Norwegian Jewel Cruise Reviews - Reviews

overall very good experience but the meat portion was so large by the 6th or 7th course it just seem like a waste of a wonderfull piece of meat by almost everyone at the table food excellent wine paired well and after dinner drinks and dessert if you can take it make sure and go hungry

We booked a mini-suite with balcony and enjoyed great weather. The views were amazing. The excursions were rather expensive. We took the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching shore excursion, but otherwise just visited the towns on our own. Would have preferred to take the White Pass Railway and Yukon trip, but felt that the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching excursion was the limit of our spending.

The food and service were very good. Our steward, Mikey, did an excellent job of maintaining the room and providing information to prepare us for each upcoming day's activities. 

The entertainment could have been better. Probably the best was a pianist who did an Elton John tribute. The Beatles tribute was disappointing, along with the main entertainment in the main showroom. Entertainment on the Pride of America in Hawaii was much better.

We would recommend this cruise simply for the beautiful views every day--snow-capped mountains, beautiful sunsets, etc. But the weather we experienced was exceptional--highs of around 70 and sunny every day (except for Seattle). Average weather (rain, highs in the 50s) might have made the trip less enjoyable.

Horrible. I will not waste much of my time and energy giving feedback on this cruise. I have never encountered more liars or unprofessional individuals, beginning with the Captain of this ship. NCL should be out of business.

Since this was my first time cruising, I have nothing with which to compare. However, this was absolutely the best vacation I've experienced. The scenery was fantastic. The food was incredible, and the only comparable means of travel for sheer enjoyment would be by train. I love the "freestyle"  means of choosing everything and anything you want to do. There were ample on board opportunities for activities, a wide variety of shore excursions, and myriad food choices. The only down side was the cost of alcohol. If you drink, be prepared to pay a premium. I'll do it again as soon as my schedule allows.

This was only the second cruise we have been on.  We had great weather and great captains and crew staff.  There was PLENTY to do and see and in a very RELAXED atmosphere.  Would recommend this cruise for a special time with loved ones and to meet other people from around the world and the U.S.  :)

We planned this trip beginning right after Christmas (2014) to fulfill a bucket list wish. The cruise was GREAT, the crew and staff were excellent. Outstanding weather, excursions and overall experience. We found the Tsar's Palace to be our main choice for meals. We also like La Cucina and La Bistro. The other special dining options were not remarkable. (Meals could have used some garlic for seasoning!) My wife and I were both disappointed in some of our cruise mates who were rude to staff. Every member of the crew and staff we came across were delightful and helpful. Most of the evening entertainment was very good.

The one thing that we did not get to do but may have been educational would have been a detailed tour of the ships operations, galleys, engine room, behind the curtain operations of the ship, etc. But that may not have been possible with over 2,000 passengers, some of whom were in wheelchairs or had walkers. I have taken such tours on VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and LR1 oil tankers and am a student at heart.

It was also interesting to see the changes to Juneau. I was last there about 25 years ago for a meeting with the Alaska Attorney General and Juneau was only about 15,000 people then. Now it has about 36,000 or more, with a WalMart!Lots of changes but still has the Alaska frontier feel.

Talking about planning our next "bucket list" cruise, when and where??

The ports and the excursions were amazing.  Alaska was everything I thought it would be.  I did not have high expectations for the ship, activities, etc because that was not my focus for this vacation.

Ship was ok.  Not crowded which was nice.

Food was just ok. 

Entertainment was just ok.

We enjoyed this ship, it is smaller than the Epic which we took on our last cruise and there were no lines at dinner, always plenty of seating in the theater and at the bars/clubs and on deck.  It was also very easy getting on and off the ship with no congestion or lines.  The weather was perfect the entire trip which obviously contributed to the wonderful experience.  The scenery in Glacier Bay is breathtaking.  We saw whales and mountain goats from the ship.  The ports were nice with plenty to do and easy access from the ship.  The food was pretty good and the service was excellent.  The entertainment on board was good and it was even nice enough to use the pools and hot tubs.  Excellent trip.

They look at the passenger as if they don't have to treat her as the way they treat the others . Most of the staff are my countrymen, but it kind a shock that they behave that they show you that they could not care less for you ,we are not expecting a royal treatment but treat us fairly we are a paying passenger just like the others. This is the 3rd cruise that we took with NCL , this Jewel is nothing compared to the 1st and 2nd 

Everything on this NCL Cruise was very good. The price was excellent, the staff outstanding and mostly very accomodating. We only ate breakfasts and dinners at Main restaurants.

Breakfasts were very good, serve staff varied from OK to arrogant and one in particular even making

faces and rolling eyes at our reguests from the provided menus.

Dinners were not so very good, Dinners consisted of the same food ingredients for 15 evenings

just named different (language) on Menu each evening. Servers were Magnificent.       

Several things they did well.  Some they didn't appear to have a clue. First, and worst, the cabin they sold as "obstructed oceanview" had no view whatsoever--the window was opaque, barely letting light in.   For all intents and purposes, an inside cabin at a premium price.  At best, a deceptive description.  The Colonial Cartegena excursion was probably 70% shops.  On another excursion we sat on the bus on the pier for over an hour just waiting to get started....on a bus with a non functioning bathroom...nice job!!  Two scheduled on board programs were cancelled.  Buffet food tended to be cold.  Entertainment tended to be above average.  Except for singers who seemed happy  to entertain themselves rather than gear their program for the demographics of the guests.  Getting off was easy.  All in all, a mixed bag.

The itinerary on this cruise was awesome. The Panama Canal should be on everyone's must do list. Also all of the ports we visited were full of adventures. I would not recommend this cruise for small children since the average age of the passengers was 66. The one issue that we had was with some of the service. While all of our problems were taken care of it was unfortunate that we had to complain since service is one of the main reasons we cruise. The food was excellent. We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch and the specialty restaurants for dinner. We enjoyed each of the different options.

services, foods, courtesies and entertaiment is excellent. On land we learned a lot of the beauties of the western civilianzation's architectures. On board the entertainment is execeptional. The cruise provide all kind of funs especially the ballrooms dancing they also provide the dancing classes so the customers who doesn't spend time on the gym they can learn and dance with they partner all dayy long instead of staying sleep on the staterooms. Excellent trip overall.

Suggest. Should change the cleaned blanket before each cruise. Other it's exceptional.

First let me say I used to work on an NCL cruise ship and have experience with cruising... The Jewel was fantastic! Freestyle cruising is the absolute ONLY way to cruise... the food wasn't AMAZING but there was a lot of it and a good amount of variety... I wish there were more options at lunch and breakfast because those menus NEVER changed. 

The entertainment was FANTASTIC and the cruise director was by far the best cruise director out there... (unfortunately she announced our trip was her last as well)

The room was clean, the steward very friendly, and the ports and excursions were fun and beautiful! My partner and I enjoyed ourselves from entry to disembarking. 

Definitely recommend this cruise!!! GET OFF THE SHIP AT ALL 3 ports! SEE THE SHOWS!!!! Go Cave Tubing!!!! SNORKEL in Honduras!!!!

We had a wonderful cruise to the Caribbean...Cozumel, Belize and Roatan...great ship, great crew and great weather...what more could we ask for?!? I know...never having to disembark  Seriously though...from the captain to our room steward, everyone was excellent...this was our 2nd cruise on the Jewel within 4 months and we are sorry to see her leave Houston 

We had a Jewel of a cruise and are looking forward to sailing her again in the near future 

I can't say enough good things about the cruise or the staff.

The Magician/Comedian/Singer (J.P.) was "THE BEST". Of course it is only my opinion. All entertainment was super and the food beyond compare.

You could not ask for a better Cruise Director.

Thanks for a great vacation break; I'll be back.

Probably my biggest complaint is the size of the cabin, especially the bathroom.  Neither one of us could sit on the toilet without being inches from the wall.  So we both sat angled which wasn't very comfortable.

The ship was clean and the stewards were wonderful each night doing the little towel art that puts a smile on your face.

As to food, while it was good, we both felt the food was better on Holland America.  The buns in the Tsar restaurant were fresh the rest of the pastries on board were a little dry.

As to entertainment, there was too much dancing and singing and not enough variety.  The magician was good but a little risque and this was a shown children were invited too.  He even had a child on stage and it just wasn't right.

I did appreciate the way they handled the shore excursions as it was all very organized, especially the day were off shore in Belize and took boots into Belize.

It was ok, they really need to come up with a way for you to communicate with your party while on the ship since most people can't use their phones. The food is ok but not great. We ate at the Teppanya restaurant it was excellent, well worth the money. The television should have the schedule of entertainment listed each night for the next day, it I so confusing trying to figure out what is happening when. The check in process was really easy and leaving the ship  was really easy. Cozmel was crowded, Belize was ok but Roatan was really pretty. We have cruised on three different companies and Norwegian and Royal Carribean are the best, skip Carnival unless you are 18 to 21 and don't want to sleep at all. 

We enjoyed the ship, the wonderful service provided by the crew, the delicious meals and the the interesting destinations. In particular we loved the trip to the Mayan ruins from Belize.

Excellent staff. Always friendly, courteous, helpful & professional. Best I've ever experienced on 9 cruises. Super food, especially steaks. Great shows, especially comedian & magician. Band at pool way too loud. Embark & disembark well organized & went smoothly