Great First Cruise

Item: Norwegian Jade
Rating: 4.9
Author: Spudly

Norwegian Jade Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

Spudly

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

9 Night Norwegian Fjords (Southampton Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 08, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Jade

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9020

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This was our first cruise and we were anxious because of the length, 9 days. All went well and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Would, and probably will, do it again in a heartbeat.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We arrived a bit later than the "rush" and had no problems or hold-ups. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The only food we sampled from the buffet was a scone, which was good. Being on vacation, we were more interested in table service as opposed to a cafeteria style service. O'Sheehans was our choice for convenience when we had a shore excursion or other activity. The food there was good but not spectacular. We arrived early one morning before they started serving breakfast and the waiter asked the chef, who offered to make breakfast for us anyway. Excellent customer service. We ate at both the Grand Pacific main dining room and Alizar. The menus are identical but the Grand Pacific was our preference due to the decor and view. The staff was accommodating and the food was quite good. We could have eaten there every night. We did have some specialty dining credits, however, and tried all of the specialty restaurants with the exception of Tepanyaki's. Le Bistro was our favorite and Cagney's a close second but Moderno and La Cucina ranked right up there as well. The Japanese restaurant was good but not as good as the others. All specialty restaurants provided terrific service and we were quite impressed.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

We did not participate in the on-board activities but other members of the family did and seemed to enjoy them.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our cabin steward, Gerald was always present and attended to our needs. Our only request was for extra beach towels upon returning from a very rainy day in Bergen soaking wet. Some of the staff seemed a bit indifferent and had difficulty smiling. It must be hard to do day after day in what might well be a tedious job but they should make the effort. Many staff members, especially GHerald, were friendly and accommodating and truly seemed to want us to have a great experience.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Took a couple of days to figure out the layout especially when trying to avoid having to pass throught the smokey casino while trying to get someplace else. We often detoured outside onto the deck to get around quicker. Everything was always very clean and well kept.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5