Trip Report - 2 day NCL Jade Southampton to Hamburg Part 1

We did the two night mini cruise on the Jade recently because we did the same mini cruise last year and greatly enjoyed it. Currently we are limited to mini cruises because we can’t be away for long so we have done several.

While booking our usual Aft Stateroom a window popped up offering a Suite for not much more so we decided to try that.

We only booked it to see what it was like and had no idea of “perks” so once booked I started researching Suite life on Cruise Critic because we find it invaluable for advice.

Unfortunately due to traffic we arrived quite late at Southampton so missed lunch in Cagneys which was one of the perks.

It was 1600 when we arrived so check in was a breeze since there was almost no one there. Priority check in was one of the perks but as we were late that wasn’t necessary.

A nice gentleman spotted that we were Suite guests, called us VIP’s ;) and got us checked in.

We were then taken to another gentleman who I think was a concierge who told us that we couldn’t get anything to eat because everything was closing as it would be muster in an hour.

That wasn’t a problem as we had reservations at Le Bistro for 2130. I think he offered to phone the buffet to see if there was time to grab a bite there but we declined.

He then sent us off with a young man to take us to our Suite, unfortunately the escalators were sealed off and we had to board via steep steps.

We only had two small cases but they were heavy and it was a very hot day. The young man didn’t offer to help with our luggage at all despite the fact that my husband struggled to carry both cases as I can’t carry anything due to health issues. He then showed us where the lifts were and promptly disappeared. We found our own way to the Suite without difficultly but didn’t really see the point of him at all. He wasn’t a porter but an offer of help would have been welcome.

I’m not a porter but when I was younger I frequently helped people struggling with luggage, pushchairs etc as I used to fly to the UK every weekend from Ireland. I thought he was a bit inconsiderate really.

Our Suite was wonderful and would highly recommend it. It was very large and there was tons of storage with lots of drawers and more hangers than we’ve ever had.

The wardrobe opened from both sides - the entrance hall side and the dressing room side but the entrance side had more light so I’d use that side.

There were two safes. Bathrobes that fit larger people and slippers.

Outside the bathroom area was like a dressing area that had a make up mirror with lights and a hairdryer etc.

The bathroom had a small bath and the toilet in a separate cubicle if you wanted to close the glass door separating it from the sink and bath. Shower gel etc was from Bvglari.

The bed was huge and very comfortable. There was a good sized marble topped table with four chairs - great for having breakfast in your Suite. A small sofa with a view of the wake.

Reasonable sized TV with some recent films but you couldn’t view your account on it so not so modern. There was a list of DVD’s that your butler could provide on request. Nespresso machine and loads of glassware and cups/saucers. Small mini bar fridge which we didn’t use.

A tray of hors d’oeuvres was on the table waiting for us together with a bowl of fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine in an ice bucket.

The balcony was a good size and had one sun lounger, two chairs and one small table. The lounger and chairs had comfortable cushions.

One of the perks we had read about on CC was that Suites came with a Butler . Our Butler appeared after we came back from Muster. Having read about the perk of having a cooked breakfast from Cagneys delivered to your Suite for breakfast we were greatly looking forward to this. We were also keen to have dinner in our Suite and this was also suggested to us in our welcome letter.

I asked about having a cooked breakfast delivered the next morning and I didn’t find him that helpful. He sort of grimaced when I said it. I asked could we see a menu because we’d never eaten in Cagneys but he said “it’s just the usual stuff scrambled eggs etc”. I’d read great trip reports mentioning crab cakes, eggs Benedict etc but I just wasn’t sure what was allowed. I said we’d go look at the menu ourselves.

Our Suite breakfast was due to be in Moderno and lunch in Cagneys.

When I asked about having dinner in our Suite the following night he said he could only do 1900 as he had 14 Suites to take care of and 2000 and 2030 were booked. I asked could we do 2100 but he said that was too late as the restaurant would be closed which was odd as Le Bistro is listed as open till 2200 and we had dinner reserved there for 2130 that first night.

In the end we decided it to skip dinner in our Suite as it appeared to be a hassle.

Possibly as this was a two night taster everyone was trying to fit everything into a short time.

When researching Suite life on CC etc we couldn’t find any video of our Suite so my husband decided to do a video which we wanted to do while the Suite was pristine. I didn’t want to get in the way so I said I’d stay on the balcony until he was finished. I figured it wouldn’t take long. I’m Irish and I don’t tan and have to be careful in the sun. It was a scorching day even in late afternoon. I sat out on the balcony and waited for my husband to call me back in. I waited and waited getting more and more irritable as I burned with no shade on the balcony. I didn’t want to come in and ruin his commentary!

After 20 minutes I’d had enough and stormed back in not careing if I spoiled his video. No sign of husband, was he in the bathroom? Had he left me sweltering outside without bothering to tell me he’d finished the video?

The doorbell rang and I eagerly went to answer it hoping it was the Butler with menus for Cagneys or news that he could fit us in for in suite dinner after all.

I opened the door to find a seething husband sitting on the carpet outside our room. Turns out he wanted to start the video in the corridor but forgot his keycard. He’d been ringing the doorbell and banging on the door for 20 minutes getting more and more cross while I’d been outside roasting getting similarly angry. There followed a quick row as he couldn’t believe that one couldn’t hear the bell while on the balcony until I shut him out there to prove it.

Once we cooled down we thought it was very funny 😂.

We decided to have a small snack as we hadn’t eaten since 8am so we went to O’Sheehans to have chicken wings and nachos. We had the drinks package as part of our cruise so I had a glass of wine and my husband had a cocktail. Although our order was taken quickly we waited ages for the food. It wasn’t busy at the time but there was one large table so that may account for the delay. In any event the wings were great but the nachos were stone cold with the cheese liquid like milk. I felt it had been left hanging around and given the hot day I didn’t eat them. I just ordered a bowl of fries and that was fine. We had another cocktail each and left. It was a little disappointing as we love O’Sheehans.

Went back to our Suite with our cocktails to enjoy sailing away but the cushions had been removed from the balcony furniture so it wasn’t so comfortable. I guess it is in case they blow away or something but it would have been nice if they’d been left until we left for dinner. We searched the room but couldn’t find them.

Quick shower and change for dinner in Le Bistro which we love.

I had the mushroom soup which was great as always and my husband had the l’escargot which he said was also great. I had the salmon as a main course and for the first time ever was disappointed in Le Bistro as it was dry and tasteless. The tiny potatoes were undercooked and I really didn’t eat much at all. My husband had

beef and his was wonderful. We didn’t have dessert. I’d read in reviews that it’s possible to have your butler bring you dessert later but we didn’t think our Butler was very friendly and we weren’t sure how to arrange this or if it would be considered a bit over the top so we didn’t do it.

As our reservation was for 2130 it was very quiet there. Earlier they had phoned us to suggest that there was availability earlier if we wanted but we like to dine late as we do at home.

This was a bit of a reoccurring theme as when we booked Moderno for 2100 the next evening they also tried to persuade us to eat earlier. Don’t understand this because naturally we pick the time we want. This hasn’t happened before on either Jade or other mini cruises we’ve been on.

We decided on an early night and went back to enjoy our Suite. The ship was moving quite quickly so there was a bit of movement but I think that helps you sleep. The bed was really comfortable possibly the most comfortable bed ever.

Unfortunately I didn’t sleep well as I’m a light sleeper and there was a small but very annoying noise like a tapping, like something loose in the adjacent room which was a crew only room containing electrics or something. Thankfully the second night this noise was barely discernible perhaps due to the fact the ship was moving slowly. If we had been on a longer cruise I would have asked if anything could be done about the noise.

Before going to bed we put out our room service breakfast menu.

We filled in our breakfast order by writing in the things we hoped to get like waffles and bacon.

The Butler came the next morning and set up the table with white linen table cloth etc and brought an abundance of food. He certainly did a great job with breakfast - we got a huge plate of crispy bacon. I love crispy bacon and I can only get it on American cruise ships or by going to the States. No where does it as good!

I think we ordered too much food for breakfast but managed to eat it all.

We were very lucky with the weather as it was the start of a heatwave.

As it was our relaxing break we lingered over breakfast and watched a film followed by a soak in our bath as we’d only ever had showers on previous cruises. As we were about to leave the Butler phoned to see if we were about to leave as he wanted to clear away the stuff.

We went for a wander around the ship enjoying the good weather though the ship was moving quickly so there was quite a wind blowing. Had a look in the shops and went to the Spa to ask about a day pass. It was possible to have a day pass but it was about 70 dollars each so would only have been worth it if we’d gone early as it was afternoon when we went there. When we realised that the Spa area is divided into a Male section and Female section we definitely weren’t interested. It would mean we couldn’t use the sauna together only the one hot tub in the communal area. Seems a strange set up as it’s not like you can go naked as it says swimsuits must be worn so why separate areas. When on a break we want to spend our time together. We had a great time in the Spa of the Escape having had a day pass - tip from CC.

We went to lunch in Cagneys as it was one of our perks and it was very nice but not outstanding. We’ve had lunches just as good in the Main Dining room of some cruises. It was nice and relaxing though. Initially they seated us right in the middle of the restaurant beside a very large family group including small children so I asked if we could sit by the window and they moved us no problem.

After lunch we just relaxed on our balcony reading, enjoying the good weather and the view. Our Butler called with a tray of cookies and some hors d’oeuvres. We only managed a cookie as we had eaten quite a lot. Intended going to get a cocktail to enjoy on the balcony but got too comfortable to bother. I’d wanted to have another Mudslide (again thank you CC posters as I’d never heard of it before) as I only have them on cruises.

Watched another film - Peter Rabbit and had a nap.

I have always wondered how the very short cruises are, too exhausting to fit everything in in just 2 days?

Yes, a bit tiring but actually more relaxing than a city break which is the only other holiday we can take at the moment.

We can only be away for three nights maximum so taster cruises are very useful. Cost wise they are better value than a city break but not great value in general cruise terms.

A real cruise of 7 nights or more would be better value.

Only discovered taster cruises after we had a city break in Stockholm and went on a 5 hour dinner cruise which we loved.

When I saw how much my husband liked being on a boat I googled boat trips when we got back to the UK just thinking of dinner cruises or similar but what came up was an offer for a taster cruise on the inaugural Escape from Hamburg to Southampton.

Never knew you could do short cruises before that. We booked it right away and searched for cruise channels on the TV.

There we saw a 3 night taster on Anthem which we also booked for my birthday and we’ve been hooked ever since :)

Great review and very detailed - thanks. :D

Gives a fantastic perspective on a type of cruise I haven't had occasion to do (yet).

I love Jade and have been on her several times - although not since she's been refurbished. Would happily book again just to see her all refreshed.

I was on the same trip and really enjoyed it too. I was great to read your review to relive this short cruise, definitely won't be my last