littlelulu01

not that it matters much, but if you cancel and rebook; you will loose those extra latitudes points you get for booking 9 months or so in advance.

If you upgrade vs. cancel do you also lose the extra latitudes points? Ex. book balcony at 9+ mos and then two mos prior to sail upgrade to mini suite or suite?

When we originally booked back in August 2013 we booked a 2 bedroom for a transatlantic from Barcelona to Miami on the Epic for this Oct 2014. Just recently my daughter and friend have decided they didn't want to come leaving my wife and I in the 2 bedroom Haven? Right now the ship is fairly booked with no owner suites, no 2 bedrooms just an aft penthouse suites and a maybe a penthouse balcony. Only way I'd move is up to an owners suite but they are not available. Do you think NCL is going to ask us to move but where could they put us? Could they force a move?

 

Thanks

When we sailed in the Haven on the Pearl and the majority of the two bedrooms had only two people. I think there was one stateroom with a child and one with a teenager. The grand villas had extended families but all other rooms were two person occupancy. I used the extra bedroom and bathroom to get ready if husband was sleeping. Also used to store luggage, coats and dirty clothes bag. Have fun.

Do you see any on the Jade May, 2015? Also with kids sail free is it just 3rd + that are under 17 or can it include any 3rd and 4th passenger even if they are an adult?

Thank you for the review. I love the detail and appreciate the detail of port reviews and costs. We are planning the 14 night next year.

I've been watching the prices of this cruise, past prices and also the prices just before sail for this year to get some sort of indication.

From everything I've read it looks like you can get a price adjust up until final payment due and a potential room upgrade after final pmt due date if price drops. I went ahead and booked a couple weeks ago.

There is always a chance it could go down but from what I've seen prices only go up unless perhaps you are looking a very last min which is hard to do with airfare to Europe.

The price I paid was a few hundred less than NCL by going thru a big box TA and the insurance was less and better plan thru big box ta as well.

At first I was going to book least expensive room on ship but decided to book a room I knew we would be ok with should I not be able to upgrade. Good luck planning.

We have sailed Carnival, Royal and NCL. Sometimes I wonder if it's the ship and region you are traveling to that makes a big difference in people's opinions.

Our first cruise was on Carnival. The ship was beautiful and our room was wonderful. We had a wrap around suite in the back of the ship and our kids had an aft balcony connecting. That said the experience was awful. Husband and both kids got norovirus, the loud blare of announcements, and the need to dress up for dinner and formal dinners in order to eat food that I would send back at any land restaurant. We could not wait to get off and my husband said that was it for cruises.

Second cruise was on Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas during Christmas with a large group of extended family. Food was better, and we ate at a specialty restaurant that was incredible. The main dining room, while better than Carnival was similar to the main dining experience on NCL. My husband resented being on vacation and needing to wear a suit and tie in the Caribbean while on vacation. He equated it to a three star dining experience that is dressed up in pomp and circumstance. We paid several thousand dollars more for this cruise than we did for the Carnival and were no more able to score pool chairs on this ship than we were on Carnival. His biggest gripe was the uncomfortable beds and bedding. Our cabin steward gave one flat pillow per person and would not give us an extra. He told us to go buy a pillow if we wanted one in one of the ports. We also noted the sales pitches around every corner and loudspeaker. Husband at this point swore off cruising altogether and thought it insanity that anyone would consent to cruising as a vacation form.

Enter NCL last summer aboard the Pearl to Alaska. I booked us a Haven two bedroom suite and it was the most relaxing vacation either of us had ever experienced. There was not even a remote comparison to the first two cruises. He would do this type of vacation every year. The food in Cagney's and the French restaurant surpassed anything we had on RCI or Carnival. Regular dining rooms and buffet had the same quality we experienced on RCI, including the masses in the buffet venues. The bonus was not needing to wear a suit and tie while on vacation and feeling just as welcome. Some people are dressed up, some not and both were just as welcome. We have found that Freestyle fits us.

The staff appeared much happier on NCL and were having fun. I would see them in port towns goofing off and doing the same things the tourists were doing, making me feel better about the long hours they work.

Now you might think I am comparing Apples to oranges but cost wise our Haven suite was less than our RCI vacation. Cost aside I loved the trip so much that I booked the same ship and same itinerary, same year, end of August last year and returned with my 18 year-old daughter and sailed with her in a guarantee inside cabin. She and I had just as much fun. We dressed up for most dinners, participated in all the activities we could and met new friends. We were treated just as well and had a blast. We even ate dinner with the officers. I thought the first time around that we were given special treatment for sailing in the Haven but we were treated equally well when we sailed in the least expensive cabin. Our beds were very comfortable, more so than my bed at home. I loved the crisp clean sheets and pillows.

We enjoyed it so much that we are now booked for a two week cruise on the Jade in the Mediterranean. To be honest I don't know if I would try another line unless the price was just too good to pass up or the itinerary was a must.

I hope you have fun whatever you choose, and realize everyone has their own opinions. Seems like many others like RCI better and perhaps you are among this group. Fun to try other lines to decide where you fit in most comfortably but not so much fun to spend your hard earned $ and vacation time on a trip that you don't enjoy. I think a five day sail on a inexpensive repositioning cruise may be a good test for a new line.

Congrats on the upgrade. You will love the haven. We made good use of the hot tub in the courtyard on the sister ship pearl. Make sure you rinse out your suit as the chlorine will eat it up. I wish I had brought a swim cap to protect my hair when using hot tubs and the spa.

I love music and brought a little ihome radio so I could listen to my iTunes. Very relaxing to sit in that master bath tub and watch the sea/listen to my own music.

I asked my butler to switch out the sparkling wine upon embarkation for some Pellegrini.

Don't try to add water to the lavisio espresso machine. Let your butler do it. I messed mine up then had to wait for him to fix it. Those espressos are very addictive.

We are sailing the Jade 14 day may 2, 2015 no suite though. Hope you post a detailed review of your trip. Not a whole lot on here about the jade.

Have fun!

Thank you. I ended up changing cabin type and booking as one reservation, one 14 nt cruise. I did get in writing from TA that I can cancel Italian should I need to up to final pmt. If she only does half the trip it will still cost less than booking two separate cruises. Here's hoping I made the right choice. TA recommended I do it this way.

I will advise Italian to purchase travel ins thru an Italian TA for health emergencies but I don't think I'll be due any type of refund should she cancel after final pmt. I'm sure she'll have decided by then.

i think California Traveler has already started a roll car for the 2 May trip

Sounds good. Just finished booking. Decided against the inside stateroom money saving idea. Got a little claustrophobic thinking of four of us in a room. The insurance plan did not cover the Italian.

Ended up booking one 14 nt vs two 7 nights. Quite a savings and one booking vs. two separate cruises.

kim. my wife and i are booked on 14 night Jade cruise May 2015. booking 14 night is cheaper and if u book 9 months in advance u can get on board credit. travel insurance is based on total price of vacation, and not the number of nights so when u add up the cruise airfare and hotel, thats is what travel insurance would be based on

Thanks. We will be on the may 2nd departure. One daughter is studying abroad in florence for the year. Other daughter and I are flying over a few days prior. I purchased everyone's airfare today. Got the last few award flights and this far out! Airlines are sure getting stingy with award travel.

We will be sailing inside stateroom with three or four. Will defin be purchasing spa passes. The cost was just too much for a suite or balcony. I'm hoping prices will come down but if not I think we will do fine in an inside.

Husband and I sailed on sister ship, pearl, last yr in haven and loved it. Daughter and I did exact same cruise last summer in an inside/last min and we had just as much fun/felt almost as pampered. Now four girls may be tough but we decided better to do 14 days inside vs. seven in a suite for more $. Here's hoping that rate is still avail in the morning.

Just getting ready to book 14nt cruise on jade. It can be booked separately as two different 7nt cruises or as one 14nt cruise. There will be three of us on both legs all from the us. My cousin may be joining us for one leg or both or perhaps none. She is an Italian citizen. The cruise is not until next summer but only two staterooms left in cat I'm looking at so will probably purchase tomorrow.

Should I book the 14 nt cruise for all four of us and then potentially cancel one or both portions for Italian? Booking the 14 nt cruise is $200 less than booking two separate cruises.

Should I book two separate 7nt; each with four passengers and then potentially drop Italian from one or both legs (good possibility she will only do a seven nt)

Insurance wise will I need to purchase two separate policies for two cruises if I book back to back (plan on booking thru big box ta for cheaper ins)

I'll also ask ta but not sure how knowledgable they are. Some people on these boards have an immense wealth of knowledge so thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks, Kim

If you can book an interior cabin in the aft area of decks 9 or 10, you'll have a very short walk to the ship's aft balcony area (and hot tub on deck 10). There are many scenic ports but it is also very easy to find someplace to sit or stand and enjoy the view. The ship never feels crowded in public spaces.

 

As for tours, the cheapest is to plan all your own of course, and the de facto standard is Rick Steves' "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" book. An option you might consider is booking your port tours through a website called Cruising Excursions. My family booked a combo package that included full-day tours in every port that worked out considerably cheaper than NCL tours. The tours were great and we always made it back to the ship in time without any stress. However, since there is so much to see and do, you never quite feel like you have enough time to see everything!

Thank you. And thank you for posting your experiences. Very helpful.

Did it through NCL, can be done on the ship, your luggage is taken off according to your flight time. We were scheduled to get off the ship at 7 AM for an 11:50 AM flight, and people who had flights before 11AM were given a 6:30 debarking time. We got off at 7:30, our luggage was waiting for us, and the 25 minute bus ride got us there right about 8:30 AM. I believe the cost was $30 each, same as the airport to hotel and hotel to ship before the cruise.

Thank you so much. Trying to decide cost of TA on Epic vs. flying directly to departure port in Venice.

Would love to hear your opinions on ports visited and cost. I would love to book a suite or balcony but cost is so much more so will probably do an inside and have more in budget for port excursions and longer cruise.

Thank you for your review. Did you arrange transportation from port to airport through NCL? Do you remember how much transportation to airport was?

Husband and I sailed last spring in the Haven on the Pearl to Alaska. We loved it and it was one the best vacations we've had. Last aug, on a last min whim I booked a guarantee inside stateroom for 18 yr old daughter and I on the same ship. She and I had just as much fun. I purchased us spa passes and we made good use of them. We participated in all the activities we could, ate dinner with the officers, met new friends, went on hikes with cruise staff and new friends... Simply had a blast. Our room steward was just as good as our Haven steward. We also asked to eat with others at meals and had a great time with that as well. Our bed was just as comfortable. We got lucky and had an aft inside on deck 10. My daughter said our stateroom was much nicer than her dorm room and someone cleaned it a few times a day.

I don't think my husband would have liked it but we had a blast, made it even better that we booked at an insanely low price, booked four days prior to sail. We paid more than times as much for the haven suite.

We have done both the itineraries and just repeated the Greek Isles last week. You probably guessed we preferred the Greek Isles. I found the Greek ports so beautiful. This is not to say we did not enjoy the ports on the other itinerary there is just something about Greece that stole our hearts. Watch one sunset in Santorini and you will know what I mean.

Thank you. Would love to hear about your trip. Do you plan on writing a review?

Planning a trip for next spring. Looking at the Jade 4/25/15 or 5/2/15. 4/25 visits Venice, Dubrovnik, Athens/Piraeus, Kusadasi, Split. The 5/2 sailing visits Corfu, Thira/Santorini, Mykonos, Katakolon.

Looking for opinions from those who have done both and if they liked one better than the other/why. Thank you.

I really enjoyed your epic reviews. Our daughter will be studying in Italy next year and I'm in the beginning stages of planning European cruise next spring after she's done with school.

Would love to read about your comparisons of the cruise lines.

I am leaning toward the NCL Jade for itinerary vs Epic.

Your previous reviews are wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to write them.