Norwegian Jewel

A View from the Haven

June

Pros: The crew, hailing from 52 nationalities, is very well trained. The ship was recently refurbished and looks brand new. The Haven staff was very professional, attentive and accommodatingly friendly. and professional. The location of the Haven slightly aft of midship is quiet and peaceful. .

Cons: The Haven guests do not have a dedicated dining room. We are were given three prepaid specialty dining options for a 7 day itinerary. Considering the premium price for a Haven suite guests should be given the full compliment of seven days of specialty dining since the Jewel lacks a dedicated dining room for Haven guests. We were also given a basic wifi and drink package which may not be entirely satisfactory for most guests. The entertainment was just OK. I would not recommend this ship for families with children. The newer ships have the entertainment options desired by most. es may not be what

Recommended: Yes

Great winter getaway

February

Pros: Lots of sun, food and great memories

Cons: Time moved to fast!!

Recommended: Yes

This was a great cruise that broke up the winter blues. 12 days in the Caribbean, what more could you ask for. The staff on NCL Jewel were amazing. They work so hard to make your vacation memorable. Lots of sun great food and a whole lot of sunshine!!!

A really great cruise.

August

Pros: It's clean. The people that work there are very nice and extremely helpful. There are a lot of activities to take part in.

Cons: None that I can think of.

Recommended: Yes

The cruise was wonderful. I don't know how they manage to get everything so organized but they do. Great ship and the employees are the best.

great cruise- few suggestions

July

Pros: stayed in Haven and it was awesome, great time

Cons: see below

Recommended: Yes

We were disappointed after spending over $40K+ that everyone in the Haven didn't have the free meals etc. I know on one hand if you have 40K then you can afford more. Charge 41K and include everything. And when we realized it 3 hours into the cruise we were it was too late to get the deal we would have gotten on land. It gave us a bad taste the first day and lasted for a while.

Guest Services unable to get us into a room that we could sleep the whole night

February

Pros: Photo group did a great Job as did the room stewards and waiters

Cons: Noisy and couldn't sleep

Recommended: No

We spent 7 nights in the noisiest room we've ever been in. The people above us were stomping around the room slamming doors and making noise until around 3: AM then after 3 hours of quite they would start up again at 6:00 AM. We called Guest services so many times we lost track. They came to our room and heard the noise and went up a deck and talked with the people and they would be quiet for 30 minutes then start up again! They would not move us to another room until Singapore then moved us to 9038 which the balcony door squeaked and moaned constantly so they moved us to 9602 for the last couple days of our cruise. This trip was the worst we've been on - we will never go in the Norwegian Jewel again!

Medicore cruise

February

Pros: Nice staff

Cons: Most of the food was bland or just bad. The restaurant with the best food charged a fee to eat there. NCL will nickel and dime you until the very last day. We should not have to pay for bottled drinking water. Staff tried to upcharge me for a can of coke with a glass of ice. I had to vigorously complain almost every time so they didn't charge me. My drink package included drinks up to $15 but that didn't include water. There were areas on the ship that were very smelly. Our stateroom would not stay cool when we were docked. We complained several times and although they said they were working on it, it was never resolved. I was on the Jewel for the south east China seas cruise (Malayasia, Indonesia, Thailand & Singapore). The cruise excursion didn't exactly live up the descriptions. I was disappointed with most - especially when the excursion started with a 2 hour bus trip.

Recommended: No

I do not recommend this cruise. If you do go, do not book your excursions through the cruise line, hire a driver to see the sights or for shopping - much cheaper and you have control.

Fantastic Cruise

July

Pros: The balcony on starboard side while cruising north was totally worth it! Also, service, views, excursions.

Cons: Some of the restaurants.

Recommended: Yes

Overall, cruise experience was very positive. The finer restaurants that required reservations were fantastic. A couple of the complimentary restaurants were good but not great. Which is totally understandable. The service in all the facilities was fantastic. The staff was always kind, helpful and in a great mood.

Great ship for Alaska

June

Pros: Great size to be able to view glaciers from ship !

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

NCL Jewel is the best size to be able to view the glaciers from the ship on the 2 days of glacier viewing from the ship. Nice to be able to be docked for the 3 ports you will be able to visit instead of tendering in. Ship entertainment in theater was great. Buffet food very good for all meals. All staff very friendly & awesome. Outdoor pool area very nice on the few sunny days we had on Alaska cruise. But were told most times it is overcast & drizzle so we were lucky to have somewarm & sunny days.

A Jewel of a Cruise

August

Pros: Beautiful interiors, excellent happy service always, great ports of call

Cons: Entertainment could be more diverse, add more "fresh" veggies, fruits and whole grain foods

Recommended: Yes

Alaskan family cruise

August

Pros: Ship was clean, lots for families to do

Cons: food in main restaurants was fair, staff in Tzars restaurant was great, the other poor,

Recommended: No

Could use more time in Juneau

My first cruise

June

Pros: All good

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful ship and staff

Great Quality

February

Pros: Great amenity packages to choose from. Wonderful entertainment every night. Good food. Entire staff was happy and anxious to make this the best vacation ever.

Cons: Conflicting info given by Guest Services on a number of occasions. Lots of excursions to choose from but none that "rocked my world".

Recommended: Yes

Will definitely cruise with Norwegian again. Sailing on the Norwegian Jewel was a great experience. They did almost everything right. Just a few hiccups, but nothing major.

Jewel a jewel

January

Pros: Food, houskeeping, entertainment, itinerary

Cons: Service needs supervising, LOT of unexperienced staff

Recommended: Yes

First experience of unfriendly staff, O,Sheehans staff dressed in black

panama canal cruise

February

Pros: best entertainment of all the cruises that we have taken

Cons: main dining room food is just ok, specialty dining is fabulous

Recommended: No

we liked the casual dress code

Norwegian has come a long way

August

Pros: Great food in both the specialty and special dining rooms, Entertainment was very good. Staff did their very best to please. Spa prices, although high, were reasonable for a cruise ship

Cons: Outdoor swimming pool so too cold to use the pool for many itineraries. The ship looks

Recommended: Yes

Ships of this age just don't compare to the newer ones. Rooms are very small and my cabin steward was overworked and my room was not made up until 3 PM. NCL canceled and changed ports for this trip

Fantastic Cruise

July

Pros: Warm, wonderful staff; great food & specialty restaurants,attention to detail

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

This is the best cruise we have been on in a long time. Perfection from check-in to final disembarkation

Less sales on ship

June

Pros: Food was good night shows was great. Ports was great

Cons: Always trying to sell raffle ticket bingo cards , artwork or something.

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed are trip. We enjoyed the port. All was very nice. Our room was great. Just need to do more entertaining and less sales.

Sailing on norwegian cruise line

June

Pros: Everything was great except one complaint

Cons: Cabin

Recommended: Yes

Cabin had to be the smallest I have ever had, this might make a difference on the cruise line I sail on next time.

Awesome trip

April

Pros: Good food, Awesome night life, Awesome Room Attended.

Cons: Elevator Music at the pool, Everybody should be knowledgeable on questions and concerns on what's going on the boat.

Recommended: Yes

Had a awesome time.

14 day Panama Canal Canal CRUISE

March

Pros: ALL was Great!

Cons: would have preferred little more energetic crowd, however at this time of the year it was to be expected.

Recommended: Yes

Had an absolutely wonderful time. Would recommend this cruise to anyone! Service on board was outstanding across the board.

Wonderful NCL cruise to Mexico

January

Pros: Smaller ship; not huge crowds. Excellent restaurants/food on board. Very good entertainment in main Stage; very family appropriate & entertaining

Cons: Not a lot of activities throughout the day especially when the pool closed due to rough seas. Side entertainment venues (particularly the singers) were poor - they either sang off key, shouted the lyrics or you couldn't understand the words through their accents.

Recommended: Yes

On the whole, this was a very nice cruise. Service throughout the ship was very good, except in one of the main dining rooms (Azura) where they pretty much take your order in one fell swoop, drop the plates and run. Our room steward (Wilson) was a delight. The myriad of dining options was wonderful and the food was very, very good. We were lucky enough to have beautiful warm weather throughout the week and the ports were lovely. If you are the type of person who prefers to relax, read a book and take things a little more slowly, then this is an excellent cruise for you. However, if you want lots of activities and action, I would recommend a larger ship where there are activities going on all the time. The cabins, while adequate, are a little smaller than some of the other cruise lines we've been on and the bed was rock hard. The balcony was definitely worth the extra expense and quite roomy.

Ship

August

Pros: Beautiful ship. The staff was better than 5 stars! Ship was very clean.

Cons: This class of ship is less stable than the epic class. Several people in our group got sea sick when going through rough water.

Recommended: Yes

The Bistro restaurant was excellent. Chin Chin was a big disappointment. I would recommend them finding a better Asian restaurant. The garden cafe and main dining rooms were good. Would like to see more vegetables and salads. The comedian, magician and acrobatics were excellent. Dancers and singers were only okay.

Exceptional

June

Pros: Professionally crafted and warm heartedly attended to

Cons: I would have to search for one; I choose not to do that.

Recommended: Yes

Our experience exceeded my expectations. This was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare to. However; I did speak w other cruisers who shared that the Freestyle cruise is WAY better than the time controlled organized cruises. Food was good. Ahh; the desserts in the buffet area could be upgraded to a denser whole grain version; as well as the pastries and breads. Step up w the healthier eating trend. I can only remember 2 instances where I did not feel engaged w the crew member I was encountering. Overall I was impressed with the positive upbeat and appreciative attitude of everyone. I do Hope that the crew is paid a living wage and compensated with benefits. They deserve to be cared for. The live entertainment is most wonderful.... From stage productions to towel folding. My hat is off to the complete staff and crew; visible and invisible. I hope to cruise again. Please let everyone know they are appreciated.

Exceptional

June

Pros: Professionally crafted and warm heartedly attended to

Cons: I would have to search for one; I choose not to do that.

Recommended: Yes

Our experience exceeded my expectations. This was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare to. However; I did speak w other cruisers who shared that the Freestyle cruise is WAY better than the time controlled organized cruises. Food was good. Ahh; the desserts in the buffet area could be upgraded to a denser whole grain version; as well as the pastries and breads. Step up w the healthier eating trend. I can only remember 2 instances where I did not feel engaged w the crew member I was encountering. Overall I was impressed with the positive upbeat and appreciative attitude of everyone. I do Hope that the crew is paid a living wage and compensated with benefits. They deserve to be cared for. The live entertainment is most wonderful.... From stage productions to towel folding. My hat is off to the complete staff and crew; visible and invisible. I hope to cruise again. Please let everyone know they are appreciated.

Norwegian to the Western Caribbean

December

Pros: Service, Food, Balcony Cabin, Activites, Freestyle Cruising

Cons: Communication with Shore Excusions staff, meeting places, times. Otherwise, the Excursions were good.

Recommended: Yes

Freestyle Cruising is very nice. Do what you want, when you want. Very flexible. Food was very good. Many activities while at sea. Ship was very clean and kept this way through the entire cruise. Service was very good. Bit of a problem in that many staff did not speak English very well. Must say, this cruise was very relaxing. The balcony cabin (level 9 - mid ship) was very quiet and good location to stay (close to many things on the ship).

NCL has won our loyalty

October

Pros: Excellent ship, service and price point.

Cons: Itinerary isn't the best. Would prefer Cayman and Jamaica than Belize and Banana Cove.

Recommended: Yes

The Haven was heaven and that will be what we book going forward. Really enjoyed the privacy and service. So impressed with the crew members greeting the passengers on the deck as you come aboard and again when you disembark. I truly felt they appreciated the passengers and customer service is number 1 for this cruise line. Thankful to be back with NCL. Looking forward to booking our next cruises on NCL. Houston has a Jewel!

Fun time

September

Pros: Great customer service

Cons: Food and clubs close too early.

Recommended: Yes

Great cruise. Got more bennifits than We ever imagined. They were amazing. Will cruise on Norwegian on our next cruise for sure.

Nice cruise to Alaska

August

Pros: Food, Room Steward, Environment

Cons: Short stay in ports, Drink prices, Casino

Recommended: Yes

Overall very good ship. NCL is a quality oriented cruise line. 99% of the food was top grade expertly prepared. Very clean ship and the Staff was good. Too short of a time in ports and shore excursions. Shore excursion too expensive for the amount of time spent. They did have nice shoe excursions except for the above comments. Didn't see much winning in the Casino. During a ship sponsored party the Casino was brought up by the Staff and everyone moaned. Not many kids on the boat- mostly old folks just enjoying life.

NCL Jewel Alaska

July

Pros: Extremely Clean. Disembarkation went very smoothly.

Cons: Too much time at sea

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful Ship...laid out very well. Extremely clean...never felt crowded except at the Garden Cafe for breakfast. Dinners and breakfast at main dining rooms - Tsars and Azure were must less crowded. Wish we had more time at the ports. Enjoyed all our excursions!! Highly recommend anyone flying do the "express check-in"...well worth the extra $20.

Freestyle is the way to go! Great for a family of 3 generations.

June

Pros: Ship was clean and beautiful; new carpet throughout; Enjoyed freestyle with no requirement to eat at a specific time; Restaurants with a surcharge had above average food.

Cons: Quality of dining room food was just tolerable; Buffet was terrible! Restaurants with a surcharge such as Japanese Teppan and Steakhouse were good.

Recommended: Yes

The Jewel is now updated with new carpeting throughout. The design is modern and the ship is clean and appears to be in good repair. Freestyle dining is a great way to go, particularly as we had 3 generations traveling together. The dining room food was tolerable and the restaurants with a surcharge were better. However, the buffet for breakfast, lunch, or dinner was terrible. The food was either bland or extremely salty. The crowds were horrible and the people in the crowds were so focused on the food, it was easy to get hurt if you aren't careful.

Alaska cruise

June

Pros: Everything good. Would love to do it again. Even if this was my second to Alaska in two years. The first was with Princess. Never again with them

Cons: Too short of a trip

Recommended: Yes

I could not be happier with this cruise..This was my fifth cruise, and by far the best.. I have to commend your human resource center for their hiring practice and training of this wonderful crew. Some of the outstanding crew members are as follows; Vishey "V" Tanya Rimell Abegail Yambao Raymond Ochiengco Donna ?? I think worked at Chin Chin Rochelle Dayrit Cherry Mae Golan We also really loved the trio of singers; Teodulo Pogoy Nicolas Saycon Agapito Argohcillo This trip was a present to my grandkids for graduation.. I asked them to evaluate this trip. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the high, they both gave it a eleven .

Aboard the Jewel

February

Pros: Ports of call, entertainment

Cons: dining room servers, quality/variety of menu

Recommended: No