Norwegian Jewel Review
Norwegian Jewel Valentines week Cruise - Not such a Jewel
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We sailed aboard the Norwegian Jewel for the Valentines week cruise out of New York. Boarding was not a problem, and we were told that our stateroom would not be available until after two so we should tour the public areas and get a bite to eat. We did so, and were delighted with the Tzar's Palace dining room, which we chose for our lunch.
When we finally drifted down to our Mini-suite, we received our first disappointment. The Mini-suite was REALLY mini. Our experience aboard other cruise lines led us to expect a much roomier accommodation. We had to sit on the bed, and only partially open the closet doors, because the bed was that close to the closet. In fact, the Mini-Suite was about the same size as the Veranda Stateroom our daughter had aboard the Caribbean Princess. Putting our disappointment in the size of the stateroom aside, the difficulty due to the physical layout of getting into the closet to our clothing was a definite disappointment.
We chose this particular cruise due to our need for a relaxing vacation without any need to do extensive touring. Since we have been to Florida and Nassau MANY times, we anticipated staying aboard ship for just about the entire cruise. We understood that leaving from New York would involve two days where sitting out by the pool would most definitely not be an option, and we planned to utilize that time seeking on-board entertainment (Financial lectures, photography discussions, etc...). Sadly, the ONLY ADULT activities scheduled during the day was SHOPPING. This was not of any interest to us. There were however, a multitude of activities scheduled for children during the day (We found out that this was advertised as a Sponge Bob Cruise which we were not told of prior to booking). This was the case at the pool as well during the days when it was possible to sit out in the sun. Here I will post a positive (for my wife and myself). The Jewel has two pools, and five Hot tubs. The Largest pool and three of the hot tubs were mixed usage (Adults and children), and the small pool and two smaller hot tubs were clearly labeled as "Adult Only" areas. We were happy to see, that when children decided to utilize either, a crew member would address them and point to the sign designating this as an adult area. Unfortunately there were a number of adults who decided that the children could use these since they were there with them and they ignored the crew members and the sign.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
The layout of the mini-suite was poor. The separation between the bed area and the sitting area was non-existent (a curtain could be drawn across to separate them for privacy), the TV on the swivel stand servicing both the areas would be totally impossible to view by more than one party at a time if the maximum 4 people were in the room, and not viewable at all from the main bed if the privacy curtain were closed. The space between the bed and the closet made it impossible to fully open the closet, and you had to sit or stand on the bed to get anything into or out of it. The layout of the sitting area was such that the sofa bed (which we did not use) would have to be opened on top of the desk, or it would have to be designed for only children shorter than 5 feet. The balcony was small, and a low three legged stool that was meant to serve as a table was the only place to put food if you wanted to eat outside. The best feature of the mini-suite was the bathroom, which had a separate commode area and the tub/shower had glass sliding doors rather than a plastic curtain with magnets on the bottom to keep it against the tub.