Live Report - Jade From Athens 17th April

[Papawizz]

Just now, KeithJenner said:

Yes, there are both European and US.

 

There are also USB posts on the bottom of the light each side of the bed. It is easy to miss them.

Thank you Keith 

[blueseas2sail]

Complawyer said: " i figured most people would interpret the - as meaning negative. I guess you failed high school algebra."

 

Negative signs are associated with numbers and math.

Dashes are used with text.

[KeithJenner]

Hopefully I should get some time tomorrow to summarise this cruise, but I have managed to scan the freestyle dailies today, which I have just uploaded to a separate thread:

 

 

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

Hopefully I should get some time tomorrow to summarise this cruise, but I have managed to scan the freestyle dailies today, which I have just uploaded to a separate thread:

 

 

Thank you 

[KeithJenner]

OK, a few overall thoughts.

 

Firstly, it was great to be back. Like many we have had a long break between cruises (our last one was Christmas and New Year 2019/20) so we had a shorter gap than many.

 

I had meny concerns before the cruise. Some concerns about the flights and testing, as we had had covid not long ago. There were a few times in the lead up when we really wondered whether it was worth it. I spoke to a few people who had travelled post covid who said that once you have done it then it doesn't seem as bad, and I would agree with that. I have another three overseas trips booked in the next few months and feel much more relaxed about those now.

 

I had read loads of nightmare stories about the UK airports over Easter, but they were two of the best flights I have had for years. I've mentioned how quick things were at Heathrow on departure, and they were equally good on the way back. We were at our car about 30 minutes after our scheduled arrival time (that includes passport control, baggage and the shuttle to the car park). I am usually happy if we can do that within an hour.

 

In comparison, Athens airport was very busy with long queues to check in and for security. I have often found that European airports can be busy and slow at these times, and this wasn't much worse than we often experience. You wouldn't want to be arriving much less than two hours before your flight though.

 

The cruise itself felt very normal except for being quieter than we are used to and the masks. I don't want to get involved in a mask discussion, and I don't have a major problem with them in principle, but I am used not to wearing them at home so it did feel like a real step back. Most people are wearing masks whilst walking around, and I only really found it a problem on the stairs (and whilst queuing at the airport). I did keep forgetting which pocket I had put it in, which was annoying.

 

This was our third trip on the Jade, and I do like the Jewel Class ships. I don't have a real preference between big or small, old or new. They offer a different experience and I like both options. However, one of the benefits of the smaller ships is that the staff have more time to stop and talk. This was even more the case with such a quiet ship and there were some staff who particularly stood out. Desiree in Tankards was our favourite, and also the wine steward in Cagneys (who often worked at The Great Outdoors) was also excellent. I have lost his name unfortunately.

 

As for the itinerary, I couldn't claim that the Greek Isles are my favourite destination, but they are a very enjoyable place to visit. We enjoyed all the ports, even if we mainly just had a walk around. Rhodes is a particular favourite (we have been there before and really enjoyed it then as well). I'm also very glad that we got to Oia in Santorini as well.

 

The main disappointment was the weather in Istanbul. I really liked Istanbul last time we were there, and it was a shame that we didn't get chance to see more.

 

Overall, a great cruise on a great ship. I really was good to be back, and I'm looking forward to my next one.

[KeithJenner]

As I have mentioned, we added a couple of upgrades to this cruise, moving to a two bedroom suite, and getting the Premium Plus beverage package. I'll give my views on those.

 

Firstly the cabin.

 

We have sailed in a variety of cabins over the years, from Oceanviews to an Owners Suite. I do not subscribe to the "once you've upgraded you can't go back" view, and am happy to move around depending on various factors, such as itinerary. In fact, it is likely that we will book an Oceanview for next year (British Isles cruise with little need for a balcony).

 

The Haven holds very little appeal to us. The one time we had Haven access I felt at the end that it was a negative, as we spent time there which, in hindsight, we would have enjoyed more spending in the main public areas. We haven't tried the Haven on the newer ships, but whilst that is a better Haven area, there are also many other places on those whips where I would like to spend time.

 

The room itself is excellent though. The extra space was great for us, as a family. The main bedroom is very nice, and the bathroom is excellent. The bath and shower with windows can appear a bit of a gimmick, but it's nice to be in the bath with a view whilst sailing. We basically upgraded purely for the room and it was worth the money.

 

The perks that come with the suite are of less interest to us. We met the concierge twice, at embarkation and for him to hand us our tickets on our tour. This is no reflection on him, but I just don't have a need for a concierge in general.

 

We didn't have any requests for the butler, so just got the standard things from her (snacks etc). Again, that was our decision and I have no reason to think that either the Concierge or Butler wouldn't have been excellent if we had wanted anything.

 

This was our 5th cruise where we have had access to Cagneys or Moderno for Breakfast/Lunch (we have been offered the perks on three occasions when not in a suite). We have previously been for lunch on embarkation day, and it just isn't what we want. I prefer a small snack at lunchtime if I will be eating a bigger meal in the evening, and don't find the Cagneys lunch menu particularly inspiring. On the last few occasions (including this time) we have excused ourselves after boarding and gone elsewhere for lunch).

 

The big difference this time was that we did use Moderno for breakfast. Our son is a late riser (aren't they all at that age), so my wife and I decided that we would try the suite breakfast and it really is excellent. I didn't actually order much (the staff often seemed a bit disappointed when I just asked for French Toast, and even more so the day I just had 2 slices of toast). but its was nice to be able to just take some time over a cup of coffee in the morning. The breakfast was certainly my favourite perk, and I do regret not having used it in the past.

 

So, would we book a suite again? Certainly yes. Will it be soon? Probably not. It is very nice but I feel that if  we did it too often then we wouldn't appreciate it as much. I really liked it, but also really enjoy sailing in an Oceanview or balcony. We do often sail in some nice non suite rooms (aft, large balcony etc) and we will continue to do so with the occasional treat.

 

 

[KeithJenner]

Finally, the upgraded beverage package. This is fairly new and there is still some confusion (amongst both staff and customers) about exactly what is included and how it works.

 

We tend to make full use of the standard beverage package, but don't generally have particularly expensive tastes. I mainly drink beer and wine and if I do drink spirits then ones included in the standard package do fine. My wife likes a sparkling wine (usually drinks Prosecco) and will have a cider if she fancies something different. We both like the occasional mudslide on a hot day. I make do with the coffee from the buffet usually and have the occasional latte from Starbucks or an espresso after a meal.

 

At home we have the occasional bottle of Champagne, probably about 4 bottles a year on average.

 

You wouldn't think that the upgraded beverage package would particularly be worth it for us (we upgraded as it was our anniversary to just try it out as a one off), but we both felt that it was well worth it.

 

Firstly, we drank a lot of Champagne. I expected my wife to do so, in preference to the Prosecco, but I also really enjoyed it and had a few nights when I just stayed on the Champagne all night. We did experience a few issues getting Champagne, depending on the servers, but we knew who were the reliable servers. Ironically, the hardest place to get Champagne from was the Champagne bar and on the night that we were there listening to the piano player we eventually gave up and when we needed a drink we would signal to Desiree at Tankards, who would come over to serve us (she really was excellent).

 

The Champagne made the package work while by itself. I wouldn't like to guess how many bottles we got through during the week, but it was more than I could buy from a supermarket for the cost of the upgrade.

 

I also enjoyed getting a bottle of wine with a meal. We did this four times. Twice we just got a bottle of Champagne to share and the other two times I got a bottle of Red whilst my wife stayed on the Champagne by the glass. We could have ordered a bottle each but this worked well. We could have done this better, but I was very happy by how it worked.

 

I was considering trying a couple of more expensive Scotch's but never got round to it.

 

Outside of the wine, there were two other real benefits. We both enjoyed having a bottle of sparkling water rather than the still with meals, and also on a number of occasions we got a bottle during the day when previously I would have had a coke (which I don't particularly like). This really made a difference during the day.

 

There was also the coffee. I rarely get charged for a coffee after a meal, so there was no change there, but it was good to be able to grab a coffee from the Java Cafe whenever I wanted. On a number of occasions I grabbed a latte or espresso when we were nearby. This was at a time when I had a Nespresso machine in our room and also lots of good coffee at breakfast. When I am not in a suite I would get even more value from this.

 

So, same question as betore, would we upgrade again? Certainly, yes. Will it be soon? It will be our next cruise. I can see this upgrade being something that we do on most of our cruises. Put together, the extras we got made a very big difference to the enjoyment of our cruise.

 

If given the choice of sailing in a balcony with the upgraded package or a suite with the standard package, I think that I would go for the balcony. Considering the comparative prices that says a lot.

[littlelulu01]

Thanks for your excellent review. I love the Jade for the Mediterranean.  Just right sized.  We sailed that room type right out of dry dock in 2017?  they had covered the mirror walls.  Problem was the replacement panels were very squeaky at night.  So noisy that We ended up sleeping on the living room sofa one rough seas night.  Looks like they’ve since removed the panels and it’s back to mirrors.

[KeithJenner]

As a postscript to this report, with the announcement yesterday of the cancellation of the August Prima cruise, it looks like this was our final family cruise.

 

We have decided to book a cruise for the two of us to replace that, and leave our son at home. We have a couple of land based holidays (Disney) planned with our son, but no cruises.

 

I hope that we will all go together again in the future, but it would likely be in a few years time and in his own cabin (maybe with girlfriend/wife and possibly a family of his own).

 

It would have been nice to have known this at the time, but I have to say what a wonderful experience cruising has been for our family. We have done a total of 19 cruises together in various places (Northern Europe, Med, Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii) and have loads of memories. Our son has understandably tired of them a bit as other interests have come along, but I know he appreciates the experiences he has had.

 

Meanwhile, on to a new chapter for us. We can spend more time ashore, not have to worry about him and perhaps best of all, sit at the bar. 🙂

[Crazy planning mom]

12 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

As a postscript to this report, with the announcement yesterday of the cancellation of the August Prima cruise, it looks like this was our final family cruise.

 

We have decided to book a cruise for the two of us to replace that, and leave our son at home. We have a couple of land based holidays (Disney) planned with our son, but no cruises.

 

I hope that we will all go together again in the future, but it would likely be in a few years time and in his own cabin (maybe with girlfriend/wife and possibly a family of his own).

 

It would have been nice to have known this at the time, but I have to say what a wonderful experience cruising has been for our family. We have done a total of 19 cruises together in various places (Northern Europe, Med, Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii) and have loads of memories. Our son has understandably tired of them a bit as other interests have come along, but I know he appreciates the experiences he has had.

 

Meanwhile, on to a new chapter for us. We can spend more time ashore, not have to worry about him and perhaps best of all, sit at the bar. 🙂

We are in a similar place.  It's bittersweet as they want to be independent as they should be   Our son is 19.

We traveled with our son to Alaska last summer.   That is probably the last big family trip for a while.  Hubby and I are booked on the Jade this coming Fall and our next scheduled cruise is on the Apex.

[cookmg40]

Thanks Keith for so many details of your trip!  I am sailing on the Jade on May 29, with a slightly different itinerary.  I believe some protocols will be different and some may change (as they seemingly change daily).

 

Do you have a list of the Officer's names?  Mainly, the captain, F&B director, Hotel director, Casino host?  If it has been listed before, please direct me to where and I will look for it. 

 

Thanks again!

 

Marilyn

[fabnfortysomething]

6 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

As a postscript to this report, with the announcement yesterday of the cancellation of the August Prima cruise, it looks like this was our final family cruise.

 

We have decided to book a cruise for the two of us to replace that, and leave our son at home. We have a couple of land based holidays (Disney) planned with our son, but no cruises.

 

I hope that we will all go together again in the future, but it would likely be in a few years time and in his own cabin (maybe with girlfriend/wife and possibly a family of his own).

 

It would have been nice to have known this at the time, but I have to say what a wonderful experience cruising has been for our family. We have done a total of 19 cruises together in various places (Northern Europe, Med, Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii) and have loads of memories. Our son has understandably tired of them a bit as other interests have come along, but I know he appreciates the experiences he has had.

 

Meanwhile, on to a new chapter for us. We can spend more time ashore, not have to worry about him and perhaps best of all, sit at the bar. 🙂

join us next year on PrIma for Iceland to Southampton? 

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, cookmg40 said:

Thanks Keith for so many details of your trip!  I am sailing on the Jade on May 29, with a slightly different itinerary.  I believe some protocols will be different and some may change (as they seemingly change daily).

 

Do you have a list of the Officer's names?  Mainly, the captain, F&B director, Hotel director, Casino host?  If it has been listed before, please direct me to where and I will look for it. 

 

Thanks again!

 

Marilyn

Sorry, that isn't something I particularly look at, so I don't have the details.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, fabnfortysomething said:

join us next year on PrIma for Iceland to Southampton? 

Don't tempt me. 🙂

 

Actually, we are sorted and booked. British Isles on the Dawn this year, Rome round trio on the Breakaway next September and Liston to Rome on the Viva the following April.

 

In hindsight, I'm not too disappointed with the Prima cancellation. We have a nice mix of ships and ports planned. I think when we go back to Iceland we will do it like we did last time, as a port stop on a round trip.

Edited April 28, 2022 by KeithJenner

[couplelovestravel]

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

Don't tempt me. 🙂

 

Actually, we are sorted and booked. British Isles on the Dawn this year, Rome round trio on the Breakaway next September and Liston to Rome on the Viva the following April.

 

In hindsight, I'm not too disappointed with the Prima cancellation. We have a nice mix of ships and ports planned. I think when we go back to Iceland we will do it like we did last time, as a port stop on a round trip.

Which date are you sailing on the Dawn to the British Isles, we may be on that one as well.

[KeithJenner]

3 minutes ago, couplelovestravel said:

Which date are you sailing on the Dawn to the British Isles, we may be on that one as well.

15th September. I just checked your posts and it looks like you are a few weeks before us.

[couplelovestravel]

Just now, KeithJenner said:

15th September. I just checked your posts and it looks like you are a few weeks before us.

Yep.  We are going August 26, but doing B2B so we will be boarding Aug 16 to the Baltic.  We haven't booked yet, but will as soon as we get off this cruise.  We are waiting for the 90 day mark.  

[KeithJenner]

19 minutes ago, couplelovestravel said:

Yep.  We are going August 26, but doing B2B so we will be boarding Aug 16 to the Baltic.  We haven't booked yet, but will as soon as we get off this cruise.  We are waiting for the 90 day mark.  

I decided to go ahead and book, even though it is likely that prices will fall nearer the time. I have a 25% off voucher that needs using by 31st May, so we got a good price anyway.

 

Hope you have a good time. I love the Baltics. People make the mistake of thinking that it is all about St Petersburg. I love many of the ports there and we will be back soon.

 

We've not been on the Dawn before, but have sailed on the Star and we enjoyed it. It misses a few things that the Jade has like Spinnaker, The Great Outdoors and the bars on deck 6, but I'm looking forward to it.

[penguin233]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:54 AM, KeithJenner said:

Arrived at the port at about 10.30 and there were already quite a few people here.

 

There are two lines, one for people who have had a test within 24 hours and one for those who haven’t. No distinction between PCR and Antigen, it needs to be within 24 hours.

 

If you have been tested within 24 hours they are not testing at the port. However, they then didn’t ask to see our test results and gave us a testing kit. We queried this with a staff member who then did check our result and took the kit from us and gave us a red slip to show we are ok to check in and board.

 

There are only a few of us with the slips so I imagine that lots of people are being tested who don’t need to.

 

Anyway, check in opens at 11am and most people are waiting for their results before they can check in.

Can I ask how you transferred from your hotel to the port? We are wondering whether to spend the night before sailing in Athens or in Pireus? 

[KeithJenner]

58 minutes ago, penguin233 said:

Can I ask how you transferred from your hotel to the port? We are wondering whether to spend the night before sailing in Athens or in Pireus? 

We used taxis for the three main journeys (airport to city, city to port and port to airport).

 

The taxi from the city to the cruise port was very easy, especially on a Sunday morning. I think it cost €25.

[bluesea777]

On 4/28/2022 at 8:48 AM, KeithJenner said:

As a postscript to this report, with the announcement yesterday of the cancellation of the August Prima cruise, it looks like this was our final family cruise.

 

We have decided to book a cruise for the two of us to replace that, and leave our son at home. We have a couple of land based holidays (Disney) planned with our son, but no cruises.

 

I hope that we will all go together again in the future, but it would likely be in a few years time and in his own cabin (maybe with girlfriend/wife and possibly a family of his own).

 

It would have been nice to have known this at the time, but I have to say what a wonderful experience cruising has been for our family. We have done a total of 19 cruises together in various places (Northern Europe, Med, Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii) and have loads of memories. Our son has understandably tired of them a bit as other interests have come along, but I know he appreciates the experiences he has had.

 

Meanwhile, on to a new chapter for us. We can spend more time ashore, not have to worry about him and perhaps best of all, sit at the bar. 🙂

 

Exactly my sentiments ... the last proper cruise we were on as a family was in Aug 2010 on the Epic B2B Western Caribbean - 14 days - sharing the same balcony cabin and having fun on land. Our son was 16 at the time and he attended the Teen club and had fun.

 

Then fast forward 3 years, we went on the Cruise to Nowhere one night on the Gem out of NYC in December - son was home from University in Canada and we HAD to pop over to NYC to sort out his Canadian Visa on his new passport. We needed 3 nights in NYC and the first night was soooo expensive in NYC hotel wise, but I found that the one night CTN on Gem was cheaper, so booked it. Son was 19 by then and was a bit disinterested .... I won $$$ in casino that paid off the cruise itself!

 

Then ... we booked to go on cruises by ourselves while he was at University/College. When he came home and started working he was more interested in going on vacations with his old school friends. This went on for a couple or so years ... until he got a serious girlfriend .... we met her and got on well with her and we met her folks as well. Same interests (booze and dining as well as travelling). 

 

These 2 adult lovebirds were booked to go on the Iceland/Greenland cruise with us in July but they backed out as it was too expensive to travel to Iceland and the cruise itself plus the hotel and car hire. They were disappointed .... but I brought up an alternate plan .... let's all 4 book to go on a cruise to celebrate my DH's big 5 birthday - found a cruise, flights and hotel costing less than half the price of the Iceland/Greenland trip/cruise.

 

So we went on Joy out of Miami in March - me and DH in one cabin and them two in another. We all had a great time together - son was so happy to be back on ship and gf loved it. We went together on one excursion and that was it. They booked other excursions but we stayed on ship. We even aced a few trivias as a team (got playing card packs, key rings, pens). We dined together most nights. The highlight of the Joy cruise was no less than 3 of our fave bartenders that we met on previous cruises were on the Joy - Danny (6th time!), Dr. Bong (4th time) and Chocolate Cowboy (4th time) - wow, they were so happy to see us again and so pleased to meet our son and gf. The son/gf had loads of fun with them.

 

Now they are hooked on cruising big time (son is almost 28 now) and want me to book another next year for my big 5 birthday - and her folks want to come along! The 9-12 years sure made a difference.

 

We're still going on the Star Iceland/Greenland in July. They can do that themselves one year.

 

So ... ENJOY planning and going on trips/cruises by yourselves for the next 10 years - make a bucket list of places you want to go and do it!

 

 

Edited April 30, 2022 by bluesea777