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Norwegian Jewel Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Jewel

12 Night Panama Canal (Colon To San Diego)

Sail date: March 29, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Jewel

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9052

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Ship was limited to around 900 cruisers which made it so easy to get around ship. First cruise for Jewel since Covid. No waits ever for anything. Great experience but I think they limited entertainment because of this.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Easy process. Surrounding area in Colon is very sketchy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Service was fantastic. Food was good, not great. Disappointed with Cagney’s lobster add on for $25. Main dining room nice, buffet typical. O’Sheehans was always great.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Not a lot of amenities, older ship. Pools and hot tubs were good.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Not much as they were just ramping up. None of the big production shows. Melvin was good in the Magnum lounge.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
This was the highlight. Staff seemed genuinely happy to be back to work. This was the friendliest staff we have experienced.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Older ship but recently refurbished.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Great cabin steward. Bath design is nice. Very clean, would love lounge chairs on balcony but they aren’t big enough.

Ports of call

Colon, Panama

1 out of 5
Very sketchy area.

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5
First time and it was a great experience.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

4 out of 5
Port area wasn’t great, but if you ventured out, it was beautiful. We spent day in Jaco.

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua Did not visit port

Port cancelled

Acajutla

2 out of 5
Not much here. They tried by shuttling us to a tourist area which was very small. Sunday?

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

4 out of 5
Great cultural area just off the port. Nice shops and some cultural presentations.

Huatulco, Mexico

5 out of 5
First visit here and very impressed. Fairly new area with great beaches and town was very clean. Tour was okay.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

4 out of 5
This area has really expanded and plenty to shop nearby. Our resort for the day was cancelled by resort at last moment.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5
Always beautiful.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Pretty quick. Easy access to taxis to airport
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5 Comments

bbarron49    2 years ago

Thanks for the review as we will be on Jewel this Friday.

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

twizzygoddess    2 years ago

Going on the Jewel May 9th, that's good to hear.

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise!