Norwegian Cruise Line

MV Norwegian Jewel

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Operator: Norwegian Cruise Line
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2005/ 2005
Length / Tonnage: 956 / 92,000
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 1,120 / 2,240
Officers / Crew: Norwegian / International
Operating Area: Hawaii

Norwegian Jewel joined the NCL fleet on August 5, 2005. She wsa built at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany and the 92,000-ton Norwegian Jewel is the company's fourth purpose-built ship for Freestyle Cruising. Like her sisters, she features 10 restaurants, dynamic public rooms, the most innovative and luxurious range of suites at sea, including two Garden Villas and a brand new style of accommodations - the addition of 10 courtyard villas with a private courtyard and sundeck on deck 14. Owner's suite guests and both courtyard and garden villa guests have a concierge lounge available to them. Dedicated butlers offer continental breakfast, refreshments all day and canapés and drinks before dinner.

Like her sisters, Norwegian Jewel features 10 restaurants including guest favorite alternatives such as Cagney's Steak House, Blue Lagoon and NCL's signature restaurant, Le Bistro. In addition, Norwegian Jewel also features two main restaurants (Tsar's Palace and Azura), a casual Italian eatery called Mamma's Italian Kitchen; Tango's a Latin restaurant featuring tapas and Chin Chin, an Asian complex featuring Thai, Japanese and Chinese food as well as a sushi bar and a Teppanyaki room offering guests an interactive Japanese dining experience where food is prepared in front of guests. Like Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn seven of the 10 restaurants aboard Norwegian Jewel are included in the fare with the three alternative restaurants charging a small cover charge.

The ship also includes a new concept for NCL - a "Bar Central" -- featuring Shakers Martini and Cocktail Bar; Magnum's Champagne and Wine Bar and Maltings Beer and Whiskey Pub. In addition to Bar Central, Norwegian Jewel features the Sky High Bar, an outdoor beer garden and "Fyzz" Cabaret Lounge, featuring three private Karaoke rooms.

Norwegian Jewel offers an extensive choice of cabins. In fact, while Norwegian Jewel is modeled after Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn, NCL has increased the number of cabins from 1112 on Norwegian Dawn to 1188 on Norwegian Jewel, including the addition of 10 courtyard villas sharing a private courtyard, complete with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and a small gym. These suites also share a private sundeck with large two-person sun beds and hammocks. Positioned high atop the vessel, these suites tout sweeping views of the ocean and an impressive assortment of amenities usually found only at five-star land-based resorts.

Continuing the focus on outstanding accommodations for families, the ship also offers a large number of cabins (including balcony staterooms, suites and junior-suites) that can interconnect to create a two, three, four or five bedroom area suitable for families of all sizes.

Norwegian Jewel features the latest in relaxation and fitness at the contemporary South Pacific-themed Bora Bora Health Spa and Beauty Salon operated by Mandara Spa.

Norwegian Jewel offers a new, advanced Internet Café and Photo Gallery with kiosks to print photos from digital cameras as well as the latest laptops, which guests can rent to use around the ship. The ship also features NCL's signature WiFi and cell phone service.

The Sports Deck contains a basketball, volleyball and tennis court, while the Body Waves Fitness Center boasts state-of-the-art cardiovascular workout equipment - each with its own TV -- aerobic and yoga area with a sprung wooden floor, steam and sauna rooms, a jet-current exercise pool, an indoor lap pool, whirlpool and hydrotherapy pool. Body waves is open 24 hours a day.

The ship is particularly family-friendly and feature the Splashdown Kid's Club and Sapphire Kid's Pool, a brightly colored facility for children designed with a cute and friendly tropical sea creature theme as well as the Underground Teen's Club.

Following her delivery in August, Norwegian Jewel will offer two European sailings before heading to the U.S. to begin her Homeland Cruising program. After inaugural festivities in New York and a series of 11-day Canada and New England cruises, Norwegian Jewel will homeport in Miami and feature an Eastern and Western Caribbean itinerary throughout the winter season.

On August 10, 2005 Norwegian Jewel will feature a Mediterranean Treasures itinerary from London (Dover), calling on Lisbon, Portugal; Gibraltar, UK; Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy; Cannes, Frances and Barcelona and Almeria, Spain. Then on August 23, the ship will sail to the Baltic Capitals from London (Dover) sailing to Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland; spending the night in St. Petersburg, Russia before sailing to Stockholm, Sweden; Berlin (Warnemunde) Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark before repositioning from London to New York. The transatlantic cruise, called Path of the Vikings, departs Dover on September 4, 2005 and stops in Cobh, Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; St. John's, Newfoundland and Newport, Rhode Island before arriving in New York on September 14, 2005.

Beginning September 18, 2005, the ship will sail a series of 11-day Canada/New England Cruises roundtrip from New York. The itinerary features calls in Boston, Massachusetts; Bar Harbor, Maine; Halifax, Nova Scotia; cruise Cabot Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence; Quebec City, Quebec; cruise the Saguenay River, Sydney, Nova Scotia; cruise Bay of Fundy and St. John, New Brunswick. Prices start from $1349 for an inside and $1549 for an outside cabin.

After transitioning from New York to Miami, where the ship will be spending her winter season, Norwegian Jewel will begin her regularly scheduled, seven-day itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Eastern Caribbean sailings call in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. John's, Antigua; St. Thomas, USVI and NCL's Private Island, Great Stirrup Cay. Western Caribbean itineraries will call at Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Roatan, Bay Islands. Norwegian Jewel will feature these itineraries each Sunday from November 4, 2005 through April 23, 2006.