Pros and Cons

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 49

Overall rating:

2 out of 5
Norwegian Jewel

7 Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 16, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Jewel

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 8562

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Alaska was wonderful...everything we thought it would be and much more!!!  All tours were incredible & the tour guides were great..very knowledgeable, very friendly and helpful. This was a once in a lifetime experience for us, and we will treasure our memories of Alaska.  However, we were more than disappointed in the ship's personnel and food.  The two saving graces  were our room steward, Joseph, he was wonderful!  And the entertainment was great!  Not all, but the majority of restaurant workers, servers & other ship personnel were "just doing their job."  I have been on three other cruises with another cruise line, and Norwegian, by far, is the least friendly, and in one instance blatantly unfriendly.  Another great disappointment was the food.  We would rate it sub-par.  The only meal we had that met "cruise standards" was at Cagney's Steak House...it was delicious.  The fresh fruit on the buffet was very good.  The majority of the entrees, especially chicken, were dried up, pre-frozen, looked unappetizing, didn't taste like the dish we were expecting. The coffee was the worst I have ever had, anywhere, anytime..regular, decaf, breakfast, lunch, dinner..undrinkable!..so we didn't.  Also, in some of the common areas, wear and tear was showing & refurbishing needed.  This was my traveling companion's first cruise, & it is questionable if he will ever go on another. Needless to say, we will never cruise Norwegian again.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5
We greatly enjoyed every show, especially JP, the magician; and the Alambre Trio.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Our room steward, Joseph, gave us great service, was very friendly, always a big smile & a positive attitude! His was the only "great" service we received.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

For example: Bring the daily program with you when you leave your cabin so you know what's happening, where and when

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5
We loved Seattle. Pike Place Market, Space Needle, the 6-hour tour of Seattle highlights was wonderful.

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5
Quaint, charming. Our tour guide, David, a Tlingit Indian, was the best..extremely knowledgable and entertaining. I was impressed & honored that he shared some of the Tlingit history & customs with us. Time spent in Ketchikan too short.

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5
Loved Juneau. Was surprised how modern it looked. Tour guide, Brian, was very knowledgable & friendly. Mendenhall Glacier was incredible! Time spent in Juneau way too short.

Cruise Sawyer Glacier

5 out of 5
Incredible; impressive; brought "pre-historic" to mind!

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5
Loved how quaint and "Old West" it looked! The two tours we took were amazing. Tour guide, Marv, was very knowledgable (you can't make that stuff up!), very accommodating, and fun! We seemed to have more time in this port, which was a big plus.

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
Butchart Gardens, oh my! Beautiful beyond description. Even if you aren't a big flower person, a must see! Victoria is beautiful and everything seemed well maintained. Our tour guide, Mike, was very personable, extremely well spoken and knowledgable. A wonderful ending to all our tours.
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