First time with Norwegian

[finnkle]

DW and I are trying out Norwegian for the first time in February and was hoping to get a few questions answered:

 

1. How does the food compare to Princess? We recently went on Royal Caribbean and was a little disappointed compared to Princess.

 

2. We booked a guarantee as we always have. Princess seemed to often give upgrades within a category but not the category themselves. RC didn't upgrade us much. Does it vary on upgrades? And timing they issue must vary as well.

 

3. Entertainment - How are the shows and activities on board? We are both mid/late 20's but are not party animals. Just like to have fun seeing shows and participating in activities.

 

4. Any unique things about Norwegian or the Norwegian Jade we should know about?

 

Thanks for all your help!

[garycarla]

DW and I are trying out Norwegian for the first time in February and was hoping to get a few questions answered:

 

1. How does the food compare to Princess? We recently went on Royal Caribbean and was a little disappointed compared to Princess.

 

2. We booked a guarantee as we always have. Princess seemed to often give upgrades within a category but not the category themselves. RC didn't upgrade us much. Does it vary on upgrades? And timing they issue must vary as well.

 

3. Entertainment - How are the shows and activities on board? We are both mid/late 20's but are not party animals. Just like to have fun seeing shows and participating in activities.

 

4. Any unique things about Norwegian or the Norwegian Jade we should know about?

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

We have done a few different ones. I think if you dislike RC vs Princess, you might not be so happy with NCL.

 

GTY and upgrades will vary WIDELY on all cruiselines. There are way to many variables to make any assumptions.

 

We have been on the Jade and sister ships Pearl and Jewel and love the ship.

[HokiePoq]

I know it's subjective but I've found the food on NCL way better than RCCL. Perhaps it was the two ships or new menus or something, but I was not alone on those RCCL ships in not liking the food, sending plates back, etc. And I'm not picky.

On the Jade we alternated between the piano bar and theatre offerings at night depending on what the entertainment was. We've found the NCL lounge entertainers excellent on the Jade.

Cannot compare directly with Princess, but we've sailed the Jade four times and had a great time each time.

[AEckhardt]

I can't compare the food as I have not sailed RCCL or Princess, but I can tell you that for your age, there will be plenty of entertainment. They typically have pub crawls, karaoke, night club parties, a broadway style show, ( perhaps not as big a production as the newer ships, but still wonderful!) game shows with lots of crowd participation, comedy shows, etc. I'm in my early 30's and have never been bored on an NCL cruise!!

 

You will have to keep an eye out for price changes to see if you can score an upgrade, as the likelihood of a phone call is slim. It does happen, but I wouldn't count on it.

[buckeye82]

Go all the way forward on deck 11 to the Bridge observation room. Interesting to watch officers sailing the ship.

 

Sitting at the rail of the Blue Lagoon and eating dessert while looking down at the atrium entertainment is fun. Be on the lookout for the Dixie Land Jazz Jam there one night. They were very popular.

 

 

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[Choochala]

We enjoy the Jade - November will be my third time on her. We've also sailed RCCL and the two don't compare because they were two totally different cruises. On the Jade we have always been in the Med and our RCCL was in the Caribbean. I wouldn't worry too much about the night life if you're not party animals. The European cruises are so port intensive, that we didn't make it past 11 many nights :o There are many things to keep you busy if you want - we just found that we needed some down time and that extra couple hours sleep to be on the go again for another 8 - 10 hour tour.

 

Food is good - not super fantastic but then neither was RCCL. Never cruised Princess so I can't compare. It's cruise fair food. What can I say. I never starved nor did I send anything back. Always found it tasty - the desserts are just ok but I hear that on all the ships. We don't cruise for the food or the entertainment - we cruise for the ports so that may make us a bit different than the main stream cruisers.

 

Either way, you will have a wonderful time - the Med is fantastic especially the Eastern Med - hope you will be going to Istanbul - that's a trip to never forget.

 

Have a great time!!!

Edited August 26, 2014 by Choochala

[mizLORInj]

I love this class of NCL ship. (We like Princess too). We did not enjoy RC food either, and we find NCL food is much more to our tastes. There are also many upcharge restaurants from which to choose, or the already-included in cruise fare dining rooms which we enjoy too. No formal nights on NCL--It's called "Dress up or Not". Many participate and many don't. Your choice and it's all good.

 

We enjoy NCL entertainment.

Have fun!

Edited August 27, 2014 by mizlorinj

[cruzperson]

Princess and Celebrity have the best food. I've been disappointed with RCL except on one European cruise where it was great. NCL is not gourmet, but it's OK. I like the entertainment on NCL. I've been on the Breakaway, the Pearl and the Gem. All in all, I think you'll like NCL if you set your expectations. Every cruise line is different. And it's all about the people you meet! Enjoy your cruise!

[finnkle]

Thank you for all your reply's! I think DW and I will have a great time. As many of you said, we are doing this for the ports, not the ship but doesn's hurt to be pleasantly surprised!

 

For these cruise ports (Athens, Olympia, 2 days in Istanbul, Ephesus, Naples and beginning and ending in Rome) is it best to do the tours through the cruise line or go out side of the cruise line or even just rent a car? Any experience?

[HokiePoq]

Thank you for all your reply's! I think DW and I will have a great time. As many of you said, we are doing this for the ports, not the ship but doesn's hurt to be pleasantly surprised!

 

For these cruise ports (Athens, Olympia, 2 days in Istanbul, Ephesus, Naples and beginning and ending in Rome) is it best to do the tours through the cruise line or go out side of the cruise line or even just rent a car? Any experience?

 

We've always taken public transit (one inclusive ticket...what a bargain!) when touring Rome. I imagine that would depend on your flight time/luggage constraints. If you're staying in a Rome hotel, don't hesitate to buy tickets and use the bus/subway system. Research your stops before you go. My guidebook told us what bus route to take to some sights we wanted to see. There is a subway stop right at the Colesseum and a train stop (San Pietro) for the Vatican. Book the Vatican Museum ahead of time online to avoid lines and assure a time slot.

We've taken ship's tours in Naples each time, but next time I would take the ferry over to Capri (if it's a good weather day) and hope the tours to the Blue Grotto are running. The ship's tour didn't include that. The ship's tour to Capri was pricey but fantastic. Be sure to ride the funicular to the top (ticket not included but well worth it). We did a ship's tour to Pompei and Herculaneum, but if going back, I'd prefer to find the train route and do it on our own. We took ship's tours in Athens and Ephesus. You might find a private tour to Ephesus that doesn't take you to a rug store. In Athens we took a ship's tour to the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon. This was excellent. I'd hesitate to go out on my own there as I could not read the street signs.

Enjoy your wonderful itinerary!

[Choochala]

Our last cruise on the Jade was the same itinerary as you have coming up. we used http://www.ephesusdeluxe.com for our Turkey tours. They are fantastic and very reasonable. We organized both Ephesus and Istanbul through this company and they gave us a great deal on the combined tours (three full days). The guides are extremely knowledgeable and we went to all the "must see" sights. They have an air conditioned van and will tailor the trip to your desires. We had 14 people with us - it wasn't too many and one gentleman even left his water bottle in the van we had for the Ephesus tour and they had someone go get it and return it to him the next day when we met to go on the Istanbul tour! Totally over and above anything they had to do! Very impressed.

 

On our first cruise, we took all but one tour through the ship - I'm much more comfortable now that I'd rather do private tours - less people, less expensive, less time waiting around for all those people, and you can tailor it to what you want to see. And - you don't have to spend endless time in shops where they want you to buy things so the ship gets a kick-back. Keep an eye though because sometimes the ship tours can be more economical than private ones. For example, this November we will be taking the ship's transfer into Florence - I searched everywhere for a better deal, other than taking the train, the ship offered the best price. I'm nervous taking the local transportation - I'm sure it's very reliable and practical but I'm more comfortable going with a organized tour company just to be on the safe side - that way, we can watch the clock and if it's getting late, we can say, "it's time to head back to the ship" - but that's just me.

 

The ship will try to scare you with "If you don't make it back to the ship on time, you will have to meet it in the next port at your own expense". I've all the confidence in the world that the private companies will get us there because their business depends on it. If they were continuously late getting people back to the ship, they wouldn't have the great reviews they have. Side Note - I don't think I've read - or heard of anyone missing the ship on a private tour - I'm sure it may have happened but in my cruising experience, I've never heard.

 

Go on your roll call and there will be people there willing to share the private tours with you. If you're not comfortable organizing them, join another group of people who are doing the organizing. Good Luck and have fun!