska in the next few years. What I have to say, though - is how impressed I am with your son Colby. What a great big brother he is! So involved with his sister, and having fun without any teenage "attitude" - looking forward to the rest of your cruise review.

Where's the like button?? Agreed!

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A kettle is actually better for me. Bringing a drip over the cup coffee maker with my own filters and coffee. In a balcony room, so this is perfect.

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Enjoying your review. We'll be on her in November and I'm thrilled to finally get a definitive answer on the coffeemaker vs kettle question.

I sent a message through the missing cruises link and did not receive an acknowledgement message back. I don't remember how long it took to get a response, but it was long enough that I had almost forgotten about it. They took care of my issue without any other problems.