Norwegian Cruise Line Jewel Review: Compact Cabin, But Nice Balcony

It has been a long time since I took what I call a pointless vacation, which means time away from home with absolutely no agenda, plans or things I must see or do.

So when the timing worked out to take a four-night cruise with a friend in January 2025 on the Norwegian Jewel out of the very nearby Port of Tampa, I jumped at the chance.

The itinerary was to sail away from Tampa, have a sea day, then a day at Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island of Great Stirrup Cay, followed by another sea day and then back to Tampa. That seemed perfect for relaxing and reconnecting with a friend I had not seen in a long time.

Mission accomplished.

Booking the trip

Booking this cruise turned out to be a bit more difficult than it should have been.

I had a Norwegian Cruise Line future cruise credit burning a hole in my pocket that I was planning to use for this cruise. The credit was from a price drop that came after final payment on a previous cruise.

At the time, I didn’t know it came with all kinds of restrictions, like the new cruise must be longer than six nights for it to apply, and this one was not. That information was not printed anywhere, and no NCL reservation agent could make it work.

I decided to go anyway and booked a balcony cabin with NCL’s new More at Sea package, which includes Unlimited Open Bar (a drink package), some specialty dining (based on the number of cruise nights), Wi-Fi minutes and a shore excursion credit.

With our booking, each of us had a drink package, two nights of specialty dining and 75 Wi-Fi minutes. Only the primary guest received the $50 shore excursion credit. Because I knew I wanted more than 75 minutes of Wi-Fi and didn’t want to worry about forgetting to log out, I chose to upgrade to the unlimited Wi-Fi package for about $60.

I was a Gold member of the Latitudes Rewards loyalty program, which I thought would get me some extra benefits like a liter of water in my room, but once on board I found out this cruise was too short for Latitudes benefits like that. Still, this cruise qualified me to move up to Platinum status, so it was still worth it.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Checking in for the cruise

Three weeks before the sail away date, check-in for NCL cruises begins either on the NCL app or online. To check in, I needed personal information, passport information, a credit card and a selfie of just my face.

After everyone on the reservation is all checked in, it’s possible to print the boarding documents and luggage tags.

Norwegian Cruise Line also has a mobile app, which you can use it to quickly find out what is happening on the ship and track your onboard purchases. It was a bit buggy and often I’d click on something and get an error message.

On embarkation day, I loaded my suitcase into my car and drove a short 45 minutes to the Port of Tampa. I had prebooked a parking space with the port’s parking lot, but I had a lot of trouble finding one.

After about 20 minutes of driving around the garage, I found a spot. Then I unloaded my luggage and walked across the street to the cruise terminal.

After dropping off my luggage with a porter, my friend and I went into the building to check in. Since it was about 1 p.m., there was no line.

I prefer checking in for a cruise at about this time because the early birds are already on board and the late arrivals aren’t there yet. It’s also lunchtime, so once on board, you can drag your luggage and go straight to the buffet for some food since cabins are not often ready yet.

The Norwegian Jewel was built in 2005 and refurbished in 2018 and once again in 2022. The Jewel is part of the Jewel class of ships along with the Pearl, Jade and Gem.

The Jewel can hold 2,330 passengers with 1,069 crew members and is 965 feet long and 125 feet wide at its widest place.

Currently, the Jewel’s destinations include the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Bermuda, northern Europe, Panama Canal, Bahamas, Canada and New England, and transatlantic cruises. In 2026, the Jewel will start cruising out of Philadelphia to Bermuda, Canada and New England.

The ship has 12 passenger decks with many amenities.

One of the first things you notice when you get on board is the atrium on deck 7, which was part of the 2018 updates.

It’s the place to socialize, buy coffee, eat, shop and get all kinds of questions answered.

The atrium has two levels with a big screen above the Atrium Cafe, which serves coffee drinks.

Comfy seats and tables are set up around the cafe, and there’s a piano. Off to the sides are the guest relations desk, shore excursions area and a small shop.

Just off of the atrium area toward the back of the ship is the photo gallery on one side and the art gallery and internet cafe on the other.

The shops are all the way in the aft, which is different from most other ships I have been on. Usually, the shops are located midship and you have to walk past them to get from one end of the ship to another.

The upper level surrounding the atrium on deck 8 is O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill, a 24-hour eatery and pub. It’s also a great place to watch a sporting event on the big screen or on other televisions throughout the area.

O’Sheehan’s is complimentary and has comfort foods like burgers, Rueben sandwiches, wings, and spinach and artichoke dip.

The midship elevators are behind O’Sheehan’s. There are two other elevator banks, one forward and one aft.

» Learn more: Norwegian Cruise Line: The complete guide

The cabin

The Norwegian Jewel has 1,188 cabins in six main categories: The Haven, suite, club balcony suite, balcony, oceanview and inside. They were part of the ship’s 2018 renovation and updated again in 2022.

The largest cabins are The Haven three-bedroom Garden Villa at 4,891 square feet with 2,314-square-foot balconies. The smallest are the inside cabins at 138-278 square feet.

My friend and I were eating at O’Sheehan’s when we heard an announcement that cabins were ready. This was about 90 minutes or so after we boarded.

The first things we noticed as we walked to our cabin were the bright aqua blue doors and the carpet in the hallways. Gone is the carpeting with the fish swimming forward, which was a signature item on NCL ships for a long time.

It was a handy way to know which way you were walking down the long hallways. Other people I talked with also lamented its loss.

We chose a balcony cabin on deck 10 for our four-night cruise. The balcony cabins range in size from 200 to 289 square feet with 38- to 54-square-foot balconies.

Our cabin had a modern look and was set up with two beds with a nightstand in the middle, like we had requested. For couples, the two beds could be together.

Each side had a sconce above it that also had a USB charging port for phones.

A small sofa, which could become a bed for a third person, was near the sliding door to the balcony.

Across from the sofa was a desk-like area with a television, the phone, a couple of shelves and drawers. There was also a plug here. It was nice to have the phone on the wall and out of the way instead of taking up space on the desktop.

Off to the side and across from one of the beds was a vanity area with a refrigerator in the cabinet along with a few open shelves. There was not much clearance between the vanity top and the end of the bed.

The mirror had a light, which turned on and off with a button. The button was really bright at night, which was handy for finding the way to the bathroom but not so great if you like it dark to sleep.

Overall, the cabin was a bit dark since that mirror light was the only one in that area.

Across from the vanity was the bathroom, which had a fairly roomy shower and a toilet area. There were two shelves on the side of the mirror and a big shelf below the sink.

Because of the enormous sink, there was virtually no counter space in the bathroom, which my friend and I found to be very annoying.

The closet had two storage areas, one that was full length and the other, which had two drawers on the bottom and a small safe. The safe was not big enough to hold a computer, which is a pet peeve of mine, especially when cabins have been recently upgraded.

The balcony was beautiful and had room for two chairs and a small table. A full sliding glass door separated the balcony from the cabin.

We asked our cabin steward for a personal coffee maker. It was nice to have a few sips of coffee when waking up each morning.

Food and drinks

The Norwegian Jewel has more than a dozen places to eat and 13 bars and lounges, so basically wherever you are, you can find food or drink.

Some of the dining options are complimentary, like O’Sheehan’s. Others are specialty dining and have a surcharge.

We were never hungry or thirsty, and there was plenty of variety.

Specialty dining restaurants

As part of the More at Sea package, this four-night cruise included two meals at a specialty dining restaurant.

We chose to eat at Cagney’s Steakhouse the French restaurant Le Bistro.

The food was really good at both and so was the service. Make sure to save room for dessert as they were great.

I heard from other passengers that the other specialty restaurants were good, but they also were a bit annoyed that the Chinese restaurant, Chin Chin, is now considered specialty. On previous cruises, it was a complimentary dining venue so I often ate the dumplings as an early evening snack if I had late dinner plans, but that wasn’t an option on this cruise.

There is a sushi bar is near Chin Chin and it has a cover charge. There is also a Teppanyaki area where a chef prepares food on a large steel grill with the diners sitting around it.

The Jewel also has Moderno Churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse with a salad bar and someone who comes around to serve you different kinds of meat at your table.

For lovers of Italian food, there’s La Cucina.

If you don’t have a specialty dining package or you want additional meals, the cover charge varies from $40 at La Cucina to $50 at Chin Chin, Moderno Churrascaria and the sushi bar, and $60 at Cagney’s, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki.

Previously, you could purchase additional meals at a discounted rate as a package, but that is no longer an option.

You have to make reservations for the specialty dining venues, which you can do online before cruising. But only a few openings are available pre-cruise, with the remaining ones opening up on embarkation day, so if you can’t book what you want online, beeline to the restaurant reservations desk when you first get on board to book what you want.

The Jewel also offers room service 24 hours a day, but there is a fee.

Complimentary dining venues

If you don’t want to pay extra, there are several complimentary places to eat. Two main restaurants, Azura and Tsar’s Palace, serve the same menu, which changes nightly.

A few staples are called classic entrees and do not change. They’re available each night and include steak, fish, chicken and pasta options.

We both thought the food was good in the main dining rooms, with my friend even saying her meal in Azura was better than either of the two specialty restaurants we went to.

For people who want to serve themselves, the Garden Cafe is the buffet option and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of it is indoors, but there is a separate buffet and seating area outside called The Great Outdoors, which has a beautiful view of the ship’s wake.

The food on the buffet is the same for breakfast each day, but the theme and offerings change daily for lunch and dinner.

Outside, an additional venue serves food to hungry cruisers. Topsiders Bar & Grill is on the pool deck and is open when the weather is good. There you can get a hot dog or hamburger as well as crispy fries.

As you can imagine, there are many options to get a libation. Recently, NCL changed its drink packages to what it calls More at Sea, which includes many brands of spirits, beers, seltzers, sodas, wines, cocktails and more.

Anything under $15 is included, and if you want something that costs more, you just pay the difference.

What is not included in the drink package is water (either still or fizzy) or coffee drinks. Separate packages for those are available to buy.

My friend was happy that Tito’s was on the included list so she could order it with soda and a splash of cranberry, and I was always able to find something I wanted to drink, including my traditional sailaway piña colada and my go-to Aperol spritz.

It was a bit annoying to have to think about prices of drinks again. I had gotten used to just upgrading the older packages so I could have anything I wanted, even high-end water or espresso drinks. There is no longer an option to upgrade to include everything.

Bliss Ultra Lounge on deck 7 is the club on board and was part of the 2018 overhaul. In addition to being a live music venue, it’s also the location for activities like trivia contests.

Just a short distance from Bliss, there is a balcony of sorts with three bars below, on deck 6. They’re actually one connected bar with Magnum’s Champagne & Wine Bar, Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar and Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar. A small humidor room is tucked away in the corner.

Spinnaker Lounge is on deck 13 and is the place to dance. Deck 13 also has the Sugarcane Mojito Bar, which, you guessed it, specializes in all kinds of mojitos.

Every night, the cabin steward delivers the Freestyle Daily flyer to your stateroom. It’s the go-to resource when looking for things to do and places to do it.

On this cruise, it looked different than it had in the past. Instead of being full sheets of paper, it was a large trifold. While nicer to carry around with me, its design was not always helpful.

Instead of a daily schedule divided by the hour, the daily schedule is set up by activity like "Games and Trivia" or "Music and Dance," so you had to cross-reference the activities you were interested in to make sure they didn't conflict timing-wise.

Also, activities listed as highlights were not always listed again under their proper category. For example, trivia about the show “Friends” was listed in the highlights section as happening at 11:15 a.m. in the Bliss Lounge, but it was not listed in the “Games and Trivia” section.

I found it difficult to know what was happening at any given time, and I really hope NCL goes back to a chronological schedule.

The app wasn’t any more helpful as far as the schedule was concerned, and it wasn’t possible to make the Freestyle Daily big enough for my aging eyes to read clearly.

Once I finally figured out how to find out what was going on, I realized there was plenty to do.

Entertainment and recreation

Since this was only a four-night cruise, I had low expectations for the entertainment options.

I was wrong.

Each night the Stardust Theater featured a show, and they were entertaining. The acrobats and aerialists were phenomenal, and most seats in the theater were full.

Several bars and lounges also had live music most evenings, which was very nice.

For some calm and relaxation, deck 12 had a card room and a library, where many people sat and played games or just read.

One thing that was really cool was a viewing room of the bridge where you could see what was happening with navigation. It had all kinds of plaques and mementos from the Jewel’s ports of call over the years.

Outside, there is a pool deck with plenty of seats surrounding two pools, with one just for adults. There are sunny and shady spots.

Also outside, there is a basketball court, which could also be a volleyball or pickleball court, a golf driving range, a jogging track, a walking promenade, as well as games like shuffleboard and checkers.

The promenade walking track was totally covered and somewhat shielded from the elements. It went the total length of the ship, so 1 mile was 2⅔ laps.

For the teenagers, there is Entourage, a club just for them with the video arcade right next to it. There is an arcade package available for purchase.

The Splash Academy is next door with activities for kids ages 3-12.

For the adult gamblers, there is the Jewel Casino on deck 6 with all kinds of sights, sounds and smoke. It’s one of the few places on board where smoking is allowed.

Spa and fitness areas

One of my favorite places on a ship is the spa. One of my least favorite places is the gym. The Jewel has both.

The Pulse Fitness Center is on deck 12, and the cardio equipment faces forward, offering a great view to the exercisers. My friend loved this while running on the treadmill.

There is also strength equipment and a variety of classes and workshops.

The fitness area is close to the Mandara Spa & Salon.

In addition to the salon, which offers haircuts and more, the spa offers a variety of treatments as well as a thermal suite, which requires a pass. The cost varies based on the length of the cruise.

The thermal suite has saunas, steam rooms, thalassotherapy pools and heated benches that face out toward the sea.

I took advantage of a special sale I saw online before the cruise and booked a 75-minute Aroma Stone Therapy massage at a nicely discounted price. I was a bit disappointed I could not use any of the spa amenities like the locker room even though I had a treatment booked.

The spa staff was also a bit frustrated that its computer system does not interface with the app, so no appointments show up in your daily plan in the app. I knew I had booked and paid for an appointment, but since the app did not show it in my plan, I had to follow up with the spa.

One complaint is the sales pitch for all kinds of pricey products kind of ruined my zen after a nice and relaxing treatment.

Since this cruise involved only one port stop and that was on NCL’s private island of Great Stirrup Cay, I didn’t do any shore excursions.

There were a few offered, like swimming with the pigs, zip lining and kayaking.

I admit, I was planning not to like the private island experience because in my opinion, it really isn’t authentic and doesn’t count as visiting a country.

Turns out, I really enjoyed a relaxing few hours of putting my toes in the sand and eating and drinking a bit.

Great Stirrup Cay is a 270-acre private island with 1,500 feet of coastline. There is no pier, but there will be one soon. Plans are to have a pier that will handle two ships available by the end of 2025.

Until there is a pier, tender boats are the only way to reach the island. Passengers were telling me they have been on cruises before when they have anchored off the island, but it was too rough to get off the ship, so they canceled the port call and had to look longingly at the island all day.

Happily, that was not the case for us, but it was a bit rocky getting off the ship and on to the tenders. We anchored at 7 a.m., but my friend and I had no desire to get off the ship that early, so we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and then got off the ship.

After about a 10-minute ride, we got off the tender and the fun began on the island. There were signs showing us we had arrived as well as others telling us a bit about what was available for us to do.

A map, either as a sign or a handout, would have been nice to show us exactly where things were and what options were available.

The first thing we noticed was that the water was several gorgeous shades of blue.

Being on Great Stirrup Cay was a bit like being on the ship but with water and sand. Drink packages carry over to the island to use at the bars, and there are many complimentary food options, like a taco bar and a buffet.

We enjoyed a few drinks and some tacos.

We didn’t do it, but it’s possible to rent a beach chair, a clam shell or even a cabana.

For those who really want to splurge, the exclusive Silver Cove area has private villas and its own amenities. Prices start at $659 and go up to $1,429 for a two-bedroom family suite.

By the time we got back on the ship, we were sandy, sun-kissed and relaxed.

Since this was just a four-night cruise, it was over much too soon. After one more sea day with nasty weather, we docked back in Tampa.

Maybe because I was just getting off the ship and getting in my car to drive home, I wasn’t too worried about disembarkation.

I grabbed a luggage tag at guest services, but in the end, I walked off the ship with my suitcase and backpack.

The disembarkation procedure in Tampa was one of the easiest I have ever experienced.

We needed to be out of our cabins by 8 a.m. so we went to have a nice breakfast at the Garden Cafe. Afterward, we scanned our key cards one last time and got off the ship.

The border control process in the terminal was all by biometrics, so it went really fast. Just a few minutes after getting off the ship, I was walking across the street to the parking garage and my car after a great and awesomely pointless vacation.