Norwegian Jade Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was my first experience with cruising although I went with 5 other people who have been on numerous cruises. We were on the Jade leaving from Venice to the Greek Islands. I did enjoy the Freestyle dining and overall the food was very good. The specialty restaurants were expensive and our experience with the one we went to on the last evening (Steak House) was extremely disappointing. It cost $50 per couple, the steaks were horrible, and the service was really slow. Part of the problem was several people ordered several appetizers but for not being full, it was really much slower than the free restaurants. The coordination for leaving the ship on the islands was very well organized. The excursions offered I did not participate in since they were sooo over priced! We were able to get transportation (bus, train) for around 2 to 6 Euros to the sites we wanted to see. The only activity we participated in was bingo and it cost $39 to play. This was a theme - overpriced for anything not included with the cost of the cruise.

The Jade is a great ship--with lots of options and venues. From arrival to departure, we were very pleased.

First cruise for this 55+ adult and thought I would be bored. I was wrong. Evening shows were first rate with a mix of on-board and commercial entertainers. Norwegian Jade Cruise Director (Gary Glading) was spectacular in breadth of knowledge, talent and class, kept the ball rolling and seemed to be everywhere. Captain Mikail ? is first rate with emphasis on passenger safety. Very easy to talk to. If you like technical stuff don't miss the "Behind the Scenes" ship tour.

We left out of Venice and the ports were great. We especially loved Turkey. The room was OK. Normal interior cabin. The ship overall was warm. The only area I was comfortable in was our cabin. The temperature in the dining rooms were HOT! The food was average to terrible. The menu only varied a few items. There was never any lobster or any speciality items. They want you to go to the pay restraurants. We had first off during disembarkation. Our luggage was not there. We consulted the staff immediately and all they could tell us was our luggage was coming. 30 minutes later, we had an early flight, we were still waiting. The staff could only offer a lost luggage form and when we said we were flying to Budapest to catch a river cruise, they told us to wait because they could not get us our luggage and they were not responsible if we missed our flights. Needless to say I doubt if we will ever go on a Norwegien cruise again!

Overall the accommodations were nice. I had an interior room that was spacious and the service from our steward was wonderful. The shows they offer were amazing.

Newer, large enough but easy to navigate and get around.

Great ship and great ports of call. Staff was very friendly and helpful. If we had relaxed any more than we did we would have melted into the decking.

Good size cabin with a roomy shower for most cruise ships. Caring staff tailored to customer service. First class entertainment. Great ports of call for the adventurist type with plenty of fine shopping and dining without having to pay-out for expensive tours.

the ship is very clean.

the ship looks new and the size of the stateroom is big.

It was a good cruise. WE got upgraded, which made the big difference. Without it, I am afraid the ship is very crowded on exterior decks...

The boat was terrible, no flow to the layout of it very tacky decor not enough chairs to sit at the pool but most of all the food was terrible so full of salt you could not eat most of it and I love salt. the people that worked the buffet looked like they were so unhappy to be there, so we had to eat at the paid restaurants which were just OK . the rooms were small and the bathroom was just to small to move if you were a big person I think you would have to keep the door opened just to get to the sink .

The ship is good and the staff is excellent. The ship is very well run from the operation to the cruise staff. My family (children 9 and 11) all had a great time.

Ship was supposedly renovated recently with new carpeting, among other things. That was certainly not the case on Deck 10, mid ship. Carpeting was the same as I recall it from our 2007 cruise to Hawaii. In definite need of modernization.

Overall we were inpressed with the ship.

It's an "OK" ship. I lived in Kona Hawaii for many years so I had seen it plenty of times before from the outside. The inside however was dated even by Hawaii standards....old flowers, so old silk plants, everything called Aloha this or that....The ship should be updated inside in the public areas to overcome this. That said, it wasn't horrible by any means. And, the staterooms were perfect. We had a junior suite midship and it was lovely. A warning about the 11th floor though - our cabin was 11580 and we were directly below the kids club...yep.....stomping and running and jumping.....beware! The food was great in the main dining areas, the buffet did get OLD fast though, especialllyn the breakfast buffet. Definitiely needs a revamp....still, a great cruise and some good ports....reallly enjoyed the break over Christmas....!!

The ship and the staff are comfortable

The ship seemed to be the perfect size

The base cost of the Mediterranean cruise out of Rome was acceptable but there was hidden cost add-ons at every turn. The cost of transfers and excursions ended up costing almost 65 % of the cost of the basic cruise price. Then Gratuities, internet, exchange rates, etc. ran the bill up to 80% of the booking. Avoid shopping on-board because the mark up on merchandise is enormous and the pay back in the casino is frugal. Excursions and port transfers booked thru your travel agent will save you hundreds of dollars. An example was the cost of NCL transfers to the port ran $150.00 for two of us, where as a airport to port shuttle cab ran half that price. We surmised that the gratuity recommendation is actually a scheme to subsidize labor costs by the cruise line and there is no guarantee the waiter or steward will receive what is charged to your bill. Free style dinning may offer some benefits but count on a 15 minute wait before you are seated. By the end of the cruise the buffet served more meals than the dinning rooms because passengers opted for serving themselves over the long wait in dinning rooms.

The Norwegian staff was great--all said hello and have a good day. Those who took care of your cabin knew your name and always asked about your day. We didn't eat in any specialty restaurants but had great meals and service in the Grand Pacific main dining room. The buffet had a variety of food for all 3 meals and the morning staff would serve coffee and bring juice for you. If your hands were full they helped carry your plate to the table and find a place for you to sit if the eating area was full.