Norwegian Jade Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The ship was well taken care of. The balcony room was a little small compared to others, but still very comfortable. Belize and Honduras were very crowded and locals will bug you like crazy to buy there stuff. I will get a taxi next time and leave the port area. I was not impressed with the port area at all. The food was so-so. The bartenders at the Atrium Bar were fantastic!

I have cruised NCL before and was always happy with ship and crew. but this one really dropped the ball.  The service from the crew was horrible overall.  The dining room staff could not get us served in under 2 hours and sometimes more.  We were traveling with 4 cabins of children and grandchildren and wanted service and table for 12.  They could not get this done without making us feel like we were the problem.  The food was ok, but not to my earlier NCL experience.   Room service never met my expectations as rooms were not arranged as requested for children and it went downhill from there.  Had to ask for Ice continously.  The office crew notified us of a credit card that was not reading and we went ot desk and they promised it would be taken care of.  While disembarking we had to go back and address the problem again.  And it was not of our doing, but the ships.  The staff did not know the rules and regulations posted in writing and on signs and were not pleasant.  Overall I will probably never travel NCL again or reccomend it to our friends,   My family traveling with us had all cruised before and basicly feel the same. 

Overall, the cabin, food, and drink quality were decent.  However, the customer service was fairly poor.  The captain made the decision on day 5 to bring the ship in early to avoid foggy conditions on Day 7 (which never occurred, I might add).  However, neither he nor the staff did an adequate job of informing the guests what was going on, and how the schedule for the ship would be affected.  We were told at first that the ship's stores and bars would be closing at 7pm on Day 6.  Other staff told us 5pm, and yet others said 3pm.  We were surprised when everything shut down at 2:20pm without so much as an announcement or warning.  We were unable to complete our onboard shopping, and because we were now in Texas waters, could not order the premium drinks that we had signed up for with the Ultimate Beverage Package.  After being passed from customer service person to customer service person, and speaking with 2 managers about our problems, it was obvious that they weren't willing to admit any screw-ups, or do anything to help make up for the poor communication.  Other cruise lines are quick to keep their guests happy, but Norwegian doesn't really care.

Also, on Day 6, our room steward left our stateroom door unlocked and open after cleaning it.  Luckily, we returned quickly after he left, and nothing was stolen.  We spoke to the cleaning manager about this, and only received a forced apology.

Having been on 3 other cruise lines, the customer service on Norwegian is definitely the worst of the 4.  The food and beverages were decent, but the customer service and corporate policies need to change before we will considering sailing with them again.

So much fun! We did not expected so many activities to do on the ship. The best part was the dancing classes. All personnel were so friendly. Art auctions were incredible. We loved cruising!

We only spent two nights onboard, but all was great, even the hospital staff! Loved the roomy cabin, crew, etc. Husband had sudden heart problem which caused us to disembark in Cozumel. Thank goodness for the insurance, but be aware that the foreign countries want all their money up front. We had Medicare, but it  doesn't cover outside of the US. wHopefully, NCL will handle their part of the insurance reimbursement promptly as they maxed out my credit card on file to pay part of their hospital cost, which was $11,996.00 USD (like 2 nights in an ICU). Wish we could have stayed onboard longer to enjoy what was looking light a first class experience at a great price!

Never again will I sail with Norwegian.  This was easily the worst cruise of the 15+ cruises I have taken.  Here are the specifics:

*  Balcony room extreamly small.  Had to sit on the commode with my legs outside the door to accommodate.

*  Breakfast room service did not include any fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, eggs.  Only coffee and a few pastries offered.

*  Cruise was totally understaffed.  Waited 20 minutes at bar for a drink.  Saw bartenders arguing with each other.

*  Overall staff rude and not friendly.

*  Food in main dining room marginal at best.

*  At the "Martini Bar" they had few martini glasses.  Served Martini's in water glasses.  After dinner drinks such as Gran Marnier also served in water glasses.

*  Was not given final bill at the end of the cruise.  Had to specifically ask for it after cruise.

*  Dirty pool towels removed by cabin staff and not replaced.  Towel service by pool would not provide additional towels.

*  Departure unorganized with passengers arguing with staff.

In speaking with other passengers, we found out we were not alone with our dissatisfaction. Long time Norwegian passengers said it was the worst cruise they had ever been on with Norwegian.

Having been on over 50 cruises this ship had the worst food. We ate every night at the specialty restaurants. service was ok but the food the worst. out of the four of us traveling together none of us ever finished the food and 2 got sick. The shows were good and our suites very nice. Our butler went out of his way to help us when we got sick. The concierge was most helpful on the whole trip. The shops were not well stocked unless you liked cheap watches or perfume. WE went the week after Thanksgiving yet there were so many kids in the pools and hot tubs we never could use them .

Overall, the cruise was pleasant.  Staff were very attentive and for the most part, the ship was spotless.  Still, the overall experience was less than perfect for sure.  I understand that Norwegian is dropping the Houston cruise in April 2016 and I'm guessing it's for the reasons I found things lacking and less than satisfying.  The port parking was ok and fairly easy to get done but the boarding process was horrible!  Long lines wrapping back and forth between make shift aisles with too few staff to get guests processed.  Then when ok'd to board the ship, the directions to go to the ship were lacking and I was constantly having to ask those few staff available, where we were to head.  While not quite as bad, the disembarking had it's difficulties as well.  Apparently, if you have a porter handling your baggage, you have a separate line for customs.  Well, that was very much not apparent at all and I got in the wrong line and wound up wasting valuable time as I was told to get in the much longer line for those carrying their own baggage.  Overall, very poor directions and management of the embarking and disembarking process.  Once on the ship, things were much better except for a couple of areas.  First, I noticed that the linens on the bed smelled like my old grandmother's attic--musty as if the bed had been made for months w/o changing.  Our staff member handling the room was great and I noted that after linens were changed, the smell still existed.  Linens were clean, just smelled "old".  Also, having to be shuttled/tendering  to and from the ports of Belize and Roatan was cumbersome.  While the effort was efficient for the most part and staff were attentive and gracious, being able to disembark directly to a pier is highly preferable as it was in Cozumel.  What is unfortunate,  I live in San Antonio and using Houston as a cruise port is extremely convenient as well as cost effective--drive versus fly to a embarkation port.  Overall, my wife and I had a good time but I've used cruise companies that seemed much more organized. Maybe it was the Houston venue that created the issues for Norwegian as far as my take on things and leaving from a Florida port maybe more enjoyable.  Overall though, a good time.  

Good cruise but twice we went to restaurants marked 24/7 and they were closed. The specialty restaurants were good but the freebie ones were very stingy with some items, like mozzarella on a 6 inch sandwich was quarter sized. Could not believe it. Seems like what was typical food on a cruise years ago they now charge for as a "specialty restaurant" and the regular food went downhill (my opinion).

Entertainment overall was pretty good.

Cabins is what I expected but better off using the public restrooms, much bigger.

Will definitely use NCL again. Embarking and disembarking went pretty smooth.

In the end we enjoyed ourselves, and that is what counts.

The balcony stateroom was the smallest I have ever been in! Wife is in a wheel chair and it was very difficult to enter and exit.no where to store chair and very hard to go to balcony!!!

We had a great price on this cruise and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Compared to past NCL cruises I felt this ship lacked just a little compared to the Jewel which we sailed on last year. To put anyone's concerns to rest about this ship it is clean, the staff competent and the food is fine.

We were well treated and have no complaints. I would recommend NCL and the Jade in particular to any family member or friend. The  professional entertainers were of a very high caliber. I enthusiastically recommend the magic act Cripton Magic as well as the 4 member singing group 4Ever. The acrobat duo  was very exciting and David Naster  is a very funny comedian that we had seen before. We spent several days around the pool stage enjoying the music of TruLife, which is a 3 piece Reggae band that does a lot of Bob Marley as well as other covers.

We did not go to the main dining room but for one meal and it was good with excellent service. Most meals we took at the Garden Room buffet for reasons of our own. There was always a great variety and the items we had were always warm and fresh. Yes, I gained weight as always.

We had an inside cabin on deck 11 aft. Plenty of closet space, everything worked,an attentive steward who kept the cabin straightened but whom we really never saw. My only slight complaint is that our cabin, 11643, was directly under the Great Outdoors area (which I really liked) on the aft of deck 12. About 5AM the crew would do some cleaning or table moving and I could hear the thumps in our cabin. Really that was a very minor thing. Otherwise, the cabin was convenient but not too close to the aft elevators which accessed the Garden Cafe and the Grand Pacific main dining room.

One of us had a foot injury which limited our mobility for the ports or excursions. We found the ships staff to be very accommodating about our injury especially the boarding and disembarkation processes.

The cons: The check in process was very very slow. The ship itself was very clean but very basic in design and displays. The room we had was so small and you had to sit side-ways on the toilet as there was no room.  The officers and the people who served in the food and bar sections were quite unpleasant.  I don't think I ever saw any of them smile once.

The Pros:  The food was very good.  The rooms and the ship were very clean.

The entertainment in the Stardust theater  was outstanding.  I'd go back on this ship for the entertainment alone.  The parking made it a breeze to get on and off the ship.

The food was horrible, majority of the selections on buffet were the same every night and COLD.  In other restaurants, food was also cold!  Bartenders were slow and would ignore you.  One in Casino was especially RUDE!  Had problems with trying to get to my excursion on time... after 3 different attempts with 3 different staff members I finally got someone to help with catching an early tender to shore.  Room and cleaning staff were good.  

Need something in the closet to secure hangers down in rough seas. A couple of nights they clanged all night. 

I have cruised on Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival for a total of 9 cruises.

Pros:

1. Inside Stateroom was spacious, had a queen bed, bathroom and shower was very spacious.

2. Room Steward was very accommodating. Folded towels 4 out of the 7 nights into animals.

3. Really liked Freestyle Dining. We were able to eat in the Grand Pacific (service was prompt and courteous) or the Alizar whenever we wanted with no wait.

4. Ship had a lot of activities we enjoyed and we never had any problems finding room to sit although we did arrive about 15 minutes early to most.

5. Ship was clean and well maintained. All bathrooms were functional and well kept.

6. Theater was large, well laid out any seat was good, never had a problem getting a seat, and the shows were enjoyable.

Cons:

1. Food taste was very mediocre through out the ship, we ate at the Garden Cafe buffet 1 time, the variety was impressive but taste was bland. All the other buffets were somewhat limited and suffered the same flavor issues.

2. Blue Lagoon was never open 24 hours even though they published that in the daily news letter. We were able to get 1 good meal out 3 attempts. Service was prompt and courteous.

3. Grand Pacific and the Alizar had the same menu. Service in the Alizar was extremely slow and after two meals we primarily ate in the Grand Pacific.

4. All complimentary venues refused to cook beef any less than medium even though the menus insinuated under cooked was possible.

5. We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants. The entrance fee and entree up charges ($20 per person to get in and $10 on select entrees) made this just as expensive as eating at nicer restaurants in Dallas.

6. The Bars were open at odd times, other than the Atrium, Topsiders, and the Great Outdoors all the others did not open till 5:00pm or later and Tankard's was closed 4 out 6 days.

7. The bar wait staff would not serve you unless you stood up and waved at them, even then more times than not they would look at you and not serve you. You had to go up to the bar and the Bar staff was very rude especially at the Atrium and the Casino. I avoided those locations whenever possible.

8. The wait at the Bars was a minimum of 20 minutes to get served...very slow service. Gratuity was included on all drink orders and the service reflected that. If you bought a drink an 18% gratuity was added. NO SINGLE BAR STAFF I HAD CONTACT WITH DESERVED THAT TIP!

9. For those of you who purchase the Ultimate Drink Package the same issues above applied. The feed back from other passangers confirmed this not be isolated incidents. The average cost of a drink is $11.00 up to $13.00. We saved $600.00 by not purchasing the Drink Package!

10. My wife does not drink alcohol or sodas. It was near impossible to get tea or coffee away from the buffets. Only the Spinnaker would serve her coffee and NO OTHER bar would get her an Ice Tea. One morning we were up early for a shore excursion she went to the Atrium Bar where the had pastries out and was told she would have to pay for the coffee. They informed her she could go upstairs to the Blue Lagoon a get a free cup but she had gone to the Blue lagoon first and they were closed? The only other choice was to go to the top and rear of the ship to the buffets.

Summary: Overall I would not cruise with Norwegian again. There was no Midnight Buffet, no lobster served outside of the specialty restaurants, Chocolate Night was cancelled (stated due to cost) and substituted with a additional chocolate desert on all menus, bland food, and extremely poor bar service. I cruise for the food, drinks, entertainment (on ship and off ship), and accommodations in that order and this cruise only fulfilled entertainment and accommodations.

Bad Food. No A/C 3 days. SEWAGE backed up in room 2 days. LIGHTS out one day. Pool opened twice only. SLIDE 1 DAY ONLY. Excursions  were canceled in one port and delayed in the other two so there was no ahopping. The sjows were faboulous. The drinks slow but good. The Tender boats were the Life boats so they were hot and over crowded. Horrible  Experience all arounf. And no compensation  for it.. 

Summary: with younger kids we are not coming back to Norwegian Jade.

If I was 55 years old with not kids looking for gambling, drinking and a occasional evening attraction this would be perfect (I'm not joking).

Pros:

Great price, great route, balcony cabin has a decent size, evening shows are great

Cons:

Some restaurants are pretty bad, lack of crew training, no attractions for kids besides the clubs during the day, short stop time in Routan Island.

good remarks:

Bistro excellent french restaurant

Cagney excellent steak house

Blue Lagoon - excellent sports bar like menu

Cripto and Renata

"happy-happy washy-washy"

Steawart_ Mhark

bad remarks:

Restaurants:

Moderno cannot be called a Brazilian restaurant. It is all wrong. Terrible service.

La Cucina also is not the best that Italian I ate....but good service.

Grand Pacific the worst food we were ever had in a cruise.

We had to get tenders for Routan Island. And there was just 2 for a 2 thousand people cruise. With the departure time programmed for 3o'clock local time we decided to stay in the cruise as our calling time was after 1230.

If I could give this cruise line zero stars I would. EVERYTHING on this cruise was terrible from the food to the staff to the execution of getting people off the boat at the different ports. "Freestyle cruising" as they call it is a joke. Instead of assigned dining times, they have multiple restaurants on the ship and you are supposed to be able to eat what you want, when you want. The "good" restaurants charge an additional $20 to $30 per person to eat there. We got the "Ultimate Dining Package" which was supposed to allow us to eat at these restaurants without the additional charges. However, people were making reservations for dining six months in advance which means there was no available seating at the "nicer" places to eat. We were then relegated to eating at their disgusting buffet every meal. When we looked in the pay restaurants, there were hardly any people in there and but they still claimed to be full. Apparently they didn't plan to serve many people here?

At the various ports, Norwegian didn't pay to dock the boat. Instead, they stopped 5 miles out in the ocean and used the life boats to ferry people to shore. This process took many hours leaving most people with just a few hours to visit the islands. When visiting Honduras, half of the people scheduled to be on out shore excursion had to miss it because they couldn't get off the ship. If you booked your excursion through anyone other than Norwegian, you were not going to be reimbursed.

Everyone we talked to had the same feelings. No one was happy with the experience and you could tell by the "mood of the ship" that people were extremely unhappy about the cruise. I will never give a second thought to taking a Norwegian cruise.

Did not like to pay $7.95 every time I wanted to order room service. On board extra restaurants to expensive. There was not enough for my 17 and 18 year old daughters to do together. The weather was not on our side and it rained a lot and water was choppy got sea sick first day in bed.

Worst ship and worst cruise line we have ever been on. Previously have cruised on the following:

Royal Caribbean (X2)

Carnival (X4)

Princess (X2)

Now I cannot even submit this without problems as I have to have a minimum of 150 characters.

The cruise started off rough kids got seasick the first day. We felt like the ship was moving too fast. We never been on a cruise where we felt that much movement

The first day of the shore excursions there was confusion as to what floor we should be at inorder to board the tenders. It was hard to hear what was being said over the speakers. There should be signs throughout the cruise to help navigate the passengers.

The main dining area(sit down ) Grand Pacific the food was not as tasty.

The waitress we had the first day we did not have a good experience with she was not friendly and courteous.

Overall crew members especially in the buffet area lacked customer service, friendliness, no smiles seems like they hated to be there.

Everyone should be more happy like happy happy , washy washy man! (the kids loved him that made there day!)

We loved our housekeeping, room cleaner room #10043 kudos to that team they did an excellent job in keeping our room neat and clean at all times# That was very important to us.

There should of been more kid activities during the day rather than at night.

None of the crew members knew exactly the location of any of the events. They should be more well versed