Shellbelle28

I am on the 10/10 sailing of the Jewel (we depart from Pier 66). If we are returning at Pier 91, that's going to be a confusing state of affairs for many passengers!

I am 12 days until sailing on the Jewel. The ship appears to be sold out because ithe sailing doesn't come up if you search for cruises on the website, but I've now received emails two days in a row for Upgrade Advantage offers. We're already in a Haven suite, so our offers are for the Garden Villa and Owners Suites. Are they just messing with my head and they aren't really available and NCL's just covering their bets on cancelations? 

8 hours ago, Bobby Winds said:

Cynthia must login to set their own Booksafe Travel Protection and any other add-ons options. Or you may include this guest in your account by selecting the appropriate guest(s) in your Online Check-in tab.

Try doing what they ask (I think the second guest is on a tab at the top of the check in section) and just decline all the options. It's not that you have to get insurance, you just have to check the box that you don't want it for all passengers. 

3 hours ago, PatFox said:

I am on the same sailing as OP. Worried not because of the review mentioned, but only because it has been 21 years since I last cruised.

 

I know a lot has changed in the industry as a whole, so I am excited for this trip. 
 

Going solo and can’t wait for the experience.  

Have you joined the roll call? 

2 hours ago, Kevkel4 said:

Looking at booking an Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Joy.   In the description of the cruise on the website, it states,  “cruising by glacier bay”.  Can someone in the know clarify this for me?  TIA

Like this!

1 hour ago, mjcatlvr said:

Please don't be terrified! We just disembarked NCL Jewel August 5th after an amazing Alaska cruising experience.

❤️❤️❤️❤️Thank you for sharing this!

51 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

You can get a prize for most intoxicated? That sounds like a challenge!

That's a goal I can crush!

I organized a pub crawl on the Bliss a while back. I chose 5 bars, we met at 1:30 pm on a sea day at the first location. I made it a "Poker walk." If you've never done one of those, the organizer has a deck of cards, each participant antes up an agreed-upon amount of money, and at each bar stop, participants draw a card from the deck. When you get to the last bar, the person with the best hand gets the cash! I also had prizes for the worst hand and the most intoxicated. I think the prizes were cocktail-themed decks of cards and some other beverage-themed items. We had name tags but not really anything to make the group stand out. 

39 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

@Ellis1138  I wouldn’t worry as much about the ship itself as I would about the ports.

 

End-of-season Alaska can have weather issues, attractions closed, souvenirs sold out, staff shortages because people have returned home by that point…it’s not like prime season Alaska.  Hopefully you’ve got your plan A/B/C for those kinds of issues.

 

We did a beginning of season Alaska, and ran into lots of those problems from the other side (supplies/staff not arrived yet, etc) and while we enjoyed our trip, for our next Alaska we’ve booked in June to hopefully avoid those issues.

For us, we've been on Alaska cruises multiple times, so are trying the end of season for the different experience so won't be upset by limited excursions. We'll just wander the towns. 

6 minutes ago, Mississippian said:

I got a message earlier this afternoon that I had been awarded a stateroom upgrade but that my credit card had been declined. I called my credit card company and they said no attempt had been made to charge the card, and I have plenty of credit. I then called NCL and was told to reinput the information, which I did. I once again got a notice that my card was declined. I then put in a completely different card, with plenty of credit, and shortly thereafter I got messages that my card had been declined.

 

Has anyone every experienced this before? It is an inside to balcony upgrade at a low price, so I would like to keep it if possible.

Are you able to call and make the payment over the phone? I've had days when I couldn't get a charge to go through on a website no matter what I tried. Or, try a different device or browser. Sometimes it's that. 

1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

I recall that @YVRteacher indicated that she enjoyed a cruise on Princess over the recent NCL Jewel fiasco.

Princess has a long-standing reputation for Alaskan cruises.

It may be too late for you to cancel Jewel and book with Princess.

I noted that you have booked a Family Villa with Balcony in the Haven. It seems that accommodation should be comfortable for you and hubby.

You may have to lower your expectations based on the 2022 cruise.

Many things on many ships have changed since 2022.

Make the best of the cruise- enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alaska, the reprieve from cooking and cleaning and being in the Haven.

If you plan another cruise to Alaska-consider a Princess cruise.

MJ👩🏻

 

I don't think anything will ever overtake our 2020 Australia/New Zealand cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl. The ship was in perfect condition, the crew were outstanding and the food never disappointed. But time marches on...

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

I was on the Jewel in April, transpacific, Japan to Alaska. It was wonderful - but I sailed in a balcony. Food was fine, ship was clean, no complaints. I'd only be afraid if someone said the ship wasn't seaworthy.

Good to hear!

8 minutes ago, Ellis1138 said:

Take all reviews with a grain of salt. I've been on cruises and had an amazing time, while others on the same sailing as me have posted that they were miserable. 

Since YVRteacher has not states which cabin they had, it might not be 14008. Or, for all we know, the dad flushed something he shouldn't have and it wasn't quickly fixable. 

It's possible to get on a cruise, even in the Haven, and have things go wrong. While I do bring things for "just in case X happens", I try not to cross over into non-productive worry.

 

At times it's hard not to become overly influenced by a single person's experiences shared on Cruise Critic.

9 minutes ago, suech1970 said:

We sailed Malaysia to Bali in February on Jewel and had the most fantastic time. I can’t think of any negatives we had on board, all my photos are of mouthwatering food!  You’ve picked Alaska because it such a beautiful area to cruise, I’m sure by focusing on that you will have a great time.

My motto…..fear the worst, hope for the best, especially when you read some ropey reviews of your ship.  
We’re on Sun next year and the reviews are stinking atm but I couldn’t care less, I’ll be in the South Pacific, I’ll row if I have to😆 and still be grateful to be there!

We loved the crew and the food on the Sun two years ago. We were in an aft Penthouse and a good portion of the aft of the ship had an odor of sewer, including inside of our stateroom at times, but that was the only negative we experienced. 

I've had some disappointing experiences around football broadcasts on board ship. If the game is only a "local" package broadcast and not featured nationally, it may or may not be available. We boarded in Seattle for one cruise and could actually hear the crowd in the stadium at a Seahawks game, but nope, NOT on the shipboard TVs. Even the onboard staff can't tune games in for you if they are willing to try if it's not part of whatever satellite package NCL uses. Best insurance is to have a mobile app and buy the wifi if you can't miss it or start following the "other" football ⚽🥅. 

My last NCL cruise was in 2022 on the Sun (or any cruise for that matter, we've been loyal to NCL since our first cruise). The ship was a little tired, but the food (even on the buffet!) and service were top-notch. I have the Jewel booked for 10/10/2024 (a 9-day end-of-season Alaska in 14008, a Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Balcony), and after reading @YVRteacher 's recent trip report on the Jewel, I am absolutely terrified that we'll have a sub-par experience. I don't think we have entitled attitudes, just an expectation of the competent service we've received in the past.

Lately, we've always booked Haven so we'd have Concierge and Butler services and the nice breakfast/lunch venue. We really enjoy Cagney's, so we eat quite a few of our meals there. I'm getting the impression that those extras aren't as good as they once were. 

My husband has some health issues that limit his ability to roll with the frustrations, so I'm extra nervous. Nobody can change the way things are with the ship and NCL, I'm just expressing my anxiety. I've heard that Rumi, the GM returns to the Jewel on our sailing, so maybe I'm worrying for naught, but ugh....

Photos of the landslide from the City of Ketchikan's Facebook page. 

1 hour ago, troyphoto said:

The problem is, what to do with a half-full tube of creamer

I will probably need ten packets per cup of coffee. I like a little coffee with my cream.

58 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I think this is sundowning which is so brutal to witness. 

My heart goes out to you. ❤️❤️ I know how it is to be with someone whose behavior is out of their control or understanding. My DH had a stroke that caused damage to the part of his brain that manages emotion and sometimes it is so hard to deal with.

Just now, Disney Deb said:

They aren't plastic cups anymore-now they are packets like you get with condiments but they are impossible to tear open! Our waiting even pantomimed using a fork but I felt like doing that could potentially cause an injury.

I love the waiter that you had :).

Oh lordy, I'm going to have to start drinking my coffee black. Or with Bailey's!

5 minutes ago, Disney Deb said:

What is with those half and half packets??? I forgot to say something about this earlier. We could have injured ourselves trying to open those with forks and knives. Crazy!

I dislike those plastic cups SO MUCH!! On our last cruise on the Jewel (2020, Australia/NZ), I was whining about it at dinner in Cagneys, saying how much I didn't like not having a pitcher of real half-and-half in the fridge in our suite. A few minutes later, our waiter came by the table with what looked like a wine bottle wrapped in a cloth napkin. But it was a quart of half-and-half! He said, "Don't tell anyone where you got this!!" I was happy with my morning coffee for the rest of the trip. 

25 minutes ago, Quencups said:

Anyone know who the concierge is on the Pearl?

There is a 2024 thread, it might have the info you want. 

6 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Moderno is now open and it is busy!

 

Dad: where did your drink go?

Me: I drank it all.

 

Waiter at Moderno: you’re a vegetarian. Is chicken fine?

 

Me: no, chicken is not fine

 

Waiter: so what are you going to eat?

 

Me: the sides and the salad bar

 

My plate from the salad bar

 

 

Dad’s plate from the salad bar

 

These were raw inside

 

This is dad’s lamb. He tried to cut it and said “crikey.” Perhaps it is Australian lamb.

 

 

Dad didn’t enjoy his dinner at all. He was absolutely miserable. The service was terribly slow and the meat had come around many times before any sauces or sides were delivered.

 

There are few things I love more than mashed potatoes. I once ate mashed potatoes for Christmas morning breakfast. The ones we were served at Moderno were not edible. They were so salty and full of gritty chunks.

 

Dessert was fine.

 

 

Gosh I'm starting to feel bad for you and your dad (and a teeny bit worried for myself, we're on the Jewel for one of her last Alaska trips in October). 

1 hour ago, Travelicious said:

Bushwhacker is not enough either.  Need something that would catch fire if you put a match to it.

This face after just one is testimony to its efficacy! 

20 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

 

Dad enjoyed his carrot ginger soup

 

and pub hot dog.  

I helped him out by sharing some of his McDonald-esque French Fries.

 

So there I was enjoying my nachos.

 

I got to the end and found this at the bottom of the bowl.

 

 

I’m such a germ freak kind of person this was horrifying for me.

 

I told Edgar, the bar manager who sent the maître d. The maître d apologized. How many apologies have we had so far?  There shouldn’t be any. There shouldn’t be a hair in my nachos either.  This is vile.

 

For dessert I ordered my dad an apple pie with vanilla ice cream hold the apple pie

 

I ordered myself a Mudslide to try to sanitize the essence of hair and to disinfect my digestive tract.

 

 

While dad was happily eating his vanilla ice cream I asked him what he liked most about Icy Strait Point today.

 

He said it wasn’t crowded.

I asked what else.

Dad said we didn’t get rained on.

 

I out drank dad 3:1 this afternoon then we went to the cabin.

That nasty surprise needed a Bushwhacker. Mudslide wouldn't be soothing enough.