A great week aboard the Jewel - A heavenly experience

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Good Morning Cozumel

 

Unfortunately, I missed the sunrise today but woke up to this beautiful view of Cozumel.

 

 

For those following who like trivia, what did the Royal Caribbean ship say to the Carnival ship?

 

Move out of the way that is my parking spot.

 

 

We did not have any plans in the morning so we had breakfast, did another tour of the ship, and relaxed in the Haven.

 

 

 

While touring the ship, we came across the bridge viewing room. It has a big window that allows you to look into the bridge as well as a lot of memorabilia hanging on the wall. The bridge viewing room is located on Deck 11 in the front of the ship.

 

Edited February 1, 2014 by jmele999

[gardiner41]

 

We shared the bruschetta and DP also had soup as an appetizer. The bruschetta was great.

 

 

For our entrees, DP ordered the lasagna and I had the lobster fettuccine. DP commented that the lasagna was great and the lobster fettuccine was excellent. Gardiner41 also had the lobster fettuccine a couple of days later and she said that it was one of her favorite meals of the cruise.

 

 

 

[

Overall, we have an excellent meal at La Cucina with great service. Overall grade: B+

 

Sounds like we had pretty much the same meal.

I had the bruschetta which I agree was very good. I can't remember what DH had to start with I think it was soup. He had the Lasagna and really enjoyed it while I had the fettichini. One suggestion to any one ordering it. I asked to have grilled shrimp in it as well as the lobster. And it was EXCELLENT there were several perfectly grilled tiger shrimp along with the lobster. It really was very very good. Another note. the picture and what I had were not as described on the menu. We each asked for a traditional Alfredo sauce, so if this is what you are looking for when ordering do make sure you ask for crème sauce or you may be disappointed.

This was DH birthday dinner and they brought a lovely cake and sang happy birthday to him. The rest of the guests joined in spontaneously and it created a wonderful special moment for my DH.

[gardiner41]

All of the cruise critic activities were a huge success. Thanks to Redbarb23, Gardiner41 and BigEasyCC for organizing all of the activities.[/size]

 

And I second all these thank yous!!

 

You are very welcome :) It was a lot of fun and made the cruise that much more special!

Thank YOU for organizing the Martini tasting. As everyone can see from the smiling faces we all had a great time.

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Cozumel

The Money Bar

 

In the afternoon we had lunch in Cagney's and went to the money bar to meet our friends Gardiner41 and her husband.

 

 

The money bar is a beach club offering beach access, food, drinks, snorkeling and even a place for a massage. I had a 30 minute massage and it was great. They offer packages based on what you would like to do for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

After a couple of hours at the money bar, we shared a cab with our friends and returned to our home away from home.

 

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Cozumel

Sunset celebration

 

More sunset pictures to come, but this time I had planned a surprise for my DP. While he was still at the Haven sunbathing in the hot Caribbean sun, I made some drinks and waited for him.

 

 

So, I know that some of you will be asking "so what was in the bag" Well, here is it. They are black Swarovski cufflinks.

 

 

While he was enjoying his surprise, I was enjoying another beautiful sunset at sea.

 

 

 

[gardiner41]

I LOVED money bar. We will for sure go back. For the snorkelers reading this review this is THE place to go for great snorkeling in Cozumel.

ALL of the ships excursions came here to snorkel...so save your money and grab a cab here and snorkel for free if you have your own gear or a nominal charge to rent theirs.

Some of their packages have a guided snorkel tour if you want to do that. I love just exploring on my own and had a great time.

As you can tell from the pics it was not overly crowded here. The food was good and well priced (10 bucks for a huge plate of Nachos that fed both myself and my DH)

We did not do a package as we just wanted to have lunch and I wanted to snorkel while DH people watched.

When I finally came back to shore a nice surprise was waiting for me as our friends had just arrived.

It was a very relaxed casual afternoon. we just sat and enjoyed the vibe of the place...and myself and J's DP caught up on FB, email etc using the complimentary wifi.

I highly recommend Money Bar for anyone wanting a great spot to snorkel and have a relaxed in expensive day in Cozumel.

(we did the ATV jungle tour in the morning then had them drop us off here after. The ATV tour is a LOT of fun. Several others from our little group also did it and every one loved it. For a great adventurous day in Cozumel try a morning ATV tour followed by lunch and a snorkel/swim at Money bar)

 

One more note: There are two ways to access the water from the shore..the one pictured and another a few feet away that is much easier with a gradual slope into the water, 3 or 4 wide steps and a handrail that leads into about 2 feet of water with a sandy bottom. Very easy access for anyone with out limited mobility.

Edited February 1, 2014 by gardiner41

[jmele999]

I LOVED money bar. We will for sure go back. For the snorkelers reading this review this is THE place to go for great snorkeling in Cozumel.

ALL of the ships excursions came here to snorkel...so save your money and grab a cab here and snorkel for free if you have your own gear or a nominal charge to rent theirs.

Some of their packages have a guided snorkel tour if you want to do that. I love just exploring on my own and had a great time.

As you can tell from the pics it was not overly crowded here. The food was good and well priced (10 bucks for a huge plate of Nachos that fed both myself and my DH)

We did not do a package as we just wanted to have lunch and I wanted to snorkel while DH people watched.

When I finally came back to shore a nice surprise was waiting for me as our friends had just arrived.

It was a very relaxed casual afternoon. we just sat and enjoyed the vibe of the place...and myself and J's DP caught up on FB, email etc using the complimentary wifi.

I highly recommend Money Bar for anyone wanting a great spot to snorkel and have a relaxed in expensive day in Cozumel.

(we did the ATV jungle tour in the morning then had them drop us off here after. The ATV tour is a LOT of fun. Several others from our little group also did it and every one loved it. For a great adventurous day in Cozumel try a morning ATV tour followed by lunch and a snorkel/swim at Money bar)

 

One more note: There are two ways to access the water from the shore..the one pictured and another a few feet away that is much easier with a gradual slope into the water, 3 or 4 wide steps and a handrail that leads into about 2 feet of water with a sandy bottom. Very easy access for anyone with out limited mobility.

 

Thanks gardiner for the review. I agree with you - it was a very nice and relaxing place. I am hoping others will share their experiences in Cozumel.

Edited February 1, 2014 by jmele999

[british lady]

Anybody out there? I am starting to feel lonely here. Any questions?

 

Working on Day 2 pictures right now. Hope to have Day 2 completed by the end of the day.

 

Enjoying your review, thank you.We will be on the Jewel Dec. 2014 1st NCL cruise so love looking at the photos.

[tmcmom]

Loved the cruise. Loving the review. Loving the pictures. LOVING the cuff links!!!

[bluecartakesacruise]

"Thanks gardiner for the review. I agree with you - it was a very nice and relaxing place. I am hoping others will share their experiences in Cozumel."

 

Since you asked, we made our way to the taxi stand and hopped in with some folks bound for Paradise Beach. It was about a twenty minute trip zipping along a nicely made highway, just as fast as that 20 year old Datsun could go. (I guess the cabbies have to make as many runs as the can cram in when ships are in port.)

 

There's an entry fee of $3 each, which gets you the lovely beach, loungers, clean facilities, a very large and popular pool behind the beach area with no outside vendors wandering about. They also offer a wide variety of water toys for the kids to play on and a nice pier where you can climb down a ladder into deeper water to snorkel thus avoiding any rocky spots in the shallows.

 

For our entry fee, plus a $35 tab for a bucket of beer and some nice guacamole, we spent some wonderful warm hours basking under the coconut fronds.

 

Later we walked around and found the main plaza in Cozumel. Some local kids came by to break dance for tips. Quite enterprising of them I thought.

[brunolvr]

Great review and enjoyed your pictures of the Jewel, especially the Haven area. We have booked a 2-bedroom Haven Suite and will be on the Jewel in a short 4 months on a cruise to Alaska.

Any suggestions for us to fully enjoy the Jewel and the Haven?

Edited February 2, 2014 by brunolvr

[jmele999]

Great review and enjoyed your pictures of the Jewel, especially the Haven area. We have booked a 2-bedroom Haven Suite and will be on the Jewel in a short 4 months on a cruise to Alaska.

Any suggestions for us to fully enjoy the Jewel and the Haven?

 

You are going to love the Haven. My suggestion would be try to spend as much time in the Haven as possible. You can have breakfast and lunch in the Haven and I found that the service from the Haven attendant is excellent. In Alaska you should consider using the private Haven rooftop deck as the rest of the decks on the ship might be really crowded. The hot tub in the Haven will be great in Alaska.

[LAKECLIFF]

Anybody out there? I am starting to feel lonely here. Any questions?

 

Working on Day 2 pictures right now. Hope to have Day 2 completed by the end of the day.

Last couple of days have been busy here, but finally catching up and loving every post and picture. You and Angie need to collaborate on a photo book one day...You are both amazing photographers! My eye went immediately to the Bergers in the dining room shot. :D Had my last one yesterday and teared up a little. :(

[LAKECLIFF]

All of the cruise critic activities were a huge success. Thanks to Redbarb23, Gardiner41 and BigEasyCC for organizing all of the activities.[/size]

 

And I second all these thank yous!!

 

You are very welcome :) It was a lot of fun and made the cruise that much more special!

Thank YOU for organizing the Martini tasting. As everyone can see from the smiling faces we all had a great time.

And I "triple" all those Thank You's!!! Best CC group ever made a huge difference in our fun! Will be hard, if not impossible, to have a better group on a future cruise. Guess we all need to keep cruising together!!!

[BigEasyDS]

The review is great. Looking forward to reading more.

Don (BigEasyCC's DH)

[gardiner41]

And I second all these thank yous!!

 

You are very welcome :) It was a lot of fun and made the cruise that much more special!

Thank YOU for organizing the Martini tasting. As everyone can see from the smiling faces we all had a great time.

And I "triple" all those Thank You's!!! Best CC group ever made a huge difference in our fun! Will be hard, if not impossible, to have a better group on a future cruise. Guess we all need to keep cruising together!!!

:) so glad you enjoyed everything.

 

Now THERE's an idea! ;)

[brunolvr]

You are going to love the Haven. My suggestion would be try to spend as much time in the Haven as possible. You can have breakfast and lunch in the Haven and I found that the service from the Haven attendant is excellent. In Alaska you should consider using the private Haven rooftop deck as the rest of the decks on the ship might be really crowded. The hot tub in the Haven will be great in Alaska.

 

Thanks for the ideas but the only trouble with having breakfast/lunch in the Haven is there is no view. Think we might rather have some meals in our suite so we can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alaska and not miss out on anything.

 

Is the Haven's private viewing deck on the port side or starboard side?

 

Thanks again!

[jmele999]

Thanks for the ideas but the only trouble with having breakfast/lunch in the Haven is there is no view. Think we might rather have some meals in our suite so we can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alaska and not miss out on anything.

 

Is the Haven's private viewing deck on the port side or starboard side?

 

Thanks again!

 

The entire Deck 15 is for Haven guest only. See below.

 

[jmele999]

The review is great. Looking forward to reading more.

Don (BigEasyCC's DH)

 

Hi Don,

 

Thanks for reading. Loving the screen name. :)

[jmele999]

And I second all these thank yous!!

 

You are very welcome :) It was a lot of fun and made the cruise that much more special!

Thank YOU for organizing the Martini tasting. As everyone can see from the smiling faces we all had a great time.

And I "triple" all those Thank You's!!! Best CC group ever made a huge difference in our fun! Will be hard, if not impossible, to have a better group on a future cruise. Guess we all need to keep cruising together!!!

 

We did have a great group. It was very nice walking around the ship and seeing familiar faces.

[brunolvr]

The entire Deck 15 is for Haven guest only. See below.

 

 

Great! Thanks! That's way different than on the Pearl.

Oh, I know it may change before our cruise in 4 months, but who was your Captain?

Edited February 2, 2014 by brunolvr

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Cozumel

The Chef's Table

 

The chef's table is the premier dinning experience on NCL consisting of a nine-course menu, wine pairings, and pre- and post-dinner drinks. It is typically held only once on a 7 day cruise and is limited to 12 guests. It is recommended that you reserve your spot as soon as you board the ship on embarkation as it is a very popular event. However, on our sailing we noticed that they had a table set up near the check-in counter for signing up for the chef's table as well as specialty restaurants. In order to reserve our spots we had contacted the pre-cruise concierge and informed him that we were interested in signing up for the chef's table. After checking in and meeting the concierge we signed a voucher to pay for the dinner. The price for the chef's table has now increased from $89 to $99 per person.

 

During our sailing, the chef's table was held on Tuesday and we were instructed to meet at 6:15 pm at Maltings for pre-dinner drinks (champagne). We had to wait for approximately 30 minutes because we were waiting for two guests. At around 6:45 pm we were escorted to Le Bistro for the dinner.

 

Here is the menu and wine pairings for the dinner, followed by some pictures of the dishes.

 

 

Amuse Bouche "Molecular Gastronome

 

Ahi Tuna Tartare

 

Cauliflower Flan before the addition of the Asparagus Cream

 

Asparagus cream

 

Short Crust Tartlet

Edited February 2, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Cozumel

The Chef's table

 

Granite

 

Pan Seared Sea Bass

 

"Milk-Fed" Veal Chop

 

Cheese

 

Dome

 

Chocolate Log

Edited February 2, 2014 by jmele999

[BigEasyCC]

Wow. That all looks great.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[Planmaam]

It's a joy to ready your review and see your pictures, jmele999. Just 5 weeks after our Jewel cruise, with a lot of similarities and many differences. New officers and staff, and a different itinerary. Though we were in a suite, it was not a Haven Suite, so it's nice to see more of the perks you get with the Haven. Oh, and the Chef's Table went up $10.00. Still worth it, even at that price, IMHO.

 

Did the captain attend your Meet & Greet? I guess the Star was not docked beside you in Cozumel because you were there earlier in the week (was it Tuesday?) rather than on Friday.

 

Keep up the good work; anxiously awaiting the remainder of your review.

Edited February 2, 2014 by planma'am