My mother always dreamed of seeing Alaska; after my father died, I invited her and my daughter on an Alaskan cruise. My mother had never been on a cruise, but had friends who had shared about their travels. My daughter needed a break before starting nursing school; she'd been on one cruise, the Caribbean for her honeymoon. This was my 7th cruise (all on NCL), the 4th to Alaska, and my first on the Jewel.

Embarkation was a breeze. As a Latitudes member, we went to the express line. Cheerful staff greeted us and directed us to the appropriate lines. (Since we live near Seattle, I thought that would be a fun retirement job!) My one complaint was having to wait awhile (maybe 15 minutes?) in a large room after checking in and before boarding. Once onboard, we headed straight to Tsar's Palace, which would become our go-to meal spot for most of the cruise. Our cabin was almost ready by the time we got there after lunch.

We were able to upgrade to a balcony using my NCL credit card points, and then successfully bid to get a mini-suite. So glad we went for the mini-suite; when the third bed was made up, we could barely move around. It was my first cruise with a balcony, and I'll never see Alaska without one! When we cruised up Endacott Arm, we could watch from the comfort of our room and not get rained on or jockey for a spot on the deck. Our steward gave us top service. Read more