Norwegian Jade - a Good Decision?

[meracq333]

We are a mid fifties couple who have booked Norwegian Jade July 12-26, 2014 - Venice to Venice. I wished I had researched Cruise Critic prior to committment but alas, we are sailing in less than 1 month and the cancellation penalty is too steep to consider. Many negative reviews are out there in relation to tacky cabins/decor; substandard food and entertainment and very crowded pool area.

 

Can anyone offer some real insight which might allay our concerns?

[garycarla]

I also believe if you read enough here you will find LOTS of folks that have enjoyed their trip and many that are on the Jade for a repeat cruise.

 

Every cruise has it's share of very unhappy cruisers.

Another group that are unhappy.

Some that could care less

Some that loved it.

 

etc etc

 

You might want to check over on the ROLL CALL for your cruise. It appears active. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1783812

[meracq333]

Thank you so much for your reply. This is helpful. I will check the Roll Call as you suggest.

[KeithJenner]

I know there is a tendency to focus on the negative reviews, but just looking at the last 8 reviews on cruise critic (since it moved to the Venice round trips), and they are as follows:

 

1 Two star

1 Four star

5 Five star

1 Five star plus

 

The two star review was from someone who had their wallet stolen and wasn't happy with how NCL dealt with it.

 

The front page of the reviews doesn't look good because there are 8 in a row which give two or three star reviews. I believe most of them complained about the food, and this run of poor reviews does stand out a little compared to the rest of the reviews. Perhaps there were some issues for a few weeks, but the latest reviews would suggest that things may have improved.

 

Just as an example, I sailed on the Spirit recently and there was a flurry of reviews that slated the food in the MDRs on that ship. However, when we got onboard we found the food to be absolutely fine.

 

Go with a positive attitude and you will be fine, I'm sure. Certainly don't make the mistake of going with negative feelings based on the opinions of strangers from the internet.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cruising Golfer]

I have found that if you read the reviews, you must really read carefully, because some people just want to find something wrong!!!:confused:

We have over 15 cruises under our belts and have never had one that I would give a bad review to...

Don't care about decor or age of the ship. (I'm on vacation):D

Food is the subject that I feel gets the most varied reviews, you can't please everyone.

We are booked on the Jade for May 2015 and I have looked at more than my share of reviews (not just cruise critic) and I can't wait to go.

So just relax and have a good time, nothing is perfect, go with an open mind and a good mind set... You will be fine!!!:cool:

[meracq333]

Thank you all for your very helpful comments and inspiration. It is great advice and this helps to start our vacation with a positive spirit and open mind.

[june123]

my husband and i were on the jade in april and had a fantastic cruise .

the ship was very clean , staff were very friendly and the food was very good . in fact we didn`t bother going to any paid venues as the food was so good in the main dinning room . take these bad reviews with a pinch of salt . have a good cruise . xx

[meracq333]

Thank you June123. That is reassuring. May I ask what kind of stateroom you had? We took a balcony which appears to be average size when compared to other cruises we've been on (Celebrity 2x and Holland America). Were you satisfied with the cabin?

[Excitedcruiser2012]

We were on the Jade from Venice last year on an 8 night cruise. We enjoyed it so much we have booked the same cruise as yourselves this year. We go on holiday to enjoy ourselves. Yes there will be little things we don't like and it will not be perfect but we will not let little things spoil it. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[no port @ dfw]

We are on your cruise as well. As you can see from our signature, we are very pleased with NCL and the Jade class of ships. As others have said, it all depends on your expectations and whether you are reading posts from someone who would complain if they were "hung with a new rope." You will have a good cruise if that is what you want to do. By the same token you can have a miserable cruise if you like to find things to complain about. Our expectations are that nothing is going to be perfect, but nothing is going to be completely horrible. We gravitate to those things that work and avoid those things that annoy us. One of the reasons we sail the Jade/Dawn class of ships are that they are large enough and have enough different things to do/eat to be able to easily avoid any annoyances, yet not too large to be overwhelming.

Edited June 12, 2014 by no port @ dfw

[Doc P]

We are on the same cruise and signed on because of the itinerary and the fact that we sailed on her sister ship last year. It is a lovely design, not too big, not too small. We found food in the two large dining rooms to be be perfectly adequate to very good depending on your menu choice. The free style dining is terrific and there are signs throughout the ship that shows wait times for the various restaurants.

 

Interestingly enough the ship was chosen on CC as one of the best value ships but I must admit that food is generally the lowest rated category on the readers' ratings. This concerned me as well so I called NCL. I am not so naive to believe that they will revamp the menu and start improving the food quality on my letter one month before sailing but at least I felt good speaking to someone about my concerns.

 

By the way, the pool area does get crowded at days at sea but the ship has many quiet deck areas that were always available for those who like to read and maybe even nap.

 

Go with a good attitude, you will love the ship and the staff.

[AF-1]

I'm booked on Jade next year. My wife and I will hve fun regardless of any 1-2 star reviews. Don't worry, be happy

[Winnigirl]

It's been several years since we were on the Jade. It was it's first Med cruise after coming from Hawaii, so at the time it was kind of wacky seeing King Kamahmaha sailing around the Mediterranean - I'm sure they've changed the décor since then. It was no big deal but I can remember one really miserable woman (we always seemed to run into her) that complained non-stop about it. I'm sure if you read any review of hers it would be full of complaints. Other than that I remember it fondly as one of our favourite cruises. The food was particularly good and our cabin was clean and comfortable. I particularly remember a lovely girl from Jamaica who gave me one of the best pedicures I ever had. If you start reading too many reviews you'll drive yourself crazy - and you'll find a pattern. Those with negative reviews are usually basing it on something personal that happened to them. I honestly cannot remember one bad thing about our cruise on the Jade. Stop reading negative reviews and start thinking about all the fantastic things you are going to see. Sailing into Venice is a never-to-be-forgotten experience!

[judipa]

I have found that if you read the reviews, you must really read carefully, because some people just want to find something wrong!!!:confused:

We have over 15 cruises under our belts and have never had one that I would give a bad review to...

Don't care about decor or age of the ship. (I'm on vacation):D

Food is the subject that I feel gets the most varied reviews, you can't please everyone.

We are booked on the Jade for May 2015 and I have looked at more than my share of reviews (not just cruise critic) and I can't wait to go.

So just relax and have a good time, nothing is perfect, go with an open mind and a good mind set... You will be fine!!!:cool:

 

 

My friends and I will see you next year! We are going on the Jade 5/9 for 2 weeks. There are so far 7 of us- see you then!

[dalgirl]

We have sailed on Jade twice - one of those times was Venice to Venice. Honestly the Jade is not my favorite NCL ship or my least favorite. It is a good size for that itinerary, is in fairly good shape, and is a comfortable ship. The sail away from Venice is Spectacular - get your camera ready! and, of course, the crew is one of the best. It does not have all the bells and whistles that the newer, larger ships have but you will have a great cruise. I would not hesitate to sail on Jade again.

[Ilovesailing]

We are a mid fifties couple who have booked Norwegian Jade July 12-26, 2014 - Venice to Venice. I wished I had researched Cruise Critic prior to committment but alas, we are sailing in less than 1 month and the cancellation penalty is too steep to consider. Many negative reviews are out there in relation to tacky cabins/decor; substandard food and entertainment and very crowded pool area.

 

Can anyone offer some real insight which might allay our concerns?

 

Do the math, ship holds 2400 pax a week xs 52 weeks = 125K of pax and your reading 1 or 2 negative reviews a week.

 

We have sailed this ship twice and both times b2b with NO complaints. The Jade is a beautiful ship Hawaii themed. One of the cruises was Venice in 2012 amazing cruise and an amazing sail away through the canal.

 

Just go and enjoy!

[SteveH2508]

This is turning into a roll call for the July 12th sailing (us as well)!

 

From my sig. block you can see that we like the Jade a lot (Christmas cruise booked as well).

 

As for the food 'issues' - we have only had one part of a meal we couldn't eat due to oversalting (lamb chops in Moderno). Never had a problem with temperature of the food (just relating our experiences - not saying that others' experiences are not valid).

 

Decor is fine IMHO - entertainment is very good - pool areas are always crowded.

[june123]

Thank you June123. That is reassuring. May I ask what kind of stateroom you had? We took a balcony which appears to be average size when compared to other cruises we've been on (Celebrity 2x and Holland America). Were you satisfied with the cabin?

 

yes we had a balcony cabin . plenty of room for the two of us xx

[meatball_nyc]

My sister, her husband and daughter are going next year.

Wish I could do the airplane part and join them :(

Happy Sailing!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[Mrs Shell]

My daughter and I were on the Jade in March this year. We had an inside room on deck 11. First time on a cruise and absolutely loved it. Any food you don't have to prepare yourself is good food!! All the staff were great. I miss that ship and hope to sail on her again before she heads back to America.

 

 

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[meltingmoments]

Oh you've definitely made a good choice!! We've only done 3 NCL sailings....the Sky, the Epic and the Jade and the Jade is definitely my favourite so far! The crew were fantastic, the entertainment is good and we had absolutely NO complaints about the food.

 

If you would like to read a positive review......I HOPE I've attached a link for you to read mine!! :o

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1900370&highlight=it+was+all+greek+to+me

Edited June 12, 2014 by meltingmoments
Technophobe!! :(

[LadyStone50]

We will be on the Jade in 2015 and the roll call board has been amazing! Lots of people doing a repeat sailing (which is a great recommendation of the ship and its itinerary in itself). We cruise often - and I am a compulsive vacation planner. I have found my rival in planning on the roll call board and we have scheduled several private tours together. We are very excited and are looking forward to hearing about your experience once you get back. Please post a review of your trip!

[herdingdogmom]

We have sailed on the Jade twice. We sailed on the Star and Dawn in between Jade trips and thought the Jade was in better shape and has much better public spaces such as the forward spinnaker lounge, the great outdoors off the café and the spa forward is well worth a spa pass.

 

In March, we were in a mini suite which has a bit more room between the bed and the balcony. The location of the minis on deck 11 is very convenient.

 

The Hawaiian décor is still all over the ship, but it is toned down a bit from our first sailing in 2011. The main dining room still has the King Kamehameha statue. Le Bistro is a very nice setting with Hawaiian art throughout.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Stillfloatin']

Four years ago we did back to backs on the Jade. 9 days Moracco and Canary Islands and 7 days western med. We really enjoyed both cruises. Great staff, good food, plenty of entertainment, and a wonderful ship layout. As you can see, we will be sailing her again for a 14 day Greece & Adriatic cruise next year. Don't worry, bring a happy frame of mind and you will love your cruise.

[OceanDreaming2]

While we have not been on the Jade, I can assure you the Hotel Director - Jean Michel - will do his very best to make this the best possible cruise for you. Make sure you attend the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. Enjoy the Jade!