Cruise Reviews

Silver Wedding Celebration Aboard NCL Jewel
Reviewed By: Culverhouse, Bodmin on 11th Aug 2008
Cruise Line: NCL Cruises Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Norwegian Jewel Sailed: July, 2008
Destination: Baltic Age: 46-55
We returned on 9th August from a 12 night Baltic cruise on the Norwegian Jewel: it was our first cruise and we can honestly say it was fantastic.

Embarkation: We arrived in Dover and were directed to the row of porters waiting to take our suitcases onto the ship. We then parked the car (complimentary) on the quayside and went into the Cruise Terminal. It went really smoothly and we were soon sat in the Departure Lounge sipping orange juice (it was a very hot day). Our Embarkation colour was read out and we boarded the Jewel at 11.15am to be greeted with a glass of champagne! We had a quick walk around this beautiful ship and had a lovely lunch in Tsars. Our stateroom was ready for us at 1pm.

Ship: The Jewel is lovely, its bright décor and amazing carpets may not suit everyone but, we loved it. It was kept spotlessly clean and balcony handrails were being re-varnished during the cruise. There are some excellent dining rooms, bars and public areas.

Stateroom: We had a stateroom with balcony on Deck 9. The room was bigger than we expected, spotlessly clean and had ample storage. Our suitcases easily fitted under the bed. The bathroom was well laid out with sliding doors partitioning the toilet from washbasin & separate shower. The bed was very comfortable and we were surprised just how much the thick curtain & balcony door blocked out external noise particularly when we sailed through a fierce thunder storm. The balcony was well worth having and we spent time sitting on it every day. Room Stewards were almost invisible. You knew they had been, but rarely saw them. "In when you were out, out when you were in" sums them up.

Food: We had our breakfasts in the Garden Café where we could have had virtually anything we wanted from cereals, fruit, omelettes, “full English”, continental, etc etc. If we were on a “sea day” we either ate in the buffet (again lots of choice” or a more leisurely waitress served lunch in Tsars. The evening we either went to Tsars or Azura 2 of the “free” dining rooms. We never had to queue and were always served promptly by friendly waiters. There was plenty of choice and we found the food well presented and delicious. All of the waiting staff were polite, attentive and spoke good English. We never felt under pressure to buy drinks.

Entertainment: The shows in the Stardust Theatre were varied from the excellent Jean Ryan productions: Cirque Bijou being exceptional by any standard to “Solo” entertainers (Magician, Tenor singer, “Comedy” Juggler, Comedian, Multi-instrumentalist & Soprano singer). Some shows were better than others but generally good.


Ports: The itinerary on this cruise is fantastic all the ports were beautiful. With the exception of St Petersburg they are easy to do on your own. We also booked an NCL tour in Stockholm to the Ice Bar which was very good. Our 2 Full day tours with NCL in St Petersburg were excellent; the guide spoke first class English and was very interesting. We felt Helsinki had the least to offer and would have preferred an extra day in St Petersburg if offered.

Anniversary Package; We had the “free” anniversary package offered at the time of booking and as we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary during our cruise this was a nice touch. We had strawberries & champagne on arrival in our stateroom, canapés delivered one evening, a “complimentary” photograph taken at the “Honeymoon & Anniversary Party” where we had cake & more champagne, a “complimentary” meal in the Bistro (free wine!) and were serenaded by the waiters who gave us a cake and renewed our wedding vows on board the ship. We’ll never forget our Silver Wedding thanks to NCL.


Disembarkation: We chose to leave the ship in the last group as we were driving home. We had breakfast then vacated our stateroom and sat in one of the lounges until our “colour” was called at 9.30am. We got off the ship and a porter helped us find our luggage and load our car. We then had to drive back to Cornwall on a Saturday during the holiday season!! Not nearly as good a trip as our fantastic cruise. We loved every minute and would not hesitate to cruise with NCL again.
Quality of Food5
Mostly ate in Tzars and Azura. Quality of food excellent, wide variety and cooked as we had requested.
Entertainment4
Very good. Some shows were not to our taste, but Cirque Bijou was breathtaking
Shore Excursions4
Only did Stockholm and St Petersburg, but these were well organised. We saw a lot in a short time.
Staff5
All the staff who we came into contact with were polite and courteous
Children's Facilitiesn/a
N/A
Onboard Activities4
Plenty going on, always chance to spend money if you wanted, but we didnt feel pressured
Cabins5
Excellent, ample room for people and possessions
Overall Rating5
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Question by thomas, Exeter (18 Aug 08 13:40) about this REVIEW.
Hi, we are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on the same Baltic cruise. We sail on the 23rd August. How did you arrange to renew your wedding vows and how much does it cost? Thanks C Thomas
ANSWER
Answer by Culverhouse, Bodmin (18 Aug 08 16:06) to a QUESTION by thomas (18 Aug 08 13:40)
Congratulations on your anniversary. The "Renewal of Vows" was on our next to last Sea day home; it was advertised in the "Freestyle Daily" (only in the whole day line up not a separate paragraph. It was really memorable, only 5 couples turned up and we were given certificates to commemiorate the occasion. Luckily we had our camera as this was the only event on the cruise where the ships photographers didn't show up!! There was no charge and hardly a "dry eye" in the room! We also had the "Anniversary Package" which was free when we booked. Please do not hesitate to ask if you need any other infomation.
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Question by Thomas, Exeter (19 Aug 08 14:43) about an ANSWER by Culverhouse (18 Aug 08 16:06)
Thanks for answering. We will definitely attend a Renewal of Vows if it is still on offer; thou very nervous as what to expect. Can you tell me what you had to do please. Also was the sailing rough as I am a little worried about sea sickness.
ANSWER
Answer by Culverhouse, Bodmin (20 Aug 08 10:06) to a QUESTION by Thomas (19 Aug 08 14:43)
The Renewal of Vows was very informal. The "couples" sat in the bar area in semi circle around the Minister. He read a few words then we all stood (at same same) and all the men repeated their vows after the Minister & then the ladies did the same. I was also nervous but it was nothing to worry about. The minister & his wife had been married 54 years and he told some lighthearted tales! It was lovely but as I said in very small print on "Freestlyle Daily" Ours was at 5pm in Bar City (this may vary) it just says " Renewal of Marriage Vows with Rev Hans Uittenbosch. Keep a look out. The seas on the outward journey were very calm, we were lucky. The Baltic was also calm but on the return journey we hit a storm & a Force 9 gale it was a bit rocky but, we were fine (1st time cruisers & I get car-sick). The Jewel is huge & very stable just a slight "side to side" rock. Do not worry its a fantastic cruise. I took "Stugeron" (my GP recommended them) from my local chemist & started them the night before we sailed & an hour before; think they must have worked! Any other help please ask. Have a great time Trish
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Comment by Culverhouse, Bodmin (06 Sep 08 11:14) about an ANSWER by Culverhouse (20 Aug 08 10:06)
Hello Mr Thomas Did you enjoy your Baltic cruise?? What were the weather & seas like? Also did you get to renew your vows? Trish
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Comment by thomas, bristol (09 Sep 08 13:36) about a COMMENT by Culverhouse (06 Sep 08 11:14)
Hi Trish, we enjoyed our cruise very much thank you. The sea was flat calm all except for the last day and night at sea when it was quite ruff (just like you, must be the norm); I took Boots travel calms so no sea sickness! The weather was dry mostly and only cold in Helsinki and Russia(better than here as I've been told). We didn't renew our vows as there was nothing in the news letter and we didn't ask. The anniversary package as you know was very good, best anniversary ever. Thanks for your help. Cherry Thomas
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