Live(ish) Review - NCL Jade (July 27 - Aug 3) - Two Azipods, or Not Two Azipods, That is the Question.

[LatinaInTexas]

2 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Day 1 Freestyle.

Seeing these will be very helpful for my upcoming cruise as will your detailed and informative posts. Thanks for doing this.

[Stealthdog]

Dinner night 1 - Moderno

 

The Moderno on the Jade is smaller than the bigger NCL ships.  For those unfamiliar, Moderno is NCLs version of a land-based Brazilian Steakhouse.  
 

The salad bar station was a lot smaller than the version on the Escape, which means a lot fewer options.  It still had several different types of vegetables (normal salad, beets, asparagus, etc), cheeses (mozzarella, baked provolone), and small meat slices (prosciutto, salami, etc).  If you are going to Moderno just for the salad bar, just be aware that the options are fewer.

 

The star is definitely the meat variety.  Even on the Jade, there were about 8-10 types of meat the severs brought out - 2 chicken types, filet mignon, pork belly, another pork option, lamb, sausage link, and a couple other steak options.  They also had the baked pineapple with cinnamon. The sever will bring out a tray of side for the table - sautéed mushrooms, white rice, mashed potatoes, and yuca.  The sides were ok.

 

One thing we like about NCLs version of the Brazilian steakhouse is the meats are not overly salted like land based versions (Fogo, Texas de Brazil, etc).  And that was the case on the Jade as well.  Most of the cuts were coming out overcooked, so we just had to tell the server what temperature we preferred.  For steaks and lamb we like medium rare and they were all coming out medium well to well.  Once they knew, they brought out everything at the our preferred temperature.

 

The restaurant was fairly empty, so it doesn’t look like it is one of the more popular restaurants on the Jade.  Because we always have so many specialty dining options - this time 2 for Free at Sea and 2 for Platinum - we like to try as many as we can.  If you have several specialty dining vouchers/meals, the Moderno on the Jade is a good option and probably a good value to use.  It wasn’t busy, so the food was quick and the server was always there.  The variety was pretty good, even for a smaller version.  And, the quality of the cuts was good.  Definitely recommend checking out Moderno on the Jade if you like Brazilian steakhouses.

 

Attached are the Moderno menu and the Wine bottle options for the latitudes dining voucher.  I didn’t take the desert desert menu - it was an option of 3-4 standard deserts. 

[Stealthdog]

A couple pics from the top decks while in port.  We were next to Carnival and RCL.  There was another Carnival ship further away at a different terminal area, so it looked like there were 4 ships in port yesterday.  That made getting into the terminal fairly easy without too much congestion. 
 

The sail away at Canaveral is nice - you will pass a row of restaurants on the right side of the ship and people will do the traditional waiving at the ship with all the cruise passengers on the balconies waiting back.  Sail aways are one of my favorites parts of cruising.

 

I think we were the last to leave port.  The only thing we missed was hearing a Disney ships horn as they were leaving because Disney wasn’t in port yesterday.

[Stealthdog]

[Stealthdog]

One of the important stops of Day 1 for anyone with status is the Cruise Next desk - which is next to Shore excursions.

 

For platinum, we were able to reserve the complimentary Behind the Scenes ship tour (first sea day) and the complimentary Wine Tasting (last sea day).  They don’t provide priory tender tickets on the Jade.  The Cruise Next rep told us our cabin card would serve as the priority tender ticket.

 

For higher status levels you can book other events at Cruise Next, such as Dinner with the Officers.  Definitely check out Cruise Next on Day 1 if you are interested in the loyalty perks on board. 

[Stealthdog]

For those interested in the fitness schedule, attached is the daily schedule for the Jade.  They have several pay classes and a few complimentary activities each day.  
 

Connected to the main gym area is a smaller room with spin bikes, mats, and I think another set of lower weight dumbbells.  The funniest part of this part of the gym is the window faces the ships pool, so while you are sweating on the bikes, you get to watch other passengers drinking in the pool.  I’m not sure if it’s a two-way window and they get to watch you work out while they are in the pool.  Hahahaha. 

[Stealthdog]

We are pulling into Great Stirrup Cay at 21 knts, so it appears any lingering machines issues with steering has been resolved. We are scheduled to get in at 9am.  Looks like we will be sharing it with the NCL Sky.  Coco Cay is doubled up with two RCL ships and the Wish is at Castaway Cay, so looks like a busy day at the private islands today. 

[Stealthdog]

Day 2 Freestyle

[jamin jul]

Thank you Stealth dog for your posts.  I love leaving from Port Canaveral and also go to the restaurants at the port too😀

How is the live music so far? What type of music was the Island Notes at the pool yesterday?

Im new to NCL- if I have 2 free specialty restaurants with my booking- do I just pick 2 and everything is included? Looks like a few are cover charge but others are a la cart🤔

please keep posting pics- enjoying your review!

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

We are pulling into Great Stirrup Cay ... 

How is GSC ... do you see any construction progress with the new pier ?  

 

[dexddd]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

How is GSC ... do you see any construction progress with the new pier ?  

 

They are just going to float that giant slide they used to have there and use it as a floating pier.

[Seas2mountains]

6 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

The restaurant was fairly empty, so it doesn’t look like it is one of the more popular restaurants on the Jade.  

Thank you for doing the live review! 

 

We tend to find that the first night of the cruise in any specialty dining restaurant tends to be a bit emptier than other nights. I know we have mentioned this to the hostess and have been told this is typical of the first night of the cruise. There have been times we were the only ones in the restaurant until 6:00pm when we had a 5:30pm reservation. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise! 

[Stealthdog]

6 hours ago, jamin jul said:

How is the live music so far? What type of music was the Island Notes at the pool yesterday?

Im new to NCL- if I have 2 free specialty restaurants with my booking- do I just pick 2 and everything is included? Looks like a few are cover charge but others are a la cart🤔

We haven’t really sat for any of the music yet so really no comment on that until later.  We avoided the pool area yesterday, so not sure what type of music they were playing. We went to the Majority Rules game show last night - was a lot of fun. 
 

For specialty dining the dining package will cover appetizers, one entree, and deserts. NCL changes policies, so not sure what will be enforced on board yet.  I think the current policy is one app and one entree.  I’ll push it and see if we will be able to order multiple appetizers, one entree, and multiple deserts, but will let you know tomorrow night.  Using a dining package on Moderno or Teppanyaki will cover the whole meal.  Ala carte prices apply if you are eating in the restaurant without a package - you can always just buy what you want. 
 

We haven’t spent any time in Canaveral - what restaurants do you like at the port?

Edited July 28 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

3 hours ago, mking8288 said:

How is GSC ... do you see any construction progress with the new pier ?  

 

I didn’t see any construction.  I’ll take some pictures from the sun deck later this afternoon. Didn’t realize that GSC and Coco Cay were so close to each other. 

[dannyv23]

Excellent news that the speed issues seem to be resolved. We board next Saturday and were getting a little worried about our itinerary. Now I can look at those shore excursions with a little more confidence.

[blivey]

Enjoying the live review. We will be embarking on August 3, when you are disembarking.

[schmoopie17]

Two recommendations:

 

Shane, bartender in the Martini bar. Best bartender we've ever had (and yes, that includes Chocolate Cowboy).

 

Daniel, piano player. He's actually part of the Duo that performs in the lounges. But if you can catch him playing solo in the Atrium, don't miss it.

 

I'll throw in a third recommendation. Stay out of the smoky casino.

 

Edited July 28 by schmoopie17

[jamin jul]

6 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

We haven’t really sat for any of the music yet so really no comment on that until later.  We avoided the pool area yesterday, so not sure what type of music they were playing. We went to the Majority Rules game show last night - was a lot of fun. 
 

For specialty dining the dining package will cover appetizers, one entree, and deserts. NCL changes policies, so not sure what will be enforced on board yet.  I think the current policy is one app and one entree.  I’ll push it and see if we will be able to order multiple appetizers, one entree, and multiple deserts, but will let you know tomorrow night.  Using a dining package on Moderno or Teppanyaki will cover the whole meal.  Ala carte prices apply if you are eating in the restaurant without a package - you can always just buy what you want. 
 

We haven’t spent any time in Canaveral - what restaurants do you like at the port?

Thank you for the info! We like Grills at Port Canaveral.Breakfast is good and also watching the ships go out.  Usually have live band and food is good. It is the last restaurant/ bar leaving Port Canaveral beside RC ships.  Few other eateries and bars that are fun too.

[Stealthdog]

13 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Two recommendations:

 

Shane, bartender in the Martini bar. Best bartender we've ever had (and yes, that includes Chocolate Cowboy).

 

Daniel, piano player. He's actually part of the Duo that performs in the lounges. But if you can catch him playing solo in the Atrium, don't miss it.

 

I'll throw in a third recommendation. Stay out of the smoky casino.

 

We will explore more and take a look at those.

 

So far the casino hasn’t been bad.  It has a persistent smoke smell, but it hasn’t been over smokey. I guess it depends on other passengers on board - we have only seen a handful of people smoking in there.  We just go to another area of the casino.  We prefer casinos that have separate rooms for smokers, but have been on alot worse than what we see on the Jade so far. 

[Stealthdog]

Views from the tenders and onboard the ship of Great Stirrup Cay and Coco Cay.  At Coco Cay, the Independence and Utopia of the Seas were docked.  NCL Sky was tendered at GSC with us.  There is a strong chance we will do a transatlantic Dec 2025 on the Sky so it was good seeing her. 
 

GSC is much larger than Coco Cay, but not as developed.  That means NCL has a lot more potential to build the island up.  I didn’t see any pier construction going on, so not really sure what part of the island it will be.  
 

When looking at GSC from the ship, you can see what has been built so far.  There is a long beach line facing the ship, with the large lighthouse building that has the zip lining. On the beach area you can watch the people zip lining above you. 
 

On the other side of the paved path that takes you down the beach are all the private cabanas.  They look like they can hold 6-8 comfortably.  They are little hut-like buildings that have open faces in the front.  There don’t have personal access to the beach or water, so you have to walk through the public beach area to get to the ocean.  At the far end there is a private beach area (a cove).  I haven’t looked into it, but I assume it’s another pay excursion for those who want a more  secluded experience on the Island.

 

There are several eateries (structure and food trucks) set up along the paved path.  It’s typical private island food - hotdogs, chicken, burgers, corn, salads, etc.  There are several bars along the way as well, and though we didn’t stop for drinks you can use your drink package on the island (or so we were told).

[Stealthdog]

The tender line on board starts at deck 7 mid.  You either need to get tender tickets or have loyalty status, though I didn’t see anyone checking tender tickets.  Once they start loading, we got down to the 6th deck and enter the top part of a two deck tender.  When arriving at GSC, you depart from the lower deck.  So, being in the lower deck going to the island and being in the top deck back to the ship will get you off the tender quickest.

 

There are no towels on the island.  You pick up (sign for) towels on the pool deck if the ship, and return them the same location.  They say you need cabin card and photo id to leave the ship.  

 

The tender sails around the side of the island and into a little protected cove area to dock and let off the passengers.  There were some light refreshments upon arrival.  Leaving the ship is just the reverse.  You go back to the tender spot and board at the same location. 
 

We walked to the far end of the beach area to where the path is blocked for private cove guests only.  Along the beach, there are loungers which are complimentary and palm (and other) trees which provide for decent shaded areas. 
 

There are no vehicle shuttles on the island, but we did see several wheelchairs with the big wheels that can operate on the sand.  So individuals with physical limitations may have to plan more. We also didn’t see any maps of the island anywhere.  That may be coming if they expand what they have built.
 

The ocean water is very clear and you can see all the way to the bottom.  There are some areas with rocks.  And we did see some fish and jellyfish.  So, be careful of the rocks and jellyfish. 
 

The island did feel congested compared to other private islands.  That’s probably because only a small portion of the island is complete, so there really isn’t anywhere to escape the masses.  On other islands we will normally go to the furthest beach from the ship because fewer people go there.  If you want a more secluded experience, the cabanas or private cove area may be an option. 
 

We like Coco Cay (RCL), Castaway Cay (Disney), and Ocean Cay (MSC) better because they feel more spread out and developed for a better experience.  But, NCL has a lot of potential with GSC once they complete the docks and build more of the island.  But GSC was a nice stop and we wouldn’t mind it on every sailing we go on. 

[Stealthdog]

On Day 2 we ate at the main dining room.  Eric preordered his meal the night before. 
 

For appetizers we got bruschetta (Eric) French Onion soup, mixed green salad with avocado (Eric), and Caesar salad.  Eric loved the bruschetta, but the onion soup was a little disappointing.  It tasted like a watered down version you will get at a nicer restaurant. But, it wasn’t overly salty, so that was a positive.  We will check out the onion soup at Le bistro later in the cruise.  I won’t order the soup in the MDR again though.  Both of the salads were good.

 

For dinner Eric got a vegan Pad Thai with tofu and I got the NY Strip.  Eric really enjoyed the pad Thai and the NY Strip was good - Moderno obviously had better steaks there.  But for MDR, it was a food cut at the right temperature, so it’s a safe choice to order on the Jade. 
 

Liz joined us for dinner and she had the bourbon chicken, which she also enjoyed.

 

The deserts were not that great though.  Eric had some kind of tapioca pudding (chefs choice) that was flavorless.  The Carrot Cake was ok……the mint chocolate mousse was probably the best desert of the night. I was still tasting it a couple hours after dinner, but my breath was probably minty fresh!  We probably could have gone to the buffet after dinner for better deserts.  Something to keep in mind next time. 

For night 3 we will be eating in La Cucina, so will learn what NCLs new policy is for speciality dining and how many appetizers we can order with the package. 

[Stealthdog]

On 7/23/2024 at 1:42 PM, Trishleighb said:

We are on this same cruise. Very excited! Do we know what shows or if there is a comedian on this ship? The last two cruises we did didn't have a comedian. Which we really enjoy. 🤞

There is no comedian currently on the Jade. We did the latitudes behind the scenes tour (will give me detail of that later) and the production manager told us they have the illusionist, acrobats, and production as permanent acts.  They have no temporary “fly in - fly out” acts. 

[schmoopie17]

I only had the tapioca dessert in Jasmine. But it was excellent. In fact, we ate there four times in 14 days and I got two of those desserts each time. We even asked for the recipe and it showed up in our cabin the next day. Just waiting for Mrs. Schmoopie to make it. I never liked tapioca when I was younger, so I guess it's an acquired taste. 

 

 

Edited July 29 by schmoopie17

[mking8288]

11 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

... The tender sails around the side of the island and into a little protected cove area to dock and let off the passengers ... no vehicle shuttles on the island, but we did see several wheelchairs with the big wheels that can operate on the sand.  So individuals with physical limitations may have to plan more ... NCL has a lot of potential with GSC once they complete the docks and build more of the island.  But GSC was a nice stop and we wouldn’t mind it on every sailing we go on.  

 

Great update, impressions and commentary and thank you.  We're last ashore in 2022 after cruising slowly resumed and not much had changed then vs. pre-Covid.  Towers for the ziplines were built before the global shutdown.  There was a shuttle from the tender dock to the far side with the smaller beach/waterfront (more secluded & quieter) but It seemed that's been changed, dedicated for exclusive use ... 

 

Until the completion of the piers for ship(s) to dock at the island instead of using tenders, it's almost a 50:50 odds of whether one will be able to go ashore.  Below is a rendition of the yet-to-be-constructed hideout cabanas look like, as described in a NCL survey soliciting feedback ... looks nice but rest assured the daily rental costs are going to be higher still 

 

 

If and when we get to make our scheduled stop there next year ... will surely check for construction status & progress.  

 

Did you by any chance noticed ship's WiFi signals reaching the island while there (should've mentioned earlier & see if you can check it out, sorry about that) as cellular signal has been blocked from the island.  Years ago, we roam on Bahamas cellular signal ashore as the towers are there and we're able to take advantage of our data plans.  Now, it seemed they somehow managed to block it but oddly enough, ship's WiFi were usable (at least it was ... in 2022) - they probably used microwave relays to beam the signal ashore while tendering guests ashore for the day.