Jewel review 4/14-4/21

[russianmom]

I took over 400 pictures but since we switched to a Mac I can not figure out how to post them. I even opened a Flickr account but that too is telling me my pictures are "too big":mad:

 

 

EMBARKATION

We got a ride from my mom and arrived at the pier around 10:40. Hardly anyone there and no lines. Thru security and to wine table- we brought on 4 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of champagne- we were charged $90 (well worth it to us as my husband has older, rarer wines that he collects) Went right to VIP check in and then into the VIP lounge. Coffee, water, fruit and pastries. We met Ruth our concierge.

 

I gave her a list of the specialty restaurants we wanted and our shore excursions. She was thankful for the list and later that night the restaurant confirmations and shore excursion tickets were in our cabin. (We had the $500 Amex OBC so didn’t book ahead of time online)

We were onboard by 11:15. We were directed to Cagney’s for lunch.

The weather was beautiful and everyone was able to use the pools/slide/hot tubs

Muster Drill was in Tsar’s and lasted about 5 minutes.

Went up to Great Outdoors for Sail-away toast-great view of the city skyline and Statue of Liberty.

 

CABIN

We had aft PH 9170. I love aft and this cabin did not disappoint. It was a little different than the aft PH on Spirit but for the 3 of us it worked out great.

 

There was a flat screen TV and DVD player w/ 2 page DVD library. The coffee maker was the one that grinds the beans- we only drink tea so our butler showed us how to get the hot water for tea. We started off with Ravi as our butler- very friendly and outgoing but he got sick and got off in Port Canaveral. We had Rufino after that. He was much quieter. We really don’t use the butler for much other than to request cheese and bread for our afternoon snack. He also brought treats for my son every day- cookies, M&M’s, gummy bears etc.

 

Our steward was Erik who did a great job of keeping the room neat and clean but that was the extent of it…. No extra hellos, only had towel animals 4 nights- 2 of which were repeats from previous nights….

 

FOOD

We ate in Cagney’s for breakfast every morning except for one when we overslept and went to the buffet. Cagney’s has a cold food buffet plus a menu for hot foods. Food was fine and service was fine but did not have the knock your socks off friendliness we had last year. There was definitely someone checking key cards every time.

 

We had lunch in Cagney’s on sea days. Food was good. I had the roast chicken and my husband had the ahi tuna burger every time. My son had something different every day. The scallop and shrimp with risotto looked delicious.

 

Since we had the $500 OBC we decided to eat in the specialty restaurants every night (except PC – we had the buffet when we got back on board at 9pm)

 

Le Bistro $20 twice- I had the filet both times- outstanding, my husband had the filet once and the swordfish the second time- both outstanding

 

Moderno $20 twice- the salad bar is awesome and every meat was out of this world- our favorite hand down

 

Teppanyaki $25 - waaaaay too salty this time- disappointing

 

Mama’s $10- not great but not terrible-I would compare to Olive Garden I had the saltimbocca and my husband had the osso bucco. We split a pizza for an appetizer- it needed about 5-7 more minutes in the oven but wasn’t bad

 

Ruth the concierge invited us to the Jazz Brunch- There was a 7 piece band. It was in Le Bistro and there was a buffet set up and also menu items. The music was very nice but we weren’t that hungry so had we paid for this I wouldn’t have felt like I got my money’s worth.

 

The Great Outdoors was really wonderful and they had a smaller buffet open between lunch and dinner and again after 10:30 at night. This was the perfect place to get a snack for my son.

Soft serve ice cream is always my favorite- machines seemed to be either out of ice cream or “broken” often. Crepe station and chocolate fondue were huge hits with my son and husband.

 

 

KIDS CREW- SPLASH ACADEMY

This was my son’s first time in the 6-9 group. While he loved it as usual, he did call me to come and pick him up which is unusual for him (there were 800 kids on board) They started the new Splash Academy on Friday with the Circus and my son REALLY LOVED THIS.

I spoke with Maratine- who moved up to director for the sailing after ours, about the new changes. She told me that until the nursery is built they will still accept the 2 yo into the 3-5 drop off program. Once the nursery is complete the 6mos-2yo will have “classes” twice a day with parents. I asked if there would be a drop off program either free or for a fee and she said she would check and get back to me- she called me later that afternoon to tell me they were still undecided about how it was going to work.

There is still a charge of $6/hr during port times and $6/hr from 10:30pm- 1:30am.

 

Nick at Sea was AWESOME- they had different staff than the regular kids club and they were all SUPER FRIENDLY and really great. It was not all over the ship but at select times/days in select locations (listed in the daily or the kid’s daily). There were 3? Character Meet and Greets in Spinnaker usually at 6:30pm. They had the Character Breakfast in Azura one morning - $10 kids $15 adults- the food was terrible for adults but fun for kids. All of the characters were there and stayed to take pictures with every kids- very well organized and executed. They also had Slime Time Live one afternoon in the Stardust and a lot of games and activities on GSC (my son and husband both got slimed!!!!!!)

 

 

PORTS

I’ll be brief since the ship is going to Alaska in the next few weeks

 

Port Canaveral – we rented a car thru Thrifty $35 plus $6.99 for e-pass for tolls. Shuttle was right at port and we had priority disembarkation. We were in the car and on the road at 12:17. Got to Magic Kingdom at 1:12. Too hot and too crowded for me….. Next time we will do Sea World or Animal Kingdom. When we returned the car we had a # from the rental counter to call for a taxi. He was already there with another passenger so we jumped in together. Cost was $16 and we split it. We were back on board by 9pm.

 

GSC – my first time here and it was beautiful. We had a clam shell and were in the front row over to the right by the slide (which I lied to my son and said he was too short to ride it after reading Mitsugirly’s review!!)

 

The water was a little chilly but felt great as the day went on. My son and husband had their own snorkel gear. We rented a mat for $12.99- get those early as they do sell out. Lunch was BBQ type food and pretty decent. They had a live band and Nick activities. I walked around taking pictures and saw some of the senior staff. I asked about the “lazy river” that people were talking about and they laughed and said they get that question all of the time and it is not a lazy river but rather a drainage channel for the cove where the tenders pull in??????( NCL’s site says it’s a “winding river) They told me they are expanding the beach all the way over to the left to accommodate the Breakaway passenger load. Also they are trying to add a string ray experience in the cove behind the cabanas…..

 

 

Nassau – our plan was for me to join another passenger at Atlantis while my husband went diving. That got foiled when his dive was canceled, as he was the only one to sign up. The shore excursion mgr said he would email the Sky and if they had any divers sighed up they would come and pick him up…. Nope…. wasn’t meant to be.

 

So we opted to walk over to The British Colonial Hilton (10 min walk) where I had read on here that Blue Water Sports is located and we thought my son and I could relax on the beach and my husband could at least take a snorkel tour…. Pass was $55 each for me and my husband and they did not charge us for my son (he’s 6) we had $60 food credit and had 4 virgin pina coladas, a jerk chicken wrap and a turkey club. Both huge portions and came with huge side salads.

This place is BEAUTIFUL, the staff was excellent and the food and drinks were tasty- best pina colada I ever had!! They also had a lot of sand toys for kids and lawn games such as badminton, bean bag toss etc set up too. Blue water Sports guy never showed up….. Staff recommended my husband call Bahama Divers to see if they had room on their afternoon trip. They did and he jumped in a cab and went. He said it was a good dive- he was the only one certified the rest on the boat were doing their check out dives so he got a lot of 1:1 with the dive master and videographer.

 

CASINO

We spent a fait amount of time in here. We played blackjack and I did the slots a little bit- Lady Luck did not smile on us this trip!! My husband played in 2 Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments. Buy-in was $100 each time. Casino is very open and I did not find it smokey at all

 

GENERAL SHIP THOUGHTS/COMMENTS

This was my second time on Jewel. I like this ship but didn’t get the blow you out of the water feeling like I did on the Spirit. The staff was all very friendly and worked very hard but it felt like 99% instead of the 110% we felt on Spirit.

This itinerary was something I never had interest in as I felt I could just fly to Fla. We enjoyed the ports much more than we thought we would. We would most definitely do this trip again given how much we enjoyed it and also the ease of being home 40 minute after we got off the ship! The trip down and back was VERY smooth and other than yesterday’s chilly fog the weather was gorgeous.

 

The pool was closed on Wed afternoon after someone broke a glass beer bottle right where the kids were coming off the slide…. It was also closed Thurs afternoon when it was windy and the water was sloshing out! The chair hogs were out in full force even Friday when it was overcast, foggy and 60…..

The ship never felt crowded and we never encountered any lines or had any trouble due to the amount of people. There were a lot of kids but seemed well behaved.

 

We didn’t go to any shows at night and spent most evenings either in the casino or listening to the music in Bar City. It was mostly a guitarist but also they had a piano player as well.

We tried to go to the Wine Tasting both times it was scheduled but we were the only ones who showed up….

 

 

DISEMBARKATION

 

We had breakfast in Cagney’s at 7:45, met Ruth the concierge at Chin-Chin at 8:45 and were off the ship, had our luggage, got thru Customs and were out at the curb by 9:06….. Home 40 minutes later. Hard to beat that!!!( edited to add- I was lucky enough to get a GI bug about 10 hours after we got home)

 

NOW SOMEHOW I HAVE TO MAKE IT 299 MORE DAYS UNTIL MY NEXT CRUISE……

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Glad you had a good time, hope you feel better now.

[kcfoxy]

Very enjoyable read, as always! Certainly hope you are on the mend and taking it easy. Will look forward to seeing some of your photos when that gets sorted out :p

 

BTW, this will be our first time on the Jewel and I have a few questions/concerns, if you don't mind:

 

What day was the Jazz Brunch served? I think this is the same one also called Best of Lunch, with entree choice from each specialty restaurant, carving station and then your choice of apps and desserts, correct?

 

We've also booked Moderno, excited to try it for the first time. DH loves salads and meat, so he should enjoy. I fill up quickly, so wanted to know the order of the protein choices. Does it start with the chicken breast and chicken leg then 2 types of sausage, ribs and last the 3 types of steak?

 

I have researched it and eaten at Yolie's in Las Vegas, which also has the strolling pasadores, so know you can indicate 'green' for more or 'red' for stop! I will be able to handle 4 or 5 selections, preferring the beef/lamb and possibly try 1 of the 2 rib selections.

 

What did you guys like best on the entrees? Did anyone try the mango cream or other dessert, or one of the specialty cocktails? How about the cheese bread (rolls made with tapioca flour instead of wheat flour)???

 

And lastly, I am not familiar with the Jewel class deck plan setup, specifically for the MDRs. Have heard there was an issue between the aft dining decks and elevators. On the Spirit and Sky we did not seem to have any problems in this regard, nicely laid out plans.

 

We will have an Acessability cabin near the aft elevator, and I am thinking there is one that will go directly down without us having to walk over to midships then down...could you possibly shed some light on this for me?

 

Sometimes I can walk short distances with a tripod cane, but often need WC, it all depends, but really appreciate the thoughtful way you've created word pictures and given an honest review, it really helps. :D

[jc811]

Funny you should mention getting sick when you got home. I was on the same cruise. I started feeling sick saturday evening when I got home too. Overnight into Sunday was rough.

 

I wasn't sure if me getting sick was from the cruise or something I ate Saturday night.

[russianmom]

Very enjoyable read, as always! Certainly hope you are on the mend and taking it easy. Will look forward to seeing some of your photos when that gets sorted out :p

 

BTW, this will be our first time on the Jewel and I have a few questions/concerns, if you don't mind:

 

What day was the Jazz Brunch served? I think this is the same one also called Best of Lunch, with entree choice from each specialty restaurant, carving station and then your choice of apps and desserts, correct?

 

We've also booked Moderno, excited to try it for the first time. DH loves salads and meat, so he should enjoy. I fill up quickly, so wanted to know the order of the protein choices. Does it start with the chicken breast and chicken leg then 2 types of sausage, ribs and last the 3 types of steak?

 

I have researched it and eaten at Yolie's in Las Vegas, which also has the strolling pasadores, so know you can indicate 'green' for more or 'red' for stop! I will be able to handle 4 or 5 selections, preferring the beef/lamb and possibly try 1 of the 2 rib selections.

 

What did you guys like best on the entrees? Did anyone try the mango cream or other dessert, or one of the specialty cocktails? How about the cheese bread (rolls made with tapioca flour instead of wheat flour)???

 

And lastly, I am not familiar with the Jewel class deck plan setup, specifically for the MDRs. Have heard there was an issue between the aft dining decks and elevators. On the Spirit and Sky we did not seem to have any problems in this regard, nicely laid out plans.

 

We will have an Acessability cabin near the aft elevator, and I am thinking there is one that will go directly down without us having to walk over to midships then down...could you possibly shed some light on this for me?

 

Sometimes I can walk short distances with a tripod cane, but often need WC, it all depends, but really appreciate the thoughtful way you've created word pictures and given an honest review, it really helps. :D

 

I'm in bed on my iPad but promise when I am up and at my regular desktop in the morning I will answer all of your questions:)

[russianmom]

Funny you should mention getting sick when you got home. I was on the same cruise. I started feeling sick saturday evening when I got home too. Overnight into Sunday was rough.

 

I wasn't sure if me getting sick was from the cruise or something I ate Saturday night.

 

I thought so too but my son and I shared lunch from a deli at home that we eat at every week.... Sat night was terrible for me too:(:(

I felt better this am but feel terrible again and have been in bed since 7:30

[kcfoxy]

I'm in bed on my iPad but promise when I am up and at my regular desktop in the morning I will answer all of your questions:)

 

That would be fine, and thanks too for the very quick response. Sending some purple healing vibes your way, hoping you will soon be on the mend!

[russianmom]

Very enjoyable read, as always! Certainly hope you are on the mend and taking it easy. Will look forward to seeing some of your photos when that gets sorted out :p

 

BTW, this will be our first time on the Jewel and I have a few questions/concerns, if you don't mind:

 

What day was the Jazz Brunch served? I think this is the same one also called Best of Lunch, with entree choice from each specialty restaurant, carving station and then your choice of apps and desserts, correct? It was Friday 11am-1pm $15/pp. I don't thnk this is the same as "best of". The buffet had smoked salmon, caesar salad, asparagus, fruit, cheese and dessert. I took a picture of the menu will keep trying to upload.

 

We've also booked Moderno, excited to try it for the first time. DH loves salads and meat, so he should enjoy. I fill up quickly, so wanted to know the order of the protein choices. Does it start with the chicken breast and chicken leg then 2 types of sausage, ribs and last the 3 types of steak? There was no particular order of the meats- they were all just walking around and as soon as you were on green they stopped by. The just give you a little each time so you have have multiple portions of each as they come back around

 

I have researched it and eaten at Yolie's in Las Vegas, which also has the strolling pasadores, so know you can indicate 'green' for more or 'red' for stop! I will be able to handle 4 or 5 selections, preferring the beef/lamb and possibly try 1 of the 2 rib selections. Just go on red or say no thanks to what you don't want

 

What did you guys like best on the entrees? Did anyone try the mango cream or other dessert, or one of the specialty cocktails? How about the cheese bread (rolls made with tapioca flour instead of wheat flour)??? My favorites were the lamb chops and the chicken leg.Every thing was so tender and delicious though My husband had the mango rice pudding both times- he loves mango. They also were passing around grilled pineapple which he ate a ton of. My son ate all of the cheese bread!

 

And lastly, I am not familiar with the Jewel class deck plan setup, specifically for the MDRs. Have heard there was an issue between the aft dining decks and elevators. On the Spirit and Sky we did not seem to have any problems in this regard, nicely laid out plans. Azura the smaller of the 2 MDR's you could get to by the mid-ship elevators right outside the entrance doors. Tsar's entrance is weird it's between 6 and 7 down a short flight of stairs but I'm pretty sure I saw a sign that said one of the aft elevators goes down to 6 and you can enter that way.

 

We will have an Acessability cabin near the aft elevator, and I am thinking there is one that will go directly down without us having to walk over to midships then down...could you possibly shed some light on this for me? See above

 

Sometimes I can walk short distances with a tripod cane, but often need WC, it all depends, but really appreciate the thoughtful way you've created word pictures and given an honest review, it really helps. :D

 

Thanks! Hope you enjoy your trip! I think I am going to take my SD card and turn on our old PC and see if I can upload pictures from there like I did for my Spirit review. Hope these answers help!:):)

[doberlady]

Great trip report!

[kcfoxy]

Thanks! Hope you enjoy your trip! I think I am going to take my SD card and turn on our old PC and see if I can upload pictures from there like I did for my Spirit review. Hope these answers help!:):)

 

You've answered all my questions and concerns. I won't let the Moderno indicator read 'red' until I see what comes along on each skewer...hopefully I can find out before it gets plunked on my plate, but if not...DH, Ramsfan is a fun-loving and voracious carnivore! :eek:

 

Mmmm love mango anything, and that grilled pineapple sounds yummy, too.

One last question now. Did you happen to see the Captain's Table ($75 pp with wine pairings) mentioned in the Dailies, and if so, which night?

 

Thanks again!!!

[russianmom]

You've answered all my questions and concerns. I won't let the Moderno indicator read 'red' until I see what comes along on each skewer...hopefully I can find out before it gets plunked on my plate, but if not...DH, Ramsfan is a fun-loving and voracious carnivore! :eek:

 

Mmmm love mango anything, and that grilled pineapple sounds yummy, too.

One last question now. Did you happen to see the Captain's Table ($75 pp with wine pairings) mentioned in the Dailies, and if so, which night?

 

Thanks again!!!

 

When they are approaching the table they will sort of announce what they have- some are obvious by the look and you can always wave then off if you are still eating or not interested. They were probably the most friendly of all the restaurants.

 

I did not see the Chef's Table but truthfully was not looking for it. I'll check the dailies this afternoon when I am done working

[auntierobin]

It's too bad Ravi had to leave, you would have loved him, he is the best.

 

I hope that it wasn't anything serious.

[russianmom]

It's too bad Ravi had to leave, you would have loved him, he is the best.

 

I hope that it wasn't anything serious.

 

He seemed awesome. Very friendly and outgoing. He even went searching for a needle nose pliers for me so I could fix my son's glasses.

They said he was going to get back on yesterday when they stopped in PC again so I have to assume nothing too serious

[Hopes4]

 

What day was the Jazz Brunch served? I think this is the same one also called Best of Lunch, with entree choice from each specialty restaurant, carving station and then your choice of apps and desserts, correct?

 

 

The "Jazz" brunch is different from the one you accurately described as "The Best Of" brunch.

Based on my Gem experiences, they change the days around sometimes, so I would ask after you first board. I found both those brunches to be very nice.

[Hopes4]

Did the suite coffee maker also make espresso?

[russianmom]

Did the suite coffee maker also make espresso?

 

hmmm since I am not a coffee drinker I have no idea.

The machine was called Saeco Incanto Sirius...

[russianmom]

Did you happen to see the Captain's Table ($75 pp with wine pairings) mentioned in the Dailies, and if so, which night?

 

Thanks again!!!

 

Ok so I looked and poked thru all of the dailies and I don't see it listed.

I did find a separate insert type paper that just says today onboard and has it listed as

Chef's Table Dinner 7pm Azura limit 12 people but the paper does not have a day or date on it :confused:

Based on some of the other things on this page I feel like it might have been the day we were in Nassau

[kcfoxy]

Ok so I looked and poked thru all of the dailies and I don't see it listed.

I did find a separate insert type paper that just says today onboard and has it listed as

Chef's Table Dinner 7pm Azura limit 12 people but the paper does not have a day or date on it :confused:

Based on some of the other things on this page I feel like it might have been the day we were in Nassau

 

Thanks for going the extra mile in terms of sleuthing...just hope it isn't the same night (5) I've booked Moderno...the only pitfall of prebooking...not sure if I could switch things around at the Dining Reservation Desk in terms of dates, if need be but I will be there bright and early... :D

[russianmom]

Thanks for going the extra mile in terms of sleuthing...just hope it isn't the same night (5) I've booked Moderno...the only pitfall of prebooking...not sure if I could switch things around at the Dining Reservation Desk in terms of dates, if need be but I will be there bright and early... :D

 

I would go right to the reservation table either in the terminal or at the guest services desk when you board. Moderno was almost empty when we ate there embarkation night but was more filled up when we ate there Thurs night so switching should not be a problem

[youngestof9]

thanks for the review! I am sailing Breakaway with the same itinerary and I'm sailing for the ship, not the itinerary. But you gave me an idea of what to do in the Bahamas. That sounds great!

 

I'll be on the Epic when you're on the Star. We have a long wait. LOL

[russianmom]

thanks for the review! I am sailing Breakaway with the same itinerary and I'm sailing for the ship, not the itinerary. But you gave me an idea of what to do in the Bahamas. That sounds great!

 

I'll be on the Epic when you're on the Star. We have a long wait. LOL

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to post the ton of pictures I took. I never had any desire to go to nassau but after going to BCH I would say that for that alone I want to go back now!!!!

 

297 days..... sure is a long time :(:(

[RichNY]

Thanks for the review. We board Saturday NY to LA. Hope Ravi is back. We had him as a butler in the past, real nice guy and very good at his job..

[tokidoki]

just wondering if you could scan in the freestyle dallies?:cool::cool:

[russianmom]

just wondering if you could scan in the freestyle dallies?:cool::cool:

 

:eek::eek:Haha I can't even figure out how to resize my photos on this stupid Mac!!!!

I will see if my husband could take then to work and do it at his office

[tokidoki]

much appreciated!!!:):):)