THE MA'AMs SWEET JEWEL SUITE review and pictoral

[Planmaam]

OMG! I'm celebrating being able to post full-sized pictures from my laptop for the first time! I finally am holding my mouth right as I try, I guess! WOOHOO! This review just got easier!

 

I got a few pictures as we approached Jamaica, and while we were docking.

 

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The moon was setting on the horizon:

 

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I also thought these clouds were cool:

 

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[Planmaam]

Sorry about the spot on my lens, darn it. The first pictures I took were also cloudy because my camera was in our cool room and it was warm outside, causing the lens to fog.

 

Looking down at some of our wake:

 

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Getting closer to Jamaica:

 

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It was really interesting to watch the approach in Jamaica:

 

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We were going quite slow as we got closer:

 

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We slowed to a complete stop, then started backing up. We backed up for what I guestimated to be a half mile or more; being on the aft of the ship, I was going forward.

 

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[Planmaam]

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This is the dock where we eventually tied up:

 

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Getting closer.........

 

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[Planmaam]

We backed past this ship:

 

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About as far as we could go....

 

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Then the engines reversed and we stirred up a lot of mud.........

 

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And we sidled up to the dock and tied up.

 

Soon we had company coming:

 

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And it's the Carnival Sunshine following us into port once again. They docked at the passenger terminal, we had docked in a cargo area and had to be bussed to the passenger terminal.

 

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[Planmaam]

We had breakfast in Cagney's then went to meet the Concierge Elvina for priority debarkation when we were ready. I loved being able to take back hallways, stairways or elevators to "go to the front of the line" to debark.

 

We had not scheduled an excursion, but were planning to get a taxi and visit Rose Hall Great House on our own. After getting off the ship we walked through the building they herded us to, through it and out the door at the other end. There were only another half dozen or so people there at this time since we didn't have to hurry to get off the ship. Out the door of that building were vans lined up to take us over to the passenger terminal. Into and then again out of the passenger terminal and we were once again faced with a lot of vans and taxis. We had to tell one of the "ushers" there where we were wanting to go, and she found us a taxi. This whole area was fenced in, and we could not have gone anywhere on our own; we were at the mercy of those taxis and vans lined up.

 

The "usher" had told us it would cost $90.00 for 4 people, including the entrance to Rose Hall Great House. It was a short taxi ride there, and our driver let us out then told us he would wait for us. We went up to get our tickets, and found out we had to pay separately there. They take cash or credit cards, American dollars gladly accepted.

 

I snapped this picture as we were walking through the gardens up to the front of the house:

 

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Once down in front of the house, about 100 feet from it still, they had photographers stationed to take your picture if you wanted. They then told us that we could not take any pictures in the house, which is not what we had read previously here on CC. I talked to some people who had also toured the house, and their guide told them they were told to say no photos, but she didn't care! So I guess it all depends upon your guide.

 

The house was nice, but different from Plantations I've tour in the Southern United States. Things were dusty, brass not polished, floors worn, etc. Not that it was any less interesting or beautiful because of it, just something I noticed.

 

I would have liked a little more time in the basement area where they had their museum. There were a lot of letters with pictures from previous tourists with "ghosts" in their pictures. I only had time to read one or two before I was told to keep up with the tour; they were moving on out.

 

I did take this picture of one of the palms in the gardens:

 

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We got back into our taxi, and he paused on the driveway on the way out for me to take this picture back at the house; it's in the very far distance, but you can see it:

 

 

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Our driver told us he could continue a tour anywhere we wanted to go for $10.00 an hour per person. We did not have enough cash with us for this, as his fee alone was $90.00, not including what we had already paid for the tour of the house. We thought that was fair; he would have been left with little for himself and his time if the $90.00 had included the entrance to Rose Hall, too. We were just irritated that we had not been told correctly by the "usher" at the port.

 

I remember seeing a sign I wish I had gotten a picture of: Kentucky Fried Chicken - a bucket for $29.99! I'm sure it was Jamaican dollars, though. I won't tell you what the conversion rate was because DH and I have differing recollections, so I won't give you information I don't know to be correct.

 

I did take a couple of other pictures on the ride back to the port, this first one being the two ships in the port:

 

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Two Jamaican patrolmen:

 

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And some peddlers on the street corner while we were stopped at a light. We were told don't open the windows or even look them in the eye; you couldn't get away from them easily if they thought you were interested in something. You could even buy ganja!

 

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[Planmaam]

Back at the port, we walked through some of the shops inside the building, but didn't buy anything. Outside the terminal by the Carnival Sunshine, again there were souvenirs to be had.

 

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We once again got into a van for our trip back to the Jewel.

 

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Medicalma'am and I went up to Topsiders Bar for a drink, and I looked at the bar menu and found that they did indeed offer bottles for sale at the same price you could pre-order a bar set-up. Sorry the pictures are not very clear, but I took pictures showing the three price categories and the offerings within each one:

 

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[Planmaam]

Here is a picture of the full page, maybe it will be clearer if you zoom in:

 

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[medicalma'am]

Ladies,

 

Thank you for a wonderful review. I can't wait for more. Next month will be our first suite experience and I am excited. We have the corner aft 10664 and I am a little disappointed to read/see that our balcony will be so narrow. I don't know why but i thought it would be deeper.

 

Also - medicalma'am, Ken and I sat next to you at the Chef's Table on the Star last January (you may recall they took your picture with him and you had to politely ask them to take one of just you! LOL). We loved the entire experience and planned to do it again on the Jewel. Two questions.....did I read correctly that you booked it right in the boarding area and your sister did it by phone prior to even getting there? Also, I worry about trying to duplicate such a perfect evening and it not living up to the memories - thoughts? I assume it's the same menu and quality of food but is the experience just as much a WOW factor the second time around?

 

Melissa

 

Hello Melissa! Yes, I booked and paid for the Chef's Table for DH and I before we boarded, in the VIP lounge. I encourage you to do it again! It was the same food, but a different experience with a different group - JUST as fun! The Jewel Chef adds to the different experience also. Wendy did not book it, but just sent an email to the pre concierge that she was interested a few weeks before the cruise. She made reservations in the VIP lounge but paid for it that night.

[medicalma'am]

I just noticed in the pictures of us docking that they had used two containers to 'block' off the dock from that other ship "Star Taurus". There were also two men posted there, I guess to keep from us having stowaways!

 

I had read on that the entrance to Rose Hall was $10 a person, and that was on their website! If that had been the price, the $90 that I was told by TWO ushers could have been reasonable. But it was $20 a person, which would have left only $10 for the taxi! Before we got in our taxi again, we talked and decided that we had to ask him what we owed him so far. (He HAD waited for us, and could not probably get another fare at the port that day). We all counted our money and decided we did not have enough for a "tour of town" from him. It was kind of funny with all of us counting our $!

 

EVERYTHING was really expensive on Jamaica. I was shocked at the prices. I almost bought a book on the famous White Witch of Rose Hall, but didn't in the end. The house had a very interesting story, although sad. I had also understood that you could take pictures in the surrounding gardens and was disappointed that we could not.

 

My thoughts on Jamaica are that NCL should not waste time going there. The port leaves SO much to be desired. I did not like the cost of anything there. But, now I can say I have been to Jamaica.

 

[medicalma'am]

I enjoyed our time at TopSiders Bar. I had .......you guessed it.....a dirty Tanqueray gin Martini with extra olives. The bartender was a woman whom we chatted with the whole time. At one point her phone rang. She listened for a bit and then help up a Santa hat and said "It's right here." Then she put it on. When she hung up, we asked about the call, thinking she had been seen on camera without the hat. She said that her boss was on the pool deck below us and had seen her without it and told her to put it on! It was nice up there sitting in the shade at the bar.

 

We had reservations at Moderno that evening. We returned to the suites and got ready. We took another bottle of wine to dinner with us. We had done Moderno on the Star in January with my son and daughter in law, sister Screenma'am, Planma'am and DH and maybe others in our group. I think we had 8 at our table. We had filled up on the sausage, salad bar, sides and such, so when the meats we really wanted came out, we were almost too full to enjoy it. We decided to try it again and thought we knew 'how' to eat there.

 

We had a bit of the salad bar, and told them what sides not to bring out. We had as much of the meats we wanted and dessert. I cannot say that I want to eat there again. Twice is enough for me. It was great for the price though.

 

They did bring out an anniversary cake for Planma'am and her DH! They sang to them also.

 

 

 

The cake

 

 

Aren't they cute?

 

 

OK, this night might have been the magician and 'Barbie Grandma' night.

 

We did come out of the theater and Planma'am and I wandered to the shops. I think we were waiting for her DH and saw a woman shopping in her pajamas, robe and slippers!

 

 

What was she thinking???? This is carrying Freestyling TOO FAR! I once walked the 10 feet from our suite to Planma'am's suite in my jamies, slippers and robe, but I made SURE no one was in the halls first.

 

[medicalma'am]

This was our view from our balcony at Jamaica.....not too pretty is it?

 

Planma'am had some pictures of us coming into port and here are pics of leaving port.

 

 

 

 

So Long, Jamaica.

 

Here was our little friend tonight.

 

[medicalma'am]

So we again did not have a late night. Tomorrow would be Georgetown, Grand Cayman. We would be tagging along with Mitsugirly and some new friends!

 

We awoke and got ready. We elected to have breakfast in the Garden Buffet to save time. We met up with friends and headed to the Star Bar, where we thought we would beet Elvina. Actually, our letter in our suite said Le Bistro, and we were mixed up because the Star Bar was always the place to meet the concierge on the Star. Oops.....we are on the Jewel.

 

We soon figured out our mistake and headed to the right place. Through the secret door, down the secret stairs and to the front of the line we went! We boarded a double decker tender boat and who should we see? Mitsugirly and Mr. Mitsugirly and Sakari! It was perfect timing.

 

We got to shore and waited. We learned that we were on time, but I think they had another group that went before us. Another tour operator told us that the tour owner we were waiting for had gone and would be right back. Kim then called and contacted him and he said he would be there in a bit. He did come and we were told our bus would be here later. In all, we waited for an hour and a half.

 

We wandered around, took pictures and people watched.

 

 

 

 

Short shorts.....remember that commercial?.....the one from the seventies?

 

 

Sorry, I couldn't help it. I'm in a weird mood tonight.

 

 

Soon, we were on the bus and then on the boat. We first went to a snorkling area and a stingray came up!

 

DH and stingray

 

 

Now our boat had its diving flag up and this was not Stingray City. This stingray had NO stinger or tail. I did not snorkel, but I should have. This stingray was perfectly safe.

 

Soon it was time for lunch at Rum Point. This place was beautiful and the food was great. I had a jerk chicken sandwich.

 

 

 

We cooled off in the water, lounged on some chairs, and could have napped.

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2014 by medicalma'am

[medicalma'am]

There was a nicer restaurant at Rum Point that was only open in the evenings.

 

 

I am sure it is a popular local place. Maybe the people who live in all those beautiful houses we passed on the canal on the way back come here.

 

 

It says that reservations are highly recommended

 

 

The menu

 

 

[medicalma'am]

Time to say goodbye to Rum Point.

 

 

DH was excited because we got the news that the government had opened Stingray City! It is a national park and it had been shut down that morning because of rough seas....and they were rough.

 

 

The water was beautiful. We came up on the sand bar and the stingrays came!!! I do not have a waterproof camera and did not take any pics in the water. I got in, had my experience with the stingray and got back out so I could take pics. OK.....I was a bit uncomfortable with the stingrays. I just kept focusing on that tail....and that stinger. I was perfectly happy to just watch at that point!

 

 

DH with the stingray

 

 

They would come up on people in the water and surprise them. This one did that to Planma'am. Notice in this picture to the left, there is one with its tail out of the water.

 

 

There was also another ship there with us. Another one came just before we left. I think we were some of the VERY lucky few that actually got to swim with the rays that day. What an awesome day it was and I will never forget it.

 

We saw some of the most incredible houses again on the way back.

 

 

Just this week I was watching "House Hunters International" on HGTV. They were looking at houses in Georgetown! They showed three houses on a canal and it was filmed back in 2011. I couldn't help but wonder if they were some of the houses we saw. They were (back then) $1.2 to $2 million! I can't imagine what they are going for now.

 

Edited January 10, 2014 by medicalma'am

[medicalma'am]

I forgot Wednesday night and Chef's Table!!! I will stop for now. I am tired, weary and exhausted. Stressed at work tonight. Tomorrow is a stressful day for me too. I am having an MRI of my left knee, going to work early to do some 'feedback' with the day shift. My boss asked me to do it because she has "been the bearer of bad news lately and can't handle more right now". Sigh.

 

I will let Planma'am catch up and we will cover Chef's table tomorrow. I think she has most of the pics from it.

 

Night all. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

[Planmaam]

OK, glad you realized the mistake. :o

 

Yes, I have been looking forward to sharing the Chef's Table experience. I'll get it together tonight after work.

[mitsugirly]

 

Then there is the night stand light. It is underneath it and the switch is on the wall above it.

 

 

 

 

 

Wow' date=' this is an awesome feature. I wish all the rooms had this in them. I remember staying in a hotel/condo back in the 80s in Daytona and they had this, but it was under the bed that lit up. It was pretty cool.

 

Sail away video:

 

In Spinnaker I didn't take many pictures, but I did get a video of the kiddos there having a great time on the dance floor. You may recognize one or more of them.

 

 

 

Haha, I didn't realize you flimed Sakari getting wild on the dance floor. Awesome. It was one of those nights she was hyped up and ready to play and cruise. She gets so excited when she cruises. LOL

[mitsugirly]

And I liked this painting of the ship I had seen somewhere in the ship' date=' too:

 

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I wish I could have found this. The artwork in the stairways just did not excite me this time around. This is beautiful though. I really like it.

 

 

Tonight we had the Captain's cocktail party in the Haven. I was very excited about being able to see the Haven. This was a party for those in suites. I was more interested in seeing the Haven and taking pictures.

 

 

Man, I really wish I could have gone to this. They just had it at a time that the kids club was closed and we didn't want to bring Sakari with us. Darn. I would have really loved to have seen what it's like there in person. :(

[BritChickBN1]

She gets so excited when she cruises. LOL

 

I get so excited when I cruise too and I'm a few years shy of 40!:o

 

Loving the review ma'ams. Stingray city is one of my favorite cruise memories too!

[Planmaam]

Wow, this is an awesome feature. I wish all the rooms had this in them. I remember staying in a hotel/condo back in the 80s in Daytona and they had this, but it was under the bed that lit up. It was pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

Haha, I didn't realize you flimed Sakari getting wild on the dance floor. Awesome. It was one of those nights she was hyped up and ready to play and cruise. She gets so excited when she cruises. LOL

 

Well, I wish Medicalma'am would have shared the nightlight info with me; I didn't know about it until she posted it on here. Next time..................

 

Mitsugirly, they were having so much fun I just had to record it; so glad she was having a great time, too. I was waiting for you to see it and say something!

[Planmaam]

I get so excited when I cruise too and I'm a few years shy of 40!:o

 

Loving the review ma'ams. Stingray city is one of my favorite cruise memories too!

 

BritChickBN1, I find myself daydreaming about Stingray City and the beautiful, warm water we experienced there. I look out the window at the snow coming down, and daydream some more!

[Planmaam]

I'm excited to share the Chef's Table experience, but I've taken pictures I want to use and they are only on my home computer.

 

But I wanted to say that the experience reminded me of a Louden Wainright III song from the 70s (yes, I know I'm showing my age!): "Drinks before dinner, wine with dinner, after dinner drinks,"! :D

 

I did not take my camera, but I hope Medicalma'am took some pictures with her phone. She carried her phone with her most of the cruise and used it for taking pictures. Sure did come in handy, because I sure didn't want to carry my camera with me everywhere.

[Planmaam]

We met for Chef's Table in the bar area where they greeted us with a glass of champagne, or sparkling wine. We got to know other members of the group as we drank, and once everyone was there, they escorted us to an area of Le Bistro separated from the rest of the restaurant by a folding screen. It was set up for the 13 of us with a large table in a wide rectangle so conversation would be easy amongst the group. They told us we were to sit where our names were, but wanted us to gather for the group photo first:

 

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Then Chef Santos went around the table and pictures were taken with each party individually:

 

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[Planmaam]

Sorry about the quality of the photos. I'm having IT problems again, and took a picture of these pictures with my phone's camera. If I can get Photoshop to work on my pc again, I'll post the pictures taken with my camera later.

[Planmaam]

At each place setting, there was a copy of the menu under the plate, picture is next. I realize you will have to zoom in to read it, if you can.

 

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