The Jewel or the Jewel

[richrhon1]

I don't know what to do. Dilemma. Go on a 5 day, Jewel of the Seas Western Caribbean or a 7 day Norwegian Jewel Bahamas cruise at the end of March? What to do?

[kruzerci]

No way would I sail out of New York in March unless it was a longer (9+) day cruise. It's generally going to take you a while to get into warm weather.

 

This is pure opinion, but based on family and friends experiences, I have absolutely no desire to sail on NCL. It's not because I am "loyal to Royal", I would love to sail on Celebrity and Princess, I just have not heard anything but neutral and negative things about NCL from people I know that enjoy Royal Caribbean and Princess.

 

Usually I would say pick the longer cruise, but I would rather do the Jewel out of Florida than the NCL Jewel out of New York hands down.

 

Just my opinion!

[Pumbaamd]

Recently returned from Jewel of the Seas from Tampa. Very easy choice here. From Tampa, you are right now in the warm water. Why sail from NY?

We have sailed NCL before. . . . Leaward, Sun, and Star. Had great cruises way back then, but NCL has seemed to have taken a step or two down since then.

Which ever you choose, have a great cruise!

Rick and Deirdra

[Pumbaamd]

Usually I would say pick the longer cruise, but I would rather do the Jewel out of Florida than the NCL Jewel out of New York hands down.

Just my opinion!

Congrats on your 2500th post!

Rick and Deirdra

[Starry Eyes]

well, they certainly are very different choices. I have been on NCL Jewel's 7 day itinerary and I have doe a transatlantic on JOS. If you are from Ohio, you have a significant distance to travel to either port, preferably a day ahead either way. do you want to visit NYC or Tampa? NCL's is likely to have cooler temps upon departure and for much of the trip. NCL is quite casual with open dining. those who like an assigned table, assigned table mates and the same waitstaff really miss those if they sail NCL...others do not miss those. JOS is apt to offer a more classic ship experience with (hopefully) warmer temps, but it is a shorter cruise. the ports on both cruises are rather standard stuff, nothing novel about those itineraries, IMHO. I could be happy on either one, but generally a 5 day cruise is a bit too short for me, if I have a choice. If you wish to visit NYC, or if you can afford a full suite on NCL (they excel in suites), NCL Jewel is a reasonable consideration. If it were me, I'd be looking fora 7 day from FL or maybe NOLA to get the warmth and the length.

[RoyalDiamond]

Do what we just did....a back to back on Jewel of the Seas. What a fantastic ship and fantastic crew. We've been on many cruises in the past few years, and the Jewel of the Seas really impressed us. 5 days didn't seem long enough, so we booked it for 2 cruises, and stayed on board for 10 days!

[kruzerci]

Do what we just did....a back to back on Jewel of the Seas. What a fantastic ship and fantastic crew. We've been on many cruises in the past few years, and the Jewel of the Seas really impressed us. 5 days didn't seem long enough, so we booked it for 2 cruises, and stayed on board for 10 days!

 

Jealous. It's hard for us to take any longer than 8 nights.

[windjamming]

well, they certainly are very different choices. I have been on NCL Jewel's 7 day itinerary and I have doe a transatlantic on JOS. If you are from Ohio, you have a significant distance to travel to either port, preferably a day ahead either way. do you want to visit NYC or Tampa? NCL's is likely to have cooler temps upon departure and for much of the trip. NCL is quite casual with open dining. those who like an assigned table, assigned table mates and the same waitstaff really miss those if they sail NCL...others do not miss those. JOS is apt to offer a more classic ship experience with (hopefully) warmer temps, but it is a shorter cruise. the ports on both cruises are rather standard stuff, nothing novel about those itineraries, IMHO. I could be happy on either one, but generally a 5 day cruise is a bit too short for me, if I have a choice. If you wish to visit NYC, or if you can afford a full suite on NCL (they excel in suites), NCL Jewel is a reasonable consideration. If it were me, I'd be looking fora 7 day from FL or maybe NOLA to get the warmth and the length.

 

I agree with Starry Eyes' assessment. Both cruises are great in their own way, but they are very different cruising experiences. It would depend on what you're looking to get out of your vacation.

 

I would add:

 

* JOS is a beautiful ship with a lot of glass and opportunity to see the water. I found NCL Jewel is a little darker and enclosed. Since a few days of your itinerary are spent in colder weather and not particularly beautiful water, this is not a huge deal. Still, I missed not having a multi-floor atrium or promenade.

 

* Freestyle Dining is great if you're looking to relax completely. If you're not hungry at a certain time or don't like the menu, you have lots of other options. Tips are prepaid so there's no worry about the waitstaff not getting paid.

 

* NCL Jewel docks right in Manhattan, so it's a great opportunity to see NYC.

 

I think the question you should ask yourself is if you would prefer a more compact cruising experience all in warm weather or if you'd like to 'enjoy the ride' down to Florida.

 

Good luck - you can't go wrong with either.

[orville99]

I have no desire to ever sail out of NYC again, and the port stops on NCL Jewel are not worth seeing more than once, so if those are the only two choices you're looking at then I'd do the RCI Jewel even though it's a shorter trip. If, however, what you're looking at is a specific week, and have to fly anyway, there are a number of 7-night choices that go to better ports than either of those two. RCI, NCL, Disney, and Carnival all sail out of Port Canaveral; HAL, Carnival, NCL and RCI all sail out of Tampa; almost every line you can name sails out of Ft. Lauderdale, and then there's Galveston and New Orleans to boot.

 

I'd start with what ports you want to see, and find a cruise that gets you there when you want to go.

[gelo7]

Jewel of the Seas gets my vote.

[Ashland]

Jewel of the Seas..warm weather = YES = Enjoy :cool::)

[SA Traveler]

Jewel of the Seas gets my vote. We've beem on a couple of NCL cruises and they were OK but we like RCL better.

[richrhon1]

Jewel of the Seas it is. We were looking for something not too expensive as we have had a lot of trips to NJ for extended family health issues and definitely want warm weather. We've also enjoyed our cruises on other Royal ships so JOS won out. Thanks for everyones input.

[kruzerci]

Jewel of the Seas it is. We were looking for something not too expensive as we have had a lot of trips to NJ for extended family health issues and definitely want warm weather. We've also enjoyed our cruises on other Royal ships so JOS won out. Thanks for everyones input.

 

Good choice

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I recently returned from a five-day cruise on the Jewel of the Seas (Jan. 21 - 26) and absolutely loved the ship. I highly recommend this cruise.

 

Chuck