Highly recommend the Jewel. Terrific staff, family friendly, great dining options, yummy cocktails, talented staff, awesome entertainment. Loved the pool deck. Onboard activities were fun to watch and join in. Loved the towel art each evening. Something for everyone.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
A smooth and well thought out embarkation without any issues. While we waited for our stateroom to be ready we enjoyed a lovely lunch and had the opportunity to walk around the ship to get familiar with where things were.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I ate at 5 of the Specialty Restaurants as well as the MDR, Buffet and other free restaurants and the food everywhere was of fabulous standard. The service was also excellent from all staff. Lots of choice to choose from. I always left feeling satisfied. Tsars (MDR) Restaurant was stunning and looked like a specialty restaurant! Menu had great options and the table service was 5 stars!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Loved the adults only pool & hot tub. Made use if the walking track early mornings, fitness centre, tennis court, loved taking part in the pool deck sea days with cardio class & meditation. You have the choice to as much as you want or as little as you want. Love the freestyle options. Would have loved a waterslide on this ship and a rock climbing wall or something of that nature.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
There was some super talent on this cruise. Loved the stage shows (especially Velvet) There were bands all over the ship. Loved sitting pool deck listening (& dancing if you wanted) to some cool tunes by either live performers or by the DJ. There was something for everyone.
Children's Programs
Didn't have my own kids on this cruise so I stayed away from the kids club stuff.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Most polite staff I have ever met. Our room steward was awesome (loved coming back to our room at night and seeing the awesome towel art she left for us) our room was always cleaned and bed made. Could not believe how many staff remembered my name and went out of their way to stop and chat and make sure we were having the best experience.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship has had a refurbishment and looks great. I did get lost a few times tring to get to certain areas but after day 5 I was familiar with how to access certain areas. I think staff did a good job keeping the ship clean and there was always staff at every restaurant ready and waiting with antibacterial spray "washy washy" haha On Pool deck, there were staff always picking up after guests (dirty plates, empty cups.... they didn't stop)
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a mini suite, huge bed, great sized balcony, loved the layout of the bathroom - separate toilet, vanity and even had a bath with a shower. It was roomy and didnt feel squishy. Loved the size of the room. Having the robe was handy to hang all our clothes. We stores our suitcases under the bed. Cabin was clean and cleaned every day. Loved the location of our cabin (midship) close to the stairs/ elevators and a short walk to the buffet and pool deck.
Ship tip
Enjoy yourself, do as much or as little as you want. Get to know the staff at your favourite bar, they will remember you and make sure you are looked after. Use the touch screens around the ship, they will help you find anything on the ship - show times, activities, where you are on the ship, dining options etc.. don't miss the shows they are awesome. If you want a sun lounge get to the pool deck early and put your towel on them to save them. They go quickly.
Did not do a shore excursion, instead we got the free shuttle to the town centre and bought our own tickets to ride the Tchou Tchou Train. Think it was $30US but took us to all the popular tourist sites of the island. Great photo opportunites. Really got to see Noumea for what it was. Great tour. We also used the hop on/off bus. Great little market at the town centre for souvenirs. They took US/AUS $$
Spent my whole day on the beach. The most amaing water I have ever seen. Photos just dont do it justice. Lots of people did snorkeling, we just walked between beaches ans swam and enjoyed the view. My favourite port of the whole cruise.
Didnt do any shore excursions. You could pay to snorkel and the locals charged you to swim in the area where there was coral & tropical fish. They charged $15 which I thought was a bit rich just to step foot in the water. I didn't swim, just relaxed on the grassy hill watching people swim/snorkel. Quite a hilly walk. Only spent about 2 hours and went back on the ship. Least I could say I've been there!
Paid $15 for a return shuttle into the city and back. Went to the shopping centre and bought stuff... walked through a local market, back on the ship for lunch.
Went to the Blue Lagoon pool and soaked up in the sun in the water. Loved Airlie Beach. It reminded me of Torquay with the surf and shops. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars etc... would love to come back here.
Having been to Brisbane numerous times we didnt choose any shore excursions instead we paid the $15 return shuttle and did our own thing in the city. We went on the free ferry over to Kangaroo Point and walk around taking photos of the city scape. Went back on the ship around 1.30pm and grabbed lunch in the buffet.
We walked our cases off ourselves so we had time to eat a delicious last breakfast before picking up our luggage and walking off the ship. Very smooth walk off.
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