We drove to NYC from Southern New Hampshire the ride was quicker than we anticipated. Parked at the cruise terminal it was very convenient ($210 for the week). We are a family of 4 (two teens) and were traveling with two other families, 14 of us total. Embarkation: We got there around 11 am, bags were immediately taken from our car by the porters. We were in an AD suite, so the check in line was short. The NCL Jewel is very impressive ship. Overall the crew was exceptional and extremely hard working. We attended the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. The Captain -Costas, Cruise Director - Iain, Hotel Director John O'Hara, members of the Second City Comedy Group and other top staff members were all in attendance. John O'Hara treated all of us like VIPs. The man was everywhere on the ship. His phone was always ringing because I think he gave out is phone number to all 2800 passengers. I can't say enough about the Jewel staff they were awesome. We had rooms 10666 and 10161 AD suite and interior room. Rogin our butler was great he brought us afternoon snacks each day and on the two port days he brought us enough snacks for our group of 14. Abner our steward did a great job keeping our room clean. Upon our request he quickly emptied the mini bar in the room which our teen age boys were staying. Always made sure we had plenty of towels and did pretty much anything we asked. Ports: Port Canerval—We charted a private shuttle from Beachline Transportation for the 14 of us. They were great. We went to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. It was considered an off peak day for the Magic Kingdom but it was still quite busy. The popular rides were an average of 45 minute wait. Our time in Port Canevaral was limited and it really wasn't enough time. We were not able to stop at Great Stirrup Cay. The seas were too rough for the tender boats. That was very disappointing. The weather outside was beautiful and it would have been a great day. But we understand safety first. Nassau; We had reserved a room at the Paradise Island Comfort Inn about 7 months before. We paid $278 (includes taxes and all the misc extra charges) for the room which included access to the Atlantis Aqua adventure and Aquarium. My teen age boys loved the waterslides, my husband and I did too, especially the lazy river. It was the highlight of our trip. We had lunch at Shark bits the outside fast food place on the Atlantis grounds it was expensive but good! Food: The food was good in Tsar's Palace and Azura dining room. There is something for everyone. We also ate in Le Bistro, Cagney's, Teppanyki and Mama's Kitchen. All were great. Teppanyki and Cagney's were my favorite. We were fortunate to have the suite perk of breakfast and lunch in Cagney's which was also wonderful. Some of the food highlights were the Filet and Scallops in Teppanyki, the Bouillabaisse, Escargot, and Crème Brulee in Le Bistro, and Alaskan Crab Legs, Shrimp Cocktail and Prime Rib in Cagney's. ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment on the Jewel was outstanding! We loved the shows, the Jean Anne Production company dancers and were terrific! Richard the acrobat was very entertaining. The Second City comedy team had us laughing for 45 solid minutes. I don't think I have ever laughed so much. "Dancing with the Jewel Stars" in the Spinnaker lounge is not to be missed. Iain and Jamie (Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Directors) were fantastic as well as judges, Karisa (Second City) Richard and Betsy from the production company were extremely funny. Loved the Loser's lounge interviews with Jamie ( very funny). The Not So Newlywed game was also very funny. The Liars Club was funny but not as good as the first two shows. There was so much going on we would have needed three weeks to experience all activities. Members of our group also participated in some of the Trivia games (thanks Jane, Ruby, and Romel) and Slime Time Live. A great time was had by all! This was the first Nickelodeon Cruise. If you wanted to experience the Nick characters they were certainly available, however you could have easily experience the whole week without seeing them at all. I personally saw only one character on the pool deck later in the week. Members our family did attend the Character Breakfast and Slime Time shows. We had booked this cruise before knowing about the Nick Theme. The last week in April has always been a school vacation week in NH. Disembarkation was painless. We put our luggage in our car. We had never been to NYC as a family so we took a cab to Ground Zero. Not much to see here except a construction fence. We did go into a small museum nearby which is dedicated to the 911 tragedy and the Memorial that is under construction to be completed in 2011. Looks like it would be worth taking a trip back once the Memorial was finished. From ground zero we took the Metro to Times Square and had lunch at the ESPN Zone which was a real treat from my sons. Walked around Time Square some, luckily we left before the car bomb was found. Walked from Times Square back to the Pier, got in a car and had uneventful drive back to NH.
We drove to NYC from Southern New Hampshire the ride was quicker than we anticipated. Parked at the cruise terminal it was very convenient ($210 for the week). We are a family of 4 (two teens) and were traveling with two other families, 14 of us total.
Embarkation: We got there around 11 am, bags were immediately taken from our car by the porters. We were in an AD suite, so the check in line was short.
The NCL Jewel is very impressive ship. Overall the crew was exceptional and extremely hard working. We attended the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. The Captain -Costas, Cruise Director - Iain, Hotel Director John O'Hara, members of the Second City Comedy Group and other top staff members were all in attendance. John O'Hara treated all of us like VIPs. The man was everywhere on the ship. His phone was always ringing because I think he gave out is phone number to all 2800 passengers. I can't say enough about the Jewel staff they were awesome.
We had rooms 10666 and 10161 AD suite and interior room. Rogin our butler was great he brought us afternoon snacks each day and on the two port days he brought us enough snacks for our group of 14. Abner our steward did a great job keeping our room clean. Upon our request he quickly emptied the mini bar in the room which our teen age boys were staying. Always made sure we had plenty of towels and did pretty much anything we asked.
Ports:
Port Canerval—We charted a private shuttle from Beachline Transportation for the 14 of us. They were great. We went to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. It was considered an off peak day for the Magic Kingdom but it was still quite busy. The popular rides were an average of 45 minute wait. Our time in Port Canevaral was limited and it really wasn't enough time.
We were not able to stop at Great Stirrup Cay. The seas were too rough for the tender boats. That was very disappointing. The weather outside was beautiful and it would have been a great day. But we understand safety first.
Nassau; We had reserved a room at the Paradise Island Comfort Inn about 7 months before. We paid $278 (includes taxes and all the misc extra charges) for the room which included access to the Atlantis Aqua adventure and Aquarium. My teen age boys loved the waterslides, my husband and I did too, especially the lazy river. It was the highlight of our trip. We had lunch at Shark bits the outside fast food place on the Atlantis grounds it was expensive but good!
Food: The food was good in Tsar's Palace and Azura dining room. There is something for everyone. We also ate in Le Bistro, Cagney's, Teppanyki and Mama's Kitchen. All were great. Teppanyki and Cagney's were my favorite. We were fortunate to have the suite perk of breakfast and lunch in Cagney's which was also wonderful. Some of the food highlights were the Filet and Scallops in Teppanyki, the Bouillabaisse, Escargot, and Crème Brulee in Le Bistro, and Alaskan Crab Legs, Shrimp Cocktail and Prime Rib in Cagney's.
ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment on the Jewel was outstanding! We loved the shows, the Jean Anne Production company dancers and were terrific! Richard the acrobat was very entertaining. The Second City comedy team had us laughing for 45 solid minutes. I don't think I have ever laughed so much. "Dancing with the Jewel Stars" in the Spinnaker lounge is not to be missed. Iain and Jamie (Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Directors) were fantastic as well as judges, Karisa (Second City) Richard and Betsy from the production company were extremely funny. Loved the Loser's lounge interviews with Jamie ( very funny). The Not So Newlywed game was also very funny. The Liars Club was funny but not as good as the first two shows. There was so much going on we would have needed three weeks to experience all activities. Members of our group also participated in some of the Trivia games (thanks Jane, Ruby, and Romel) and Slime Time Live. A great time was had by all!
This was the first Nickelodeon Cruise. If you wanted to experience the Nick characters they were certainly available, however you could have easily experience the whole week without seeing them at all. I personally saw only one character on the pool deck later in the week. Members our family did attend the Character Breakfast and Slime Time shows. We had booked this cruise before knowing about the Nick Theme. The last week in April has always been a school vacation week in NH.
Disembarkation was painless. We put our luggage in our car. We had never been to NYC as a family so we took a cab to Ground Zero. Not much to see here except a construction fence. We did go into a small museum nearby which is dedicated to the 911 tragedy and the Memorial that is under construction to be completed in 2011. Looks like it would be worth taking a trip back once the Memorial was finished. From ground zero we took the Metro to Times Square and had lunch at the ESPN Zone which was a real treat from my sons. Walked around Time Square some, luckily we left before the car bomb was found. Walked from Times Square back to the Pier, got in a car and had uneventful drive back to NH.