3/13 Jewel Review--Casinos at Sea Cruise Featuring the UBP

[plane2port]

Now that we have recovered from all the Easter festivities, I'm ready to tackle the review of our last cruise. A. and I cruised on the Norwegian Jewel on a 7-day itinerary out of Los Angeles. This cruise was comped by Casinos at Sea, based on A.'s playing at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS. We had lots of options on where we could cruise, but we picked this one because we've not visited the Mexican Riviera before.

 

 

We flew to Los Angeles a day before our cruise. When we got outside arrivals at LAX, A. called for an Uber. We were told that we could only be picked up at departures, so we went upstairs and were picked up curbside. I had booked the Crowne Plaza on points (IHG) in San Pedro, which is adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles. When we checked in we were upgraded (due to my Platinum status with IHG,) to a suite with a view of the Port. Here is a photo of the port at sunrise. If you look just below the middle span of the bridge you can see the Jewel which had just docked.)

 

Port of Los Angeles

 

If you are cruising out of LA, please be aware that there are two cruise ports there. Most ships leave from the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. There is also the port in Long Beach a few miles away, which is used mainly by Carnival.

 

 

We had a pleasant stay at the Crowne Plaza, but no breakfast! You can walk from the hotel to many cafes and stores in San Pedro, if you need to pick up any supplies. I picked up a couple of breakfast burritos, but for once, I didn't have to shop for wine, because we also had a comped beverage package (a lot more on this later!)

 

 

Norwegian has started assigning prescheduled boarding times. The only time slot available when we did on line check in was 2:00 to 2:30. We checked out of our hotel at noon and took the hotel shuttle to the port. We could have easily walked to the ship because we only had small carry on bags. When we got there we were directed into the check in line. Apparently the assigned boarding times are not enforced. It took us about an hour before we boarded the ship after we arrived at the pier.

 

 

We dropped our bags off in our cabin on deck 5. We were comped an outside cabin, and we were pleased with the amount of space we had. We had more than enough storage, and the bathroom was not too tiny-- I appreciated that the toilet was separated off from the rest of the bathroom with a sliding glass door. We had our cabin attendant clean out our refrigerator (Again, this is habit because we're usually putting wine in the fridge) and we went up to Deck 12 to visit the buffet in the Garden Cafe.

 

Aft Outdoor Seating Area of the Garden Cafe

 

What a travesty that we were still full from our mediocre breakfast burritos, but we did manage to eat some fruit salad. We walked outside and I was so pleased to find seating outdoors just off the Cafe. This would be our meeting point for all meals that we would eat at the buffet, which were all breakfasts and lunches. We weaved our way down through the decks and found the Stardust Theater.

 

Stardust Theater

 

I believe that the ship sailed full, but there was always ample seating in the theater.

 

 

For me, the best feature of the ship was the promenade deck on Deck 7. I enjoy being able to walk all the way around the ship as I walk for exercise. I also like to have a place to go to get away from constant canned music and announcements. There is not a lot of seating on this deck, but this was not a factor on this sailing because the weather was not really warm enough for reading or hanging out during our sea days.

 

 

The pool deck contains two pools and five hot tubs, which were usually filled to capacity. One of the hot tubs is in a little splash area for small children which is located away from the other pools. The gazebo was used in its traditional role as the stage for the sail-away band and sexy legs contests et al.

 

Sail Away Party on the Jewel

 

I enjoyed and felt comfortable on the Jewel. Areas never seems crowded, and we never had to wait in lines. The ship is designed to facilitate flow of passengers.

 

Up next-- Dining on the Jewel!

[JulsInAZ]

Thank you for posting. We'll be on the Jewel in a little less than three weeks. Looking forward to the rest of your review! :)

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and fabulous photos! Glad you liked our homeport. :)

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your review/report and look forward to the next part.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[plane2port]

I was perfectly happy with the food on board the Norwegian Jewel. We ate most of our breakfasts, lunches, and snacks in the Garden Cafe or the Great Outdoors, and then we chose one of the complimentary main dining rooms for dinner. We only had one truly disappointing dinner in the Chin Chin dining room. We didn't go to any of the restaurants that have a cover charge.

 

 

The Garden Cafe on deck 12 is the main buffet. They generally serve American-style dishes like meatloaf, green beans, and macaroni and cheese on the two main stations. There is always a huge hunk of meat being served from the carvery. We saw roast beef, roast turkey, and ham. There is one station that serves Asian and Indian food. I found that I was enjoying the vegetarian Indian dishes whenever I ate at the buffet. There is also a grill section where you can get hot dogs, hamburgers, thin steaks, chicken breasts, and sometimes salmon. There is also pizza which we found mediocre. My favorite dessert was the bread pudding with caramel sauce. There is a soft-serve ice cream machine, but it was not very tasty. Carnival has better pizza and ice cream. There is a bar that serves sangrias and glasses of wine during lunch and dinner. The Garden Cafe is open for lunch from 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm for lunch (until 3:00 pm on embarkation day) and from 5:00 pm-9:30 pm for dinner (opens at 4:30 pm on embarkation day.)

 

 

We were glad to see smoked salmon on the breakfast buffet. Our go-to breakfast was smoked salmon slices, with onions and lemon, and fresh cut-up fruit. Several times we had eggs cooked to order or omelettes. The breakfast breads and pastries were not very appealing to us. Open 7:00am-10:30 am for breakfast. The Garden Cafe shuts down at 9:00 am on debarkation day.

 

 

The Great Outdoors is a small outdoor buffet located all the way aft on deck 12. They serve sandwiches, salads, grill items, chips and guacamole and desserts. We found ourselves getting a snack or light meal there daily because it was open when the Garden Cafe was closed. They are open from 2:30 pm- 5:00 pm, and from 9:30 pm- 10:30 or 11:00 pm. Embarkation day hours were 12:00 pm- 3:00 pm. They set up a mini version of the main breakfast buffet here from 8:00 am- 11:30 am.

 

 

Topsider's Grill is the small buffet next to the pool area on deck 12. They serve hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries, and perhaps a few other things. They are open for lunch from 12:00 pm- 5:00 pm. (only until 3:00 on embarkation day.) They also serve continental breakfast from 6:00 am- 10:00 am.

 

 

O'Sheehan's on deck 8 serves pub-style food. We didn't eat here at all until we had breakfast on debarkation day. We've had excellent prime rib at O'Sheehan's on the Breakaway, but on this trip we tended to eat fish or pasta so we stayed with the main dining rooms. Open 6:00 am-11:00 am for breakfast,, 11:30 am-5:00 pm for lunch, and 5:30 pm- 8:30 pm for dinner. According to the Freestyle Daily they have 24-hour snacks. You can get a sit-down breakfast here on debarkation day until 9:30 am.

 

 

Tsar's Palace is the large and elegant main dining room located on deck 7 aft. It is a beautiful room with floor-to-ceiling windows on the stern side. The walls are paneled with classical oil paintings of Russia's tsars. The staircase banister is decorated with replicas of the famous Faberge eggs. I loved the decor in this room, and it was my favorite place for a sit-down dinner. It apparently was decorated by the same designer who did the Summer Palace dining room on the Pearl. I loved that dining room as well, but it made me a little sad every time I had dinner there. Instead of portraits of the tsars, it is lined with oil paintings depicting the everyday life of the family of Nicholas and Alexandra. If you know your Russian history, you may recall that they were murdered by the Bolsheviks during the Revolution. On a happier note, we enjoyed most of our meals there and were always able to find something on the menu we liked. I was always able to order a fish or seafood dish, and A. often got pasta. Open 7:30 am- 9:30 am for breakfast, 12:00 pm-1:30 pm for lunch, and 5:00 pm-9:00 pm for dinner.

 

 

Azura is the other main dining room. It has a somewhat dark and sophisticated modern decor. It shares a kitchen with the Tsar's Palace, and therefore has the same menu. We would eat dinner here if we were too late to dine in the Tsar's Palace. Open 5:00 pm- 9:30 pm. We never ate dinner before 8:00 pm, and never had to wait at either restaurant for a table for two.

 

 

Chin Chin is the other complimentary dining venue, and I believe it shares a kitchen with the pay restaurant Teppanyaki. We ate in Chin Chin one night, and it was our worst meal by far. The calamari rings were heavy and greasy like onion rings, and my grilled shrimp was covered with a thick sweet sauce like you would get in a cheap Chinese take-out. Open 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm.

 

 

As I said earlier, we didn't eat in any of the "pay" restaurants, nor did we buy specialty coffees and pastries at Carlo's Bake Shop on Deck 7 midship.

 

 

Here is the information for those from the Daily:

 

 

Carlo's Bake Shop (a la carte) 8:00 am- 10:00 pm

 

 

La Cucina (Italian, a la carte) 5:30 pm- close

 

 

Le Bistro (French, al la carte) 5:30 pm-close

 

 

Moderno (Brazilian, $24.95) 5:30 pm- close

 

 

Sushi Bar (sushi!, a la carte) 5:30 pm- 7:00 pm

 

 

Teppanyaki (Japanese, $29.95) 4 seatings at 5:30 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, 10:00 pm

 

 

Just about everyday there is a barbeque between the pool and the Topsider cafe. The casino occasionally has snacks on offer. You will not go hungry on this ship. I can't say that everything was fabulous and of gourmet quality, but there is a huge selection and I assure you that you will find food that you like. I found that all the venues are well-designed to avoid crowding.

 

 

Next-- Trying to Maximize the Ultimate Beverage Package!

[CoffeeGoddess]

Cool review so far, I can't wait to hear more about how your cruise was on this trip!

[IsanTom]

Enjoying your review!

[zencruisers]

Enjoying the review. We board this ship on the April 10th.

[candigirl41]

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

 

Candi

[plane2port]

The Ultimate Beverage Package! I was really excited about this part of our cruise. This would be the first time that I would have access to unlimited alcohol on our vacation. Was this going to be a good thing or a bad thing? There would be many positives. I wouldn’t have to worry about shopping for wine before the cruise. I wouldn’t have to borrow a corkscrew from one of the bars. I would be able to order drinks on the spur of the moment! The only downside would be that I would probably spend some time being hung over. But I was happy when they handed us our sea passes with UBP stenciled in the upper right-hand corner.

 

 

Our cruise was booked via Casinos At Sea. The cruise was “comped” based on A.’s playing in the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi. When I called to book the cruise, I was delighted to find out that the UBP was also “comped.” We would only have to pay the 18% beverage package gratuity. At the time we booked the cruise, the UBP was priced at $59/day/person. Our gratuity worked out to about $80 each for the UBP. This is an incredible deal and I was thrilled.

 

 

We could drink anything in the bars or restaurants, as long as the price was less than $15. There are very few drinks that are priced more than this, and all the wines by-the-glass are less as well. As I recall, the only drinks that were more were the ones that came with a souvenir glass, and you could order these with the UBP and they would put it in a regular glass.

 

My goal was to sample all the drinks available on the ship. I realized the very first day that this plan was way too ambitious. I am no longer a 20-year-old college student, and I just can’t drink at the pace that would be required to sample all that was available. The mixed drinks are too sweet and contain too much alcohol for me to have more than a couple a day. And I HAVE to have several glasses of wine with dinner!

 

 

The first day was my heaviest drinking day. I had a Cherry Limeade (thumbs down—too sweet) at the pool bar shortly after lunch. About an hour before dinner, we had the Basin Cucumber Twist martinis (highly recommended) at Magnums. Then I had a couple of glasses of red wine at dinner, and a glass of wine later on in the casino. Good thing the next day was a sea day!

 

 

 

The next day I had the drink of the day at the pool bar (Pain Killer—another too sweet drink), the usual wine with dinner, and a Lavender Patch martini at Magnums (again, too sweet). On port days, I just drank wine with dinner, or perhaps just one glass of wine in the casino. On the last day of the cruise, which was a sea day, I had just one mixed drink like a pina colada, while I was in the hot tub, and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. I think that if I were on a longer cruise, I would be settling down to 2-3 glasses of wine a day and that’s it.

 

 

The UBP was great and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to try it. I wouldn’t buy it at full retail because I just can’t drink that much. Norwegian has just increased the price to $79 a day. This is actually $93.22 a day with the gratuity. And both occupants of the cabin have to buy one. This would have been an especially terrible deal for us because A. never drank more than two drinks a day. Norwegian does include the drinks package on many of their cruises, however.

 

 

 

Unfortunately I didn’t get around to tasting the Mojitos in the Sugar Cane Lounge! The problem I have with all the cocktails are that they are just too sweet for my taste. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. I never drank so much on this cruise that it affected my activities.

 

 

One thing to be aware of with the UBP is that it does not include waters and specialty coffees. We had a special drink card that was attached to our casino players’ card that did include these items if they were consumed while we were in the casino. If we ordered a glass of wine in the casino, they asked to see our ship’s cards.

 

 

 

In my next post, I’ll give a quick run down of the bars, and post their menus with prices.

Edited April 2, 2016 by plane2port

[plane2port]

Here are more details than you probably want to know about what is served in the bars aboard the Norwegian Jewel. I've included photos of all the bar menus that I could get my hands on.

 

What You Can Get In Every Bar and Restaurant

 

Here are the last four pages of every bar menu. If you're a wine drinker like me you'll be looking at page four a lot. Every wine that they serve by the glass can be ordered with the Ultimate Beverage Package. I especially liked the Pinot Noir and the Red Blend. The Riesling is nice and dry.

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 2

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 3

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 4

 

 

Shakers, Magnums, and Maltings--Deck 6

 

The largest bar area is on Deck 6 and includes Maltings, Magnums Champagne Bar, and Shakers Martini Bar. They all use the same bar menu. This is where you can get the delicious Basil Cucumber Twist.

 

Shakers Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Shakers Bar Menu Page 2

[plane2port]

Fyzz--Deck 7

 

The Fyzz Lounge is where many activities like dance lessons and trivia are held. They serve most drinks that are available in the other bars, but their menu shows the drinks of the day. You can get the Drink of the Day in any bar. The DOD will be also be written on a blackboard at the Topsider Bar.

 

Norwegian Jewel Drink of the Day Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Drink of the Day Bar Menu Page 2

 

 

Topsider Bar, Sky High Bar, and Spinnaker

 

The Topsider is the bar right next to the pool area on deck 12. The Sky High Bar is on the mezzanine (deck 13) above the pool deck and is great for watching the activities there. The Spinnaker is forward on Deck 13. They all are serving the same menu. Fyzz will also make you a drink from these menus.

 

Topsider, Sky High, Spinnaker, Fyzz Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Topsider, Sky High, Fyzz, Spinnaker Bar Menu Page 2

 

 

Sugar Cane Mojito Bar

 

The Sugar Cane serves......Mojitos, and just about any other drink served elsewhere on the ship. It's located midship on Deck 13.

 

Sugar Cane Lounge Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Sugar Cane Lounge Bar Menu Page 2

 

Other Places to Get a Drink on the Jewel

 

The Sushi and Sake bar on deck 8 is right at the entrance to the Chin Chin restaurant. They serve regular bar drinks and sake warm or cold. O'Sheehans will serve you a drink as will the Java Cafe on Deck 7. I'm looking at my Freestyle Daily and I'm seeing that The Great Outdoors (where snacks are served almost all day, Deck 12 aft) has a bar, but either I never noticed it, or it was closed. You can also get wine or beer at a kiosk in the Garden Cafe.

 

I needed another week or two to fully research all the drinking options on the Jewel. If you are looking forward to doing your own research, I hope the bar menus I've posted will get you started.

[Patsfans]

Did you try mr worldwide or rebellious fish ?

[plane2port]

Did you try mr worldwide or rebellious fish ?

 

I did try the Rebellious Fish. It was pretty good but still a little too sweet for me.

[plane2port]

Sorry folks, I've just noticed that my pictures are not rotated properly. It's an issue of moving photos from my Iphone to where they're stored on my blog. I'll get them fixed, but it may take awhile. Darn!

[plane2port]

I've fixed the issue with the pictures so here I'll just repost the Bar Menus here!

 

Here are the last four pages of every bar menu. If you're a wine drinker like me you'll be looking at page four a lot. Every wine that they serve by the glass can be ordered with the Ultimate Beverage Package. I especially liked the Pinot Noir and the Red Blend. The Riesling is nice and dry.

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 1

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 2

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 3

 

 

Norwegian Jewel All Bars Menu Page 4

 

 

Shakers, Magnums, and Maltings--Deck 6

 

The largest bar area is on Deck 6 and includes Maltings, Magnums Champagne Bar, and Shakers Martini Bar. They all use the same bar menu. This is where you can get the delicious Basil Cucumber Twist.

 

Norwegian Jewel Shakers Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Norwegian Jewel Shakers Bar Menu Page 2

[plane2port]

Fyzz--Deck 7

 

The Fyzz Lounge is where many activities like dance lessons and trivia are held. They serve most drinks that are available in the other bars, but their menu shows the drinks of the day. You can get the Drink of the Day in any bar. The DOD will be also be written on a blackboard at the Topsider Bar.

 

Norwegian Jewel Drink of the Day Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Norwegian Jewel Drink of the Day Bar Menu Page 2

 

 

Topsider Bar, Sky High Bar, and Spinnaker

 

The Topsider is the bar right next to the pool area on deck 12. The Sky High Bar is on the mezzanine (deck 13) above the pool deck and is great for watching the activities there. The Spinnaker is forward on Deck 13. They all are serving the same menu. Fyzz will also make you a drink from these menus.

 

Topsiders, Sky High, and Spinnaker Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Topsiders, Sky High, and Spinnaker Bar Menu Page 2

 

 

Sugar Cane Mojito Bar

 

The Sugar Cane serves......Mojitos, and just about any other drink served elsewhere on the ship. It's located midship on Deck 13.

 

Sugar Cane Bar Menu Page 1

 

 

Sugar Cane Bar Menu Page 2

 

 

Other Places to Get a Drink on the Jewel

 

The Sushi and Sake bar on deck 8 is right at the entrance to the Chin Chin restaurant. They serve regular bar drinks and sake warm or cold. O'Sheehans will serve you a drink as will the Java Cafe on Deck 7. I'm looking at my Freestyle Daily and I'm seeing that The Great Outdoors (where snacks are served almost all day, Deck 12 aft) has a bar, but either I never noticed it, or it was closed. You can also get wine or beer at a kiosk in the Garden Cafe.

 

I needed another week or two to fully research all the drinking options on the Jewel. If you are looking forward to doing your own research, I hope the bar menus I've posted will get you started.

[IsanTom]

Thanks for the menus!

[seaweeyin]

Thanks for posting these menus. Can't wait to try AAALLLL the drinks next week! ;)

[plane2port]

Thanks for posting these menus. Can't wait to try AAALLLL the drinks next week! ;)

 

If you can try all these drinks in just one week, you are my hero! Enjoy your cruise, and let me know how it goes!

[fmigali]

I can't wait to see what your next installment is! I really like the way you are "chunking" out your review!

[cpshaye]

Following.Will be on her this fall. :cool:

[plane2port]

Day 1--Sail Away

 

The calypso band Essence provided the music for our sail away party out of the Port of Los Angeles. Later on that night, cruise director Archie introduced us to some of the entertainment that would be provided this week. We had a short singing and dancing vignette by the singers and dancers. Then the gymnast couple Hajime and Maud performed a few artistic feats. Jean Pierre did a magic and comedy show. The show lasted more than an hour and was very good. Many times we skip the welcome aboard show, but this one was definitely worth attending.

 

Day 2--Sea Day

 

Our first production show was Band on the Run with the Jewel Production Cast Singers and Dancers. It was your usual Las Vegas style show with nice costumes and popular songs, but was entertaining nonetheless. The music was provided by the Jewel's 7-piece show band! It was great to hear a show with a live band rather that a soundtrack, which is all too common these days. The show band also played in some of the lounges around the ship during the week. I was pleased that they kept the volume below the usual eardrum-busting decibel level.

 

Day 3--Sea Day

 

The main production show was the comedian Michael Sommerville, who is somewhat laid back and has a self-deprecating kind of humor. He is great at ad libbing and with repartee with the audience. Later on that night we went to the Spinnaker to hear the party band Next Stage do a Beatles tribute, which had everyone dancing. Next Stage performed on deck and in some of the clubs several other times on the cruise.

 

Day 4--Cabo San Lucas

 

The acrobatic team performed their main show Luminescence in the main theater. They do a Cirque de Soleil-esque show with aerial rings, and perform many feats of strength and flexibility. The show also has considerable artistic merit.

 

Day 5--Mazatlan

 

A local Mariachi band came on board for three performances at 12:00, 1:00, and 2:00. We were out and about in port and missed them, but I think they also played briefly during the folkloric festival performed at 3:00. Fortunately I was back on board for the folkloric dance troupe. They did a performance similar to what you see if you go to a Ballet Folklorico in Mexico City. It was very well done, but I was embarrassed that it was so sparsely attended. I guess this is what you would expect when you schedule something when most people are off the ship on a port day.

 

 

The evening's entertainment in the Stardust Theater was Jean Pierre Parent, who performed comedy and magic in the welcome aboard show. A. and I agreed that his funniest lines were non-scripted.

 

Day 6--Puerto Vallarta

 

This nights performance in the main theater was Le Cirque Bijou, which closely channeled Cirque de Soleil. The acrobatic duo also performed in this show, but this time, the Jewel dancers also performed on aerial rings and scarfs. I recommend sitting no closer than in the middle of the theater, because two performers drop down from the ceiling and perform right over your heads. We were sitting in the second row, and we had to keep turning around so we could see the simultaneous performances on stage and above the audience.

 

 

Later on that night we saw the packed adults-only comedy show with Michael Sommerville in the Spinnaker lounge. As with his G-rated show earlier in the week, it was the repartee with the audience that was so hilarious.

 

Day 7--Sea Day

 

The Farewell show had performances by both comedians and then some staff came up onstage for a quick wave and goodbye.

 

Odds and Ends

 

There are several other performers that really provide most of the entertainment and play for hours and hours in the lounges. Randon accompanies himself on guitar and has a wonderful voice, but he does songs by mainstream musicians that I don't particularly care for (Neil Diamond, James Taylor). There are several other lounge performers but we didn't spend time in the lounges to really form an opinion.

 

 

Norwegian still provides great entertainment, and I don't see evidence of any recent cut-backs. Quality acts, a live show band, and good shows every night really made the cruise.