Just Off Jade ABC Cruise (10/15-23) from Miami

[lindseylu8]

 

About Us: 

Married couple in our late 30's. This was our 6th cruise, 3rd with NCL. We did the drink package as our perk. Stayed in an inside cabin this time. Came in to Miami a day early and stayed at the Leamington Hotel - it was HORRIBLE. The worst hotel Ive ever stayed at. Door barely locked, saw a hooker and a cockroach, smelled weed in the halls, no towels, no light in the bathroom, you get the jest. Booked through expedia because it came with a shuttle to the port, but it was so close to the port we easily could have ubered. The shuttle was so small they had to do like 4 trips. Some people had to wait in the "lobby" for over an hour Oh well, didnt get murdered and made it to the ship on time so all is well. 

 

Itinerary: 

Depart Miami Sunday 10/14, Mon- Wed sea days. Thurs Bonaire 9-5. Friday Aruba 8-midnight. Sat Curacao 8-5. Sun-Mon sea days. Disembark Tuesday at 7am.

 

Ship:

Basic ship with not a lot of amenities. Adult pool near the main pool but I actually didnt see any kids in the adult pool. Not as crowded as Ive seen on other ships- which was surprising since we had so many sea days. We only ate in the buffet & main dining room so cant comment on those. Buffet & dining room were fine. The Grand Pacific actually requires long pants for men but the Alizar (is that the other one?) doesnt. Same menu. The casino is SUPER smoky. We go to Las Vegas a lot and that is nothing compared to the smoke level in the ship casino. DH gambles so he did some craps, roulette & poker tournaments but I couldnt handle the smoke so I didnt spend too much time there. The Mojito Bar up on the very top of the ship is SUPER yummy & was basically empty the whole time- I think because of the location. I would recommend checking it out! 

 

Shows: 

The acrobat show was actually the same couple we saw on the Gem last year. Still an amazing show. They are super talented! The Elements show was also good. Enjoyed the magician. The comedian, Alvin Williams did 2 shows and both were really funny. He got off the ship as we did so not sure if/ where he is going next. We enjoyed both acts. Blazing Boots was one we didnt go to- we arent too into country music so we passed on that one. The secondary shows are the same you will see on all cruises- Newlywed Not So Newlywed, Ladies vs Gents, etc. All are entertaining even if you have seen them before on other cruises. We didnt play bingo and we only watched the Deal or No Deal once. Its always entertaining to watch. Did origami a few times and trivia few times. 

 

Staff:

All the staff was nice & friendly. Enjoyed the cruise director, Richard. Asst director Fabi was kind of annoying but only saw her on the daily show- I think Richard didnt like her either lol. Just based off his reactions to her on the daily shows. haha. Our steward left us plenty of towel animals- always a plus. 

 

Will post separate posts below for each port below & am happy to answer any questions. 

 

Edited October 29, 2018 by lindseylu8

[lindseylu8]

Bonaire:

We rented golf carts from Bonaire cruisers & drove around the island. We got some rain & it got cold towards the end so we didnt end up getting in the water (sadly) but otherwise we had a great time. We did the South tour and saw a lighthouse & ruins, the salt pans, flamingos, slave huts, and ended at jibe city beach resort before heading back. When we got to Jibe City a downpour hit us so we stepped under the bar area & had a super strong & super fresh mai tai that was made with a LOT of rum & fresh squeezed fruit juice. Only $10 each- yum. The water looked lovely but I was just too cold to get in. The golf cart was only $95 so ended up being a cheap day. They have wifi at the Bonaire Cruisers rental spot so we sat there for a few when we returned our carts to check on the internet.

 

They recommend a map app & provide a paper map. They go over the routes with you before you go & circle points of interest on the map as well. It was really easy to navigate with just the paper map.

We went back to the boat, dried off & changed and went back to the port area to get a snack, buy some local hot sauce, & get a pic under the Bonaire sign. We got rice & beans with chicken from a local vendor I port- she was in the back corner. It was only $5 and it was AMAZING. The Caribbean hot sauce vendor gave samples & so we bought 2 bottles of that as well. 

 

 

[lindseylu8]

Aruba:

We rented a UTV from Arubiana. We took a taxi there & they reimbursed us and they provided transportation back to the pier. The total was $229 for 9-5 rental. They also had wifi in their office so we used that before & after real quick. We really enjoyed this. You can buy goggles ($10) and dust mask ($5) from them. I almost brought my goggles but didn’t- wish I had so we had to buy theirs. I did bring a dust mask which I didn’t really need since it rained on & off. Was glad we bought the goggles.

 

They provide a map app that worked pretty well. I also used the map me app that I had downloaded for Bonaire and that helped to cross reference. We also got paper maps from either them or at Arikok National Park (or both?, cant recall). We navigated throughout the island easily and didn’t have any issues. Their app gives you sample itineraries but I had made up my own based on what I wanted to do.

 

We first headed to Arikok National Park, there is an $11 pp entry fee. We went to the natural pool first. It was “closed” to swimming due to crazy high waves but there were people that has swam out there. We got in the shallow part but didn’t go to the pool – sad L it was still beautiful.

 

Then we went to Dos Playas and looked at the beach and to Quadiriki caves. Then headed to the natural bridge. We wanted to hit the gold smelter but we were really hot and had been 4X4ing for hours so we headed to Eagle beach to do some swimming.

 

We turned our UTV in and they took us back to the cruise terminal. We got back on the ship, showered (we were FILTHY from driving around on the UTV all day) and changed. We went back out and looked around the stores near the port but ended up just heading back on board much earlier than our midnight departure. I found a cute tie dye shirt for my niece in the port area for a good price and of course went to DI for my free charm.

Edited October 29, 2018 by lindseylu8

[lindseylu8]

Curacao:

 

After much research & back and forth we decided on just doing an all-inclusive here. I really wanted to do the blue room but the reviews were sketchy and limited. Our friends that went with us actually tried to do the Blue Room but after taking a $40 taxi there, they were told they were the only 2 doing the tour & so it would be cancelled. I saw this on reviews and was one of the reasons I didn’t do it. I also wanted to do Irie tours beach & sightseeing but when I emailed them they had to have a minimum number of attendees or it would be cancelled so I didn’t book that.

 

We booked through resorts for a day and went with Santa Barbara Beach Resort. It included transportation. It was about 35 min from the port. It was $119 per person and included drinks, food, beach, pools. It was a lovely day but I would not go back again. Nothing was open until like 11 so no drinks or snacks until then. The pools were all together and were packed with (bad) kids. Screaming, yelling, and literally jumping and running over our heads. They had shallow area in the pool with loungers in it and they kids were leapfrogging over the people in the chairs. The beach was nice but it was a small space. We enjoyed ourselves and had a lovely day regardless but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back. We ate in the Mediterranean restaurant and it the food & service were both excellent.

 

We headed back to the ship and looked at the shops near the port. Went to DI and got my charm. We didnt buy anything though.

 

[lizygirl3]

Going on  Nov 16 thanks for the review

[luvcruzing]

Great review. Really enjoyed it and the beautiful pictures. Thank you.