Just back from the Jewel

[Jab5549]

Another cruise on the Jewel and it was one of the best. Because I had done this same trip quite a few times I knew exactly what to expect. Although there are some cutbacks, the food was still plentiful and more than acceptable but you must choose wisely. My wife was not as happy with her choices as I was with mine. We usually only eat in the specialty restaurants but decided to try Azura with another couple. Although it appeared to have nothing any of us wanted, we settled in on some dishes that we would not normally eat and quite enjoyed all of it. The staff on board was so friendly. Always a smile and a 'good morning'.

Because we stayed in a suite, we were entitled to eat breakfast & lunch at Cagney's. This is where the service has been affected the most. Three in wait staff with no stations, running from one end of the room to the other was cause for poor service. Either no one took your order or three people came to take it. Dinner on the other hand was the opposite. Service was impeccable. I know its policy the switch servers every three months but I think NCL should consider putting the best servers in the best restaurant and work there way down to the blue lagoon. It would give the servers better incentive to provide the best service. The way the system is, no matter what they do, they are going back to the main dining room.

Our Concierge was Ryan. Not as outgoing and over the top as Adrian, but

very efficient. Always visible, always available, always professional, always smiling. Come to think of it, what more do we need? I would be very pleased to have him on any cruise I take in the future.

The Hotel Director, Hugo, runs the best ship in the fleet. I have been on this ship 8 times in the last couple of years and it seems that the condition of the ship keeps getting better. It was immaculate and showed no signs of wear. Hugo is the most visible Hotel Director I have ever cruised with. He is a great company man with a staff that adores him. I'm a fan.

The Captain was Lars Bergstram. Any one who has ever met him knows what I'm about to say. He's the best. At a Q&A session he was asked about the recent Costa incident and about the concern of the passengers. You could see that this bothered him because he is by every sense of the word, a true Captain who would lead and direct his staff to safely remove all passengers from the ship before considering himself. Whether on the bridge or not, this man takes his position very seriously. To all people cruising with him, your lucky to have such a skilled Captain who is such a nice friendly guy as well

The Ports of Call. We rented a car in Port Canaveral and went to Cocoa Village where we walked around the quaint shops and then had lunch at our favorite restaurant Cafe Margaux. Lunch was great as usual. Then headed over to Ron Jon Surf shop ( a must, if only for a tee shirt ). Walked on the beach. Then went to The shops by the pier. Not worth going to. It was like a very small flea market.

The private island is still very much under construction. They are building a water park which will be great in the future but for now, the island should have some temporary walkways because it is very rocky getting to the beach or to the buffet. The also should provide some shaded areas for people who are not sun worshipers. My wife and I got a lounge under a tree that was either dead or not, but there was not a leaf on it to provide one ounce of shade. We looked up and laughed and thought about what a great photo it would take. We personally miss the old BBQ on the beach. The buffet on the ship is better. WEAR SHOES when going to the out island.

Nassau. Been there and done it so many times but we still managed to have a full day. Walked to Atlantis. Won a little at the Casino. Took a cab back to town. Walked around town. Saw that the new straw market was finally opened. Went back to the ship and took a nap. Worked for me.

The cruise back to New York is my best part of the cruise. The excitement is gone and now just two days to really mellow. It was great. Over all my experience was everything I had wanted. I came home and am looking into booking my next cruise ( on NCL of course ) Thanks NCL for providing another great vacation and all the memories

[russianmom]

Thanks for the info- I'm sailing in just about 60 days.

 

Glad to hear Ryan was good. Disappointed about Cagney's service for breakfast/lunch:(

[LadyShiva]

Thank you very much for the review. Would you mind an additional question?

 

May I ask if you had a Haven suite? I'm interested in just having breakfast and lunch at the Haven pool with my family; was the service in the Haven better than what you experienced in Cagney's?

[NJ04SS]

Great review, thanks for the info. Few questions,

 

What cutbacks did you notice?

How were the shows?

How was the weather, were you able to swim in the pools or was it too cold?

 

Thanks again

[elhenry]

Thanks for all the info! We are in a Jewel OS on 3/31; what cabin did you have and how was the butler service? I have read that some folks on the Jewel were disappointed with the butler...

 

el henry

[njhorseman]

Having been on the Jewel two weeks ago, I'm a little surprised about your comment on the service at breakfast/lunch in Cagney's. We found it to be by and large excellent...the only issue was an error in our order at lunch on embarkation day. My wife eats plain yogurt with her breakfast every morning, something not stocked in Cagney's. Someone on the wait staff was always immediately dispatched to the buffet to get her a dish of yogurt and it was delivered to our table before you could blink.

 

We did notice tension between the cooks and the wait staff, with one cook really giving the waiters an earful one afternoon.

[Jab5549]

Thanks for all your replies. To start with yes we were in the haven room 14506. We have been up there many times. The butler was Teodora and the steward was Alfonso. Both excellent. Staying on the 14th floor is a treat every time we are there ( #8 for us ) It is not like being on the rest of the ship. It's more like being on a private yacht. Although we did not eat any meals up there, the attendant was wonderful. I'm sure the service would have been great. As far as Cagney's, there used to be five servers and now there are three. They do not have stations so they have to be from one end of the room to the other. I'm glad you did not notice the change in service. As far as the food, they have eliminated many items from the menus and substituted with less expensive items. Being in the business I am very in tuned to little details. It also helps when you are friends with most of the staff. I have cruised so many times with them, they begin to feel like family. They tell me all the good and all the bad, when they are going on vacation and when they are returning, they e mail me while I'm at home to find out when I am going to be on board again. I don't wish to say anything negative about NCL because in these economic hard times I think they are doing all they can to provide the best cruise vacation at the lowest prices. I have been on other cruise lines and although the food and service was great, the condition of the ship was not. The Jewel was immaculate and very well maintained. Anyone going on her will have a very pleasant experience

[Jab5549]

We stayed in the owners suite a couple of cruises ago. 9th floor port side. Room was large but not as nice as the 14th floor villas. Cabin furniture was sort of worn. Butler was Antonio. Good, not great. Cabin steward left his cleaning supplies right outside our door for most of the day. This never happens on 14.

We really did not use the courtyard that much on the cruise because it was a haul to get there. Sort of felt like an outsider when we were there. If given the choice, I would always take the villas on deck 14. Although a little smaller, I find it to be nicer.

[Jab5549]

Being on the 14th floor, we had use of the courtyard pool which is indoors when the weather is cold. Pool was 86 and the air was about 78 in there. Seas were calm the entire trip. Felt no sea motion. The entertainment is always good. Don't miss Band on the Run or Cirque de Ju. Hang out at the piano bar outside Le Bistro on deck 6. Great relaxing music. Best we've heard yet, always a crowd. Although we do miss Fire and Ice.

[Dolphins]

Agree with you about H.D. Hugo and Concierge Ryan, they are two of the best and we look forward to sailing with them again in the future. Regarding the service for breakfast and lunch in Cagney's, you should have brought it to Hugo's attenton and I am sure it would have been corrected. Who were the musicians performing outside LeBistro that you liked?

[Cmdr Cody]

We stayed in the owners suite a couple of cruises ago. 9th floor port side. Room was large but not as nice as the 14th floor villas. Cabin furniture was sort of worn. Butler was Antonio. Good, not great. Cabin steward left his cleaning supplies right outside our door for most of the day. This never happens on 14.

We really did not use the courtyard that much on the cruise because it was a haul to get there. Sort of felt like an outsider when we were there. If given the choice, I would always take the villas on deck 14. Although a little smaller, I find it to be nicer.

 

Antonio was very good to us on our cruise last May. I don't ever remember seeing the cleaning cart.

[Jab5549]

The person singing outside of Le Bistro was Bernie Martini. He was wonderful

[auntierobin]

Thank you for the great review. The Jewel is our favorite as is her wonderful staff, my husband thinks I have a secret crush on Captain Lars and that's why we keep picking the Jewel. But between all of you and me I have a crush on the whole ship, what's not to love with Hugo keeping her in tiptop shape. It would be easy to single out individuals but that would take too long, everyone on that ship is great!

[Kosi]

We stayed in the owners suite a couple of cruises ago. 9th floor port side. Room was large but not as nice as the 14th floor villas. Cabin furniture was sort of worn. Butler was Antonio. Good, not great. Cabin steward left his cleaning supplies right outside our door for most of the day. This never happens on 14.

We really did not use the courtyard that much on the cruise because it was a haul to get there. Sort of felt like an outsider when we were there. If given the choice, I would always take the villas on deck 14. Although a little smaller, I find it to be nicer.

I agree with everything you said!. I liked deck 14 more as well. Felt like an outsider while visiting there. As you said long haul to get there. Oddly we had cleaning supplies outside our door on deck 10 as well, lol. And it was very noisy-maybe caused by this.. ie him getting ice always , and such. Furniture worn out on deck 10 OS ,as was yours!

[welove2cruise232]

Thanks for posting your review. We are looking forward to a relaxing week sailing on the Jewel at the end of March. I know Hugo won't be there; hoping Ryan will still be on board!

[snorklinbarb]

Being on the 14th floor, we had use of the courtyard pool which is indoors when the weather is cold. Pool was 86 and the air was about 78 in there. Seas were calm the entire trip. Felt no sea motion. The entertainment is always good. Don't miss Band on the Run or Cirque de Ju. Hang out at the piano bar outside Le Bistro on deck 6. Great relaxing music. Best we've heard yet, always a crowd. Although we do miss Fire and Ice.

 

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had a great time. Hugo sets the standard and tone from the top and always seems to have splendid crew. I'm sure the waiters up in Cagney's were working hard but sounds like they were shorthanded.

 

I'm also wondering if you brought this to anybody's attention especially since you feel comfortable with so many familiar staff you've sailed with before. They would want to correct the issue right away.

 

Good entertainment seems to follow Hugo or he makes it a point of getting the best. Agree with you that Bernie Martini is an excellent entertainer and so interactive with guests. Did you also see Fabrizio? He is talented and has a different style. Even an Italian set!

 

Is "Fire & Ice" on vacation? Do you know if they'll be rejoining Jewel? Have really enjoyed their high energy shows. Besides the Motown and Tina Turner sets, they've added a Michael Jackson tribute which is fantastic.

 

Anyone sailing on Jewel (or other ship) with concierge Ryan Rabe is in for a treat. What a caring young man, very visible, always available to assist.

[Carnac767]

Thanks for posting your review. We've sailed aboard Jewel twice and thoroughly enjoyed her both times.