First timer review of the Jewel - 9 nights to Eastern Caribbean.These boards were so helpful planning our first cruise I wanted to give back with a review. I booked this cruise because of the ports but received a great experience onboard which was a huge bonus. After reading so many reviews that gave the negatives at the end I thought I'd start with my negative first then give the 99% positive review to follow.Negative:Smoking in the casino, which was to be expected but was so bad we couldn't even go inside...so we saved a bunch of money!Rude people, some people have no manners and treat people poorly, and from what I saw it was mostly directed at the staff. In most cases they were trying to get something for free but ultimately it got to me because these people are working hard for us and there is no reason to be nastyI feel these are two very minimal negatives....So we have a FANTASTIC experienceEmbarkation: Surprisingly simple! We parked our car at 11:45 and were on this ship by 12:30 eating lunch.Food:The buffet was okay based on serving 2000 people per meal, it was very good. I found the food usually was warm and fruit was always amazingly fresh but the variety got stale after a few days, but better than expectedThe MDR's service and food were all fantastic! On Lobster night I skipped the lobster which is unlike me and had the best crispy duck I have ever had in my life and I love duck...We also ate at Blue Lagoon a few times typical bar food but the wings were very good. Not the best I've had but I live in Chicken Wing country but they were top 10.We ate at Tango's & La Cucina both meals were amazing. I highly recommend the lobster tacos at Tango's they were recommended by our server Medino and did not disappoint. Also if you eat here ask for him, probably the best server I have had in my life, also the second best meal next to the duck, worth the extra $$.Ship:The Jewel was in amazing shape and everything was always clean or being cleaned. We had a balcony on the 10th deck which was worth every cent we enjoyed the time spent outside. We loved the towel animals, which I didn't think I would care about we got to the point where we looked forward to them each night.Loved the green relaxing chairs in the Spinnaker Lounge!! They really should get more of those chairs super comfy they always had someone sleeping in them. We enjoyed some treatments at the spa which again was worth every cent plus the staff was great. We used the gym once I had a lot of issues trying to run on the treadmill because of the moment I started to feel sick (only time) but the facility was nice and had everything someone would need.We had a semi rocky first day and a very rocky last day but it wasn't too bad, never saw anybody visibly sick. The pool was nice always had a lot of people there during the day so we used the hot tub at night when it was free. Ports:San Juan- We just relaxed a bit and did some shopping then went to Senor Frogs' which is highly recommended for a fun time!St. Thomas-Went to Magen's Bay...please note the cab drivers are crazy and we almost had a few different accidents but made safely. The beach is beautiful, food is expensive but it's all worth it. We also went on the sky top ride to take some beautiful pictures, $21 per person so make sure you get a lot of picsSt. Martin-Went to Maho Beach to snorkel and watch the planes land....AMAZING do not miss it! The cab costs $10 dollars each way for a cab no fee for the beach great time. Plus I left my camera in the cab only to realize it about 20 minutes after being dropped off, OMG I was so sick. After telling another cab driver about it he called the driver and he brought it back to us, trip saving situation. I had about 400 pictures on the memory card plus losing a $200 camera would have ruined our trip. You haven't lived until you've had Air France land with you on the beach!Tortola-We went to Brewers Bay to swim & snorkel. Good time nothing super memorable about it, plus short time in port 7-1.Entertainment:This was a highlight of the trip, I do not like these shows typically but these were fantastic. Magic of Jean Pierre-Outstandingly funny and great magician see this show plus go to his show in the Spinnaker LoungeDuo Artmotion-Amazing acrobat style show, a little strange at first but what these two can do with their bodies is amazing.Hypnotist Brenda Kaye-Very funny show worth the time.The Macdonald Brothers-They were talented but not my kind of musicCircue Bijue-AMAZING show..also last show on the Jewel so if you haven't seen it you won't.Deal or No Deal-Occurred four nights, they pushed this show very hard and honestly it missed the mark and wasn't a huge crowd getter.Cruise DirectorDan the Man...Oh boy! He seems like a nice guy but a crazy ball of energy and did seem to want everyone to have a great time.Disembarkation:We chose to do the easy walk off and left our room at 7:33 doors opened to leave the ship at 7:45 and we were in our car at 8:00 driving off the pier! Unbelievable..It came to an end too quickly and we will definitely cruise again and would cruise NCL again!