Great time fulfilling several 'bucket list' items BUT definately not the best ship I've been on.

Norwegian Jade Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5
Norwegian Jade

11 Night Panama Canal Partial Transit (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 26, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Jade

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9140

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Problem filled from mechanical failure delaying the cruise and causing us to miss a port. Less than stellar service and food. Service not up to cruise standards. But some great ports.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Ship had mechanical issues that were being repaired but we boarded as normal even though we stayed in port an extra 24 hours.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
It seems like the quality of complimentary restaurant food and declined with the increase of specialty restaurants. Meals were okay but nothing special.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
I enjoyed the guest-led Bible study but would have liked more amenities. When I asked for grape juice for communion, I was offered grapefruit juice and prune juice. No one could find grape juice. Would also have been nice to have Christian music available in the chapel. I went to the fitness center several times to look for free workouts that were advertised but couldn't find them. I did find lots of sales pitches.

Galleria Shops

3 out of 5

Looked nice. Expensive as expected but I loved the $10 Blowout sale except that there were not enough cashiersn and why in the world did they have to record every item sold by writing it down?

The Chapel

4 out of 5

I enjoyed the chapel. The guest led Bible study was great. Would have liked grape juice and communion cups to go with the communion wafers they have. Christian music would have been a great addition.

Spa

2 out of 5

Beautiful. Expensive as expected. Thermal Suite was boring bit relaxing except for the guests touring the facilities.

Body Waves Fitness Center

1 out of 5

Looked very nice. I would have loved to have someone available so I could ask questions, especially about the free classes. The salesperson was ALWAYS busy

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Saw a couple of very funny comedians. Heard some poor professional singers around the ship and some good ones also.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
I usually expect to be wowed by the service and although service was good, it was not great. Waiters used to get to know us and our tastes. Our room steward was nice, but it often took a couple of days to get special request items, such as extra blankets.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
This is our first balcony cabin. It wasn't worth the extra cost for us as there are many other more comfortable places on the ship to sit and watch the sights,

Ship tip

Get free wi-fi at the port.

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5
Took the airboat excursion to get back to airport. It was somewhat interesting and now that I've ridden in an airboat, I won't take this one again.

Cartagena, Colombia Did not visit port

The ship did not visit this port due to the mechanical repairs at the beginning of the trip. Very disappointed. They refunded one day's fare (from an 11 day, 4 port cruise)

Colon, Panama

5 out of 5
I've always wanted to go through the locks on the Panama Canal. Check that off my Bucket List.

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

5 out of 5
We took an excursion to see the Rainforest, ride on a canal. Why do the guides always feel the need to talk instead of letting us just enjoy nature. (I'm bringing headphones next time.)

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5
Ziplines were great and the people were so friendly. Our zipline guides were excellent.

Harvest Caye, Belize

5 out of 5
I fell in love with Parasailing (my first time). Wonderful, smooth, gentle and not scary or jerky at all.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5
Did not take an excursion. Prices were higher than expected.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
I really love the convenience of taking an excursion to the airport and having them handle the concern about what to do with the luggage but we do end up at the airport very early for our 7:30 pm flight.
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