Jade review May 17 Western Med (long)

[theduffys]

You can make reservations for the main restaurants but, they will only reserve 30% of the space so, you need to book early. That said, we never waited more then 10 minutes no matter when we showed up.

[j3Baker]

Thanks for the reply!

[xyzxyz]

Was there a laundry bag special after a week?

[theduffys]

We had two laundry bag specials--the first just 3 days in and the 2nd about 8 0r 9 days in. Both were an "wash and fold only" for $19.99.

[xyzxyz]

We had two laundry bag specials--the first just 3 days in and the 2nd about 8 0r 9 days in. Both were an "wash and fold only" for $19.99.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Were there any half price dinner deals in the speciality restaurants?

[chachel75]

Giorgi-one

Saw your post on the Jade thread. We are going on the Jade at the end of July. Would love some more info about the food/buffet and restaurants.

DH and I are 31 so if you have any other suggestions of what to do on the ship, any help to guide us would be great!!

Thanks

Rachel (your fellow Garden stater)

[snorklinbarb]

The breadfast availability in the great outdoors left a lot to be desired - at least by the time we got there it was slim pickings.

 

The other placed we discovered that was good was the smaller buffet, which I can't remember the name of. But it's outdoors and many mornings were raining and/or cold outside, so while we did eat there to avoid the crowds at the main buffet sometimes, it wasn't the most pleasant experience because of the weather. Mornings were very cool most of the time.

 

And we just aren't buffet people, so eating at a buffet is more about needing to eat rather than enjoying the experience. Again, I do wish there was an option for a dining room type breakfast service until around 11:00 am.

 

Did you try Blue Lagoon? Though not too many breakfast items there, I've seen people eating bacon & eggs, toast, etc. there late morning.

[Giorgi-one]

Giorgi-one

Saw your post on the Jade thread. We are going on the Jade at the end of July. Would love some more info about the food/buffet and restaurants.

DH and I are 31 so if you have any other suggestions of what to do on the ship, any help to guide us would be great!!

Thanks

Rachel (your fellow Garden stater)

 

Rachel:

 

Food is very subjective. I thought that food in DR was good but the selections were not that great. I do not get excited over fish, pork chops stir fry, turkey breast (sliced lunch meat), etc. There were about 5 or 6 nights that we did not see anything we liked so we went to one of the alternative restaurants. Italian restaurant was OK but will not compareth the Italian food we are used to in New Jersey (In fact, the Italian food we had in Italy did not compare to the food we get in NJ). Le Bistro is our second favorite restaurant on any ship (Celebrity alternative restaurants are #1 for us) and we ate there twice - excellent if you like escargot, onion soup, filet and rack of lamb. Chinese restaurant is also good - they give you large portions particuarly for the appetizers. In all, the food was OK, not Celebrity or HAL, but some people actually think NCL is better than Celebrity and HAL.

 

We really do not like the whole buffet scene - usually mediocre food, hunting for a table, hundreds of people who act like they have not eaten in weeks, etc. In my opinion, NCL buffet is one of the poorer buffets at sea. Food is not that good and usually cold, selection is poor and NCl does not provide trays. So, if you want a salad, entree and drink, you need to make two or three trips. This is not my idea of a vacation. Since we had a suite (AE Penthouse) we ate breakfast and lunch at Cagneys on most days. One dining room is also open for lunch every day.

 

We do not get involved in activites on the ship - just do not interest us. Particuarly for this cruise,which is very port intensive, you will probably spend most of your time in ports. I use the gym every day and we usually make all the shows and spend some time in the Casino every night. On days at sea, we usually just stay on our balcony.

[yaletown605]

Leela, can you compare the Jade with the RCCL's Navigator? We are debating which one to take. Same price but Jade gets a longer cruise. We saw picture of both ships and definitely likes the Navigator more. However, Jade is very nice also. what is your overall impression of both ships?

[chachel75]

Thanks for the info Giorgi-one.

Is the Le Bistro and the chinese and extra cost?

I am not a buffet fan either but if there is a nice salad bar I am happy. My DH will probally eat a lot of his meals at the pizza and burger stand.

An omelet via room service was our breakfast staple on our last cruise on port days. It is good for time and the waistline. I actually lost 3 lbs on our last cruise.

thanks again for the info!

Rachel

[Giorgi-one]

Thanks for the info Giorgi-one.

Is the Le Bistro and the chinese and extra cost?

I am not a buffet fan either but if there is a nice salad bar I am happy. My DH will probally eat a lot of his meals at the pizza and burger stand.

An omelet via room service was our breakfast staple on our last cruise on port days. It is good for time and the waistline. I actually lost 3 lbs on our last cruise.

thanks again for the info!

Rachel

 

Le Bistro is $15 extra and Chinese is $10 extra. They do have a salad bar in the buffet which is not bad. I did not care for pizza but burgers were not bad.

[yaletown605]

Does the Jade still looks like it belongs in Hawaii with Aloha theme all over the atrium?

[theduffys]

Does the Jade still looks like it belongs in Hawaii with Aloha theme all over the atrium?

Yes it does.

[leedeeanne]

Trevi Fountain is within walking distance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Colliseum. Everything is within about a 1/2 mile radius, easily walkable while taking plenty of time for pictures and shopping.