I just got back from the March 19th, 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Jewel. I had such a good time that I wanted to post a review. I am single, in my upper 20s, and traveled with my parents (50s) and sister and brother-and-law (lower 30s). This was our first cruise other then a brief 3-day Disney/Premier cruise to the Bahamas about 15 years ago. Overall, we were all very impressed.

Embarkation went surprisingly smoothly for us. We never had to wait for more then 5 minutes in any of the several lines that they shuffle you through at the port (and they certainly due shuffle you through them). I recommend getting to the port early. We were able to board the ship around 12:30 and take advantage of the whole afternoon on the ship. It might have gotten more hectic later in the afternoon.

Our very first stop, before even going to our rooms was the dinner reservation desk. This proved to be a great move as we walked right up to the reservation clerk and were able to reserve our dinners at a different specialty restaurant for each night of the cruise. Take my advice....book your dinners right away. That ensures that you get to go everywhere you want and when you want. We also avoided the reservation lines that stretched over 20 people long for much of the rest of the afternoon. Dining is a huge part of this cruise so you don't want to miss out on making reservations. Read more