Just returned from a wonderful 7-day Western Med. cruise on the NCL Jewel. July 13-22, 2007. We are a family of 5. Parents ages late 40's with 3 teens, 2 girls 17 and 15, boy 12y.o. We chose the Jewel because of cost and itinerary. We had never been to Europe and this was a great way for us to see so many places and not have to drag 3 kids thru tiny hotels in Italy.

Barcelona was place on embarkation. We arrived 1 day prior to allow adjustment to the time change. We stayed at the Hotel Majestic which gave us 2 rooms (not adjoining) but was a perfect location and place for us to see Barcelona. We visited the Rambla, Bari Gotic, Gaudi houses before boarding the cruise on Sunday.

Embarkation to the Jewel was easy. We arrived to the port around 2 pm and had to wait about 15 min to get our cabin keys and check in. We explored the cabin and had lunch at the Garden Cafe (my son and husband wanted "real food" as Barcelona is a real seafood place!) Then we went to our cabins and were greeted by 2 wonderful stewards (Mario and Indra) from the Philippines. Our luggage was there. We had 2 adjoining minisuites with a huge adjoining balcony, lots of closet and drawer space. My 3 teens were a little cramped with all their stuff so we were very glad we took the upgrade offered to us from the BA to AF balcony cabins. It was definitely worth the price. The bathtub/ BR was very spacious. The rooms were kept spotless. Every morning we had room service bring coffee and muffins early for us so the kids could sleep in a little. On the first day everything was open with their staff so you can book things and get to know what's available, e.g. the spa, workout room, kids clubs, etc. The spa pedicures and massages book up fast! Read more