Norwegian Jewel Review
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Let me start by stating that I am skeptical of reviews and never have reviewed before. That being said, I felt the need to rant a little about this trip. Lots of ordinary, a few bad things, but nothing exciting or memorable to offset the negatives. I'll start with an acknowledgement ... I don't cruise often so I freely admit that it may just not be for me. In my defense, however, I am a gamer and love to travel. With that background, I will compliment the cabin steward for being friendly and attentive. The mini suite was roomy and clean, and suited our needs nicely.
The major problem with the experience was that the ship is very crowded and really doesn't provide anything interesting to do, unless you are into bingo, bad art and jewelry, and binge-eating. The crowds were noticeable at embarkation, a slow, soul-sucking process. On ship, the crowding led to (1) all of the specialty dining was booked solid for the duration of the cruise (2) long waits for drinks (3) no deck chairs. So, if you wanted to relax by the pool, eat good food and not wait for drinks, you were in for a bad time.
The port choices were interesting. Cabo offers very little except more drinking and eating. Mazatlan is a ghetto. And, Puerto Vallarta is the gayest city in the world. I have nothing against gays. In fact, I was quite happy to see that they were open and free. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't quite prepared to be surrounded by men in thongs throughout the stay. Puerto Vallarta itself looked pretty cool, but there really isn't time to explore.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
The cabin was roomy and clean. Service was excellent. We asked for robes ... no problem. The balcony was private, largely because our neighbors did not use theirs.
Port Reviews
Los Angeles
We stayed in a cute little indie hotel on Sunset Strip (Priceline $125). We walked the strip and had dinner. Both good experiences but nothing to write about. We saw the Grauman Theatre and the Hollywood sign. Touristy but fun.
Cabo San Lucas
The beach here was the nicest by far. We walked from the ship, which was relaxing and much preferred to a cab or tour bus. We stopped at Cabo Wabo. Great margaritas but not that cool.
Mazatlan
This place is a dump. There is a tiny square and a mission church that take about 5 minutes to walk to (do no buy a tour). The malecon (boardwalk) takes another 5 minutes. Then, anyone with sense will take a cheap cab to the Golden Zone, where you can sit by the beach and eat and drink. There was a cool little catamaran ferrying people to and from nearby Stone Island, but we were unprepared timewise and also no place to safekeep valuable from the water.
Puerto Vallarta
This is a bigger town with a lot of beach. Very LGBT friendly. Some cool art and shops in the Old Town. But we didn't have enough time to hit the beach and explore the town. There is also a jungle nearby which would have been interesting but no real discussion about accessing it online, and again, not much time in port.