Managed expectations went a long way to having a great cruise. I met wonderful people onboard and enjoyed delicious meals even if mass prep was evident. I didn't bother with internet this time, I just downloaded enough to my Kindle to get through 5 days on reading and movies. I didn't get the drink package but spent about the same as what the drink package gratuity would have run me with the flexibility of ordering what I wanted since the cheapest package wouldn't have included Starbucks or water so it worked out for me especially since I'm not a heavy drinker and NCL's propensity to shortcut cocktails by premixing ingredients leaves little room for drink customization with them employeeing drink servers over actual bartenders that have the flexibility to curate specialty cocktails.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy process that went smoothly. It was odd that instead of having embarkers come up to the desk, staff stood in front of queues with ipads to check in guests. This means they wasted a lot of time walking back to the desk to retrieve room key cards after each check-in. My check-in clerk skipped payment confirmation that had been completed online and switched it to cash or it automatically defaulted to cash after the clerk didn't request credit card confirmation at embarkation. Halfway through the cruise, I got a letter to visit the customer service desk to either change it or confirm I would be cashing out at the end of the cruise. Minor inconvenience but still unnecessary and inefficient. Refreshment stations were set up, and the wait to board was short. Boarding started on time. The staff greeting us were energetic and welcoming.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I enjoyed the dining options that were available, especially for a smaller vessel, the size of the Jade. There was a nice mix of complimentary and specialty dining options. O'Sheehans is always a crowd pleaser. Jasmine Garden offers variety in the way of Asian cuisine. This complimentary venue was very popular and usually had a line forming. Waits weren't any longer than would be expected at walk-up land based dining venues, and since NCL employees buzzers, there was no need to wait at the venue. One could roam or sit at one of the bars until a table was available. Both of these options allowed for beaks from MDR or Garden Cafe without the need to spend extra money. The food in all venues was of a quality commensurate with mass production but was very tasty and served at the right temperature. The buffet self-serve pans were never overfilled, meaning they had to be replenished often, which kept the food on the warmer side. Le Bistro's French cuisine was very good. The orange duck was scrumptious. I like NCL's wine storage process allowing bottles of wine to follow you from venue to venue. Each night, the waiter would give a new receipt so the staff would easily locate your bottle the next evening. Ordering off the Chops menu in the MDR was a nice option I employed the last evening of the cruise.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
This was intentionally meant to be a relaxation cruise. I didn't do much onboard, but I appreciated the live music throughout the ship. There were lots of activities planned and additional activities added when we couldn't tender to private island due to rough seas. The library was a nice room. Although it could have cozier seating, I was happy that it had windows and natural light.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
There was a nice mix of production shows and smaller acts. This was surprising for a 5 day cruise. I've been on longer cruises and younger vessels that failed to live up to the expectation of providing decent production shows. Jade did not disappoint Blazin Boots, the country music production was fun, Elements was visually stunning, the acrobats were talented and entertaining. It was a great and successful effort to provide evening entertainment.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
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Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This isn't a new ship. It is traditional cruising, and I understood that when I booked so I wasn't expecting frills or bells and whistles. It has a typical ship layout that doesn't allow forward to aft access on all decks. The ship was maintained well. The public areas were kept clean. The staircase leading down by Alizar (MDR) was kept cordoned off to be used as a crew staircase, so that lended to navigation challenges depending on where one was headed. Grand Pacific (MDR) was a little hard to find but luckily th ship isn't humongous so I can be figured out relatively quickly.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Inside cabin on deck 5. It was clean and a decent size. There was no sofa seating. Storage was ample. The refrigerator refrigerated. The bed was comfortable. The sliding plexiglass shower door was a much better option than the shower curtains.
Ship tip
Patience is key. Lines at popular venues like Starbucks and O'Sheehns could get long during rush hours like morning coffee fix and lunch time. It's a single ship with 1000+ passengers all on the same schedule. There will be lines, especially on sea days. The ship's Starbucks didn't serve Refreshers, which was disappointing. I was glad I didn't purchase the Starbucks package since the Refresher would have been my primary reason for considering adding it.
Nassau was an enjoyable port. Vendors were still eager for a sell but seemed less aggressive than prior visits. This was a nice surprise. My walking tour guide revealed the cost of everyday items, giving perspective to the increased costs of the island. There seemed to be less discounts or wiggle room for negotiating than prior visits. The cost of milk, bread, and eggs on the island made the increased prices make sense.
Tampa is one of the easiest embarkation and disembarkation ports to cruise out of. The sail under the Skyway bridge and its light show never disappoints.
NCL was testing face recognition technology, which is supposed to speed up disembarkation, but until it is perfected, all it did was slow the process down compared to the process of scanning keycards which needed to be done anyway if the technology failed to scan and correctly identify you.
Thanks for sharing. We board the Jade on January 27th. Regarding the drink package, I always fear watered down drinks. But, since we primarily drink wine and beer, that isn't much of a concern for us, only when we get the occasional fruity tropical drinks. We opted for the Premium Plus package which was a no-brainer because we like many of the more expensive wines. NCL's Free at Sea Plus bundles internet, specialty dining, shore excursion credits, and drink packages in a way that you pretty much get the drinks for free and that includes Starbucks and bottled water.
Excellent review. Will be sailing on the Jade this week 16-27 January 24. Looking forward to it as it will be my first time on this ship which makes it the 15th ship in the Norwegian fleet that I've sailed. This year's goal is to complete the list and sail on every Norwegian ship.
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