gaechann

Hi all - just 1 hour after we arrived in Barcelona my travelling companion had her handbag stolen which of course included her Passport!

This occurred last Friday night 11 May so of course no-one working over the weekend so the ship sailed without us this past Monday afternoon!

The new Emergency Passport arrived here in Barcelona today so we are now flying to Athens which is the next stop for our cruise!

For this to happen on DAY 1 of our “trip of a lifetime” was devastating to say the least but we must admit that we thoroughly enjoyed our extended stay here in Barcelona!

My TC is a frail quite deaf 75-year old who suffers from terrible anxiety so there was no way I was going to commence the cruise & leave her to her own devices!

The Travel Insurance people see it differently of course - happy to reimburse her all the additional expenses but ZILTCH for me! [emoji33]

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I wonder how many cancellations Carnival will be dealing with after this latest incident?

I’m one of those boring old farts that go cruising strictly for some peace & quiet - don’t drink, don’t party, early to bed, early to rise means I don’t encounter these types even though I may be sharing the same ship.

I have 4 Cruises pre-booked & won’t be cancelling any of them! [emoji4]

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

 

 

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from a wet Coffs Harbour - I’d love to be cruising during Christmas / New Year also but the high prices & so many kids put me off doing so!

Regards - Gae

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Currently looking at the Pacific dawn 20/1 departure Brisbane to the islands for $749 pp but add airfares from Melbourne it starts to add up. Not sure about the pacific dawn.

 

 

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Loved my 2 little B2B Cruises on Pacific Dawn earlier this year - she had been extensively refurbished apparently - my first experience of her!

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Thanks for your review!

Friends who have only sailed once loved the Ovation - next booked is the Radiance so it will be interesting how they compare the 2!

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A mob of Aussies on another site, doing a 9th 'birthday bash' were on the same cruise and gave NJ top marks.:cool: Good to hear.

Happy to hear that I wasn't the only one who enjoyed their freestyle cruising! [emoji16]

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Any good meat pies in Coffs Harbour Gae? :halo:

Coming up ye olde Pacific Hwy in a few weeks, Batemans Bay to Currumbin.

Used to be the BEST in NSW at Frederickton just north of Kempsey but the new Highway by-passes it now! New owners have messed up the pastry!

Then there is the place up near Brunswick Heads (can't remember the name of the place ATM) but it too has been by-passed.

If you stick to the Pacific Highway going through Coffs then all the Pubs do great Pub Grub though we locals go down to the Jetty or Park Beach areas for best meals.

Let me know if you'd like to have a stop-over here - even just for a meal if not for a night - happy to meet up & show you around!

Regards - Gae

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Must be near on 15 years ago.

 

Vodafone gave me three new phones in the space of six months (no idea why) and I passed the old ones down to the kids.

 

Left home and said the som, just finished his HSC, “ When I get home I’d like the lawn to be mown”. He did it. But a hot day, so asked Mrs Gut could he jump in the pool clothes and all.

 

“oh hell..... my phone”

 

His did come good, after a trip to the rice bin, but didn’t last long.

Oh dear! Suspect similar result for my son! [emoji30]

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Bingo will be fun! I heard there's Deal or No Deal as well, did you see that? Gae - you didn't get charged extra gratuities on your drinks did you?

 

Thanks again

Yes there was Deal or No Deal - definitely no extra charge for using either my FREE drinks package or the Dining package!

I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time on the NCL Jewel!

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No but you might put it in the ice

Talking of old ice in Eskies - this is where my son recently found his smart phone which had gone missing for a couple of hours!

He’s put it into a bowl full of rice hoping it will recuperate but I don’t hold much chance for it’s survival - just 2 months old - of course! [emoji33]

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A lot of places use the punch cards now.

I had never been to Bingo before so it was a real revelation to me!

It has it’s own “culture” that’s for sure!

Yes it was the punch hole cards used.

The top prize was $5000 which was not won though someone did win $2000.

The Free Cruise winners have to fly to the US for their “free” cruise or they can elect to receive $1000 off an NCL Cruise anywhere else.

I must email them to find out what they decided on.

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Thanks Gae for your review AND the photos. From someone who's never really worked out how to post the photos on here, it makes for good viewing.

Thanks Mr Walker - I take the photos using my iPhone then access Cruise Critic via the app on the phone - after typing some text I press the 2nd button from the left which looks like a mountain in a frame which takes you to your photos - select & post!

Now that I’ve said that I’ll just check that it works that way:

Yes it does - not sure if I mentioned that it was my new friends that won the Free Cruise at Bingo!

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I would agree with NCL's production shows being the best we have seen at sea. As for loyalty, as you say, they are similar across the lines in many aspects and a very good deal will out weigh loyalty status and encourage us to try a different line where there are no loyalty perks for us as yet.

Totally agree (thumbs up) [emoji106]

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Hi Gae

 

 

 

I really appreciated your review and photos.

 

 

 

We are very excited about our trip on the Jewel for 16 days in January. Appreciated your positive thoughts.

 

 

 

Could I ask a couple of quick questions.

 

 

 

1. Will I need American adapters for the plug points in the room?

 

2. People suggest bringing power boards on the ship as there are limited plug points in the room - would you agree?

 

3. My daughter likes to drink a particular coffee in sachets - do you think I'd be OK to bring those on board or do you think they would be confiscated?

 

 

 

Many thanks for any help!

Thank you!

1) yes adaptors required - I use the power charger with 4 USB ports so only use one power point - there were 2 in the cabin that I noticed.

2) power boards (those with a cord) will be confiscated - you could take a double adaptor though

3) quite OK to take on coffee sachets - I took some of my own food including full-fat yoghurt with me as that on board is low fat/high sugar - I just emptied the little frig putting the items on the bench

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

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I did not realize Sutho / KarateMan /Brisbane 41 was back :D

If not him then perhaps his twin brother? [emoji14]

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NCL have their own loyalty club and as mentioned it was MSC matching passengers' status's with other lines although I haven't read of any that have had the offer taken up yet.

For our Mediterranean cruise with MSC next May I have had my Royal Caribbean loyalty level matched by them to their highest level - which was a bit surprising!

We shall see what benefits that entails whilst on board - not that I really ever took advantage of the Royal “benefits” offered.

Actually since obtaining their loyalty level I’ve been anything but “loyal to Royal” experiencing cruises on many other lines & have found them to be somewhat “same same but different” [emoji14]

So far the outstanding talent in Production Shows is definitely on NCL! Standing ovations each night so most in attendance felt the same!

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Thanks for the support from most of you! All good here! [emoji112][emoji112]

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Thanks for your extensive review Gae. I’m hoping to cruise on NCL if a cruise comes along at the right price and destination

 

 

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Sorry about the "boring pictures" [emoji23][emoji23]

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$15 is a good price because Ready2go charges about $22 pp

 

 

 

if i'm going to or from the airport and i have time on my hands i catch the 400 bus to or from Mascot station and then get the train and using your Opal card it only costs $2.50 for a concession but doing it that way it can add 30 minutes onto your journey as long as you dont have lots of luggage

Yes I had read of that option some time ago but lost the details - as a solo aged almost 70 convenience out-weighs the cost these days! [emoji4]

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I don't know if it was asked yet but who was the CD on board? and was he/she good?

An Aussie guy named Dave ? - he has been with NCL for some years! Obviously happy to be here close to home! Did a reasonably good job in my opinion!

Which reminds me - there were a few large bottles of Vegemite in the Buffet - hopefully they will be providing the small 1-serve sachets soon - far more convenient! [emoji4]

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One final thing to mention - after chatting with gbenjo downstairs at the OPT I was walking towards the Circular Quay station to catch the train to Domestic Airport when I was confronted by an Airport Shuttle operator offering a ride for $15.

Normally I say no as I’ve read that there is often a long wait but as it would have been prime commuter time on the trains - 8.30am Friday morning - with the chance of a seat next to none I decided to take the shuttle option.

Waited about 10 minutes until he had a full compliment of 10 passengers for his mini bus then we were under way.

Turned out to be a good option for me at $15 per head so yes, cheaper than the train & far more convenient!

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More screenshots of the Onboard App:

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Another thing that I’ve neglected to mention was the NCL app!

I must have downloaded it when I first booked this cruise & then forgotten about it so it wasn’t until new onboard friends showed me how it worked on Day 3 that I started to use it.

1) I turned my phone to Aeroplane Mode

2) I turned on the ship’s WIFI

3) I opened up the App from where all information was available

4) Once I exited from the App the ship’s wifi closed down

Here are some screenshots - hopefully they are helpful:

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I forgot to mention that the frig in my cabin actually worked! Though it was very small it was mounted about chest height so very easy to access - I took out most of the bar items so that I could store my own items - worked perfectly!

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Yes would be very interested to hear your thoughts. Know the ship is fairly old. Some seem quite critical of smelly, dirty carpets etc but the majority seem to love the ship.

 

We leave in 7 weeks - can't wait!

 

Were there plentiful on board activities?

 

 

 

Many thanks

I didn’t see or smell any dirty carpets - overall I’d give this ship an 8 out of 10:

1) Production Shows = 10

2) Live music / bands = 8

3) Specialty Restaurants = 8

4) Main Dining Room = 8

5) Buffet = 7.5

6) Cabin = 8

7) Steward = 8

8) Service = 7.5

9) Appearance / Decor = 8

10) Officers involvement = 7

Just my opinion - I heard others whinging but I go cruising to relax, be entertained & meet others so am perhaps more easily pleased than some! [emoji14]

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