I have cruises a couple of times in the past (both times on Royal Caribbean), so I am not brand new to cruising. If this had been my first cruise experience, then I would never have cruised again.

The food was horrible. It was inedible swill. In the buffet area, there weren’t enough seats so we often had to stand to eat. Also in the buffet area was a nice display of menus for the paid restaurants on board. How tacky is that? To me, NCL was saying “We have decent food on this, but you have to pay extra to get it.” When we arrived in ports, our goal was to find edible food. We also ate in the formal dining rooms and O’Sheehan’s. Special requests were never honored. Some servers were awesome, but most were mediocre. Steak ordered “medium” was burned and so tough it could not be eaten. Potatoes were always cold. I can’t stress enough how bad the food was!

We learned on this cruise that cruise lines pay for lengths of stay in ports and docking spots. Before choosing a cruise, see how long the ship stays in port. Our port stays were not as good as other ships and the Jewel was always docked the farthest from any attractions. In Victoria, we were docked about a mile from town. Don’t worry, though. For only $10 per person, Norwegian would provide bus service to town. Read more