say no to soda packages

Item: Norwegian Jewel
Rating: 4
Author: gold4us21

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to Mexico

gold4us21

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 173

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 23, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Jewel

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9049

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My wife and I went on this cruise to enjoy the water of the Mexican Rivera and we did just that. We enjoyed all of the ports and the activities on board the ship. The only issue I have with the trip is a small one but it put a damper on the trip. I do not drink alcohol and as such, I decided to buy the soda package. That turned out to be a big mistake. After the first time a server finds I am only on the soda package, I was avoided like the plague by that server. The only way I could get a refill is to go to the bartender and then I had to wait an unusual amount of time. The sad thing is that this happened in EVERY venue. I do not tip each time I get a drink, but at the end of the cruise to those who take good care of me. On the Jewel, the servers chose not to take care of me for a nice tip. Myu advice is not to buy the soda package and drink water if you want better service on the Jewel.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

This was the smallest cabin I have had. I was not as happy as I was on other cruises. Otherwise all was good.

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5

Mazatlan, Mexico

5 out of 5

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5

3 Comments

bigbluueyes 7 years ago

I had no issues with soda service on my NCL cruise to Alaska. This next Mexico cruise I have Ultimate so will see how that goes.

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aaron385 8 years ago

We did a cruise on the jewel a couple of months ago and had a very similar experience. Yes the gratuities were prepaid but it seems like that became a license for the staff to ignore you. I had the soda package and spent most of every meal sitting next to an empty glass unless I walked over to a bar and waited forever for one of the many bartenders who seemed to have mastered the art of ignoring the fact that someone was standing right in front of them with an empty soda cup. It was unbelievable how bad the service was on the soda only package. We did have an amazing room steward and the weather in the ports was amazing given the time of year so it's not like the poor service ruined the trip but it was bad. Very bad NCL Jewel!

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debkennedy 8 years ago

I thought the gratuity was included in the price for both the alcohol and Soda packages?? I just purchased 4 packages at a very hefty price.

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