Great for families with lots of children

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 17

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Jewel

7 Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 27, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Jewel

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9073

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

We had read that the Norwegian Jewel is an aging ship and it does appear that way as soon as you step on board. We noticed areas where paint was needed and a few places where maintenance was needed, also. One wonderful thing that we enjoyed was the great crew...they truly go the extra mile to make your stay comfortable. We heard that there were over six hundred children on board. The kids clubs kept most busy but there always seemed to be a lot of children around the pools and spas. They had the Nickelodian theme around the public areas (Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, etc.) The kids had a parade dressed as pirates through the buffet area which was cute. We were surprised to see kids at some late night shows. At times we wish we could have had a peaceful place to relax but kids were everywhere even the library and game rooms. The grand staircases that we are used to seeing on other cruise ships in the lobby are non-existant. The lobby was on the small side and not as elegant as most ships. The buffet was kind of hit and miss and often ran out of coffee (beware the coffee is STRONG!) but the Tsar's Palace was great. We had delicious and tender top sirloin steaks. Their prime rib was also excellent. We are at Chin Chin just once finding the meat in a couple of dishes were tough to chew. O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill had pretty good fish and chips. Some of the restaurants charged a service fee between $15.00 - $30.00. The entertainment was not bad but we have seen so much better. This was the first time we chose an inside room and could hardly believe how small it was. We had a table removed because we couldn't get to one side of the bed. The bathroom was very nice with a glassed-door roomy shower. Our toilet stopped working a couple of times and the room steward told us the toilets were too old! The carpet had a few stains and didn't seem too clean. The bed (two twins pushed together) was very comfortable. There actually was a couple of times where we were glad we had our "cave" to retreat to when the hustle-bustle of the people and kids got to be too much for us. Our room was very quiet. Going ashore was crazy at times. In one port they closed the gangway and moved it to another floor for some reason. The crew were scattering all over the place. This cruise is perfect for families but we think there are better choices for adults and mature couples. We have taken five cruises and would place this cruisec ship at number five.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
The smallest cabin we have seen but the bathroom was very nice with a big roomy shower. Comfortable bed.

Ship tip

Very crowded buffet area so you may want to take your food outside near the pool. Beware that there is a smoking area on part of the deck area.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Sawyer Glacier

5 out of 5

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 17

6 Comments

Cmonster    9 years ago

I also heard that booking after Labor Day you won't have as many kids. I would think in the middle of summer all vacation spots have many kids. My agent said there are many kids on all cruises in Summer. Not that we mind kids having fun!

Cmonster    9 years ago

it is my understanding that the Jewel was just built in 2006, it's not old for a ship. it was completely remodeled as well, correct? I just booked for five of us so I hope we are not disappointed. it's our first cruise.

dretek    9 years ago

Thanks for the response, Fred Linda. Sounds of children having fun is ok by me ☺

fredlinda    9 years ago

dretek, Maybe the allure of lower prices and availability of connecting cabins draws families to this ship. Also the daytime children's activities may be a big reason for choosing this ship. We did enjoy the kids for the most part but in our case we took the cruise to relax. As we said, it's great for big families. They have many activities for kids and they are on summer vacation. There really is something for everyone aboard the Norwegian Pearl. Bon Voyage!

 

 



 

 

 

dretek    9 years ago

Was there a certain occasion why there were so many children?

Ree5676    9 years ago

That's exactly why were staying in the Haven!

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