Our experience on the first of the Norwegian Jewel's visits to the Baltic in 2009 was, like the curate's egg, good in parts.The cabin was very good; plenty of storage, comfortable beds, a multiplicity of 110v and 230v electric sockets. An excellent bathroom with surprisingly large shower.The food in the non-paying restaurants was only average and we always had to queue and wait to be seated. The buffet cafe was horrendous - always a heaving scrum of people and difficulties in finding a place to sit down. The steak hose, Cagney's ($25) served excellent meat but the ambience was poor. Mama's Italian Restaurant ($10) was very good all round. The Bistro ($15) was, for us, the best of the three. None of these restaurants changed their menu during the cruise and, had we been on board for a longer period, would have begun to irk us. We tried both of the non-paying restaurants for dinner, on one occasion each, but decided that we would rather pay and have a better and more relaxed dining experience. We had breakfast in the buffet on the first morning but, once again, opted for a more enjoyable time by using Tsar's for the rest of the cruise.The biggest problem was that we could not find a quiet spot anywhere to be able to sit and read. There was incessant music everywhere and it was of the 'hip-hop' type rather than 'easy listening'. It was also difficult to find a really comfortable place to sit. The most comfortable seats we found were in one of the bars but, sadly, two of the walls had large screen TVs (one showing a news channel and one showing a sports channel) and above it all the everpresent music.Some of the crew on the Norwegian Jewel take a very cavalier approach to lifeboat drill. The route to our designated lifeboat station was blocked with luggage being conveyed to the cabins. When we reached our lifeboat station we found that the loudspeaker in that area was not working and so had to strain to try and hear instructions from the next station. The lifeboat team leader treated the whole thing as a big joke which did not inspire confidence in her expertise.The library was pathetic in both size and content for a ship which can carry 2800 passengers. We have travelled on ships carrying 500 passengers or fewer which had much better libraries.The booze and excursions were very expensive but, perhaps, only to be expected when the cruise ticket price is low. This was the only ship we have been on where soft drinks are charged for. However, in St. Petersburg, with a half day tour costing $60 per head it meant that, with 50 people on the bus, they were taking $3,000. I doubt if the hire of the bus with a driver and guide for half a day would have costed NCL any where near that amount.The ship itself is fine and, with proper organisation, could have provided an excellent holiday experience but we will not sail with NCL again.