Norwegian Jewel Review

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Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Norwegian Jewel
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compster
6-10 Cruises • Age 40s

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Value for Money
Embarkation
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Sail Date: Oct 2016
Cabin: Mid-Ship Balcony

I really hate NCL and this was the worst cruise ever. Ok. Let me get the compliments out of the way. I had a standard balcony stateroom, which was adequately furnished. I really liked the stateroom attendant, Mohammed from Indonesia. He was very pleasant and always accommodated our requests timely. I also purchased the spa pass and found that to be worth the money. If you like soaking in water and serenity and having a nice little spot on the ship that is your own... I'd get the pass. The spa was very cleanly and peaceful. I enjoyed the Japan pool (cold water plunge) on the hot days coming back from Puerto Vallarta. The main show entertainment was pretty good too, with one huge exception discussed below. My last compliment would be for Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse. The food was awesome, especially the salad bar, the bread, and the drinks. I went there twice and loved it both times. Embarkation was super easy and smooth. Also the lifeboat drill was really nice as they let you just sit down in a restaurant.

Now for the bad. NCL cancelled one of the three ports a week before the cruise began in order to have scheduled maintenance on the engines. I requested a refund of the port taxes for the cancelled port and NCL's customer service was quite rude and refused to refund the port taxes. Next, there was a fire aboard the ship on night one. The crew were called to stations and the cruise director Archie jokingly said, "Don't worry folks, they're going to the buffet." I knew something was wrong because the ship changed directions as if it was heading back to LA, and then came to a complete stop for hours. I called the front desk and asked what was going on. I was told it was a routine drill for the crew and not to worry. Frankly, I don't appreciate being lied to in an emergency. I don't appreciate that no announcements whatsoever were made explaining the nature of the emergency so that I could at least know to stay in my stateroom and have safety gear handy in case things went bad. I feel NCL put my life in jeopardy by this lack of communication.

Next, the engine repairs did not get completed on time and then on the morning when we were supposed to dock at Cabo, the captain explained that we would not be docking at Cabo. The whole ship turned into a frenzy. We went from a three port vacation to a one port vacation. The front desk was jam packed. They offered everyone a $50 stateroom credit for the "inconvenience". I was told by the front desk that I wanted a greater refund and was given the phone number for NCL customer service. I told them that I did not wish to contact NCL customer service and asked for the staff to call them on my behalf and obtain authorization for a greater refund. They refused my request. Note to cruisers: if you call NCL customer service post cruise, they will not answer the phone. I have called three times and every time I have waited over a half hour without any answer. The hotel manager said he would provide my information to NCL with a request for contact. I have not been contacted.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Balcony

Cabin BA

The cabin was fairly standard for the cruise industry. No complaints and no praises.

Port Reviews

Puerto Vallarta

I like PV. It's a bit hot, but nice.

6 Helpful Votes
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