Live from the jade

[followme2dq]

Any bartenders you recommend?

 

Miguel from St Lucia.....Bali Hai Bar during the day, Martini Bar Evenings, and Spinnaker at night.

 

Emanuel from the Philippines....Top Siders Bar during the day, Martini Bar evenings, and casino/spinnaker at night.

[sanger727]

Any bartenders you recommend?

 

 

So far they have been so busy we haven't really had the chance to meet any of them. Just would avoid the aft bar on the pool level due to the rude bartender the first day. We have only listened to music sporadically, but it's all listed in the daily. There is usually a guy playing a guitar in the atrium in the afternoon/evening, a reggae band alternatives with a DJ by the pool, someone plays piano in magnums in the late evening. And there's a few other live performers we have seen around and about.

 

 

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[Kruizin'Kath]

Thanks for posting! We are on the TA in April

[sanger727]

Following the day in Antigua we did dinner in the MDR; which was decent, think I had baked ziti. And while it certainly wasn't baked ziti as I know it, it was a yummy pasta dish with Mariana sauce and vegetables and I enjoyed it. I didn't feel well after dinner so skipped the show, which was a comedian and people said it was good.

 

Next day was st Martin where we signed up for an ATV tour through twin island excursions. Now, when we decided to do an ATV tour, I checked out the options. Pretty much everyone wanted around $150 for 2 to share an ATV. So I went with the longest tour, which was this one at 5.5 hours. Boy did you get your money's worth. It was actually a little more than we really wanted. We did the full perimeter of the island with 2 thirty minute stops, a short stop at an overlook, and an hour at maho beach. We were actually so tired by the end we decided it was a little too long, but we thoroughly enjoyed our day. We even got to do a little off roasting to get to the overlook, which was up a steep hill.

 

 

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[sanger727]

When we returned to the ship we had dinner reservations at la cucina. Hands down the best meal so far of the trip. Between the 3 of us we had 3 of the salads, chicken parm, carbonara, and the meatballs and it was all delicious. Also had the tiramisu and it was great.

 

Showtime was called magika and was a magic show. This one was a bit of a disappointment. The magic tricks were good. The problem was that over the course of a 45 minute show, they did about 5 tricks. The remainder was just filler with the guy talking and attempting to be a comedian... and he just wasn't. So, after a long and tiring day in port, it just didn't really hold our interest.

 

Today we were in San Juan. We have been there before so we opted to just explore on our own. We went out and explored the forts as well as just old San Juan. It just so happened that today was the last day of a street fair, San Sebastián festival. It's been described as the Mardi Gras of San Juan and they aren't kidding. Huge crowds of people, tons of street vendors with food, big tented areas with locals selling jewelry, art, candy, etc, street performers everywhere; and of course, lots and lots of drinking.

 

It was a fun experience and as San Juan veterans we enjoyed it since it was totally new. But it did make getting around quite a bit more difficult. Sailing out now with 2 sea days left till we return to Tampa.

 

 

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[Maraprince]

After the main show at night are there other activities for adults? How about the overall level of activities?

 

MARAPRINCE

[suzycruise]

Hi! I'm enjoying your live review from the Jade. Thank you. I board her the 25th... please advise if there is a lot of construction/demolition going on... i read they took down the pool deck slide. Any other stuff going on that would detract from a smooth cruise experience? THANK YOU.

 

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[Maraprince]

Anyone know what will change after the upcoming dry dock?

 

MARAPRINCE

[sanger727]

After the main show at night are there other activities for adults? How about the overall level of activities?

 

 

 

MARAPRINCE

 

 

The main show is done twice a night, at 7:30 and 9:30. There was a game show every night at 8:30, plus parties/karaoke/live music in the lounges from anywhere from 6-11+

 

 

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[sanger727]

Hi! I'm enjoying your live review from the Jade. Thank you. I board her the 25th... please advise if there is a lot of construction/demolition going on... i read they took down the pool deck slide. Any other stuff going on that would detract from a smooth cruise experience? THANK YOU.

 

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We noticed quite a bit of maintenance going on but I'm not sure if that is normal or was related to the upcoming charters, or just related to the ship needed a dry dock. For example, we noticed the smell of paint thinner in our room one day and called down to guest services who said it was related to work being done in the next room. We also got into the elevators one day and the handrails had been freshly varnished. There was some minor construction being done on deck here and there; wiring lights, taping down power cords, but nothing excessive that detracted from the cruise.

 

 

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[sanger727]

A few pictures from San Juan showing the magnitude of the crowds

 

 

 

And the general sights

 

 

 

 

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[sanger727]

After our day in San Juan, For dinner we went to moderno. We loved it, great salad bar; sides were perfect and the meats were great. My favorite was a garlic sirloin; also had bacon wrapped chicken and a sausage (both a bit dry) and a beef rib that was cooked and seasoned well but could have used some sauce. The show tonight was 'the ladder guy'. He was entertaining; he juggled, rode a unicycle, and climbed straight up an unsupported ladder.

 

 

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Edited January 25, 2017 by sanger727

[sanger727]

Also forgot to mention that after San Juan but before dinner we decided to take up the spa on one of their offers. They were running a special:

 

 

So I did the mini facial, arm and hand massage, and foot and ankle massage. Whole service was about 45 minutes and I felt like I got my money's worth. She pitched me product of course, but a simple 'I'm not buying anything today', got me out the door without any hard pitch.

 

 

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[sanger727]

The next day was a sea day. We did spinning in the morning, again my bike was so terrible I didn't take a class the last day.

 

After that we went to a presentation by the comedian, David naster, about using humor to cope with life. It was entertaining enough but a little heavy for a cruise. We had lunch at the MDR and then spent the afternoon at the pool. I didn't notice a big issue with chair hogs on this trip. When the weather was nice most seats were occupied; a few had just towels but not an outrageous amount. But we never had a problem finding a decent chair.

 

MDR again for dinner, sorry cannot recall what we had. Show tonight was Elements which was awesome. A mix of singing, modern dance, acrobatics, and a few magic tricks.

 

 

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[sanger727]

For our last sea day I just used equipment in the gym and that was all perfectly fine. I used a stepper and an elliptical machine but they also had treadmills, a row machine, and weights.

 

In the morning the acrobats had a short presentation where they showed the exercises they do to help them get strong enough for the show. Was very impressive and all 'do not try at home' stuff. They also had a short Q&A. In the afternoon they had an informational presentation about Christopher columbus and it was very informative and mildly entertaining.

 

We had an early dinner at jasmine which is also complimentary except for a couple premium items and the sushi. It was really good. Had spring rolls, pot stickers and the egg drop soup. The first 2 were great but I found the egg drop soup very bad. But other people raved about how great it was, so just subjective. We also had the kung pao chicken and a pork/noodle soup that were good.

 

The show that night was a variety show. Somewhat of a subdued version of elements. Completely different music if course but the same basic format of singing and dancing, acrobatics, and magic; plus a short stand up act from the comedian.

 

We purchased a few pictures and found the photo staff really unhelpful. First I was looking for the portrait photos I took with my BF. I knew when and where we took them so asked if they could help me find them. He asked what background we had. I didn't remember; but I know exactly when and where they were taken. He said he couldn't help me unless I knew the background.

 

Then had the same issue with our embarkation photo. A family member saw it earlier in the cruise but we couldn't find it when we came back. They guy checked and it wasn't out. He handed us the contact sheets and said it would be in there and it wasn't. Again we could tell him pretty close to the minute when it was taken but apparently they can't look it up that way. [emoji849]

 

 

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[sanger727]

Sitting in the airport about to head home and some final thoughts.

 

Overall the cruise was great. Some of the food was hit and miss; there were a couple service issues; and the bad spinning bikes. But overall the crew was fantastic. Everywhere u went they were cleaning. The buffet service was impressive, pretty much as soon as ur plate was empty they took it and as soon as you got up the table was wiped down. The wait staff were great too. When the lounges/pool were busy, the waiters were few and far between for drink service, but I never had trouble getting served quickly by going up to the bars.

 

There were a few things I didn't care for, just due to it being a small ship. No kiosks for reservations like the epic, couldn't do anything with your account on the TV. Hopefully those will be changed in dry dock.

 

We made reservations at the 90 day mark since we had the SDP and was glad we did. There was a huge line on the first day for reservations and then after the first couple days, when I went into the iconcierge app to check for different times, there were hardly any left; most all after 9 pm.

 

Iconcierge was great and well worth the $10 per phone to be able to text each other throughout the cruise.

 

Overall the food was good but the shows were fantastic. I've always thought that NCL had the best shows and they didn't disappoint. But we were pleasantly surprised by the meals at la cucina and moderno, by far our best meals of the trip.

 

 

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[suzycruise]

We noticed quite a bit of maintenance going on but I'm not sure if that is normal or was related to the upcoming charters, or just related to the ship needed a dry dock. For example, we noticed the smell of paint thinner in our room one day and called down to guest services who said it was related to work being done in the next room. We also got into the elevators one day and the handrails had been freshly varnished. There was some minor construction being done on deck here and there; wiring lights, taping down power cords, but nothing excessive that detracted from the cruise.

 

 

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Thank you for the info! I'm on board the JADE now. We are delayed AGAIN, not departing until 10pm due to a "diving operation." It's very crowded and I see lots of construction company crew( those wearing the neon green vests) up on deck 12 and 13. Hoping for smooth sailing once we get going.

 

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