DAK333

They just want another free cruise like they did with MSC.

On our trip, Jasmine Gardens was taking reservations.

Did not feel any vibrations in the Aft Suite at all. Also had some rough waters at times, and it was not bad at all. We did not really bother our butler (Jay Domingo) much, but he did bring snacks every day and helped with some info that we needed. The concierge was Susan, I forget her last name. I have her card somewhere.

This is mostly from my review, which I posted in the review section, only with a wee bit more musings and general and comparison opinions. This was our second cruise, this time just me and my wife. We looked to do a New England/Canada cruise and originally looked at the NCL Getaway (a Breakaway Class ship). But I really wanted to go to PEI…so I started looking at the Jade. I was not sure after previously being on the Joy (a Breakaway Plus ship), how a smaller ship would be. I watched some videos of the ship on YouTube and started to like the Jewel Class ship better. Am I glad that I decided to go with the Jade. I just loved that ship and its layout. This ship was in great shape. Very clean throughout. The crew does a real great job keeping things clean. Room We had an Aft Facing suite. We thought about Haven, but honestly the extra money was not worth it as pretty much the things from Haven that we liked were either not available (restaurant/bar) on this class of ship and the things we do like (priority/escort) still come with the Suite category. The room was great and more than enough room for the two of us. Bed was super comfy, more than enough closet and drawer space. Good sized bathroom, I would rather just a shower then the bath/shower but hey that’s what it comes with. The balcony views from the aft are spectacular. Some great pictures from there. Food I thought the food was very good to great. Since we were in the Suite, we had access to breakfast at Modernos, where they used the Haven menu. The food and the service there were great each morning. We also had access to Cagney’s for lunch (also using the Haven Lunch menu). When on the ship for lunch, we either went to Cagney’s or the Buffet. We had 2 nights of Specialty dining (Moderno and Le Bistro) and the other nights we went to Jasmine or to the MDRs Alizar or the Grand Pacific. Let’s talk about Specialty dining. Our first night, we went to Modernos. The salad bar portion of the restaurant was great. Enjoyed that very much and had high hopes, but the meat portion was not so good. The meats just did not have great flavor or texture. Last year on the Joy I was disappointed by Cageny’s but I’ll be honest I would give Cagney’s another try, I would never do Modernos again. Le Bistro on the other hand was fantastic. From the look and décor of the restaurant to the food and service. It was great. Now for the most part, like last year, I enjoyed the MDRs. The service was good and the Parmesan Crusted Pork Chop is one of my favorite things I had last year and this year. Jasmine was ok. Nothing special, I enjoyed my meal more than my wife. The Buffet was not bad, but much smaller than I expected in regards to choices. I felt the choices on the Joy last year were more than what was offered on the Jade. Whatever I at was good and I have no complaints, except the breads for the hamburgers and hot dogs seemed they were heading to the stale side. Lunch from the Haven menu at Cagneys was always very good. The only ok meal was the Steak and Frites. O’Sheehans we only had the late night menu. The hot dog was good, but again the wings were eh. The flavoring of the sauce is fine, but the problem is they are not being fried, they are being baked, that changes the flavor. They’re not the bar wings you look for. I am noticing a pattern here. NCL seems to be lacking in the quality of beef. Now I know I am on a mass market cruise line, so I know I will not be getting Michelin star quality cuts of beef. Nor am I looking for that. But the beef seems to be lacking in flavor. Elevators Elevators are not a problem. Yes during busier times (after a show, mornings at the port, disembarkation), the elevators were slower. Also this cruise skewed to the older crowd, so more scooters and chairs, but it’s fine I can take the stairs. Burn some calories. Entertainment Entertainment is where I scratch my head and try to understand people. I realize you will always read/hear more complaints then positive things. It’s the way of the world. But I really wish I could understand the complaints and understand what people are looking for. I thought the entertainment was very enjoyable. We saw Blazing Boots which is basically a jukebox musical. I enjoyed it. We also saw Elements, which is still great. Along with one night with the magician act and the other night with the acrobat duo. We enjoyed it all. I know people keep talking about the cut backs on the Broadway shows. But I don’t really want the Broadway show because they are not really Broadway/West End…if I want that I’ll go to Broadway (which is when my wife reminds me not everyone lives near Broadway). But the truth is these “Broadway” Cruise productions are never the full shows anyway, they are more like the regional versions that play at smaller venues. Or the complaints about seeing the same shows, well as much as cruises want repeat business, the cruise model was not built to run new production shows each year. What I liked about the Jade was the Spinnaker Lounge. Where on the Joy many events were held in the Atrium (which I think is a terrible place for these things due to the small size, plus the ambiance of the place), on the Jade they are held in the Spinnaker Lounge. Great looking place and plenty of seating. Also saw some musical performances at the Bliss Lounge and Magnums. A lot of areas to just sit around and have a drink as well. The only time I was really on the lido deck was on Embarkation Day, and just had a drink at Topsiders. The weather was not for the pool this trip. I really liked the layout of the Jade over the Joy. The Joy, although not a bad ship at all, just seemed like an oval where everything just had a place on the left or right side. Almost like every area was put together just to fit somewhere in the oval, nothing unique or special. Whereas I felt the Jade had multiple areas with different looks and feels. I liked the Casino bar on this ship as well, as it was in the center and not stuck in some corner. We thoroughly enjoyed our second cruise with NCL and yes we have another booked for 2025…the Aqua.

This was our first ever cruise. We were looking for something out of NY or NJ and a short 5 day cruise, just in case we did not like it. I’m not really sure how, but we wound up choosing NCL and at the time of booking, based on prices, due to number of people (5), we chose to go the Haven route. Figured we would go all out as it might be the last time we could all go together. Trying to keep a budget we chose the Haven Family Villa with Balcony (HH category). The ship itself was grand. The ship was spotless when we boarded and the glass, banisters, and walls were shining. It stayed like this all through the trip. Yes, people are messy and just leave their glasses wherever, but staff were very quick to clean it up. Room The room itself was more than spacious enough for our needs. All the beds were comfortable. No complaints on the King Bed, the sofa pullout (easily fit two people), and the pull out wall bed. Plenty of drawer, cabinet, and closet space. Food I was impressed with all the food. We ate dinner once each night at the 3 MDRs (Taste/Savory/Manhattan Room), once at Specialty (Cagney’s) and the other 2 nights at the Haven. I thought the 3 main dining rooms not only looked gorgeous, but everything I ate there was delicious. The buffet, although I did not eat much there (only had breakfast and lunch there), was good as well. The breakfast in the buffet was just ok. Cagney’s was good, but truthfully I might not do Specialty again, I just do not feel the price was worth it, as the included meals in the Haven Restaurant and the MDRs were great. Even if I took away Haven, the MDRs were more than enough. I could easily have had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the MDRs and switch around for ambience. The one weakness was the Local, I went there twice late at night (midnight or later) so the menu was the very small late night one (so I cannot judge the regular menu), but the wings were not that great and the burger was just ok. I found the Buffet burger to be so much better. Washy Washy will get stuck in your head! Elevators The elevators are very slow and it is easier to just take the stairs especially if you are only 2 decks from where you need to be. But a lot of people on this ship, so it’s just a fact of life. Entertainment Footloose was enjoyable, not as bad as I’ve heard with people supposedly walking out of it. Elements is the show not to miss. This was excellent. We also saw the solo show with the magician Po from Elements and that was very good as well. The Beatles Revolution was fantastic as well. I missed the Early Years, but saw the Sgt Pepper Era at the Cavern and the Later Years in the theater. My only complaint…too short wish it was longer. It was just so good. The game shows were entertaining. I was chosen to play in Deal or No Deal and won, so that was great. My wife, unknowingly to me, put my name in for Wheel of Ill Will, and I was chosen. Had a good time with both. Too much to do and not enough time, so I did not get to see/hear much of the music that was playing, which I regret, but only so much time. I did hear the Latin band one night at SugarCane. The Laser Tag was fun (and this was a 46, 48, 25, and 17) year old playing. We all felt like little kids again. The Speedway was fun as well. The Waterfront area is such a great place to walk and sit (especially at night). It’s quiet, great views, and it seems nobody goes there. The Observation Deck is a great place as well. We always went by there late at night when it was quiet, so not sure how busy it was during the day. The main pool deck to me is very crowded for the amount of people on the ship. It is also just not my type of environment anymore. I am old and boring now, I guess but it was just too loud and crazy for me. Too much of a party atmosphere for me during the day. I just don’t want to crowd with 15 other people in a hot tub. Haven The Haven was just excellent. I have read people say once you go Haven you will always want to go Haven. I can see why people say that. From the embarkation process to disembarking it was so easy and hassle free. Got to Pier 88 at 830am, waited on the side till 930am, went on the Haven line, was through security in about 15 minutes…checked in very quickly (maybe about 30 minutes to check in and that was only because my wife had a passport issue to be checked on) and sat for about 30 minutes before the Haven Concierge brought us onboard. I want to say we were onboard by 11am. Were given a little tour of the Haven area, then went to make show reservations, had lunch at the Haven Restaurant, explored the ship, and I believe our bags were at the room by 130pm. The second day when we went to the Haven Restaurant, I went to hand my card over, and the woman said that’s not necessary, your room is *****. When she knew the room number, I was absolutely amazed. My room steward was fantastic. The butler, who I did not really use, was very nice as well. The assistant concierge, Mr. X, was the best. I enjoyed the hassle free ride down the service elevators to the shows. I’ll be honest, I felt special. The pool area was great for me as well, as I like it quiet and not crowded. I’m in the period of my life where calm and quiet is what I enjoy. We watched the sail away from the Haven Observation Lounge, which we enjoyed going to for snacks and drinks during the days and nights. Disembarking was a breeze. Had breakfast at the Haven, the escorted to the ship exit. Grabbed bags, through security, and back on the city streets very quick. In all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first cruise and will cruise with NCL again. Yes, Haven can be pricey, but I felt for me it was well worth it if you can afford it. I am already saving for my next cruise, which may be 2 years away (I wish it was less but must save for Haven)…though we have talked about going sooner than that non-Haven. These are just my musings from a first time NCL cruiser. Maybe it helps someone with questions or on the fence.