Norwegian Jewel Review

NCL Forever

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Jewel
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wurm914
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Feb 2010
Cabin: Inside

We booked our cruise in November and then tried to find flights for what is a school vacation here in the northeast. Maybe we should have done it the other way around. We ended up deciding to fly from PHL to West Palm Beach even though it meant a 5 hour drive to the PHL airport and a 1 1/2 hr train ride to Miami. The fare was about 1/2 of what it would have cost to fly from Albany, so we felt it was well worth it. We headed to PHL on Friday evening after work, arriving at our hotel around 11 pm. The Philly area was snow covered, having been hit by two major snowstorms in two weeks. People were saying they didn't know where to put all of the snow once they cleaned the roads. The next morning, we got up early and went to the airport. We had decided to pack very light. Each of us had a carry-on and I was carrying a large handbag and my hub was toting his CPAP machine. No checked bags - we had a plan! Only a half hour before our 10 am flight, they announced it was oversold. Any volunteers with flexible travel plans? PICK US! We scored two travel vouchers through US Airways! We were scheduled for the next flight to West Palm Beach at around 3 pm. We played scrabble, we had lunch, it was fun to talk and dream about what to do with the vouchers. At 2:30 we headed to the gate and promptly were bumped again! Woohoo, double the vouchers and a new flight direct to Miami in the morning. YES!! We headed out Sunday morning, bright and early, got on our flight at 10 am and arrived in Miami by 1:00. We walked off our plane and headed to the pier in a cab - flat rate $24.00. Very nice to not have to wait for luggage. The driver wanted to know which pier number, but unfortunately, our tickets didn't specify. Regardless, we found the ship - it's hard to hide it (LOL), but Port of Miami is huge! There were no lines when we arrived around 1:45 pm, we walked up to the window, and were checked in super pronto. We were able to manage our luggage ourselves so no waiting for suitcases or having to tip someone to take them from the taxi. We went straight to our room and left the carryons, went upstairs to the Garden Buffet and had a wonderful lunch. I have to say that the Garden Buffet was wonderful. I loooooove bread and NCL has the best. All German and Austrian recipes - very tasty. Many choices and styles of cooking. We love to try different things and there were plenty to choose from. The muster drill prior to sailing was practically painless. I used to hate to bring the life jackets and stand in rows outside on the deck - a bit like herding cattle. Not any longer! We went to one of the main dining rooms and had a seat while one of the staff showed how to attach a life jacket - similar to how the flight attendants demonstrate a seatbelt. Over in no time and back on with the fun! The NCL Jewel is a well maintained ship. You can tell that the staff and crew work hard to keep it looking great. Unfortunately, the furniture in the common areas is completely uncomfortable.

We enjoyed two NCL-U Martini tastings. The first one we got to try (about a 3 oz serving) of 4 different martinis - my hub and I shared, it cost $15.00. At the end, they gave us a chance to soak some fruit in vodka which we could claim in 3 days if we came back. The second tasting was on the 5th day at sea, so they gave us 5 different martinis, different ones to try. My hub wouldn't share this time!

We went to the first night show with Bud Andersen - he is a hoot and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. We went to one show mid-week with the ventriloquist Kenny Byrd which was also fun. The Cirque Bijoux show on Friday night was amazing! Get there early, sit in the middle about 12 rows from the front. I also loved listening to Los Amigos - a trio of guys who sing songs that feature close harmonies and acoustic guitar.

Cabin Review

Inside

Cabin IC

Our room, 11649 was an inside cabin tucked into the very back left hand corner of the ship. Lots of storage space, comfortable bed. The room attendants, Winnie and Hariharahan were very friendly and were quick to be sure we had everything we needed. Only downside is the noise, this room is directly below the tented dining area upstairs on deck 12. At 2:30 am, they move the tables to scrub the floor. At 4:30 am, they put the tables back. Ask me how I know - boy does that noise carry! After complaining once to a staffperson on duty in the Garden Cafe the second day and then bringing it to the attention of the reception desk the next day, they moved us. The only available cabin was 8118, an outside cabin which was a good deal bigger and had a very nice large window behind the bed. Now I still think that a window that you can't stand in front of is a bit of a waste, but it was nice to have a bigger (and much quieter) room. We really appreciated the Jewel's staff moving us and wish we had talked to reception about it right away.

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