Norwegian Jewel Review
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I am a serious cruiser with over 25 cruises under my belt. I took NCL 2 years ago and decided to give it another try on the NCL Jewel last week. The food was terrible unless you paid for food in one of the restaurants. If you are a smoker you will be seriously disappointed as you can only smoke in 4 places on the ship.
The upside was the people were very friendly, the Cigar Bar fabulous - go to know 10 people very well including their spouses, Martini Bar good...guess that's about it. The downsides...I made the mistake of traveling the week before spring break...400 kids on the ship and 700 kids this week.
Service was extremely slow in both free dining rooms. Almost nightly we had to ask for our room cards back before receiving our nightly coffee. Romantic is one thing...ignoring is another. Although O'Sheehans did have a friendly staff, the food was bland and boring. Prime rib was served with gravy instead of au jus, instant mashed potatoes, and I could have made a chicken pot pie that tasted better. Chin Chin (free asian) was your basic bland chinese food...overcooked mush barely asian-tasting food...made Panda Express seem like gourmet food. Poolside food was your basic hamburgers, hotdogs, fries and so on. Daily they did cook food on the deck but I have a problem with eating food cooked, served and consumed in the hot sun...great way to get sick! Buffet...let me put is this way - they don't know their spinach from arugula. Most food was bland, overcooked, and boring although the desserts were good. Not enough room to sit and people were just rude walking in front of you, racing to grab a table - most of the time we ate in the kids section because they were not available tables. Breakfast in the buffet consisted of your basic bland food...instant eggs, overcooked bacon, assorted breads, oatmeal, and if you desire you can have someone personally overcook your omelet.
Cabin Review
Family Inside
My friend and I had two separate inside cabins on Deck 11 - just below the pool. Although very efficient, the room cannot be shared by two people, as you cannot place your luggage under your bed or on the floor. The shower is large but the toilet is placed at a weird angle for space efficiency. The cabin is so small that you cannot have the closet door open and the bathroom door at the same time. This room would be impossible for two people to get ready at the same time.
I met a woman in scooter because she broke her hip a month before the cruise. They charged her $200 to rent the scooter. Most of the time I needed to guide her because absolutely nobody on the ship gave your room...walked in front of her, didn't move chairs or even notice she was there. Talk about no manners or respect. She could not get a handicapped room because she was told there was none available, yet I overheard a couple talking about how large their room was because they requested a handicapped room. This very nice woman had to leave her scooter in the hallway and crawl into her room each night...absolutely unacceptable!
Bottom line...spend the extra money on balcony if you are bringing your spouse, loved one, or anyone you would like to remain friends with.