Norwegian Jewel Japan

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 48

Review summary

The Jewel is an older ship , when booking, expect that. I had been on the Jade in Greece a few years back , and the two ships are the same. Set your expectations accordingly. With the exception of 1 person at the front desk and another at the NextCruise desk , the staff has been quite accommodating . This cruise we booked a Forward Penthouse Suite . The cabin was nice and a little roomier .. the deck was huge … but you trade that for a heavy water tight hatch , the cabins under the bridge have zero deck privacy and heavy stepping crew members can be heard throughout the night . The bathroom / walk-in shower is specious and upgraded . Strangely enough , I liked that the best after experiencing old NCL tub showers or the Royal Caribbean shower phone booth. Suite amenities such as exclusive dining for breakfast and lunch , priority boarding and exit , daily goodies along with a concierge and butler are great. Internet … it’s bad . I bought the upgrade for 24/7 access which was helpful ; however it’s still slow. I am sure the ship throttles it’s down to encourage upgrades . I enjoy the daily navigation information .. past ships regardless of cruise line show time , map, course , etc. on the Jewel it was sporadic and missing information , showing an “ N/A” on most data points 98% of the time. No bueno If you pre-pay gratuities , bring documentation .. actually bring docs on any this you paid for up front . Their book keeping is poor . For a quick sampling of Japan , this was a nice cruise. This country demands more time. Give yourself and extra 2-4 days on either or both ends. Come prepared with translator apps… I find “Papago” to be most accurate . Google Lens is good to translate text ( a must for menus ) The Pasmo app is a must for public transportation and “Go” taxi app is the Japanese Uber . If you don’t have these then let the confusion commence ! Before traveling use the visit Japan Web for customs .. it speeds things up , this country is serious about customs , especially with cruise ships . This is the last Japanese cruise until Jewels transition to Alaska . After Alaska , Jewel goes to Tampa , then Boston . I’ll sail with NCL again as they have great deals; however I’ll pick a newer ship .

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Tokyo, Japan

WAKAYAMA, JAPAN

Shimizu, Japan

KYOTO (KOBE), JAPAN

Nagasaki, Japan

Busan (Pusan), South Korea

Kagoshima, Japan

Nagoya, Japan

Disembarkation

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