EMBARKATION: We were in Miami vacationing for the previous week and got a great deal on the short 5 day "getaway" on the Norwegian Jewel. Our friends drove us to the cruise port which was very convenient and embarkation was fairly smooth - although the local police agents were not very friendly and eyed everyone suspiciously ! We were excited though to get a balcony for a very "user friendly rate" and upon embarkation we were warmly greeted by the crew members at the gangway, one of whom even showed us to our cabin. We were pleasantly surprised by the room and put our balcony to good use right away. We then went on to explore the ship.

PUBLIC LOUNGE AREAS: This is a beautiful ship, although we thought the layout was a little strange as there are 3 bars all together on deck 6 and you really had to look for the other lounges. We did find them within a short time but it is quite a long way...not a complaint though, in fact it was very nice going up to the Star Bar sometimes away from the crazy crowds. Speaking of that it seemed as if there were a lot of conventions on the ship when we were there. Once again, a small thing and it added to the excitement on the ship. The decor in the lounges is very modern and the ship was immaculate - you could have eaten off the floor. Speaking of that-

RESTAURANTS: Where do we start? The food was FABULOUS. We did not have one bad meal in all 5 days and we loved Cagney's Steak House and the Chin Chin restaurant. The other 3 nights were in one of the main restaurants and everything, including service was wonderful. Read more