Fantastic Southern Caribbean cruise
Norwegian Jade Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 50
10 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 23, 2018
Ship: Norwegian Jade
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 8074
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
The cruise was over Palm Sunday and Easter. There were activities for children for Easter and chocolates and colored eggs for all. We really enjoyed the Jade and the cruise itinerary. It was over full with it being a holiday cruise. If you do not want a lot of children aboard, do not book over a holiday/spring break. Each island had something interesting and special about it. Highly recommend the ship and cruise.Embarkation
Easy access. Friendly greeting, as usual.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The main dining rooms were very nice. They had a fixed menu, if you wanted the popular New York strip steak or. Hi Ken, lasagna, etc. and every day has a a theme menu with lots of variety. The appetizers and salads were very good. And of course, the lava cake was a huge hit! The buffet option was plentiful and the food was varied every night or you could have the burgers, pizza, salad options. Desserts included made to order crepes. O Sheehan’s was good for a quick breakfast or a late night snack. It was especially nice to eat breakfast at the Great Outdoors when in port, so you can look out at the beautiful water or check out the port area.
Onboard Activities
Full of activities whether at sea or in port. Daily options provide something for everyone. Port days all facilities , pools, spa etc were easily available. It was a very full holiday sailing, so on sea days It was a bit harder to get the perfect lounge chair and spot. With so many children, it was really nice to have the adult only pool and spa area.
The dance lessons and trivia were some off our favorites.
Entertainment
What ever your music preference, you were sure to find somewhere on the ship. We really enjoyed Charlie and his guitar. The shows were god with Elements being quite good. We also enjoyed the juggler, comedian and ventriloquist.
Service and Staff
Had an air conditioning malfunction. Room steward got a tech there right away. And the tech fixed it as quick as possible and fixed it righ th first time. We also needed help when our room safe jammed. Staff again were very prompt in coming to the room and taking care of the problem.
Ship Quality
The Jade was recently refurbished and renamed to the Jade. The row of bar/ lounges was perfect for socializing and drinking while listening to music. The Star theatre had comfy seats and one of the best designs that had few areas with obstructed views.
Always had washy washy and people spiffing up all through the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
Obstructed view through two oval windows. It was nice to peek out and have light come in.
God amount of space. Bathroom a bit tight. Always clean ..those ninja room stewards are great.
Ports of call
Just boarded and disembarked in Miami.
Thumbs Up
6
Pretty as always. Unfortunately we were there on Palm Sunday when most of the shops were closed. Did not do an excursion but had visited turtle farm and Hell, as well as enjoying the rum cake on previous visits.
Desert island. Lots of cactus 🌵 and rocks. Enjoyed Sea and See (the city) tour including viewing shipwreck and colorful fish followed by interesting tour of Natural bridge, Lighthouse, the town and countryside.
We did the Hato Cave and city walking tour. Once you get up all the 49 steps to reach Hato Cave, it was beautiful. The tour guide was knowledgeable and funny. He pointed out a lot of interesting features and had interesting stories. Tour of town showed that like Aruba and Bonaire, they are Dutch owned. Cute and colorful. The floating bridge was unique.
Unable to give 5 stars because of a problem with the tour. This was not booked through NCL but through our booking company. The tour company did not show up! Just by accident we talked to another tour operator there, that new the company and operator. They called them and had us changed to to join their tour group. We agreed because we felt we didn’t had any other option. We were told that we would be given the front row seats. When we boarded there where other people there. It was too embarrassing to ask some one to I’ve out of the seats. So we found the only two opens seats in the back of the bus...and they were the wheel well HUMP seats. The arm would not move, so we were cramped in the seats. It was so uncomfortable. It made it difficult to enjoy the tour. That was unfortunate because th tour operator was doing a great job and the island is very interesting. The Salt flats, slave quarters and slave stories, flamingo ponds , etc. we didn’t even enjoy some of the stops with the struggle to get in the seats. We were so ready to be back on th ship and opted out of the beach visit.
Disembarkation
Easiest one ever...we have cruised over 10 Times.
Traveler Photos
