Samana, Dominican Republic - NCL Jewel Day 3

Samana was once considered a destitute area of the Dominican Republic. We had lots of children coming up to us begging us to buy this or that. Food wasn't that extraordinary this day. Lunch was a quick buffet at the Garden Cafe.
 Ribs, lamb shank, fish. This was probably one of the better lunches of the cruise. I pigged out on the ribs and lamb.

Tuna Tartare. Raw tuna tastes so much better than cooked tuna. 8.2

Roasted Monkfish Fillet. It was a pretty tasty dish as a recall. 8.2

Salmon Coulibiac, Chicken Tikka, Cottage Pie, and Orange Flan from the Garden Buffet. I was not enamored with any.

 

At Sea - NCL Jewel Day 2

Day 2 was a full day at sea. I woke up early before most of the crowd and ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe, the buffet dining area.

It opens from 6:30 - 10:30 for breakfast, 11:30 - 2:30 for lunch, and 5:00 - 9:30 for dinner. The breakfast offerings were vast but nothing unusual.

We ate lunch and dinner at Tsar's.



Tsar's is the main dining room for sit down breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 Oyster Fritter. Not much oyster taste. It was more like a hush puppy. Kind of reminds you of turds, doesn't it? Rating: 6.3

Gumbo Shrimp. Nothing extraordinary. 7.2

Sweet and Sour Grouper. The first decent part of lunch. 8.2

Bread Pudding. Average rendition. 7.1

This was the start of dinner. Asparagus and Scallops. With a little sesame oil. 7.8
 Losbster and Grouper Extravaganza. Good but otherwise small portions. 8.2

Honey Creme Brulee. It was decent but a little starchy. The top was left untorched. 7.6

The Jewel's other restaurants include Azura, Tango, Blue Lagoon, Chin Chin, Teppanyaki, Le Bistro, Mama's, plus a few other lesser restaurants.

Miami, FL - Embark Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Jewel Day 1

We boarded and the ship took off at 5 PM. The most important thing: Find the FOOD! These were some of the offerings tried on our first night at sea.

Crostata with mushroom. Rating: 6.9

Lamb Provencal. A good offering with a slight gamey taste. A good way to start the cruise. 8.0

Vanilla souffle. Average dessert. 7.0

Creme brulee - starchy texture. No caramelized top. 6.9