This was a first cruise to Alaska and as an introduction to Alaska it was awesome. Our group included my wife and me, our two young adult sons, and my 83 yr. old mother-in-law (who was on her first cruise). It is hard to find anything to criticize. The overall experience on the Norwegian Jewel is geared to a family traveling together. There are activities for young children and if there is a demographic group that may be not well represented it is young adult singles.

We did not avail ourselves of any of the specialty dining options, prefering to dine in the Tsar's dining room and Azura, with the occasional foray to the Garden Cafe and the Blue Lagoon. The menu selection in the Tsar's and Azura are varied with several changes as the cruise contiues. Presentation and quality are very good and, of course, you can add extra entrees if you are hungry!

Since we cruise for the total experience, we book interior staterooms rather than balcony rooms. Our cabin, though small (143 sq. feet) provided everything we needed in sleeping and bath facilities. It was clean, comfortable and very quiet. Don, our steward was attentive and kept the cabin well supplied and clean (even though we were somewhat cluttered with our "stuff"). Read more