This was the second sailing on NCL and the first on the Jewel. We left Houston to fly to Barcelona, stayed overnight at the Tryp Apollo hotel, which was very nice and came with a full buffet breakfast. Transfers to the ship was on a comfortable bus and the luggage went on a truck. Very comfortable. Check in went smoothly and did not take long. Our cabin was in top shape, although very small. The ship is nice, with a promenade deck on deck 7. The public rooms are small. The cabin steward was fantastic. Always clean towels and towel figures every other night and very accommodating if we needed something. The evening entertainment was the best I had ever seen. We have been on 12 previous cruises, and this was, by far, the best. Never wanted to miss a performance. The food was mediocre, to say the least. The wait staff hustled, but the food came out from the kitchens at a snails pace, even in the specialty restaurants. Cagneys steak house restaurant was the best. Mamas was good. Tangos for Tex Mex was ok. Chin Chin was unusual, but if you stuck to the menu items you knew, they were good. Make your reservations for the specialty restaurants as soon as you board, because they do not take walk ins and they book fast for the entire cruise. We didn't get in a few of them. Shore excursions were good. Overpriced, but good. Buses were waiting. If a lunch was provided, it was good. Not much free time because of time constraints. The cruise director and staff were fabulous. Very personable people and always with a smile. We played a lot of Trivia. They had a lot of activities for everyone throughout the days at sea. My husband was tired from going to the front and then back of the ship for all the activities. Bingo was expensive - very expensive. They now have electronic machines for bingo, which almost eliminates the paper bingo from winning. Come with a lot of money if you want to play Bingo. The casino had a good amount of slots starting at a penny. They didn't pay well, but it was fun. Free cocktails were served during certain hours of the day and a daily chance for a free pull to win a cruise was a big hit. the captain was very nice, eager to talk with you and was very personable. The bar service was good, but pricey. The gift shops were very pricey and were located in the back of the ship, with the exception of a small shop on the same floor as the pursers desk. The ship handled very good in rough seas. A small amount of rocking, but not as bad as other ships we've been on. When the cruise was over, debarkation went smoothly and fairly quick. The biggest problem was after you got your luggage and passed through Customs, trying to get on a bus to take you to the airport. We had to wait quite awhile and be pushy along with everyone else to get your bags on the bus and get seated. It was a little disorganized. Overall, the trip was wonderful. The ports were wonderful and the ship and staff were great. The only big disappointed was the food and the time it took to get to the table. Freestyle dining is good in one way. Eat when you want and where you want (as long as you have a reservation). On the other hand, you don't have the same waiter each night which is part of the fun when dining. For the price, it was a good trip. However, if you like to be more pampered, I would suggest another cruise line.