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The NCL Jewel - Our Experience and the Itinerary
We had a terrific spring break cruise on the Norwegian Jewel. To be honest we were not very excited about the itinerary of this ship but we were going to spend time together as a family and the NCL Jewel had the cabin (a Courtyard Villa) we wanted for the week we could travel.
Pool on the Norwegian Jewel
We weren't thrilled by the ports of call, but over all I was pleasantly surprised that we enjoyed what we did each day.
This is how we spent our time and our review of the itinerary and ports of call.
Our Itinerary on the NCL Jewel - Western Caribbean
I have included what we did on each day on the NCL Jewel, with a review of each day and what we did.
Day 1: Leave Miami
We always fly in the night before and used our points to stay at a Westin hotel. We had dinner and took it easy. The next morning we took a taxi for last minute shopping and to buy some soda. NCL carries Pepsi products and we are "Coke" people.
We put the cans in a box and put a ship tag on it. It arrived safely in our cabin.
We arrived at the dock at about 1 pm and could see the NCL Jewel as we pulled up. We had a short security line to go through and off to the VIP and Suite check in office. Adrian, the Concierge, was there with a big smile and it was really pleasant to meet him. Check in went smoothly and they cut the corner of Montana's card to show that she was a minor.
We were escorted to our Courtyard villa by a butler from the ship. As we had sailed before we knew what to expect so we didn't have much of a tour. The butler however did mention that we should get to Cagney's right away as lunch finishes at 1:30. That was a great idea and we enjoyed our first NCL meal! (Suite guests can dine in Cagney's for breakfast and lunch).
By the time we returned our luggage had arrived and we went up to the Courtyard Sun Deck to watch the sail away in Miami.
We dined at Cagney's this evening and the food was good. Montana had the surf and turf and felt her steak was a little lacking in taste. I had the Prime Rib and it was excellent.
NCL Jewel - Day 2 at Sea
We attended the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet at 11 am. We met the other cruise critic passengers, some of the officers, the Hotel Manager John O'Hara, The cruise director, Paul, the onboard comedian, the captain!
After that was lunch and then Montana and I went for a walk/run on the Deck 10 running track. It was busy with people sunbathing, and sometimes hard to get around without having to stop or wait for others, but it was still a good walk/run. I would suggest that if you want to walk that you go to the Promenade deck as it isn't as busy on a sea day. Unfortunately you can't run on the Promenade deck though.
Rest of the afternoon was spent sunning (or in my case sitting under an umbrella) up on the courtyard villa sun deck. The sun is really strong in the Caribbean, remember your sunscreen.
At one point I was looking to cool off and thought I would go in the Courtyard pool - I swear it was as warm as the hot tub!. So I hoofed it down to the adult pool to cool off. The difference in temperature was unbelievable! Note to Norwegian Cruise Lines - it's hard to cool off or exercise in a pool that hot!
At 4:30 Montana and I checked in for our massage. This is one thing I really like about NCL. They have a "Teen Spa Menu" as well as an adult one. Montana is always asking to get a massage, but usually they don't take anyone under the age of 16. It was a good massage, not the best I have ever had, but it was fun to do it together!
Le Bistro for dinner that night - it was incredible! In fact it was one of the best dinners we have ever had on a cruise ship! Warren brought his own wine on board and was able to enjoy it with dinner. Don't' miss the lamb at Le Bistro - it is my absolute favorite!
We saw the first of the "Big shows" from the Jean Ann Ryan in the Stardust Theatre. It was Band on the Run. It really was quite good. A throwback to the 70's. (We aren't big "show" people).
NCL Jewel - Day 3: Roatan, Honduras
Through our research on Roatan, we knew that we wanted to go Zip Lining. See our adventure in Roatan Honduras here.
View of Roatan from the Tender
After our visit to Roatan, Montana and I decided to spend some time in the main pool where she made some new friends. It was Spring Break and there were hundreds of high school and college kids on the ship.
That night we chose Chin Chin for dinner. One of us ordered sushi, and the other 2 ordered from the Asian menu. Again the food was great, but way too much! The food at Chin Chin was best on the NCL Jewel.
See what other people like to do in Roatan at TripAdvisor
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NCL Jewel - Day 4: Belize City, Belize
Through our research on Roatan, we knew that we wanted to go Zip Lining. See our adventure in Roatan Honduras here.
About 10 years ago, I had visited Belize for about 10 days, and Warren for about 4. So we were looking for an activity to do that we hadn't done previously. Belize is known for SCUBA diving and snorkelling (why I was there 10 years ago).
We chose to do cave tubing. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. It was cold and rainy. We decided instead to sleep in a bit and then wander over to the dock.
We got up to get some breakfast and were amazed that we could barely see Belize. That is how far out we were docked.
View of Roatan from the Tender
I don't have a lot of complaints about NCL. And I guess this really isn't a complaint about NCL, as it is the country of Belize that mandates this. But there is a 15 to 20 minute tender ride from the ship to the port. This is mainly due to the reef, and the fact that you can't get the large cruise ships into the port. So I understand that, however, NCL could choose a different port to go to.
The tenders are controlled and operated by a local company. They were fine to go over when they were moving, except that there was a lot of waiting around.
We had to wait for the tender to fill at the ship. Then waited at least 20 minutes to come back. Then when we arrived back at the ship (this was a NCL decision) we had to wait for a shore excursion that returned to board the ship before us. Even though we arrived back to the ship first.
So we travelled to and from Belize for a total of 90 minutes. That is a long time to tender. When we arrived at the port, there wasn't much there either. Some shops with fake couture bags and souvenirs etc. A couple of pharmacies selling practically any drug you could want at half the price of home. But that was it. See what others like to do in Belize City from Tripadvisor.
It started raining when we arrived at the Port. So the port of Belize City turned out to be a wash for us. Not that it really mattered as Montana chose to stay on the ship anyway. So after our 2 hour adventure, we enjoyed the quietness of the ship.
After we got back we had some lunch and I decided to take some photos of the NCL Jewel. Later Montana and I decided to play trivia - we got 10 out of 25!!!! I was impressed I knew that many questions on older music!
That night we ate at Mama's Kitchen. This is one of my favorite restaurants. I absolutely love, and would be happy if I could only eat, the antipasti trolley. The pasta and pizza was great too!
That night Montana hung out with some friends she met at the Caribbean/St. Patrick's Day party. The Cruise director told us that they planned it for this night because the weather conditions were going to be perfect. I think it was because the crew were having a party for in Spinnaker Lounge. Either way, it was a great party.
Warren and I headed to the casino, and met Montana back at the cabin for her curfew.
Continue to Norwegian Jewel Review - Days 5 through 8
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