I will never forget the feeling of waking up and having a private island right outside my balcony at my disposal for the day. This would become another fondly cherished memory for me. Disappointingly, Norwegian has not built a dock here in the last 30-something years of ownership, so this is a tender port. Tendering was fairly simple, and we were transported to the island in quick fashion. We had one excursion, the Waverunners. Before getting on, you sit in a room and watch a video that warns you, to great extent, of the dangers involved in the activity you are about to partake in. On land, I love speed in a car, but out on water where I can't swim, I was uncomfortable even with a life vest on. I do wish the excursion had been longer, because as we headed back I was finally getting used to controlling the waverunner and might have gotten more enjoyment out of it at that point. The rest of the time we laid out on the beach and played in the gorgeous, calm waters. Unfortunately we didn't time the lunch very well, so we were left with scraps of pizza and cake. This was our fault entirely, so I can't really speak on the quality of the food there. I do like that there is a food option on the island, however. My impression of the island was that it needed some serious sprucing up. There were random slabs of concrete that looked old and forgotten, and clashed with the natural scenery. The winding lagoon the tenders enter through also looked very much manmade and just plain unnattractive. I would love to see NCL invest in a few aesthetic upgrades for their own private island.

Great Stirrup Cay

Nassau was the last port on our cruise before returning to New York. As soon as you step off the dock you are greeted by people trying to sell you bottles of water and guided tours. Luckily we had already booked our Atlantic Aquaventure through Norwegian so we just needed to find our bus. To be completely honest, the bus ride was one of the most memorable parts of the entire cruise. The driver was hilarious, making jokes all the way to Atlantis while dodging the wacky traffic all around us. The bus itself tickled me, as it was quite small, with a row of seats that popped out to occupy the aisle so that people were seated four across in snug fashion. Once we arrived at Atlantis, we were met by staff that guided us through the enormous resort. Along the way we were shown some points of interest, and eventually we were dropped off at one of the many entrances to the rapids. Atlantic was great fun, although the river rapids can be quite rough at times. The aquarium is a must see in my opinion. It's a great way to wind down the visit to this beautiful resort. We decided to have lunch at Virgil's BBQ, and we're glad we did. The portions were very generous and the prices were more reasonable than I would have ever expected. The decor is tasteful and there are lots of windows allowing a nice view of the grounds. If I ever travelled here again, I would very likely visit Virgil's again.

Our balcony cabin on deck 10 forward was, to us at least, perfectally satisfactory. Storage space was very good, and we found enough room under the bed for our luggage, which we stored our shoes in to save space in the cabinets and closet. There was also a digital safe in one of the cabinets, which was useful for holding our passports, watches, and DSLR camera when I wasn't all over the ship taking pictures with it. The bed was comfortable, and the small couch was nice for use during the day when the bed was made. The bathroom provided some additional storage space for toiletries, and was ideally sized with the exception of the toilet, which was in a bit of a tight spot. In some spots the carpetting looked a bit old and worn. This didn't bother me a whole lot, as I figured it just came with the age and use of the ship. Our room steward was super friendly and always kept the room looking and smelling beautiful. We were also greeted by a different towel animal each night. While eating my fruit salad on our first morning at sea, I was treated to dozens of beautiful dolphins swimming along with the ship. That experience alone made the upcharge for the balcony completely worth it, and is one of my most cherished memories from this cruise.

Since the first I time Iaid eyes on a model cruise ship as a child, I had dreamed of travelling on one of these magnificent floating resorts.However, the ability to enjoy a quick open air meal on the back of the ship is a highlight of the Great Outdoors.

Norwegian Jewel Review

Dream come true

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