Live from the NCL Jewel December 24-31, 2022 with YVRteacher and her Dad

[EngrJones]

24 minutes ago, LauraAnneC said:

I would guess an aardvark!

 

8 minutes ago, martikus said:

Armadillo

I think it's one of those as well.

[YVRteacher]

Day 7

Sadly, I’m writing this while on the plane traveling home.

 

We had a relaxing and enjoyable last full day on the ship. It was a port day for some and a ship day for others.

Our breakfast was delicious: cheese omelette for both of us, fruit, berries, and mini cinnamon roll for me and an almond croissant for dad.  We have given up on restaurant coffee and instead used some onboard credit at Starbucks (they sold gift cards at the Starbucks on the Encore and the Bliss but not on the Jewel so we won’t be using credit to buy gift cards) and had a white chocolate mocha while playing Scrabble in the atrium.

Just as we finished our Scrabble game we entered the port of Ensenada.  Wow has it developed over the last two decades!  

What were once hills are now fully developed communities and what was once dust is now a shopping mall.  Along with all the other passengers who enjoy watching docking procedures we stood on deck 7 and loved all the sea lions duelling for space on the channel markers, barking away at each other and at us.  When it was time to throw ropes it took the crew 5 tries to get the small rope to the longshore people and on the successful throw we all clapped and cheered.  

People were saying that it wasn’t good that it took 5 tries and I said everyone starts somewhere and needs practice.  Three customs officials came aboard to clear the ship with one of them dressed in full camouflage packing a gun.  

When I asked Rumi about it at dinner he said they like to dress up in their uniforms in Mexico!  He told us about one customs inspector in Panama who gets decked out in full makeup and false eyelashes then asks to inspect the ship and take photos.  If NCL says “no” procedures are made more difficult in the upcoming weeks.

It’s colder today in Mexico than on any of the 28 days I spent on Alaskan cruises this summer.  The bartenders at Pit Stop are wearing fleece jackets and they told us it’s always cold in Ensenada.

 

Since I had a pedicure at 1:00 we enjoyed a quick lunch in Cagney’s.  I had Indian food (ordered off the menu) and a plate of crudités while my dad had his favourite: lobster bisque and two desserts.

Now my toes are a lovely shade of red that no one will see because it’s back to socks, rain boots and snow boots.  No more flip flops.  Big sigh!  The aesthetician did a great job and I really enjoyed talking with her.  I’ve had many Fire and Ice pedicures on NCL, some great and some not-so-great.  If you are on the Jewel in the near future I highly recommend Queen.  I don’t think the pedicures are good value as compared to land-based spas and wouldn’t have had one if we didn’t have onboard credit to spend. 

 

My dad had an hour by himself and when I asked what he did he said he had a beer.  We tried to have drinks at Pit Stop but the blustery winds sent us inside clutching our drinks. 

We grabbed a Scrabble game and went to one of the tables alongside Magnums

Great game!

 

We sat at Maltings for excellent Old Fashioneds for me and beer for dad.  The Bud Light beer tap broke and they couldn’t fix it so he had Stella. The bartender said they are moving away from beer on tap on the smaller ships but are keeping it on the larger ships with the District and Syd Normans.  I spent the time writing Vacation Hero cards and thank you/tip cards.

  I asked my dad if he wanted to write one and he said “my hand doesn’t work well for writing when there’s a beer in it!”

 

Time for dinner at Cagney’s.  Truly a wonderful experience.  Rumi joined us and we laughed and chatted and shared stories about family and home and life.  He told us about his 86 year old father who won’t wear his hearing aids and who just learned how to use What’s App and send emojis.  I told him my boss left and I’m nervous about starting in January with a new principal. He said to give them a chance and maybe they will be just as good as the previous boss.  

We were in Cagney’s with Rumi for three hours so didn’t do any evening entertainment.  This was probably our favourite meal EVER on an NCL ship . Just a really special night.

We packed our suitcases but didn’t put them outside the cabin because we carry them off ourselves.  There were some massive suitcases out in the hallway and it seems people packed their entire closet for a one week trip.

 

With $28 remaining in onboard credit we bought some chocolate and some lip balm with spf in the gift shop. The service was terrible!

 

My dad wanted to test the fates in the casino and he won again!

By 10:00pm we couldn’t stay awake any longer so headed back to the cabin.  Someone was smoking pot and my room smelled like a hippie music festival.  I guess they bought a “souvenir” in Ensenada.  Our butler left us several more trays of food so I put it in baggies for our travel day.

[armwinder]

It was a good cruise, no one turned up for the mixology experience even though 8 people signed up for it. It was a lot better than some others we have done.  A very good cruise and smooth sailing all the way, a few small swells on the last night but not anything to worry about. Air Canada lost (sorry misplaced)  our bags out of Vancouver so we had to go shopping before the cruise, not the easiest thing to do just before Christmas. 

 

[YVRteacher]

1 minute ago, armwinder said:

It was a good cruise, no one turned up for the mixology experience even though 8 people signed up for it. It was a lot better than some others we have done.  A very good cruise and smooth sailing all the way, a few small swells on the last night but not anything to worry about. Air Canada lost (sorry misplaced)  our bags out of Vancouver so we had to go shopping before the cruise, not the easiest thing to do just before Christmas. 

 

Sorry to hear about your luggage!  Did you get it eventually?  Too bad we didn’t meet.  We really missed having a Cruise Critic meet and greet and subsequent gatherings.  We forgot to go to the Mixology experience and felt the scheduling was odd.  Hope you get home safely.

[YVRteacher]

For anyone who is curious, the Freestyle Daily for Day 1 of the next cruise came up on the NCL app.  
 

[armwinder]

57 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Sorry to hear about your luggage!  Did you get it eventually?

We picked some up in Kelowna last evening.  I think we sat behind you on the flight to Vancouver.  If you were in row 16 and your dads tv did not work then it was you. 

[YVRteacher]

Last day/disembarking/travel

 

Easy morning.  Haven breakfast: scrambled eggs for me with some fruit and berries from the buffet and yogurt, almond croissant and berries for dad. I ordered juice but dad thought it was for him so I didn’t say anything.

Disembarking was extremely organized, smooth and fast.  We breezed off the ship then wham!  Massive line up.  It started the moment we came down the escalator and snaked into the port for customs.  There were 4 customs kiosks and at times 5-7 customs officials to clear 2550 people.  Our guy had an iPhone and typed our last name into his device.  He got the swirling symbol and said they were having internet issues.  I told him I understood since we just spent a week with lagging WiFi.  He also said he held the whole world in his hand which is pretty cool when you think about it.  I guess neither of us came up as criminals (he doesn’t know I “borrowed” a book from the ship’s library…) because he let us back into the United States.  At this port luggage is collected after clearing customs but we didn’t need to enter the luggage hall so just headed for the sidewalk.  

The day we boarded the cruise we had a breakfast picnic outside and saw a public bus to the airport.  We decided to take the bus because why spend $20 on a taxi when we could ride the bus for $3.75?  The bus was a direct route (no other stops) to the airport and there were luggage racks that made it an easy, thrifty option. 

Our flight was delayed about 45 minutes but it wasn’t a big deal.  I wanted to walk since I knew we’d be sitting so much so we did laps around the terminal after going through security. We have Nexus which equates to TSA pre check and zipped through the process. I wanted some Disaronno but the duty free store didn’t sell it.  The woman suggested I buy tequila and I told her I already have tequila!

Sitting at the airport, an advertisement for NCL came on the airport tv.  That made us laugh even though it really wasn’t funny.  I asked my dad to share his experience of this cruise.  This is what he said:

“I can’t complain about the stops.  I should be more positive: I liked all the places.  We could have spent more time in some of them.

I thought there were some rather noisy people on board, but they can’t all be perfect.

I wouldn’t rush to do it again.”

Me: what do you mean?  

Dad: I prefer Alaska.  The only downside to Alaska is that NCL now docks at Ward Cove and it’s not like it used to be (goes on long tangent about Alaska…)

He continued to say he prefers sailing out of Vancouver to Alaska then asked me what my take on this cruise was.  

 

At the same time I said, “I like all cruises” he said, “you like all cruises!”  This is true.  I love being on an NCL cruise.  

 

I was debating whether or not to have a Starbucks at the airport (NCL coffee not being consumable) and my dad said he didn’t want one.  He told me I should have one since I needed the energy to drive him home.  That convinced me and I had my last Caramel Brûlée latte of 2022.  I ordered a grande, drank half of it, told my dad I was full and he finished it.  I knew that would happen!

 

You’ll probably have noticed that the dad complaints reduced as our trip went on.  There just wasn’t anything about which to complain!  That’s how fabulous the Jewel is.  The leadership of Rumi and Steven is palpable and the crew are terrific.  This was a great cruise and we both had a fabulous time.  Definitely one of my favourites.

 As an aside, Management did Christmas for the crew on December 18: there were 28 main dishes from cuisines around the world and the chefs made 1500 sushi rolls which were devoured in seconds.  Each department also had their own party.

[YVRteacher]

Overall Impressions

 

Things That Were Great:

exceptionally kind, friendly and efficient crew

management (Rumi and Steven)

Christmas decor and celebrations

Leo Jostol

Kevon Augustine (maître d)

the cheerful mood on board

Cabo, PV and Mazatlan

the NCL shore excursions in Cabo and PV

the food in Cagney’s, Moderno, Haven breakfasts and lunches and the Garden Cafe

the giant cakes

embarkation

our butler and concierge

the cabin did not creak and rattle

the large selection of books and games

overall cleanliness of the ship

all the bartenders

the spa/salon

laundry

dinner with the officers

plenty of deck chairs and towels

Starbucks

 

Things That Need Improvement

the coffee 

the cleanliness of our cabin

our room steward

the entertainment in Stardust was the worst both in terms of scheduling and quality (we couldn’t get into Cirque Bijou; Velvet was canceled, the Freestyle Daily was often not correct, the acts just weren’t fun…)

not enough activities

food and experience in La Cucina

the Cruise Next manager and the service we received at the Cruise Next desk as well as the boring Latitudes party

the timing of Latitudes events

gift shop employees

hot tubs were not hot (they rarely are)

 

Overall we both really, really enjoyed the cruise.  We laughed a lot, loved the food, loved the crew and relished the warmth and just being on a cruise.  The feeling on board was joyful and positive and people were nice to chat with.  There were 700 kids (I said 600 earlier) and they were great.  My feeling will always be that cruising is what you make of it. There will always be glitches and there will always be positives.  We are both looking forward to being on the Jewel again in May.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by YVRteacher

[Seas2mountains]

@YVRteacher as previously stated, I love your live reviews.  Thank you for taking the time to share all the fun details about your experience and all the funny things your Dad says. I picture my Dad saying similar things before he died of Covid in April 2020. He loved cruising, too. 
 

We haven’t been on a ship with Leo, but did you get to hear D’Revelation or the other smaller venue performers?  We have really liked D’Revelation on previous cruises. We don’t tend to step foot in the theater so I wasn’t sure if you had a chance to hear the other performers who aren’t in the theater. 

 

[YVRteacher]

Oh yes! We especially loved them at the sailaway party!  Great energy!

[YVRteacher]

I’m so sorry to hear about your dad.  That’s so hard.

[NikiPinkston]

Just wanted to add my thanks for another great cruise report and for taking your time to share with us!🚢I always feel like I'm right there with you and your dad reminds me so much of my husband sometimes.😁You are one of my favorite authors LOL! ❤️We'll be using NCL air for the first time in May when we sail on the Bliss to Alaska and you gave me hope that it might not be a disaster (at least we're flying in the day before).

[JGmf]

Loved reading your reviews and your whimsical way of writing.  Thank you for sharing with us.

[Megamixer]

We too were on this Christmas cruise, although not in a suite.  We had an outside cabin on Deck 5 which might have been a wise choice.  We only had gentle rocking the last two nights.  This was supposed to be a "family cruise" for us, two daughters, two granddaughters and an ex-wife 😱.  Unfortunately one daughter and granddaughter and the ex-wife were unable to make it out of Nashville because of the storms and cold weather.  I had become disillusioned in the past with NCL but we booked this cruise anyway since it was leaving out of San Diego and were able to drive.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I've never sailed on the Jewel but I've been on the Sun and the Dawn which are similar ships.  The refurb was excellent; I especially like the new bathrooms and the entire ship seemed new.  Our cabin steward was excellent.  I won't say much about the food because I'm such a plain and picky eater it's not fair to the chefs. (Give me a steak and fries or baked potato and I'm happy) I will say one big disappointment in the dining room and Cagney's was the French Onion soup.  It's my favorite "have every night on a cruise" and I'm not sure what NCL does.  It was like a bowl of soup with a large crouton covered in dehydrated cheese thrown on top?  No soft stringy cheese.  We ate in the buffet during the last part of the cruise.  I thought the food was as good there as the main dining room and our daughter is vegetarian and she liked being able to stroll around and pick and choose.

I enjoyed all of the shows except the first one that felt like I was watching "Dancing With The Stars" with no commercials.  The comedian (Landry) was excellent and I think the Cirque show was the best aerialist act I've ever seen on a cruise ship.  YVR, you mentioned the Haven seats were all taken.  Where were they?  I'm used to seeing seats near the front blocked off or with a sign for suite guests and don't recall seeing that anywhere this cruise.  I was looking forward to the Velvet show and wasn't sure what happened.  If you noticed the first few nights of the cruise the advertised show in the Dailey didn't match what was in the theater.

 

It was a good cruise and we took advantage of the Cruise Next deposit that gave us $250 back we intend to use on the Sun's transatlantic back to NYC in April from Portugal.  

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, Megamixer said:

YVR, you mentioned the Haven seats were all taken.  Where were they?  I'm used to seeing seats near the front blocked off or with a sign for suite guests and don't recall seeing that anywhere this cruise.

Unless it's been changed recently on Jewel class ships theater seating for Haven passengers is in the upper (balcony) level, port side. IMO the seats really aren't very good .

[Megamixer]

2 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Unless it's been changed recently on Jewel class ships theater seating for Haven passengers is in the upper (balcony) level, port side. IMO the seats really aren't very good .

That makes sense; I don't believe we were ever up in the balcony.

 

[Megamixer]

As a P.S. to my previous post I wholeheartedly agree about the sucky internet.  I think the internet was worse on this ship than the very old Grandeur we were on over the summer down in Central America.  I asked the internet cafe guy if it would be faster if I upgraded to the streaming package.  He basically said no, I'd just be able to stream Youtube? 

Also embarkation was great.  As I was getting off the ship I thought disembarking was a nightmare but once we were through customs and had our luggage I looked at my watched and realized it was only about 30 minutes in the line.

[Sitting here]

I also want to say thanks for this excellent trip report. We'll be sailing on the Jewel from San Diego in a couple of weeks, so I've been soaking up all the details about the ship and your first few ports. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

[YVRteacher]

9 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

Just wanted to add my thanks for another great cruise report and for taking your time to share with us!🚢I always feel like I'm right there with you and your dad reminds me so much of my husband sometimes.😁You are one of my favorite authors LOL! ❤️We'll be using NCL air for the first time in May when we sail on the Bliss to Alaska and you gave me hope that it might not be a disaster (at least we're flying in the day before).

Thanks Niki! I really enjoyed reading your review as well!  
Just to clarify, we have never used NCL air.

 

Have you sailed on the Bliss?  She is my favourite ship.

[YVRteacher]

3 hours ago, Sitting here said:

I also want to say thanks for this excellent trip report. We'll be sailing on the Jewel from San Diego in a couple of weeks, so I've been soaking up all the details about the ship and your first few ports. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!  The Jewel provides such a special cruising experience.

[YVRteacher]

I forgot to add that both my dad and I wish we had packed warmer clothes.  The last couple days were way cooler than the forecast predicted and we both needed warmer tops/something with long sleeves.

 

Back to work for me tomorrow!  Just made my lunch:

[armwinder]

This last cruise was one of the most memorable with a nice parade on Christmas Day lots of very well behaved kids who lined up for presents from Santa and a photo session after the parade. We thought all the staff were wonderful and spent time to talk and exchange experiences. We spent many night in Maltings after shows or listening to the many different types of entertainment, we met some really nice people and enjoyed a few nightcaps. 

 

Worth noting regarding cutbacks, about a year or so ago we noticed some changes in the restaurants, one to note would be the breakfast steak and eggs.  The steak previously used was a 5 or 6 ounce fillet, it has been replaced with a very thin and over seasoned (imho) New York strip. Possibly steak and eggs is not the healthiest choice for breakfast though. 

 

 

[NikiPinkston]

19 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Thanks Niki! I really enjoyed reading your review as well!  
Just to clarify, we have never used NCL air.

 

Have you sailed on the Bliss?  She is my favourite ship.

Ah, I misunderstood about your flight arrangements; hopefully, using NCL air will work out well for us - I'll have to report back on that.  We were on the Bliss to Mexico for Christmas week, 2021 and I think she is my favorite ship, too! ❤️And thank you for saying you enjoyed my review. I feel that is high praise coming from you as you are the best!

[armwinder]

35 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Ah, I misunderstood about your flight arrangements; hopefully, using NCL air will work out well for us - I'll have to report back on that.  We were on the Bliss to Mexico for Christmas week, 2021 and I think she is my favorite ship, too! ❤️And thank you for saying you enjoyed my review. I feel that is high praise coming from you as you are the best!

We have used NCL air a number of times and have been very happy, we just flew down to San Diego and the flights worked out very well. Last month we used NCL air to fly to Rome and back from Lisbon, they gave us Premium seats over to Rome with Delta, all part of the package. You here some bad reports but no one is perfect, booking your own flights mat even be cheaper who knows. We have used them too many times to count and been very lucky. 

[NikiPinkston]

3 minutes ago, armwinder said:

We have used NCL air a number of times and have been very happy, we just flew down to San Diego and the flights worked out very well. Last month we used NCL air to fly to Rome and back from Lisbon, they gave us Premium seats over to Rome with Delta, all part of the package. You here some bad reports but no one is perfect, booking your own flights mat even be cheaper who knows. We have used them too many times to count and been very lucky. 

@armwinderThank you so much for sharing your experiences! That's very reassuring. We're just flying from San Diego to Seattle, so how bad could it be, anyway? DH reminded me that we always get to the airport super early when we book our own flights so, if we end up having a lay-over on the way, we really don't mind spending time in airports. I appreciate hearing that you had such positive experiences!