Just off of the Jade! First time NCL cruiser!

[drpclarke]

I've gone on Carnival (ugh) and Royal Caribbean...so you know where I am coming from in this brief review of the cruise of Norwegian Jade, week of June 18 2023.

 

CABIN - we opted for inner cabin - I love how dark it gets and I will sleep so well. Surprisingly spacious compared to other cruise lines..plenty of storage space, and the bd was high enough for me to shove suitcases underneath. Bathroom was bigger, too...my experience has been that bathrooms are small enough so that you can sit on the toilet, wash your feet in the shower, and brush your teeth all at the same time. That was not the case with this cruise and how wonderful it was to have some space!

 

SPACE ON THE SHIP -I've been on cruises in which I feel like I'm part of a cattle drive...people everywhere. Not the case with this cruise, and it's my understanding it was nearly sold out. There was no major crowding, and there were always deck chairs available (and there is a LOT of deck space on this ship!)

 

ACTIVITIES - I can't offer much here as I spent the days in port and didn't do much with activities...

 

MEALS - buffet food is well, buffet...and I appreciate the diversity in that there were always Indian, Asian, and British dishes available. Salad bar not comprehensive but did have rotating items offered. Large variety. Asian restaurant (Jasmine Grill) was complimentary and offered OKAY food. Cagney's (not complimentary) can make some amazing steaks. Side dishes were okay but the steaks were great!

 

EMBARKATION - smooth, but long. NCL had their ducks in a row, just customs took forever.

 

DEBARKATION - ridiculously smooth. Ran AHEAD of time...we weren't supposed to get off the boat until 8:45 but they called our group at 8:15.

 

SERVICE - here's where it gets interesting. Those working in housekeeping, dining, etc. as servers, cleaners, etc....all very pleasant and smiled and were on top of their game. Other employees, like working in guest services or wearing a uniform - not nearly as pleasant. Got the impression that those who made more money cared less.

 

CLEANLINESS - this ship was the CLEANEST I've been on, EVER.  I can't say it enough. EVER.

 

We'll be going on NCL again! Let me know if you have questions about the Jade.

 

Rachel

[hallux]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  It's refreshing to read such a positive review, especially on one of the older and smaller ships!

[nycteacher]

Yay! This review makes me happy. I board the Jade in August. This will be my first time sailing this ship, so the positive review is well received. 🙂 

[itsnotjustme]

Nice - We too will be on the Jade in late August.  Have sailed on her before and enjoyed it.

[fshagan]

One of our all time favorite cruises was the second one we did on NCL, on the Jade for a Med cruise. Really loved the ship.

[YVRteacher]

I too love the Jade. Every cruise I’ve done on the Jade has been top notch.

 

Glad you had such a positive experience on NCL.

[ZachIsHere]

Love to see it

[luv2kroooz]

Thanks for the review. Jade is a great ship. Not too big, not too small. Classic cruising without consuming space for laser tag, waterslides, virtual reality, and go karts which creates lots of space on the ship for passengers, as you have noted.

[genealogyfan]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Jade in Nov, doing a transatlantic cruise from Lisbon. Any tips for the Jade? Did you use the Thermal Suite?

Edited June 28, 2023 by genealogyfan

[drpclarke]

1 hour ago, genealogyfan said:

Thanks for the review. We will be on Jade in Nov, doing a transatlantic cruise from Lisbon. Any tips for the Jade? Did you use the Thermal Suite?

no, I did not...I'm sorry!!

 

[NCMtnBoys]

Thanks for the review. Sailing the Jade for the first time in September. Sounds like a great ship!

[mcmomny]

Thank you drpclarke for the review!

 

I was wondering if you have any idea about days and times for shows as we will be sailing on The Jade in July and were hoping to see Blazing Boots.

 

Thank you!

[Bkmat]

Thanks for your positive review of the Jade.  We will be sailing on this ship next year for our first NCL cruise.  It’s disheartening to read “negative after negative” reviews and very refreshing to hear of the wonderful time folks have had on the Jade.  We prefer a smaller ship and after sailing mostly on HAL, we are looking forward to trying a different cruise line.  We chose this cruise based on the itinerary and the port from where it leaves.  

[sunnydreams]

Have a quick question about the Jade since we will be on in a few weeks. I'm not sure what time to put in as Check in time? Did you have to wait a long time between checking in and boarding? I don't know if I should just throw my luggage in a locker for a couple hours or get to the pier early and just board. I don't want to spend a lot of time waiting at the pier if they won't let me on for awhile. 

Thanks in advance! Loved your review!

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by sunnydreams

[drpclarke]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:07 PM, mcmomny said:

Thank you drpclarke for the review!

 

I was wondering if you have any idea about days and times for shows as we will be sailing on The Jade in July and were hoping to see Blazing Boots.

 

Thank you!

I didn't keep all of my little "Freestyle daily" bulletins, but from what I can tell...shows are at 7 and 9 pm FOR THE MOST PART. There was one day it was 7 and 9:30, and two days that it was just a vocalist show at 8:30.

Edited July 7, 2023 by drpclarke

[drpclarke]

On 7/5/2023 at 3:43 PM, sunnydreams said:

Have a quick question about the Jade since we will be on in a few weeks. I'm not sure what time to put in as Check in time? Did you have to wait a long time between checking in and boarding? I don't know if I should just throw my luggage in a locker for a couple hours or get to the pier early and just board. I don't want to spend a lot of time waiting at the pier if they won't let me on for awhile. 

Thanks in advance! Loved your review!

 

I'm not sure I can help you with this...so let me share my experience. First, we stayed in Athens for a few days prior to the cruise, so we just took a cab to the port so we would be ready at our "assigned time"...not that it mattered. Once we got there, we were given a number, and when they called our number, a group of us that were all assigned that number went up to do the first part of checking in. That went quickly, and we were excited..then we had to go into another room in which they gave us a COLOR. We waited about 15 minutes for our color to be called and we went through whatever the next step was (I"m sorry, I just don't remember)...and then we went to customs. Aargh. They took forever!!! 

 

So...my thought is....just get there early and it probably won't matter about your check in time. Hopefully customs will have straightened their act out (we were in line for customs for about 45 minutes...aargh...so frustrating, especially after NCL had been so speedy).

 

I hope this helps!

[sunnydreams]

17 hours ago, drpclarke said:

I'm not sure I can help you with this...so let me share my experience. First, we stayed in Athens for a few days prior to the cruise, so we just took a cab to the port so we would be ready at our "assigned time"...not that it mattered. Once we got there, we were given a number, and when they called our number, a group of us that were all assigned that number went up to do the first part of checking in. That went quickly, and we were excited..then we had to go into another room in which they gave us a COLOR. We waited about 15 minutes for our color to be called and we went through whatever the next step was (I"m sorry, I just don't remember)...and then we went to customs. Aargh. They took forever!!! 

 

So...my thought is....just get there early and it probably won't matter about your check in time. Hopefully customs will have straightened their act out (we were in line for customs for about 45 minutes...aargh...so frustrating, especially after NCL had been so speedy).

 

I hope this helps!

Thank you! It does help to hear the multiple steps. I'm confused about customs because we are visiting 6 Greek ports and will have passed customs to get into Greece already. We do go to Turkey one day and I don't think they are full members of the European Union- maybe that's why? Just very confused that we have to do customs to get on the boat in Greece? 

Anyways, yes, we are going to just try and go early. 🙂

[drpclarke]

10 hours ago, sunnydreams said:

Thank you! It does help to hear the multiple steps. I'm confused about customs because we are visiting 6 Greek ports and will have passed customs to get into Greece already. We do go to Turkey one day and I don't think they are full members of the European Union- maybe that's why? Just very confused that we have to do customs to get on the boat in Greece? 

Anyways, yes, we are going to just try and go early. 🙂

Honestly, it was confusing to me. We went to Athens a few days prior and did customs at the airport upon entry...and then had to do it again at the port. You are probably right about Turkey as we did not go through any sort of customs there. Have fun!

[omahabob]

Not only is Turkey not in the EU, it's also not part of the Schengen Area. That's the difference.

[CAKEisgood]

Thank you for such a great review of the Jade. We are cruising in January on the Jade. We enjoy wine and I wonder if you have an opinion of Magnum’s Champagne and Wine Bar? Any tastings offered? Thank you!

[NYFirstTimeCruiser]

We will be on Jade from Athen in September. Do you have the dailies for the Athens cruise? Thanks in advance

[KeithJenner]

On 8/8/2023 at 1:23 AM, CAKEisgood said:

Thank you for such a great review of the Jade. We are cruising in January on the Jade. We enjoy wine and I wonder if you have an opinion of Magnum’s Champagne and Wine Bar? Any tastings offered? Thank you!

That whole area is one of my favourite places on the Jade. There are three bars (Magnums, Tankards and another one that I don’t recall the name of) which all join together and there is often entertainment (piano player usually) at Magnums.

 

They do tastings there, yes.

[9876]

Great to hear.  I loved the Jade when I last sailed her.  I am looking forward to the transatlantic.

[adonisr]

Did you stop in Santorini?  If so, what time did you get there?