Norwegian Jade - Whats it like

[JCruisepal]

Hi

First time on NCL so just wondering what its like

 

Been on HAL and MSC

 

We are sailing on the Jade in July

 

Whats freesytle like, what is service/food like.

Whats the dress code.

Whats pool like and sunbathing areas - are there plenty of sunbeds for days at sea?

 

Any info welcomed

thanks

[pris993]

I have booked the Jade for next year. Have not been on NCL in 10 years.

 

Found a good deal, so booked it. We typical cruise Princess, Celebrity, Hal and Cunard. I have read the reviews on CC for the Jade, suggest you do so.

 

We are doing a eastern Mediterranean. From what I have read there are lots of European on the Mediterranean cruises. I don't think the food is as good as what we typically see on Princess or HAL but the price was a lot cheaper. So we will go with the flow. We may simply have a great late lunch from the buffet and ship dinner. We sometimes do that on cruises.

 

We booked a mini suite, so we enjoy having breakfast and lunch in our cabin and on the balcony if we can.

 

Check out the reviews and they you will have a good idea about the ship.

[xenagurl]

I've been on the Jade twice (East Med and Canary Islands) and will be on for the 3rd and 4th time (B2B East & West Med) come Autumn.

 

I've a review here and there are quite a few threads on her around. I've some photos ---> here.

Hi

First time on NCL so just wondering what its like

 

Been on HAL and MSC

 

We are sailing on the Jade in July

 

Whats freesytle like, what is service/food like.

Freestyle pertains more to being able to dine when and with whom you wish as well as not having to dress formally for dinner. Resort casual is the suggested look. Some people opt for more or less.

 

Whats the dress code.

Freestyle. I think it's stated as resort casual but in the day to day goings on most people are in a simply shirt and pants or shorts.

 

Whats pool like and sunbathing areas - are there plenty of sunbeds for days at sea?

 

I don't spend much time at pools but I've never noticed a lack or chairs. I'd think it would really depend on where you want to sit, the itinerary and when you go.

 

Any info welcomed

thanks

[holiday forever]

Just got off the Jade great ship.Freesytle dining worked well for us only draw back in the MDR if you are a couple they just sit you on your own,so missed sitting at a big table and meeting new people,very few big tables mainly 2's and 4's.Food very good in MDR and garden cafe buffet.Dress code 1/2 dressed up the other 1/2 didn't bother.

Pool area gets very busy not much room we went up to deck 13 to do are sunbathing.

Shows in stardust theatre were the best I have ever seen on a cruise and we have been with most cruise lines.

[Jamisonke]

Hi

First time on NCL so just wondering what its like

 

Been on HAL and MSC

 

We are sailing on the Jade in July

 

Whats freesytle like, what is service/food like.

Whats the dress code.

Whats pool like and sunbathing areas - are there plenty of sunbeds for days at sea?

 

Any info welcomed

thanks

 

We have sailed the Jade twice and she is our favorite of the NCL fleet. Having been on HAL in the past, I'll suggest that service will likely not be as good as you're used to. This has to do more with what you have become accustomed to rather than service being poor. If you have the means to book a suite on the Jade, do so. The suite experience is phenomenal and the service is top notch. Also, if you book a Haven suite, you'll have access to a private pool, hot tub, gym, and private sun deck.

[xenagurl]

Just got off the Jade great ship.Freesytle dining worked well for us only draw back in the MDR if you are a couple they just sit you on your own,so missed sitting at a big table and meeting new people,very few big tables mainly 2's and 4's.Food very good in MDR and garden cafe buffet.Dress code 1/2 dressed up the other 1/2 didn't bother.

Pool area gets very busy not much room we went up to deck 13 to do are sunbathing.

Shows in stardust theatre were the best I have ever seen on a cruise and we have been with most cruise lines.

 

Just a note you can request to share a table. As a couple if you don't say you want to share they assume you'd want to dine together as in normal on shore restaurants. If you sometimes travel solo they'll occasionally ask if you're interested in sharing. :)

[ChuliGirl]

Hi

First time on NCL so just wondering what its like

 

Been on HAL and MSC

 

We are sailing on the Jade in July

 

Whats freesytle like, what is service/food like.

Whats the dress code.

Whats pool like and sunbathing areas - are there plenty of sunbeds for days at sea?

 

Any info welcomed

thanks

 

I have cruised on the ships with set time for dinner and freestyle on NCL. I prefer freestyle cruising. I love NCL. Any ship. The dress code is lesiure style. The dining rooms at night you can't wear shorts or jeans.

You will need to get the lounge chair you want and stay with it as long as you want it. The closer to the pool are taken early.

 

I hope this helps.

[Sauer-kraut]

I have booked the Jade for next year. Have not been on NCL in 10 years.

 

We booked a mini suite, so we enjoy having breakfast and lunch in our cabin and on the balcony if we can.

 

Check out the reviews and they you will have a good idea about the ship.

 

You do realize that a mini-suite doesn't have any perks, right? So any dining you do out there will either be from Room Service or what you bring back from the buffet or Blue Lagoon.

[English_in_Spain]

We were on the Jade to the Canary Islands a few weeks ago. This was a last minute decision for us to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

 

This was our 26th cruise but we hadn't been on NCL for over 20 years. We have sailed mainly on HAL, RCI and Windstar. We weren't sure if we would like NCL and Freestyle but were prepared to go with open minds.

 

As it turned out we were very pleasantly surprised. The service was excellent, in my opinion equal to anything we have found on HAL. The atmosphere on the ship was very relaxed and friendly – including the Captain. They made our anniversary very special.

 

In recent years we have always gone for the open dining option (not fixed time dining) on all cruise lines so Freestyle was not really all that different for us but we did enjoy the option of lots of different places to choose from to eat. Especially the 24 hour Blue Lagoon which meant you could always get something to eat.

 

The food was good, although perhaps not quite as good as HAL. The dress code was, for the most part, smart casual. A few people did dress up on the 'Formal or Not Night' but everyone always seemed very presentable. A lot smarter than we have seen on RCI.

 

I cannot comment on the pool as, on our cruise, the weather was rather cool and the so the pool was rarely used.

 

There was a real mixture of nationalities, including lots from the UK, on our cruise and all announcements were in 4 languages. This wasn't really a problem except that it made the safety drill a bit long. This was held indoors with everyone seated so that didn't really matter.

 

We were so impressed that we paid a deposit on a future cruise while we were on-board. We can take the cruise any time in the next 4 years.

 

Although HAL still remains our favourite cruise line we will certainly cruise NCL again especially as the prices seem to be a lot lower than HAL.

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

 

You can see some of our photos here

[JCruisepal]

Hi thanks all for the responses.

 

thanks also for the photos they give us good idea of Jade and what to expect

[RIPTSER]

JCruisepal,

 

Just got off the Jade in early May from Venice.

Great ship and great staff (Mario and Pryce) at the

pool bars, and of course Eleya (washy washy) at the

entrance to the buffet will impress you. The cruise

director (Gary Glading) will blow your mind. He speaks

8 languages. I budgeted to eat upscale every night, but

never needed to as the buffet and the 24 hour Blue Lagoon

sufficed my needs. I booked a balcony, but being alone, I

thought it a waste as the inner cabins looked very nice.

Unless you are a couple seeking special time alone, save

the money. My cabin steward (Paciano) was outstanding.

My room would be cleaned within minutes of checking my

watch outside the stateroom. Couple of inputs....

 

Avoid the extra cost gotchas, especially the internet!!!!

Drinks can be pricey, but similar to what you would see in any

large city.

I traveled in early May with only 9 teenagers on board. This

might be an issue for you during your trip with school out.

Lounge chairs ARE available, but they "tag" them with a time

stamped sticker to clear your belongings after 30 minutes of

vacancy. My way around this was to simply bribe the attendent

5 Euros, and I had a chair by the bar (and Mario) the entire week :-)!

Avoid Athens at all costs! It is Detroit with more graffiti!

Do get to know (personally) all the staff that serves you. I found

that this can go a long way. For me, it was Paciano, Mario, Pryce,

Eleya, Jaime, Bambang (yes, I am not kidding), Oka, and any many

others. You will meet them all I am sure!

 

Have a great cruise on the Jade, and be safe.

 

Tell them "RichieRich" said hello! They may remember.

 

Best,

 

Rich

[English_in_Spain]

JCruisepal,

 

Just got off the Jade in early May from Venice.

Great ship and great staff (Mario and Pryce) at the

pool bars, and of course Eleya (washy washy) at the

entrance to the buffet will impress you. The cruise

director (Gary Glading) will blow your mind. He speaks

8 languages. I budgeted to eat upscale every night, but

never needed to as the buffet and the 24 hour Blue Lagoon

sufficed my needs. I booked a balcony, but being alone, I

thought it a waste as the inner cabins looked very nice.

Unless you are a couple seeking special time alone, save

the money. My cabin steward (Paciano) was outstanding.

My room would be cleaned within minutes of checking my

watch outside the stateroom. Couple of inputs....

 

Avoid the extra cost gotchas, especially the internet!!!!

Drinks can be pricey, but similar to what you would see in any

large city.

I traveled in early May with only 9 teenagers on board. This

might be an issue for you during your trip with school out.

Lounge chairs ARE available, but they "tag" them with a time

stamped sticker to clear your belongings after 30 minutes of

vacancy. My way around this was to simply bribe the attendent

5 Euros, and I had a chair by the bar (and Mario) the entire week :-)!

Avoid Athens at all costs! It is Detroit with more graffiti!

Do get to know (personally) all the staff that serves you. I found

that this can go a long way. For me, it was Paciano, Mario, Pryce,

Eleya, Jaime, Bambang (yes, I am not kidding), Oka, and any many

others. You will meet them all I am sure!

 

Have a great cruise on the Jade, and be safe.

 

Tell them "RichieRich" said hello! They may remember.

 

Best,

 

Rich

 

 

Are you saying you paid to keep a lounge chair available even if you were not sitting on it :eek:. I find it incredible that the staff allowed that.

 

What would happen if lots of people did that - a lot of empty chairs but some people not being able to sit on one for a whole cruise?

 

Have you ever heard the expression "Chair Hog"?

 

[aam3]

We did the Jade last summer and enjoyed it so much that we booked again for this July. What sailing will you be on, and what ports will you visit?

 

We've always found the food on NCL to be good. You will read some reviews where people say it was inedible...what nonsense! For the price you pay for an NCL vacation, the service and food are certainly always sufficient for us.

 

As for deck chairs, we discovered last year that Europeans LOVE to sit in the sun. We had a difficult time finding deck chairs EVERY day, but did always manage to find a pair eventually. Go early (before breakfast), then go to get your breakfast and eat it poolside. We did find that the pool deck was very busy in the morning and mid afternoon, but by around 2:00 it started to clear out. SOmetimes we did other activities in the morning and saved the swimming and sunning for the afternoon. We also found that the pools and hot tubs were dead in the evenings (literally empty!) so we also enjoyed having dinner as early as possible, then going in the hot tub before going to the later shows.

 

We are really looking forward to being onboard again. Cruise Director Gary was fantastic and all of the entertainment was great. Don't miss the show Elements, definitely one of the best at sea!

[lsmommy]

I have never cruised NCL before but thinking about the Jade for next summer and I found this travel channel youtube video which gives you a glance at the ship.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvEkXdzUtI4

[JGaleCPA]

I have never cruised NCL before but thinking about the Jade for next summer and I found this travel channel youtube video which gives you a glance at the ship.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvEkXdzUtI4

 

GREAT video.

 

Thanks for the link.

[Tiggertastic]

Just got off the Jade great ship.Freesytle dining worked well for us only draw back in the MDR if you are a couple they just sit you on your own,so missed sitting at a big table and meeting new people,very few big tables mainly 2's and 4's.Food very good in MDR and garden cafe buffet.Dress code 1/2 dressed up the other 1/2 didn't bother.

Pool area gets very busy not much room we went up to deck 13 to do are sunbathing.

Shows in stardust theatre were the best I have ever seen on a cruise and we have been with most cruise lines.

 

Tell then you want to share a big table and they happily accommodate it

[JCruisepal]

We did the Jade last summer and enjoyed it so much that we booked again for this July. What sailing will you be on, and what ports will you visit?

 

We've always found the food on NCL to be good. You will read some reviews where people say it was inedible...what nonsense! For the price you pay for an NCL vacation, the service and food are certainly always sufficient for us.

 

As for deck chairs, we discovered last year that Europeans LOVE to sit in the sun. We had a difficult time finding deck chairs EVERY day, but did always manage to find a pair eventually. Go early (before breakfast), then go to get your breakfast and eat it poolside. We did find that the pool deck was very busy in the morning and mid afternoon, but by around 2:00 it started to clear out. SOmetimes we did other activities in the morning and saved the swimming and sunning for the afternoon. We also found that the pools and hot tubs were dead in the evenings (literally empty!) so we also enjoyed having dinner as early as possible, then going in the hot tub before going to the later shows.

 

We are really looking forward to being onboard again. Cruise Director Gary was fantastic and all of the entertainment was great. Don't miss the show Elements, definitely one of the best at sea!

 

Hi thanks for the update

We are on the Jade on 13 July 8 night cruise . Looking forward to it. Done some of the places before and loved Santorini so looking forward to seeing this again. Also looking forward to Mykonos

[JCruisepal]

I have never cruised NCL before but thinking about the Jade for next summer and I found this travel channel youtube video which gives you a glance at the ship.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvEkXdzUtI4

 

thanks for the video link. Looks good.

[JCruisepal]

Hi thanks to all who have replied on this topic

[RIPTSER]

Ms. Carol,

 

With all due repect, I should have clarified my blog. Yes, I did tip a steward to watch my chair each day for a short time, but it was only

for about two hours near the bar. I simply went back and forth. When I was finished, I packed my stuff and went back to my stateroom to allow others to have the chair. On this cruise, there were no shortages. I do understand the term "chair hog", and I wanted to avoid that like the plague. I did not want that for me or to create that for another.

 

You seem like a veteran cruiser! I never want to be "that guy" and would

never want to impose that sort of selfishness on another traveler.

 

Please forgive my wording in the blog. You can have my chair anytime!

 

Safe cruising to you and your family,

 

Rich

[English_in_Spain]

Ms. Carol,

 

With all due repect, I should have clarified my blog. Yes, I did tip a steward to watch my chair each day for a short time, but it was only

for about two hours near the bar. I simply went back and forth. When I was finished, I packed my stuff and went back to my stateroom to allow others to have the chair. On this cruise, there were no shortages. I do understand the term "chair hog", and I wanted to avoid that like the plague. I did not want that for me or to create that for another.

 

You seem like a veteran cruiser! I never want to be "that guy" and would

never want to impose that sort of selfishness on another traveler.

 

Please forgive my wording in the blog. You can have my chair anytime!

 

Safe cruising to you and your family,

 

Rich

 

Hi Rich

 

Thanks for the explanation. I misunderstood what you were saying :o

 

Sorry if I over-reacted but 'chair hogs' are my pet hate. I hate to see rows of empty chairs with towels on and no one ever sitting on them - not just on cruise ships but also at hotels.

 

[chisoxfan]

Appreciate all of the comments on the Jade that caught my attention. We have booked her for Holy Land Cruise next October and have an aft penthouse suite.We are sailing out of Rome and found that the X new ship Reflection also will have a Rome Med sailing around this time. That is a bit of dilemma. For approx same $$ we can go suite on Jade or CC (concierge class) or perhaps Aqua Class on a new Solstice class ship. We were on the Eclipse a year ago and it was fantastic.

The main advantage of the suite for us is better breakfast at Cagneys (and I assume better room service). The X CC class and AQ also have an expanded hot breakfast. While we like the Holy Land itinerary, we realize that it is subject to change based upon world conditions. Also it would be a heavy 'excursion' itinerary that would add some significant cost.

I hate posing 'impossible' questions (Ginger or Maryann) but would certainly appreciate any comments. The X cruise is a few weeks earlier in Oct. which might be better also but who knows. Thanks.

[wack001]

Great ship, terrific staff, good drink, lots to do and the captain is informative and visible, what more can you ask for, I would sail the JADE anytime.

cruisinbob

[semorgan123]

We are on the Jade 9th June 2012 7 nights Greece

 

On the last day disembarking (Sat) our flight back to London Gatwick is late evening, is there an option to buy/use a day room until our airport transfer is called, so that we can use the ships facilities etc

 

Thanks

[English_in_Spain]

No, NCL do not do that (RCI do though).

 

Everyone has to be off the ship to clear it before the new people can board.