After reading some of the negatives from other people, I have to say that NCL works very hard to give you a good cruising experience. We just returned today from a trip to Nassau on the Jewel. Have to say that the staff was wonderful and I mean wonderful. Sylvia, Sataq, Victor, and the others from the Martini bar were great and kept us entertained. Our room was quite nice, balcony, clean and the staff kept our room spotless. It is hard to find anything bad to say about the staff. They work hard, are away from their families 10 months out of the year to wait on you while you are on vacation. The only thing negative I could say is that I feel the shore excursions are overpriced but other than that, we can't want to see all our new friends next time we cruise and it will be on the Jewel.

The ship was lovely and clean. Plenty of food but often VERY repetitive. Most oif the staff were very pleasant apart from the odd handful here and there-especially on reception! The theatre was lovely and the evening theatre show very good however in my opinion during the day they should have more lecturers/speakers and definitely a ship of that size should have male host dancers for women alone-on that score I was very disappointed.

Very expensive trips out as were drinks on board and service charges very dear!! The entertainment staff didnt seem very interested in solo travellers and could easily hgave arranged a set dinner table/time ofr any solos wishing to do that on one table in the evening-they didnt do it.

I have been with a few different lines and whilst a lot is swings and roundabouts-many ships did a lot more to help those travelling alone or women with husbands but needed a dance partner. Very disappointing for a large ship and no real dress up night whatsoever!

My husbnad and i travveled on the carribean cruise over christmas and new year for which we pain in excess of £5000. a fortune by our standards. arriveing at the dock was like acattle market, we had never seen such chaos with no notices or assistance on what the procedure was it was dreadful. upon boarding the the ship i had to ask my husband if we were on board yet as the norwegian jwsel does not have a noticible atrium( we could have been anywhere).
Our cabin was spotless and very pleasent although the balcony was tiny, not enough room for a full size sunbed.
I am a vegetarian and had huge problems eating there weere days when i wnet without. In the 21st century this really should not be an issue. The price of drinks was extortionate and the added suervice charge each time you ordred was a total rip off. we too claimed back our compulsary service charge deducted from a credit card upon arrival with great DISTAIN FROM THE SERVICE DESK. THE POOL WAS ANOTHER STORY, THE SHIP WAS SO OVER FILLED WE NEVER ONCE GOT NEAR THE POOL AND ONLY GOT A SUNBED ON 2 DAYS OF THE WHOLE 14 DAY CRUISE. P&O has an equivalent size ship and fill it with a 3rd less passengers. You are charged extra for dining in certain restaurants as well as a service charge on the drinks you have while dining, trust me not one of them is worth it.the entertainment was poor at best and the areas which were listed as being adults only were always filled with children and very young ones too 2yrs and up until the early hours.We also has children playing with lifts constantly and running up and down the corridors at all hours. we have 2 chuildren of ourown so are not anti kids, but this was unbearable and staff had no interest in doing anything about it. we ate in all the restaurants and on several occasion were unable to eat our meals as they were so poor.The excursions were the most expensive i have ever encountered and on the 2 we went on included a meal which we never got as they ran out of food.I was heart broken at tthis rubbish cruise which was meant to be a trip of a life time and if I could have gotten of ship and stanyed at any of the islands we visited I would have done so. there were more than one occasion were i dissloved into tears. i retuned as pale as i left as we never got a sunbed and i was so pleased to dock in Miami and finally get a decent meal at great price. NCL.. NEVER AGAIN. We made a claim on our return and did recover from NCL some of our money but it does not compensate for the ruined holiday of our dreams.

We sailed on this ship to the Baltic and judging by previous reports either NCL has got its act together or there is more than one Jewel.
We found the ship spotless, never leftover laid around ,infact some times your tables where cleared too quickly.Cabin always looked after well. The food was of a good 4 star standard and a vast selection of styles,(however these carried a surcharge in most resteraunts), but those that did not still had a high standard of food and a good choice.Drink prices were reasonable and and never a shortage of waiters to serve you.The staff were very attentive with the only moderate service found at the shore excursion desk.
The onboard entertainment was good even though we have had better, although the show lounge for the entertainment would have put a lot of modern theaters to shame , it was supurb.
Boarding and disembarkation was the best we have had with little fuss.
Overall i would give the cruise a 4*plus and will deffinatly be using them again.

This was our ninth cruise (1st and last with NCL!) I must say, at the outset, that Freestyle Cruising is quite obviously not for us, however, that is purely a personal thing. It is sold as being of benefit to the passengers while, in our opinion, it is of greater benefit to the crew! Freestyle cruising would appear to mean "free for all!" We have never come across as many rude people (both passengers and staff) in our life!
Norwegian Jewel is, indeed, a huge ship and one which is kept very clean. Our cabin (with balcony) was an acceptable size, tastefully decorated and kept very clean. We found the public areas (lounges etc) to be all over the place. We have cruised with 4 other cruise lines, all other ships have been smaller and, in our opinion, designed much better than the N.J. We were disappointed to find that the only internal smoking areas were the casino and a 'cigar' lounge, the latter having a few leather armchairs which were all ripped! We ate in the Garden Cafe at breakfast and lunch and found the food to be very good. Tsar's restaurant was picked by us on 1 evening. The food, in our opinion, was sub-standard and we were "in and out" in half an hour. Each course was served far too quickly, hardly a nice dining experience! Mama's Kitchen, we found, to be pretty good. We paid the supplement for Cagneys and Le Bistro, both of which were good. I don't quite understand why you have to pay a supplement at all to receive this good service, however! We did not like the style of the theatre (conference style). It's nice to have a table for drinks and it is not good to have to keep interupting people if you have to leave the theatre. The bands were quite good but did not play for long! Shore excursions were the most expensive we have ever paid (eg $100 each for a bus to drop you off in Rome and return you to the ship a few hours later??)
The expectation of service charge/tipping was my biggest problem. On our day at sea, enjoying the sun on deck 13, my husband and I decided we would like a drink. A crew member strolled by, I asked for some drinks, he pointed to the nearest bar and said "bar's over there!" Wow! $10 per person per day service charge?? I don't think so! An additional 15% is automatically added to drinks/supplemented restaurant charges/items bought etc. Each time you sign for something, there is also a section if you want to give an additional tip!!! With the exception of Cagneys and Le Bistro, we never filled in this additional section. It was quite clear on some occasions that the crew member was displeased with this! On another occasion, again on deck 13, 4 hours passed without bar service! There were a few other incidents but, at the end of the day, I was far from pleased about the level of service we received. I headed down to reception to ask what the procedure was to remove this 'mandatory' service charge. I was disappointed to be met with a look of disdain from the female on reception who proceeded to type on her computer, looking at her screen and saying "come back tomorrow and fill out a form"!! The ultimate disappointment! Dreadful customer service from a member of customer services!!! Needless to say the $140 was deleted from our account.
We were 'disembarked' 5.5hrs before our flight was due to leave. NCL say that you may disembark nearer your flight time but, guess what, you have to pay!! In all of our previous cruises we have been disembarked 2 hours prior to our flight, allowing us to enjoy the facilities a bit longer and ensuring a fairly stress-free journey home. I have never had to pay an additional fee to experience it though!!

In summary, we have cruised 8 times before, the N.J. was the most expensive and, without question, we received the worst customer service we have ever experienced.

I've never fancied a cruise, but my husband has. So, this being our first holiday without our son, I decided to give in and go on a Cruise to the Western Med. I was pleasantly surprised. The Norwegian Jewel was an amazing ship. It was beautifully decorated (very bright colours - but tasteful). The staff were brilliant - couldn't do enough for you! Pre-paid tipping is an American custom, so we didn't mind paying this (it was added to our overall holiday bill before we went on holiday). Additional tipping was optional, but never did the staff expect it, and they certainly didn't have a strop if we didn't give them extra. They were very professional, friendly and helpful. The ship was spotless - the staff were always cleaning. The food at the Garden Cafe, which is buffet style was endless. There was so much choice - even the fussiest eater in the world would find something to eat. We never had a problem with getting a table in the Specialist restaurants - we always booked a table on the day we wanted to go there, and always got a table. We only went to the Stardust Theatre twice, (the Cirque Bijou and the 70's show) and both shows were excellent. We played in the Casino a few times - $100 lasted us all week, as we kept winning on the 25c slots!

The cabins were quite small, but well designed - we didn't feel like we were cooped up in a tiny room. The bathroom space was sufficient also. Excursions were pricey, but it's a good way to see places. We wouldn't go to Naples or Sicily again. But Rome and Florence/Pisa were well worth it! We loved them both. The only thing about booking so many excursions (we did 4 days in a row) is that you have to get up at about 5:30-6:00 a.m.! We needed a holiday when we got home to catch up on sleep!

All in all, we really had a good time, and like I say, the ship is excellent. So much so, that we're in the process of booking our holiday for next year with Norwegian Jewel to the Baltic Capitals - and our son is coming with us this time!

Very new, clean ship. The sailing itinerary was excellent apart from the visit to the port of Izmir which was like Middlesbrough.

Food was mediocre unless you paid a fairly hefty supplement. The menus were designed for American palettes and not really to our taste - Gritty little sausages, fatty bacon, sweet cakes rather than toast, etc.

Staff were on the whole, helpful but rather obviously touting for tips in many instances and I have to say I found the whole tipping culture on board rather distasteful. I suspect that the staff (who were a roll call of the dispossessed nations of the world) were not actually paid by the cruise line at all. One lady was charged a 15% automatic service charge to remove a can of coke from her cabin fridge.

Shore excursions were wildly overpriced, for example, when we docked at Dubrovnik (a port I am familiar with) we took the service bus which left from the port (2.5 euros for a day ticket) went round the walls of the town (2.5 euros) and had lunch (12.5 euros including a beer). The cruise line charged $120 for the same itinerary. One lady who was disabled and couldn't walk round the walls asked to be taken back to the ship by the bus on its return trip and was refused any sort of a refund by the ship's reception staff. On that note, I found the reception staff generally to be unhelpful.

I didn't sample the evening entertainment and so can't comment, but the band which played on deck every afternoon was so earsplittingly loud that it was unpleasant to sit by the pool.

When I stood in line for my passport (which was impounded by reception for the duration of the cruise) an American passenger said to me, "they don't care how they treat you because they know that nobody will be sailing with them again!"

Many things about this ship were good but I have to say that our enjoyment was spoiled to some extent by all the niggles.

I won't be sailing with them again.

First of all i would like to say what an impressive ship the NCL Jewel is!She is absolutely lovely.
We all had a super holiday and was sorry it had to come to an end and would have loved to have stayed onboard to do it all again.whether you are a family , a couple or on your own this is a great ship for you.
The cabin staff were really helpful and everything was left spotless no matter how many times it was used during the day.Cabin sizewise was small for the family but it was only to be expected as it was a budget holiday. It certainly didn't detract from anything and owing to the hard work of the stewards lilia and chris it felt quite normal.
Foodwise just excellent. So much choice in the non speciality eateries that we didn't bother with the others but i would advise booking early for the speciaity ones as they all were very busy.Everything is visible on the boards around the ship so it is easy to gauge the position of the others too.
All the staff were very friendly and helpful but maybe the ones in the topside bar area could use a little more training! they seemed to think that the kids were invisible!!!!!!!!!!!! A special mention for the kids clubs staff. What a fantastic bunch of people and NCL should be so proud of them . My 4 year old terror became an absolute angel.
Entertainment wise could have been better. There are so many bars , a casino, late evening buffet bars, Karaoke and a theatre that we usually found something to suit.The teenagers have their own hang out room for games,disco etc.or the card room and all seemed happy too.
Pool areas were busy but really enjoyable. One pool is for adults only with the second pool plus brilliant separate massive water slide for the family and set aside under cover is a kiddies pool with mini slide and a hot tub too.There was live music and the odd competition to keep us entertained for a few hours and a grill area serving salad hot dogs beefburgers and fries during most of the day.
All in all a fantastic ship.
Itinery wise very good,although do beware of being robbed. we lost??? a digital camera in Barcelona. a girl her handbag from round her neck and shoulder in Naples and two people their watches from their wrists in Naples.
Anyway my family would certainly cruise with NCL again .

Just arrived home today from an excellent 8 day cruise to the Caribbean on the Nowegian Jewel. This was my 4th cruise, but my first with NCL. The ship is beautiful. Spotlessly clean with excellent food. We did find however that to take advantage of the alternative dining speciality restaurants for our evening meal we would have needed to book at the outset of the cruise. The majority of the guests were American or Canadian and they seemed to have cornered the market in alternative dining. We would have been able to get a booking in most of the restaurants for 10pm but having our 86 year old Mother with us meant that it was far too late for her to dine. However, now that we know the score we would make sure that next time we will book at the start of the cruise. There will definitely be a next time! The food in Tsars Palace restaurant, Azura restaurant and the Garden Cafe was always varied and beautifully cooked. We never had to wait for a table and were served quickly and efficiently.
We enjoyed the entertainment that we went to. The Stardust Theatre is fabulous.One show really stood out for excellence, and that was the Cirque Bijou.A wonderful aerial show. Almost on a par, albeit in a smaller way, with the famous aerial show that was such a hit at the Millenium Dome in London.
We had an outside, restricted view cabin on level 8. It was more spacious than any other cabin of the same category on the other cruise ships we had travelled on. Well thought out, comfortable and with a larger than the average cabin shower.With all toiletry needs provided for, there is really no need to pack any. It certainly acommodated my Mother's wheelchair without a problem.
The staff were fantastic. Professional, friendly and caring. We were impressed with the help we received at all times for our Mother. Right from boarding through to disembarkation there was always a member of staff on hand to help us. They were so helpful. We never had problems disembarking at the various ports of call and found that staff both on ship and also on the coaches that were used on the trips, were always ready with practical assistance. Nothing was too much trouble. Our party of five were myself and my husband, my sister & brother-in-law and of course my Mother. We all had a thoroughly enjoyable cruise and are already talking about our next trip on the wonderful Norwegian Jewel.

The ship was new and immaculate. The food was excellent, with no trouble booking tables for meals. The staff were friendly and efficient. All good up to the entertainment category. The first week was fine, with plenty of shows, quizzes and activities.Come the second week, the entertainment would be fine if it wasn't a duplication of the week before. Everything was identical,from the same questions in the quiz, the same jokes over the tannoy, the same lines in 'lookalike'competitions and the same variety shows.Would it be much trouble to vary the second weeks entertainment? It is the only criticism of an overwise excellent cruise.