My husband and I are cruising the Caribbean (east and west) on the Jewel, leaving Miami on the 28th January.

From reviews I have read, there appears to be much confusion about this ship. For example, are there the usual formal evenings which, I must say, we do enjoy? do we tip or not? do we pay by credit card and what happens if we do not possess a credit card? is the ship over-run by unruly children throwing things about and rubbing cholcolate into carpets which is then not cleaned up? is the decor as tasteless and gaudy as I'm told it is?

We're so confused and concerned by conflicting reports on this ship.

Also, can anybody recommend excursions on this cruise?

Dorsey
I am a little confused as to why you would book this cruise with all the doubt's you have? I asked for input on this ship a month or so ago and got very little response.It is a new ship but apparently no one is sailing it.I decided to book something else.I did not feel comfortable WITH THE LACK RESPONSE I recieved to book it.Tom

Dorsey,

first of all welcome to Cruise-Chat.com.

May I ask whether you have booked this vacation through a travel agent specialized in cruises? I'm asking because it appears that you have made a booking knowing hardly anthing about the ship and the cruise line. Even without personally knowing the ship, a specialized travel agent should, no must be able to answer virtually all of your questions. NCL's policies are very clear for all ships, and "Norwegian Jewel" is not an exception here. Hence, I am somewhat surprised about the "confusion" you describe.

quote:

For example, are there the usual formal evenings which, I must say, we do enjoy?

From The NCL web site:

Q. Are there any formal nights?
A. Yes, and they are optional. At least once during your cruise, one or more of the restaurants will host a formal dinner. There will be several other dining choices where resort casual attire is appropriate.

quote:

do we tip or not?

From the NCL web site:

SERVICE CHARGE
A fixed service charge of $10 per person, per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12, a $5 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of three. Our crew is encouraged to work together as a service team and is compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that the service charge supports. It is our earnest wish that you enjoy your Freestyle Cruise experience and that our entire crew in all areas of the ship will provide you with the standard of service for which NCL is known. Therefore, if you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over.

Both NCL and NCL America have a structured guest satisfaction program on board designed to handle any concerns raised by our guests relating to the service or on board product quickly and efficiently. In almost all cases we are able to come up with a satisfactory solution to any issues which are raised and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise vacation. In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfaction program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone’s complete satisfaction.

GRATUITIES
Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on NCL America or Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for service that is generally rendered to all guests.

However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile", and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

quote:

do we pay by credit card and what happens if we do not possess a credit card?

From the NCL web site:

For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to NCL's special onboard credit program. Sign up on the first day of your cruise, by establishing your method of payment with Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, Discover®, travelers checks or cash. If you choose to settle your account with cash, a deposit will be required in advance. You may also use your debit card; however, please be advised that NCL obtains pre-authorization which some banks may hold for up to 30 days.

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is the ship over-run by unruly children throwing things about and rubbing cholcolate into carpets which is then not cleaned up?

Well, this is a somewhat strange question IMHO. The question is a bit like asking "Are cars red?" They are, sometimes, the answer could be. What I mean to say is that the passenger mix on a cruise ship can be very different for each cruise. I've been on cruises with 400-500 children onboard and you didn't notice them at all. I have also been on a cruise where half a dozen youngster troublemakers harrassed the whole ship. As you cruise is not during school holidays (and during spring break!) I highly doubt that the ship will be "over-run by unruly children".

quote:

is the decor as tasteless and gaudy as I'm told it is?

Now, this is totally a matter of taste. I have been onboard, and IMHO the decor is fairly chic and modern, even though it looks a little cheap in places. But this opinion comes from somebody who sees dozens of cruise ships every year and hence has lots of other ships to compare "Norwegian Jewel" to. What I didn't like was the fact there is no teakwood decking anywhere on board, even in the garden villas' gardens, and some surfaces used in a couple of public spaces (both indoor and outdoor) have a certain "cheap plastic" look. But those are little details only. Generally spoken, this is a bright, modern ship, with interiors tailored towards the taste of North American passengers, but without all too obvious Las Vegas kitsch.

If there are any more questions about the ship itself, I'd be happy to help if I can.

I am seriously considering booking a cruise on the Jewel for March 5th. or March 19th. The freestyle dining idea appeals to me. I would certainly like to hear more people opinions on this new ship. Do they have a casino with poker tables? How is the service and the food? Thanks!

Yes, they do have a casino aboard. The only ships without a casino sail in Hawaiian waters, the Pride of Aloha and the Pride of America. Even the Norwegian Wind has a casino, although it's not open when in Hawaiian waters, it's only open when going to or coming back from Fanning Island.

As for food, it's better than most fine hotel fare. Not quite up to 5 star quality, but definately in the 4 star range.

quote:

Originally posted by Ron Clark:
Yes, they do have a casino aboard. The only ships without a casino sail in Hawaiian waters, the Pride of Aloha and the Pride of America.

Ron, the Disney ships also do NOT have a casino, even in Caribbean waters.

Sandy

Hi Jeff. I visited Norwegian Jewel a couple of months ago. I can't speak of the service or food as I didn't sail, yet as Freestyle appeals to you, I'd imagine you'd love the variety of dining options available on the ship. I've generally been very satisfied with the quality of the food on our NCL cruises.

There is a large casino on board. It wasn't open at the time of my visit, but I'd be surprised if there were no poker tables.

Thanks for these responses! I really appreciate your help! There is just so much information out there that its difficult to narrow down the best cruise for us to go on.

We are not 100% sure that we will go on the NCL cruise. We do want to take a cruise in March, and have just started to look around at what is available. We are 2 married couples in our early 40's who live in Nashville. We would like about a 7-10 day cruise to the western or southern carribean. The port of origination doesnt matter to us. I dont know which cruise lines are the best or how to get the best deal. My wife and I took a cruise to St Thomas and St Martaan on Royal Carribean 5 years ago and had a great time. I would like to hear some of your recommendations for a cruise. We definitely dont want to go on the low end, but dont want to break the bank either. Food and service are of utmost importance. The free style dining on NCL appealed to me because of the variety of restaraunts one can select. We also like to play Poker so a casino with poker tournaments would be nice. Our wives would probably enjoy spa facilities. What would you guys recomend? What should I stay away from?

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy:Ron, the Disney ships also do NOT have a casino, even in Caribbean waters.Sandy

Sandy, this is the discussion forum for Norwegian Cruise Lines, not Disney Cruise Lines.

Of course my earlier answer included only the NCL ships.

Happy Holidays To All:
My family and I will be on the Jewel for Passover. Wanted to know if NCL offers a seder and has the passover food available during the cruise.
Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by JeffS:
We do want to take a cruise in March, and have just started to look around at what is available. We are 2 married couples in our early 40's who live in Nashville. We would like about a 7-10 day cruise to the western or southern carribean. We definitely dont want to go on the low end, but dont want to break the bank either. Food and service are of utmost importance. The free style dining on NCL appealed to me because of the variety of restaraunts one can select. We also like to play Poker so a casino with poker tournaments would be nice. Our wives would probably enjoy spa facilities. What would you guys recomend? What should I stay away from?

The Western Carribean Cruises I recommend for March:
The brand new Norwegian Jewel. Today's cheapest prices are for the March 5 departure.
Inside $649 Oceanview $749 Balcony $999 Suite $1,279
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Sun Mar 5 Miami, FL 5:00pm
Mon Mar 6 At Sea
Tue Mar 7 Bay Islands, Honduras 8:00am 4:00pm
Wed Mar 8 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 11:00am 7:00pm
Thu Mar 9 Ocho Rios, Jamaica 8:00am 6:00pm
Fri Mar 10 At Sea
Sat Mar 11 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 7:00am 4:00pm
Sun Mar 12 Miami, FL 8:00am

Later in March, the Sun has a slightly cheaper cruise. Although not brand new, it's not old either. I really enjoyed my last cruise on her earlier this month.
Inside $629 Oceanview $729 Balcony $999 Suite $1,329
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Sat Mar 25 Miami, FL 5:00pm
Sun Mar 26 At Sea
Mon Mar 27 Costa Maya, Mexico 8:00am 6:00pm
Tue Mar 28 Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala 8:00am 6:00pm
Wed Mar 29 Belize City, Belize 8:00am 6:00pm
Thu Mar 30 Cozumel, Mexico 8:00am 6:00pm
Fri Mar 31 At Sea
Sat Apr 1 Miami, FL 7:00am

If you prefer an older, smaller ship, here's the Majesty cheapest March Western Caribbean cruise.
I enjoyed my cruise to Bermuda on her last summer. It doesn't have as many restaurants as the last two, but it has significantly lower prices and an extra at sea day for you to gamble at the casino.
Inside $569 Oceanview $599 Suite $1,499
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Sat Mar 18 Charleston, SC 4:00pm
Sun Mar 19 At Sea
Mon Mar 20 At Sea
Tue Mar 21 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00am 3:00pm
Wed Mar 22 Cozumel, Mexico 10:00am 6:00pm
Thu Mar 23 Key West, FL 3:00pm 10:00pm
Fri Mar 24 At Sea
Sat Mar 25 Charleston, SC 8:00am

The NCL ship doing 10 and 11 Day Southern Caribbean cruises this winter, the Spirit, switches to 6 and 8 Days Bahamas cruises on Feb 20. So in March, there's no NCL ship doing Southern Caribbean cruises.

The Dawn from New York City, doing 10 Days and the Jewel from Miami, doing 7 Days, will be doing Eastern Caribbean cruises in March too.
I didn't include their Eastern Caribbean cruises because you didn't ask for them.

Which of these cruises interests you? Each have a slightly different itinerary. I just about covered the whole month between three different ships, including prices of the cruises today.

quote:

Sandy, this is the discussion forum for Norwegian Cruise Lines, not Disney Cruise Lines.

Of course my earlier answer included only the NCL ships.

Ah, my mistake. Sorry.

Sandy

I am interested to know the approx costs of the cagney steak house for a good steak meal. Unfortunately i do not have a menu as yet because i do not sail till aug 2006. Any info on prices in the freestyle restaurants would be appreciated

I am going from memory, but I believe that Cagny's Steak House is a $25 service charge and well worth it.

Tom

Thanks ,tom, but please excuse my ignorance .Does the cover charge mean eg. my meal would cost $25 plus extra for drinks and 15% service charge on top.I;m new to freestyle cruising and thought i'd give the Jewel a try out being a new ship. Also love the Itinery as i have a penchant for Barcelona. Can you direct me to a site where i can get answers to my queries about the Jewel and costs for Childcare etc. as NCL dont give enough info out.
thanks ann

Actually, the service fee of $25 is the gratuity. Each of the restaurants has a "service fee" which is the per-person gratuity to dine there. I would highly recommend the alternative restaurants on any of NCL's ships as you will have an excellent dining experience and it is one of the reasons to cruise them even though it does add to the cost of the cruise.

Tom

quote:

Originally posted by annj52: Can you direct me to a site where i can get answers to my queries about the Jewel and costs for Childcare etc. as NCL dont give enough info out. thanks ann

NCL does provide info on childcare services, but you must look for it as it is fairly deep within their web site. Here's the page you are looking for:
http://www.ncl.com/more/kidscrew_mini.htm

As for other infor you might be interested in, using the site map page gives a listing for other topics, and makes searching for answers much easier.
http://www.ncl.com/more/kidscrew_mini.htm

I hope this helps!

thanks tom what an idiot i feel of course i knew that really
By the way tom i enjoyed the write up on Barcelona wish i had your Job!
Also Thanks ron info appreciated i hadn't gone deep enough, one more click would have found it.
Im looking forward to the NCL Jewel experience,it does look as though Freestyle cruising isn't everyones cup of tea, but the more formal cruises didn't quite seem right this year because i'm taking the children 14 and 4 and the age gap makes it more difficult.I just hope that Kids crew junior sailors is as good as it sounds.
I am sailing on the 30th July from Barcelona but staying in Barcelona the week before the cruise.I prefer pre cruise ratherthan post cruise stays. Anyone else going then?
ann

Thanks for the kind words. Barcelona is an easy place to spend a week and it will fly by quickly. Both of your children will find fun environments on the ship and will have the time of their lives, I guarantee it.

Tom

To Annj52:
My name is Bonnie and I will also be on the 7/30 cruise out of Barcelona. I also posted a reply to you on the cc board. We are traveling with our 11 yr old son. We will be staying at the Hotel Majestic for 4 nights before the cruise. I already booked a private tour in Naples, the rest of the ports we are doing on our own by train. Thank you Tom for all your great train info!
Bonnie