We chose the Jewel for our Canada/New England cruise mainly because NCL is our cruise line of choice, and because of the length of the cruise (10 days) and the ports visited. We also loved the number of sea days on this cruise. This was our 11th NCL cruise, 16th overall. OUR STAY IN NEW YORK CITY Based on information in Cruise Critic, an NYC guidebook, and a pretty good sale on hotels.com, we booked the Salisbury Hotel on West 57th Street, right between 6th and 7th and two blocks from Central Park. It was a former residence hotel, so the rooms are huge by NYC standards. We spent two nights in New York City. We bought Greyline's 48-hour hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tickets so we could do the night loop (which is just a loop without hop-on-hop-off privileges) and then take advantage of the real "hop-on-off" feature the following day. We rode the buses, walked along the Hudson River, saw the work being done at the World Trade Center site, rode the subway, took photographs from the top of Rockefeller Center, and had dinner at two wonderful neighborhood restaurants. EMBARKATION (Forecast 61F/16C) We headed to the Port around 11:15. We were extremely lucky to have been called by NCL for an upsell from a stern mini-suite to an A3 Courtyard Villa. We could never have afforded this remarkable suite any other way, and we are so grateful to have experienced it. At 11:15, there were already long lines, so we headed straight for the sign that read "Garden Villas, Courtyard Suites and Penthouse Suites." We were led directly to the counter to be checked in and then to a waiting room to meet with Anca Zamfir, the Jewel's concierge, who gave us our platinum-colored key cards. Then our butler, Roy, came and led us through Security and onto the ship, where we were handed glasses of champagne before being led up to our suite on Deck 14. The A3 is a two-bedroom suite. A small bedroom is just inside the hallway door. It has a couch that makes into a bed that could sleep two, and a pullman bed folds down from the wall if needed. In the room are a small TV and small closet, and the small bathroom has a toilet, single sink and a shower. Inside the main part of the cabin is the dining area with a table with four chairs. Behind it is a buffet with a cabinet for glasses, cups and saucers, expresso cups and saucers, wine and champagne glasses. On the buffet sits the wonderful coffee/expresso/cappuccino machine with a choice of Lavazza coffees and a choice of teas, and the small refrigerator is hidden behind a cabinet door. In the living room are a full-sized couch (that makes into a bed if needed), two chairs, a coffee table and a large flat-screen TV. On the coffee table was a beautiful flower arrangement, and near the sofa was a bottle of champagne on ice. The master bedroom and bathroom in the A3 are next to the living room/dining room. The bedroom is in an alcove separated from the dressing area and bathroom by very heavy curtains that completely block out light. A large TV and two large cabinets with storage shelves are against one of the forward walls of the bedroom. The king-sized bed has the new memory foam mattress topper, which, along with the down pillows, made it the best sleep I've ever experienced. The closet is on the wall that you face upon entering the bedroom/bathroom area. Inside we found the thickest, softest terry robes with the NCL fish logo and two pairs of slippers. Next to the closet are three large, very deep drawers and two shelves. This is also where the two safes are located. The bathroom is simply magnificent, with dark marble floors, two sinks and a vanity, a separate shower with a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out to the sea, as well as a soaking tub with one window that looks out to the sea and a second one that faces the balcony. All windows have blinds for privacy. The toilet stall and the shower have glazed glass doors for privacy. In addition to the normal shower sprayer, this shower has a hand-held sprayer and two jets that you can aim just about anywhere you want! Small bottles of Elemis shampoo, rinse and body lotion were sitting on the bathroom counter, and a container of bath salts and a loofah were sitting on the edge of the bathtub. All the furniture in the suite is made of cherry wood, and some walls are also cherry. The balcony is deep and wide enough for two comfortable chairs and a table. The chairs have thick, pink, comfortable cushions. The Courtyard has a retractable glass roof, which was obviously closed during our northern cruise. In the Courtyard are a counter-current pool and a huge hot tub, an alcove with a treadmill and an elliptical machine and an alcove with men's/women's showers and saunas. We were in that hot tub only twice, and now I regret not going more often. There are padded lounge "couches" with sides made out of a white cloth so as to afford you a little privacy and plenty of chairs with ottomans. During the day, coffee, milk, hot water for tea, cookies and gummy bears are available, and I tried them all. There are also tables and chairs at one end of the Courtyard where you can have breakfast or lunch from Cagney's, served by your butler. Above the Courtyard is a private outdoor deck that is accessed by a set of stairs inside the Courtyard. There is plenty of deck furniture out there for those warmer Caribbean cruises. We stood up there at sailaway to take photos of NYC, the Statue of Liberty and the Verazano Narrows Bridge. The views from that top deck are spectacular. The Concierge Lounge is up a set of stairs from the Deck 14 elevator lobby. It has a flat-screen TV, games, tables, lots of low couches, and the forward wall is all windows that look out on the pool deck and out to sea. It's quiet up there and rarely used. The same goodies that are available in the Courtyard are available there. Down one deck is Cagney's, where we ate most of our breakfasts and lunches. This is another wonderful perk given to those in suites and to VIPs. Inside Cagney's is a buffet table where, if you like, you can dish up your own Norwegian specialties, or fruit, pastries and cold cereals. The breakfast and lunch menus do not change. I had, on various breakfast visits, crab cakes Benedict, plain eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage or both and potatoes, French toast and pancakes. My husband enjoyed steak and eggs more than once. Everything was wonderful. Another wonderful perk for those in the Courtyard Suites, Owners' Suites and Garden Villa, which we enjoyed every time we went to the Stardust Theater, is the special area set aside in the balcony so we didn't have to hurry through dinner to get to the theater for good seats. Additional perks we enjoyed (these were for all suite holders) were a Captain's cocktail party held in the Courtyard. Ours was on a sea day from 7:00 to 7:45, and there were a number of the top staff there, in addition to being greeted by the Captain on arrival. We were able to get into the Chocoholic Buffet early to take photos; we were able to get off the ship first in Boston; we would have been able to get priority tender tickets, except we didn't tender in any port; and we had priority disembarkation at the end of the cruise (more on that later). SERVICE We had absolutely impeccable service from everyone we met on the ship. Anca, our concierge was so attentive. She was available every morning and most days at lunch in Cagney's, and she was always available by phone whenever we needed her. She made all our restaurant reservations, and we had no problem getting alternative restaurant reservations whenever we wanted them, because the restaurants were practically empty on this cruise. As Anca stated in the welcome letter we found in our cabin, she was there "to answer questions about absolutely anything and everything," and she did! I had read great things about Anca on Cruise Critic, and everything I read was true. Roy, our butler treated us like royalty. We had breakfast in our cabin twice, complete with white tablecloths and napkins -- beautifully done, completely unobtrusive. Roy refrigerated the champagne that we didn't open the first day, and brought it back with champagne glasses when we had friends in prior to the first Dress Up or Not Night. He also delivered afternoon treats, which differed each day, and made sure our fruit was replaced. Richard, our cabin steward, was amazing, always inquiring about whether we needed anything, and he always had the cabin in perfect order. We had chocolates on our pillows and a different towel animal on our bed every night. The first night's was spectacular - a towel fan sat on the huge bed, with a small orchid at one end. Everywhere we went onboard, the crew was always smiling and wishing us well. We did not encounter a single crewmember that didn't look like he or she was enjoying their job. The Jewel is in fantastic shape. Only the cushions on our deck chairs showed a little wear, and that was only because they are out in the elements 24 hours a day. People were always working around the ship cleaning, vacuuming or painting. RESTAURANTS Tsars - This is one of the included restaurants and is very grand. It has a staircase leading down from Deck 7, and on its pillars sit what look like Faberge eggs. There are pictures of tsars and tsarinas decorating the walls, and a grand piano sits near the entrance. We went to Tsar's on Dress-Up-or-Not night with two couples from our Cruise Critic group, and my Beef Wellington was cooked to perfection. Azura - The smaller of the two included restaurants, Azura has modern decor. We much prefer this restaurant to the bigger, more elegant Tsar's. We had dinner there twice, once with two young women from our Cruise Critic group. We loved talking with both the maitre d and his assistant, who got to know us there and during the day, when they served in Cagney's. Cagney's Steakhouse - This is my favorite NCL restaurant, both because of the food and the interior of the place. I had the 10-ounce fillet, which was way too big for me, but it was perfectly done and melt-in-my-mouth delicious. We had dinner there with new Cruise Critic friends. Blue Lagoon - We had lunch at this almost-24-hour diner (no fee) on one sea day, and it was extremely busy. Still, our wait wasn't long. I had a plain old tuna melt and fries as we looked out on the ocean. This is a place I'd like to visit more often, but somehow we seem to miss it. Tangos - We ate twice at Tangos (Tex-Mex), once by ourselves, and on the last night with several Cruise Critic friends. The item called Il Popo, which is served for two, was presented at the table on a hanging server, with chicken and beef, onions and peppers and was excellent. The second night, I had fajitas, and they also were wonderful. The flan for dessert is scrumptious. Chin Chin - This is a Japanese/Thai/Chinese restaurant complex that also features sushi/sashimi area and a teppanyaki room. We had dinner there the first night with new Cruise Critic friends, and it was half-off that night. I had chicken in lettuce wraps and lemon pepper shrimp. Mama's - This is a cute Italian restaurant where I had a Caesar salad, excellent lobster ravioli and yummy tiramisu. We also stopped by the buffet one time for afternoon tea and a snack. I like the action stations on the Jewel much more than the one-line cafeteria-style layout of some of the other ships. We did not go outside to the Great Outdoor Cafe; it has typically been one of my favorite venues, but it was a little cold outside on this cruise. NCL has some wonderful cold fruit soups, and one of our new friends suggested that we have them served in glasses rather than in bowls. What a great idea! They make a perfect appetizer. ENTERTAINMENT There are so many entertainment choices on NCL ships. As I was going through my Freestyle Dailies to write this review, I realized how much we missed. The Alambre Trio was in Bar City in the early evenings and then in Fyzz later. We heard them the first night, when we were having dinner in Chin Chin, right above Bar City, and we found ourselves singing to Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," along with the patrons in Bar City. Carrie Snow sang and played the guitar in Bar City right after the Alambre Trio and then later, until "whenever." She was great to listen to with a glass of wine. The 4 Strings Quartet played in the Atrium from 8 to 10:30, and also played various times in Bar City. Constantine Dragulyov played the grand piano in Tsar's Restaurant from 6 to 8, as well as various times in Bar City and a special show in the Stardust Theater. Jane L. Powell, the fabulous and very funny singer of R&B, Blues, Jazz, Gospel and other styles, played in the Stardust Theater, and she does a great routine bringing a few men up on the stage from the audience to participate with her. George Sakellariou played classical and modern music on the guitar, and we really enjoyed his show. Jean Ann Ryan shows - These are not-to-be-missed shows for us on every cruise. We had seen all these shows before, but this time each one was a little different--and better. "Band on the Run" showcased music/dance of the 70s; "Country Gold" honored country music's greatest artists; and "Cirque Bijou," with aerialists, rhythmic gymnasts, acrobats and bungee jumpers falling from the ceiling of the theater right above the audience, was incredibly exciting and appreciated by everyone who saw it. I'm always amazed by the talent of this singing and dancing troupe, especially the rhythmic gymnast who also performs ballet routines (she can bend and twist her body into shapes a body isn't meant to be bent and twisted into) and the ballroom dancing couple. We also went to Rock Night starring NAARG (Not Another Angry Rock Group), featuring Darin Wyman, the Cruise Director, who can really play the guitar and sing! Who knew? We didn't see several other shows, including Tim Kaminsky (comedian), who drew raves from everyone we talked to who saw his opening night show in the Stardust Theater, a comedy workshop and another performance in the Spinnaker Lounge. Nor did we see the Brothers from Different Mothers (a comedy, juggling duo), or Dr. Scott Lewis (hypnotist). We also did not go to a single ship's activity this cruise nor to the Casino. Once we found out we were cruising in a Courtyard Villa, we promised ourselves to spend a great deal of time in the Courtyard, knowing we'd probably never be able to experience it again. And we did—reading, sleeping, sitting in the hot tub, eating cookies . . . We were told that there were over 1,300 Latitudes members (NCL repeat cruisers) on this sailing, so they divided us into 2 groups for the Latitudes Party. Later in the week, there was a second party for Silver/Gold/Platinum Latitudes members (which we missed because we wanted to eat instead). We took advantage of the two Gold Latitudes 25% off laundry specials during the cruise. There were two "Dress Up or Not" Nights, both of which we dressed up for. We had a very nice Meet & Greet on the first sea day, and many of the Jewel's staff attended. There must have been about 30 of us there. A few people met at Sailaway, but we were busy taking photos. PORTS Boston (forecast 61F/16C) - Boston's Columbus Day Parade was in full swing when we were there, and it tied up all downtown traffic. Another Cruise Critic couple and we had bought tickets for Boston's hop-on-hop-off Trolley online, and the website never mentioned that the trolleys were shutting down at noon. We were lucky though. There were 6 of us waiting at the stop near the Pier, and after telling us she couldn't take us because it was her last run, the driver, Frida, felt so bad that she picked us up anyway and took us on a private tour of "her Boston" even though she was supposed to be off work. It was great, and we saw so much (and I did write Frida's company a letter praising her. At the tour's end at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, we grabbed some lunch and walked around there, then set off by foot to see part of the Freedom Trail with our Cruise Critic buddies. Halifax (forecast 41F/5C) -- One of our Cruise Critic friends told us about an excursion through Shoretrips.com that we took. There were 5 Cruise Critics and another couple from the cruise on the tour. The guide, who is a tax accountant during the winter and a tour guide during the summer and fall, drove us around Halifax, including a drive through the cemetery where many Titanic victims were buried, then out to Peggy's Cove for about an hour. Peggy's Cove is a precious little fishing village with so many photo opportunities. There is a beautiful lighthouse on the edge of huge boulders, small fishing boats bob in the inlets, beautiful bogs with the clouds reflecting in the water, the cutest little houses and a church. When we got back into town, our guide recommended the Blue Nose Cafe in town as the best place for cheap lobster. Four of us decided to go there. We women had our hearts set on whole lobsters, but by the time we were ready to order, we had decided on lobster sandwiches, which were great. Both guys had burgers. We then walked back to the ship in the rain. The jackets we bought for Alaska a couple of years back came in very handy on this cruise. It was quite chilly, too. Quebec City (forecast 39F/4C) - There was frost all over the outside decks that morning, and the crew was busily throwing rock salt onto the decks before allowing anyone outside. I had already been out taking photos for a couple of hours, carefully treading my way through ice patches. This is the most beautiful city I have ever seen--clean, very different, utterly cool! It consists of the Lower Town, which is the area from the port and a few blocks in. Upper Town is built above a huge fortress wall. We loved the narrow, cobblestone streets in the Lower Town, lined with the little shops that were all decorated for Halloween. We took the funicular up to the Upper Town, where the huge, fabulous old Chateau Frontenac Hotel overlooks the St. Lawrence. We walked down the boardwalk toward the Citadelle and all around it, almost falling off the hill when the noontime cannon was shot off. It was a perfect day, although cold, and we added hats and gloves to our Alaska jackets. We had a nice lunch outside at a little sidewalk cafe across from the Chateau Frontenac called Restaurant Le Relais. Afterwards, we took the funicular back down to Lower Town and stopped in many of the little shops. We ran into another Cruise Critic couple, who stayed with us for the rest of the day. We even took the little ferry that crosses the St. Lawrence to the City of Levis every 30 minutes. The view of Quebec City from Levis is wonderful. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (forecast 48F/9C) -- This place is, indeed, as pretty as the photos in the PEI tourism guide. We rented a car from Budget and drove around the north-middle part of the island, using the Tourism Guide's suggested route for the "Green Gables Shore." We saw a number of gorgeous beaches, lighthouses and farms with their hilly fields and hay bales lying in them, overlooking the ocean. There were many, many little churches all over the Island, each with its own cemetery. The taxi driver who took us back to the ship from Budget told us that many of those little churches are now closed due to lack of attendance. Many people went on the Green Gables tour to see the site where Lucy Maude Montgomery based her "Ann of Green Gables" books. We drove to the site, but there were so many people waiting to buy tickets to go into the area that we decided instead to find some more lighthouses. We ended our trip by driving directly across the center of the island rather than risking the time it would take to go farther south to the "Red Sands Shore." That's for a future cruise. Sydney (57F/14C) - It rained most of the day we were in Sydney. We went on a private tour of the eastern side of the Cabot Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands that one of our Cruise Critic friends set up through Blackwood Tours. Don Blackwood, our guide, is the former head of Sydney's Tourism Bureau, so he knows the area. This is where we saw the most gorgeous leaves of red and gold, mixed in with the green pines. We got some wonderful pictures along the way, saw the Bras d'Or lakes, crossed a beautiful bridge over a portion of the lakes, rode the tiny Englishtown car ferry, a 5-minute ride, and ate lunch in a small cafe in Ingonish. When we returned to the ship, there was a little band playing on the pier. A woman sang with them--the Canadian national anthem, God Bless America and others. Too sweet! She waved goodbye and sang 'Til We Meet Again, as the Jewel pulled away from the dock. DISEMBARKATION: Because we had a suite, we got to take advantage of VIP Express Disembarkation. We met Anca in Chin Chin Restaurant at one of the designated times, and she walked us off the ship and down to Customs/Immigration. My husband and I have been talking about how much we still think about this cruise. It was so wonderful! He says it's the longest time that a cruise has remained fresh for him. It was definitely our best cruise to date, and it's going to be hard to beat. We've decided that we want to do the same cruise again in 2011, so we bought the Future Cruise Certificate onboard to get the $100 shipboard credit for this cruise and the $250 deposit on our future cruise. What a great deal this is. Here are links to my photos: Cabin and Courtyard - http://travel.webshots.com/album/575530353cCEWbk Ports visited -- http://travel.webshots.com/album/575533840XdCMRo