TELL ME ABOUT NCL JADE

[mdsgu]

We are cruising on the Jade (Rome to Greece and back) in May.  Never been on a Jewel-class ship.  Any tips or "secrets" would be appreciated!

[Sailing12Away]

Just got off the Jade last month. The layout of the ship was odd to us, each elevator only goes up to a certain floor, so for us to return to deck 14 we had to walk back to the front of the ship each time. There's a nice semi-quiet area towards the back of the ship near the basketball court that was always empty to just sit and enjoy the sun and wind, and the outdoor garden cafe on deck 12 was nice to sit and munch outdoors as well.

 

[Peachypooh]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 8:04 AM, mdsgu said:

We are cruising on the Jade (Rome to Greece and back) in May.  Never been on a Jewel-class ship.  Any tips or "secrets" would be appreciated!

If you read the recent Jade reviews it should give you lots of information on what people liked or

disliked. As always people's likes and dislikes probably are unique to them.

If you like coffee there are two coffee machines in the buffet that grind the beans for your coffee

and it is free. A money saver over buying specialty coffee in the atrium.

 

[lepidoptera]

I was on her in Feburary. I really liked Spinnaker at the top and frount of the ship. I found the decor was really nice and modern. The buffet was strange because it was only on one side of the ship, it was nice though that the stations weren’t a long line, I found it improved traffic flow. If you walk all the way through the buffet they have a part covered and part open dining area with a bar- this is where I had my breakfast on seadays. 

[rmurray847]

We LOVE the Great Outdoors on Jewel Class.  Grab a snack (or a full meal), get a drink at the bar and sit at the back of the ship for sailaways.  Somehow this place is never terribly packed (except MAYBE on the first day).  As mentioned, Spinnaker is very nice if you need a quiet spot during the day to read, enjoy views, but not be outside (maybe on a windy day?).  We find the layout for this (relatively) small ship to be very thoughtful and engaging.  Love the Jade!

[snirpville]

I was on the Star in September and just got off the Jade earlier this month. I really liked this ship. I liked the layout; it was very similar to the Star. I agree with the others; The Great Outdoors was very nice and much quieter than the pool deck plus no smokers. I often hung out in the Bliss where, if no events, it was nice and quiet with comfortable chairs. I did like the Spinnaker too but only discovered it on my 2nd to last day! Big windows though and very comfy places to sit. I never ate at the Alizar MDR, only at Grand Pacific but I really liked it. I did try the Jasmine Garden one night and it was quite good but pretty loud since it was open to Magnums and the Cigar lounge. Enjoy!

[rmurray847]

48 minutes ago, snirpville said:

 I never ate at the Alizar MDR, only at Grand Pacific but I really liked it. I did try the Jasmine Garden one night and it was quite good but pretty loud since it was open to Magnums and the Cigar lounge. Enjoy!

We preferred Grand Pacific as well, although Alizar feels less formal.  But it has lower ceilings and a more closed in feeling.  Jasmine Garden can indeed be quite noisy, but it's worth a try just as a change of pace.  It's nice for lunch too (sea days).  Also, the shopping area on the Jewel class is mostly confined to one big shop at the back of the ship.  (The Atrium has a few little spots.)  It felt more like a department store and less like a mall.  It is certainly not as grand as what one generally gets on many of the larger ships.  

[Markanddonna]

I love Jewel class ships (although the Star not so much since they took away the observation lounge for more suites.)  The staff changes can really give you a very different experience. I didn't like the Jade crew as well as all the other cruises I have been on. That was my one and only bad experience with a really inferior cabin attendant and the Jade had a very weak activities staff.

 

[ighten]

Love her probably one of my faves on the fleet. Just did a TA and have also done Venice - Barcelona.

 

Interesting to see the diffs after the refit https://notesfromthebarn.blogspot.com/2015/11/ncl-norwegian-jade.html 

 

https://notesfromthebarn.blogspot.com/2018/11/ncl-jade-transatlantic-viking-route.html

 

 

 

[Relax Cruiser]

Hey, what’s your sail date? I’m also doing this same ship and same itinerary. My dates are from May 12-23. Hopefully see you on board if our dates are same :). First time on Jade so other than saying Hi have no real input to offer!! I myself am curious about the ship too :)

[mdsgu]

On 3/23/2019 at 10:25 AM, Relax Cruiser said:

Hey, what’s your sail date? I’m also doing this same ship and same itinerary. My dates are from May 12-23. Hopefully see you on board if our dates are same :). First time on Jade so other than saying Hi have no real input to offer!! I myself am curious about the ship too 🙂

 

We sail 5/23-6/2.

[kdmbluerzr]

We just sailed the Jade March 1 - 11, So Carib. We really enjoyed the Jade, she is almost identical to her sister ship the Pearl. We sailed her two years ago on a Panama Canal cruise. Love the jewel class ships! We stayed on deck 8 in ocean view picture window cabins, in a more aft location. Like the convenient location to O'Sheehan's, elevators as well as the Atrium. The Great Outdoors areas are wonderful, deck 13 just above the pool areas, deck 7 and the Promenade, the whole ship is great. We enjoyed the live entertainment in the Magnums Bar area as well as the Atrium area in the evenings. Drinks are very good, bar tenders on Jade were less friendly and entertaining on the Jade than on the Pearl. Dining/food is all good, in my opinion. We ate at the Garden café for breakfasts and lunch sometimes, for dinners we dined in Grand Pacific a few times and it was always very good, food as well as wait staff, probably our favorite place. Dined at Cagney's twice, not as good as the Pearl two yrs ago, La Cacina once, it was ok, Teppanyaki once, super fun and good food. So much of this is a personal preference. Spinnaker lounge is amazing. Take time to enjoy all the amazing spaces and all this beautiful ship has to offer! Have a wonderful cruise!