manlie

Has anyone done this without going through the ship? It seems you take the same ferry to the island as everyone else (non ship tours).  The ship excursion is set to start at 8 AM so that’s a lot of waiting around if the first ferry to the island doesn’t leave until 10 AM? And from reading online it is never guaranteed or your ship Medoc which can sometimes cause confusion if you do try and do it on your own. Price wise there is potentially quite a bit of savings but that is not factoring in transportation from where ever the ship docks to getting to where you to purchase tickets

Does anyone have experience doing it either way and any recommendations?

On 5/23/2023 at 9:41 AM, chiefy_mom said:

Were you able to fit in ONE golf cart?

We are a group of 6 and are trying to figure out an easy tour.

Yes, some companies have large enough carts. LivTour is one, My Best Tour is another. If you use Viator you can search multiple companies and once and set your parameters for the number of people

On 5/24/2023 at 9:16 PM, wanderlust1219 said:

We were taken to a park and got some incredible sunset pics with St Peter's dome in the background. We were able to stop at a wine bar and pick up some wine to drink during the tour.  Some of the places were beautifully lit up at night.

Which company did you use? 

I have read all the ways to hopefully combat jet lag but for the first few days when did you find yourself at your best? We wanted to book a few tours before sailing and am unsure if I should book morning tours or if you found you were more of a night owl? 
I am a Canadian currently on Central Time (7 hours behind Rome)

My issue is that when booking excursions/drink packages/etc the exchange rate is about 1.50 (a direct example is my pop package is 9.99usd but 14.99cdn) so I am wondering if the cruise price is at that rate also. I can’t do a dummy booking to see as the ship is sold out. I will try to call and see what the price would be in USD. Our final payment is next week and unfortunately I don’t think our dollar is suddenly going to get much better 🙁

We have done the golf cart during the day before and loved it. I am going with family members who haven’t been to Rome before in August and have recommended it.  Would anyone be able to tell me if the evening one offers something different? 

I know most people suggest leaving your account on board in USD but has anyone done the comparison of purchasing the cruise (and add on packages) in USD vs letting them convert it to Canadian? (Sailing Royal Caribbean if it matters)

53 minutes ago, Capt_BJ said:

the other side the cabin is "in the lee" as we sailors say and will be blocked from the breeze .....

Thank you Capt_BJ! I hadn’t thought of the difference in wind issue 

Which of these rooms would you recommend? (and if it matters, it will be for the 8 night Greek Isles cruise)

Oops - sorry. Was originally looking at RCCL 😊

Can I delete this thread?

Does anyone have any experience with the Kids/Teen Club on Jade? Booked the Greek Isle cruise and was hoping my 13 year old would be able to make friends but all I can find from looking at posted itineraries is events that start at 11pm - we will be fast asleep by then 😆

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'am sitting in my balcony right now. The cabin is hardly like a.cave.

Thanks! Maybe it’s just poor video quality. Do you know if there are any that are open? (I am one of those people who like the tiered balconies and not concerned about privacy) 

I am wanting to book a balcony cabin but every photo/video I find makes them look like dark caves. The larger extended ones in particular look dreadful!  Are there any that are more open than others? Something that gets more sun? Is it possible it’s just bad lighting in videos? I am not worried about privacy

There seems to be very little info regarding anything Jade. We are cruising Europe next summer and the wifi/internet info is an issue for us. I hope someone answers

The Gap/Old Navy website is having a huge sale right now. Their return process is incredibly easy and free .... they have a return label already in the package, all she would have to do is stick it back onto the original packaging and put it in her mail box. I would order a large variety and sizes of things and let her pick what she wants to keep. I also agree about Lands End for bathing suits - they are a modest fit and great quality.

Thank you for all the replies. We aren’t going near Venice so it seems like it doesn’t really matter.

Hello,

We are doing the 11 day Greece/Italy cruise on the NCL Jade next summer. Does anyone have any advice on if you cruise close enough to the islands that it matters which side of the ship you were on? To me it looks like it would be a lot better to be on the port (left) side as everything seems to pass by that way. But if we are far out into the ocean then it probably won’t matter. On the map though it looks like we sail fairly close to shore?

Keep in mind the jade itinerary might be changing due to the addition of the pearl to Europe. It has been chartered by the sixthman in August 2019. The new itineraries are to be released in the next few weeks. The pearl may also become an option in Italy.

Oh my! This is so overwhelming!:o We can only sail in July - the Pearl shouldn’t affect July sailings? How does NCL deposit work - can we move ships without losing the deposit?

Remember, the kids can go to the beaches at some of the ports so they can enjoy sea.

Yes, that is fine for some of the family, but unfortunately not for the one water-loving special needs child.

We are hoping some ports will leave the ship almost empty so the pool won’t be so crazy 😜

Thank you! Venice vs Rome was also one of my questions but I assumed it has been answered multiple times in CC, I just haven’t looked yet. We sailed out of Rome last year and I loved the city but the airport to hotel to port sure added up (we don’t do public transportation with kids and seniors 😄).

I didn’t realize Jade had 2 pools - that makes a bit of a difference.

My in laws are Greek, so the Greek ports are the only ones of interest to them.

Thank you for your quick reply!

Food is important but being able to grab quality food from the buffet is good enjough for us. I highly doubt most of the family will splurge for specialty dining .

As for water loving, one child has autism and swimming is his very favourite thing.

Does the kids club stay open all day on port days?

Hello,

I am attempting to plan a Greek cruise for multiple families for next summer. I’m very unfamiliar with NCL and from what I see they do not look terribly kid friendly. However their itinerary seems to be the best for what my family would like to see. It looks like we are choosing between the Jade or the Star. Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions on which one of these would be more kid friendly, especially for water loving kids?

TIA

Haha, no I invited (and are paying for) the other family because I thought it would be more fun than just being the 2 of us. 😆 Unfortunately there are very few cabins to choose from this late - only inside (which 2 cabins cost more) or verandah. I would take one that sleeps 4 and let the girls sleep together if I knew the other mom and I could comfortably sleep on the singles but neither one of us want the top pullman bunk (and aren't exactly spring chickens anymore so a comfortable bed is important).

I think I will only book one of the cabins that show up when I pretend to have 5.

I hope Disney is as good as all the hype! I know the girls (5 and 7) will love it no matter what 😊

Thank you. I am usually an avid researcher/planner but this is a last minute trip with the prices for flight and cruise rising quickly (we are flying from Canada and on the November long weekend). Our cabin selection is also very limited .... I would normally book a suite or family room on any other line but Disney is a whole new world!