Review of norwegian jade?

[latebuyer]

I’m interested in potentially going on a canada new england cruise on norwegian jade. As it is a bucket list trip for me i’m interested to hear how the ship is. I’ve never cruised norwegian before.

[JillK]

Hi- 

 

Hubby and I (both late 40's) were on the Jade (Nov 26 - Dec 10 sailing) without our four kids. We really love this size ship and have previously sailed her sister ship the Gem, as well the Epic, the Getaway and the Escape twice. This was my 20th cruise overall.

 

The Jade is very easy to learn and get your bearings. We almost always dined in the back of the ship at the Great Outdoors for breakfast and lunch. They have a breakfast buffet there daily and "tea time" service usually beginning at around 2:30 (buffet-style late lunch and snacks). 

 

We found that chairhogs were out in full force on this cruise. If you weren't up at the crack of dawn to get a lounger, you were out of luck. I believe that some loungers in full sun were available on the upper decks throughout the day but we were looking for spots of shade and only were able to snag two chairs around the pool with some shade on the day we were in Grand Cayman as we did not go to shore and the deck wasn't nearly full.

 

We were in an obstructed oceanview and found the cabin to have more than enough storage for two. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom layout is good with more size than most ships. 

 

We were disappointed that there were no seating areas on the promenade deck, which used to be the case on ships of this size in the past. On the larger ships such as Escape, Getaway and Carnival's Panorama, we really loved using the promenade deck loungers and seats throughout the cruise and nice outdoor spots not geared to sunbathing. With no seating available on this deck on the Jade, we would often spent time playing cards or reading in the Spinnaker Lounge or the bar area on deck 6. 

 

We found the food in the dining room to be very good to excellent but the coffee everywhere to be terrible. We actually elected to without coffee for the majority of the cruise as I do not like Starbucks, nor having to pay for it. On that note, I didn't like the coffee bar being in the middle of the atrium and missed using that space to get a pre/post dinner cocktail and listen to live music like we did most nights when we sailed on the Gem. The atrium wasn't very busy on the evenings when we were passing through -- nothing to draw you in! The atrium used to be the heartbeat of the ship (on these size and smaller ships in particular) but the Jade atrium was pretty much deserted a lot of the time.

 

The evening shows that we attended weren't overly busy so we never worried about getting a seat. The only show that was very well attending was "Elements." I also should note that this was the second time that we see the stage production "Blazing Boots" and there were several occasions where it was over the stop sexualized to the point that it made me feel uncomfortable and we noticed some of the bridge staff a few rows ahead of us shaking their heads at this as well. If we had been on the end of the aisle we would have left. If we had had our kids with us, I would have mountain climbed over people to get out. This definitely wasn't part of act when we saw it on the Gem and is unnecessary. 

 

The Jade was renovated last year and is in excellent condition - we did not spot any wear in the public spaces and very little in our cabin. The maintenance staff was very busy the duration of the cruise keeping things spotless. As like most other lines, NCL has reduced the cabin service to once a day. We are relatively neat people so for us it wasn't a big deal.

 

We really enjoyed our two weeks aboard the Jade and would recommend this ship to anyone seeking a more traditional cruise experience (no rollercoasters or ropes courses, etc). It would be a lovely ship on which to sail to Canada/NE.

Edited December 26, 2023 by JillK

[latebuyer]

Thanks for this detailed review. I'm used to small ships too so this may suit.

[shivelme]

Thanks for the great review of the Jade.  I have sailed on the Gem in the past and have 2 sailings booked on the Jade for 2024.  I liked the Great Outdoors on the Gem.  

Sailing in February with a friend the Southern Carribean and the Boston to Canada in September with my husband.  Both times we have just booked an inside cabin. 

I appreciate the information on the shows- plan to avoid Blazing Boots. 

[schmoopie17]

Since you're looking for a review of the Jade, a good place to start would be the Jade review page. Here you go...we'll be in the Jade in two months.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/norwegian-ncl/norwegian-jade

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by schmoopie17