Few Jade Thoughts

[roger001]

Just off the Jade.  We've been booking the SF suites for the last half dozen or so cruises.  We do enjoy the location and view off the balcony.   I think we are kinda burning out on the suite experience though.  We just don't use all that is offered.   The suite prices seem to be going up and up and not worth the difference to us anymore. 

 

On this cruise, first...the Jade crew were the usual wonderful NCL crew that we always found on every ship.  They were great.  They really act like they are family with each other.  We hung out at Magnums, the whiskey bar down on deck 6.  We were on the Dawn last and I though the bar tenders there on the Dawn were fantastic.  I gotta tell you, the four bartenders and a couple of servers there on the Jade might have been even better.   They obviously really liked each other and were fantastic making the drinks.  And the guy we settled on poured heavy for us.  But then with a drink package who cares.  Just get more. 

 

And for suite service, our butler Pedro was a super nice guy and always ready to help, always bringing too many afternoon snacks that I didn't need...but kept munching on anyhow.  The concierge Bruno we never saw except once up the suite breakfast location. He wasn't even at the check in lounge when boarding.  That was handled, including escorting onto the ship, by other NCL employees.   But, not really his fault.   For the entire ship Bruno is the only concierge, no assistants or anything.   Poor guy has responsibility for all suite services on the ship.  He is spread way too thin.  If you are Platinum looking for concierge service, I wouldn't count on it.  However, Bruno did provide contact info and would have helped us had we requested.  We don't ever need anything though. 

 

For us, the suite restaurant breakfasts didn't measure up this time.  We went up first two mornings and both times the orders were either mixed up or cooked wrong or both.   However, the staff were wonderful as usual and would have been happy to get us another order.  Didn't want to wait for that though and just ate what we got.  We hit the Great Outdoors after that.  But again, think we are just burning out on those suite breakfasts a bit anyhow.   

 

Other thing, we had a bunch of non refundable on board credit which I was going to use to give vouchers to the three persons serving the suite.  Have done this before.  Went to service desk, said what I needed (three vouchers), he said can't do, must wait until last day and then fill out a large form he got from the back office.   I said no, little easy forms in your desk there.  He said no, don't use those anymore.  I left, came back later, another guy.  Told him what I needed, he said sure, pulled little forms out of desk, filled them out, gave me a copy.  Worked great.  Told the first guy later when I saw him.  He still said no, it wouldn't work.   It worked fine. So if you know you're right don't give up.  Check with someone else. 

 

I had the WiFi promo and the other Platinum Plus WiFi.  I had a mess signing on and off.  Twice it stayed on line and used up most of the minutes.  However, the internet manager was a super guy, restored my minutes both times.   We both scratched out heads trying to figure out what was causing it.  He did say you occasionally had to sign out twice to get it to hang up finally.  First three days the WiFi was really slow.  Coming back it was very good.  Internet manager said the Jade had been upgraded but ship's position and cloud cover affected it quite a bit.  

 

We thought the food at the various places we ate was just fine.  Staff were great and service really good.  Something for everyone on the ship.  Ship pizza will never be gourmet, but the buffet pizza was actually the best we've had on a ship.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it...unless I think of something else.   

 

Here's some Great Outdoors (love those omelets), O'Shehans,  Butler snack partially eaten already, and Osso Bucco also munched on already.  

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2019 by roger001

[Pauser]

Thanks so much for posting! We sail on the Jade in 11 days and can't wait! Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[kfnesq]

Thank you for posting this!  We are on the Jade 4/1, in an SF (where we have stayed before), so this was particularly relevant to me. I'm a little disappointed about the suite breakfast (it's one of my favorite perks) but I'm sure I will NOT go hungry!

 

Agree with you about the bartenders at Magnum's, last time we were on the Jade, they were amazing as well. I can't wait!

[casofilia]

@roger001

 

Thank you for your post, it is always great to read the latest news.

I don't suppose you know the names of the officers?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[roger001]

5 minutes ago, casofilia said:

@roger001

 

Thank you for your post, it is always great to read the latest news.

I don't suppose you know the names of the officers?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

No. Sure don't.  I looked at the posting of their pictures but don't remember.  The Capt. was a funny guy though during his noon time announcements.  I believe the CD was named Jacky.   Roger

[casofilia]

Thanks

 

Mike

[Aesop081]

Thanks for the review.  Jumping on the Jade in a few weeks.  Good to hear about the bartenders.  Whenever I can hide from the wife I'll probably be there.  It makes such a difference when the crew is a team.  Daughter will be happy to know about the pizza.  Any info on ice cream availability, she keeps pulling up the deck plans and says she can't find the ice cream bar.    

[roger001]

16 minutes ago, Aesop081 said:

Thanks for the review.  Jumping on the Jade in a few weeks.  Good to hear about the bartenders.  Whenever I can hide from the wife I'll probably be there.  It makes such a difference when the crew is a team.  Daughter will be happy to know about the pizza.  Any info on ice cream availability, she keeps pulling up the deck plans and says she can't find the ice cream bar.    

No ice cream bar that I saw.  But was two soft serve machines that were serviced nicely with the three flavor choices, plus syrup, etc.  And the consistency each time I used them (too frequently) was very good.   One was at the entrance to the buffet and the other near the back of the buffet.  

[Aesop081]

3 minutes ago, roger001 said:

No ice cream bar that I saw.  But was two soft serve machines that were serviced nicely with the three flavor choices, plus syrup, etc.  And the consistency each time I used them (too frequently) was very good.   One was at the entrance to the buffet and the other near the back of the buffet.  

I'll pass that on and be a hero for doing so...thanks again.

[casofilia]

@roger001 and @Aesop081

 

But was two soft serve machines that were serviced nicely     We have to try this once a week when on NCL ships!!

 

I'll pass that on and be a hero for doing so..  We try to pass them as often as possible!!!  VBG

 

Mike (& Pauline)

[david_sobe]

Thanks for posting.  Your review is bitter sweet because I was going to sail on this cruise or the following week.  Was this the 5 night cruise from Miami?  Anyway, the government shutdown happened and ended up not booking.  Really wanted to sail a Jewel class ship again and 5 nights the price was right.  So I am living it through your review.  I am with you.  We don't use the haven pool area and feel guilty about it.

On another note, I never had Bruno but have read some bad things about him here.  There is no excuse if you were in a suite to not have met your concierge.  The Jade does not have that many suites and its pure laziness if he did not come around and introduce himself.  That's the pleasure of sailing a non-mega ship.  Even if you never wanted to use his services, he should have made his way to see you.  I hope I am never in a Haven suite with Bruno on board.  The stories I have read about him here are about his poor service even with those staying in the Garden Villas.  I thought he was demoted because of the complaints about him.  The concierge is supposed to greet passengers as they board into the Haven area upon embarkation.  Where was Bruno?   Never heard a concierge to miss embarkation day before especially on a smaller ship like Jade.

Edited February 18, 2019 by david_sobe

[kdmbluerzr]

Thanks for your comments Roger. We sail on the Jade March 1. We'll be spending a lot of time at the Magnums whiskey bar as well as O'Shehan's and Top Siders and...…. love that drink package.  

[Yesimapirate]

I appreciate you taking the time to write this.   However   I was pretty sad to read it.  Had an SF on the Jade in Dec 2018 and booked another one for Oct 2019.  We had a rocky first day but everything was fixed and we had an amazing trip.  The crew were definitely some of the highlights. 

 

Most disappointing to me was reading about the concierge.  We had Effrin on our cruise and he was the complete opposite of what you described.   I literally felt like he was a stalker (and I totally mean that in a good way).  The man was EVERYWHERE.  I'd see him at 7am every morning.   I'd see him at midnight walking the halls to check on guests.  He'd be there when when borded after a shorex.   Completely incredible.

 

Our next trip is Italy and the Greek isles.   So much history and things to do.  I was really looking forward to talking to a concierge just for last minute pointers.   Hopefully Bruno gets some help.

[100th Meridian]

On 2/18/2019 at 9:44 AM, roger001 said:

Just off the Jade.  We've been booking the SF suites for the last half dozen or so cruises.  We do enjoy the location and view off the balcony.   I think we are kinda burning out on the suite experience though.  We just don't use all that is offered.   The suite prices seem to be going up and up and not worth the difference to us anymore. 

 

On this cruise, first...the Jade crew were the usual wonderful NCL crew that we always found on every ship.  They were great.  They really act like they are family with each other.  We hung out at Magnums, the whiskey bar down on deck 6.  We were on the Dawn last and I though the bar tenders there on the Dawn were fantastic.  I gotta tell you, the four bartenders and a couple of servers there on the Jade might have been even better.   They obviously really liked each other and were fantastic making the drinks.  And the guy we settled on poured heavy for us.  But then with a drink package who cares.  Just get more. 

 

And for suite service, our butler Pedro was a super nice guy and always ready to help, always bringing too many afternoon snacks that I didn't need...but kept munching on anyhow.  The concierge Bruno we never saw except once up the suite breakfast location. He wasn't even at the check in lounge when boarding.  That was handled, including escorting onto the ship, by other NCL employees.   But, not really his fault.   For the entire ship Bruno is the only concierge, no assistants or anything.   Poor guy has responsibility for all suite services on the ship.  He is spread way too thin.  If you are Platinum looking for concierge service, I wouldn't count on it.  However, Bruno did provide contact info and would have helped us had we requested.  We don't ever need anything though. 

 

For us, the suite restaurant breakfasts didn't measure up this time.  We went up first two mornings and both times the orders were either mixed up or cooked wrong or both.   However, the staff were wonderful as usual and would have been happy to get us another order.  Didn't want to wait for that though and just ate what we got.  We hit the Great Outdoors after that.  But again, think we are just burning out on those suite breakfasts a bit anyhow.   

 

Other thing, we had a bunch of non refundable on board credit which I was going to use to give vouchers to the three persons serving the suite.  Have done this before.  Went to service desk, said what I needed (three vouchers), he said can't do, must wait until last day and then fill out a large form he got from the back office.   I said no, little easy forms in your desk there.  He said no, don't use those anymore.  I left, came back later, another guy.  Told him what I needed, he said sure, pulled little forms out of desk, filled them out, gave me a copy.  Worked great.  Told the first guy later when I saw him.  He still said no, it wouldn't work.   It worked fine. So if you know you're right don't give up.  Check with someone else. 

 

I had the WiFi promo and the other Platinum Plus WiFi.  I had a mess signing on and off.  Twice it stayed on line and used up most of the minutes.  However, the internet manager was a super guy, restored my minutes both times.   We both scratched out heads trying to figure out what was causing it.  He did say you occasionally had to sign out twice to get it to hang up finally.  First three days the WiFi was really slow.  Coming back it was very good.  Internet manager said the Jade had been upgraded but ship's position and cloud cover affected it quite a bit.  

 

We thought the food at the various places we ate was just fine.  Staff were great and service really good.  Something for everyone on the ship.  Ship pizza will never be gourmet, but the buffet pizza was actually the best we've had on a ship.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it...unless I think of something else.   

 

Here's some Great Outdoors (love those omelets), O'Shehans,  Butler snack partially eaten already, and Osso Bucco also munched on already.  

 

 

 

I was on the Jade 1/24 - 2/1 in a 2BR Family Suite. Had Pedro as Butler and agree...super nice, but brings in too many snacks. Did the suite breakfast a couple of times and had no problems. Enjoyed breakfast in Moderno, was a relaxed atmosphere compared to hectic Great Outdoors (was a bit of a chore finding a table).

 

We had Effrin as a conceirge, and saw him plenty on the cruise. WiFi was slow for us. 

[roger001]

12 minutes ago, 100th Meridian said:

I was on the Jade 1/24 - 2/1 in a 2BR Family Suite. Had Pedro as Butler and agree...super nice, but brings in too many snacks. Did the suite breakfast a couple of times and had no problems. Enjoyed breakfast in Moderno, was a relaxed atmosphere compared to hectic Great Outdoors (was a bit of a chore finding a table).

 

We had Effrin as a conceirge, and saw him plenty on the cruise. WiFi was slow for us. 

The Great Outdoors uses the La Cucina Italian restaurant for overflow seating during the breakfast and lunch hours usually.  Most people don't know about that and it's usually almost empty.  

Edited February 20, 2019 by roger001

[kfnesq]

57 minutes ago, 100th Meridian said:

I was on the Jade 1/24 - 2/1 in a 2BR Family Suite. Had Pedro as Butler and agree...super nice, but brings in too many snacks. Did the suite breakfast a couple of times and had no problems. Enjoyed breakfast in Moderno, was a relaxed atmosphere compared to hectic Great Outdoors (was a bit of a chore finding a table).

 

We had Effrin as a conceirge, and saw him plenty on the cruise. WiFi was slow for us. 

"Too many snacks?"  Is that a thing???  🤣

[njkate]

Thanks for review. My daughter and I are on Jade TA on 04/28 and she talked me out of booking a suite, said balcony room will be just fine for us. Now I'm glad she did as the savings in cabin fare can go towards the port excursions 🙂

I'm surprised though that none of us on this cruise have not received an upgrade invite

[roger001]

50 minutes ago, njkate said:

Thanks for review. My daughter and I are on Jade TA on 04/28 and she talked me out of booking a suite, said balcony room will be just fine for us. Now I'm glad she did as the savings in cabin fare can go towards the port excursions 🙂

I'm surprised though that none of us on this cruise have not received an upgrade invite

On last week's cruise, we had an SF booked.  But I kept getting upgrade invites right into the last week before the cruise left.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 2/18/2019 at 4:18 PM, roger001 said:

No ice cream bar that I saw.  But was two soft serve machines that were serviced nicely with the three flavor choices, plus syrup, etc.  And the consistency each time I used them (too frequently) was very good.   One was at the entrance to the buffet and the other near the back of the buffet.  

we were on Jade in November, and then on Getaway... My DH said that Jade's soft serve was the best ever. And trust me, both of my boys consume their weight's worth in soft serve while cruising.

Getaway's soft serve was always melty and under-frozen, and it wasn't good at all.

[100th Meridian]

3 hours ago, roger001 said:

The Great Outdoors uses the La Cucina Italian restaurant for overflow seating during the breakfast and lunch hours usually.  Most people don't know about that and it's usually almost empty.  

We noticed it. But with three kids, easier to try to stay in main area while at buffet. If we were without the kids, I’d wouldn’t mind going there as an option. Well if it weren’t for the kids, we’d would have eaten daily at Moderno.

[100th Meridian]

2 hours ago, kfnesq said:

"Too many snacks?"  Is that a thing???  🤣

Our butler Pedro kept on bringing these sandwiches we didn’t care for. Even after saying we wanted only some gummy bears/chips/m&m’s as a snack, he still was bringing the sandwiches/fruit in the Suite. After a couple days, we learn just to leave a specific note of what we wanted and that only. Hate wasting food, but didn’t want them to begin with.

Edited February 20, 2019 by 100th Meridian