Just back from a 7-day cruise to Canada/New England, and I've revised my opinion of Norwegian cruises, at least the one we just had. It was a freebie from Norwegian, based on play from the last cruise, so we only paid the port charges & fees.
My main complaint about my previous cruise on NCL was the very mediocre food in the main dining rooms, but, at least on the Jewel, that was far from the current status. Aside from the varied selection of daily specials, each dining room had standard offerings that included rib-eye steak, salmon and several others. The food was well-prepared, beautifully presented and hot when it was supposed to be. The salads were nice and cold, so they've really made an effort here.
The entertainment was also very good, a big step up from the normal theme park/talented amateur quality I've seen in the past. There were a gymnastics/acrobatics team (don't remember the names) but both were Olympic athletes in the past, and a very funny magician, Murray, who's appeared on America's Got Talent, and on Pawn Stars. Two excellent shows.
VP, as far as paytables went, consisted of the usual terrible offerings, but Lady Luck was definitely riding with me this trip, as I was able to hit a $1 RF, $2 A's with and without a kicker, and numerous other quads.
We were comped to a meal at Cagney's by the casino and had a substantial amount taken off our bill as a result of our play. Granted we played more than we would have had we not hit the big jackpots, but even a blind pig hits a royal once in a while.
Overall, a very enjoyable experience, and definitely worth taking advantage of, if you're offered a freebie by any casino.
