genealogyfan

56 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I am not sure from your report, apart from seaweed, what it was you weren’t impressed with if it was safe, quiet and food OK? Was it the pool and facilities?

 

Certainly sounds like you were overcharged by taxi but that wasn’t Nachi’s fault. Which pier were you at and what was posted on the board at the port?

 

Sargassum on that coast is unusual but I know there were reports of storms recently. 

The overall facility, seemed just run down. The food was ok. Just not overall impressed with the whole facility that's all.  

I was just there a couple weeks ago and wasn't impressed. My least favorite excursion/destination of my whole cruise.  The staff was nice and they brought food and drinks to the beach chair/umbrella. The food was decent, but I just wasn't impressed with everything else. We left after only a few hours.

One issue, the ocean was covered on the bottom with seaweed, except for a little area along the edge. Down the beach it was cleaner. I know that wasn't a result of Nachi Cocum at all and they had no control of it, nature happens and nobody can control nature. The pool was ok.

The positive, I felt safe, as there was security at the entrance (gated with a staff member). It was quiet and not crowded either, which is a plus. The taxi going there was $5 more then the return taxi. I think $25 going there and $20 returning.

Last year I got a luggage tag in the mail, but I just got off the Prima last week and never got anything in the mail. In regards to documents, I've always had to download them after I check in online.

I just got off the Prima last week and they didn't have any cookies anywhere. People were complaining about it with each other too.

3 hours ago, ellewoods said:

Why don’t they tell people about the triangles 😂😂😂 on day 5 of my cruise now and finally I will know which direction I am going. Thanks!!

I learned it from a cruise blogger video, so I made a point to look down. Glad it helps you. 

20 hours ago, 7Contraveler said:

That is incorrect... we just got off the prima and were in great stirrup caye ans applied the 50 for kayak rentals... it will only apply to the 1st person.. so your going to have to pay full price for 2nd person than the platinum discount off of that. 

Not the first time someone from

NCL tells guests different info. I just got off the Prima last week and that’s what we were told by someone at the excursion desk. Who knows which is correct.

On 4/19/2024 at 10:26 AM, buddy1755 said:

I got flights thru NCL for my upcoming transatlantic,  on the return leg of the trip we were booked out of Gatwick with Air Transat.  I went on to their site and booked our seat selection and paid for our luggage.  WELL NCL just changed everything,  I now fly out of Heathrow with Brittish Airway.  I was told by NCL AND Airtransat that that monies are not refundable.  So in the future I quess I would wait till last minute to choose seats I I will never pay for luggage until I get on the aircraft. 

Maybe try your travel insurance to see if you can get it covered.

I just finished a sailing on the Prima last week. Loved the ship. It never seemed crowded. So many different venues to eat, sit and walk around. It was a beautiful ship too. It didn't seem hard to get around. The carpet had "triangles" that faced toward the front of the ship. Ocean Blvd was great to walk around. Lots of different seating areas. Enjoy your cruise, you will love the ship and the crew was great.

I was told by someone at the excursion desk that "rentals" don't qualify for the $50 discount.

So sad, the news said there were 2 survivors so far but construction workers were on the bridge at the time too. 

I took the paid Behind the Scenes Tour last April. It is interesting, especially if you have never done it before. We also went to the Bridge, galley, laundry area, engine control room, stage and costume area. They had a crew member at each stop.  There is a group photo (in the past there had been individual photos). Also make sure you wear closed toe shoes (not open toe shoes).  

You can book them online or on the app,  ahead of your cruise, I’ve seen them as an option to book ahead 

11 hours ago, Captain k said:

Greetings:  We are long time Princess cruisers who just booked an NCL Jade cruise to the Carribean out of Tampa.  Great itinerary and good price hooked us away from the love boat line.  Last NCL cruise was on the SS Norway lol!  Would love to hear thoughts, suggestions or can’t misses about this ship.  Looking forward to experiencing something new.  Thanks in advance for your comments. 

I was on the Jade for 12 days on the Trans Atlantic sailing in November. The crew was great, and enjoyed the ship. It wasn't too large and not a huge number of passengers either. Some of the specialty restaurants seemed smaller then the larger ships. There is a deck that goes all around the ship, so it was a nice place to walk all around the ship. Many people were walking there each day.

I would suggest if you eat from the buffet, go outside to the back and eat outdoors, Nice area and not as crowded. They didn't offer many different options during non typical meal hours. For example, they had really good variety of cookies for a set amount of hours (I think starting at 3pm) in the outdoor cafe area. I wish they had more times for snacks. 

Easy flow to get around the ship, there are 3 sets of elevators and 3 sets of stairs. You'll enjoy the ship and the crew. Ralph was our cruise director and he was great and friendly. He had been our cruise director on a different sailing we did last year. 

I don't remember any chairs either. On one side there were two shuffleboard areas. As the other poster said, it's a great deck to walk everyday. You can walk all around the ship.

1 hour ago, RedRover96 said:

I've looked and can't find any specific info on Jades bedside USB charger. Is the port a type A or type C? Above the bed or on bedside table?  We use a charging stand that allows our phones to double as a bedside clock, just want to pack the correct type/length cable.

 

Thanks,

 

RedRover

I recently got off the Jade and there were USB ports on each light next to the bed (under the light). I don't know what type, just the normal USB. You should be able to see the light up above the edge of the bed. There was a light on each side. The USB plug is underneath.

1 hour ago, RaiderFaninNM said:

Did you find it necessary?

I was able to make MDR reservations on my recent sailing on the Jade ahead of sailing. One evening when we were in Bermuda, I hadn't made any dinner reservations. I showed up at one of the MDRs and was told unless I wanted to share a table, there was nothing available until really late. 

Le Bistro is my favorite. You will get different suggestions from everyone. For example, I just recently got off the Jade. Cagney's Steakhouse food was worse then the buffet. Even the dessert tasted awful.  I heard from someone else, that Cagney's was their favorite. I've never had a bad meal at Le Bistro.

In regards to excursions, I did a beach excursion in the Dominican Republic, which included a lounge chair and lunch. I thought the food was good, nice beach and nice facilities.

On 11/2/2023 at 7:13 PM, GrammieCruising said:

      We got Triple loyalty points on our last cruise. How often and what times of year are they usually offered? Have our eye on a cruise-hoping to get this same or similar perk.

    Thanks. 

I've gotten the triple loyalty points on two cruises this year. Both were repositioning cruises. One I booked about 5 months in advance (sailed in April) and the other I booked about 6 months in advanced (and sailed in November). 

When I went to Le Bistro, they asked if I was using the FAS or my platinum voucher when I checked in. Thanks for all the other info.

Avoid the Manhattan Room if you want to be able to have a conversation or think or be able to hear. When the music is playing, it’s so loud you can barely hear the waiter or other people at your table. After one dinner there we avoided it again.

20 hours ago, cinderprince said:

I just booked a Dec 2024 cruise on the Epic and then watched a video on the ships current condition taken by a passenger. Can anyone tell me if this ship is still the wonderful Epic I remember with great shows, food and everything clean. This video said they only had one show and that the refurbishment was not done in 2020 as advertised but they were waiting until 2025. Nothing had been done to the ship since Covid. Any answers would be appreciated. This is my cruise since 2019.

I sailed on the Epic in April and I thought it was fine. Crew was great and friendly, it was clean, well kept maintenance. It was the 2nd time I had been on it, the previous sailing was 2013. Here's the link to my review.  The entertainment "Ebony and Ivory", a couple who sang was really good. You will get different opinions about the ship and the entertainment. 

11 hours ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

Please explain the problem with a connecting room.   There is a locked "soundproof" door between the two rooms.

I've been in a connecting room and the people next door were loud, the sound through the door was not soundproof. We now try to avoid all connecting rooms.

1 hour ago, dolittle said:

Ok not earth shattering but, on the Escape last week (great cruise and nice group of people) BUT the choice of T.V. channels had no major  (or minor) American sports channels . The ship was in New York and the N.Y Jets were playing the Phila. Eagles . Many if not most people are from these two areas no game on any T.V. on the ship, also no baseball games from the playoffs . There were however two channels of English premier league . soccer and cricket. The ship is on the east coast of the U.S. not Europe  so get with it N.C.L. ''when in Rome'' . 

What about all the other NFL teams? I'm sure there were passengers who wanted to see other NFL teams play? Just because a ship leaves a certain port, doesn't mean everyone is from that area or want to see specific games. A major sporting event, like the Super Bowl, they should air, but just regular NFL games, no. Someone would complain they are airing a specific team and not another. I don't think it's an issue. 

I would suggest going to Palm Beach and maybe take a sunset cruise. There is a nice path you can walk that starts around the Hilton and goes along Palm Beach toward the Holiday Inn and passes by alot of the hotels. You can also walk along the beach too. There are restaurants and shops along the road. Find a restaurant like Smokey Joe's, Fisherman's Hut, Salt and Pepper are among some of the good ones. The beaches are beautiful, even if you just walk along them. 

Red Sail, out of the Hyatt has a nice sunset cruise. 

17 hours ago, nemesees said:

I saw a YouTube video and want to know if the negativity is to be believed.

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 
4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

 

Thank You for any info you can share.

 

I wouldn't worry about the shows. When I was on the Epic in April, I took the behind the scenes tour. The stage manager told us that they only reserve a certain percentage of seats (I think 50%) ahead of time for the shows. She said if someone doesn't have a reservation, just get in the standby/waiting list line and you should get a seat.

The lines for the MDRs and specialty dining aren't that long. In fact, some of the MDRs had the same line whether someone had a reservation or not. They moved quickly.

I was also told by someone at NCL, they only release a certain percentage of reservations for the dining rooms ahead of time. If you want a specific time, then as soon as you board, go to where they are taking dining reservations and make them.