Norwegian Jewel Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Other than the disappointment of having our Skagway stop & hike/bike/raft excursion eliminated at the last minute a day before departure, a fun experience.

The Jewel looked like an old ship.  The balcony rooms were tight in comparison to other cruise ships.  Some of the furniture was frayed on the couch and bed skirt. Food was only mediocre, even in the specialty restaurants. Staff was very good and the process of boarding and unboardingthe ship was the best I have encountered.  Cancelling the port of Skagway really disappointed our whole family. Entertainemnt was disappointing except for the acrobats an the Le Cirque finale at the end of the cruise.

I think a ship should be in good mechanical shape before heading out to sea.   I have discussed these issues with some other friends who also said they're done travelling Norwegian cruise lines. 

The Jewel looked like an old ship.  The balcony rooms were tight in comparison to other cruise ships.  Some of the furniture was frayed on the couch and bed skirt. Food was only mediocre, even in the specialty restaurants. Staff was very good and the process of boarding and unboardingthe ship was the best I have encountered.  Cancelling the port of Skagway really disappointed our whole family. Entertainemnt was disappointing except for the acrobats an the Le Cirque finale at the end of the cruise.

I think a ship should be in good mechanical shape before heading out to sea.   I have discussed these issues with some other friends who also said they're done travelling Norwegian cruise lines. 

This cruise was sadly disappointing because the itinerary was changed the day before the cruise.  One of the Alaskan ports was eliminated, Skagway.  Another port was shortened, Juneau.  The Sawyer Glacier was replaced with a trip to Dahl Glacier which was indeed dull.  The staff tried to stay upbeat but the passengers were not happy.

the cruise would have received 4 stars if it wasn't for the fact that they took a day in Alaska away to fix the jet propulsion engine.  this made us nervous to even get on the ship and we wasted countless hours at the guest relations desk trying to figure out how we were going to get our taxes refunded since we were forced to spend another day in seattle vs in international waters.  so not only did we lose a day in Alaska which was the ENTIRE point of the trip but Norwegian didn't even compensate us entirely for the day lost nor for the extra money we had to pay in order to eat or drink on the cruise that day.  i would go on another Alaskan cruise in a heartbeat but not sure i will go on norwegian. once we move past this disaster, the food was ok - the specialty restaurants were great- some even amazing but the free ones were just ok.  the person making up our room never checked in to see if we had everything or if we needed anything.  this was our 3rd cruise and we had a certain level of expectation.  

Favorite part was gathering with family for dinner and shows( which were very good).   Dismayed to see that certain menu items had a surcharge. Overall the food in all areas was good. Service was very good but setting up a big table for all  was problematic. We usually had two tables of eight which was OK. Perhaps there could have been more things (movies, games, etc. for young teens. More mature persons would like some quiet places to read or relax without a constant flow of people passing.  Most lounges had something else going on, like Bingo, sales pitches, demonstrations. The Library was small.

Overall we had a wonderful time, the crew was top notch in every way but what we did not appreciate was that the line didn't tell us about maintenance, that several crew members told us was scheduled every 5 years, and we missed Skagway because of it.  Had we known before hand we would have selected another week or cruise line.

love our agent andrea whitbey! She did an amazing job. She was a lot of help to us.. Fully recommended gal! The cruise was amazing. It's everything we expected! 

We just returned from Alaska - very nice cruise.  Been on NCL before - very standard fare for cruise.  They are known for great dining options and chose Ultimate Dining package which allowed for specialty restaurants every night.

Once on ship we were told that the package was only good for 3 nights.  Went back to looked at the NCL and websites and no mention of this change was noted.  Beware if you are looking for full dining package.  Otherwise cruise went smoothly.

The ship was "ship shape", food quite good and we were invited to dinner with Captain Kenneth.  We enjoyed new vistas, Dawes Glacier through Endicott Arm from 4-8:30 PM on Thursday evening during the supper hour.  Glorious way to end a day.  We found companionable fellow travelers and a frankly smiling friendly crew throughout.

Live music in many forms brightened both evenings and nights.  It was Alaska after all, ports in the Tongass National Forest!  I used the Jewel library to good advantage and enjoyed learning new geography and history.

Other travelers with a spirit of adventure and wonder at water, mountains, forests, sea life, interesting port calls and in need of a "change" would welcome this week get-away.  

I can now add myself to the list of people that believe an Alaska cruise is a wonderful experience.  Put this on your Must Do list. Great ship, wonderful experience.

Trip was great. Excursions were great.  Bear watching in Ketchikan was good.  Highly rec. the Whale watching in Juneau.  The nature hike in Skagway was good too (very friendly/knowledgeable guides). 

Food was ok/good. Try the specialty rest. (Brazilian very good) 

Staff all professional and friendly.   Archie the cruise director and Mandy very nice 

    Weather a bit chilly and rainy.  But, still a good cruise 

This was our first cruise and an amazing trip!  The staff and crew were professional, helpful and friendly from start to finish.  The excursions were worth every penny and the ports were interesting and fun to visit for adults and kids alike.  The weather was unpredictable however and the shorts and t-shirts that we packed were never worn.  Cruisers should plan for cooler weather and rain although the rain never dampened our spirits; the excursions and cruise activities were great even in the rain!  Highly recommend this cruise!

Alaska was absolutely beautiful, we spent maximum time possible in port.  The time on the boat was not as exciting.  The majority of the staff does not speak English which became pretty frustrating.  There were a LOT of children on the cruise which made finding a quiet spot to enjoy the scenery a real challenge. We managed to find a quiet sun deck on the very top of the ship; however, they closed the entire deck down during the tour of Sawyer Glacier for the "Haven" guests.  I felt that was uncalled for as the public access portion of that deck was only about a third of the overall area anyway, and the captain turned the ship 360 degrees so everyone could see.  We ate at the Brazilian restaurant one night and were pretty disappointed; waiters would walk right by us with meat choices without stopping even though our card was green and the salad bar wasn't stocked (lots of empty bowls).  Food at Azura was pretty good, we ate there most evenings.  I'm not sure if it's a Norwegian problem or generally any cruise, but there were a lot of foreign people who were incredibly rude...between the rude adults and the load children, most of the common areas were generally ruined.  I felt like there wasn't a ton to do on the boat, half way through our first day at sea I felt like I'd seen everything there was to see (maybe we're just not resort/cruise ship type people).  This is not the boat if you're looking for a little quiet to appreciate the beauty of Alaska.  I felt that time in port was incredibly short, I would opt for an itinerary with more port time.  If I could do it again, I would fly to Juneau and skip the boat all together.

I love NCL!  Unfortunately this trip there were a couple of small bumps. The itinerary itself and places we visited were great. I purchased excursions through BJ'S as well, which saved some money. I'm still currently working on getting a 50.00 onboard credit from that never showed up on my account. Bj'S and NCL are blaming one another for the mixup. I don't care who is to blame, I just want to be credited. I'm disappointed in NCL about how they handle their onboard gaming. I purchased and participated a DEAL or NO DEAL game in which I won $50.00. Yay, right? Well, I had to see someone to be credited the winnings that should have been automatic. Had I never checked I would have never received  it. The cruise director himself had to confirm I did win. As automated as everything is, and my name appeared on the big screen as a winner, that I need an employee to vouch for me is silly. They scanned the ticket and told me it wasn't a winner, lol. Anyway, I was credited that and it worked out. I may have to change my travel service for future bookings based on he outcome of my onboard credit issue though. Several hours on hold at this point waiting to talk to people regarding the issue have already been wasted,  time I will never get back. I know it's only 50.00, but it principal now. Still love NCL though!!!!

I will not take NCL for a cruise again! We had salmon two nights! That's it for fish!!! When we got to a port their would be 4 other ships at port, to you that means 8000 people in one very small port! could not walk, shop eat, or drink! We had a great time but NOT because NCL helped. We planned very well and made the best of what we had to work with! Best part of the cruise experience were the people you meet!!!!!!!!!!! they all were amazing and we will never for them!!!!!!!!!!

WHERESTHEFISH 2016!~

The Norwegian Jewel cruise is an average ship. We had a mini-suite stateroom. The bathtub was dated. It looks dirty even it was cleaned because the scratches on the bathtub. The stateroom server was nice person but I think he was in charged too many stateroom at 1 time so sometime he was not able to get all stateroom done before we return back after 2 hours breakfast. By comparing with the Disney cruise we took couple years ago, the service was slower in Norwegian Jewel. We were not able to cruise the Sawyer Glacier according to the captain some big ice was on our way and for safety reason, cruised the Sawyer Glacier was cancelled. Very disappointment on it. 

This was my wife and I first cruise and all we can say is, "We are Norwegian now!!" The Jewel was amazing. The staff...incredible!! We are already making plans for our next cruise.  We were disappointed that we weren't able to see the glaciers (too much ice in the passage) but we were very happy that the Captain decided to put our safety first!! 

My favorite part of the cruise was the atmosphere in the ship itself.  The staff was fantastic and we enjoyed our towel animals each night!! I really think what needs the most improvement is including sodas for free.  Enough people are going to drink alcohol for them to make money

We had a great family trip on our Norwegian Cruise. There were many events for all ages at all times available. If you had nothing to do or were bored, it had to be your own fault. Entertainment was great.