Jade Trans-Atlantic and Western Caribbean!

[terri910]

I am so excited! We are booked on the Jade for this October....and I would love to hear all about it: the good, the bad, and the ugly!

 

9 years ago we cruised the Med with a group of folks from around the world that called ourselves "The Mellow Yellows"....it was such a great group of people and we had such fun, we are still in touch with these people today! (Love social media, right?)

 

A little over 3 years ago, my husband and I retired to Ecuador -- on a cruise ship, I might add! -- and have found a wonderful, vibrant community of north American ex-pats living here. In 2014, we joined a group found on the internet, called EC Smooth Cruisers, which was mostly made of up expats. We did a trans-Atlantic on the NCL Epic and had so much fun! The Epic wasn't our favorite ship ever, but this group of folks know how to have fun!! *L*

 

Now, the same group (even larger, now that more people have learned about it and joined us) has put together another great cruise for the group. We are going to do another trans-Atlantic cruise out of Barcelona, this time on the Jade, for 14 nights, and then the Jade's 7-night western Caribbean cruise back-to-back with it! The pricing was great, we know the people are fantastic, we are going to have so much fun. One thing we've learned is that people who have a spirit of adventure enough to move to another continent, are people who make travel a blast!! I just wish every travel- and fun-loving cruiser would join the fun!

 

Have you sailed on the NCL Jade? What did you like the most/least? What would be on your don't-miss-this list?

 

I'm dying to hear back so I can share it with our other cruising friends on Facebook!

[NMLady]

There is an extremely active roll call for the October 30 transatlantic on the Jade. You might want to check it out.

[terri910]

There is an extremely active roll call for the October 30 transatlantic on the Jade. You might want to check it out.

Have done and continue to do!

 

Just hoping for more info on the Jade from anyone that's sailed on her.

[dporter]

Hi Terri,

 

My BF and I were on the Jade in January and absolutely love it!

 

The staff on this ship were fantastic, always smiling, always greeted you and always helped when asked questions. Service was terrific, never waited very long for drinks or food. We had some chilly weather so we did not spend much time on the main pool deck so I can't say if that was too crowded.

 

I had a massage in the spa and it was good, a little pricey but definitely a great way to relax. We did not use the gym, probably should have but its vacation!

 

We only had the UBP and never had any problem using it, in fact it was much easier on NCL than on Celebrity the year before. We did take a last minute upgrade to the Haven and it was very nice to have the covered pool so we did get some sunshine even on the chilly days.

 

We enjoyed the shows we saw, we don't go to the welcome aboard show. The singers and dancers are very talented. The acrobats were amazing, and I am not often blown away. The magician was ok, a little cheesy for me, similar to an off strip Vegas show. The comedian was ok, we were slightly disappointed that he didn't do a late night adult show.

 

The only negative for me was the amount of time that the comedian pitched his DVD and other items, I understand they need to make a living but more than 2-3 sentences is excessive in my opinion, he went on for almost 10 minutes.

 

We liked it so much that we booked a 10 day trip on the Jade for next January!

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Bacci111]

hi, can you share the site you booked the 14 day cruise on? getting ready to book and need alittle help on this please.

[dporter]

hi, can you share the site you booked the 14 day cruise on? getting ready to book and need alittle help on this please.

 

I booked our January 2017 10 day directly on NCL.com

[MichiganBound]

Hi Terri

I'm currently on the reverse itinerary that you will do. I Joined the Jade on April 9 in Houston for the 7 day Caribbean cruise then continued on for the transatlantic. We left St. Thomas yesterday and are now into the long 6 day crossing to Funchal.

 

Everything has been pretty much as expected. The one big standout surprise for me has been the quality of the entertainment. It has been excellent...both in terms of the shows in the theatre and also the lounge acts. The guitar player/singer Carlos is very very good. He plays in Magnums lounge every night. NCL is lucky to have him. I'm surprised he doesn't have a record deal frankly.

 

The passenger demographic of the two cruises has been very different. The Caribbean cruise was a typically American/Canadian crowd with plenty of families. Fun group. The transatlantic is very mixed with North Americans, Europeans, and Asians. Also the age demographic is much older.

 

Anyway, lots of fun so far. I'm just hoping for smooth seas between here and Funchal:)

Edited April 23, 2016 by MichiganBound

[Bacci111]

hope that you continue to have fun!!!

[NoName]

 

A little over 3 years ago, my husband and I retired to Ecuador -- on a cruise ship, I might add! -- and have found a wonderful, vibrant community of north American ex-pats living here.

*************

I have been researching retiring to Ecuador. The price of beachfront housing is VERY inexpensive. However, I struggle with being so far away from my family. How has your experience been? How long have you been there? Where did you settle? What has as been the hardest part? What have you enjoyed the most? My email is ecarr001@twcny.rr.com if you don't want to get the thread off topic! Thanks. Kim