We just returned from a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise in an out of Houston. We have previously cruised with Carnival on 2 7-day cruises last year. We wanted to try Norwegian because of the different destinations (Belize & Roatan). My wife, 2 children (18 yr & 16 yr), and myself travelled. We travelled from the Bayport, which was fantastic to get into and out of, and our ship was the Jewel. We booked the trip about 3 weeks prior.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience as we like cruising. We live in Houston, so proximity to the ports are great. The Jewel was a typical larger cruise ship, and had the basics (fitness center, top deck pool and recreation, top deck buffet, casino, etc.) along with many specialty dining restaurants. However, there are a few things that we learned that will make us hesitant to travel with Norwegian again.

First the good things: the food was excellent, especially the speciality restaurants. The Japanese steakhouse should not be missed. The French Bistro was also very good. We had the Ultimate Dining Package, which the salesman made sound like an extra, but we think that everyone gets this package with their trip, as anyone we spoke to also had it. The company encourages you to make advanced reservations for dining, which is fine to do, but we learned as the cruise went on that you don't need a reservation to dine if there is room. Walking up usually works because there are so many restaurants. Read more