NCL Jade Freestyle Daily September 2015

[cinegrad]

Ok, let me first start off by saying that I know these are a few months old, and for that I apologize. After we came back from our cruise, I had all these lofty intentions of writing the mother of all reviews. Sadly, that didn't quite happen, but I figured the least I could do is scan and post our Freestyle Dailies. My husband and I were on back-to-back seven day cruises in the Mediterranean with Archie as our cruise director (so-so) and Alex, Borna, Celso (fantastic!) among our entertainment crew. And before we left, we gobbled up every bit of Jade-related info we could find on here, so I'm just trying to pay it forward. Please do let me know if you have any questions, and happy cruising!

 

Cruise 1: Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Split, Croatia

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fpgmrlh5mmiq058/cruise1.pdf?dl=0

 

Cruise 2: Venice, Italy; Corfu, Greece; Santorini, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; Katakolon (Olympia), Greece

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bg73eheveclghgy/cruise2.pdf?dl=0

 

-Keisha

[Huntingdon1701]

Thanks for these. I'm doing this cruise in late September so these are really helpful! Already spotting a few things I'll want to look out for.

 

How did you find the Jade generally? Any top tips for excursions?

[cinegrad]

Thanks for these. I'm doing this cruise in late September so these are really helpful! Already spotting a few things I'll want to look out for.

 

How did you find the Jade generally? Any top tips for excursions?

 

Hi, Huntingdon1701 - We really enjoyed the Jade. At first we were a little uncertain because it was a slightly smaller and older ship (launched in 2006, I believe) than we had previously sailed on, but we had a great time. I was surprised at the number of dining options available (we had a dining package and with 2 weeks onboard, we tried them all). Teppanyaki, the Japanese steakhouse was fun, and my husband and father-in-law really liked Cagney's steakhouse (yeah, we're a bunch of carnivores :-) ). We found the crew extremely courteous and friendly and I tend to be a pretty happy traveler in general, but I didn't notice any excessive signs of wear and tear in the various lounges, restaurants, etc.

 

As for excursions, we went with NCL for the most part, but tried a few independent companies too:

 

Dubrovnik: Dubrovnik Shore Tours - very professional, punctual, and informative guide (spent $178 for 4 of us)

Piraeus: Tours Piraeus - small group tour with passengers from our ship and other neighboring ships ($85pp with group of 4)

Ephesus: Private Ephesus Tours - had a tour named Isik who was just great, really easygoing and knowledgeable

 

The rest of the ports, we did NCL:

 

Split - Split Old Town & Trogir Medieval City

Santorini - Greek Style Celebration - Opa! (pricey, but fun)

Mykonos - Delos: Birthplace of Artemis & Apollo

Olympia - Olympia & Archaeological Museum

 

We found the NCL tours to be well-organized and enjoyable. If I had to make one complaint about the tours, it actually wasn't with NCL but rather some of the passengers. I think sometimes people are a little optimistic about their physical fitness levels when booking these tours and it's just worth noting that some of them call for a good deal of walking in a fair amount of heat (we were there in September). There were some who groused a bit during the tours, but like I said we're generally pretty happy travelers, so it's not like that ruined our vacation at all.

 

Hope this info helps and you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!

[Huntingdon1701]

Thanks Cinegrad, it really is! I was quite uninspired by the NCL excursions in Dubrovnik so I'll check out Shore Tours.

 

I'm also reassured to here you didn't find the Jade's small size a problem. My last cruise was on the Epic and I was a bit worried that I would find a shortage of things to do. However, it looks like there are plenty of options even if you don't go to the main show.

[cinegrad]

The Epic! Now I'd be interested in that one. The biggest ship we've been on is the Carnival Breeze and the Jade was our first foray into Norwegian. I'd definitely go back again (although our next trip is on the Carnival Vista this September). I look forward to hearing about your trip on here once you're back! :)

[sugarlander]

Wow, thanks for the Freestyle Dailies, Keisha. Very useful. Questions:

1. Any tips regarding tenders at Split and Santorini? We decided not to do the NCL shore excursions but are concerned about long wait times.

2. In Santorini, is it easy enough to go to Oia on your own? Many reviewers regretted not having enough time in Oia because they were with a tour.

Thanks again!

[cinegrad]

Wow, thanks for the Freestyle Dailies, Keisha. Very useful. Questions:

1. Any tips regarding tenders at Split and Santorini? We decided not to do the NCL shore excursions but are concerned about long wait times.

2. In Santorini, is it easy enough to go to Oia on your own? Many reviewers regretted not having enough time in Oia because they were with a tour.

Thanks again!

 

So sorry to be so slow with a response. I'm really bad about keeping up with my Cruise Critic. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be able to be much help with these particular queries. In both ports, we went with NCL excursions, so I can't really speak to going it alone. We did the Greek Style Celebration NCL excursion in Santorini and it included some time in Oia. We didn't stay long, but I didn't feel particularly cheated (but then I'm not a big shopper, others may feel differently). As for tenders, I don't recall tendering in Split (although we probably did and I'm just forgetting). Being a part of an NCL excursion made the debarkation process in Santorini fairly painless. We just assembled in the Stardust and waited for our group to be called. Sorry this isn't more helpful. I actually spent quite a bit of time using Evernote to take notes during our vacation, but I'm starting to realize I need to do a better job of it this year, lol. Happy planning!

[sjbdtz]

Thanks Cinegrad, it really is! I was quite uninspired by the NCL excursions in Dubrovnik so I'll check out Shore Tours.

 

I'm also reassured to here you didn't find the Jade's small size a problem. My last cruise was on the Epic and I was a bit worried that I would find a shortage of things to do. However, it looks like there are plenty of options even if you don't go to the main show.

 

10Euro taxi fare to the Old City. Free to climb & walk the walls.

 

.

[92ufgator]

Thank you for posting these! We are doing the 8 day out of Venice in July on the Jade. Quick question about tendering in Santorini. I have booked a private sunset catamaran cruise departing at 3:30. We will be responsible for getting to the top via cable car on our own and then someone from the cat will meet us and get us to the boat. My question is how long does the tendering take? Since we won't be on an NCL tour, I know we have to wait for tickets. Just wondering your thoughts? Thanks!