NCL Exceeded my Expectations Last Week on the Jewel.

[terrydtx]

We got off the Jewel yesterday, Dec 8th. This was my first NCL cruise and I have to say over all I was very impressed with NCL and the Jewel and my expectations were exceeded. We were part of a group of 28 guys and gals who all met online through a Prostate Cancer support group and every one of us had the time of our lives thanks to our zest for living and NCL’s spectacular service on this cruise. We ended up getting upgraded from a BA Balcony

 

After reading for several months some of the very negative reviews on CC about NCL and the Jewel I can only ask, did those people ever really cruise on the Jewel? I have read reports of inedible food, poor service and bad attitudes from the Jewel’s crew, which after our experience is just too hard to believe. We have sailed in the past on HAL, Celebrity and RCCL and I would have to rate this cruise with the NCL Jewel over all equal or a little better than any past cruise experience. I will break down my review in several parts for easier reading.

 

Embarkation from New Orleans:

This was so easy and couldn’t have been any smoother. We checked in at about 11:00 am and were on the ship by 11:30 and eating lunch in Tsars by noon. Our stateroom was ready by 1:00pm and our entire luggage was delivered by 3:00pm.

 

Our Cabin and room steward:

We originally booked a BA cabin on the 10th deck but a week before departure we received a free upgrade to a MA Mini suite stateroom #11044. It was spacious and comfortable with a large balcony and more storage space than we could fill. Within minutes of getting into our room our Steward, Joseph, introduced himself and greeted us by our names, something he did every time we saw him on the cruise. He was fantastic and one of the best room stewards on any cruise of ours. Our stateroom was spotless the whole week thanks to Joseph.

 

The food and dining service:

We had dinners in Tsars, (2 times), Azura (3 times), Le Bistro, (once) and Chin Chin (once). I found the food in the 2 MDR’s to be very good with nice selections. The food was always hot and served promptly. Presentation was always good and over all the quality was on par with our last couple of HAL cruises. The Prime rib one night was thick cut, delicious, tender and well seasoned. The Lambs shanks were exceptional good and the large lobster tail served with a nice steak the first night was the best on any cruise so far. In the 3 nights we ate in Azura we had the same server, Daniela, and she was spectacular, and she got several nominations for our cruise hero for the week. She even made us a special desert one night and was a lot of fun to talk too. She gave us all the wow factor. I did find the service in the 2 nights in Tsars to be spotty and lacking but we got what we ordered and on time. The biggest problem was trying to get drinks ordered as the servers had to take the orders and bring us drinks, something that could be more efficient if separate servers are used for all bar and drink orders.

 

We had room service for breakfast 6 mornings and it was on time every day and exactly what we ordered. On one morning we did breakfast in Tsars for the eggs Benedict, but had to send them back to get yokes that were not hard and the hollandaise sauce was tasteless. This was a disappointment.

 

Our one meal in Le Bistro was awesome and one of the best specialty restaurant experiences on any cruise. MY wife had the filet and it was thick and cooked perfectly and almost fork tender. I had the rack of lamb and it was fantastic. We also ordered the steamed muscles and they are served in a delicious cream broth that was very good, something I did not expect to have on a cruise. This was the best $20 spent on this cruise and the service was as great as the food.

 

Now for the one very big disappointment, the dinner in Chin Chin. We had wanted to go back to Le Bistro but there was a long wait so we decided to give Chin Chin a try as it was almost empty and as we found out for a good reason. The food was way below par and not as good as our neighborhood Chinese restaurant here at home. I ordered the scallops and they were tough, chewy and tasteless. The lettuce wraps appetizer was also tasteless and bland. We also order some Sushi that was very good and fresh before our dinner and when we complained about the Chin Chin food quality the $25 of sushi was given to us at no charge.

 

Most of our lunches were in the Topsider Grill and/or the buffets and I found all of the food to be very good and well worth eating. One lunch was in the Blue Lagoon and I found the fish and chips to be excellent as was the service.

 

Entertainment:

We attended 3 shows in the Stardust Theater and they all were very good. The biggest standout was the Comedian named Noodles Levenstein who was hilarious and fellow passengers talked about him for days after he performed. This had to be one of the funniest comedy routines I have ever seen and it was even appropriate for all audiences. The next night we saw a Michael James who does a balancing and juggling act which was just good. The last show we saw was Le Cirque Bijou which was fantastic and on an evening when the seas were rough and the ship was rolling pretty good.

 

Crew and Officers:

I can’t say enough about how impressed I was with both the crew members and the officers of the Jewel. I never saw anything but smiles on their faces and they were always asking if they could do anything to help make our cruise any better.

 

The first day at our CC Meet & Greet I told the Hotel Director, Richard how impressed I was with the Lobster dinner the first night and how so far NCL had met my expectations. The next day a plate of chocolate covered strawberries showed up in our cabin with a thank you note for him. I saw him at almost every dinner asking passengers how their experiences so far on the cruise. On Friday night at our dinner in Azura he found me and remembered our conversation from the M&G and asked if the Jewel was still exceeding my expectations, I told most definitely it had. I responded about how could there be so many negative reviews about NCL and the Jewel and had those people really been on the Jewel, he told me he reads all reviews online about the Jewel and that often wonders the same thing. Well on Saturday we got another plate of chocolate covered strawberries thanking me for my kind comments.

 

Disembarkation at New Orleans:

Since we drove to New Orleans we chose to walk off with our luggage to get a head start from home. We got in line at 7:45am and the line was very long but moved very well. We were through customs and off the ship by 8:30am

 

Negatives:

Not too many but I think the TV channels selections could be better, specially for sporting events. Saturday Dec 7th was the NCAA Football conference championship games and not one of them was available anywhere on the ship. The only ESPN we got was ESPN Caribbean and it had non stop soccer on Saturday, it didn’t even offer score updates for the college games.

 

I think MCL needs to take a long look at Chin Chin as a lot of improvement is needed and it takes up a lot of space for the few people who use it. Our best specialty meal on the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam 2 years ago was in the Tamarind Asian Fusion restaurant and NCL should take some lessons from HAL.

 

Finally:

This was a great cruise and we were impressed and would most definitely cruise with NCL again. I would also never hesitate to recommend NCL to anyone. There was not one complaint from our group and most agreed with me about cruising with NCL in the future.

[boopsahoy]

Thanks for your honest review!

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for your review!

 

 

 

~robin and brian

(summertime jersey shore beach bums)

 

Norwegian Breakaway 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[jmele999]

Dear OP,

 

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Was there a Chef's table on the Jewel? If so, do you remember when it was?

 

Thanks.

[bebe1977]

We were on the Jewel last month and had a great time. So much so, that we booked another cruise on the Jewel in March and will book another for Oct/Nov.

 

Thank you for your review!

[kcwingwalker]

Thanks for your review both pros and cons!:)

 

We'll be on the Jewel in April and your comments put a nice shine on my day!

[Planmaam]

Thank you for your great review. I will be embarking this coming Sunday, and am ever so excited!

 

Was your itinerary the 3-port one, too? Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel?

Did you have to tender in Cozumel?

 

Do you by chance have the dailies you can scan? I know it's asking a lot, but just want the pages with the "goings on" for that day.

 

I, too, would like to know what night the Chef's Table was offered, if you have that knowledge.

 

Let us know what you thought about the ports.

 

Thanks again.

[jdvmd]

Glad you had a great time! Thanks for sharing your comments!

[satchiesmom]

Thanks for the great review. We will board the Jewel in 40 days, I'm very excited for my first NCL cruise.

[gooch47]

I agree that Chin Chin was a big disappointment. The service was great but the food was so bland and just not appetizing.

 

Since we will be on the Jewel for four cruises this winter we will definitely skip that one.

 

We didn't try Azura in November. We also didn't care for the buffet, but everyone's taste is different, I suppose.

[sjbdtz]

Glad the cruise was all we thought it would be.

 

You spent the time researching & asking questions, and had the outcome we've come to expect from NCL.... surpassing our expectations.

[terrydtx]

Thank you for your great review. I will be embarking this coming Sunday' date=' and am ever so excited!

 

Was your itinerary the 3-port one, too? Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel?

Did you have to tender in Cozumel?

 

Do you by chance have the dailies you can scan? I know it's asking a lot, but just want the pages with the "goings on" for that day.

 

I, too, would like to know what night the Chef's Table was offered, if you have that knowledge.

 

Let us know what you thought about the ports.

 

Thanks again.[/quote']

 

We did the 3 port itinerary and did not have to tender in Cozumel. We docked between the Carnival Magic and RCL Allure so we were dwarfed by the 2 much larger ships.

 

I have the dailies but I have a lot to do this week and will try to get them scanned by the end of the week. I do not remember anything about the Chefs Table.

[cupcake1222]

Thanks for the review! We're sailing on the Jewel in 20 days. We were on the Jade three years ago and loved her! Hoping to have just as great of an experience on the Jewel!

[debnjoe1438]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. May you have many more great ones. :D

[DMH15]

So glad you liked it.

 

Surprised about TV. We had great sports programming on the Sun.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[Rudyard]

Thanks for the great review! You really have me looking forward to my cruise on Jewel next year :)

[vols_159]

Op next cruise try moderno!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for taking the time to write and share your review and glad you enjoyed the cruise.

 

Keith

[thescot123]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Jewel. Was on her in Oct and will be back on her for my first Xmas cruise.

 

I had nothing but excellent service from the crew. They work very long hours and always serve with a smile.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[zounds]

Thank you very much for your insight, Terry. We'll be on her this Sun.

[terrydtx]

So glad you liked it.

 

Surprised about TV. We had great sports programming on the Sun.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

With so many SEC folks on the cruise there was a lot of grumbling about not having the SEC championship game on any TV. We were told by guest services that NCL contracts only with ESPN Caribbean and can only show their programming. Seems odd that they can not have more variety with all that is on satellites now. Non stop soccer on Saturday was useless for probably 90% of the passengers.

[terrydtx]

Op next cruise try moderno!

 

Some in our group did try Moderno and were not impressed, but Cagney's got good reports. We thought that the MDR food was good enough to not need to use the specialty ones more than twice. Our good experience on HAL's Tamarind specialty restaurant gave us the reason to try Chin Chin but as I said it was not good and not worth the $15 charge. However since the manager did comp the sushi we did enjoy, I felt like NCL did well to make us happy. The funny thing was the fresh cooked Asian wok dishes in the buffet were delicious and free, so someone on the ship knows how to do good Asian food. The buffet also had very good Indian food and the pasta station was also well done.

 

I should also add the Topsider grill had real grilled over charcoal meats every afternoon that were very good. They grilled chicken, sausages, and even steak most days.

[cod]

Hi and welcome back!

 

I'm so glad that you and your group enjoyed your cruise but then I am not surprised either. We are huge NCL fans and now that we're platinum I doubt very much that we'll ever stray again.

 

Enjoyed your review and we are hoping we are able to sail the Jewel later next month. DH is disappointed that we will once again be doing the same old-same old Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel itinerary again....we were looking forward to Cayman, Jamaica and Cozumel since it's been a while since we went to the first two. But then by the same token, just the cruise itself is important to us. (As far as I can tell, NCL isn't planning to do your itinerary with the Dawn from NO next year either..it must have been a trial itinerary for NCL that for some reason didn't work).

 

I was glad to read your entertainment review. The Spirit and then the Star, when both were sailing out of NO, kept the same shows and I was hoping they'd change things up a bit.

 

Once again, welcome back. Stay well!!!

[BlueJai]

Welcome home! I am so glad you had a great time! I remember reading some of the poor reviews and your comments on them so it is extra special that you had a great time!

 

Too bad about Chin Chins. We haven't been on the Jewel in a number of years but we really enjoyed our meals there, it was my husbands favourite.

 

The bad reviews are worrisome - we are booked on the Epic in a couple of weeks and there are so many negatives so we keep looking for the positives :)

 

We'll go with optimism and definitely hoping to see the outstanding NCL experience we have always had.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share once you came home!

Jai

[Oh away I go!]

I appreciate your fair and honest review.

 

I always suspect reviews with a long laundry list of "pros and cons" about everything. It is refreshing to see a balance review.

 

I for one, love your positive views on travel as well as life! Happy sailing!