Let me begin with my background- 41 and married with children ages 9 and 12. We just disembarked the Norwegian Jewel. We don't gamble and drink one or two drinks per night at most. That being said, this ship was disappointing over all. We just returned from the ship this morning. We embarked from the Port of Los Angeles. Getting on the ship was easy enough. The entry was underwhelming and unorganized at best. We had pre-purchased drink and dining packages. We stood in several lines to sign up for the unannounced Thanksgiving brunch. There were two people handling it by pen and paper...... typical for this ship. We asked for a dinning confirmation from the one of two people handling reservations......again, time consuming because it all had to be done by hand.

Our room was nice enough. We had a Mini Suite with Balcony. We stood in another line to book Spa reservations as well. Two very big disappointments: Staff and cleanliness. The staff was not diverse. They were typically unpleasant and unaccommodating even for them most basic and mundane things. Rudeness was the norm and not the exception. It was very surprising. Often crew members would not bother to look up to you when speaking or serving drinks, seemingly so it was easier to ignore your presence. This sentiment was common among the many cruisers who stood and were ignored as well.

The ship was also not very well kept! I go on a cruise for the gorgeous views among other things.........there weren't any because EVERY SINGLE WINDOW AND CABIN VERANDAH was filthy with water spots and stains. It was obvious that the windows aren't cleaned with soft water. I wish I could upload the pictures. My kids were not impressed with the kids club and simply did not attend. Read more