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I’ve sailed NCL more times than I can count — from a $149 weekend on the NCL Sky out of Miami back in 2015 to a handful of sailings since. When I boarded the NCL Jewel in Philadelphia for a 7-night Bermuda sailing, something hit me almost immediately: this is what NCL used to feel like. Smaller, a little quirky, full of personality. Whether that’s a compliment or a caution depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a cruise. Let me break it all down.
The Ship: Old School NCL Charm — For Better and Worse
The Jewel isn’t trying to be the Icon of the Seas. It’s an older mid-size vessel, and it wears its age honestly. If you’ve ever sailed the NCL Sky — which is leaving the NCL fleet in September 2026, by the way — the Jewel will feel immediately familiar. That’s not an insult. There’s a warmth to these older ships that the newer megaships sometimes lack.
A few giveaways that you’re on a classic NCL vessel: deck 11 still has a bridge viewing area where you can watch the captain and officers at work — a feature that’s quietly disappeared on most modern ships and genuinely fascinating if you’ve never seen it. You’ll also find O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill still operating under its original name, rather than rebranded as “The Local” as NCL has done on newer ships. O’Sheehan’s was named after former NCLH CEO Kevin O’Sheehan, and whatever you think of the corporate history, the space itself has something The Local doesn’t — a genuinely cozy Irish pub feel that makes you want to stay for one more round.
One thing NCL has struggled with on O’Sheehan’s across multiple ships is food delivery speed, often blamed on the distance from the kitchen. On this sailing, my server Kevin (no relation to the CEO) was hands-down one of the most efficient servers I’ve experienced on any NCL ship. My order arrived in record time, and when I got up to leave for the evening, he sent me off with drinks for the cabin. That kind of service sticks with you.
Behind the Scenes: The Unsung Heroes of a Cruise Ship
Thanks to my Latitudes status, I was able to join the Behind the Scenes ship tour — and if you ever have the chance to do this on any cruise, take it. You’ll visit areas most passengers never see, and on this sailing, two crew members made it genuinely memorable.
First, Executive Chef Michael — a familiar face to anyone who follows NCL on YouTube or social media. Seeing his operation up close reinforced just how much goes into feeding thousands of people at sea.
Then there was Christian, the Laundry Master. His tour of the ship’s laundry facility should honestly be a paid entertainment option. The man runs a 20-year-old linen and towel folding machine — the original one installed on this ship — and describes it with the enthusiasm and comedic timing of a stand-up comedian. He casually noted that the machine folds more towels in a day than most people see in a lifetime, delivered entirely deadpan. The room was laughing the whole time. It was the unexpected highlight of the tour.
Dining: High Points, One Very Slow Churrascaria, and Carrot Cake
I managed specialty dining at Cagney’s Steakhouse, Chin Chin (NCL’s Asian fusion venue), and Moderno (the Brazilian churrascaria) — plus one evening at Azura, the main dining room. I tried to get into Teppanyaki but couldn’t secure a reservation, which tells you how popular it is.
Cagney’s and Chin Chin both delivered. Moderno, however, was a bit of a mixed bag. The format — gauchos circling the room with various cuts of meat — doesn’t lend itself well to customization. I asked to have my meat cooked well done (yes, I know, go ahead and judge me), and on my first visit the kitchen basically forgot the request. Some of it was still, let’s say, very enthusiastic about being alive. Round two came out correctly, and I was happy — but having to fight for your food to be cooked the way you like it in a specialty restaurant takes some of the shine off.
What I kept coming back to, almost every night, was O’Sheehan’s for a soda and a slice of carrot cake. If you’ve never had NCL’s carrot cake, you’re missing something. It’s the perfect way to close out a sea day. Don’t overthink it. Just order it. And while you’re at it — get the wings. O’Sheehan’s wings are genuinely good and too often overlooked by passengers who walk straight past the bar to the main dining room. Do not make that mistake.
One more gem worth mentioning: The Great Outdoors, the large open-air dining area at the aft of the ship off the Garden Cafe on the higher decks. It’s an underrated space for a quiet breakfast or lunch at sea — genuinely peaceful when the weather cooperates, and it did on most of this sailing.
Entertainment: A Tale of Two Shows
NCL used to be known for Broadway-caliber production shows. Ignite the Night — billed as a blend of American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and the American Music Awards — didn’t quite live up to that legacy for me. It felt more like a talent showcase than a polished production. Your mileage may vary.
The Crew Talent Show, on the other hand, was genuinely entertaining. There’s something special about watching the people who serve your drinks and make your bed absolutely crush a performance. If the crew talent show is on the schedule, don’t skip it.
Solo Cruising on the Jewel: Manage Your Expectations
One important note for solo travelers considering the Jewel: there are no Studio cabins on this ship. NCL’s dedicated solo cabin program — Studio rooms with their own private lounge — starts with the Epic and appears on newer vessels in the fleet. On the Jewel, solo travelers book regular inside, oceanview, or balcony cabins at the standard single supplement rate.
I was in an inside cabin (IF category) on this sailing, which was perfectly fine for my purposes. Compact but functional, and I’m rarely in the cabin anyway.
NCL does organize a solo traveler meetup on most sailings, and I attended the first one. Honestly? It didn’t generate the energy I’ve felt on other NCL sailings. Maybe the group chemistry wasn’t there, or maybe I was just in a “decompress and do my own thing” headspace this trip. Either way, I branched off solo pretty early and didn’t miss it.
Bermuda: Two Days at King’s Wharf
Two days docked at King’s Wharf is one of the best things about this itinerary. Most Bermuda sailings give you one day — getting two means you can actually breathe. The dockyard area itself has good shopping, the Bermuda Rum Cake Company (mandatory stop), and easy access to public transit if you want to get further into the island.
Charleston: A Bonus Stop
The itinerary also included a day in Charleston, South Carolina — a stop that doesn’t always get much attention since Bermuda is the obvious headliner. For anyone who hasn’t been, Charleston is a genuinely beautiful port city with great architecture and food. It’s worth getting off the ship.
The Frustrations: OBC, Internet, and Nickel-and-Diming
This is the section I wish I didn’t have to write. Two significant issues affected this sailing more than anything else.
The OBC dispute. I originally booked this cruise through NCL’s Casinos at Sea program. When the price dropped significantly before sailing, NCL issued me an onboard credit as a goodwill gesture — which I appreciated. Before departure, I confirmed with an NCL agent that the credit could be used anywhere onboard except gratuities. Three days into the cruise, I discovered at Guest Services that I only had a $25 gaming credit — far less than what I was expecting, and not what I was told.
What followed was a days-long back-and-forth: Guest Services sent me to the Casino Host, who sent me back to Guest Services, who contacted the Miami office and pulled the call recording. After all of that, NCL would not honor what their own agent had told me. The credit was restricted in ways I was explicitly told it wasn’t — and to make matters worse, there is nowhere in the NCL app, under cruise benefits or otherwise, that indicates the credit is non-refundable. You’d have no way of knowing until you’re already onboard and asking questions.
I want to be fair to NCL here — this isn’t a broad indictment of the line. But I will say this: I’ve sailed Virgin Voyages many times, and an issue like this would have been resolved at the point of contact, not after a multi-day runaround. The customer service infrastructure gap is real.
The internet. I paid $209 for the Starlink internet package specifically to FaceTime my family while at sea. On day one, calls connected fine — and pixelated within 10–15 seconds. Day two, same. Day three, same. When I brought it to the Internet Cafe, they asked me to email screenshots of failed FaceTime calls. The email address they gave me was a Gmail account, which struck me as unusual for a ship-board service team. On day five — day five — they finally offered to sit down with me for a troubleshooting session. I’m on vacation. A meeting is the last thing I want.
$209 for internet that can’t sustain a FaceTime call for more than a few seconds is a problem that needs to be resolved at the point of complaint, not five days later.
Beyond those two issues, NCL’s general nickel-and-diming is worth flagging for anyone who hasn’t sailed with them recently: $10 fee if you cancel a specialty dining reservation less than two hours in advance, convenience fees at the casino, and $6.99 per day to text other passengers on the ship via the app. These aren’t deal-breakers, but they add up and they color the overall experience.
Sailing from Philadelphia: Convenient, But…
Driving to a cruise port instead of flying is genuinely nice. No airport stress, no luggage fees, no connection anxiety. That part I enjoyed. The embarkation process itself, however, is a different story — and worth knowing about before you go.
If you’re driving, the official parking option is a Clarion Hotel near the port, where you also check in. Getting into the parking lot alone felt like herding cattle. Once inside the hotel, staff direct you to the check-in area — which sends you right back outside to stand in a line that seems to stretch a mile. From there, you’re herded into a large event room where you present your ID, receive a number, and wait to be called to your assigned station. Then you wait again for a bus.
That bus takes you to Philadelphia International Airport, which sits right next to what I’ll generously call the terminal — and what is, in reality, a tent. Philadelphia hasn’t seen a cruise ship depart from this port in about 15 years, and the infrastructure makes that very clear. There’s no proper terminal building — though it’s worth noting that Philadelphia is currently in the process of building one. Until it’s complete, you enter the tent for security screening, then queue up again while the gangway clears.
I saved myself some of the Clarion chaos by parking at an off-site lot near the airport — significantly cheaper, equally secure, and it cut out at least one layer of the process. If you’re sailing out of Philadelphia, I’d strongly recommend researching off-site airport parking options rather than defaulting to the official hotel lot.
That said, I’m not sure I’d repeat this specific itinerary out of Philadelphia with NCL. The embarkation process, the OBC situation, and the internet issues collectively left a sour taste that the ship’s charm couldn’t fully offset. The Jewel itself is a delightful, personality-filled vessel — one of the last of its kind in the NCL fleet. If those operational headaches had gone differently, I’d be recommending this sailing without hesitation.
Bottom Line: Who Should Book the NCL Jewel Bermuda Itinerary?
Book it if: You love older, characterful ships with a cozy feel rather than waterpark-at-sea megaships. You want two full days in Bermuda. You appreciate genuinely great service from individual crew members. You’re not dependent on reliable internet connectivity.
Think twice if: You’re a solo cruiser expecting Studio-level amenities. You’re counting on using OBC flexibility. You need video call quality internet. You’re sensitive to add-on fees.
The NCL Jewel is a ship worth sailing before it eventually leaves the fleet — and it will, eventually. Just go in with clear eyes about what it is and isn’t.
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Have you sailed the NCL Jewel or done the Philadelphia to Bermuda itinerary? Drop your experience in the comments below.Sailing NCL for the first time? Watch the 21 things I wish I’d known before my first cruise: