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

[anthonyg1996]

Who's the captain on the jade and cruise director 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, anthonyg1996 said:

Who's the captain on the jade and cruise director 

Captain - Frank Juliussen

General Manager, Vesna Radar Campos

General Services Manager, Humberto Abarca

Food & Beverage Director, Adrian De Kock

Cruise Director, Danny Turner

Executive House Keeper, Christopher Wright

Executive Chef, Menino Sebastian Luis

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 10 - Nov 22 - Aqaba, Jordan (Petra)

 

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

What a day we had in Petra on our 9+ hour excursion which included a 2.5 hour drive to Petra and back as well as walking around 5 miles while in the park! Since I had so much fun taking pictures, I’m going to add the ones I kept in 2 posts. In this one will be the ones I took on our way to Petra while the second post will contain the ones I took while we were walking around at Petra! 😁

 

 

We had a full bus on this excursion as there was a bunch of people that booked the same excursion as one might imagine.

 

 

Near where we were docked on the Israeli side is the lowest spot in the world, about 420 meters below sea level!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was amazed when I saw these grape vines growing in the middle of the desert! 
 

 

Camels!! 😂

 

 

 
A shepherd his flock of sheep, although I’m still wondering what they found to eat.

 

 

More sheep!

 

 

Wildlife is so hard to find in this area, I was just having fun taking pictures of anything with 4 legs! 😂

 

 

 

There was a big wind turbine field where there must have been over 50 generating electricity for the nearby towns and city.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Then came time for our walk through the ruins at Petra. What was fascinating is the town was right there next to it. In fact, when we finished we walked across the street to have a very tasty buffet lunch, included with the excursion, at a 5 star hotel!

 

 

If you felt you couldn’t make the walk, you could pay to either ride in a golf cart with others or on a horse to the entrance as well as along the way down to the Treasury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you see the legs of a person and the belly of a camel in the rock?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Finally! We started to see the Treasury. The ruin we have all seen pictures of! 😁

 

 

 

 
Camel rides started at $5 and up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

We thought we were finished. But no, there’s more!
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there was the beautiful sunset on the drive back to the ship! I could decide which one I like best, so I posted all three! 😁

 

 

 

 

The end! 😂

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Sailing12Away]

On 11/21/2022 at 2:05 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Speaking of excursions, tomorrow’s adventure to Petra, Jordan is going to be another highlight of this first leg. Thank goodness there will be 4 sea days afterwards to recover! 😂

 

Here is the description.

 

How rough was the hike in there? I would probably be put off seeing a 5 mile trek, but if it was slow and leisurely paced I could probably manage it. Was it 2.5 each way for a total of 5? Ballpark of an hour or so walking to get there and an hour to walk back?

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

How rough was the hike in there? I would probably be put off seeing a 5 mile trek, but if it was slow and leisurely paced I could probably manage it. Was it 2.5 each way for a total of 5? Ballpark of an hour or so walking to get there and an hour to walk back?

Yes, it was a gradual 2.5 miles all the way down to the amphitheater, and we usually stopped every 100 meters up until we got to the Treasury (about 1.8 miles +/- in), so our tour guide could give us an explanation of what we were looking at. That stretch took about an hour including all the narrative stops.
 

The rest of the way, as well as walking gradually back up the same path you walked down, you were on your own. We were given about 60-90 minutes to make it back to the restaurant, which was just across the street from the site. But then we only had a total of an hour to eat, so if you took too much time walking up, you may not have a lot of time to eat. For reference I’m 70 and my DW is a few years younger and in fairly good health, and we made the walk back up stopping a few times along the way to rest. 
 

There were golf carts you could share a ride on. One way was $20 and both ways was $30 (plus tip). However, from what we heard there was up to a 90 minute wait for the golf cart ride back to the entrance. As you can see from the above pictures, there were a lot of people there!

[Ken the cruiser]

After we got back and got rid of our things, we went and had a tasty 7 pm dinner in the Alizar MDR. However, since there wasn’t much going on until the 9 pm show, we went back to the cabin for a little while and I started loading up pictures to CC.

 

 
Then we were off to watch Limitless Violin show in the main theater and I have to say we really enjoy his show with the NCL band, and are looking forward to seeing him again on the last day of the cruise! 😁

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Now we have 4 relaxing days to recover from the last two days of long excursions. But just to keep it exciting, this was on our bed when we returned last night! 😂

 

 
Just to put our route into perspective, here’s our projected route winding up on Dec 2 in Dubai.

 

 
But just in case you’re curious as to all of the countries and straits we’ll be going through, here’s a more detailed map.

 

 
Here’s hoping it’s smooth sailing the whole way! 🍷

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 11 - Nov 23 - First of 4 sea days

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

For those that enjoy room service in the morning, here is the menu. It appears there is a $9.95 charge if you order one or more of the specialty items listed at the bottom. 
  

 
Or if you order anything from a much larger room service menu provided in your cabin from 10 am to 6:30 am. 
 

 

[SplashOfWater]

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Now we have 4 relaxing days to recover from the last two days of long excursions. But just to keep it exciting, this was on our bed when we returned last night! 😂

 

Were there any security concerns during your tours in Egypt and Jordan?

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, SplashOfWater said:

Were there any security concerns during your tours in Egypt and Jordan?

No, not at all. But we did see soldiers and checkpoints, especially in Egypt, on our excursions.

[Ken the cruiser]

After another tasty dinner in Le Bistro this evening, we went to the early show and watched singer Rebecca Neale in the Stardust theater.

 

  
Afterwards, we were going to stick around and watch Deal or No Deal at 8 pm, but it was canceled at the last minute due to a lack of interest. There were about 20 people in the theater with only about half of those with cards in hand. Definitely a no deal for NCL tonight! 😂
 
Here’s what else was going on tonight.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 11/20/2022 at 8:57 AM, lumley said:

Haven’t had one nights sleep in a week.  

Next time, get the drink package.  You'll sleep like a baby.

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 11/21/2022 at 7:56 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

Tonight after we eat at Cagney’s at 5:30 pm, here are our entertainment choices. Chances are we won’t get out of Cagney’s until after the 7 pm show starts

When I've had a 7:00 PM show and ate at 5:30, I just informed the waiter up front and they've gotten me out in plenty of time.

[El turista]

Thanks for the informative posts. How far in advance the NCL excursions in Israel showed up for purchase in the website/app? I'll be on the Jade in a little over 80 days from today and there's zero excursions available in Haifa and Ashdod. 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, El turista said:

Thanks for the informative posts. How far in advance the NCL excursions in Israel showed up for purchase in the website/app? I'll be on the Jade in a little over 80 days from today and there's zero excursions available in Haifa and Ashdod. 

My DW just checked her paperwork and we booked both Israeli excursions on June 20, 2022, when they first came out. Just as a comparison, as they weren’t all available at once, we booked the Valley of the Kings and Petra excursions back on Jan 17, 2021 almost 22 months early.

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 2 of our sea day adventure and all is quiet, except for a few extra whitecaps.
 

 

But then we haven’t been informed yet with regards to when we will be entering the Pirate Zone. Here’s where we currently at as of around 8:30 am.

  

  

I will say, though, the internet speeds are quite good for being in the middle of the Red Sea.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 12 - Nov 24 - Sea day (Thanksgiving)

  
 
   

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:22 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

Now we have 4 relaxing days to recover from the last two days of long excursions. But just to keep it exciting, this was on our bed when we returned last night! 😂

 

 
Just to put our route into perspective, here’s our projected route winding up on Dec 2 in Dubai.

 

 
But just in case you’re curious as to all of the countries and straits we’ll be going through, here’s a more detailed map.

 

 
Here’s hoping it’s smooth sailing the whole way! 🍷

 

As I’m sitting on the balcony watching the waves go by waiting to go to lunch, I thought I’d do some light reading regarding the High Risk Area for Piracy we’re going to be cruising through the next couple of days, starting with the Gulf of Aden. I’m not too worried as we are on a big ship, but still the area is not something to take lightly. Here are some excerpts I thought appropriate from the below linked article written in Feb 2021.

 

3.  Gulf of Aden: The entrance to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden is another affected piracy sea area. The Gulf forms an important trading route leading into the Suez Canal and is geographically well-positioned with anarchic Somalia.

 

The Somali sea pirates wreak havoc in this navigational route causing a lot of problems for authorities and shipping conglomerates across the world.

 

7.  Somalia: The main reason for marine piracy occurring at mammoth proportions in Somalia is because of extreme poverty in the region caused due to civil war, government ineffectuality and vast dumps of marine wastes – toxic in nature – existing in the Somali sea-waters. Because of piracy, there have been other problems in the form of fast-increasing premium rates for insurance policies. 

 

Maritime piracy in Somalia is a cause of international concern as the people of the country have come to believe that piracy is the only option available to them to ward off poverty and other constraints plaguing them.

 

9.  Arabian Sea: The Gulf of Oman is one of the areas in the Arabian Sea which has been targeted repeatedly by sea pirates. However, international organisations and authorities have downplayed the extent of security cover to be provided by them in these areas, as compared to the ones offered in piracy infested areas like the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coasts.

 

This is mainly because of limitations in the available naval resources to act as an effective cover and because of the position of the area geographically.

 

https://www.marineinsight.com/marine-piracy-marine/10-maritime-piracy-affected-areas-around-the-world/

Edited November 24, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

It looks like all of the COVID vaccine and/or testing requirements prior to embarkation have now totally disappeared for both Dubai and South Africa. The only one still remaining in this part of the world is for cruises out of Greece which, of course, is now in our rearview! 😁

 

 
http://www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[www3traveler]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful adventure.

 

Have you changed Senior Officers during this very long cruise?  I thought I saw a different name on the letter from the ships' Master explaining the The HRA and the procedures for it.

 

I will add all those on The Jade to my Prayer List as this journey continues.

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight after a tasty Thanksgiving dinner in the Pacifica MDR, we went to the early show to watch the production show Palace of Lights, but it was canceled due to technical reasons and probably won’t be performed this leg. Instead, singer Spencer Robson performed his second show after his initial one the first day of the cruise.
 

 

  
Then afterwards, we played cards in the Bliss Lounge until it was time to watch the hilarious The Perfect Couple Game Show at 8:45 pm.