We chose Norwegian Cruise Line because of family recommendations. This was all of our's first cruise so went with what others liked. WE traveled with another couple. We liked the idea of the different options for dinner and the dressing fancy or not! Hotel in Miami: We stayed at the Fairfield by Marriott Miami Airport West-Doral Area. I found this motel by searching the reviews, and finding that most were positive I booked it. I liked the fact that they had a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel and a shuttle to the port! When we arrived at Miami airport we called the hotel for the shuttle when we got to baggage claim, but our luggage took an hour to get, so they had been to the airport once and left, so we had to call again and then waited another half hour for them to come back to pick us up. Not the hotels fault. We had four people traveling together and found the hotel very acceptable for our needs. Nothing fancy, but clean and it had a continental breakfast. We just had to reserve a time for the shuttle in the morning to the port when we checked in and pay $18 total for the two extra people. The shuttle dropped us off right in front of the NCL cruise terminal. We handed our luggage off showed our passports and cruise documents and we were in the building. We then went through security, and then in line for maybe five minutes so they could take our picture and swipe our credit card, and then we went up the escalator to the waiting area where we got our ship card. We waited for about a half hour for them to let people on the ship. We got on the ship and didn't have to wait to long before we were allowed into our rooms. Very quick and easy embarkation! Room#5094-We had an oceanview room with a large window, which I loved! I would slide the curtains open in the mornings and see the ocean and on port days our destination! I thought the room itself was great-plenty of drawers and closet space. Bathroom small, but it did it's purpose. Our room attendants did a great job of cleaning and turning down our bed and putting chocolates on the pillow every night! I loved the towel animals-one was and orangutan hanging from the ceiling.

Activities: Many options to choose from-we loved the Newlywed and Not so Newlywed game-many laughs!! The shows were fantastic-We saw most of the shows and enjoyed them all. The singers and dancers were very entertaining. "Guess what time it is?" "It's Bingo Time!" We did get tired hearing this every day, sometimes more than once a day was Bingo Time. We went the first night and left when we realized the cheapest package was $69 and they pushed for more and more and then they even were selling pull-tabs, for a chance to win $2,000. Before every show the cruise director was up in front trying to sell the pull tabs and then you would receive raffle tickets for other prizes. Anyway to make a buck on the ship!! We went to the casino two nights, we started with twenty dollars, went up to thirty at the highest and came out with Zero! Not our thing, but just fun to try.

Dining: I loved the dining options on the Jewel. When we got on the ship we made reservations as soon as we could for our first night and second night. They only allow for current day and next day reservations. The first night we went to Cagney's Steak. We love our waiter. He had a great sense of humor and everything was fantastic. We had a coupon for our first night for a speciality restaurant of buy one get one free. Usually a $20 a person extra charge, but we got two for one, so a great deal. Second night we ate at Mama's. Not as friendly waitress and the food was so-so. No extra charge, luckily. My husband's wine cost $9.78 for not even a half glass of wine! That includes the gratuity. They precisely measure your wine before pouring it into the glass. Very expensive 1/3 glass of wine. The third night we ate at Tango's. The food was awesome! Although we had to wait a long time for a table to open up. We made reservations for 6, and probably didn't get in until 7pm. They said it was because people were just enjoying themselves after they were done eating and weren't getting up to leave. We asked for a complementary drink and they said yes. The four of us each got a margarita, I guess the wait was worth it then. We also tried the Chin Chin restaurant. It was alright, not what I was expecting. $10.00 each extra charge. Lunches we ate at the Garden Cafe. The food was alright, nothing special. We had a great lunch at Tsar's one day. Only ate once at the main dining areas. Breakfast was either at the Garden Cafe, or the Great Outdoors. Omelets were great. I took advantage of the soft drink program. For $35.94 for the whole cruise I had unlimited amount of soda. Not much of an alcohol drinker, so this was great for me. Pain to carry around the mug all week though. You had to have your mug and show them your room key with the special sticker on it for them to fill it up. We had no problems making reservations for the restaurants that we wanted. Read more