Norwegian Jewel Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The staff was friendly and responsive, embarkation/disembarkation was a breeze, and the onboard entertainment was fun as usual. 

The food, however, was just OK. Not as good as I became accustomed too on other NCL cruises. Also, wait times seemed significantly longer in the main dining room, even during non-peak hours.

My biggest complaint is with regard to onboard amenities for small children. Children under 3 cannot be dropped off at the Splash Academy, and the under-3 "Guppies" play room was essentially a windowless storage closet which could not comfortably fit more than two families. The children's "pool" is so small, it likewise could only accommodate a few families at a time. By the last two days at sea, my 2 1/2 year old had terrible cabin fever.

that said, if your children are over 3 years old, my almost-5 year old daughter had a blast the few times we dropped her off at the Splash Academy.

All types of restaurants to choose from including specialty restaurants.

We really liked the Cagney Restaurant which is a specialty restaurant and

the Tsar Restaurant which is complimentary.  Shows nightly were very

entertaining including singers, dancers, acrobats and a comedian.

We had no problems.

Overall, we would rate the cruise as 4 of 5 stars. We had a very small interior room, but we really liked the shower. The toilet was at a strange angle, you had to sit sideways on it without jamming your knees in the wall. Our room steward did not understand English very well and didn't stock the room with beach towels, sodas, or liquor. The entertainment was the best we had ever seen on a cruise ship. We purchased the dining package and had a somewhat disappointing experience. The food at Cagney's and Le Bistro was cold. The ship could use a dedicated adult section-the adult pool was 10 feet from the kids pool. The elevators were horrible. It was difficult to know which direction they were going and with 4 elevators abreast, it was hard to get in one without the doors closing on you. Most cruise ships utilize a 1 bell for up and 2 bells for down system, which makes it very easy to understand. Check in and self disembark was very good. Charging for room service is a little extreme. Norwegian is the only cruise ship we have been on that does this (5 cruise lines).

There are so many things that went wrong with this trip. Starting with the ship online it shows you a great cruise ship brand new pitbulls is on the commercial and gets you pumped for the ride. Then the ship I got was old gross and rusty my room smelled like an out house. I smelt gas the whole way back. And I payed for a balcony room which the balcony wasn't even clean I felt like I was staying at a motel 6. Very low rate. Then there are not enough activities to do on the ship. The lame games and shows were pathetic only one show was worth it. It was something of cirque show. Food was horrible. Nothing to get excited about don't pay extra for the specialty restaurants. The ship was just old and boring to  me and we were celebrating my 29th bday. I loved every minute of docking and visiting the beaches. The crew on the boat were all so nice and very attentive. Can't complain about the crew. I'm so disappointed and let down I wish I would of done something else.. I always try to make the best out of the situation and I did but on the way back 2 days on the ship with nothing to do and 11 foot wakes making me nauseas I couldn't wait to come home.. I have been on other ships RC I loved it. Norwegian cruise was horrible I don't recommend it to anybody. People with kids the pools are lame and not enough slides or enough things For children to do. 

Before we left LA we complained about the smell in our cabin -- sewer smell that originated from the toilet area but could also smell in the hallway.  We complained several times and nothing was done until I complained to the Hoteling Director, Steven Jacobsen.  He sent someone to our room, sent us chocolate covered strawberries and wine but still the smell persisted.  Someone called our cabin to let us know we would be given on-board credit to compensate for the problem -- $150, $21/day to deal with a constant sewer smell -- not worth it and we were insulted by it!  On the day before the end of our cruise we were told that we could change rooms -- too late!!  Learn from us and don't stay on the 8th floor, room 8532.

This was my second sail on the NCL Jewel and my husbands first. Everything about this was great. The food, entertainment and service is five star's all the way.

we will be cruising again on this ship come October.

as well as trying the NCL Escape in August. We felt papered and were spoiled for sure. There is no better way to travel then with NCL. You are left wanting nothing, because you have everything you possibly could want or need included.

My wife and I have taken several NCL cruises over the past few years and this one was a real jewel. Besides the great ports that we visited, the staff, food and ship were all just perfect. Norwegian Cruise Lines has really upped their game. Can't wait for our next cruise.

This was our third cruise on the Jewel in six months and my 38th cruise. We had A balcony cabin that was well designed and comfortable. We had the dining and beverage packages, which were included in the cruise price. We found the food very good in both the dining room and the speciality restaurants. The service was very good from the cabin steward to the wait staff to the bar attendants. The night time entertainment was outstanding. Overall I think it is the best shipboard entertainment I have seen. It was a wonderful experience.

Lou & Linda Bruna

lots of positives: - Ship condition - Dining quality and options - Staff friendliness - Great on-board entertainment Needs improvement: - Quality of rollaway bed in balcony room - very hard surface and falling apart in the middle of the night

- Pool cleaning: asked to remove dead insects from the pool, request was never cared for - Accuracy of room charges: used 1 bottle of water and was charged for 3. $6.50 for a liter of bottled water is too expensive. Charges were adjusted properly though. - Had few issues locating room steward when service was not performed in the timely manner.

We spent spring break 16 on the Jewel for a trip to the Mexican Riviera, it was wonderful. So much to do, so many options very hard to keep on top of it all. Ship was neat & clean, staff was top notch and attended to our every need. Balcony room was spacious and comfortable. Food choices were plenty and never ending. Beverage Package is the way to go! Ports were lovely, weather was warm and beautiful. Shore excursion packages from the ship were very high; in Cabo we went on our own and walked the marina, short port stop wish it were longer. Mazatlan was our fav we made a deal with a tour company right off the ship, RENE was our Van Driver, he was wonderful we had the best adventure seeing the old and the new, escorted in van with A/C water & sodas, couldn't ask for more. safety first. Puerta Valerta was touristy city with many resorts on the beach we decided to have a pool day back at the ship and it was the best idea for us. The entertainment was nice, the music choices and venues were many. We hope to cruise again someday!  Thank you Norwegian Jewel.

   the only thing i was disappointing its about the tender.... when we were at Cabo San Lucas the tender procedure was really slow and disorganized... but everything else was really good

My family and I found the ship very awkward.  The halls to the rooms had slopes and twist and turns.  The service carts, dirty linen bags and room service trays were left in the halls all day.

The food was subpar compared to other ships we have been on.  !My family and I were very disappointed  with the experience.

The staff was just OK !  Nothing to brag about.

My nephew was bored on sea days.  They had no movies in the theatre and no interesting cultural seminars.

The shows in the theatre were very good. 

Since this was the first time my nephew was on a cruise ship I was hoping that the overall experience would have been better.

The Jewel is an older, smaller ship than what we are used to. Combine that with Spring Break season, and you have a crowded vessel, with lots of families, which is perfectly fine if that is what you want. But our family is made up of all adult children. The Crowdedness was most apparent on deck by the pool. And while there are adults-only areas, they are right next to the kids' pools, so not really a separate environment.  Cabins are are a bit smaller than our past experiences, too.  

Restaurants-we ate in the "included" restaurants mainly. Food and service quality were mixed-some dishes very good, others were "eh"; service some nights was good, others were quite slow, and in some cases meals were not all delivered at the same time (we're talking tables of 6, so this should not be a problem).  The Chin Chin restaurant had the worst service, with huge gaps between being seated, taking drink orders, taking meal orders, delivering appetizers, delivering main courses,  refilling water glasses or checking in on us.  We did not go back, despite the food being good.  The buffet was good, with large varied selections.

We went to Le Bistro French Restaurant one night.  The food was very good, as was service (it was not crowded). About $220 for 6 of us (everything is a la cart)--excluding alcohol (we had the ultimate beverage package, and stuck to included wines and beer by the glass). I'd compare the food to what you would expect from an upscale restaurant, and it is cheaper than going to one on shore.  But you will have to decide if it is worth it to you to pay additional for food on a cruise ship.  Where we live we have plenty of good Italian, steak, and sushi restaurants.

Excursions-we did not do any-some of us had booked excursions in Cabo, but the weather forced their cancellation.

Overall, the ship was 3-3.5 stars.

Our biggest disappointment was with Cruises, which booked the cruise for us.  I called in to reserve because booking 3 cabins near each other is difficult to do on-line. The representative offered us cabin credits-$100 for our outside cabin, $50 each for the other two cabins.  But there was nothing in any of the confirmation paperwork showing this.  I did not ask for this or see a promotion for it, so it would not have changed our plans at all.  But it was offered by the rep.  When I checked 3 weeks before the cruise the rep I talked with then also confirmed the credits (although a separate call to NCL had no record of this). But we never received them. NCL front desk called , and they said we would get the credits on my credit card. I'm still waiting.

Ports of call : Mazatlan was awful nothing much there to do, we had lunch downtown in Shrimp Bucket and cost us $8 for taxi instead of only 50 pesos;

our waiter was demanding for his tip👿, after they screw us over with exchange rate instead of 18 pesos per $1, they only gave us 15pesos per $1.

they did pay for our taxi fare back to the port because that's what they advertise on the back of their brochure but it wasn't easy when we asked for it!

overall experience with Norwegian staff was great, from drinks and specialty dining, there's so much to do while at sea. Our big concern was the INTERNET CONNECTION, we expected high speed but it's not (we paid $209 for unlimited internet but it was a waste, my husband was really frustrated because he wasn't able to do and catch up most of his work stuff..

Also we purchased the text/messaging and calling plan ($7.95) flat rate so we can call & text each other from the Iconcjerge App through Norwegian, it works fine for a few days then later on it keep saying "unable to make a call due to some technical difficulties". A bit frustrated when we wanna call each other just to keep in touch to see  where we at because most of the time we have separate activities while on board.

Beside than that everything else was great, there's some crew member that are kinda rude and snotty, but we met this one bartender and he made up for all those negative attitude of his crew member "his name is Dionisio Valenzuela( from Chile) he was the best bartender and he made our drinks extra special every time we come up to his bar...

Our cabin crew was also very sweet "Socorro" from India he always kept our room clean and made our bed twice a day, never have to worry having dirty towels and dirty room!

We had fun altogether specially our 13 years old daughter, and we will cruise again with Norwegian in the future, hopefully they can improve their internet connection!!!

I fly home from Italy to go on a cruise with my family.  Somehow b/w customs at the airport and the cruise terminal I lost my passport.  My wife and kids all had their passports.  My wife had a picture of my passport (with a number that was issued on almost the exact same day and with almost the same number as theirs b/c we all got our passports at the same time).  The cruise ship said I could not embark.  The told me I could get an emergency passport the next day and then meet the ship in Cabo San Luca.  My wife and kids left on the cruise.  The folks at the terminal were correct, I was able to get an emergency passport in a day and then fly to Cabo to meet the ship. 

Now that I have returned, I have been trying to submit a claim under my travel insurance b/c lost passport falls under the claim.  on the 20th of April I emailed Guestrelations@ncl.com (guestrelations@ncl.com) the following message:

BEQIN QUOTE

...

Norwegian Cruise Line Guest Relations,

Good afternoon.  I am attempting to file a claim with my travel insurance company based upon expenses resulting from when my passport was stolen or lost around March 27, 2016.  One of the required submissions is a letter or report from the cruise line verifying my trip delay.    

On March 27th, my wife, 2 kids and I were scheduled depart on the Norwegian Jewel out of Los Angeles.  Previously, on March 25th I flew back from Naples, Italy to go on the cruise with my family during my kids’ spring break.  I had my passport all the way through customs at LAX. 

When I arrived to the airport on March 27th, I did not have my passport.  The cruise line representative and terminal employees informed me that I could get an emergency passport in Los Angeles and then meet the cruise ship on March 29th at its port call in Cabo San Luca.  My wife and kids then departed on the cruise ship on 27th.

On the 28th of March, I was able to get a new passport form the U.S. Federal Passport Agency in LA.  On the 29th I flew to Cabo and was able to embark the Norwegian Jewel for the remaining 5 days of the cruise. 

On April 19th, a guest relations representative informed me I should write to this email address in order to obtain the required letter or report detailing trip delay.  Please provide me with this required documentation.

Thank you very much.

John Bartlett

END QUOTE

It is over 2 months later and I still have not received a response to my email let alone a statement indicating that I lost 2 days of the cruise b/c I lost my passport.  I just need a simple statement so I can submit a claim for the insurance for which I paid.  When I try to call the customer service number for Norwegian, I'm left on hold for an hour and eventually the phone call disconnects.  This is awful.

Nothing  special about the food. More often than not, it was not hot, regardless of where it was served from. Seemed liked  there was an add-on cost for everything. Overall, staff were friendly and helpful. 

Lots of things to do on the ship (NCL Jewel) and the three ports.  Had no issues with getting around town using taxis.  Very smooth sailing nothing more than five feet.  Just a little cold the first and last days from/to LA.

The ship was a perfect size for our tastes, and was beautifully decorated.  The food was excellent, and the staff was exceptionally attentive and friendly.  It didn't hurt that I won the Slots Tournament!

This was our first cruise, so we don't have a bar to measure things to.The ship was clean, the food was pretty good, especially the steak restaurant. The entertainment was really good. We went every night and enjoyed them all. It was good times.

Entertainment was very good. Cruises are geared for people that drink. But having an all you can drink package may not be the best. I saw many people use this pass to get drinks for their friends. I would prefer charging everyone an extra $30 to $40 bucks per person and have fountain soft drinks all day. I don't drink coffee, but it is included in the price. It is too inconvenient to have to go to the bartender to get a soft drink. Should have one or two American ESPN stations. Not everyone likes soccer. Buffet was average. On many days it looked like leftovers from the previous day. Sandwich bar only served potato chips one out of the 7 days. This was my 5th cruise. Probably my last unless the soft drink situation changes. Based on that criteria, it was my last. This is not going to change.