Jade Translantic Trip Report - better late then never

First let me express my thanks and admiration for all of you guys who post live reports, or after being back on land for just hours share with us your entertaining, educational and informative reports. We have been back three weeks and here is my late but hopefully still helpful report.

Embarkation

We dropped off the hire car at Miami Airport and caught the (free) Alamo shuttle to the port all very smooth. The security line was out of the door but we were done in about 20 minutes, I never have a problem with there being a line as everyone is buzzing with anticipation and happy to chat (just ignore those who are already moaning and make a note to avoid them for the rest of the trip). Then it was past the corkage fee desk and the man complaining loudly that other lines allowed two bottles on board with no fee. Finally we walked right up to a check in counter looking after gold status and above latitude members. A 10 minute wait for group 24 to be called (juice and water were available) and we were aboard. Buffet was busy but not manic, rooms ready by 2pm and our bags had arrived by 3.25pm -RESULT!

Muster Drill

Could not have been more painless, sat in the Bistro restaurant for 15 minutes watching crew put on a life vest, put fingers in ears when siren sounded, ignored guest who described the Costa Concordia disaster in great detail.

Cabin

4594 Oceanview midships. Contained two bed side tables with a shelf not draws, round stool, desk, shelf for charging things (very handy) TV, fridge, closet with lots of hangers, 6 deep draws, one desk draw, 9 deep shelves (plus the little ones in the bathroom) 4 mirrors, 5 US plugs, one European plugs and 3 USB ports. Ice bucket 4 glasses. Dispenser with hand wash gel, shower gel, shampoo a bar of soap and a tube body lotion - both replaced on request.

Best of all because of you lovely people on cruise critic we asked very politely if there was by any chance a spare coffee maker around on the ship, our steward said they were really only for balconies but he would look and hey presto a coffee maker appeared (yes with tipped him).

Overview the cabin felt spacious and we hardly ever had to shove the other person out of the way to get around. The Shower had a glass door good pressure and lots of hot water, one of our neighbours had a hacking cough which we heard occasionally but there was no other noise from either side or the corridor. There was however a funny gurgling sound from under the floor in corner of the room by the bed sometimes.

Bad point - it was a sleeps 4 room (late booking so limited choice) which meant that the top bunk folded up made space on one side of the bed awkward also the 4th bed filled up the storage under half the bed.

Good point - it had a porthole, yes a genuine batten down the hatches, through the round window port hole! When we got rough seas a couple of days sometimes a wave would crash right over the window resulting in a “blueout” soooo cool.

Drinks

DH and I are both wine drinkers, smooth red and a dry white thank you so much! We agree that most wine tastes fine after the second glass. It was great that most of the bars had all the included (UBP of course) wines out on display so you could have a look at your options. DH liked all the 6 reds he tried but generally stuck with the Australian Shiraz or Chilean Merlot, I enjoyed the Prosecco, the Chardonnay and the Pinot Grigio. I didn’t try the sweet ones. Pours were fine and it was no problem getting a top up when going into a show or to take to the room, only once were we asked for both cards when we asked for doubles.

Getting a drink was painless, the only time service was slow was if someone had ordered 4 different cocktails or a couple of specialty coffees, on these rare occasions we simply walked a few feet to the next bar. We are happy to DIY rather than have drinks brought to us.

Food

Basically we are buffet people and enjoyed three meals a day there pretty much every day. The choice was varied, the salad bar was good with jalapeños and blue cheese dressing which are DH’s must have items - plenty of DIY salad items plus a Ceasar salad station and 3 ready made salads which change daily and were all fresh and crisp. At lunch there was a section of ready made sandwiches and a selection of fillings to DIY. For both lunch and dinner there was a grilled section, a freshly made pizza station, a pasta made to order station (excellent) and a selection of hot dishes - more at dinner than lunch and a dessert section (plus at dinner a crepe station), and self serve soft ice cream.

Pretty much everything we had was hot, well made and well presented. Dishes were refreshed very frequently. The only disappointments were the tomatoes never got ripe over the 14 days (I would have gladly put some my window sill to help out) and the desserts which almost all looked better then they tasted. DH prefers to save his calories for the wine and I had the fun of picking out a decadent dessert taking a bite then going for some fresh fruit and jello so actually not really a problem

Breakfast had a big variety - cereal, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, salmon mousse, all the usual hot items plus made to order omelettes and eggs Benedict. The eggs over easy met DH’s very exacting requirements. On the final day I broke down and had a pecan topped sticky bun - it was a little peace of heaven and it was just as well that I had not tried them earlier as the post cruise diet would have to even more rigorous.

A couple of evenings nothing appealed for dinner at the buffet and we went O'Sheehan's where we enjoyed a perfect burger, awesome wings and a wonderful salmon Caesar salad. The service was fast and the occasions we were there we pretty had the place to ourselves. The location above the atrium meant that were were entertained by what ever was happening below. Great when the 24K Duo were performing - not so great when it was the Jade amateur choir!

We had the dining package as our second perk and chose

Teppanyaki - we had enjoyed this on the Spirit but this experience was horrible, a small cramped room with 4 competing chefs shouting over each other, sauces, soups and sides thrown down with no explanation, impossible to have a conversation with anyone even sitting next to you. The food was well cooked but we could not wait to leave.

Moderno - We eat here on the first night and were the only customers which made it an odd experience, with a trickle of meat that had been kept warm rather than the carousel of skewers we have experienced at busy Churrascaria restaurants on land. The salad and pineapple were excellent.

Cagneys x2 - perfect food, perfect, perfect service and no issue with multiple sides.

Shows

The theatre is well laid out and the was never full. The production shows were enthusiastic and loud, Showtime was entertaining with a bit of a plot and the audience voting for their favourite act, blazing boots was not my sort of show a lot of numbers joined up with no seeming reasoning behind any of it. We also really enjoyed the comedian, ventriloquist (VERY funny), vocalist (opera and pop) and December 63 four guys who put on a couple of wonderfully entertaining shows. The only one we did not enjoy was a comedy juggler who wasn’t funny and didn’t juggle but each to his own.

The Ship

We loved the Jade a proper sized ship, big enough for there always to a choice of bars, lounges and dining options, small enough to be easy to navigate and not to be crowded. We never lined up for anything except disembarkation, we always found a seat in the Buffet or in which ever bar we fancied.

The ship has 3 banks of stairs / elevators all of which are clearly signed, the carpets in the halls have the fish swimming forward and there are also fish on the doors outside on deck 7. The ship has recently been refurbished and looks great in fact on port days one of the bars would be closed and the carpet was replaced. This did not impact on passengers as diversion signs were in place and all was opened up before the bars we due to serve drinks.

Experiencing a Transatlantic

This may obvious, though apparently it took some passengers by surprise, you spend a lot of time at sea and the point of the cruise is to cross the Atlantic Ocean not see fabulous sights on land. There was plenty to do but you need to check your Freestyle Daily carefully to get the most out of your day.

We are not into blood sports so did not participate in the trivia but there were numerous opportunities to do so. We enjoyed a number of afternoon movies in the stardust theatre, walked five or six miles on the promenade deck lost a little in the casino and spent happy hours tucked away in a quite spot with a book.

We generally caught the show and toddled off to bed early because the elephant in the room on a transatlantic is not a cute toweling animal but the the dreaded time change cards. Five nights during the trip you lose an hours sleep, I think it is better than a doing the whole thing in one go but it means that early mornings were something which happened to other people. Nothing new there My DH would point out!

Some passengers had a UDP themed cruise (no bad behavior witnessed though) - mimosas at breakfast, followed by beer at lunch, and afternoon nap and then cocktails for the rest of the day. We looked on with admiration at their stamina and recalled occasions in the past when we had done the same, but multiple time changes, rough seas and a hangover is not a combination I want to repeat.

Yes we did have some choppy seas and it was fun watching the audience in the theatre swaying in time with the waves rather than the music, nothing too dramatic, but I did skip dinner one night.

A transatlantic is not a good cruise if you need medical attention. One passenger didn’t make it out of US waters as almost as soon as we left the coast we turned round and they were taken off the ship by the coastguard, A second was put ashore during an unscheduled late night pause near Bermuda, after this the captain respectfully asked that all remaining passengers to stay fit and well as there were no other opportunities to leave the vessel until the Azores! However to compensate we did gain some passengers, the captain announced in his daily update that we picked up seven stranded fishermen off the coast of Ponta Delgada at 2am and delivered them safely to their home port.

Immigration

Is not designed to be a fun activity and US passport holders did have a long wait to clear immigration on the ship when we were at our first UK port. In fact the ship docked at 8am in torrential rain and it was about 10.30 before it was fit enough to step outside by which time I believe most passengers had been processed. DH is a US passport holder but he came through the UK line with me with no hold ups at all.

Disembarking

We had booked a car through British Airport Transfers (recommended) to take us back to Heathrow to pick up our car and drive home. I had chosen 9.15am luggage tags and though our colour had not been called we joined to long line to disembark at 9.15 it actually took only 15 minutes to get off the ship and a couple more minutes to locate our bags.

One lady’s bag could not be found and she was left to choose if she wanted to wait to see if her bag had been left behind somewhere or join her tour.

Having read on another board of someone whose bags were mistakenly taken home by another passenger I have now purchased a set of the wackiest suitcase covers in the world so if you see a set of luggage which appears to have a huge rip in the side and a giant kitten emerging from it - that will be me looking slightly embarrassed but knowing no one is going to collect my bags by mistake.

If you have made it this far - congratulations and thank you for your patience I will try to answer questions (but not comments on my typos)

24K Duo!

24K Duo!

Sherri and Dan, from my neck of woods, Niagara, Ontario... yay!!!

Catchum, thanks for doing such a great recap of our cruise... yup, was there and agree with pretty much everything you've said.

I was a solo and had such a great time and met so many wonderful pax.

Thanks for the memories...

cheers

Any word on the TA back to the USA next fall?

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it and share it with us. I love the mid-sized ships like the Jade. We have been on her twice and will be on her again in September for a British Isles Cruise. My two favorite places on the Jade were the Great Outdoors at the back of deck 12 and the forward facing Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 13.

Thank you, Catchum! My dh and I are considering the Jade for a westbound TA trip in September, and your detailed and humorous accounting is much appreciated.

Thank you for the review!

It's only been 3 weeks since we too left this cruise but feels like longer. Thanks for the memories, we had a great time. Lovely ship, good size.

Soaking up all info on TAs as we embark on our first in Oct on the Breakaway. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and perspective!!

Be sure to check the review section. This review was very detailed and valuable. I always post ours under reviews. Mine was a bit less positive.

Be sure to check the review section. This review was very detailed and valuable. I always post ours under reviews. Mine was a bit less positive.

Thank you for the kind words - I have submitted a less chatty version in the review section - I agree that most people look there first and it is easier to find information. I have really enjoyed others long trip reports so I thought I would give it a go.

I have to mention that while the cruise itself had some issues, every person I met was wonderful to travel with!

Will be on the Jade this fall. Where was a quiet place to read in the morning? I get up early but the wife sleeps late. Thanks.

Will be on the Jade this fall. Where was a quiet place to read in the morning? I get up early but the wife sleeps late. Thanks.

Humm mornings - if you mean those things that happen before 10.30 I have no idea but the spinnaker lounge, the library or the great outdoors were all great places to sit if nothing was scheduled to be happening. Alternatively the bars on deck six which don't open early or the bliss lounge on seven if nothing is scheduled. One of the things we loved about Jade was there was always a quiet corner somewhere.

I'm also an early morning person. Besides the Spinnaker and library, the areas around the lounges are also pretty quiet. Things start to get active and public spaces start to be filled with activities and events after 10AM.

So stupid of the captain to stop and pick the fisherman up. The safety of the passengers comes first. It could have been some kind of trap. Another stupid decision from an NCL Captain. Cruise sounds very good though and it probably wasn't full. Still think the Gem is a better ship.

So stupid of the captain to stop and pick the fisherman up. The safety of the passengers comes first. It could have been some kind of trap. Another stupid decision from an NCL Captain. Cruise sounds very good though and it probably wasn't full. Still think the Gem is a better ship.

i wonder if there is some sort of maritime law about helping a boat in distress?

Gee, I wonder if it could be called SOLAS (safety of life at sea) which places the Capt in a situation which means he must pick up stranded persons at sea if he is the closest most able to transport those people to the next port??

Ya think?

It's pretty insulting to call any captain stupid and but not being familiar with maritime law... wow. Take some Maritime safety classes Ace, so you don't sound so ignorant the next time.

Thanks for the review. Insightful and funny.

Gee, I wonder if it could be called SOLAS (safety of life at sea) which places the Capt in a situation which means he must pick up stranded persons at sea if he is the closest most able to transport those people to the next port??

 

Ya think?

 

It's pretty insulting to call any captain stupid and but not being familiar with maritime law... wow. Take some Maritime safety classes Ace, so you don't sound so ignorant the next time.

You are also putting the ship at risk by doing so. The cruising industry would be finished if something happened.