Any tips for Western Europe on Jade?

[tinyterrorsma]

Booking for summer 2017. Does it sail close enough to land to make a balcony worth it?

 

Other tips? Never been in NCL.

 

 

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[King of Cruising]

A balcony is a must, IMHO.:) If this is the Greek Island cruise, then you must be able to sit and have a cocktail as you sail into Santorini!!!:D Take the bus to Oia and have a meal and enjoy the view... Have a great time. :cool:

Edited June 4, 2016 by King of Cruising

[atomax]

We did the W. Med on the Jade last year. The ship sails away from land pretty quickly, so IMO, you get just as much view from public decks as you would on your own private balcony. We had an obstructed window, but since the ports are so close together and the ship sails into port pretty early, we usually missed the "sail-in." We would eat breakfast in the buffets and grab a table outside (Garden Cafe) to enjoy the view. But if this is your first cruise, a balcony can be great, but spoil you for future cruises... I personally would rather take the extra money between an Inside or Outside vs. a Balcony and spend it on excursions off the ship.

 

Definitely make sure to join your Roll Call here and see what other people on your sailing are planning with regards to excursions. Private excursions (independent tour guides) are always cheaper than excursions sold by NCL. There are pros and cons of private vs. NCL excursions, depending on your risk aversion. We have never done an NCL excursion because they are usually so expensive and the groups are so big. Perhaps try one of each to get a feel for what suits you better. If your Roll Call doesn't have a lot of people doing their own thing, let me know, and I can give you the names of the private tour groups we used, because they were all outstanding.

 

Also check out the Ports of Call boards here as well for information about specific ports. And make sure you go to your Meet & Greet on the ship because it's a great way to meet people. The Jade is a good size ship, not too big and not too small, but it's always nice to have a couple of familiar faces to say hi to in the dining room or buffet. We met one woman on our first day that we ran into at almost every port; it was nice to chat with her for a couple of minutes and see how things were going (she was also a newbie).

[tinyterrorsma]

It's Southampton, Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris.

 

 

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[Capsu78]

Why, yes, Tiny...That would be different calculus than the Greek Isles. I don't think any of those ports can trump a water departure from Venice, so you may want to consider something less than a balcony.

[Turtles06]

It's Southampton, Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris.

 

 

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You certainly won't be sailing into Paris. (Probably not Brussels either, but I'll let others reply on that.) :)

 

I love having a balcony so I can sit and look at the water, and start and end my day there. Sailns and sailaways are a bonus, though typically the best views are on a high deck where you are not limited to just seeing off one side of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise!