2/12 Jewel cruise to nowhere review

[campermom]

This is the second CTN my DH and I have been on, the last one being last year on the Gem. We were a group of 8, myself, DH, DS (18), DS(15), a friend of one of my sons (15) and his Mom who had never been cruising, and 2 other friends of my sons', both 16 who had never cruised.

 

Embarkation was pretty easy-- we got there a little later than usual due to traffic and got to the pier around 11am. Because I had 2 boys traveling with us without parents, I had the NCL paperwork ready to go.The only thing was that I had called NCL regarding ID for minors and they told me that they did not need any for the one nighter. WRONG!! We had a bit of an issue because of that and also because 2 of the boys were in another cabin but under my account. Anyway, the Agent was very patient and got everything squared away...FYI --bring school ID or passport if you are traveling with minors.

We got on pretty quickly and went to Tsar's for lunch-My kids were very happy with the different lunch menu--many more choices that they liked than previous cruises.

 

After lunch, the kids went exploring and my DH and I took our friend for a tour of the ship. The Jewel is very easy to get around and I noticed that it seemed to be much less crowded than last year on the Gem. In fact, I had warned my friend about how crowded everything was, but that did not seem to be the case this trip.

 

Before the muster drill,we toured the spa and my friend got an appointment for a haircut. The kids decided that it was warm enough to swim because the pools were heated and spent about 2 hours in the pool. We went to the buffet to watch sailaway and had a great view.

 

While my friend got her hair cut, my husband and I wandered around and had drinks at the Java Cafe. We also checked out the Daily to plan our evening. My friend was totally happy with her haircut--it really was nice.

 

As usual, the service aboard the ship was terrific, everyone smiling and pleasant. We did not go to any specialty restaurants, and my friend was impressed by the quality of the food.

 

Our cabins were on 9th deck inner rooms ..because the rooms had a drop down bunk and we (my friend and I) did not want to use them, we ended up putting all the kids in one room and the 3 adults in another--it worked out great! We knew we would not see our steward much, but they did come around to see if we needed anything.

 

Entertainment--Band on the Run was very good. Also saw Quest which was an absolute riot-what a great time!! There was a comedian that was very funny.

 

I think we finally headed into bed around 2am and awoke at 630am. We all went to the buffet and -again surprise-it was crowded but not that bad. They were directing people to go and eat in Mama's Kitchen after they got their food from the buffet.

 

Had a very leisurely breakfast and left the ship about 9am. I think we made another cruising convert of my friend with this trip.

 

I really can't say there was anything bad about this cruise. Many music venues all over the ship...we saw some of the Calypso band and a piano player- they were all very good. There was a variety of ages on this cruise, and everyone was pleasant and having a good time. There was no rowdy passengers or totally drunk people that we saw that you may think would be on this type of cruise.

 

My DH and I are going on an Anniversary cruise 3/13/11 on the Jewel to the Bahamas--can't wait!!:cool:

[peg013]

I was also on this CTN. I just wanted to add that a couple got married in the Spinnaker Lounge before sail-away and we noticed a Bachelorette Party going on in the Atrium. Both great ideas for a CTN. Quest was unbelievably fun!

[ZoneHPH]

There was no rowdy passengers or totally drunk people that we saw that you may think would be on this type of cruise.

 

Good thing I sobered up before Quest. heheheheheheh...:D

[campermom]

Good thing I sobered up before Quest. heheheheheheh...:D

Oh, Zone...lol..I meant no disrespect!! I really meant that for a one night cruise, everyone was partying and having a good time (us too). There were no issues with nasty passengers, etc. Also, on Quest, were you on Team 1?? They were awesome. Thinking about maybe May 7th ctn---my boys want to get back in the pool again...yes those were my 5 crazy boys in the pool all that time!!

[PregnantCruiser]

What is Quest?

[campermom]

What is Quest?

Quest is an Adult version of a scavenger hunt. There are numerous teams(you have to volunteer, they don't just pick you) who have to earn points by coming up with the items or activities that the Cruise Director comes up with. It starts out as innocent as a Freestyle Daily, on to men wearing lipstick, on to ....well you get the drift. I don't want to tell you any more because it will spoil the fun!! You do not have to participate, you can just be an observer(the place is usually packed). Next cruise, if they have it, try to get to see it. It is such a hoot!!

[LOWTYD]

Oh, Zone...lol..I meant no disrespect!! I really meant that for a one night cruise, everyone was partying and having a good time (us too). There were no issues with nasty passengers, etc. Also, on Quest, were you on Team 1?? They were awesome. Thinking about maybe May 7th ctn---my boys want to get back in the pool again...yes those were my 5 crazy boys in the pool all that time!!

 

Team One Rocks!!!:D:D:eek:

[peg013]

Team One Rocks!!!:D:D:eek:

 

Yes we do!!!!:D