First let me start by saying I had an amazing cruise experience overall, and would say 8.5 out of 10 if not more. Getting to the pier was easy and there was room to be dropped off, the staff there was helpful if you asked, and directed you as to where to go. NCL called us and informed us, and just about everyone else, not to arrive before 12:30 due to limited seating at the terminal, so I feel like that just created even more limited seating, and longer lines with everyone showing up at the same time. All in all though, the embarkation process wasn't too bad, just took a while to get to the front of the line. (about 1-2 hours from dropped off, to on the boat.) There was also bag service that would take your bags from the cab, or vehicle dropping you off to your room. On the ship everything was great! The crew was always helpful and nice, and our room steward learned our names within the first two days! Although, with a huge crew, comes a few bad apples. The bar service in the forward, upper level bar (spinnaker) didn't seem very happy to be there, they seemed to begrudgingly take your order, and were not known for their speed. They did however get your drink right every time, and the prices were equatable with a normal bar. The other staff issue was in Tzar's palace, the largest of the two main dining rooms. The food never took long, but you did get thirsty as the meal went on as your drink was rarely filled. (this was coupled by itty bitty glasses for water all over the ship, and they don't allow you to fill up your own water bottle anywhere.) The food was lackluster there, but as soon as we went to the other main dining room, everything changed. The food was much better, as good as it should be on a cruise, and the service was just as good. There were a few times that we even got to speak with restaurant manager for the entire ship.All of the ports that we went to were great, and the people there were very nice. The shining star of the Jewel however was George, he was the game show manager on our cruise, and made BINGO into the funnest game that I played in a while, everyone there, young and old alike were having a great time. Our room steward was even better, learning our names in the first two days, and keeping our room sparkling. He also was great to have conversations with whenever we had time. Overall I highly recommend this ship and its staff, the few issues were able to be resolved, and to be expected with a ship of that size, and a crew of so many different people, nationalities, and customs. We had a great time and hope you will have just as good of a time. Happy sailings.