Review for families - Norwegian Jewel Alaska Northbound - Haven 2 Bedroom suite

[ndrakc100]

7 days ago, I completed a 7 day Northbound cruse on the Norwegian Jewel. August 20-27, 2018. I'm not one to write these types of reviews, but found that reading through other travelers reviews (such as @Alainamarie at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642510) prepared me very well for what to expect.

 

However, the one thing that I struggled to find was a review written from a family perspective. So, I'm going to give this a "go". I won't post as many photos as others because I am a very private person, and many of my photos have family members in them, but I will do my best with what I have. I hope that other travelers, especially families, will find this helpful.

 

My family includes me (Mom), Dad, a 16 year old special needs daughter (Autism, Tourette's, Anxiety) and a 14 year old antisocial video game addicted son.

[ndrakc100]

Picking the right cruise

The first step to a successful Alaska cruise is (a) picking the right itinerary and (b) choosing the right cruise line (in that order, in my opinion).

 

(a) picking the right itinerary. What is more important to you? Do you want a round trip itinerary which will allow you to book a round trip air fare (most of these are out of Seattle), or a one way (generally out of Vancouver) that go further north for more Glacier viewing? One way requires you to book one way plane travel and can get costly. Do you want to also want to travel to interior Alaska? If so, you probably want a cruise that embarks are debarks at Seward.

I needed a ship that embarked or debarked in Seward as we had spectacular plans for seeing Denali National park (more on this later) on the back end of the cruise. I was into seeing glaciers, so I knew a one-way was the way to go for my family.

 

(b) picking the cruise line. This one way NCL Jewel cruise was one of the only (if not the only?) ones with an itinerary that did 2 full days of Glacier viewing at Glacier Bay AND Hubbard Glacier.From a family perspective, I read the Cruise Critic ship reviews and determined that, while NCL might not be the most luxurious line with the most extraordinary service and food, it was a very good cruise line for families. I found this to be accurate.

NCL also had a very nice floor plan for us. My daughter needs to nap each day, so we really needed 2 rooms so she could have some dark/quiet time while the rest of us were active. The 2 Bedroom family villa fit the bill perfectly and, while it is expensive, it was cheaper than 2 adjoined cabins.

Finally, because my daughter has extreme anxiety, we needed an option to get her away from the crowds where she can feel safe. So we chose to upgrade our 2 BR suite to one on the Haven level. While it was expensive, I now know that the ONLY way a cruise can be accessible to her is through such a scenario.

Bottom line, despite all of the pros and cons of NCL (you may read some complaints later), we found that this cruise was the absolute perfect choice for us.

 

oh... and one last point on picking the right cruise. Once I had narrowed-down my choices by browsing the options on Cruise Critic, I was still spinning out of control on what to pick, so I contacted a travel agent. I didn't know an agent so I just rolled the dice and clicked one of the pop-up windows that comes up when browsing cruises. I got a call back from the most amazing travel agent. By bringing her into the discussion, she helped me organize my thoughts/priorities and got me across the finish-line in booking a cruise, maximizing all the special offers that I didn't even knew existed. In today's day and age of on-line bookings, I feel confident in saying that NO ONE should go it alone in booking a cruise without working with an agent.

[ndrakc100]

Embarkation

We flew into Vancouver 2 days early. I would have loved to see all the wonderful things that Vancouver has to offer, but what can I say... I'm a mom. My kids aren't interested in gardens and museums. Instead, we went to the Pacific Northwest Exhibition (PNE) and the Playland Amusement Park. No regrets. A great time was had by all...

 

OK... so I have to do some research to figure out how to post pictures... be right back!

[You_only_live_once]

Look forward to reading your review. I also have a special needs son (adult age 28 but is more like a 13 yr old) I can only do the Haven with him because he needs to also get away from the crowds.

[ndrakc100]

Photos from the PNE Fair

[ndrakc100]

So... I'm apparently not good at attaching photos. This is the best I could figure out after scanning the instructions. I think you'll have to follow the links! Below are just a few shots of the PNE fair to give you a sense of the scale of the amusement park.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=428067&stc=1&d=1536455188

Edited September 9, 2018 by ndrakc100

[ndrakc100]

More on Embarkation

We stayed at the Atrium Inn near the PNE Fair the 2 nights prior to Embarkation. It is only half a block from the fair grounds and about 15 minutes from the Canada Place Cruise Terminal. It was comfortable, nice, affordable with buffet breakfast. However, if you are a light sleeper, bring ear plugs. Street noise was prevalent.

 

The next morning after attending the Fair, we took the free hotel shuttle to Canada Place. It was complete mahem! I think if we were following the same process as the rest of the passengers, we would have gone crazy. But, in addition to special needs, my daughter had a fractured ankle and needed wheelchair support. I called ahead and talked to someone at Canada Place. They met as the taxi drop off place with a wheelchair and expedited us through the process. So, while I heard LOTs of complaints about the process from other cruisers, we didn't experience it.

On any given day, there can be 1-3 ships boarding at the same time. If only one ship, it will be a breeze. Three ships and you should plan for long lines and long waits... relax... don't let it spoil your sail-away day and you'll be OK. Canada Place posts the Cruise ship schedule here so you will know how many ships will be boarding: https://www.portvancouver.com/cruise/cruise-schedule/

 

After boarding, we explored the ship. I have been on only 3 cruises, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. In comparison, the Norwegian Jewel seemed older and more dated, but it was still quite lovely in my humble opinion. For our family, an Alaskan cruise was ALL about the itinerary and the cabin configuration (see above), and not about the ship itself.

Edited September 9, 2018 by ndrakc100

[ndrakc100]

The Entourage Club

The ship had a "teens" group that organized different activities every day (video game tournaments, dance parties, basketball games, etc.). Our 14 year old son signed up on the first day and he LOVED it. He participated in EVERY event they sponsored and was out with the group until midnight every night. On the last night of the cruise, we were walking through the ship and it seemed that every kid on the ship knew him. Every few steps someone was calling out his name. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. He's such an introvert, I never expected this.

 

More to come tomorrow...

[Love my butler]

The Jewel is certainly 'tired'. She is scheduled for a dry dock in about a month to get her shiny and new again.

[ndrakc100]

The Haven 2 Bedroom Family Suite

As mentioned above, the configuration of this cabin was perfect for our family.

 

There was a large (by cruise ship standards) living area with small dining table, 4 chairs and 1 couch. The couch folded out to a bed (which we did not use). I looked at it and think it would only accommodate one person. It's not really a "double".

 

The master bedroom had a comfortable queen sized bed, small bed side tables, a corner storage cupboard and a TV. The master bedroom and master bath are really just one giant room, but there is a large/heavy curtain across the entrance to the bedroom to block-out the light. I brought towel clips and used one to keep the curtain closed so light didn't sneak in. This is key... especially for the July cruises when it it light 20 hours a day.

 

The master bathroom was really big by any standard. 2 sinks, seated vanity with magnifying mirror, large closet, separate shower and tub (both with picture windows), and a separate room for the toilet. High quality toiletries and bath salts were provided, but no mouthwash. The weird thing is that there was no privacy in this bathroom. If you wanted privacy, you had to close off the Master Bedroom and the bathroom to everyone else. The toilet and shower doors were transparent glass (???). Anyway, it wasn't a big problem because there was another bathroom with a nice shower (that my family chose to use more often than the fancy master shower).

 

The second bedroom was very small with a fold-out couch that filled 75% of the room when open. 2 people could sleep on this bed, but it was a little hard. I requested egg foam to make it more comfortable, and it was fine after that. And then there is a murphy bed for one that folds down above the sofa-bed. My son loved sleeping up there (put egg foam on that bed too). Since this room is interior with no window, I brought mini tea-lights for night light. The bathroom for the second bedroom was decent sized (for a cruise) and also well stocked with high end toiletries.

 

Pictures are posted in the same order as the review above

Edited September 9, 2018 by ndrakc100

[ndrakc100]

Haven Perks

In addition to a separate access-controlled floor, the Jewel Haven passengers have access to Moderno restaurant one floor down for breakfast and lunch (the food was much better IMHO than the other free meal options on board).

 

The haven floor has a lovely courtyard with a private (small) pool, hot tub, treadmill. There was a small dining area that served made to order breakfast/lunch off the same menu as the breakfast/lunch served at Moderno. The dining area had water, juice, coffee, tea, fruit, cookies available all morning and afternoon.

 

In addition to a room steward and dedicated concierge, we had a butler who fetched us anything we needed any time of the day or night... which was important, because my daughter can be quite needy! He also brought us really delicious hour-devours every afternoon. Oh, and we got a free bottle of champagne and wine.

 

The gratuities charged to our account do not compensate the butler, concierge or the guy to maintained the courtyard dining area, so I tipped them separately. I also gave an extra tip to our room steward who was really great. And I tipped the teen Entourage club staff as well.

 

Out of time. More to come on the ports of call later...

[RPCVcruiser]

Thanks for posting. We have a daughter with autism and find the 2 bed suite choice a good choice as she has a place to decompress. She enjoys cruising and this makes it possible.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ndrakc100]

Thanks for posting. We have a daughter with autism and find the 2 bed suite choice a good choice as she has a place to decompress. She enjoys cruising and this makes it possible.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Wow, you are the second person to write in to say the same thing. There are "Autism Cruises" which I have looked into. They seem great for families who need additional experts and support at hand. But our needs are more physical in terms of having a safe haven (pun intended) vs. having experts on board. Plus, our neuro-typical son would like to find peers of his own. So thank goodness NCL has this 2BR option!

[GUEST71919]

Haven Perks

In addition to a separate access-controlled floor, the Jewel Haven passengers have access to Moderno restaurant one floor down for breakfast and lunch (the food was much better IMHO than the other free meal options on board).

 

The haven floor has a lovely courtyard with a private (small) pool, hot tub, treadmill. There was a small dining area that served made to order breakfast/lunch off the same menu as the breakfast/lunch served at Moderno. The dining area had water, juice, coffee, tea, fruit, cookies available all morning and afternoon.

 

In addition to a room steward and dedicated concierge, we had a butler who fetched us anything we needed any time of the day or night... which was important, because my daughter can be quite needy! He also brought us really delicious hour-devours every afternoon. Oh, and we got a free bottle of champagne and wine.

 

The gratuities charged to our account do not compensate the butler, concierge or the guy to maintained the courtyard dining area, so I tipped them separately. I also gave an extra tip to our room steward who was really great. And I tipped the teen Entourage club staff as well.

 

Out of time. More to come on the ports of call later...

 

I enjoyed this - We also sailed in the 2br 2ba Haven (Lily Villa, 16010) in June on the same cruise and it was beyond amazing! We truly enjoyed the smallness of the ship, loved that private deck just steps from the cabin (particularly on glacier morning!), and the Haven overall. The master bathroom made it though, those windows.... in truth, it’s just not possible to describe them. Imagine glacier morning, showering as light blue blocks of ice float by in that ghostly morning water - it’s magical! We were addicted from day one. We sail again soon on the Epic, same suite. We will be on the RCL Allure before that in an Owner’s Suite and I know we will enjoy the giant balcony, but 10 days in the Haven 2br 2ba (with the espresso machine and gummy bear delivery) is hard not to prefer! :D Hopefully we will run into you and your family on a sailing some day!

 

Lynn - 1 of 2 Beeze’s

 

Photos - one from the ship’s deck, the other from the shower that morning.

Edited September 10, 2018 by 2Beeze

[ndrakc100]

Day 1 and 2 - Sea day and Ketchikan

 

Day 1 - The first day is a sea day, which is perfect. It lets the passengers to settle in, get used to new time zones, rest-up from the travel to Vancouver and continue to get acquainted with the ship. We spent a lot of time on our balcony or exploring the ship. I went to the "meet and greet" and gift exchange for my Cruise Critic Roll Call. Thank you to Gretchen who did a GREAT job getting it organized! We ate at Cagneys that night which was quite good, though not extraordinary.

 

Day 2 - Ketchikan - We had planned to go on a salmon fishing excursion, but my daughter fractured her ankle a few weeks prior and I simply did not see her faring well on a fishing boat, trying to reel in a salmon. She is actually an avid fisher-woman and would not have settled for coming along just for a boat ride... so we scratched the fishing excursion and went to the "Great Alaskan Lumberjack" show. It was extraordinarily kitschy, but doesn't pretend to be anything OTHER than kitschy. Still these guys demonstrate some extraordinary lumberjack talent. I was impressed with their feats of skill and it was just plain good fun... I highly recommend it. After we had an enormous king crab lunch at Annabelle's and we (well the grownups at least) did a beer sampler as well. To round out the day, we walked to Creek Street which is is a historic area of Ketchikan, Alaska. The street is actually a boardwalk mounted in stilts on a high slope on the Ketchikan Creek. At certain times of year, you can see the salmon run up the creek to spawn, but I didn't see any in mid August. Another great excursion in Ketchikan is kayaking. I saw a lot of people doing it and it looked like fun but we didn't do that.

 

Most everything mentioned above in Ketchikan is within easy walking distance from the ship dock, which makes this port extremely accessible.

[ndrakc100]

I enjoyed this - We also sailed in the 2br 2ba Haven (Lily Villa, 16010) in June on the same cruise and it was beyond amazing! We truly enjoyed the smallness of the ship, loved that private deck just steps from the cabin (particularly on glacier morning!), and the Haven overall. The master bathroom made it though, those windows.... in truth, it’s just not possible to describe them. Imagine glacier morning, showering as light blue blocks of ice float by in that ghostly morning water - it’s magical! We were addicted from day one. We sail again soon on the Epic, same suite. We will be on the RCL Allure before that in an Owner’s Suite and I know we will enjoy the giant balcony, but 10 days in the Haven 2br 2ba (with the espresso machine and gummy bear delivery) is hard not to prefer! :D Hopefully we will run into you and your family on a sailing some day!

 

Lynn - 1 of 2 Beeze’s

 

Photos - one from the ship’s deck, the other from the shower that morning.

 

Wow! thanks for sharing those photos. I'm so envious that you cruise so much. This was our first cruise since 2004! :-) I hope to do more now that my kids have taken to it so well... and yes, it would be fun to meet fellow cruise critic friends! I hope we do meet some day.

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review

[GUEST71919]

Wow! thanks for sharing those photos. I'm so envious that you cruise so much. This was our first cruise since 2004! :-) I hope to do more now that my kids have taken to it so well... and yes, it would be fun to meet fellow cruise critic friends! I hope we do meet some day.

 

I was lucky, my parents cruised early and took us on occasion as children. But I too had to take a break for education, kids, older parents. You may end up like my husband, his first cruise after retiring from the USMC was in an Owner’s Suite and it was impossible to pull him back from the brink :') We take my sister with us in the 2br 2ba, it’s perfect for us.

 

Enjoying your journey diary! And, look for us :D

[ndrakc100]

Day 3 Juneau

So, I read a cruise critic article about Alaska that suggested I shouldn't set my heart on any one activity in Alaska... because weather is unpredictable, and excursions are frequently changed or cancelled as a result. I tried to follow this advice... but if there is one thing I had my heart set on, it was our Juneau excursion. I had reserved an extended helicopter glacier trek and dogsled tour. It was a splurge but, what the hell, a once in lifetime opportunity!

So... my first tour was booked through Coastal who cancelled a week in advance because conditions were too warm on the glacier and the snow had melted (not safe for dog sleds). So I rebooked through Northstar Trekking whose dogsled camp was on a different glacier and higher altitude so good snow... well... cancelled 30 minutes prior to our alotted time due to fog on the glacier. :-( Oh well! I guess I saved a lot of money, right?

Anyway, we hired a taxi to take us up to the Mendenhall Glacier, which was still pretty cool so the day wasn't a waste.

Net net... I don't have much to share with you about this port of call... just a lesson learned about being flexible and always having a "Plan B". Oh... another lesson... book the earliest slot available for these helicopter and flight tours, because weather conditions can change on a dime in Alaska. The glacier may be socked-in fog at 10:00AM, and clear as a bell by 2:00 PM. So, if your tour is cancelled, there is a chance you might still be able to go later in the day.

 

 

 

Here's a pic of Mendenhall

[ndrakc100]

Day 4 Skagway

Some may say Skagway is just one giant tourist trap. In fact, pretty much the ONLY industry in Skagway is tourism, which might be a turn-off for some. But, to me... tourism is the soul of Skagway. From it's origin, it was a gold rush town that hosted "stampeders" passing through temporarily as they planned their cross over the the White Pass to the Klondike region to prospect for gold. So, it's not like tourism ruined the spirit or the integrity of the town. It was founded on catering to travelers back in 1896 and it continues in that spirit today. :-)

 

The town is amazingly preserved with most of it's original construction still standing and still in use today. This is because Skagway was one of the first places in the country to have electricity, and thus, it's wooden structures have never been lost to fire.

 

The town is small... easy to see everything on foot. Even without an excursion, you could easily make a day out of exploring the historical sites, museums and shops in town. But we chose to do the most famous excursion in town... the White Pass rail and, IMHO a "must do". Highly recommended.

 

And, while I have my own rule never to buy jewelry from a tourist shop, I broke my own rule this time when I saw the most lovely necklace made from petrified Mammoth ivory. I had never seen petrified Mammoth Ivory anywhere else and, since I knew I wasn't killing a pachyderm to get it, I bought it! Really cool!

photos follow: