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Just Back From Norwegian Jade February 20-27 Cruise! Review

C. Anne

By C. Anne,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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C. Anne

C. Anne

Posted
Posted (edited)

Here is the start of my review of the most wonderful cruise we have been on. We love to cruise and have been happy with Carnival and Royal, but we didn't know what we were missing and part of the reason the cruise was so wonderful was the way the crew interacted with the guests all week. The decor was more tasteful than Carnival and overall there were more activities going on throughout the day and night than on other cruises we have been on. Also, the shows were better than any others we have seen on other boats.

 

Today I will share about each day at sea, the food, kids' program, activities, etc.. Later on I will post more about the ports, which were all great.

 

Day 1 - left from Port of Houston. The trip included my husband and I and our two younger kids - 9 and 13. It was very easy to get on, terminal wasn't crowded, and the port workers were friendly. Once on at about noon, we went to our cabin, which was ready, but luggage wasn't delivered until about 4 PM, so I would suggest you pack swim suits in a carry on if you think you might utilize the pool or hot tub that afternoon. We headed to Grand Pacific, one of the main dining rooms for lunch and had sliders, shrimp burgers, watermelon with feta and mint, and I can't remember what else. It was all delicious, except the shrimp burger was a little plain. We then walked around the ship, registered the kids for the club, went to the pool, dinner, and the first night welcome show.

 

Day 2 - 1st day at sea was a beautiful sunny day. It could not have been more beautiful. Besides enjoying the top deck above the pool, swimming, and hot tub, the 4 of us played a pretty long and intense game of shuffleboard on the side deck outside of the atrium. This was one of the highlights of the week. The day was wonderful.

 

Day3, 4, and 5 were in ports. I will talk more later about Day 6 & 7.

 

Shows - The duo acrobat performers (a married couple) performed an amazing show something similar to Cirque du Soleil using silks, rings, etc. It was the best show to me. On other nights, there was a magician and his wife - Cripton and Renata. They were also very entertaining. Wednesday night we got to hear a great comedian and it was so refreshing that he was family friendly, but still hilarious. Thursday night was an act combining the dancers, acrobats, and magician in an incredible show called Elements. Friday was Tenor of Rock, a group of 4 men that were on America's Got Talent and have performed in Las Vegas. All the shows were impressive - the best we have seen on any cruise.

 

The food was just as good and sometimes better than Carnival and Royal.

 

I will write more later on the food, activities, kids' program, and ports.

 

If anyone has questions about UBP promo, please ask. We never waited long for a drink. They were very friendly everywhere. Some bars made better drinks than others.

 

If anyone has specific questions, please let me know.

 

Sorry Roll Call that we didn't show up for the meet and greet. Hope you all had an amazing cruise.

 

C. Anne

Edited by C. Anne
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dporter

dporter

Posted
Posted
C. Anne you are off to a great start.

 

Out of curiosity did you drive and park and if so what is the parking like near the terminal or did you arrive some other way?

 

Keith

 

Hi Keith,

 

We sailed Jan 16 on the Jade and drove down from Dallas. Parking was so easy! You can prepay for $75 which is what we did. You drive around and drop your luggage. Then you go and park. It is very close, a very large parking lot. Porters were great.

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DMH15

DMH15

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Posted (edited)
Hi Keith,

 

 

 

We sailed Jan 16 on the Jade and drove down from Dallas. Parking was so easy! You can prepay for $75 which is what we did. You drive around and drop your luggage. Then you go and park. It is very close, a very large parking lot. Porters were great.

 

 

Hi, C. Anne. I am from Dallas too, (I live downtown). I cruised NCL Jewel out of Houston April 2015 and was booked on Jade for Feb 2017 when NCL redeployed. Switched to Jade out of Tampa, same week. I am so bummed NCL pulled out of Texas. It really is not a bad drive. I had to fly because of work timing conflicts. The short flight was a sweet option too.

Edited by DMH15
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pspercy

pspercy

Posted
Posted (edited)
C. Anne you are off to a great start.

 

Out of curiosity did you drive and park and if so what is the parking like near the terminal or did you arrive some other way?

 

Keith

 

We prepaid parking, it'd be nice if they had a separate line for those that prepaid but it went well, no hassles. Only gripe is that the signposting on hwy 146 to the terminal is not very good, especially coming from the south.

http://www.portofhouston.com/cruise-information/

I'll add we tried Jade last December for our first NCL trip and were very happy with it:)

It's a shame they're not coming back:mad:

Edited by pspercy
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zdupell

zdupell

Posted
Posted
Here is the start of my review of the most wonderful cruise we have been on. We love to cruise and have been happy with Carnival and Royal, but we didn't know what we were missing and part of the reason the cruise was so wonderful was the way the crew interacted with the guests all week. The decor was more tasteful than Carnival and overall there were more activities going on throughout the day and night than on other cruises we have been on. Also, the shows were better than any others we have seen on other boats.

 

Today I will share about each day at sea, the food, kids' program, activities, etc.. Later on I will post more about the ports, which were all great.

 

Day 1 - left from Port of Houston. The trip included my husband and I and our two younger kids - 9 and 13. It was very easy to get on, terminal wasn't crowded, and the port workers were friendly. Once on at about noon, we went to our cabin, which was ready, but luggage wasn't delivered until about 4 PM, so I would suggest you pack swim suits in a carry on if you think you might utilize the pool or hot tub that afternoon. We headed to Grand Pacific, one of the main dining rooms for lunch and had sliders, shrimp burgers, watermelon with feta and mint, and I can't remember what else. It was all delicious, except the shrimp burger was a little plain. We then walked around the ship, registered the kids for the club, went to the pool, dinner, and the first night welcome show.

 

Day 2 - 1st day at sea was a beautiful sunny day. It could not have been more beautiful. Besides enjoying the top deck above the pool, swimming, and hot tub, the 4 of us played a pretty long and intense game of shuffleboard on the side deck outside of the atrium. This was one of the highlights of the week. The day was wonderful.

 

Day3, 4, and 5 were in ports. I will talk more later about Day 6 & 7.

 

Shows - The duo acrobat performers (a married couple) performed an amazing show something similar to Cirque du Soleil using silks, rings, etc. It was the best show to me. On other nights, there was a magician and his wife - Cripton and Renata. They were also very entertaining. Wednesday night we got to hear a great comedian and it was so refreshing that he was family friendly, but still hilarious. Thursday night was an act combining the dancers, acrobats, and magician in an incredible show called Elements. Friday was Tenor of Rock, a group of 4 men that were on America's Got Talent and have performed in Las Vegas. All the shows were impressive - the best we have seen on any cruise.

 

The food was just as good and sometimes better than Carnival and Royal.

 

I will write more later on the food, activities, kids' program, and ports.

 

If anyone has questions about UBP promo, please ask. We never waited long for a drink. They were very friendly everywhere. Some bars made better drinks than others.

 

If anyone has specific questions, please let me know.

 

Sorry Roll Call that we didn't show up for the meet and greet. Hope you all had an amazing cruise.

 

C. Anne

 

Were you able to get more than one drink at a time?

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mommie_2_3_krazy_teens

mommie_2_3_krazy_teens

Posted
Posted
Hi Keith,

 

We sailed Jan 16 on the Jade and drove down from Dallas. Parking was so easy! You can prepay for $75 which is what we did. You drive around and drop your luggage. Then you go and park. It is very close, a very large parking lot. Porters were great.

 

Am curious how long the drive from Dallas to the port was for you? Trying to plan our drive as we will arrive in Dallas on Friday, and will leave for Houston port on Saturday morning. Thanks for your help!

 

And while I have your (or anyone's) attention...what time does the earliest or suite boarding begin on Saturday?

 

Thanks!

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dporter

dporter

Posted
Posted
Am curious how long the drive from Dallas to the port was for you? Trying to plan our drive as we will arrive in Dallas on Friday, and will leave for Houston port on Saturday morning. Thanks for your help!

 

And while I have your (or anyone's) attention...what time does the earliest or suite boarding begin on Saturday?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Amy,

 

It took us about 4 hours to drive from Dallas to the Houston port area but we did leave Friday morning and spent the night near the port. We have a lot of freeway/highway construction in Dallas right now so I would give yourself extra time.

 

We got to the port about 10am and even with a Haven suite we didn't board until 11 or little after. There was a quieter suite waiting area with refreshments which was nice. They then escorted us on and to the Star Bar where we waited for Cagneys to be ready to serve lunch for suite guests. You can drop carry on in your cabin before lunch if you want to, we didn't really carry much since it was cool and we knew pool time that day wasn't happening.

 

Dawnelle

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Linda the Book Lover

Linda the Book Lover

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Thanks Dawnelle for the embarkation possible time. This time I was asked what time I planned to get to the port and I was given a time of 10-10:30 for check -in. This was new but I thought what the hey. At least it sounds like a possibility of boarding around 11ish. I only care about lunch and my first UBP cocktail in Cagneys. LOL

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  • 3 weeks later...
xelem3

xelem3

Posted
Posted (edited)
C. Anne you are off to a great start.

 

Out of curiosity did you drive and park and if so what is the parking like near the terminal or did you arrive some other way?

 

Keith

 

Parking is easily assessed from the port. It is directly across the street. You drop off the luggage and go park. The fee is $75 and can be booked online. It is very easy to get to, but it is not covered. We are not going to be able to park this time because we are doing the transatlantic and won't be returning.

Edited by xelem3
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