Review of Jewel 5/8-15 Alaska cruise - A wonderful time!

[wil e coyote]

OK, we've been home long enough for me to catch up on everything else, so now I have time to jot down a few thoughts about last week's sailing from Seward to Vancouver aboard the NCL Jewel.

First, a few disclaimers: 1. This is the same sailing that @YVRteacher covered in her excellent live review of her 5/1-5/15 BTB on the Jewel - so I will not cover the day-by-day details. Read her review if you want that - I couldn't do a better job than her live review. 2. If you are the type who likes to read the ending first, the bottom line is we had a fantastic cruise in just about every respect.

All that said, I will share our experiences and thoughts in case it helps others who might be considering sailing on this itinerary or ship.

Background:

This was the first cruise with our (now grown) children in 5 years, so we splurged and used the 50% off coupon that came out a few months ago to buy the Deluxe Owner's Suite. This is way above what we normally buy for a cruise, but we wanted to have a space to all gather (our sons were in an inside cabin), and my DW really liked the idea of having a hot tub on our balcony. As it turned out, this was a great decision (more on this later.) I have to admit that I was somewhat inspired to go for the DOS after reading @Sthrngary write about doing this for a family cruise - thanks again, Gary! Also, we just reached Platinum status, which entitled us to some new perks for this cruise.

Ship condition, crew and capacity:

This was our fourth NCL cruise in two years, and the Jewel was easily the cleanest, best-maintained ship we have been on so far (others were Getaway, Breakaway, and Escape). Ships generally show wear and tear very soon after an overhaul just from the thousands of people moving around every day, but the Jewel showed almost no scuffs, scrapes or stains.

The crew was outstanding as well. Everyone was good to excellent in terms of attitude and service. All of the waitstaff in the MDR was top-notch, even when we accidentally showed up for lunch one day right at closing time. I hate doing that to people, but the staff insisted it was no problem and took great care of us. Our room steward and butler were the best we can remember.

The Jewel was less than 50% full - we were told there were about 1200 passengers, so nothing ever felt full. The Azura dining room was closed for the week, and the theatre shows only ran once a night at 8:30, but even so the dining room and theatre had plenty of space. This was the first sailing of the season from Seward to Vancouver for the Jewel, so that might have had something to do with it.

Food:

I wasn't sure how food would go, since there isn't a Haven dining room on the Jewel. But we had some of the best food we can remember on this sailing. The Haven breakfast and lunch in Moderno/Cagney's were as good as being on a bigger ship. We had dinner in Moderno, Cagney's, and Teppanyaki, all of which were quite good in their own ways - Moderno for the "meat-fest", Teppanyaki for the show (and the food was good too), and our Cagney's experience was our best on any NCL ship. The big surprise was the MDR, which was outstanding. Every meal there was excellent.

On the less-great side, O'Sheehan's was so-so. I've read other reviews that rave about it, and so I keep hoping that this time will be better, and it just doesn't happen for us. Our only really disappointing meal was in Chin-Chin. None of our dishes were very good - we ended up going to the MDR afterward for dessert just to have something good for our meal.

Entertainment:

We really enjoyed the shows in the theatre on this sailing. The Jewel didn't have a Broadway-style show, but the aerialists, the diva, and the troupe on board were all quite good. The theatre in the Jewel is huge for a ship of its size.

The musicians around the ship were OK. It didn't matter for us since we didn't hang out in Bliss or the atrium, but we heard them as we went through. Some were pretty good, but others made us want to keep walking.

Cabin:

I will simply say that renting something like the DOS is something everyone should have the chance to do once. We'll probably never do it again, but for this itinerary, on this ship, it was the best. There are two DOS on the Jewel, and they are on Deck 15 - the only cabins (or enclosed space) on that deck. You're above the entire ship, just aft of the main pool, so we had an amazing view from our windows and the balcony. As my DW expected, the hot tub was a winner - it was really fun to sit in the tub and watch the wilderness go by. Our steward, butler, and the hot tub attendant were all fantastic.

Ports/excursions:

We did kayaking in Icy Strait Point, the White Pass Railroad/Cycling excursion in Seward, and the Duck Boat tour in Ketchikan. All were fun. We were supposed to take the Glacier Explorer trip in Endicott Arm, but it was canceled due to ice in the water. We understood, but it was a bummer. The other bummer was that the Jewel couldn't get close enough to the end of the Arm to see the glacier, also due to ice in the water. We had a great time walking around the ports, even in the rain and chill at Ketchikan.

 

So all in all, it was a fantastic time, and we would definitely sail on the Jewel again. Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.

[cruiseny4life]

Wow! Your review and @YVRteacher's have inspired me to truly consider Jewel. I have only done so half-heartedly given there isn't a true Haven onboard. But, the staff and condition of the ship sound really great. 

 

And, what a wonderful opportunity to chill...err stew in the hot tub while watching the scenery pass you by. I bet you had some lovely family conversation during this time. Thanks for such a great review! I really enjoyed reading about it and am glad you had such a fantastic time! 

[vacation44]

12 hours ago, wil e coyote said:

OK, we've been home long enough for me to catch up on everything else, so now I have time to jot down a few thoughts about last week's sailing from Seward to Vancouver aboard the NCL Jewel.

First, a few disclaimers: 1. This is the same sailing that @YVRteacher covered in her excellent live review of her 5/1-5/15 BTB on the Jewel - so I will not cover the day-by-day details. Read her review if you want that - I couldn't do a better job than her live review. 2. If you are the type who likes to read the ending first, the bottom line is we had a fantastic cruise in just about every respect.

All that said, I will share our experiences and thoughts in case it helps others who might be considering sailing on this itinerary or ship.

Background:

This was the first cruise with our (now grown) children in 5 years, so we splurged and used the 50% off coupon that came out a few months ago to buy the Deluxe Owner's Suite. This is way above what we normally buy for a cruise, but we wanted to have a space to all gather (our sons were in an inside cabin), and my DW really liked the idea of having a hot tub on our balcony. As it turned out, this was a great decision (more on this later.) I have to admit that I was somewhat inspired to go for the DOS after reading @Sthrngary write about doing this for a family cruise - thanks again, Gary! Also, we just reached Platinum status, which entitled us to some new perks for this cruise.

Ship condition, crew and capacity:

This was our fourth NCL cruise in two years, and the Jewel was easily the cleanest, best-maintained ship we have been on so far (others were Getaway, Breakaway, and Escape). Ships generally show wear and tear very soon after an overhaul just from the thousands of people moving around every day, but the Jewel showed almost no scuffs, scrapes or stains.

The crew was outstanding as well. Everyone was good to excellent in terms of attitude and service. All of the waitstaff in the MDR was top-notch, even when we accidentally showed up for lunch one day right at closing time. I hate doing that to people, but the staff insisted it was no problem and took great care of us. Our room steward and butler were the best we can remember.

The Jewel was less than 50% full - we were told there were about 1200 passengers, so nothing ever felt full. The Azura dining room was closed for the week, and the theatre shows only ran once a night at 8:30, but even so the dining room and theatre had plenty of space. This was the first sailing of the season from Seward to Vancouver for the Jewel, so that might have had something to do with it.

Food:

I wasn't sure how food would go, since there isn't a Haven dining room on the Jewel. But we had some of the best food we can remember on this sailing. The Haven breakfast and lunch in Moderno/Cagney's were as good as being on a bigger ship. We had dinner in Moderno, Cagney's, and Teppanyaki, all of which were quite good in their own ways - Moderno for the "meat-fest", Teppanyaki for the show (and the food was good too), and our Cagney's experience was our best on any NCL ship. The big surprise was the MDR, which was outstanding. Every meal there was excellent.

On the less-great side, O'Sheehan's was so-so. I've read other reviews that rave about it, and so I keep hoping that this time will be better, and it just doesn't happen for us. Our only really disappointing meal was in Chin-Chin. None of our dishes were very good - we ended up going to the MDR afterward for dessert just to have something good for our meal.

Entertainment:

We really enjoyed the shows in the theatre on this sailing. The Jewel didn't have a Broadway-style show, but the aerialists, the diva, and the troupe on board were all quite good. The theatre in the Jewel is huge for a ship of its size.

The musicians around the ship were OK. It didn't matter for us since we didn't hang out in Bliss or the atrium, but we heard them as we went through. Some were pretty good, but others made us want to keep walking.

Cabin:

I will simply say that renting something like the DOS is something everyone should have the chance to do once. We'll probably never do it again, but for this itinerary, on this ship, it was the best. There are two DOS on the Jewel, and they are on Deck 15 - the only cabins (or enclosed space) on that deck. You're above the entire ship, just aft of the main pool, so we had an amazing view from our windows and the balcony. As my DW expected, the hot tub was a winner - it was really fun to sit in the tub and watch the wilderness go by. Our steward, butler, and the hot tub attendant were all fantastic.

Ports/excursions:

We did kayaking in Icy Strait Point, the White Pass Railroad/Cycling excursion in Seward, and the Duck Boat tour in Ketchikan. All were fun. We were supposed to take the Glacier Explorer trip in Endicott Arm, but it was canceled due to ice in the water. We understood, but it was a bummer. The other bummer was that the Jewel couldn't get close enough to the end of the Arm to see the glacier, also due to ice in the water. We had a great time walking around the ports, even in the rain and chill at Ketchikan.

 

So all in all, it was a fantastic time, and we would definitely sail on the Jewel again. Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.

Thank you for taking the time to report in your trip and happy to hear you had wonderful time.   We will be on the same itinerary in August.

[vacation44]

34 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Wow! Your review and @YVRteacher's have inspired me to truly consider Jewel. I have only done so half-heartedly given there isn't a true Haven onboard. But, the staff and condition of the ship sound really great. 

 

And, what a wonderful opportunity to chill...err stew in the hot tub while watching the scenery pass you by. I bet you had some lovely family conversation during this time. Thanks for such a great review! I really enjoyed reading about it and am glad you had such a fantastic time! 

I also thought I had no desire for an older, smaller ship, but reading all of @YVRteacher's detailed reports convinced me to give it a try to the delight of my husband.

[cruisekitty22]

Did you use NCL air for your trip? How were the transfers to  the ship?  Close? Faraway?   We are considering this exact cruise for our first trip to Alaska from CT!  We have been on NCL before but bigger ships.  We would probably get an oceanview to save money.  Glad to hear the ship was not sold out.  How was the weather for Alaska? Any sun?  Thanks for the answers. 

[wil e coyote]

11 minutes ago, cruisekitty22 said:

Did you use NCL air for your trip? How were the transfers to  the ship?  Close? Faraway?   We are considering this exact cruise for our first trip to Alaska from CT!  We have been on NCL before but bigger ships.  We would probably get an oceanview to save money.  Glad to hear the ship was not sold out.  How was the weather for Alaska? Any sun?  Thanks for the answers. 

Hi - we have used NCL Air for other cruises, but didn't for this one - mostly because we had some very specific schedule constraints before and after the cruise that I wanted to make sure we could meet. We flew into Anchorage two days early and did some sightseeing, including a "flightseeing" tour of Denali. I didn't mention that in my review because it wasn't part of the cruise proper, but it was one of the highlights of the trip for me and I HIGHLY recommend spending the money on it if you are in Anchorage.

To get to an NCL Seward cruise, you have to fly into Anchorage, and then get from there to Seward, which is 2-3 hours away on a two lane road with major construction along the way. NCL offers bus transfers from the airport, or you can get private bus transfers either as a direct 2 hour drive or with a stop at a wildlife sanctuary. We actually chose a private van transfer since it was basically the same price for the 5 of us as buying bus tickets. Bottom line - allow plenty of time to get to the dock. Once we got to Seward, the embarkation process was super-easy.

The weather was not bad considering it was May and Alaska. Highs in Anchorage were in the 50s, and that was true for most of the cruise. There was rain on a couple of days, but the only all-day rain was in Ketchikan. The final day (sea day) was in the 60s and sunny in the afternoon, and people actually hung out on the pool deck and sunbathed. It was pretty much what we expected for the Pacific Northwest.

[vacation44]

11 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

 We flew into Anchorage two days early and did some sightseeing, including a "flightseeing" tour of Denali. I didn't mention that in my review because it wasn't part of the cruise proper, but it was one of the highlights of the trip for me and I HIGHLY recommend spending the money on it if you are in Anchorage.

We will also be staying in Anchorage for two days prior to our cruise.   What is the name of the company you used for the "flightseeing" tour of Denali?   

[wil e coyote]

8 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

We will also be staying in Anchorage for two days prior to our cruise.   What is the name of the company you used for the "flightseeing" tour of Denali?   

We used Rust's Aviation. They were recommended to us by someone who used to be a bush pilot up there. Rust's was really great to work with and the pilot sure knew his way around the area. I'd highly recommend.

[vacation44]

14 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

We used Rust's Aviation. They were recommended to us by someone who used to be a bush pilot up there. Rust's was really great to work with and the pilot sure knew his way around the area. I'd highly recommend.

Thank you.   I will look into it during lunch today.

[wil e coyote]

FWIW - flying to Anchorage from New England/New York is a pain - and while I've had good experiences with NCL Air, we've only used them to go to Florida. There are lots of flights and airport options in the Miami/Port Canaveral area, so I have always figured that if something went sideways with our flights to those ports, we could come up with a solution to get to the boat. But Anchorage is different. There is only one airport, and limited flights from the Northeast. So that was part of the decision to book our own flights.

[YVRteacher]

I’m so glad we met at the CC meet and greet!  Next time you stay in a deluxe owner’s suite I hope you invite me up so I can see what it looks like!

 

The Jewel is a special ship!

[Seas2mountains]

14 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Wow! Your review and @YVRteacher's have inspired me to truly consider Jewel. I have only done so half-heartedly given there isn't a true Haven onboard. But, the staff and condition of the ship sound really great. 

 

And, what a wonderful opportunity to chill...err stew in the hot tub while watching the scenery pass you by. I bet you had some lovely family conversation during this time. Thanks for such a great review! I really enjoyed reading about it and am glad you had such a fantastic time! 

The non-Haven suites with access to Haven like breakfasts and lunches in Moderno/Cagney’s are so special that I think you will adjust to losing the Haven pool area and lounge. Alaska cruises are so beautiful and so different from Caribbean cruises. 

[YVRteacher]

@cruiseny4life you might find that the passengers on Alaskan cruises are so nice you may even want to talk to them!

 

There is a distinct Haven on the Jewel, but it isn’t like the Haven on the larger ships.  There is a Haven courtyard with a teeny tiny pool and a hot tub and a Haven sundeck.  The two bedroom non Haven suites on deck 11 are great rooms.  Some of them even have working toilets!😉

[wil e coyote]

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

@cruiseny4life you might find that the passengers on Alaskan cruises are so nice you may even want to talk to them!

 

There is a distinct Haven on the Jewel, but it isn’t like the Haven on the larger ships.  There is a Haven courtyard with a teeny tiny pool and a hot tub and a Haven sundeck.  The two bedroom non Haven suites on deck 11 are great rooms.  Some of them even have working toilets!😉

Actually, I think the Haven pool on Jewel is similar to the -Away class ships, if you ignore the weird, 6" deep part of the Haven pool on the newer ships. I've never understood the logic of the wading pool part of the Haven pools.

[njkate]

Thanks for review I sail on her 8/28 can’t wait

[bluesea777]

22 hours ago, wil e coyote said:

FWIW - flying to Anchorage from New England/New York is a pain - and while I've had good experiences with NCL Air, we've only used them to go to Florida. There are lots of flights and airport options in the Miami/Port Canaveral area, so I have always figured that if something went sideways with our flights to those ports, we could come up with a solution to get to the boat. But Anchorage is different. There is only one airport, and limited flights from the Northeast. So that was part of the decision to book our own flights.

 

We're on the Spirit B2B Alaska later on this month, starting from Seward. We chose to book our own air .... we're in Bermuda so need to hop over to one of the getaway apirports (JFK, BOS, CLT, PHL, EWR) before making connection to ANC. Found a great route - BDA to JFK to ORD same afternoon/early evening, overnight in an ORD hotel (that comes out much cheaper than New York or Seattle), then early the following morning non-stop flight from ORD to ANC, arriving there at noon!  If that flight is cancelled we have ORD-SEA-ANC as backup.

 

We've booked a floatplane flightseeing tour over Anchorage with Rust's Flying Service later in that afternoon!! We travel to Seward by train early the next morning for 2 night before embarking the Spirit.

 

We're beyond excited!

 

[wil e coyote]

21 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

We're on the Spirit B2B Alaska later on this month, starting from Seward. We chose to book our own air .... we're in Bermuda so need to hop over to one of the getaway apirports (JFK, BOS, CLT, PHL, EWR) before making connection to ANC. Found a great route - BDA to JFK to ORD same afternoon/early evening, overnight in an ORD hotel (that comes out much cheaper than New York or Seattle), then early the following morning non-stop flight from ORD to ANC, arriving there at noon!  If that flight is cancelled we have ORD-SEA-ANC as backup.

 

We've booked a floatplane flightseeing tour over Anchorage with Rust's Flying Service later in that afternoon!! We travel to Seward by train early the next morning for 2 night before embarking the Spirit.

 

We're beyond excited!

 

That sounds fantastic! You'll love the floatplane adventure.

I hear the train is really nice. It drops you right on the pier in Seward. It wasn't an option for us as it started running the week after our sailing.

Enjoy!

[bluesea777]

7 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

That sounds fantastic! You'll love the floatplane adventure.

I hear the train is really nice. It drops you right on the pier in Seward. It wasn't an option for us as it started running the week after our sailing.

Enjoy!

 

I have never been on a floatplane, but have been in a helicopter and up in a balloon (twice).

 

We're taking a regular train, not the NCL chartered train (that goes directly to the pier). We reserved GoldStar Dome seats and the train will stop at Seward Train Depot, closer to hotel, lol.

 

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

We're on the Spirit B2B Alaska later on this month, starting from Seward. We chose to book our own air .... we're in Bermuda so need to hop over to one of the getaway apirports (JFK, BOS, CLT, PHL, EWR) before making connection to ANC. Found a great route - BDA to JFK to ORD same afternoon/early evening, overnight in an ORD hotel (that comes out much cheaper than New York or Seattle), then early the following morning non-stop flight from ORD to ANC, arriving there at noon!  If that flight is cancelled we have ORD-SEA-ANC as backup.

 

We've booked a floatplane flightseeing tour over Anchorage with Rust's Flying Service later in that afternoon!! We travel to Seward by train early the next morning for 2 night before embarking the Spirit.

 

We're beyond excited!

 

@bluesea777 will you be doing a live review or would it be possible for you to post the dailies? Have a wonderful cruise! We really enjoyed the early morning train ride from Anchorage to Seward along with exploring the Seward area. If you get to the cruise port before 11am, you will likely be among the first guests to board the ship. 
 

@wil e coyote Thank you for your wonderful review. We used to love food at O’Sheehans but agree that it’s been okay and not great. We tend to avoid Chin-Chins, too, as we really only liked the appetizers but not the main course options.  We found the food on the rest of the ship to be excellent and the Jewel is among our favorite NCL ships. That is wonderful that you received a 50% off coupon and were able to splurge on a DOS. The hot tub sounds amazing. And we love cruising Alaska to do as you described to watch the wilderness go by. 

[bluesea777]

1 minute ago, Seas2mountains said:

@bluesea777 will you be doing a live review or would it be possible for you to post the dailies? Have a wonderful cruise! We really enjoyed the early morning train ride from Anchorage to Seward along with exploring the Seward area. If you get to the cruise port before 11am, you will likely be among the first guests to board the ship. 

 

Not sure, haven't decided whether to do a live review. We'll see.

 

We go down to Seward two days before the cruise.

 

[wil e coyote]

11 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

@bluesea777 will you be doing a live review or would it be possible for you to post the dailies? Have a wonderful cruise!

FWIW, @YVRteacher posted the dailies from last week's sailing, so check those out!

[pjc49]

Trying to find out if the Hubbard Glacier shore excursion gets you close to the glacier since it's in boats.  Anyone been on then recently?  We do Jewel land/cruise 8/10

[pjc49]

wil e coyote.. quick question?  this is my 5 NCL cruise and never been offered a 50% off.  How did you get it?

[vacation44]

On 5/19/2023 at 11:18 AM, wil e coyote said:

We used Rust's Aviation. They were recommended to us by someone who used to be a bush pilot up there. Rust's was really great to work with and the pilot sure knew his way around the area. I'd highly recommend.

Did you book the 3 hour tour?   I think my husband would love it but I do not think I will be able to handle a 3 hour flight in that small plane.   

[wil e coyote]

20 minutes ago, pjc49 said:

Trying to find out if the Hubbard Glacier shore excursion gets you close to the glacier since it's in boats.  Anyone been on then recently?  We do Jewel land/cruise 8/10

It is supposed to - I have a friend who went on it last year and highly recommended it. We were booked on it but it got canceled last week.