Norwegian Jade Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had a great time. The ship, however, was overrun with college students. I didn't think about this with being a cheap cruise. Comes with the territory of this time of year. On Tuesday they were quite entertaining but come Thursday I'd had enough of their antics and got into it with one who walked up and cut me and another mom in line at the poolside bar. My 7yo daughter was pissed about them because they completely took over the entire pool deck. She couldn't even get in the family pool until the last day and wasn't able to get in the hot tub at all. Next time we will go for a ship with a splash pad/water park feature that would be easier for her to enjoy. Splash Academy was great. Our room steward, Mark, was fantastic! We were in cabin 8014.

The price was right. We LOVED the 12 days southern Caribbean itinerary. So much that we did a Panama Canal RT with similar port stops

Favorite part was Washy washy Kimberly was her real name she worked in the Garden cafe.   And ivana who worked in shore excursions. Loved both of them. Selling waste at over six dollars a bottle and beer at 9 dollars each was a scam!!! So sad at those prices!!!

We had a great time on our 10 day Caribbean cruise!  Our cabin attendant Jeanette was awesome.  Our cabin was made up by the time we came back from breakfast and turned down upon our return from dinner.  We loved having breakfast at The Great Outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.  The entertainment was good but I have to say we have seen some of the shows before and wish they had some new offerings.  One other negative was the disrepair of the pool area but we were told the ship was going into dry dock in March so hopefully that will get some attention.  All in all we had a wonderful time!

We had a great time in all the ports on this cruise and liked the size of this ship and all the different dining options.

The food was satisfactory, but the deserts were a little lacking except for Cagney's. The steaks and sides were excellent in this restaurant.

Our food was never hot either with the exception of the specialty restaurants.  We learned to ask for our food extra hot in the dining room, but that didn't solve the problem in the Garden Cafe. The pancakes and waffles were so cold the butter wouldn't melt.  We were always in the Garden Cafe when they open for breakfast too.  I was also disappointed that outdoor cafe didn't open until 7:30 AM. Why? We like to eat outside and watch the sunrise and would like to see this changed. Dining Room service was not what we expected.  I had a hard time getting my Diet Pepsi, and our water glasses sat empty a lot. One time I even got up and attempted to refill our water glasses.  That got the server's attention. The wait time for them to take our order was extremely long too.

Casino- you have to pay for coffee!  Yes, regular plain coffee that is served for free all over the ship.  Why? This policy makes no sense and needs to be changed.  You are making money off of us in the Casino, but want me to buy coffee?  I hope they will do something about how the smoke from the casino takes over the entire ship when it is in drydock too.

Pool Deck - the pool deck, was under repair the entire time we were on our cruise.  We had access to both pools on sea days, but not on port days.  The repairs being made were extensive and should have been reserved for drydock. Furthermore, the first sea day it was very windy.  My husband and I had been in our chairs from 6:30  AM until lunch time.  There were a ton of people that had put towels and other belongings on chairs and had not returned since they "reserved" them at 6:30 AM. Since the wind was so bad, we left our seats for less than 30 minutes, and our chairs and clips were taken from us while the other chairs that had been left for over 4 hours were not.  When I inquired about where my towel clips were, they found one set, but couldn't find the other.  While they were looking for my clips one of the employees said you can't reserve chairs.  I pointed out all the reserved chairs and told them they had been empty for 4+ hours and not taken away.  He said they had been stickered and would within an hour, but they never were.  I also told him I had been gone for less than 30 minutes and he said you were gone an hour and you can go to guest services to review the security footage.  I challenged him on his time keeping skills and he then said he wasn't the one who took our chairs.  I asked to speak to the person that did and he wouldn't let me.  20 minutes later we had our clips and were on our way to find other chairs.  If you are going to make us follow the rules you should make all the passengers!  This issue was frustrating and didn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy

feeling.

We spent most of our time in the Casino because all the entertainment options start too late.  Why not have dancing and other entertainment earlier for the early risers that don't want to stay up late?

We loved all the ports and would like to return to them one day.  We enjoyed a walking food tour in Key West and a beach break with lunch in Saint John.  We felt like the excursion to Maho Beach in Sait Martin was too long, as it is not a beach to relax at and spend the day.  The bar is very crowded, and you can't get the wifi to work because so many people are trying to access it.  Everyone should see the jets landing at the airport but just take a cab.  Our cab ride back was $8.00 a person. There is also a beach named Blue Beach that is a 10-minute walk from the cruise port, and there are great shops in this port.  We didn't do anything in Tortorla and I regret that.  There is not much to do in port, but the island is beautiful.  You can get off the ship and take a trolly ride around the Isle for $20.00.  They pack a lot of people in that trolley, so if crowds are not your thing, book an excursion through the ship.  I did purchase a beautiful pottery bowl in this port. It was the end of Christmas in San Juan, and there was a big street festival.  It was a bonus for us to be in port during this time.  Walking around Old San Juan, seeing the forts and shopping was time well spent.

We had four specialty restaurants with our package.  We loved Cagney's and went there twice.  We enjoyed the Brizzialn Steak House but didn't care for the Japanese place.  The food isn't the same as the Japanese food at home

I will look for a literary like this again.  Ten days is the perfect length, and the ports were very crowded but well worth it.  We would cruise on this ship again if given the opportunity even though there were a couple of issues for us.  We did put a deposit down for two future cruises and are looking forward to our next adventure.

The 10-day cruse was good, however the ship needs major overhauling.  Room Stewart was great and cheerful.  All the staff were just Great.   The shows were fantastic, and full of color and energy.  But we did not like the magician; he did the same disappearing act over and over again.  The last night however, he did some good card tricks. Comparing this first trip with NCL, vs. the cruises with Princes, Disney, and Royal Carrabian, I would definately go again on NCL.   The shows were exceptionally good(except for magician) vs. others, the food was OK vs. others.  The Port of Tampa was very to get on and off.   The parking garage is right at the port dock.   NCL, See you again.....

We loved our 10 night cruise, it was fun and the food was very good in all the free eating restaurants and as always Cagney,s was outstanding. The best bar was the Martini bar the bar tenders were excellent. All the crew friendly and helped to make this a special cruise.

Boarding in Tampa was almost instant, walked right on ! Tampa was extremely cold

that day, so nobody n the pool, food and drinks and Jamaican band were great.

Enjoyed the Mayan ruins out of Costa Maya, used a private tour company and they were fantastic. Cozumel is ok for shopping. Great snorkeling at the Honduran island  at the Blue Channel. The private island has a real nice pool and beach, but remember the concessions are ran by local companies and you must pay separately.

Food on the ship was top notch, especially enjoyed dressing for dinner in the Grand Pacific. The Alozar didn't have the dress code but did have the same menu.

also enjoyed the Asian restaurant.

the buffet was also great , and we liked the Carribean inspired lunch poolside.

The shows are not to be missed, especially the Russian acrobats and the ships own doing the "boot" show. I thought the magicians and the comedian were on

y so-so.

The lounge acts were also good as was the easy musicians in the atrium and especially Barry the piano man.

We also used the gym and had the spa package, which I suspect my wife enjoyed more than I did.

ARRIVED ON SHIP AFTER LONG LINES, AND WAS WELCOMED WITH A BIG GREEN DUMPSTER  ON DECK 12 OR 13 (above pool deck)..  NOT A GOOD SIGN WHEN YOU SEE THAT. 4:30pm THEY ANNOUNCE WE WILL NOT BE LEAVING TAMPA DUE TO FOG!!  11:00pm WE START MOVING NO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, AS WE ALL THINK WE ARE SAILING TO OUR FIRST PORT KEY WEST. 😀. NEXT DAY 8:00AM THEY ANNOUNCE DUE TO FOG AND LEAVING PORT LATE WE WOULD NOT HAVE ARRIVED IN KEY WEST EALRLY ENOUGH TO ENJOY OUR FULL DAY PLANNED. INSTEAD WE WILL HAVE AN OVERNIGHT STAY IN COZUMEL .  TRUST ME I UNDERSTAND THAT NATURE PLAYS A BIG PART IN CRUISING, THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT MY FIRST CRUISE. BUT THE LACK OF KEEPING THE GUEST INFORMED WAS A TOTAL DISGRACE AND IF YOU TALKED TO ANY OF THE EMPLOYEES ON THAT SHIP. THAT SHIP HAD NEVER BEEN TO KEY WEST BEFORE AND. A MISTAKE HAD BEEN MADE.

POOL DECK THE BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A SHIP. FIRST DAY OF SAILING ALL POOLS ARE OPEN AND THE WATER SLIDE IS OPEN..  SECOND DAY SLIDE IS CLIOSED OFF, THIRD DAY ARRIVE IN COZUMEL.  THE SLIDE IS CLOSED AND POOL AND EVERYTHING AROUND THAT AREA IS ROPED OFF AND THEY START TAKING APART THE SLIDE. YES THAT'S WHAT THE BIG GREEN UGLY DUMPSTER IS FOR. THE TWO DAYS WE WERE IN COZUMEL THEY HAD AREAS ON POOL DECK CLOSED, WHILE THESE WORKERS TOOK APART A SLIDE.  IT WAS LOUD, UNSAFE, 

AND VERY DISAPPOINTING FOR THE CHILDREN. 

A FEW FRIENDS CAME ALONG WITH US ON THIS TRIP, THAT HAD NEVER CRUISED BEFORE . IT WAS NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD PROBABLY NEVER CRUISE AGAIN. 😩  NOT WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR!!!

WHY DID THEY NOT PUT THIS SHIP OUT FOR A WEEK OR TWO AND WORK ON IT?.

TAKE MY ADVICE THIS WHOLE SHIP HEEDS AN UPDATE! 

CHOIVE WISELY 😊😊

ARRIVED ON SHIP AFTER LONG LINES, AND WAS WELCOMED WITH A BIG GREEN DUMPSTER  ON DECK 12 OR 13 (above pool deck)..  NOT A GOOD SIGN WHEN YOU SEE THAT. 4:30pm THEY ANNOUNCE WE WILL NOT BE LEAVING TAMPA DUE TO FOG!!  11:00pm WE START MOVING NO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, AS WE ALL THINK WE ARE SAILING TO OUR FIRST PORT KEY WEST. 😀. NEXT DAY 8:00AM THEY ANNOUNCE DUE TO FOG AND LEAVING PORT LATE WE WOULD NOT HAVE ARRIVED IN KEY WEST EALRLY ENOUGH TO ENJOY OUR FULL DAY PLANNED. INSTEAD WE WILL HAVE AN OVERNIGHT STAY IN COZUMEL .  TRUST ME I UNDERSTAND THAT NATURE PLAYS A BIG PART IN CRUISING, THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT MY FIRST CRUISE. BUT THE LACK OF KEEPING THE GUEST INFORMED WAS A TOTAL DISGRACE AND IF YOU TALKED TO ANY OF THE EMPLOYEES ON THAT SHIP. THAT SHIP HAD NEVER BEEN TO KEY WEST BEFORE AND. A MISTAKE HAD BEEN MADE.

POOL DECK THE BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A SHIP. FIRST DAY OF SAILING ALL POOLS ARE OPEN AND THE WATER SLIDE IS OPEN..  SECOND DAY SLIDE IS CLIOSED OFF, THIRD DAY ARRIVE IN COZUMEL.  THE SLIDE IS CLOSED AND POOL AND EVERYTHING AROUND THAT AREA IS ROPED OFF AND THEY START TAKING APART THE SLIDE. YES THAT'S WHAT THE BIG GREEN UGLY DUMPSTER IS FOR. THE TWO DAYS WE WERE IN COZUMEL THEY HAD AREAS ON POOL DECK CLOSED, WHILE THESE WORKERS TOOK APART A SLIDE.  IT WAS LOUD, UNSAFE, 

AND VERY DISAPPOINTING FOR THE CHILDREN. 

A FEW FRIENDS CAME ALONG WITH US ON THIS TRIP, THAT HAD NEVER CRUISED BEFORE . IT WAS NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD PROBABLY NEVER CRUISE AGAIN. 😩  NOT WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR!!!

WHY DID THEY NOT PUT THIS SHIP OUT FOR A WEEK OR TWO AND WORK ON IT?.

TAKE MY ADVICE THIS WHOLE SHIP HEEDS AN UPDATE! 

CHOIVE WISELY 😊😊

Loved the Jade! It's smaller but just the right size for us tbh. Never had a bad meal. We both loved the French restaurant. We got to know our favorite bartenders pretty well and had a great time!

Bumpy.  Not much communication as to efforts to get to Key West because of weather delay out of Tampa.  According to Captain Karlsson during the Q&A, demolition of the second pool and huge water slide took place in the middle of our cruise because charter coming up did not want the pool and slide.  Felt that was unfair on our time and our dime.  Smoke from sixth floor casino was rough. Food, entertainment, housekeeping were excellent.

Overall, Norwegian Jade does a great job of catering to personal interests (half as many staff as passengers). Cleanliness, hygiene, friendliness, activities, food variety and diverse excursions were priorities. The design and décor were somewhat dated, but we understand that renovations are planned. The old days of free steak and lobster are gone, unless you are willing to pay $25 extra in the "Complimentary" dining rooms or go to a specialty restaurant. However, the alternative offerings of Chateaubriand, prime rib, rack of lamb and leg of lamb were excellent. Our three families had inside rooms which were very well planned despite their compactness.

The itinerary sounded interesting because it offered four tropical countries for "Northerners" at a time when school vacations made our families available. However, a little study could have told us that these five ports were basically beach ports with a few excursions that gave access to dolphin swims, monkey visits and iguana sightings. There is little opportunity to explore the culture or urban life in these countries because such destinations are not close to these ports. Our grandchildren loved the destinations, so we urban types were happy for them.

Critiques are minor although easy to correct.

1) Excursions could easily have offered interactions/conversations with real locals about their culture/politics/economics as one alternative to fake island paradises (e.g., Harvest Key).

2) Daily events on ship could have offered some intellectual experiences-- book reviews, political discussions, cultural discussions on the countries, local liquors and cigars analyses-- but not one was offered!) along with cake baking, jewelry making and acupuncture consultations with Dr. Lui.

3) Although there were Christmas decorations everywhere beginning on Dec. 25 (taken down at disembarkation in Tampa), they clearly had a secular meaning aboard ship. A Hannukah lamp burned each appropriate day at the information desk in the Atrium, and Hannukkah services were regularly offered at sundown, but there was no opportunity for ecumenical worship for Christians on Sunday (the seventh day of the cruise) or at any other time.

First time on NCL. I will certainly be back. 5 Star Everything. Looking to return to The Jade later this year. The ports where varied with the exception of Santo Thomas De Castillo which is an awful stop over

The best part of our cruise was watching the evening shows.  They were excellent except for the country show which was too modern for my taste.  The worst?  A tie between the horrendous embarkation process - 3 hours in the heat with surly workers and distraught parents -  and suffering from the Norwalk Virus I am still recovering from.  I started feeling sick on day 7 but thought it was due to heavy seas.  I have been home 4 days now and still can't eat anything. 

20 percent of the staff were excellent.  Most did not smile.  Some were downright rude. If you are planning on the excursion to fishing town of Livingston be prepared to be in a small boat for an hour in heavy swells if the wind is blowing that day.  Food in the dining room ranged from excellent small portions to cold huge portions.  There was no consistency.  Buffet dining was not well staffed and the food was not memorable.   We will not be travelling on Norwegian again. 

The favorite part of the cruise was the stateroom - although as a mini suite it was tight.

The dining was horrible - there were 15 of us together - we could not eat together as we were  informed they could not accommodate 15 at one table - they did not even try.    the service was worse - 3 hours to eat ????   The waiters had a huge attitude & were very unfriendly for the most part.  The only time we got good service was after we complained and were moved to the captain's table for the remainder of the cruise.   Even then we could not all seat together.  The selection of food was very boring and almost the same every night.  Not once was shrimp cocktail offered and lobster was only available at a price.  I would never sail again on Norwegian with a large group & may never sail on Norwegian again any way.

all in all, very disappointed in this cruise - I have sailed Norwegian before not sure if I ever will again

The crew in general did not care - they were getting paid and knew there was not other tip coming so why should they try to be nice - the only person who went out of his way to be nice was our cabin steward, Cyrus. 

The crew on this ship needs a lot of work or maybe you need an all new crew

Had an amazing time on this ship. Weather was great. Sadly I received some bad news. While At the port of Cozumel I received news that my grandfather had passed away. NLC was very supportive when I had told them the news they even offered to help fligh us back. But because we only travel with our birth certificates that was not possible. Instead they gave me complementary ship to shore call so I could keep in touch with my family. I can not thank the NLC staff enough for doing that. Made to whole thing easier

We enjoyed the beverage package & 4 specialty dining nights. The cabin bathroom was a nice size with the toilet and shower each having a sliding partition  that seperates from the sink area.The seats at the stardust theater was so uncomfortable, we enjoyed the shows but hated sitting in he seats.

Tired staff. Not very hospitable Oct 16. Port vists cancelled on short notice. Hopefully they have gotten better before we book again.

Best lounge performers around... especially Sonata!!! We enjoyed this awesome group on both the Norwegian Dawn and Jade and plan to cruise with them again!!