Just came off the NCL Jewel. This was a family vacation; we were a party of 14 in total, ages ranged from 18 months to 77. This was my first time sailing NCL. I was excited about being on vacation, but also the whole "Freestyle" concept.Day 1 We made arrangements for a bus to pick all 14 of us up at my parent's house in Staten Island to take us to the pier. It was smooth getting there, 45 minute drive. We arrived at pier at 11:00. The pier was a madhouse. The Carnival Glory was also setting sail that day and was right next to the Jewel. We gave our bags to the attendant when we got there. I have a friend that is a supervisor at the pier, I was able to find her and she got us on the ship in 10 minutes.As soon as we made it on the ship, the first thing we did was head to the restaurant reservation desk. While my brothers waited on that line, I went to the desk next to that to set up my cash account. That went very smoothly, they simply asked me how much I wanted to give and that was it. After our restaurant reservations were made and my cash account was set up, we went over to the shore excursions desk to reserve our clamshell chairs for Great Stirrup Cay. We waited on line for a few minutes and then we were all set. Next we went to the Kids Club to register all of the kids for the week. After the kids were all set up, it was still early to get to the cabins so we went to have lunch in the buffet. The buffet was very crowded. We were able to get seats in the Kids Cafe. We stayed there until they made the announcement that the rooms were ready.CabinI prefer booking inside cabins. I personally feel that I would rather spend the additional money on excursions, gifts for the kids and activities instead of a cabin that I am hardly in during the day. In my cabin was myself (35), DH (38), DS (6), and DD (18 months). We booked a mid-ship cabin on Deck 9 (Cabin number 9567). Before we set sail, we were warned that the cabins are smaller than other cruise ship cabins. Since my daughter is 18 months, I had requested a crib when we first made the reservation. Because of the necessity of the crib, I was well aware that cabin space was going to be VERY limited. The cabin was tight, but not unmanageable. There was plenty of shelf space for our clothes. I was able to put our 3 large suitcases in the closet. I read the message boards before sailing and took the advice of other passengers and bought an over the door shoe rack for all of the little things. I was able to get one from Wal-Mart for $5.00 and put so much stuff in it. It definitely made life around the cabin so much nicer. We also ordered the kids the Nickelodeon Bedtime Kit ($39.99 each). They loved it and what was so adorable was that they turned down their beds every night with the Sponge Bob blanket and pillowcase. Also, I loved that it came with a nightlight. Since we were in an inside cabin, it helped a lot and it was one less thing I needed to pack. The one thing I was disappointed with in the room was the TV. It could really use an update. It was a small tube TV. It stuck out and kind of blocked the phone that was right next to it. The bathroom was nice, and the shower was roomy. I loved that there was a dispenser with body wash and shampoo in the shower. Less stuff for me to pack. After some time in the cabin, we decided to make our way out to explore the ship some more; it was at this time that we met our cabin stewards, Marlin and Jimmy. They were amazing the entire week. Always pleasant but what I loved most was that each time they saw us; they called us by our names. They also helped my parents, who were in a cabin 5 door away and had different cabin stewards a few times with towels that they didn't get. On the second night of the cruise, they left a towel animal on the bed, now this was my son's first cruise so he didn't know they do this, my son grabbed the towel before we can see what it was. Jimmy was in the hallway and realized what he did and came into the cabin and redid the towel animal. Another day we were getting ready to leave the cabin and my daughter grabbed a bag of Goldfish and threw them across the room, Marlin saw me trying to clean up and insisted that I leave it; they took care of it for me. ShipNicely decorated and easy to get around. The ship was well maintained. I always saw people cleaning. I also have to say that the staff on the Jewel were awesome. No matter where you were, if a staff member saw you, they always greeted us with a smile.We had dinner at Azura's. I had the chilled Peach soup for an appetizer and the Mahi Mahi for a main course. The Mahi Mahi was a little in the dry side. I did not stay for dessert. I did not go to the Welcome Aboard show, but my husband and son did. Day 2 - Sunday, At SeaStarted the day with breakfast at the buffet. There were no seats in the buffet, but we were greeted by someone when we walked in and she asked if we had a table, I said no and she immediately said she can help seat us. She brought is to Mamma's and told us that during breakfast and lunch we can sit there to eat. I don't think many people knew this because Manna's was never crowded for breakfast or lunch. We ended up eating there almost every morning; it was easier than searching for a table. My son went to the kids club; daughter fell asleep in the stroller, so me and my husband went to the Great Outdoors for a drink. While we were back there enjoying our drink, we watched a couple get engaged. For lunch we went to Blue Lagoon. I ordered the wings (delicious) for an appetizer, fish and chips for my entrEe and pound cake for dessert. I was surprised to see that there were hardly any people here. It was us and 2 other tables of people. Dinner was at Tango's. I had nachos as my appetizer. Black Bean Soup and the Lobster Tacos for my entrEe. I loved all of my food at Tango's. They give you a free margarita and start you with a plate of tortilla chips with 3 different dipping sauces. Our waiter was so nice, he came by our table several times, offering us more chips, and just making sure we were ok. I didn't stay for dessert because my daughter started acting up, and I didn't want to disturb anyone else from their dining experience, so I left. We did leave an additional tip, because they were so nice to us in Tango's. As I walked out of the restaurant, I did notice that the Captain was standing at the top of the stairs. This was the night that you can meet the Captain and take your picture with him. But no one was taking a picture with him. I guess you lose that aspect with the Freestyle cruise. After dinner, we went to watch the Michael Jackson tribute in the Fyzz with Fire & Ice and then headed to the show for the evening, Band on the Run. It was a really good show, even if you are not a fan of 70's music.Day 3 - Port Canaveral, FLThe day started with the Nickelodeon Character breakfast at Azura's. We always planned on attending the character breakfast. We made our reservations as soon as we got on the ship. They charged an additional $15.00 per adult and $10.00 per child. Children under 2 eat for free. The breakfast was good, I had the Patrick Star Chocolate Chip pancakes, but the characters were great. We were able to take pictures with Fanboy & Chum Chum, Dora, Diego, SpongeBob and Patrick. The kids LOVED it. Worth the additional money.After breakfast, we made our way poolside to watch Nick Live Poolside show. After the show, it was time to start getting off the ship. We had our excursion booked for Kennedy Space Center. It was about a 20 minute drive from the ship to the Space Center. We spent the whole afternoon at the Space Center and were back on a bus back to the ship at 6:15. When we got back to the ship we were all exhausted, so we just went to Tsar's for dinner. This was the first time I was disappointed with the service I received for a meal on ship. I had Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Skewers as an appetizer but also asked for the baby shrimp cocktail, I never received the shrimp cocktail. The chicken skewers were very good. I ordered the roasted prime rib of beef for an entrEe, and was disappointed, it was very fatty. Also, I asked for an apple juice for my son with his dinner, I had to ask for the juice 3 times before he got it. I did not stay for dessert. After leaving the dining room, I went up pool side and they were making a huge paella, I had some of that and it was excellent.Day 4 - Great Stirrup CayWe started the day with breakfast in the buffet. While we were having breakfast, I noticed the Monarch of the Seas. I didn't realize how close we were to RCCL's private island. But we were literally next door. We had reserved the clamshell chairs ($29.00), so we were able to get on the early tenders. We were on the second tender to Great Stirrup Cay. As we were about to get on the tender, we were told that it had just started to rain, we could still get off the boat if we or we could wait until it stopped raining. We got off the boat. The rain started coming down harder as we got closer to the island. When we were walking to the clamshells, it was pouring. But that lasted 10 minutes and then the sun came out and ended up being a beautiful day. We stayed in the water near the rocks, the water was beautiful and warm, there was lots of seaweed there, but still beautiful. We had lunch at the BBQ buffet; the ribs and corn were delicious. Back in the water some more. My brother brought over a hot dog roll to the water, he put pieces of the bread in the water and the fish came to us immediately. The kids loved that. We actually saw several different kinds of fish all from a few pieces of bread. The island is going through major construction. You can see piles of sand almost everywhere. I also noticed the cabanas they are in the process of building as you get on the tender to go back to the ship. Even though the construction is everywhere, it didn't affect our day at the beach. I took an earlier tender back to the ship than my family because the baby was getting crazy at the beach. We had dinner at the buffet, the Indian selection was excellent. After dinner, we went to the Family Deck Party; there was dancing, cupcakes, games and face painting. Then we went to the show for the evening, Duo Artmotion. They were very good, but it did get boring after a while.Day 5 - Nassau, BahamasThe day started with breakfast in the buffet. We originally booked the Blue Lagoon Beach Day excursion, but about a month or so before sailing, we received an email from NCL saying that that excursion has been cancelled. So we opted for the Wyndham Resort Beach Day instead. It was the same price as the Blue Lagoon excursion. I have to say, I was very happy we chose this excursion over anything else. Yes, the hotel is older and not much to look at as the Atlantis would be. But, there was no one there. Maybe 30 people in total between the pool, beach, and lounge chairs. And that was including hotel guests. It was a nice change going from a crowded ship and crowded Great Stirrup Cay to pretty much having the pool and beach to yourself. The waterslide was closed, but it didn't really affect us. Part of the excursion gave us a boxed snack which included a turkey and cheese (or ham and cheese) sandwich, bag of chips and a bag of cookies. We were also told that we could walk to the Sheraton's beach right next door and use their beach and water toys (kayaks, water bikes). They also had a big slide exactly like the one in Great Stirrup Cay, wave runners and parasailing that you can pay additional for at this beach.Dinner tonight was at Teppanyaki. It was worth every penny they charged additional. The kids enjoyed the chef's show and the food was delicious. They start you off with edanami. I ordered the Miso soup and Land & Sea combination, which included filet mignon and jumbo shrimp. For dessert, I had the green tea cake and ice cream. I was stuffed after dinner.After dinner, we all went to Deal or No Deal. This was the first time I went, I wasn't sure how the game was played, I didn't buy a card this time, I wanted to check it out first. The show tonight was the Magic and Comedy of Jean Pierre, he was great. Very funny and he did cool tricks. He also showed you how he did some of his tricks after he did them which I thought was cool. He was by far my favorite performer on the ship.Day 6 - At SeaBreakfast in the buffet to start. My son wanted to go to the Kids Club, so we dropped him off there and said we would pick him up for lunch. Went to the Under 2 Zoo with our daughter. It was hard to find. As we were standing in front of the Stardust Theater, an NCL employee passed and saw we looked confused, and she asked if we were looking for the Under 2 Zoo and directed us where to go. I didn't realize that there were meeting rooms as you walked into the Stardust Theater (Left side of the theater). The room was small and had some play tents, balls, books, and puzzles in it. I fell that they should have a larger space for the very young children to play, but at the same time, my daughter was the only child in the room for a long time and it was perfect for her. I was also surprised that there were not many children in the room, there were 900 kids on board and I saw lots of kids that were under 2. The toddler pool was cute, but after a while it got crowded. The Under 2 Zoo is a nice option for the little ones, especially since its air conditioned and you don't have to deal with the heat. After dragging my son out of the Kids Club (he never wanted to leave Kids Club), we had lunch in the buffet. After lunch we went to the Fyzz for TV Trivia. I was surprised at how many people were there for the trivia, the room was packed. Dinner was at Mamma's tonight. There was an antipasto tray on the table when we sat down, it has olives, roasted peppers and tomatoes and a few other things on it. I ordered Seafood Fettuccini Risotto for my entrEe and Tiramisu for dessert. Food was very good. Tonight was the Chocoholic Buffet and the Buffett was closed for dinner so that all of the chocolate can be presented. Since we were right next to the buffet, after dinner we went to check out the chocolate. I was so stuffed from dinner that I didn't eat anything from the chocolate buffet. We just walked through it and took pictures. The show tonight was Le Cirque Bijou and it was so good. We got to the theater 40 minutes early and it was a good thing we did, because the theater was already filling up. The show was excellent.Day 7 - At seaToday we had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the buffet. My son spent most of the day in the Kids Club again. The final Slime Time Live show was taking place in the Stardust Theater today. Deal or No Deal was going on tonight, and we played along. The final show was a variety show; it was the Comedian Steven Scott and comedian/magician Jean Pierre.Day 8 - Return home ?Breakfast for the last time in Tsars, I had the cinnamon raisin French toast. We waited for our luggage tag to be called. We found our luggage right away and waited about 10 minutes in line for customs.Overall, it was a great vacation. I loved the Jewel and would sail NCL again.