This was our 4th trip on NCL, but our 1st on the Jewel. We've sailed RC before and primarily sailed the Caribbean. We've departed from NJ before (cape liberty), but this was our first sailing out of NY and having done it, will definatelty look to do so again.

For those in NY or planning to travel from NY, its a breeze. We're out on Long Island, so had someone drop us off at 1pm, there was a 10 minute line, 10 min registration process, and we were on board in about 20 minutes total. Cape Liberty was also easy, but about 30-45 minutes for the entire process. Because we travel with kids (7,5,1), any time spent waiting excesively can turn into an issue with the younger ones. After fdoing the math and figuring out the cost/headache/bag charges/etc of flying to FL vs the extra charge of sailing from NY, we're probably ahead by $100pp (5 of us) and less frustrated.

The boat itself was nicely appointed. Since we've sailed many times, we now opt for inside cabins and the savings that come with those. One point for the inside cabin..our room, and the room of another family we spoke with was laid out a bit differently. We usually have cabins with 2 bunk beds that are attached to the wall; with this room, one was, but the 4th bed was a pull out from Under that came up between the two single beds, making one large giant bed that stretched the width of the cabin. Worked well enough for us as a family, but I kept thinking, what happens if 4 friends are traveing..this forces 3 to sleep in one bed :/ Read more