Back in August, 2005 I was given the chance to take a trip on the new Norwegian Jewel. She did a couple of 2 night taster cruises from Dover, I went on the second one Dover - Jersey - Dover leaving on the 8th August and returning on the 10th August.

The ship.....

First impressions are excellent, she is 93000 tonnes thus making her the largest in the NCL fleet - she will be joined by her twin sister Spring 2006 'Pride of Hawaii'. One thing about her, and other NCL ships, that I personally am not keen on, the hull art. Very nice but I much prefer a clean hull. That doesn't make any less impressive to look at though, its just my own personal opinion. Stepping aboard her two things hit you straight away. The clever use of very bright colours and the old ship style in the way she is designed internally. Several of the public areas are modelled on the late great liners of yesteryear..including the mighty Queens and the Normandie. The cabins are surprisingly spacious and well appointed, again the colours are vibrant and go well with the use of darker than usual wood veneers, they compliment each other perfectly IMO. I had a category G on deck 8, it was semi-obstructed but even with the tenders outside, there was an abundance of natural light and you could still see what you were floating past without craning your neck. Those who are used to the huge multideck atriums may not like Jewel as she has no such feature. Instead she has a 2 deck high crystal atrium, with a magnificent light effect across the ceiling that changes colour at will, also in this are is the reception and pursers desk, the dining room reservation and shore excursion desk. The center of the atrium is Java Cafe and overlooking the Java is the Blue Lagoon and Tango's restaurants. There is also a huge plasma screen on the double sweep glass and chrome stairway that sweeps up from Java to deck 8. Also there are no glass lifts, there are 3 banks of 5 lifts..1 bank aft, 1 bank midships and 1 bank forward, they are all colour coded and the carpeting in the cabin corridors is a brilliant design tactic....its fish swimming along through seaweed...and they are swimming in the direction of the bow, so the ship is incredibly easy to navigate around. There are plenty of eating places aboard, Tsar's and Azura (which are the main dining rooms) Tsar's is beautiful, just like the old liners with embellished columns and ornate fixtures, Azura is more up to date feel. Le Bistro is beautiful, as is Mama's, Garden Cafe, Cagneys and all the other places to eat. The food was top notch as was the service. The ship is fast and there are no vibrations whatsoever. The spa and fitness suite is incredible, the children's facilities are superb. There are 2 large pools and 4 hot tubs, one pool has a slide into it, there are poolside bars and a stage for outdoor performances. The theater is enormous, and there is a large retail areas at the stern with various purchases from jewelry to duty free to souvenirs.

On deck 14 there are the 'posh suites'..2 of which are 4 bedroom with their own full size lounge area, hot tub and sundeck. The Garden Suites have their own area with fitness center, private sundeck, plunge pool and hot tub. Its very very luxurious.

Needless to say that it takes more than 2 days to really get the full picture of the ship but from the little time I had aboard her, I would strongly recommend her. She is stunning, her crew are attentive and very friendly.

She certainly is a 'Jewel' in NCL's crown.