The Jewel is a beautiful ship. From start to finish our cruise was a great experience. The purpose of this cruise was as a family reunion, so there was a ton of us on this ship.

This was our first cruise on NCL and we weren't disappointed. The shows were great, the kids program was good, and the spa was really nice. My wife and I are really into fitness, so we were in the gym each day. They had a lot of nice machines to use, and a good weight set.

We thought that the main dining rooms were good. But please be aware that if you have a large party that wants to sit together, you should definitely make reservations ahead of time. You really have to try the specialty dining - it's a definite step up from the main dining rooms.

The shows at night were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but definitely entertaining. The casino was good too. We especially enjoyed the photo gallery. It was nice to be able to have them taking pictures of us every now and then, so we didn't have to do it ourselves. We were even able to have a family portrait taken, so that was really nice.

You really have to cruise with a balcony. We never did before and it's definitely something we're going to have from now on. There's nothing quite like the relaxation and privacy that we felt while relaxing on our balcony.

The itinerary was great. We've never been to Europe before, so it was really a treat for us. The cruise left from Barcelona, so we spent a few days in that city a few days before the cruise started.

Now that I've cruised on NCL I would definitely recommend them, at least as far as the NCL Jewel goes.