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Tell me about the Jewel

VAGentleman05

By VAGentleman05,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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VAGentleman05

VAGentleman05

Posted
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I'm really intrigued by the great prices on the Jewel sailing from NYC to Florida and the Bahamas next June. Since I've never cruised with NCL before, I thought I'd pick your collective experience for stories, tips, warnings, etc. about this ship. Any and all feedback would be welcome!

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STARFISH*4

STARFISH*4

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the BEST thing about the JEWEL is the HD ...JOHN OHARA..he is FANTASTIC and goes that "extra" to see that you have a WONDERFUL CRUISE and they really treat CC members like they MATTER!

another PLUS when we were on the ship in January was the comedian Tim Kiminski (sp) he was HILARIOUS and should have been the CD ...he was EVERYWHERE!!!

the JEWEL is a pretty ship and you will ENJOY your voyage and specially go to the Meet and Greet to meet the HD and the officers!!

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PIPER50

PIPER50

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The Jewel is a great ship and the crew work hard to keep her sparkling. The food at the buffet and main dinning rooms is generally good and in the speciality restaurants it is great:D We enjoyed the entertainment and the general ambience of the ship and I'm sure you will too.

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debnjoe1438

debnjoe1438

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the BEST thing about the JEWEL is the HD ...JOHN OHARA..he is FANTASTIC and goes that "extra" to see that you have a WONDERFUL CRUISE and they really treat CC members like they MATTER!

another PLUS when we were on the ship in January was the comedian Tim Kiminski (sp) he was HILARIOUS and should have been the CD ...he was EVERYWHERE!!!

the JEWEL is a pretty ship and you will ENJOY your voyage and specially go to the Meet and Greet to meet the HD and the officers!!

 

 

ABSOLUTLY. Hey Starfish, what day in January were you on the Jewel? Joe and I were on her Jan. 31

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ElizSta

ElizSta

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I've done this itinerary twice before (Gem and Spirit) and I'm doing it again this August on the Jewel.

 

As you can probably tell, I love the ports! I love them specifically because there's nothing "must see" at any of them :)

 

In Florida, you have the option of going to Orlando to the theme parks, Cape Canaveral, or just lounging on the beach and hitting some great beach restaurants/bars. I love going to Cocoa Beach and hanging out all day.

 

GSC is a bust (I know others disagree), but I like getting off the ship for a swim in the ocean before returning to a quiet, serene afternoon while everyone's packed like sardines onto the island.

 

And Nassau is Nassau. You can go over to Atlantis and spend lots of money, take an excursion, or, again, lay around on a beach and walk around a bit.

 

No port on this cruise forces you to spend money or keep a tight schedule. It's all about relax, relax, relax. You could MAKE it nuts if you wanted to, but if you don't have kids and aren't the gogogo type, why?

 

I highly recommend :)

 

Feel free to send me a message in a few weeks when I get back if you want to know what I thought of the ship.

 

venusneverdies @ yahoo.com

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collegecruiser346

collegecruiser346

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I agree, this cruise is all about relaxing. I did it on the Spirit in 2007, and I'm going again in 2 weeks on the Jewel. It's great because you're in port pretty much all day, so you're not rushing around like crazy. Also, you don't dock in 2 of of the ports until late morning/early afternoon so you can have a relaxing morning on the ship before getting off. A lot of people flock to Atlantis while in Nassau, but you will spend a lot of money if you want to fully utilize their property. It's nice to spend an hour or 2 walking around, but I wouldnt spend a full day there. If you do end up going, don't wait until the last minute too book. I booked 31 days before sailing, and although I got a GREAT price, right after I booked the prices went up dramatically, and as of this morning only suites are available.

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dznymom

dznymom

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I'll be back on the beautiful Jewel for the third time this Saturday! The crew on this ship is especially good, and I am another huge John O'Hara fan :)

 

This is not my favorite itinerary, but as previous posters have said this cruise is perfect for relaxation. This will actually be my first time on GSC and I am looking forward to a couple of hours of snorkeling as I hear it is quite good, especialy in comparison to other private islands. I have been to Nassau many times before, and as long as you plan to get away from the immediate port area there are lots of really fun things to do. I like Port Canaveral because I can check on my young adult kids without exhorbitant cell phone biills!

 

Let's see, one tip from me is don't miss the made to order crepes in the Garden Cafe in the evenings. I've been known to blow off dinner more than once in favor of a delicious lemon crepe :D

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KFC

KFC

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I'm taking this cruise a year from now beginning July 30th (2011). I wanted to try going out of a local port (I'm a Jersey Girl!) to save on no flying or extra night's lodging. One of my kids said they wanted to try cruising with DH and me and of course I got right on it! This itinerary was cheaper than going to Bermuda and I didn't want to go north as other than Canada I've been to the US stops. I've booked thru NCL. I've been checking last minute prices for this year's cruise, same date, and it looks pretty booked at the lower end priced cabins which makes me feel better about booking so far in advance (tho if I had nerves of steel I think I could do pretty well waiting until last minute to get great prices- maybe we'll do that when it's just DH and me!). We have a guarantee inside, an ocean view and 2 balcony rooms (one aft and one lowest price) for our family. I chose mid summer as I wanted it to be warm for the NY portion of the cruise. I think we may get a hired car to drop us off for the cruise instead of parking there as it sounds pretty expensive to park at the pier and if we bring extra drinks with us I don't want to drag them around if we were to take public transportation.

I'm so excited to be back on these boards!

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wack001

wack001

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Posted
I'm really intrigued by the great prices on the Jewel sailing from NYC to Florida and the Bahamas next June. Since I've never cruised with NCL before, I thought I'd pick your collective experience for stories, tips, warnings, etc. about this ship. Any and all feedback would be welcome!

 

read my in depth review; http://www.cruisinbob.com

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tug

tug

Posted
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the BEST thing about the JEWEL is the HD ...JOHN OHARA..he is FANTASTIC and goes that "extra" to see that you have a WONDERFUL CRUISE and they really treat CC members like they MATTER!

another PLUS when we were on the ship in January was the comedian Tim Kiminski (sp) he was HILARIOUS and should have been the CD ...he was EVERYWHERE!!!

the JEWEL is a pretty ship and you will ENJOY your voyage and specially go to the Meet and Greet to meet the HD and the officers!!

 

 

The current Jewel HD is Brian Walters... a true gentleman. Very generous with his time. The crew have an obvious high regard for him. We were very well pampered under his care.

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TITISSA

TITISSA

Posted
Posted
I'll be back on the beautiful Jewel for the third time this Saturday! The crew on this ship is especially good, and I am another huge John O'Hara fan :)

 

This is not my favorite itinerary, but as previous posters have said this cruise is perfect for relaxation. This will actually be my first time on GSC and I am looking forward to a couple of hours of snorkeling as I hear it is quite good, especialy in comparison to other private islands. I have been to Nassau many times before, and as long as you plan to get away from the immediate port area there are lots of really fun things to do. I like Port Canaveral because I can check on my young adult kids without exhorbitant cell phone biills!

 

Let's see, one tip from me is don't miss the made to order crepes in the Garden Cafe in the evenings. I've been known to blow off dinner more than once in favor of a delicious lemon crepe :D

 

Please write a review when you get back. I want to know about the shows. Thanks.

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collegecruiser346

collegecruiser346

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The spa pass is $99 for the week, per person. Included in that is separate men's and women's areas for changing/showering, which have saunas, steam-rooms, whirlpool, and a cold plunge pool. Then there is the co-ed area that has heated loungers and I think another pool. There is also another free area that has steam-rooms and and showers, which are free to use. I think these are in the gym locker room. (I'll know for sure when I go in 2 weeks!)

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Cookiebun

Cookiebun

Posted
Posted
the BEST thing about the JEWEL is the HD ...JOHN OHARA..he is FANTASTIC and goes that "extra" to see that you have a WONDERFUL CRUISE and they really treat CC members like they MATTER!

another PLUS when we were on the ship in January was the comedian Tim Kiminski (sp) he was HILARIOUS and should have been the CD ...he was EVERYWHERE!!!

the JEWEL is a pretty ship and you will ENJOY your voyage and specially go to the Meet and Greet to meet the HD and the officers!!

 

I couldn't agree more... John O'Hara is the best hotel director out there. He was always a pleasure to see around and even the crew would talk of him with high regard. I just got off the ship yesterday and he was waiting to say goodbye. He is fantastic!

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Cookiebun

Cookiebun

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The current Jewel HD is Brian Walters... a true gentleman. Very generous with his time. The crew have an obvious high regard for him. We were very well pampered under his care.

 

 

John O'Hara was on vacation. I'm sure Brian was good, but you missed out on John.. he was the best! Glad Brian was good too though :)

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raventhebouv

raventhebouv

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I agree, the Bahamas/Florida cruise on the Jewel or Gem is the most relaxing vacation for us...no pressure to go-go-go in any ports. I booked the same cruise on the Jewel for next May as soon as we got back this past May. Gives me something to look forward to all winter! The crew on the Jewel go out of their way to make sure you have a great cruise, and John O'Hara is the best! Don't waste your money on the "Day at the Beach at Atlantis". Next time we will spend the day at one of the hotels and relax on their beach.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Lipz

Lipz

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I wasn't to gun ho about this itinerary at first but reading some of the post here made me smile. We are doing this cruise because it was the easiest way to get married on a ship and have non sailing guest also participate. I've done Disney twice in Orlando so we'll be staying away from that, and I've done Nassau twice (one of which included a week stay in Atlantis). I will probably plan a day trip to a hotel beach while there. What will be new is GSC which reviews don't seem to help but I am still looking forward to a new adventure lol.

At any rate, I LOVE cruise ships and I know I will have a good time no matter what!

 

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