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Jewel 3-10 March

retiredAF

By retiredAF,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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retiredAF

retiredAF

Posted
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This was our first cruise out of NY and I loved the sights as we departed under sunny but cold skies. I should step back a minute start with our arrival at the pier about 1130 Saturday morning. We parked at the pier and from start to finish it was a quick and painless process. We were actually walking on board at 1220!! The first stop was to order our wine package and second was down to Tsars for lunch. I am amazed that more folks don’t head there for lunch because the buffet was crazy from the start. We had a very enjoyable lunch and by the time we were done, they announced that the rooms were ready. That was right at 1:30 which was exactly what they had announced as we got on board. The muster drill was well organized but for some reason, some cruisers thought they could skip it and had to be corralled in to the area were they decided to complain and comment throughout the 15 minute drill. After that, we headed to the outside deck behind the Garden Café for sail away. The weather was not our friend on this cruise but in my opinion, the Captain and the crew did everything they could to keep us informed and to make things as comfortable as possible. We had very rough seas Sunday evening and night but we had a glorious day on Monday! We were looking for a relaxing week away from work and did not plan any excursions in advance of our departure so we decided to stay on board and enjoy the pool and sun deck. Lots of other folks did the same thing so while we had a big crowd on board, we had a great day! Early that evening the Captain announced that it was too rough to stop at GSC and told us that there were no openings at any of the nearby ports so we had an extra day at sea. It was warm enough to enjoy the pool and outside activities but the wind was very strong!! We docked in Nassau right on time and had a pleasant day overall but did have overcast skies, wind and some rain. We did a walking “tour” on our own and enjoyed many of the sights and shops before the first rain started. The people in Nassau were very friendly and one gentleman stopped to point out a few sights just a few blocks away from the pier. The Gem which should have been a day behind us docked that same afternoon because they could not stop at GSC either and there was an empty spot for them. Two RCI ships were in port also and from when I understand, they had to skip their private island as well. Lots of activities on the pool deck on Thursday from games with the small kids to the adult kids! We made sure to be up in time for the return to NY and were very glad we did! It was beautiful!

A few other thoughts:

Thanks to TVLady3 (Carol) who arranged a nice Meet and Greet. A few officers attended and answered any questions.

Room: We were in a mini suite on 11 and it was very comfortable! There was plenty of storage; I think 6 deep drawers and a good size closet with about 20 hangers. Our cabin attendant was Winnie and she was excellent! One thing we may have missed in other reviews is that there was no electrical outlet on either side of the bed. My dh uses a CPAP and had an extension cord with him but it was barely long enough to plug it in across the room. He went down to the desk though and signed or a long cord that worked fine.

Food: We enjoyed the food. Some meals are obviously better than others but overall it was fine. We had breakfast at Tsars most mornings which was a very relaxing way to start the day versus the craziness at the buffet. We enjoyed a fantastic meal at Cagneys one evening and a very pleasant meal at Mama’s on another. We also did the Jazz brunch and loved it!

Entertainment: We never made it to any of the shows in Stardust but did spend most evenings in Bar City listening to the piano players. We enjoyed the atmosphere there and were treated very well by the entire staff but a special nod to Sharon and Efren! The pool deck had lots of music and entertainment and but when we were not pool side, we spent our time at the Sky High bar because it was a bit less “active” then the lower deck. I believe they told us at the M&G that there were almost 900 “18 and under” on board this week!! Again, the crew was great with a special shout out to “Teesh”.

Disembark was fast and easy. We headed down to deck 7 after we docked and waited in line for about 20 minutes before they opened the doors. A short time later we were in the car and on our way.

It was a great week and I look forward to departing from NY again. Wish the weather had been a bit better but there isn’t anything anyone can do about that so you just make the best of it.

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