The places the ship went in Asia were on our bucket list. We spent 16 days in the 3 bedroom garden Villa. It was tires and dated. The blinds did not work. We had a big red cooler for an ice chest...not fitting for a 30 thousand dollar suite. The private hot tub was chipping and would only run for 1 minute at a time so we had to keep pushing the button. Not my idea of relaxing. We were told we would have priority embarkation and debarkation....we were not told this would not happen if we booked a shore excursion through the ship. We were hearded like cattle....not in the brochure. Many of the shore excursions were late getting back and 9 hours tours turned into 12 hours...way too long. The ship was late leaving ports on a few occasions and late leaving ports because the shore excursions were not on time. The choice of excursions was not diverse....after all how many Shrines Temples and Buddas does one need to see? The food on the ship is awful. There is no other word for it. Salty lousy food. Even the specialty restaurants were not worth the extra money. The staff was the only saving grace to this trip. We had an awesome Butler Rodney, a great stewerdess Luh and Jeffrey who set up our patio and deck furniture every day was great. Read Less

We chose this trip for the itinerary. We recently retired and we were hopeing for a trip of a lifetime. Overall the itinerary was a good one with stops in very interesting ports. However, we have sailed with Norwegian 6 times now and this was probably the least organized in terms of shore excursions that we have ever been on. We found the shore excursions to be rated incorrectly in terms of difficulty. The weather in South East Asia is oppressively hot, and even though the ship recommends staying hydrated on the side trips, we were not allow to take water on or off the ship in most ports of call. In most circumstances the tours lasted 4-6 hours and many without water or even a small boxed lunch. Would it be too much to ask for NCL to throw us a some water and a banana? One poor gentleman actually passed out in Bangkok due to the heat and dehydration. The days that we had to be tendered in to the shore were nightmares! Neither the shore excursion crew were organized nor the buses etc. at the port. The tenders are HOT and uncomfortable and NCL consistently feels the need to PACK the tender full of people before leaving the ship. In Cambodia we chose to take the Level1 shore excursion through Ream Naitonal Park. It was "billed" as a boat ride and tour of the countryside. In our group we had a woman with broken ribs and another walking with a cane. The boats were slippery and difficult to get in and out of. But that wasn't the worse of it. When we got out of the boats we were literally in the middle of nowhere, with a guide that spoke very little english, who led the group on a one+ mile hike through rice fields, across duck boards, through marshes and through mud and muck. I truly have no idea how the woman with the cane made the trip. We stopped at little hut that was a school where cute Cambodian children sang to us and showed us how they write their language. Then we hiked another 1+ mile or so through some very tretuous and muddy paths to find the bus. We were not provided ANY water or any food this entire trip. The native people did provide us a sample of fruit if you dared to eat it. Many people were bitten by ants and scraped up with nettles. One person slipped on the mud upon leaving. It was NO LEVEL 1 - that's for sure. And we found this to be true with several other shore excursions as well. Overall the trip was lovely, but the ship was also headed into dry dock at Singapore and we got the sense that in the last few days of the trip those working on the shiip really started not to care so much about customer service. Everything was removed from our cabin mini-bars two days in advance of the cruise being over. Workman started to repair the ship and you would find them in your room fixing things all the time. For a ship that advertises NO LITTER on the seas, they started to scrap paint off the outside railiings about 3 days into the curise and my husband and I watched (disgusted) as thousands of led based paint chips flew into the ocean. There is a lot to improve on this trip. And the Jewel itself is in need of some serious renovation. Read Less

Booked this cruise because of the incentives offered as the fact that only 4 sea days were included in the itinerary. The excursions offered at the various ports were less than average in most cases. We booked an excursion in Cambodia that was the worst excursion I have ever taken. We visited a poor run down school, a Cambodian home and a dirty market place. Overall the country is very dirty with trash thrown everywhere. We also took an excursion in Taiwan that included visiting their national museum and the monument dedicated to Chang kei check. The museum was overcrowded and we had little time to see the exhibits. We even a shorter time at the monument. The ship was going in for 14 day dry dock after our cruise. This a good thing because it diffently needs some attention in many areas. Overall the food was less than average in the tsar palace dining room. The service was slow and inattentive. The food in the buffet was much better. I have one more cruise booked on Norwegian cruise lines and hope to have better cruise experience. Read Less

I chose this cruise due to the great itinerary, and my previous experiences with Norwegian. Unfortunately, NCL has evidently changed some of its policies to benefit itself. One would think that a single passenger would only have to pay a maximum of a 100% Single Supplement. I paid the same as 2 passengers but while they would receive 2 Free at Seas, I only received one. And the amount NCL charged for the tips/taxes for the Free Drinks package was over $300 US. Not so free! The information then stated that in order to step onto Russian territory, you had to have either a Russian visa or be booked on an NCL excursion. This proved to be a lie, since as long as you didn't leave Petropavlovsk, no visa was required. As I have visited Alaska on several previous occasions, I was quite happy to fend for myself in the 3 Alaskan ports. I eventually was able to get a Russian excursion that wasn't several hundred dollars due to the perseverance of my agent, and I was very glad that I booked excursions for the 4 Japanese ports. The last one took us on a highlights of Tokyo and then to my hotel. Tokyo is a very intimidating city as far as getting around, so after the cruise, I was very glad to book with another tour company that picked us up from our hotel, took us to the bullet train station, to Kyoto for a tour there, and then all the way back to my hotel. On the final day, I had already booked an airport shuttle to take me to Narita airport, which was not far off a 2 hour trip. I truly feel fortunate that each activity that I had planned went off without a hitch. Embarkation was terrible in Vancouver. Even though I was provided with a 12 to 12:30pm time slot, I didn't actually get on board until after 3pm. NCL doesn't seem to think that its customers have any issues with standing in long lineups, with very little support for those who use walkers/wheelchairs. I can't stand for long periods so was very happy that my hardbody carry-on luggage could be used to sit on. I was totally exhausted by the time I reached my cabin. As far as the actual cruise, the food was fine in the 3 regular waited-on restaurants, as it was at the pay extra restaurants, although I questioned why I had bothered to pay the extra amount. The entertainment was okay but not as good as my previous cruises on the Sun and Dawn. My cabin attendant didn't get my room cleaned until mid-afternoon each day, not something I was used to with NCL. I have wanted to visit Japan for many years, so am glad that I took this cruise, along with the visit to Russia. Due to another passenger's medical emergency, we ended up turning around and visited an island south of the Kamchatka peninsula, which happened to coincide with a volcano starting to erupt straight ahead of us. I have never seen a volcano erupt before in person. There were 3 that erupted within a 24 hour period that passengers were able to see, and despite a couple of typhoons hitting Japan, we were able to miss both of them by the ship changing its course to avoid them. I will be on the Queen Elizabeth next June, a high end cruise line. I wonder why I was able to obtain a whole cabin on this ship for myself, while paying 0% supplement?! I will be looking at other cruise lines other than NCL in the future. I used to think that NCL had the best features, but no more. Read Less

We enjoyed a transatlantic Cruise on the Epic in April 2018, so decided to try the transpacific. This cruise was far better than the first. The ship was one of the medium size ones with about 2400 passengers as compared to the Epic with about 4000. Unlike the Epic, most of the Jewel’s public areas were appropriately sized, some seats were normally, but not always, available in most bars, restaurants & entertainment without excessive waiting. Our mini suite on deck 11 was spacious & well laid out; I even had a bathtub! Food was very good, although menus did seem to start repeating toward the end of the 19 day cruise. Some passengers continued on for another 16 days. I think that might be too long on the same ship at one time. The music, shows & other activities were excellent and suited my tastes. Offering of shore excursions was varied & interesting. Cruise director, Dan the Man, was on top of everything, even the route change due to a typhoon! Staff was very friendly and service was excellent. A medical emergency which required an extra stop was handled well with good passenger communication as was the threat posed by a large typhoon. NCI made it clear that safety was their top priority. We really enjoyed the cruise, loved the Jewel & are looking forward to cruising with on her or a similar Norwegian ship again . Read Less

The itinerary was great! This was a repositioning cruise, and we thought was a great cruise for a great price. 19 nights sailing through Alaska, Russia, and ending in Japan. We stopped at 4 different stops in Alaska, one stop in Russia, and 4 stops in Japan. This was everything we hoped it be. Great stops with fantastic tours. And the days at sea were just as enjoyable. The ships entertainment was top notch. We saw a show every night, and the shows were fantastic. There was a Cerque show that we saw that was as good as any major show you’d see in Vegas. The whole 19 nights seemed to just fly by. The staff was incredible, and the service was excellent. So friendly, and everyone worked so hard to make sure our journey was the best. The food was great, and all the different restaurants were fun to visit, and served delicious food. We will be doing another cruise with Norwegian very soon! Read Less

This is a cold water cruise - VANCOUVER TO TOKYO - but the pools were well heated and it was great swimming in warm salty mineral laden sea water when the air temp was cold outside! The hot tubs are great too - 4 of them - 2 at a warmer temp than the other 2. Pool/jacuzzi temps posted on the ship's channel and could be referenced everyday along with the captain's update on particulars. The pics of the ship are very bad - they do it no justice! It is a beautiful ship and going in for a retrofit at the end the Singapore leg of this trip - October, 2018. Regardless, the Jewel is beautiful and NOT garish like other ships. The staff nice as always. Jeff the assistant cruise director is particularly genuine. However, I didn't like the the competition among the staff - i don't think they should have to compete with each other for the title of "cruise hero." My only other "sorta"complaint is that whomever runs the volume at the shows in the Stardust theatre and the shows/happenings/dance classes/trivia etc in the Spinakker lounge put the volume WAY TOO LOUD. It was excessive and distorted the sound which made it more painful than ever. Otherwise - the choice of music even at the pool was often relaxing rather than thumping rave music! It's a cruise full of international travelers which makes it so very interesting - people's stories - and families - whether big or small - I love that. Not many kids - probably because of the time of year - school time - maybe about 15 in total and they were charming children. This cruise has a great combo of sea days with port day. I like both - the sea days are great for just lounging - and the port days you feel compelled to get your arse out there and see another part of the world! And at the end of the sightseeing day - there's your ship there waiting for you after walking miles seeing a new land. It was great! The staff were incredibly organized about leaving and returning the the ship - never much of a queue/line - hot towels - lemonade or hot chocolate depending on the weather - whizzed through security - presented with a cookie and we were back on board! Lovely. Dan and Jeff the cruise director and assistant cd are very nice people. There was a delay embarking in VANCOUVER - which lots of folk bitched about - but come on people - it was part of the adventure of travel! How often does that happen? Not very often and no cause for alarm. ALASKA: Sadly, the glaciers are almost all gone. Alaska is beautiful though and there are 3 stops there before heading out to the BERING SEA where DEADLIEST CATCH is filmed. The Time Bandit was sitting in dock in Ketchikan and it is a surprisingly small vessel! It was wild and woolly in the great north Bering Sea - but there were sunny days before we moored in PETROPOVLOSK - an island off the Kamchatka peninsula - yeah people - that Kamchatka from the game RISK you used to play when you were a kid! They said you had to buy a tour to obtain a visa to disembark in Russia for the afternoon - but that didn't quite happen. I believe all ship passengers were issued a visa - and the Russians were very efficient about it - stamped everyone's visa in the early morning and we were on tenders by 11AM. the ship was extremely organized about crowd control - embarking and disembarking whether on tenders or at port. Norwegian provided courtesy buses and tenders at most of the ports of call. The food on board was ok with some pleasant surprises. It was just kind of blah. They did have some nights were the entrees were decent - like suckling pig and pork roasts - roast beef - very little lamb though - and even a thanksgiving holiday meal evening which was actually quite well done for an east Indian chef! The bird was succulent and it was served with all the fixins' !!! However, all chicken on board was just inedible and smelled funky - I could not eat it - sorry! The fajitas on Mexican night weren't bad - but the refried beans and tortilla shells etc were processed. There is no need for that as they are easy to make. There was an abundance of fresh ripe fruit and selection of breads - but the latter seemed processed also. The breakfast fair wasn't bad - they made an excellent in kitchen muesli, which was surprising because there was a lot of processed food. There was the full range of breakfast goodies - whatever your liking - you could not be disappointed and the chefs were nice enough to always make my eggs with real olive oil instead of that spray on pam junk! The pastries/deserts were disappointing as were the soups - but the salad bar wasn't bad - no decent cheeses though even in the sandwich section - the cheese used was that processed american slices - not real cheese even! Although there was a wheel of blue cheese on occasion. The dressings awful too - canned! i don't know why, like the bread. they didn't make the dressings in house? The tea - not good either - but the coffee surprisingly palatable. The entertainment ranged from excellent to ok. The most professional were the gymnasts and Russian ballroom dancers, the 3 divas and a couple of others. The Russian ballroom dancers taught dance lessons too and that was fab -being taught by professional dancers - what a treat! I hope they keep that part because there were staff teaching dance classes but really - they weren't professionals and it was a bit of a loud joke. Wendy from South Africa and Julian from Australia were the exercise teachers and their classes were the favorites and most attended! Both delightful instructors. They were very zen about it - not pushy and vulgar like some personal trainers! Namaste! There is all manner of activity on board from daily trivia to Japanese and other language class that reminds me of the sailing days of yore when a passage was inclusive of classes in the language of the ports of call! Thank you Jeff and Dan for arranging that. Japan is incredible - the country ok - metropolis as far as the eye can see. But the people just amazing. what a delight - what a surprise - what a fabulous first time visit. I will certainly return for a spell in the land of the rising sun! I have been cruising since I was a kid - 1962 was my first sailing on the T.S. Hansiatic. My Mum loved big ships and passed that love onto her kids and I pass that love onto my son who travels with me. His first cruise was when he was 6. He said it was better than Disneyland! We have sailed many different lines over the years. This was our first time on Norwegian and we enjoyed it immensely. The Jewel is a gem of a ship and its crew and staff wonderful. It's pure hedonism - but hey - worth every moment lol! Don't hesitate to take this trip. Oh and I wanted to mention one last thing - the air filtration system on this ship - the JEWEL - is EXCELLENT! I have respiratory issues and always end up with some manner of respiratory distress when on a cruise - but did NOT get a respiratory infection on this ship. So just wanted to let y'all know! And they made every attempt to keep everyone healthy - which was much appreciated also. Bon Voyage then ..... Read Less

Embarkation was terrible: we waited for 1 hour in line. On-board time was 2 p.m. but the ship did not depart until midnight- all that time we could have spent in Vancouver. Cabin was comparable to other crusielines but the furniture has begun to show its age. Room and food service were excellent Food was less sophisticated than say Holland Cruiselines but selection was broader to accomodate more nationalities. Entertainment was above average as were the enrichment activities- very iportant on a repositioning cruise. Disembarkation was orderly. Shuttle buses to connect city transportation were welcome. Excursions were much more expensive than what one could buy on shore. In Petropavlovsk thtat was not a choice but the excursion to Kaytak village was worth the money. The seamanship was excellent particularly how the crew managed to avoid a typhoon and yet to make every schediuled port with enough on-shore time. USD14.50 per-day charge is much larger than what we paid elsewhere just a year ago. Read Less

Original cruise booking process was poor because of repeated incorrect information given by numerous NCL booking staff members. I should have taken this as a leading indicator of things to come. The itinerary was great and the weather was fantastic, NCL however was a very mixed bag. But don’t get me wrong, even a mediocre day on a cruise is pretty damn good. Internet Service - we paid for the unlimited streaming service advertised / offered. NCL should not advertise and collect large sums of money for services when it can’t come anywhere clise to delivering them. Yes I’m aware of the technical challenges of providing internet service at sea, but I believed NCL’s advertising because their competition also advertises this service. Unlike NCL however their competition actually privides it (and charges less). Main dining restaurant service was suprisingly bad. It got very old missing the evening shows because dinner service was soooo slow. Read Less

The ship was on its way to dry dock, so a few things needed updating, but all in all it was beautiful. We were in a balcony cabin, not as big as I would like, but we made do. The staff was outstanding. I ate in most of the specialty restaurants, and they were all wonderful. When we ate in the main dinning room, we were able to have the same table with the same wait staff each night who treated us royalty. The ports were all interesting. I did not do any ship shore excursions in Alaska, as I have done them before, however I did do the excursions in Russia and each port in Japan. All done well with good English speaking guides. The last tour/excursion was in Tokyo and this took us to the hotel NCL had arranged. The hotel was magnificent. Another great experience thanks to NCL. Read Less