Norwegian Jewel Review
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We have been on 3 RCCL cruises, Voyager Class (Mariner of the Seas) and Sovereign Class (Majesty OTS and Monarch OTS) and two Carnival cruises on the Fantasy and Glory. The NCL Jewel was a beautiful ship, probably the prettiest lady of them all. It was unbelievably clean and constantly maintained by the crew. The design was thoughtful, tasteful and efficient. NCL really tries very hard. It seems to know it is number three among the mass market lines and really is trying hard to change that. We met some very, and I mean very dedicated NCL clients on this trip. These folks would rather sail a sinking NCL ship than think of another line. Loyalty is hard to build in this economy, and kudos to NCL for that. Here is a section by section review in which I will attempt to be as fair and objective as possible with only six cruises to guide me.
Embarkation: It was smooth and uneventful as embarkation should be. The NCL rep was helpful, but was training a new employee. She was pleasant, but tried to hurry us along. I don't like to be rushed. Especially if I have questions, which I did, but didn't have the opportunity to ask. Then after the rush, we had to wait in another line to be escorted to the atrium, since our room was not ready. The champagne was a nice touch. We were told that there would be a rooms ready announcement around one, but there was never any announcement. We were allowed into our room around 2:30. We were on the ship in about 30 minutes having champagne and eating lunch in the Garden Cafe.
Stateroom: Efficient and colorful is how I would describe the accommodations in the mini suite. We were expecting similar to the RCCL Jr Suite, but were disappointed by the size of the room and the balcony. The room steward was as good as any we've had. His name was Immanuel. The safe was nice and the shower had a temperature setting that need never be changed. The bathroom had a sliding door between the business end and the shower/sink. and a sliding door over the tub. The bedding was soft yet firm and as comfortable as we've had on either CCL or RCCL. One night we were brought warm, soft cookies bv the steward. This was welcome.