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OVERVIEW There is only one
word to describe the Norwegian Jewel - WOW! The minute you walk aboard
this vessel you notice the difference. Warm, rich wood tones combined with
colorful rugs and furnishings. The Norwegian Jewel is brand new -
having first entered service in August of 2005. With a length of 965 feet
and a width of 106 feet, she offers a tremendous amount of space for her 2,376
passengers (double occupancy) and 1,185 crew. Tipping the scales at 92,000
tons, the ship can sail at 25 knots which allows her to travel long
distances quickly.
AMENITIES/PUBLIC SPACES
The Norwegian Jewel has an abundance of public
rooms. The ship's disco, named Fyzz, is colorfully decorated and has one
of the most interesting carpets I have seen on a cruise ship. The carpet
pattern gives the appearance of bubbles trying to rise to the surface. The room
certainly is festive.
The Spinnaker Lounge, located high above the
bridge of the ship, offers panoramic views of the sea and is ideal for an
after dinner gathering.
There are a number of specialty bars, including
Shakers Martini Bar, Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar and Maltings Beer and
Whiskey Bar. Other bars include the Star Bar, Topsiders Bar and the Sky
High Bar.
For those of us who like our cigars and coffee.
there is the Corona Cigar Club and the Java Cafe. The Java Cafe is located
within the ship's main atrium and also serves frozen coffees,
espresso, cappuccino, tea, pastries and cookies.
The reception desk is smartly decorated and is
located in the ship's main atrium. There you will find neatly dressed staff always willing to lend a hand or answer any questions.
The Norwegian Jewel's main showroom is the
Stardust Theater located at the front of the ship. The large showroom
offers guests unobstructed views of the stage and events. The showroom,
which spans 2-plus decks, is pleasantly decorated and quite
comfortable.
The ship offers an extensive Spa area with a full
array of Spa treatments including facials, stone
therapy, massage, manicure, pedicure, sauna and hot tubs with exceptional
views of the sea. There is also a hair salon on board..
The gym facilities on the ship are exceptional. An entire row of walking machines with great views of the sea, weight
machines and other fitness equipment fill the facility. In addition, there is a separate
room for aerobics, yoga and kickboxing classes which overlooks the pool
area.
On deck, there are sunbathing areas, two pools
and hot tubs for relaxing. If you are looking for a little
more activity, there is a tennis court with a grandstand, basketball
court, golf driving net, shuffleboard court,
paddle tennis area, oversized chess board and a jogging track. A
wrap-around promenade allows you the opportunity for a brisk walk or leisurely
stroll while enjoying the sea.
The Galleria offers passengers 7,000 square feet of shopping pleasure.
There is also an art gallery for those who would like to purchase artwork
and a photo gallery to purchase memories of
your cruise. The library and card/game room are great places to escape to
with large comfortable chairs. They are quiet open, airy and are decorated
with large photos of NCL and NCL America ships.
For those mixing work with pleasure, the Norwegian Jewel has 3 meeting
rooms for private parties or work/pleasure use. There is also the
Lifestyles room which is used for enrichment courses, a chapel, medical
center, Internet Cafe and even a bridge viewing area.
The Norwegian Jewel has 13 bars and lounges. The decor of this
ship is wonderful. The public rooms are all very colorful but not
overbearing. The furnishings are welcoming and warm which help to
foster a calming atmosphere. The flow of the ship is quite nice and
each public room seems to complement the next. Overall, I am very impressed
with the Norwegian Jewel's layout and interior.
DINING
All restaurants offer what NCL refers to as "Freestyle Dining" which
provides open seating and flexible, extended hours. You can choose any of
the 10 international restaurants. Each restaurant has a different decor
and offers different specialties. The Italian restaurant, Mama's Kitchen, offers causal Italian food including Pasta, Pizza and other
Italian fare. The decor of this restaurant is simple but somehow has a
very homey feel with it's long family style tables. Other dining options
include Tango's Tapas which serves up a full selection of Spanish Tapas
and offers authentic Spanish cuisine and entertainment. The Tsar's Palace whose decor is inspired by
the grandeur of the Palaces of Russia, offers traditional dining experience
and is the ship's main dining room. The Azura, inspired
by the great hotels of the world, offers traditional cuisine. The
restaurant has a grand winding staircase and impressive views of the sea
if you are lucky enough to get a seat by the floor to ceiling windows.
Other dining options include Cagney's Steakhouse for Angus beef, pork,
veal and steak, Chin Chin for Thai, Japanese and Chinese food, Le Bistro
for French Cuisine, The Blue Lagoon, which offers 24 hour dining including
hamburgers, fish and chips, pot pies and fast wok dishes and finally the
Garden Cafe, a buffet style restaurant offering extensive and varied
selections. The Garden Cafe is very large and offers more than ample
seating for the casual diner. The buffet has a number of servings stations
that allow diners to easily and quickly get their food selection. It
should be noted that NCL has done an excellent job choosing the right
fabrics and furnishing for each restaurant to create a unique, visually
pleasing and authentic dining experience.
Please note that Cagney's Steakhouse, Le Bistro and Chin Chin
speciality restaurants charge diners an additional cover charge. In most
restaurants, dinner is served from 5:30 PM to midnight.
NCL has instituted a shipboard display system so diners will know the
wait for each one of the ships restaurants at any given time. In addition, passengers can stop by the
desired restaurant, pick up a pager and
be paged once their table is available.
While on board, I had the pleasure of dining in the bright and airy
Azura restaurant. The service was outstanding. Since NCL automatically
includes all of the tips on your on-board account, one would think
that the service would be mediocre. Quite the contrary - NCL service is
among the best in the industry. I found our waitress to be pleasant,
attentive and professional. I thoroughly enjoyed the rice wine marinated
sea scallops and sevruga caviar appetizer, crouton-crusted goat cheese on mache salad and the main entree of Broiled Lobster Tail with lemon risotto
on grilled acorn squash and rosemary-spiked baked garlis nicoise
olive-and-pine nut tapenade. Each course was delivered hot (if
appropriate) and was very tasty.
For dessert, I had the Chocolate Soufflé. Other options included Cinnamon
Ginger Mousse and Petits Fours.
Overall the quality of the food on board was excellent, the presentation
of each course was exceptional and service was first class.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The cabins
are comfortable and also have a warm welcoming feel to them. The bed coverings are
colorful and pleasant. The rooms have ample storage including bureaus and
closets. The bathrooms are a sufficient
size and are equipped with all of the latest fixtures.
The Jewel offers interior, exterior and balcony
cabins. There is something for everyone's price range and preference.
The Norwegian Jewel even has courtyard villas.
These one, two and three bedroom suites have a living room with a sizeable
table and access to a private courtyard area with with a private pool,
sundeck and hot tub.
There is even the more exclusive Garden Villa
which is 5,750 square feet and has a spacious living room
(including a bar), dining room, private sun deck and three bedrooms (each with
their own private luxury bathroom). One of the bedrooms has a full bath
with a whirlpool tub and separate shower. Butler and concierge service is
available.
Regardless of which type of cabin you choose, the
Norwegian Jewel's cabins are warm, spacious, adequately furnished and
quiet functional. Bathrooms are modern, clean and organized.
ENTERTAINMENT
NCL provided a sampling of the entertainment on board the Norwegian
Jewel. They provided a sampling of their musical stage show "Band on the
Run." Although the music was not to my preference, the show was quite
lively and featured the songs of the music of the band Queen and other
bands of that era. In addition NCL offers other musical entertainment
including the live bands, the disco and usually a musician, and/or
comedian. Historically, I have found NCL's stage shows and performers to be
enjoyable, amusing and entertaining.
KIDS PROGRAM
I was very impressed by the amount of space dedicated to the kids
program on the Norwegian Jewel. There are separate rooms for each age
group as well as a teen disco. The program is segmented into 4 age groups
- Junior Sailors (Ages 2-5), First Mates (Ages 6-9), Navigators (Ages
10-12) and Teens (Age 13-17). Activities include painting, arts and crafts
and Pizza making for the younger kids, while movies, video games, arcade
night and sporting activities are offered for the teens.
A daily newsletter is published (by age group) describing that
day's program. NCL has an extensive array of activities for all youth
passengers which can give mom and dad some alone time
Items available for younger guests enjoyment (outside of the kids
program) include the large, twisty water slide on the pool deck, a video
arcade, basketball court, pool, shuffleboard, table tennis and the
card/game room.
ITINERARY
The Norwegian Jewel will conduct New England and Canada cruises from
New York through the end of October 2005. She will then reposition to
Miami where she will cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and Exotic Western
Caribbean. The Eastern Caribbean cruises sail to Great Stirrup Cay
Bahamas, San Juan Puerto Rico, Antigua and St. Thomas. Western
Caribbean Cruises call at Roatan, Honduras, Georgetown Grand Cayman, Ocho
Rios Jamaica and Great Stirrup Cay Bahamas.
From April 2006 through October 2006 she repositions to Europe for 7 and 12 day
cruises through the Mediterranean visiting such exotic countries as Italy,
France, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Turkey and Egypt.
In November 2006, the Norwegian Jewel returns to the Miami for a
series of Eastern Caribbean cruises.
SYNOPSIS
Let's cut to the chase, the Norwegian Jewel is one of my favorite ships.
The crew is very attentive and warm. The crew members always display a
warm smile and they were always willing to help.
The food quality is great and the food presentation was exceptional,
The atmosphere of the 10 restaurants on board add to the dining
experience. Freestyle dining is a hit and I enjoyed the flexibility of
choosing the restaurant and when and with whom I would dine.
The public rooms were beautifully decorated, spacious and inviting.
Although the ship was not full when I sailed on her, it is my opinion that
the passengers will not feel crowded because of the sheer number of public
rooms and places passengers can congregate.
Attire on-board is casual. There are formal nights and dining rooms
designated as formal. All other restaurants can be casual.
Accommodations are new and efficiently laid-out. Entertainment seemed
adequate to good, but I really was not exposed to a full cruise's options
of nightly activities.
Another Freestyle feature NCL offers is Freestyle Disembarkation. I
love this. The last day of the cruise you can leisurely have breakfast and
disembark. You no longer need to get-up at 6:30 AM for breakfast and
be out of your room by 8:00 AM. NCL lets you stay on board, in your
cabin, until they announce your group for disembarkation. This extra time
allows for a peaceful end your relaxing cruise vacation.
Overall I was very impressed with the Norwegian Jewel. I believe that
she is one of the most smartly decorated ships afloat. NCL has taken
exceptional care in improving upon the Norwegian Dawn's design to create
the even more impressive Norwegian Jewel. The Norwegian Jewel is just that,
a "Jewel" of a ship.
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