I've been on 7 cruises, 6 of them with NCL. This was my first solo cruise. I was fortunate to be able to drive to the port this time, only a 4.5 hour drive. I decided to leave the day before and get a hotel room. Glad I did as the GPS was a little nutty due to a lot of construction around Houston and the port. FYI: Ignore your GPS at the port area, follow the signs instead.

The Jewel was nice. I have been on the Sky, Pearl, Epic and Breakaway. I had a balcony stateroom. Loved it!! The Cruise Critic M&G was a lot of fun. Met some other solo cruisers. We did a slot pull that was a blast. We had a great turnout and managed to get $10.00 back. The Lattitudes parties were nice. The food on the ship was good. I dined in Azures on my first night with another solo cruiser; Steve. I mainly ate in the garden café. Dined twice in O'Sheehans, it was very good. I did not go to any shows. I was sad that my room steward only made me 2 towel animals the whole cruise.

I cruise mainly for the ports and excursions. So here is a rundown of the ports and excursions I did on this cruise: Read more