Menu
CB Cruises and Charters Review of NCL Jewel
NCL Jewel

NCL Jewel review: EVERYTHING 3

M
Author of the review
2:29 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

To whom it may concern:

I would like to tell you about my experience on the NCL Jewel “Nickelodeon” Cruise. I would like to start by thanking everyone involved for making my “vacation” the most miserable 7 days of my life. I was traveling with my husband and our two children. My Daughter is 3 ½ and our son will be 2 in 3 WEEKS.
Our first day that we got on the boat there was no buffet open or room service available. Our only option for food was to SIT in a restaurant which would not have been so bad if we were not completely ignored. It took 15 minutes to get a high chair and another 15 just to take our food order. Then that was it, not another server came over to the table, till I got up to ask for more silverware and drinks. The one day I ordered room service when my kids were sick (I will get to that at the end) I got 2 soggy BLT and 2 Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches with hardly any peanut butter OR jelly on stale bread, with potato chips NO FRENCH FRIES with room Service.
The second day I went to bring my children to the camp. My son was not allowed in the camp because he was not 2 yet. Although when I called BEFORE I paid and booked my cruise it was not a problem. Now that I paid and was on the cruise it was apparently a big issue and not happening. So now I not only have to have to 2 year old attached to me on my vacation but a crying one no less because he wanted to go to camp with his sister. I was offered an “UNDER 2 ZOO”. That was even more of a joke. It was a conference room with a collapsible tunnel and about 5 puzzles. We could have taken him in the “Infant Pool” which was fully enclosed almost sauna with a 3x3 pool with a slide. I did not to go into any of the pools the entire week. Thank God my girlfriend took my son 2 nights so my husband and I could at least go out to dinner ALONE. The rest of the week we took turns staying with kids so we could at least see a couple of shows separately.
My 2yr old (minus 3 weeks) Found a mysterious pill in the closet in our cabin. Later after I looked it up I found out it was a generic form of Viagra from India. That would have been a disaster if he ate it. Let me jump ahead to the last day when I got my bill, there were 3 $12 ($36 a day or $252 for the week) Charges per DAY for our cabin service charge. I felt not only was it sneaky and underhandedly done especially to charge it for my 3 year old as well and something that I never agreed to or was informed about BUT what am I paying that for if they cant even make sure that there are not hazardous items in the room.
Service in ALL the restaurants (with the exception of the ones we paid for) was horrendous. The staff ignored you, the food was horrible, you waited FOREVER to get the food and even longer to clean off the tables. One day at lunch they were serving us dessert with our food plates still in front of us; my husband got up and cleared off the table.
The cruise was not conducive to children at all. There were no paper cups or lids to be found and by day 3 or 4 they had even run out of crayons in the main dining room. The breakfast with the “nick” crew my 2yr old (minus 3 weeks) was given a BIG GLASS of orange juice (that lasted about 3 seconds before it was all over him and the table). As an advertized “Nickelodeon Cruise” there was 1 breakfast where 5 Characters sang 2 songs then walked around and took pictures the rest of the time. The 3 meet and greets were a JOKE. The 1st one was just SpongeBob and Patrick and you stood in like for over and hour took a picture and left. The 2nd one was Just Dora and Diego same senerio. The 3rd one I didn’t bother. You were not told who was going to be there just Meet the nickelodeon Characters.
Everything we did was a line. Over and hour to get off the ship in Florida and Nassau (the ship didn’t even stop at the private island). The last day the “Walk Right Off” was almost 2 hours. Which leads me to the WORST part of the cruise my daughter had 104 fever and we got no help getting her off that ship. We left the cruise ship and went right to the Emergency room to find out that my daughter had gotten pneumonia on the ship.
This was my first cruise and I was looking forward to a nice family vacation and relaxing a bit, needless to say none of that happened. I was very upset and disappointed. I did write a letter on the comment card and received no response at all. This letter does not even being to express my disappointment with NCL and Nickelodeon.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

3 comments
Add a comment
D
D
debra costello
Islip, US
Mar 04, 2011 1:44 pm EST

My name is debra Costello if you would like to contact my there are so may parents that feel the same way please email me at dac730173@aol.com..I have info for you...

D
D
dadams
New York, US
Feb 22, 2011 5:35 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

It's a traveler's responsibility to find out about all charges up-front. If you had booked with a travel agent, they would have made it a point to give you the first-time cruiser rundown of additional charges aboard the ship. Gratuities are optional aboard these ships - and if you received poor service in the restaurant, you could have had them reduced. Did you complain while you were aboard? It doesn't sound that way. If you had complained about the service in the restaurant, they would have reduced your gratuities. Please take some responsibility for your own lack of action in this scenario.

N
N
nyctraveler
Brooklyn, US
Dec 15, 2010 9:48 pm EST

Just want to say that if you go on vacation with your kids you should expect to watch them yourself and not hope that someone will watch them for you (especially when the kids are so small).