Jade Cruise

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I didnt realise they made charges for the non a la carte restaurants in advance before going on board. We have the UBP but not the UDP.

Hi, a first time cruiser, and first time NCL question: I thought that it would be possible to make reservations on-line in the speciality restaurants and pay later when on board, but when I go on to My NCL it adds the reservations to the 'cart' and requires payment. Am I doing this wrong, or is it necessary to pay in advance?

thanks:)

Hi Squish, just found your review and enjoying your quirky and humorous writing, looking forward to hearing more. We will be on Epic in June as first time cruisers and are really looking forward to it.:)

Thanks for your review. We will be on EPIC next year and will also have a 13 yr old and a 16yr old. What would you say were the highlights for your teens, and what would you recommend for teens on the ship? thanks.:)

Hello Banner, looks like no-one knows what hurling is!!

Sorry I dont know the answer to your question either, I'm still a newbie, first cruise next June. Hope you get to see the match. :D

Thanks Baseball Mom and Hank for your help, very useful.:)

hi, our Epic itinerary for June 2016 has changed and Marseille is now included instead of Palma de Mallorca. Docking is scheduled for 8am. In your experience, how quickly after docking can we get off the ship?

We're hoping to do something in port that will engage two teenagers, 16 and 14, and Dune Snorkelling which we saw on Trip Advisor looks promising - has anyone used it? However, it looks like we would need to get there by 9.30am, and we would probably need to leave 30-40 minutes for the journey, so it may not be do-able if there is any delay getting off the ship.

Also, is a taxi the best bet to get away quickly from Marseille port? - from other posts here it looks like getting away from port could be time-consuming and taxi fare is quite expensive?

Finally, departure is scheduled for 4pm. I've never cruised before - is it ok to be back on the ship at 3.30ish, or is that cutting it too fine?

If anyone has any insights or recommendations on any of the above I would be delighted to hear of your experiences. Many thanks for your help.:)

I understood that to get to Garibaldi station you needed the number 1 tram, but we were advised to use the metro, which is great. Just walk to the other side of the building site from the port and go into the metro. €1 each to garibaldi and then €2 each way to Erculano Scavi. Fantastic place to visit.

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hi Keith, thanks for your review. I've seen some reports that the trains to Herculaneum are really overcrowded and hot, especially at peak commuter times. How did you find them, and what time would you recommend is best for travelling on them? Thanks.

Have you tried the .eu website? At one point my cruise was €1000 cheaper on it than on the UK site. Even now it is still several hundred Euro cheaper on the European site. Unfortunately my TA booked me through the UK site and I could not take advantage of the price drop. Based on my experience I would stay well clear of the UK site.

Has anyone tried the Flyboard in Mallorca ?

Is it far from the port? Looks like something my teens would like

Hi, I had exactly the same thought - you will have cruised by now - curious to know if you tried Flyboard, and if you did, was there time to do it comfortably and get back to the ship without being under time pressure? How did you travel there, and of course, did the teens like it - the reviews I've seen on other sites are very good. :)thanks.

Thanks for your review. Lovely pic of you and your daughter - she looks so grown-up for 12! Our girl will be 14 by the time we go on Epic next year, am curious to know what were the highlights for your daughter? thanks.

Thanks for your review, great to hear you had such a good time, and thanks for all your insights. Jade.

I've read in recent press that a new express train, the Campania Express, has been launched between Naples and Sorrento, stopping exclusively at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Has anyone used it and can you supply any info/opinions? thanks.

that link does not work

Sorry, I don't know how to fix that but you might be able to trace it if you go via my posts of April 10-12, on the statistics tab on my member profile.

Thanks for your review. Looking forward to hearing more. We will be travelling on Epic with a girl of similar age next year, interested to hear what your daughter enjoyed most.

I had the same question and someone kindly posted that there are some photos on this link:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com...1743132&page=3

:)

I have just returned from my first NCL cruise on the Jade and we really had a wonderful time.

Would love to hear about your experience on Jade - will you be posting a review?

At one stage they wanted to charge a cancellation fee of €200 but in the end they didn't? I was very pleased but I definately got the feeling that the consultant had to talk to a few people to avoid the extra fee so I don't think the rules are set in stone??? The dollar is so strong against the Euro at the moment I would not advise booking through US if you are being paid in Euro.

L

thanks for your feedback. From the T&Cs I've read it looks like they don't charge the cancellation/rebooking fee if the overall price you are paying under the new arrangement isn't lower than before. You probably did the right thing booking via NCL.eu. - wish I had done the same!! (Booking via the US was never an option for me, for the exchange reasons you mention).

Thanks for all your feedback. Have any of you booked through NCL.EU? That's the site I'm seeing the price drops on, and the one I was originally going to book on independently before I made a last minute (bad) decision to use a TA. I thought the TA would be booking me under the same terms as I was seeing on ncl.eu. Not so.

Bizarrely, I'm only finding out now that the (Irish) TA has booked me through the UK, even though Ireland's currency is Euro and UK is stg£. :confused:The UK site is not showing price drops, so TA doesn't want to know. T&CS on UK site also seem much more restrictive than on ncl.eu. Also, TA has got €1000 deposit from me, but I see on the UK site that the deposit should be £100 per person, or about €600 max. All in all I'm really regretting my decision to use a TA!

Hi can you tell me please, what is the experience of European cruisers when there is an NCL price drop well before the final payment is due? Can customers benefit - it seems from this forum that it is relatively easy for US customers to avail of the lower prices, but is that a complete no-no for Europeans? I booked through a TA in Ireland for June 2016, and am now seeing a price drop of nearly €700 compared to the price I booked for. I contacted the TA but no joy. NCL just direct me back to the TA. I would be interested to hear if anyone who booked in Europe has been able to benefit from a price drop, and if so, how did you go about it?

thanks.

Thanks for your reply, I want to do something while in Cannes or Palma that will appeal to the family. We hope to visit Pompeii and Pisa in the days before and I was looking for something more 'fun and games' for them as a contrast. They may be all cultured out by then! I am researching snorkelling or VisiTour Segway tour as a possible options. What would you recommend?

Jade.

Tryp Barcelona Apolo looks nice and will be just about within your budget. We haven't stayed there but its on my shortlist for my trip next year.:)

Has anyone visited the Marineland park and Aquasplash waterpark from Cannes? if I'm reading it right it looks like about 30min train ride from Cannes. Is it worth doing and would it be of interest to teens of 16 and 13 or is it more for little kids?

There is an announcement in the News/Press section of the ncl.eu website yesterday that says Shanghais on the Getaway, Epic and Breakaway is now free of charge, and it also mentions the Asian restaurants on other NCL ships that are now also free of charge.

Thank you Freestyle Novice for posting that picture, its exactly what I was looking for. Jade.