what is the Pacific Jewel like?

[Hip Synch]

I am thinking of going on this ship in a mini-suite. I have read some bad reviews on other boards and am hoping that this ship has maybe has improved although most complaints were about prices of alcohol and food.:( This is even with Chef Luke Mon? Salt Restaurant.

 

I would appreciate any comments as I am planning a cruise from Adelaide to Hobart and it will be my one and only and I don't want to be too disappointed.:)

 

Thanks

[By The Bay]

I am thinking of going on this ship in a mini-suite. I have read some bad reviews on other boards and am hoping that this ship has maybe has improved although most complaints were about prices of alcohol and food.:( This is even with Chef Luke Mon? Salt Restaurant.

 

I would appreciate any comments as I am planning a cruise from Adelaide to Hobart and it will be my one and only and I don't want to be too disappointed.:)

 

Thanks

The entertainment gets good reviews. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in the Orient bar and the great views from the Dome during daylight hours.

 

Luke Mangan's Salt restaurant on the Jewel has increased its price to $49 a person for their evening meal. The food in the MDR and Waterfront buffet both provide plenty of choice. There is also a Asian restaurant, Luna available.

 

I have enjoyed my cruises on the Jewel. If it is to be your one and only cruise, I suggest that you go with an attitude to enjoy yourself.

[annenic]

I agree with By the Bay - we have also enjoyed our cruises on the Jewel.

 

Entertainment is good. Food is good - especially Luke Mangan's Salt Restaurant and at $49 for a 3 course meal it is still an absolute bargain. In Sydney the main by itself would be that price!

 

Jewel is a very comfortable ship......I particularly like the Oasis on Deck 10 aft - great place to sit and look at the ocean and enjoy the sun. This is a child-free area and nice and peaceful.

[aussie cruzer]

I heard they charge for room service.

 

$2 for a piece of toast......my friends came back a couple of weeks ago.. they were in a min - suite....nice room from what i heard.

 

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk

[sun-set]

I agree with By the Bay - we have also enjoyed our cruises on the Jewel.

 

Entertainment is good. Food is good - especially Luke Mangan's Salt Restaurant and at $49 for a 3 course meal it is still an absolute bargain. In Sydney the main by itself would be that price!

 

Jewel is a very comfortable ship......I particularly like the Oasis on Deck 10 aft - great place to sit and look at the ocean and enjoy the sun. This is a child-free area and nice and peaceful.

 

$49 each when you have already paid for your meals!!!!!

:confused:

[annenic]

$49 each when you have already paid for your meals!!!!!

:confused:

 

Yes, but you don't HAVE to go there. Its a choice as it is a speciality restaurant.

 

The meals in the Main Dining Room and the Buffet are all free - part of your cruise price. Food is good in both these venues (and if you don't like what you have ordered, you can always order something else and they will bring it for you). Nothing is a bother. I've seen people order a couple of appetisers, a main and then 3 different deserts ;) - no wonder some folks put on weight on a cruise!!

 

My husband and I generally go to Salt once while we are on board. As I say - it is a bargain price compared to what we would pay in his Sydney restaurant 'glass'. And the menu is absolutely de-lish.

[dizzy1948]

I haven't been on the Jewel, but Luke Mangan's Salt Restaurant comes under the "Speciality Dining Option" and it is an option. All your meals are included for the restaurants except "Speciality" which have a cover charge. So unless you want to pay the $49.00 - you don't need to go. If you were to go into Luke Mangan's Salt Restaurant on land - you would pay probably three times that - maybe more. So if you look at it as a "taster for Luke Mangan's Restaurants - and you would get exactly what landlubbers would pay ashore" - it's a bargain - but it is not compulsory.

Hope this helps

Edited February 17, 2014 by dizzy1948

[stass1]

We're due to sail on the Jewel for the first time next month and I'm looking forward to it. Yes some of the reviews are woeful, but you will find that with most lines - people just like to complain!

 

We're planing on going to Salt for lunch, it's cheaper during lunch and for the same menu as dinner time. I would have like to try Luna, but being pregnant there looked to be a lot of seafood which I'm not meant to overindulge in. I think it's a small price to pay for the experience compared to going to their restraunts on land.

[megsie]

We're due to sail on the Jewel for the first time next month and I'm looking forward to it. Yes some of the reviews are woeful, but you will find that with most lines - people just like to complain!

 

We're planing on going to Salt for lunch, it's cheaper during lunch and for the same menu as dinner time. I would have like to try Luna, but being pregnant there looked to be a lot of seafood which I'm not meant to overindulge in. I think it's a small price to pay for the experience compared to going to their restraunts on land.[/

 

Don't miss the main dining room for lunch on sea days - it was good also. Breakfast there was up there with the best. Didn't like the buffet much. Make sure you book in for the dining room each day for dinner if dining there. Room service was at a cost and pricey. There were negatives as on any cruise but we enjoyed our Moreton Island cruise very much.

[stass1]

Did you do a review Megsie I'm interested to hear more about your cruise and tours etc?

[megsie]

Did you do a review Megsie I'm interested to hear more about your cruise and tours etc?

 

No, I didn't do a review as our cruise was just before the refit and no doubt any negatives we had, may have been rectified then. We got a cheap price for our suite and as for value for money, it was ok. Enjoyed the entertainment, the entertainment staff were very friendly, chatty and worked hard. People aboard were nice and friendly, lots of first time cruisers, mixed age groups. Karaoke was very popular. We liked Moreton Island a lot even though we had heaps of rain. We did a 4WD bus tour, a bit bumpy but very good. Lots of tours and activities on offer or just enjoy the waterfront area. The Jewel, as expected isn't in the same class as the Solstice on which we had cruised a few weeks before, but we still enjoyed our cruise on her.

Edited February 18, 2014 by megsie

[Hip Synch]

Thank you for your comments everyone it was exactly what I wanted to hear and I agree that the SALT Restaurant is good for the money.

 

I know people just like to have something to complain about and want everything for free but another complaint was not being able to take a bottle of wine aboard. I would have liked to take a 2 bottles of bubbly or Muscato which I hear you can on most ships.

[rkmw]

Thank you for your comments everyone it was exactly what I wanted to hear and I agree that the SALT Restaurant is good for the money.

 

I know people just like to have something to complain about and want everything for free but another complaint was not being able to take a bottle of wine aboard. I would have liked to take a 2 bottles of bubbly or Muscato which I hear you can on most ships.

 

no alcohol of any kind to be taken onboard p&o

[Hip Synch]

Thank you for the info on P&O and alcohol.:)

[Brossy]

I cruised on the jewel in sept after a two year absence from P&O (during that time I cruised mainly on royal Caribbean because they offer family cabins so it worked out cheaper for us). Anyway I had a fantastic time on the jewel and I can't wait to cruise with P&O again. Their shows are the best, their sail always are the best, they have wonderful friendly staff, the food in the restaurant is wonderful (the buffet is average). Sure you have to pay for room service but its not that expensive.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[hematocrit]

I am thinking of going on this ship in a mini-suite. I have read some bad reviews on other boards and am hoping that this ship has maybe has improved although most complaints were about prices of alcohol and food.:( This is even with Chef Luke Mon? Salt Restaurant.

 

I would appreciate any comments as I am planning a cruise from Adelaide to Hobart and it will be my one and only and I don't want to be too disappointed.:)

 

Thanks

I've cruised on the Jewel twice and found the entertainment very good. The circus on the top deck and in the centrum are well worth watching. Food and service in the dining room is excellent and wait staff are friendly yet efficient. We also dined in Luke Mangan's Salt and found the food and ambience well worth the premium charge.

A great place to spend time relaxing is "The Cafe" on Deck 12 - great coffee and macaroons go down well at any time of day!!

Generally P&O is value for what you pay for a cruise. If you are prepared to pay a little more, you will find that Princess and RCI will give you that

"one star" more in service and food quality.

As others have said, if you go ready to enjoy yourself, you will have a good cruise, whichever line you select.

[cruisin-m]

P&O have the friendliest staff who seem to genuinely appreciate their job and are always extremely happy, their entertainment from shows to activities and sail away/deck parties is amazing, no other cruise line out there is even in the same league as them! Their food is right up there in my opinion too (they do the best pastas of any cruise line).

 

Pacific Jewel as a ship wasn't my favourite just because I felt that it had some silly design flaws such a wasted space up the top that was used as a gym/spa, but from what I've heard she has been refurbished and they put a lot of effort into changing this, such as adding the dome and not wasting as much space on the spa and gym. Since I haven't travelled on her since it may well be a lot better now :)

 

Pacific Pearl is my favourite of the P&O fleet, absolutely perfect!

[annenic]

Thank you for your comments everyone it was exactly what I wanted to hear and I agree that the SALT Restaurant is good for the money.

 

I know people just like to have something to complain about and want everything for free but another complaint was not being able to take a bottle of wine aboard. I would have liked to take a 2 bottles of bubbly or Muscato which I hear you can on most ships.

 

You can buy a bottle of wine at any of the bars and are able to take it back to your cabin if you like. It is also acceptable to take it to dinner with you etc. Or at least, we were able to do this when we last cruised on the Jewel.

 

In the main dining room the waiters will also keep your bottle in the fridge there for you the enjoy the next night.

 

It is slightly cheaper to do this than to buy by the glass all the time.....and then if you have a balcony, you can have a glass (or two) while enjoying the view :)

[annenic]

 

Pacific Pearl is my favourite of the P&O fleet, absolutely perfect!

 

Gotta say Pacific Jewel is my favourite - love the Oasis on deck 10. And loved the gym at the top.....haven't been on since the refurb. I will be disappointed if the gym has been moved to Deck 2 like it is on the Pearl - hated using that gym! So claustrophobic and NO VIEW - horrible.

[cruisin-m]

Gotta say Pacific Jewel is my favourite - love the Oasis on deck 10. And loved the gym at the top.....haven't been on since the refurb. I will be disappointed if the gym has been moved to Deck 2 like it is on the Pearl - hated using that gym! So claustrophobic and NO VIEW - horrible.

 

This is exactly why I say that no cruise ship is perfect for 'everyone' they all suit individual preferences so to say. I hated that the gym on the Jewel took up space that other ships use as a lounge/observation/entertainment area :rolleyes:

 

The only time I've ever used a cruise ship gym was on the Pacific Pearl, didn't bother on the Jewel. Really I should have done it the other way round right :p

 

So I guess for the OP it really comes down to how much of a fitness junkie you are which ship would suit you best ;) lol

[kate59]

If this is your first cruise, go with a positive attitude and you will love it. We sailed on the Jewel in 2008 - our first cruise and loved it, now we do a cruise every year. I do think some of the other lines are a little better but for the first cruise it is a great introduction.

 

There are fors and against for all ships and companies - last year I didn't expect to enjoy Carnival Spirit as our group had no children on board, but we still had a great time so off we go again.