I just want to start by saying that my family has been very loyal to NCL for years, through frequent cruises and also through positive word of mouth to other people. Many times I've recommended NCL to friends who were deciding on which cruise line to choose. Wow, will I feel embarassed when they return from their cruises this summer. While not every part of the cruise was negative- I want to give everyone a picture of what our experience was like, so you can decided for yourselves.
Our family includes my two parents, mid 50's, my sister and me (mid 20's). We cruised on the Norwegian Jewel from May 22-29th, 2010. The cruise was round trip from NYC with 3 stops: Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau. We had 2 Inside Cabins, which we prefer other than a balcony or a port hole room because of how dark the room gets (it really promotes a nice night's sleep or a nap.) We drove from Philadelphia and parking at the port was easy and without a problem. This was the last stress free part of the trip.
Check in: This lasted two frustrating hours,even as Silver Latitude members. The NCL staff seemed disorganized with poor communication between them. You would not get the same answer from two people.