First Time Cruise (Alaska)
Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
9 Night Alaska & Sawyer Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 07, 2015
Ship: Norwegian Jewel
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 11578
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 9 years ago
Review summary
We planned this trip beginning right after Christmas (2014) to fulfill a bucket list wish. The cruise was GREAT, the crew and staff were excellent. Outstanding weather, excursions and overall experience. We found the Tsar's Palace to be our main choice for meals. We also like La Cucina and La Bistro. The other special dining options were not remarkable. (Meals could have used some garlic for seasoning!) My wife and I were both disappointed in some of our cruise mates who were rude to staff. Every member of the crew and staff we came across were delightful and helpful. Most of the evening entertainment was very good.
The one thing that we did not get to do but may have been educational would have been a detailed tour of the ships operations, galleys, engine room, behind the curtain operations of the ship, etc. But that may not have been possible with over 2,000 passengers, some of whom were in wheelchairs or had walkers. I have taken such tours on VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and LR1 oil tankers and am a student at heart.
It was also interesting to see the changes to Juneau. I was last there about 25 years ago for a meeting with the Alaska Attorney General and Juneau was only about 15,000 people then. Now it has about 36,000 or more, with a WalMart!Lots of changes but still has the Alaska frontier feel.
Talking about planning our next "bucket list" cruise, when and where??
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Ship tip
Turn off your cell phones if leaving US waters or get an international cell "Passport". Charges for calls are steep and data roaming is expensive!
Ports of call
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska