Norwegian Jewel - July 10, thru 17, 2010

Having highly anticipated a week of pleasurable experiences I was extremely upset by this particular cruising ordeal.

Unlike my previous experience on NCL's Dawn (2004) the Jewel failed to live up to my expectations both in activities and service. It was not a good start when the price of my cabin, balcony room class BB, drops in price by $500 weeks before the cruise and when questioned, NCL only offers a $100 stateroom credit. I highly suggest anyone considering cruising with NCL wait, if possible, and if air travel plans are not a consideration, until a couple of weeks before the cruise date to book. NCL has improved its embarkation process. Having arrived at 11:30am on Saturday you proceed to the 2nd floor port terminal. Once there, you are directed to one of two lines for processing. One line being for Latitude members (prior NCL customers) and the other for all others. The shorter Latitude line enabled us to board the ship by 12 noon. From previous cruise reviews we were aware that Tsar dining room (rear deck 7) was open for lunch. We headed there in-lieu of the Garden Cafe (rear deck 12), a big mistake. While quieter, Tsars had a limited menu and the service was slow. Read more