shealea

My dh tends to want to sleep in a bit later than me. I'm always so excited that I'm up and want to get out and about earlier than he does. Also, he'll hang out in the cabin now and then when he's tired. He'll watch a movie or take a nap.

I always find fun things to do in the daily activities paper. I've done trivia, wii bowling, a photo taking/camera talk, cooking demonstration, and many other activities. I even think it's fun to watch activities I don't join in with. Zumba for one. I like to people watch!

I always have a book or x-stitch project with me and will sit on deck with that and relax. We brought a backgammon game with us and played that. I liked going to the library and browse through books.

I had always wanted to try a slot tournament, so I did one last summer. It was on NCL Jewel, and I guess different cruise line probably have their own style of slot tournament. But this is how it went when I did mine.....

On the first day of the cruise, I paid $20 to join in. The first round of the tournament I was scheduled for was the next day at 10:30 a.m.

A group of slot machines was used. A group of 6 people played at a time. When it was my turn, I sat down at the machine that had my name lit up at the top. When it started, you just push the play button as fast as your finger can. Not sure on the time....probably 5 minutes. Your "pot" starts at zero, and the winner is the one with the highest score.

Some folks had their right pointer finger get tired after a bit, and I saw some had to start using their left pointer. I had no trouble just using my right pointer the whole time.

It showed at the top of the machine what place you were in. I looked up twice to see .... once I was in 3rd place.....once I was in 2nd place. At the end of the tournament, I was in LAST PLACE!! HA! And I had pushed that button just as fast as my pointer finger possibly could. HA!

There really is no talent involved at all. Just luck!!!! The luck of whatever machine you get assigned to. The winner of each round of 6 people went on to the finals, which was in a couple of days, I think.

It was fun, as I had always wanted to try a slot tournament. But, would I do it again? Pry not. There were many, many folks in the slot tournament. So, chances of winning at then end were pretty slim.

I agree .... it really depends on the couple. Plus, it doesn't necessarily have to be done ON the cruise ship. Maybe in one of the ports. I'll bet there are some wonderful, beautiful places that would be perfect for a romantic proposal.

If wonder if there is a romantic sunset cruise in any of the ports. That would be really special. And they could still do that up big in some way. Maybe get in contact with one of the private tour operators to set up something really special???????

If I was young again (ha!), I think I would have liked a big, fun proposal. But now that I'm old (ha!), I would be thinking ..... a nice quiet beach for a proposal.

Whatever is decided, I'm sure it will be a wonderful moment to remember. And however it's done, I would want pictures! I love, love, love pictures!!!!!

And I'm assuming she will say YES ...... so CONGRATULATIONS to the couple!!!!!

Also, (maybe someone will chime in with exact details). I think I remember with my granddaughter on the Jewel to Alaska ...... after a certain time at night, there is a charge for your child being at The Kids Club. It was at a late hour when the charge kicked in.

I've sailed on the Jewel twice. I love that ship. I'm glad you had a nice time!

whoopsie....sorry for double post. Accidentally hit enter before I had finished my post! Not enough coffee yet on this fine Saturday morning!! ha!

I get a call from an NCL PCC at least once a month. Last August I was on the ncl website planning a cruise to Alaska, very last-minute booking (6 days before). I didn't book through ncl but went through a big warehouse shopping company's travel department.

Well, I get a call from ncl's pcc at least once a month asking me if I'm ready to book my Alaska cruise yet. Same guy calls me and asks me the same exact question. EVERY SINGLE time, I tell him WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THIS CRUISE MONTHS AGO!!! I'm always polite and friendly.

When he called with this same question a couple of weeks ago, I really teased and razzed him! I was giggling! He took it all in stride, but I could tell he was embarrassed. Maybe he'll stop calling me constantly now! lol!

I get a call from an NCL PCC at least once a month. Last August I was on the ncl website planning a cruise to Alaska, very last-minute booking (6 days before). I didn't book through ncl but went through a big warehouse shopping company's travel department.

Well, I get a call from ncl's pcc at least once a month asking me if I'm ready to book my Alaska cruise yet. Same guy calls me and asks me the same exact question. EVERY SINGLE time, I tell him WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THIS CRUISE MONTHS AGO!!!

Don't miss the made-to-order crepes. The crepe station is just past the Garden Buffet. I'm not sure on the hours offered. Maybe 5:00 pm they start? Ask to get the exact times. Yummy.

My dh and I were on deck 5 on the Jewel last summer. We liked it. Inside cabin 5081. Absolutely no noise issues to report, except for twice when some excited young kids went running by giggling.

I loved our sideways room, first room around the corner of the stairs.

ScrapNana - You must be a Nana???? Me, too! I have 3 grandkids. 19, 17, 13. They live with us.

So, you are off to a cruise, soon!!! Yipppeeee! Good for you, and how exciting! Where are you going?????

Yes, that's sort of why I started this subject. Hopefully we can keep each other inspired and continually working on our cruise scrapbooks so that we can complete them!

And I absolutely love to visit with other scrapbookers. The store nearest me, in Kent, WA, closed recently. They had been open about 18 years I think. Wonderful place. I would meet up with friends on their 6 pm to midnight scrapbook nights. It was such a good time, getting together with friends and other folks. And working right in the store.......you could purchase anything that suited your fancy throughout the evening. I always spent lots of $$$$$'d. It was sad to have it close, and now I have to scrap all by my lonesome!

I usually scrap in the evening/weekends when dh is home and we are watching tv or a movie!!!!!

So, lets keep each other up-to-date on how we are doing!!!!!!!!! I will commit to saying that I will begin again on my scrapbook of my last Alaska cruise. I WILL start on it again tonight. And I WILL order my second album that I need to finish scrapping this cruise!!!!

What are your goals, fellow scrappers???????

Vicki - We've been on the Pearl twice to Alaska. How did you like that ship? We like her and also the Jewel. A really nice, well laid out ship we thought. We like the size. We were to Alaska just after you last summer. We went on the Jewel, though.

Alaska is so easy for us. My son just drops us off at the Pier in Seattle, then picks us up when we call him when we get back. Makes for an easy, fun trip for us. Since it was our 4th trip to Alaska, we just stayed on the boat in JUneau and Victoria. It was so very quiet and relaxing. Weather was perfect, so we just relaxed out on deck. People watched all of the folks coming and going down on the dock. It was pretty interesting!!! he,he!

Nancy - You have done really well, scrapbooking all caribbean cruises! That is great. How many pages did it take to complete each cruise? Do you take a ton of pictures on each cruise?

How did you like the Panama C anal Cruise? That is one that dh and I are really hoping to do one day. I think our next cruise will be to Mexican Riviera. We live near Seattle, and dh doesn't like to fly long distances. So cruising out of LA will be pretty easy for us.

My favorite performer when we were on the Jewel to Alaska last summer was Jean Pierre.

He did the large show in the evening. And also, later in the cruise, he did an afternoon performance where he showed how some of his tricks are done. It was a fun show. He's a crack-up!

Jean Pierre was also a part of the staff Q & A session one afternoon sea day on our cruise. The Q & A session was very good and very informative. Definitely worth checking out!

We bring several $1 bills and keep them handy in the top drawer to use for tipping the room service delivery person a couple of $$$'s each time.

I did not know that regular coffee was free at the coffee bar.

I will remember that for our next cruise on NCL!

Take that out of the closet and get started!!! he,he,he!

I find once I can get started on a scrapbooking project, I can work steady on it for many days and not get bored. Once I stop, it's hard to get crackin' on it again. That's what has happened with my current Alaska cruise scrapbooks.

I put it down and stopped working on it about a month ago. I was getting bored with so much of the same theme. I just need to get going again, and I know I will keep working and finish it!! yes!

Where was your 2012 cruise to??????? I'm cold and would love to be on a warm weather cruise right now.

When we were in a Balcony cabin on Jewel, we had the water pot thing, with instant coffee packets.

Then we learned this on Cruise Critic, before our Jewel cruise last summer. We had an inside cabin this time around on our Alaska cruise. On the first day, we tipped our room steward $20, just like we always do on every cruise. And I very nicely asked her if it was possible to get a coffee maker for our room.

She said, sure. She would have it set up for us the next morning. Sure enough, she did as said. And she kept us very well supplied with the coffee packet things for the 4-cup coffee maker. It was great!

I think it depends on if there are any extras available whether your request can be filled or not.

Back again with one more tip.....

I just saw someone posted the list of shows playing at evenings in the Stardust Theater.

Jean Pierre/JP is still on the Jewel performing. He's fantastic, we thought. He was a good show, not to miss. He does the big show. And then later on in the cruise, he did an afternoon show displaying how some of his tricks are done. We enjoyed that also.

The Russian team is also a very good show, not to miss.

If they have the Q & A session with some of the Jewel staff, go to that. It was really interesting. A couple of the Jewel show performers were there, Jean Pierre the magician. The Russian couple. They are married with a very young child. Their mother had been taking care of the baby, and their next rotation after their break, they were bringing their baby onboard to travel with them.

We also learned at the Q&A the rigorous schedule and the great length of time that the performers are in training before even being onboard the NCL ships to perform.

Really interesting Q & A session.

Bring along a hi-lighter with you. You will get the Daily activity paper on your bed each evening. I would go through and hi-lite all activities that were happening the next day that I wanted to be certain not to miss.

Come back after your cruise and write a review and let us know how you enjoyed your first cruise! I think you are in for a treat!!!!!!!!!!

Hello! I've been on the Jewel twice and the Pearl (sister ship to the Jewel).

Make sure you try the made-to-order crepes from the crepe station. It's located just past the buffet in early evenings. Ask about the times. I think it starts at 5:30 pm or so. We love the crepes!

Visit the Bridge Viewing Room. I forget the floor # it's on. But the door is on the left facing way up front of the ship. We didn't even know about it the first two cruises. There are large windows you can stand and watch the Officers on the Bridge. Kinda cool, I thought. Plus, in the bridge viewing room, there is memorabilia hanging on the walls. Interesting!

Back past the Garden Buffet. Back right before going out to the Great Outdoors there is a coffee machine that makes each cup fresh. If you like coffee, that is the best place to get it.

There are two soft-serve ice cream machines near the Garden Buffet. One serves strawberry/swirl. The other chocolate/swirl. There are attendants onhand to serve you.

For 24-hour dining, try O'Sheehans. We ate there quite a bit. We enjoyed the food. We liked that it overlooked the Atrium.

Our favorite spot on the ship is the Great Outdoors, located all the way past the Buffet at the back of the ship. Such a nice place overlooking the ocean. We usually got our buffet food and ate out there. Also at the Great Outdoors area there is often a smaller buffet/snacks set up. It's a nice, quick place to eat.

There is often food set up at the Grill area out by the Pool area, kind of depending on weather conditions.

If weather is favorable, there will probably be a couple/few barbecues on the Lido deck. We enjoyed the food.

Check out the Spinnaker Lounge. We loved the huge curved lounge beds. During the day when no activities were going on, we loved to relax there and watch the ocean.

The big shows each night were fantastic. I would recommend not missing those.

We loved watching Deal-Or-No Deal in the Stardust Theater. We never bought a game board to play, but it was a blast watching. And pretty exciting to see a couple of pretty big winners.

Take advantage of room service, if that's your thing. The menu is a bit limited, but we thought the food was okay. I think after midnight there is a $3 charge. Don't quote me on the time cutoff or price. Not sure if I'm remembering correctly.

The Jewel band is so very good. Forget their exact name. And I have a crush on the young guy with the long hair! he,he!!! I'm old enough to be his mother!

Then there's another band, wish I could remember the name. Three trio, or something like that. Can't think of it. I think it was three men of Latin descent. They play often in the Atrium. We loved them.

On the Lido deck, the covered areas are nice to sit under, even when the weather may be bad.

I can't help you with specialty dining questions. I loved the food in the main dining rooms. We are not picky eaters. I love eating out on the ships, as we don't eat out much at home!

Hmmmmm......if I think of anything else, I will come back. I think you will enjoy the Jewel. We love, love, love her. Perfect size for us!

I would stick with NCL for my Mexican Riviera Cruise, except it's the NCL Jewel that is doing the Riviera next Fall. I've already sailed on her twice and her sister ship, The Pearl twice.

I'm really looking forward to change it up a bit and get on a different ship. So, it's either Carnival or Princess. And I'm really leaning to Carnival Miracle after reading so many nice replies here

So, fellow scrapbookers....... How are you doing on scrapping your past cruises??????

What are you currently working on? And what past cruises are waiting to be scrapped? I would love to hear from you!

I'm currently working on my 2014 cruise to Alaska about the NCL Jewel. This is my 4th cruise to Alaska (we live just outside of Seattle)! I'm about 2/3 of the way through this cruise. I've filled one scrapbook (Pioneer post-bound, leather). I have many more pages complete, so I need to order another matching album.

Soooooo.........Although I have a lot done on this 2014 Alaska cruise, I still have 3 other Alaska cruises to complete! The cruises were fantastic! Two aboard the Pearl and two aboard the Jewel! I do worry that I will get bored working on the same Alaska cruise theme. I may have to work on a different theme (holiday, camping etc.) for awhile and then go back to working on Alaska cruises! We'll see!

How about you all that scrapbook cruises.......What are you working on and how are you doing? Do you buy scrapbook packages onboard the ships? I do. Plus I order from some great online sites!

Just make sure you book your dining early. I always book late, and the two times I have sailed on Carnival, anytime dining was always booked.

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks! I don't think we would do well if we had to go to dinner at a certain time!! But we would make due with whatever we had to. And the buffet suits us okay, but I do like the MDR!!!

I've managed to find some of the Daily Activity Schedules from the Miracle to read, and I think the ship sounds perfect and a lot of fun!!!!!

I think we are looking to book a cruise the the Riviera in Sept of this coming Fall.

Thanks to all of you that took the time to post!!!! Much appreciated!

Thank you for the replies. It does sound like NCL and Carnival are similar in many areas. I think the Carnival Miracle would be a good fit for us. And we could choose the Anytime dining option, which we would like, I think.

I've really been anxious to try Carnival, as on our NCL cruises we did talk to folks that had sailed Carnival and really enjoyed it!

My dh and I are considering booking a Mexican Riviera cruise for this next summer/early fall. We've been on four Alaska cruises (we live in Seattle) with NCL, sailing on the Jewel class ships, Jewel and Pearl. We really love the freestyle of NCL. We are not into dressing or acting fancy! Just not in us I guess!!! lol! So, we fit right in with NCL. We like the fact of, you can do what you want, when you want!!! YES!

We are in our mid-50's, but we do enjoy watching the lively shows and bands on NCL. I usually wear capris, shorts, jeans, skirts. Dh wears shorts jeans with t-shirts. We do bring along an outfit that will qualify with the one MDR dinner dress code, but even then, it's not a very dressy outfit.

We enjoy the shows. We enjoy the rock-n-roll bands and dancing sometimes. We enjoy chilling on deck and people watching. We usually go with an inside cabin, with one cruise in a balcony.

So, my question is....... do you think we'll enjoy a Carnival cruise? I think it will fit our style better than sailing with Princess, who is also doing the Mexican Riviera.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and replies!!!!!

Sandy