Norwegian Jewel Review
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For our fiftieth wedding anniversary, we decided to do a full transit of the Panama Canal. We had done a round trip partial transit ten day cruise several years ago, but this time decided to do a full transit.
We embarked on the cruise in Miami, FL. We are wintering in Apollo Beach, FL, near Tampa, so we and the other couple cruising with us rented a car and drove to Miami the day before the cruise. We stayed in the Best Western in Kendall overnight, turned in the car at a lot near the cruise port, and took the free shuttle provided by the rental car agency (Budget) to the port. We arrived at the port at around 12:00pm. We had a fairly short wait outside before the line started moving, and once the line started moving, we were onboard by about 12:45, and our room was ready for us.
We had a mid-ship balcony cabin, 9068, so we were very centrally located for everything on the ship. The cabin wasn't as large as others we have been in, but it was sufficient. It could do with some new carpeting and new drapes. There was a king size bed, a couch that could be made into a single bed, a table, and a chair. The table was under the TV, which was on the wall, a flat screen LCD TV. The on/off button on the remote didn't work, so we had to turn the TV on manually, but all the other buttons worked. TV is very limited - MSNBC, FoxNews, BBC News, CNBC, a sports channel, and several NCL channels where they showed movies, TV shows, and the game shows that were played in the Spinnaker Lounge in the evenings. It was not interactive like on some cruise ships.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Balcony
This is a very nice cabin, a little worn, in need of some new carpeting and new drapes. For the last part of the cruise, we couldn't get the room warm enough, so we wore our robes all the time, and stayed covered with beach towels and blankets. There was plenty of storage space, and we liked the configuration of the bathroom with the sink in the middle, the toilet in its own space on the left side, and the shower on the right side, each with its own door. Have never seen a bathroom like it on any other cruise ship.
There was a king size bed, a couch which would make into a single bed (we never used the couch for a bed), a chair, and a table next to the wall under the TV. On the table was a coffee maker which we also have never had in a ship cabin before. It was nice to be able to get up in the morning and have coffee on the balcony without ordering room service or going up to the Garden Cafe to get it. One thing that was missing was a table to put drinks on while we were sitting on the couch, but we brought the small table that was out on the balcony inside and used it.