Jade sparkles but only on the outside

Norwegian Jade Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

BrianO1

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 199

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

12 Night Eastern Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 08, 2009

Ship: Norwegian Jade

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 14 years ago

Review summary

We haved cruised many times and our last trip was in October on the Norwegian Sun. What a complete 180 this ship was. Terrible food, waiting times to eat at restaraunts, crowded buffet, lazy housekeeping and several crew members were bordering on obnoxious. The shows were very second rate and unorganized. I would not recommend this ship. I had a great experience on the Sun, so this is not a knock on NCL entirely. Several returning "Latitude" members stated that this was the worst ship they have ever cruised on. Avoid this ship regardless of the great itinerary.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Food was terrible. Food was almost always cold and very "assembly line". The buffet was usually the same thing everyday and there are actually lines to eat and sit. By the time you find a seat at the buffet, the food is cold. Specialty spots are ok, but were better on other NCL ships.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Shows were very poor. It seemed as though the acts were put together and rehearsed the same day. They were not Vegas quality like you find on most ships. The comedian was terrible and lounge bands were lousy. Availabilty was good. Most shows ran two times and main theatre had 2 shows per night.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

I was suprised with the lack of friendliness/helpfulness of many of the crew members. I was advised the this ship's crew were new or temporary people that did not have proper visa qualifications for other ships. A manager described the crew as " a rag-tag bunch that can't make it to better ships"!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Beautiful ship. Not one of the best I've seen, but nice and well kept.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ports of call

Izmir, Turkey

5 out of 5

can be done via taxi

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Do not miss Ephesus and the Agora

Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt

5 out of 5

Alexandria can be done via taxi. DO NOT do taxi or private to Cairo!

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: many sites...Alexandria: loved the Citadel, Cairo: Giza pyramids and museum

Valletta, Malta

5 out of 5

Nice surprise. Be sure to get out and look at the surrounding as you enter the port. Buses are cheap and better than any tour. Also on off bus here, but public buses go everywhere and you're not limited on time.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Mdina is awesome.

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Can be done via train and taxi. http://www.romeopentour.com/

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: seeing the coliseum when you exit the metro... breathtaking

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5

Can be done via train and taxi.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Acroplis is under construction, but still awesome