Norwegian Jewel Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was to have been a cruise of a lifetime, 18 days from Sydney to Singapore but sadly Norwegian let us down. The ports of call were fantastic and we had such high expectations but we unexpectedly found that virtually all of the ports involved a tender and/or shuttle bus and these were unacceptably long, hot and disorganised. In order to ensure getting off the ship we had to get up at 6 am to queue for tender tickets. To return to the ship there was often a long wait and tenders were hot and crowded. There was a sense of disorganisation and staff were working out problems as they arose rather than genuine planning for each port.
We did not expect to dock at working industrial ports where there was no way of getting to the towns apart from shuttle. Nor did we expect to anchor at least half an hour tender journey away, followed by a bus journey to town.
The ship itself was plagued with toilets constantly blocking which was distressing and frustrating. The ship is tired and in need of some TLC.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Our Balcony cabin was small and poorly lit. I found it difficult to see during evening hours. The balcony had signs of rust and peeling paint and was not particularly clean.
The shower worked well but the toilet blocked six times during the 18 days.
There was a stain on the carpet that I had been told could not be removed.
The cabin needs some updating.
Port Reviews
Komodo Island
Ths tour was a massive disappointment. we took the ship's tour and it was over sold so that there were many groups all going within five minute slots. Each group had to wait for the previous one to move on. We saw three dragons at a watering hole. we had to clamber to get pictures.
The tour was about one and a half hours of walking and seeing virtually nothing. The guide tried his best to give information but it was limited.
The ship should have told us that there would be locals selling trinkets and that there were options to extend the tours with the local guides to see more once on the island.
Bali
we took a local taxi for 8 people and paid around £12.50 per person for the entire day. We visited the monkey forest, rice terraces and elephant sanctuary. A wonderful day at a fraction of the price that the ship would have charged.
Darwin
We visited a local reptile park that had crocodiles. It was ok but nothing special.
The day was cut short by the ship due to road closures in Darwin for a relay race taking place. This information meant that we had to return to the shuttle at 2.30 pm instead of 4.30 pm.