We booked this cruise for the itinerary, even though we had visited most ports of call before. We did hesitate about booking with NCL, as we are big fans of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

We still have mixed feelings about the Freestyle Dining. It is great to have the choice of restaurants on the Jewel and to be able to turn up at either of the main dining rooms at any time in the evening. However, we found that we didn't get to meet many people because frequently there was only a table for two available for dinner, even though we indicated that we'd be happy to share. The food was of usual 'cruise ship' standard, perfectly fine and service in the dining rooms was good.

We don't usually take in many shows on cruises but we made a point of seeing the Cirque Bijou show (based on Cirque du Soleil) and it was fantastic. Read more