Back last August my in-laws, my wife and I decided to have a family holiday. Where to go? What to do? Since we had cruised before (Princess) and my in-laws were Cunard fans, a cruise seemed obvious. This time however we needed to take into account the fact that our baby son would be a year old and we needed some suitable accommodation. Princess didn't seem to go with the idea of having a baby as a fifth passenger in a cabin and Cunard did, but not at our price-point! Solution? A family penthouse on the Norwegian Jewel, a walking friendly itinery in the Baltics and an excellent price, equivalent to two mini-suites but with all the benefits of a higher classed cabin.Since we had both previously cruised on different lines, I joined Cruise Critic to find out more about NCL. Some people raved about them, some people raged about them. Some loved the freestyle attitude and the relaxed stance on clothing and dining, others complained about the quality of the food and the wait times in port. We joined the Cruise Critic RollCall and decided to get stuck in to making our holiday (and other's) the best it could be. And that, after a fortnight on the Norwegian Jewel, is the key to getting the most out of NCL.Let's start with the massive positives. I don't know about anybody else's experience, but as Princess and Cunard veterans we found the attitude and service of officers and crew to be quite the best we have ever encountered on a cruise ship. From our cabin butler to the people cleaning the corridors to the senior management staff, there was a genuine attitude of wanting to do one's best. On previous cruises I've sometimes felt that the smiles that greeted me on deck could be forced - on the Norwegian Jewel I didn't meet a single member of staff who didn't seem genuinely happy to be working onboard. Yes, we chatted to people about missing their families during long working stints and how the work was hard with lengthy hours and lots to do, but through it all I never met a staff member who wasn't enthusiastic for their job. And trust me on this - as a priest in the Church of England dealing with people talking about all kinds of personal issues (and often trying to cover things up), I'm pretty good at telling when someone isn't giving me the whole story.So why is this? Why does NCL have a happy ship sailing around the Baltics, even if the profit margins are tight and the sales targets must be challenging? It comes down to leadership and the attitude of senior management. One little example - as we were lined up waiting to get our passports stamped in Russia (more on this later) I watched the Hotel Director, one of the most senior officers onboard the ship and responsible for hundreds of staff, personally move a bin into place (for all those hot chocolates that the patiently(ish) waiting cruisers were happily drinking) and then fill it with a liner. This despite the fact that he was surrounded by much more junior staff who he could easily have told to do the job, and despite the fact that he probably had better things to do (such as sweet talking CC reviewers like yours truly). This kind of leadership is what helps support and maintain a "If a job needs doing and you can do it, do it" culture aboard the ship. Well done NCL (and well done Julian).What else is worth raving about? Well, I personally loved the freestyle attitude. Brilliant. What really used to wind me up on Princess was that on formal nights some guests wouldn't bother getting dressed up, and then they would happily wander into the cabaret lounges in shorts and t-shirts and completely ruin the feel of the place with everybody dressed to the nines. With NCL the stance is "Dress up or not". If you get dressed up you do so on the understanding that others won't. That's OK. That's fine by me, as long as I know that's how the game is played.Now, let's move onto the "room for growth" features, and begin with that huge bugbear of many - Food! I know that on this site there is a huge amount of grumbling over the number of pay restaurants aboard NCL ships. After observing this first hand I really can't see the difference between NCL and the other cruise lines we have sailed. In fact, the Norwegian Jewel seemed to have *more* free eating restaurants than the Princess ships we'd been on and the buffet was, in our opinion, as good as if not better than Princess. What NCL do have however is a larger number of pay options as well. Some are magnificent ("Chin-Chins", the oriental fusion restaurant is absolutely brilliant, and the Teppenyaki grill is great and during the 5:30 to 6:30 happy hour an absolute bargain) and some are fair to middling. It really depends what you like - we don't much go for dressed up Mexican food so Tangos didn't appeal, but others raved about it.The one area where NCL is weaker than Princess and Cunard though is in the main dining room. Let's be brutally honest - the food is not as good as their rivals. That's not to say that the food is bad - it's not, it's good, but on Princess and Cunard every meal feels like a 5 star dining extravaganza. NCL on the other hand feels like a very, very, very good chain restaurant, but simply not up to the silver service aspirations of the other cruise lines we've been on.And you know, I wonder whether this is the one area that NCL could spend a bit more money on to get a product that was the "relaxed quality rival" to the likes of Princess and Cunard. As someone who likes good food and adores a great kitchen, I would have absolutely no difficulty in choosing NCL above Princess if the dining room experience was similar to their rivals. But it's not and I wonder why that is. Yes, the menus are slightly less ambitious than their equivalent aboard Cunard and the like, but is that because of a lack of creativity amongst those who set the dining possibilites, or a lack of financial ability to be as creative as they want to be? Bottom-line - do NCL spend as much per head on dining as their competitors do? If they do then they need to review what they are doing with the money. If they don't, then perhaps this is one area for improvement (and such an improvement would have huge commercial benefits).From food to drinks. I found the bar prices to be comparable to those aboard other ships, apart from the wine list. Aaahhh... the wine list. What is that about? I'm quite used to spending good restaurant / hotel prices on a bottle of wine when I'm on holiday, but the cost of most of the wines was simply ludicrous. Good practice is for a bottle to cost 2 to 3 times as much as what you might pay picking it off the supermarket shelf, but for the price to be double that again is simply silly. I wonder whether this strategy is back-firing for NCL and that if they lowered their wine prices suitably they might actually make a larger profit? Something to consider back at head office.Apart from that, I can't see the reason people complain about "Nickel and Dime-ing". NCL is no worse than most (and better than some) on the balance between what is all-inclusive and what is extra. They don't pretend that everything on the ship is free, so don't be surprised when the Steakhouse costs extra.One more small area for improvement - though the Norwegian Jewel moved to the Baltics a month ago or so, the setup still seems slightly geared for the Caribbean party crowd. One example - most of the people buying coffee in the morning at the Java Cafe didn't really appreciate the kind of music that was being played in the background. 11am in the morning at sea, reading a book and enjoying a Latte I *don't* want house music and 90s pop. What I want is Frank Sinatra, Big Band, 50s and perhaps a little early 60s, that kind of thing. I think that's what the rest of my coffee drinking neighbours wanted as well. By all means get the party started later on, but in the morning let us chill (and let us chill stylishly).Right, what next? Russia and immigration! Aaahh....What is it with those who still complain about the amount of time spent getting into Russia on the first day in St Petersburg? Can we get one thing straight? It's not NCL's fault.Let's do that again.It's not NCL's fault. It's not. Not.Not. Their. Fault.A quick guide for American citizens complaining about how long immigration takes on the first day in Russia:i) You are in Russiaii) Russia is an authoritarian, administrative societyiii) NCL has no control over when the port authorities let passengers off the ship (and yes, this *can* depend on when the chief of police in the harbour finishes his coffee, and yes, there is nothing you can do about it)iv) NCL has no control over how many immigration officials are at hand to process people through the boothsv) NCL has no control over how many of the limited immigration officials available process NCL tour customers and how many process those on private toursvi) NCL have done absolutely everything possible to make the process as easy as possible, including printing out landing cards and providing refreshments as you wait to go through immigration.vii) Have you tried getting into the USA as a non US Citizen these days? Come back St Petersburg, all is forgiven...Let's move on.Great shows. Brilliant shows. Fantastic shows. Cirque Bijou, the NCL version of Cirque du Soleil, is just completely stunning (even if we might have witnessed the last performance for a while). Amazing. A good mix of other entertainers, jugglers, singers and comedians. I was particularly impressed by Lenny Windsor who managed to appeal to both the Brits and Yanks aboard, and whose late night show wasn't in the slightest bit offensive. I don't like swearing, but I don't mind when it's used for emphasis of a comedic point and not as an excuse for having a weak vocabulary. Bottom-line - great line up and Reuben (13 months old) particularly bopping along to all the music, whether string quartet or live band.Briefly on the ports (as others have written longer guides).Copenhagen - Ouch. Expensive but pretty.Warnemuende - It's a long train ride to Berlin, so we wandered around the town and had a great afternoon.Talinn - Fantastic old town centre and really easy to walk into.St Petersburg - We did a two day private tour - well worth it. Amazing city with huge amounts to see and enjoy. I could have sat in the Cathedral on the Spilled Blood all day.Helsinki - Fantastic market by the docks with great food on offer (Mmmmm - Reindeer!!!). Hop-on, hop-off bus expensive but interesting.Stockholm - We docked close to the city centre. Hop-on, hop-off boat tour is an absolute bargain at 10 Euros. Vasa museum is awesome. Beautiful harbour front and gorgeous little streets in the old city. Stunning scenery as you cruise out through the other islands. Sadly, next year NCL will be docking out of the city and I'm not sure how easy it will be to get in then.So let's conclude. NCL is what it is and what it does it does very well. Criticisms above are points for improvement (and when it comes to my main dining room concerns, a possible big win), not matters for complaint. If you want indulgent five star cuisine and free wine, then cruise with another firm that gives you that. If on the other hand you want a relaxed family holiday with great service then NCL might just be your cup of tea (iced or otherwise).Finally some mentions. Thank you to Madel who was our fantastic butler and handled having a baby in the cabin magnificently. Rowena at the Java Cafe - you earned your tip with great relaxed but professional service. Julian and Tony - you run a great team and you need to know that when others here complain (and I know you read this Julian - the Teppenyaki was magnificent - thanks again). Carlos - thank you for encouraging my son to walk and your handling of all those little touches for me. Daniel on Rich's team - You're right, Mohitos *are* a great drink (and thank you Tony again for that).Feel free to ask me any questions about the above (or anything else).Peter+