A Typical Day On The Norwegian Jewel With Kids

Author: Randy

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Today was a sea day and we were all looking forward to some pool time, a little bit of Nickelodeon activities and relaxation. The day started with a 6AM trip to the gym for my wife while I continued to sleep and babysit. By 8AM we were all awake and getting ready for an early breakfast so we could make it to Dora’s Dance Party on time. The buffet was crowded so we ended up eating in the Great Outdoors at the aft of the ship. They serve a smaller selection, but it was adequate for our needs and we were on our way quickly. The activities start promptly, so we didn’t have long to wait. For the next 35 minutes Dora and her human crew entertained the kids with music and dance from a new release CD. Unfortunately, everything does sound like bad lip syncing, but I don’t think that the kids really noticed – although our 4 year-old did ask why her lips were not moving.

We decided to check out the Under 2 Zoo next. Advertised as a free play area for kids under the age of 2, we figured that this would be a good opportunity for both of our kids to have some play time outside of the cabin. There were only a few families there, but the toys were extremely limited. There were three pop up tents, a collapsible tube to crawl through, several leap pad interactive books, and three or four other educational toys along with some large dice and a couple of balls. We actually had more toys back in our cabin, so this excursion only lasted about 20 minutes.

We took a quick tour through the Galleria (a huge gift shop) then parted as my wife and our 19 month- old went to nap and my four year-old and I went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. At the Meet and Greet, there were cookies and beverages and we were able to ask questions of the Hotel Director and Cruise Director; this was the first time I had ever done one of these. I learned that we were traveling 45NM off-shore and that the tugboat pilot wears a suit while onboard…all very interesting.

The weather had cleared up (from early morning rain) so we geared up and headed to the pool deck, along with the rest of the passengers. The splash pool, tucked away in the corner of the deck, was tiny; it made the Disney Wonder area that we said was too small look spacious. There was a kids only hot tub that was always full of 5-8 year-old kids who kept trying to go into the splash pool and down its slide, impeding the little ones from playing. The sole security staff assigned to the pool deck stopped by twice, warning the kids both times. On the third round, after I had been deliberately soaked by several of them, security removed the unruly kids from the area. Sad part is that one of the parents was sitting nearby and must have seen how their child was behaving…oh well, all in a day.

By now we were all hungry, so it was time for lunch. We were lucky enough to get a table on deck, which is not an easy feat on this ship. We decided to try the grilled food that they were preparing on deck…it smelled so good. Big Mistake! My hamburger was dry and crispy and the potato salad was warm and mushy. I wasn’t allowed to put my own condiments on either, so I got a huge glob of mustard that I didn’t want. Needless to say, course two was Indian food from the buffet – much better. The kids ate pizza, so they were happy. I got crazy and decided to try the cheesecake…another Big Mistake! I’m not even sure that it could actually be classified as cheesecake. I have to disclose that my wife’s hamburger and the one that Grandpa had yesterday were both very good…perhaps they had it in for me!

Next, we headed back to the cabin to get ready for the character meet and greet at 2:30PM. There were tons of families and the photo opportunity lasted about 45 minutes. The kids enjoyed just watching Sponge Bob and Patrick, so we hung around until the end to take our photo (with a bit of kicking and screaming). We needed a treat – ice cream was on tap.

Exhausted from the day, we retired to our cabin to take a quick nap, allow the kids some play time, chill on the balcony (enjoying the breeze) and get ready for the Formal (if you care to) night dinner. We ventured out to Tsar’s, one of the main dining rooms on the ship. We hadn’t made reservations and noticed the dreaded red bar on the dining status monitor on our way (there are monitors throughout the ship that tell you how full each restaurant is at any given time). Red told us that there was a wait, which ended up being about 15 minutes – we should have made reservations. It took them a while to rustle up a high chair and they couldn’t find a kids menu, so we were left with the impression that they really weren’t well prepared to handle kids – we’ll see how things go next time. They brought the kids food first, but by that time, our youngest had fallen asleep. Everyone enjoyed most of their meal (spring rolls, beef wellington and the ice cream were popular) and this was the first time that I had a dessert on this cruise that I actually finished (other than ice cream). The crème brulee with chocolate ganache was truly excellent – now if they could only apply that same effort to the rest of their desserts.

It was almost 8PM and The Captain woke up (our youngest was wearing a captain’s uniform) just in time for dessert. We were all tired and there wasn’t any family friendly entertainment tonight, so we headed back to the cabin. Our oldest watched cartoons, our youngest went to bed for the evening, I wrote and mama read a book. Yup, just another day cruising the seas!

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.