A Jewel comes to Miami

NCL delivers its newest gem

By Phyllis Steinberg

NCL Corporation introduced its newest gem, Norwegian Jewel, to invited guests on a one-night sailing in Miami shortly after the departure of Hurricane Wilma.

NCL Jewel
NCL Jewel

Guests, mostly travel agents, enjoyed exploring the 92,000 ton vessel which will begin her winter season of Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Miami.

The Norwegian Jewel is the company's fourth purpose-ship built for Freestyle Cruising and is a sister to the Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn. Like her sisters, she features 10 restaurants, dynamic public rooms, kids activities, and plenty of entertainment.

New on this ship are 10 courtyard villas with a private courtyard and sundeck on deck 14. We enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the private courtyard which has its own secret entrance. There's no mixing here with the 2,376 passengers. Garden and courtyard villa guests have a concierge lounge available to them and we were told that butlers serve continental breakfast, refreshments all day and canapés and drinks before dinner. There's even a big double bed with only the open sky above in the middle of the courtyard and exercise equipment in a room to the side for garden and villa guests only.

Garden Villas
Garden Villas

The ship also features a series of bars, including a martini bar, champagne and wine bar, and a beer and whisky pub, all connected but each with its own distinct personality. Drinkers can enjoy their favorite libation in style on this vessel.

Fyzz Bar
Fyzz Bar

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the ship were the 10 restaurants, offering a variety of dining choices that few ships can match. The NCL favorites were there; Cagney's Steak House, Blue Lagoon, with its tasty selections from the sea and Le Bistro, a gourmet French restaurant. New was Chin Chin, an Asian restaurant inspired by the cuisine of the Far East with Tibetan flags fluttering along the railing next to the traditionally carved entrance. There's also a sushi bar and a Teppanyaki area offering seating for 32.

Tsars Palace, the main restaurant, was inspired by the grandeur of the palaces of St. Petersburg and the Russian Tsars. It has white and gold ceilings, green marbled pillars and 24-karat gold-coated chandeliers and of course, Faberge Eggs.

Chin Chin
Chin Chin

For those that like Italian food, there is Mama's Italian Kitchen. It had an interesting menu, but I opted to dine at Azura, the second main restaurant that takes on the ambience of a modern boutique hotel with blues and purples and orange accents. The restaurant had lobster tail and I wanted to check out how it was prepared and served. The serving size was small, but the waiter graciously offered to bring me another tail, which I refused because I had been eating ever since I boarded the ship. There is food service 24 hours a day with several choices at the Garden Café, including made to order-omelets, waffles, fruit, soups and ethnic specialties.

Other ship amenities include: shows in the Stardust Theater, a lavish pool area, a Jewel Club Casino, Corona Cigar Club, karaoke parties, separate Kid's Club as well as a teen's club. I also enjoyed the Java Café, a coffee bar in the atrium where frozen coffees, espresso, cappuccino, tea, pastries and cookies are served.

pool area

It is easy to get away from it all on the NCL Jewel, but if you must do a little work, there is an internet café and a library for some quiet time.

For more information on the NCL Jewel, call 800-327-7030 or log on to www.ncl.com

Photos by Norwegian Cruise Line and Phyllis Steinberg.

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