smallworld73

We went on Royal Caribbean 3 years ago when I was newly vegan. We went straight to the MDR when we boarded to let them know about my vegan request. We ate every night in the MDR & they sorted a vegan menu for me. Some dishes were a bit hit & miss but I really appreciated the effort & was very happy with the service, they made me feel very special! We also ate there a couple of times for breakfast. Stuck with salads etc at the buffet but overall I was very impressed. Going on NCL in September so I’ve emailed them & hope for good things 🌱🤞

Thanks cruisemom42, I meant Portus-oops! Some interesting information there, I will have to take some time out on my own to visit these places. I would love to do an archeology degree in the future!

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, dds are looking into all the ideas. Not long to go now..:)

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions! I will show them the ideas, and they are doing some research too, so hopefully we'll be able to get something sorted. By the way, has anyone visited Portas? I did an online course about the archaeological excavations there, and would love to go, obviously sans dds! it would probably be on a solo trip another time, but I wonder if anyone has been there?

Thanks again for the ideas

Thanks for the suggestions, dds have looked at Villa Borghese & it might be an option. To be fair, they have accompanied us on a number of historical/archaeological/art based trips over the years, so we thought it would be nice to do something different as a family and not just to satisfy my hunger for all things historical, especially Roman! We will check out the catacombs too, and I think euro cruiser's suggestion that they do some research is excellent :)

Family of 4, dds 21 &16, not interested in Roman history (:rolleyes:I've tried to inspire them!) Did the Colosseum underground tour last time we went (which they enjoyed) and have done a bus tour around Rome, stopping at Trevi Fountain. Any ideas for nonhistory/religious/art sites that may interest our daughters? I have suggested they stay on the ship but they want to come with us which is great, but they don't want to be bored. They love Rome but it's me who is fascinated by history/archaeology/art, not them & I really want to give them something to interest & inspire as we are there as a family. I have thought about the catacombs but not sure how easy it is to get there. We have used the train each time we've visited & prefer to diy. Any other places to visit other than Rome? Any ideas welcome, thanks!

That's reassuring, thanks. I went to a Teppanyaki restaurant in New York & was presented with a bowl of veggies, not particularly inspiring but better than veggies cooked alongside meat/fish. Going to check it our! Thanks

I'm a strict vegetarian & we are on the Jade next month :D Wondering whether it's worth booking the Teppanyaki restaurant, is it a no go for veggies or is there a separate option rather than have my meal cooked with all the other meals on the grill? Family keen to go, I'm unsure of veggie options. Help please!

Yep I was on the Jade last week and can confirm there was one evening where there was a chocolate theme in the desserts. Alas no chocolate buffet :(

 

Thanks, bit disappointed as we enjoyed looking at the chocolate structures, still dds will be happy with whatever desserts are available!

Don't get too excited, it's a selection 4-5 chocolate deserts - by no means a chocoholics paradise!

That will do for them, they were overwhelmed at the buffet!

Shame, we loved seeing the chocolate creations & sculptures. Dds will look out for the chocolate specials instead!

We sailed on Jade in 2010 & dds were delighted to partake in the Chocolate Buffet feast. Does anyone know if this still happens, surprise surprise, dds want to know! Haven't seen anything as yet on the website

:cool::cool::cool:

Thanks for replies. Feel a little more reassured about the lifts now. Will check out Carlo's, but will watch out for sour cream! :eek: I remember the cheesy Hawaiian decor from our previous trip in 2010, sunglasses at the ready!

We've just booked Greek Islands cruise with 2 family adjoining balcony staterooms, just looked on plans & we're right by the lifts. No problem with this, but do the lifts ping or is the soundproofing sufficient? Dd20 light sleeper.

 

Interconnecting balconies question: on the Epic we weren't allowed to have the divider removed for fire safety, just wondered if that's the case on Jade (happy to go with any safety rules obviously, just wondering?!)

 

Venice Sail Away-still with the fabulous views?

 

We sailed on the Jade in 2010, noticed there was a refurb in 2011, what's changed?

 

Carlo's Bakery-can't find a menu or prices. Any recommendations?

 

One more question, when we sailed in 2010 water, tea and coffee were available all the time near the pool (I think?) Is it still available?

Thanks for any help!

Thanks for all the brilliant advice-I managed to find the page with the destinations/ports after I posted my question :o Feeling a little more relieved to discover we can do our own thing, having looked at the excursions I thought we'd made a mistake with the route but there are some great ideas and tips-thanks so much! Going to look out for the Rick Steves book...

Thanks for the info. I'm happier knowing we can do our own thing, we don't really enjoy the organised excursion trips but realise there are some that need to be booked because of distance-I think we may book Olympia though. :)

just booked for August on our 2nd Jade cruise, but having been on Western Med route twice where we booked our own trips, how easy is it to get around the Greek Islands from the ports? Any suggestions for trips we can do ourselves-we're not really into lying on beaches but are happy to explore. We don't know where to go on Mykonos or Santorini, but are keen to go to Olympia. I think we can get to Corfu Town fairly easily although I can't remember if you can walk from the port. Family of 4, dds 20 & 15. Any help gratefully received!

Great info thanks. DDs tell me the only reason they want to take ipods is for music and they will leave phones at home. So the internet cafe sounds like the best option for home contact if necessary.

[quote name='garycarla']Plan on NOT doing this, at least not much.

WIFI will cost you from $.40 to $.75 per minute for a somewhat slow connection. And, if you do not log out, it will really kill you. If you want to let them do a little, I would suggest you log them in, and YOU log them out. That way you can control the damage.

The online app is for online use only. It will NOT connect back to the rest of the world.

Internet cost is the same on phone, tablet, your PC or their PC.

Texting back to the U.S. will cost you for each text - no matter what plan you are on. Phone calls are $2.49 a minute, again, no matter what plan you are on.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. We are UK based but wherever you come from it's very expensive to use technology on board! Perhaps it's best to leave everything at home and just forget facebook & twitter for a week

Having sailed on the Jade before, we used the laundry service towards the end of the week. I seem to remember the deal was per bag rather than per item. This time we're on the Epic and I guess the same deal applies? And did I imagine it or are there retractable washing lines in the shower room for swimming costumes etc?

Family consists of 2 teenage girls both have ipods for social networking etc (as do I!) Having been stung by roaming charges before, I would like to find out about charges for wifi on the ship and charges for the internet cafe. To be honest, it would be great to be free of the things for a week but I want to find out so we can decide whether it is worth taking the ipods. Also, I have downloaded the NCL app for use on the ship, is it a swizz as they'll charge me megabucks to use it? And is it any good?