I recently sailed to the Mexican Riviera on the NCL Jewel through a charter. I have done previous cruises to the Mexican Riviera with Carnival and Princess, but this was my first time cruising with NCL. I have also done numerous Caribbean cruises for a total of about 9. I am a 34 year old male and travel with my partner.

Check in was a breeze - by far the fastest of any cruise I have been on. From curb to ship was less than 1/2 hour. Once on the ship we went straight to our stateroom which was ready and waiting for us. I instantly noticed that while the ship is aging a little bit, it is extremely well taken care of, no rusty paint on the balconies, no chipped up furniture in the common areas, etc. The stateroom carpeting and upholstery colors are definitely out dated but still in very good repair.

I also instantly noticed that all of the staff was very friendly and most went out of their way to smile and say hello in passing. Many would even have a quick light-hearted conversation which I thought was great. Read more