[4][3][c] The cruise ship was ordered by NCL on 15 September 2003 constructed at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany with the yard number 667.

[1][2] The ship was formally named Norwegian Jewel on 3 November 2005 in a ceremony at the Port of Miami, United States.

[3][9] In an episode of The Apprentice, Donald Trump required his contestants to create a 30-second commercial of the ship, featuring both exterior and interior shots.

[10] Norwegian Jewel underwent a dry dock refurbishment at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore from 22 October to 5 November 2018.

[11] Norwegian Jewel was scheduled to spend the southern summer 2019–2020 undertaking cruises in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the South Pacific.

[12] The cruise ship was stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 2020, after being denied entry into Papeete, French Polynesia and Lautoka, Fiji, due to fears of possible infection.