Live From the Jade, Nov 13 to Dec 21, from Athens to Cape Town

[Ken the cruiser]

We have been waiting almost two years to go on this particular 38-day B2B on the Jade from Athens through the Suez Canal to Dubai, and then along the eastern coast of Africa down to Cape Town. So many places we have only dreamed of seeing!

 

It is going to be an awesome cruise for so many reasons. Here is the itinerary which we also have some pretty cool NCL excursions booked. 

 

 

 
I realize I'm starting this thread a few days earlier than normal, but it's been a long time coming and quite the "stressful" journey at times, especially regarding the COVID-related entrance requirements of Athens, Israel and Dubai. But as of right now, all is looking good as we are up-to-date on our vaccines and boosters. And, hopefully between now and when we board our flight to Athens on Nov 12th, no significant changes will occur.

 

Travel Requirements by Port & Country (ncl.com)

 

With regards to VISA requirements, it's also looking good on that front, with NCL hopefully handling any issues that may pop up as we are booked on NCL sponsored excursions at every port.

 

Required Travel Document and Information For Cruise Vacations (ncl.com)

 

My plan with this thread is to try to share some of our experiences along the way, with one exception. As with my other Live From threads, I have no plans on posting pictures of food. Sorry. But if you enjoy seeing pictures of the shows we'll be seeing on the ship or some of the ancient ruins, wildlife and scenery we will be seeing along the way, I'll try my best.

 

Since this will be our first NCL cruise in quite some time, I will also try to share some of the current differences we may encounter along the way that seem unique to NCL (from our perspective) when compared to some of the other cruise lines we sail with. But please feel free to ask questions along the way as my DW and I enjoy going on what we call Scavenger Hunts as they also help us discover more about areas of the ship we may otherwise miss.

 

But the bottom line is we are planning on having an awesome time on this cruise and if you would like to follow along, please do!

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[CruisinMama2003]

Wow what an itinerary 👏 Im here for it, love your Live reviews! 

 

Have the BEST time! 🥂

[silkismom]

I'll be anxious to hear your comparisons, haven't been on NCL in about 15 yr.

[Alanr204]

Trip of a lifetime!  Looking forward to following along. 

[vacation44]

Wow, what a trip!   Looking forward to reading about it and have a safe sailing.

[Duffysmom]

I’m onboard….

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, silkismom said:

I'll be anxious to hear your comparisons, haven't been on NCL in about 15 yr.

Here are a few differences we've run into so far when comparing to recent Princess and/or Celebrity experiences since cruising started back up.

 

1. You cannot pay the Daily Service Charge (gratuities) with nonrefundable OBC issued from any source. You can either prepay for them online prior to your cruise (with a credit card) or with refundable OBC once onboard. We were originally planning to pay the daily $18.50 pp charge using the nonrefundable OBC our TA gave us for booking the cruise with them. However, when we heard this and contacted her, she was able to change their perk from nonrefundable OBC to issuing us a remate check about 30 days prior to each cruise. 

 

2. We had booked our roundtrip air through NCL, which was super cheap at around $1100 pp. We got the schedule for the flight to Athens about 30 days out and arrive at 2 pm, with 3-hour layovers at the two interim stops. We were quite pleased. However, on our return flight from Cape Town, we were booked in a Delta "Basic Economy" category where according to Delta you get the following:

 

- No seat(s) assigned until after check-in, not together 

- No changes allowed*

- Cancelable for partial eCredit (cancellation charge applies)**

- Last to board & not eligible for upgrades 

- No miles earned; no credit toward SkyMiles Medallion Status***

 

Mind you this is a 16+ hour flight from Cape Town to Atlanta. The main thing that annoyed us was you could not get seats assigned until after check-in. Later we heard you might be able to get seats assigned as early as 7 days prior, but that caveat has not been confirmed.

 

When we called NCL Air to try to get seat assignments, they said to call Delta. So we did and believe it or not, we were able to get our seats assigned and they are together. But we heard a few days later on the Roll Call that other folks on our NCL cruise weren't so lucky. When we told our daughter this a few days ago, she rationalized from her past experiences as a travel agent you can do certain things with an airline ticket within the first 24 hours of being ticketed (e.g., cancel a nonrefundable flight and get a full refund) before it's locked into the rules of the category you booked. She's guessing since we called as soon as we got the flight information, we were still in that 24-hour window. Needless to say, this will be the last time we book our flight reservations through NCL, regardless of the price. Just too much stress knowing we wouldn't be able to sit together on such a long flight.

 

3. You cannot use OBC issued by NCL, to include NCLH shareholder benefits, to pay for excursions booked online prior to the cruise. It's not a big deal, but it's something to be aware of. In our case since we're on B2B 19-day cruises and there are no self-service laundromats on an NCL ship, we'll be using most of our NCL OBC to pay for laundry service. Also learned if you're on a B2B with separate booking numbers, any excess nonrefundable OBC remaining in your account after the first leg will not be automatically transferred to the second leg's account. In other words, use it or lose it.

 

4. When we booked the cruise, one of the NCL perks was a "free" unlimited beverage package. Sounds like a pretty good deal until you realize you have to pay the full gratuities when you book the cruise, which works out to be just under $20 pp/day. Not a bad deal if both of you drink alcohol. However, since my DW only drinks water, which is not included in the unlimited beverage package, that would mean we would be paying almost $40 a day in beverage gratuities for my 1-2 glasses of wine at dinner and my triple Baileys to savor while watching the evening show. Needless to say, I won't be getting glassy-eyed on this cruise. 😂

 

That's some of the differences we've encountered so far in the pre-cruise phase!

Edited November 2, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Lauren Spray]

Yes, of course I will follow along!

 

Have an awesome time!

 

Lauri

[EllieinNJ]

Looking forward to your adventures.

[SplashOfWater]

What a fantastic itinerary! Can't wait for your review.

[stki]

We are also doing these cruises (rebooked since March 2020)

 

Cant wait 🙂

 

 

[jlf1]

Following.  Love your Live Froms.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

This itinerary is very intriguing.  Will be a good read.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

17 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

This itinerary is very intriguing.  Will be a good read.

We’ve been trying to “set foot” on Africa for quite some time, and then COVID hit. Then two years ago my DW was searching for cruise lines we enjoy that visit Africa. During that process, she was totally wowed when she saw this B2B combination. And because she found it early on, we were able to book one of the few aft-facing Club Balcony cabins, which from past experience always provide some great picture taking opportunities, both on the high seas as well as when we sail away from the ports.
 

Up until now we’ve only cruised with NCL once and that was on a 7 day family trip back in 2019 in the Haven on the Getaway. We had a great time, but also found the Haven wasn’t for us nor was a 4000 passenger ship. But when she found the Jade’s capacity was about half that size, that was definitely a big plus! 
 

Bottom line. It’s an awesome itinerary and hopefully it will rank right up there with our other amazing adventures of circumnavigating Australia, cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula, and visiting the ancient Greek ruins dating back to 4000 BC. Thanks for coming along! 😁
 

[Ken the cruiser]

Wow, just saw this on another NCL thread. We obviously can’t get the 10% military discount applied to our current B2B cruise. But since we’re both retired military, it’s definitely a good thing to know if we decide to book NCL cruises in the future! 😁

 

4. How much do I save with the NCL military discount?

You save 10% off the cruise fare portion of any cruise for sailings beginning 1/1/23. To make it even sweeter, this discount is in addition to Norwegian’s Free at Sea promotion which includes unlimited open bar, free specialty dining, free excursions, free airfare^ and more. It is also combinable with other promotions that are available, but subject to change.

 

https://www.ncl.com/military

 

[ecslady]

Looking forward to your review.  I'd really like to go to Africa, so this live review will be great. Have a great cruise and trip!

[Sailing12Away]

Since you haven't yet sailed, can't you call NCL to drop the drink package and switch it to just a soda package or pay as you go? I think the soda package is $10/day, so you would save a bit of money if you're not big drinkers.

 

We were literally looking at this itinerary last night for 2024. Don't quite have that much vacation time saved up for us yet, but if your east coast cruise goes well maybe you'll want to complete the full circuit in 2024. We're probably going to settle on the 12 day that goes back and forth past Cape Town.

[Ken the cruiser]

57 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Since you haven't yet sailed, can't you call NCL to drop the drink package and switch it to just a soda package or pay as you go? I think the soda package is $10/day, so you would save a bit of money if you're not big drinkers.

 

We were literally looking at this itinerary last night for 2024. Don't quite have that much vacation time saved up for us yet, but if your east coast cruise goes well maybe you'll want to complete the full circuit in 2024. We're probably going to settle on the 12 day that goes back and forth past Cape Town.

That does look like a pretty cool cruise. We've already got our 2024 cruise schedule figured out. However, 2025 has potential, especially if there is a follow-on TA that will take us back to Florida! 🙂 

 

I'm pretty sure our "free" beverage package disappeared when we didn't pay the mandatory $20 pp/day beverage gratuities charge when we booked the cruise, so we'll be paying as we go. Since I like either Moscato or German Riesling at dinner, it will be interesting to see if they have either available by the glass or bottle. I've read they had a Viva Vino wine package promotion onboard in the past, but the NCL Chat person said it wasn't currently available on the Jade. 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Mah Jongg]

We're onboard too! We will be following your commentary...

[Ken the cruiser]

Here's is a brief description of each NCL excursion we're booked on. This list also helps me remember all of the cool places we will be seeing along the way!

 

Day 2 - Kusadasi, Turkey: 3-hour tour of the ruins of Ephesus

 

Day 4 - Tel-Aviv (Haifa), Israel: 6-hour tour which includes Tel-Aviv city highlights along with a walking tour of Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in the world

 

Day 5-6 - Jerusalem (Ashdod), Israe: 9-hour tour of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas full of historic sites to visit  

 

Day 7 - Suez Canal, Egypt: Cruising all day through the Canal with camera in hand

 

Day 8-9 - Safaga, Egypt: 13-hour tour which includes visiting the Valley of the Kings and a lunch cruise down the Nile

 

Day 10 - Aqaba, Jordan: 9-hour tour which includes exploring Petra, the ancient Nabataean caravan-city ideally situated between the Red and Dead Seas. 

 

Day 15 - Salalah, Oman: 4-hour tour of the city and surrounding areas, to include visiting the ruins of Samhuram. 

 

Day 17 - Muscat, Oman: 8-hour city tour to include the Nakhl Fort and Springs, the Bait Al Zubair Museum, as well as other city highlights.

 

Day 18 - Fujairah, UAE: 4-hour coastal tour to include driving along its eastern coastline known for its excellent beaches, the rugged Hajjar Mountain range and lush green expanses.

 

Day 19 - Abu Dhabi, UAE: 8-hour tour of Al Ain which includes a visit to the Hilli Archaeological Park, where there are tombs from the 5,000-year-old Umm Al Nar Period. 

 

Day 20 (transition day) - Dubai, UAE: Hopefully, we'll be able to book a tour of the area once we're onboard

 

Day 21 - Fujairah, UAE: 5-hour tour which includes a drive across desert dunes to Fossil Rock where 80-million-year-old fossils are embedded in the ancient rock.

 

Day 22 - Muscat, Oman: 2-hour tour which includes a cruise around Muscat's Old Town

 

Day 26 - Port Victoria, Seychelles: 3-hour city highlights tour of the city, botanical gardens and Mission Lodge.

 

Day 27 - La Digue, Seychelles: 3-hour nature walk around the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the island of Praslin.

 

Day 29 - Nosy Be, Madagascar: 3-hour cruise and visit to the Black Lemur Sanctuary, home to Madagascar's most famous residents, the black lemurs. 

 

Day 31 - Port Louis, Mauritius: 7-hour scenic tour around the island.

 

Day 32 - Pointe Des Galets, Reunion: 8-hour scenic tour around the island.

 

Day 35 - Richards Bay, SA: 6-hour tour to the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, which includes a two-hour ride in an open-air, off-road safari vehicle to hopefully see its small population of rare white rhinos and a spectacular variety of bird and animal life, including elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, blue wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, cheetahs, mountain reedbuck, kudu and warthogs.

 

Day 37 - Port Elizabeth, SA: 5-hour tour to the Addo Elephant Park, which includes a two-hour game drive to see elephants as well as other animals, including black rhino, lions, antelopes, spotted hyenas, zebras and warthogs as well as a wide variety of birds, including the world’s largest Cape gannet breeding population. 

 

Day 38 - Mosel Bay, SA: 5-hour tour to the Garden Route Game Lodge where we will be in an open-air 4x4 vehicle and hopefully see elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, zebras, antelopes and giraffes.

 

Day 39 - Cape Town, SA (Disembark): 7-hour tour and airport transfer which includes a tour along the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point which includes a visit to an African penguin colony and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which is spread out over 1,384 acres on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and contains 4,580 species of indigenous plants.

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Lauren Spray]

Sounds great!  I wonder if they will offer this cruise next year?  If yes, it will be the 4th time we

have tried to cruise here.   Is the universe trying to tell me something, I wonder?

[silkismom]

wheeooo, I'm exhausted just reading the itin

[SplashOfWater]

A fantastic list of excursions! Are they all through NCL or are some third party?

[Ken the cruiser]

11 minutes ago, SplashOfWater said:

A fantastic list of excursions! Are they all through NCL or are some third party?

All of our excursions are through NCL. We are "low stress" cruisers and find booking cruise line excursions work best for us, especially on those rare occasions when a port gets canceled, the ship arrives late, or it's a tender port. But I will also note, we booked this cruise back in Sep 2020 and paid for the excursions as soon as they were available.

[Ken the cruiser]

45 minutes ago, Lauren Spray said:

Sounds great!  I wonder if they will offer this cruise next year?  If yes, it will be the 4th time we

have tried to cruise here.   Is the universe trying to tell me something, I wonder?

It doesn't look like it; although the itinerary @Sailing12Awaymentioned at post #17 looks pretty interesting if you want to cruise up the west side of Africa in late March 2024.