Expectations Exceeded

Norwegian Jade Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 0
Helpful Votes: 59

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Jade

7 Night Western Caribbean (Houston Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 19, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Jade

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 11508

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My wife and I just completed our 10th cruise and opted to try NCL instead of the usual 2 cruise lines of which we have sailed with 5 times on one and 4 on the other.   We really enjoy cruising and have been very satisfied with our previous cruises as demonstrated by our history of of being returning guests.  We chose NCL this time just to see what else is out there and because the proximity of Port of Houston to our residence.  Our expectations were far exceeded in just about every aspect of the whole experience.   First, the ship was really beautiful. Granted our experience with multiple ships is somewhat limited but to us, the ship was the best we have been on. in fact, the whole cruise was the best one we have had to date.  The kitchen and wait staff were attentive, helpful and always pleasant. I can think of no way to improve on our experience as a whole with the crew, bar none.   We did the Mini-Suite this trip. We usually book that class of room so we have a pretty good idea on what the room should be like.  We found the room very pleasant but felt a little more confined than we have on the other 2 cruise lines. The room seemed  narrower than what we have used before. We found the bed to be a little too hard to our liking and was disappointed to find the sheets to be unfitted sheets with the bottom sheet always dislodged from its appointed place.  I really hate to find myself lying on a bare mattress sans bottom sheet.  Housekeeping staff did a great job of maintaining our room and always kept the ice bucket filled.  The entertainment on the ship was super. The shows were varied from song and dance to a pretty good magic show that was enjoyed by all.  This was a Christmas cruise for us, along with our children and their mates and our grand children.  The ship was tastefully decorated for the Christmas holiday and there was several opportunities to join in for singing carols in the big atrium. There was even a personal visit for every child from Santa in the main show room.  Every child received a gift from Santa. That was a nice touch NCL.  
We will definitely return to NCL in the future.  To be clear, all the cruises we have taken in the past were really good but we found this particular cruise on the Jade to be great.    

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Cabin was a little smaller than expects but was clean and attractive. Unfitted sheets were on the bed. Not only were they unfitted but of low quality. I pretty sure NCL can do better with the demand, number of beds in the fleet and buying power they have. Bathroom was small but surprisingly usable along with a nice tub.

Ports of call

Houston, Texas

5 out of 5
Port of Houston is really good...easy on and off. Great parking with no need to shuttle from car to ship.

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5
Stayed in ship and had massage....ahhhh

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5
We did the Crystal Cave Tubing and was a little overwhelmed by the physical endurance needed. Some on the excursion could not make it without lots of help.

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5
Maya Island was great. Highly recommended.

Traveler Photos

Atrium View From Front Door View From Balconey
Was this review helpful? 69

6 Comments

Pat42    8 years ago

we cruised on Carnival nine times and changed in2015 to NCL. loved the jewel and going on Jade in March. as far as all the negative comments, I have decided those people have nothing else in the life except make themselves miseabel and tries to make everyone else that way. I have finally learned to pay no attention to them, g o and have a ball.

skglick    8 years ago

Same with us - good to hear!

kdjeff    8 years ago

I agree with the rest. We have a cruise at the end of Feb and the negative reviews were getting to me :/.

laudi1    8 years ago

That's great to hear! We will be taking our first NCL cruise end of January. This will be our 10th cruise with our 2 kids!! I was very scared after I read all the negative feedback! Thank you so much and I'm glad you had a great time.

Deathbytwins    8 years ago

What a relief to hear after reading so many bad reviews. I'll be sailing in 8 days on the Jade and am more excited than ever after reading your review. Thank you!

pK8BzoQ3nJ1P8otmEaQt6JIX8    8 years ago

Good to hear. We will be cruising on the Jade in February. It will be our second NCL cruise. We've mostly cruised with Carnival (4 times) and once with Royal Caribbean. We go with the line that gives us the best price and have NEVER been disappointed. We like connecting balcony rooms as we like to travel with our (now) adult children and grandchild. Can't wait! Happy New Year!

Other reviews of this sailing