Norwegian Jade Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The speaker system with announcements difficult to understander

The staff was amazing, (from the hotel directors to the cruise directors/ staff to the photographers, stewards and waiters), the ports of call historical and beautiful, the ship was clean with many amenities, activities and shows to please everyone.

We just came back home last week end (May 16, 2015) for our 7 Night Adriatic/Greece/Turkey with a happy smile. Norwegian Jade is very clean, all the crews will greet you whenever you meet them, the service is very good. The activities for adults and kids were fantastic you will never get bored. Don't forget the shore excursion -highly recommended.

Everything went well from the embarkation in Venice right through for the next 7 days. Flew into Venice and took the NCL transfer  bus to the port at only £9.00 pp each way. Boarded at around 12.30pm after only about an hour of getting checked in. Went straight to the buffet which was very nice. Cabin then ready and then had a few drinks awaiting the sailaway which was wonderful looking out at St Marks square. First day was sea day and weather was good albeit a little breezy on the top deck. We had taken advantage of the Inclusive drinks package which was a real bonus. Not available at time of booking but a little persuasion to NCL got them to cancel and re-book to include the drinks package.

We had booked first night in MDR to ensure we were not kept in a queue which allowed us to walk straight in.

Meals all week both in the MDR, buffet and Chinese were excellent We had no need to pay any surcharge for the speciality restaurants.

The steward looked after us and provided the usual towel animals each night. A BA cabin on deck 10 was ideal and very near to the lifts and stairs. Made a point though of never using the lifts all week and took the stairs every time. 

The ports were good and took the NCL tour to Oia as it got us off the ship early without waiting for a tender.

All the crew were very friendly and attentive.

Did not try any of the shows and just went to the cocktail bars in the evening. Disembarkation was easy and back to Venice airport was easy.

There are several food choices but we ate mostly in the main dining room for no extra charge mainly because we kept forgetting to make reservations in the other restaurants in advance. The dinners in the dining room were excellent. I did not like both pools being on the main pool deck. If you wanted to relax and take some time away from the 'action' you had to go to a sun deck away from the pool and hot tubs. I also think the spa is too expensive. A person should not have to pay for the indoor hot tub on a nice cruise.

Cruise met all our expectations. The crew stepped it up a notch with their friendliness and were eager to accommodate. Food was top notch. In fact everything exceeded our expectations. 

The only negative was that there we're 2 "at sea" days, when they clearly could have added another port. Starting in Rome, and spending a day at sea before our first stop in Naples didn't make much sense, being as Naples is about a 2 hour drive from Rome. We were joking that they could've paddled there and still arrived ahead of time.

Outside of that, I would highly recommend this cruise, and the Norwegian Jade. A real class act!

I sailed on this ship over 3 years ago now, but still felt I should write a review. Although the Jade is a slightly smaller ship it was still impressive! we cruised with ages from 10-70 and everyone loved it. Shows were excellent and dinner was superb. we had 11 fantastic days and great ports! kids always found something to do and the pools were great. Recommend the Jade!

This was my 2nd cruise on NCL and will probably be my last one.  I am pro-Princess for many reasons. #1 NCL does not have washers available to passengers and you have to stuff what you can in a small bag for $22.00 service.  #2  NCL really needs to update their beds....out of 4 rooms with my group only 1 bed was not dipping in the center.  They have made the problem worst with a piece of foam and topper pads. I did remove the linens and sprayed/turned what was on the bed, so I am not guessing about the bedding. The mattress was clean but just over used by heavy folks who left dip in the center.  My roommate had to have the cabin cleaner add something to hers because it was really bad.  NCL does not used fitted sheets, so the flat sheet is doubled and then it cannot be tucked.  The bed was very uncomfortable because of this.....finally I asked the cabin cleaner to unfold it and just tuck it completely around the twin mattress.....this worked and the linen was tucked throughout the night.  #3 entertainment can stand some improvements....maybe 3 shows were worth the time. They should bring in professionals more than 3 times on an 11 day cruise. Phillipinos just cannot do "Motown Hits"  what a disaster that night.  Many people complained and said it was a waste of their time.  The night of "Elements" was spectacular and really professionally done, everyone enjoyed this show.

Now for the good.....#1 the cabin is not bad for size and the bathroom was spacious.  #2 the dining room food was good and hot if get there for first seating at 5:30 or 6:00pm....service very slow after this time.  I had only ONE BAD MEAL....I decided to order something that had been on the menu the day before....well this was a mistake.  They brought the meat out to me "cold" and I do mean "cold" from the refrigerator....no heat.  I sent it back and it was "warm in some area", finally I decided it was a mistake to order something that they were not prepared for from the menu.  This was the only bad experience in 10 days.  The breakfast in the dining room was good and hot.  I am not a fan of the buffet and did not eat there unless returned from tours hungry and unable to wait until 5:30. People are just "nasty" and do not know how to handle food at buffets.....so I just don't go.

My last cruise on NCL Star the bed was more comfortable and the food was worst than the Jade.  I did enjoy the cruise overall and would recommend the itinerary for sure.  If the Itinerary is done by another cruise line....it may be good to try another one if you are picky about your food and bedding.

I do not have plans to return on NCL for another cruise....unless it is a brand new ship. 

The cruise was great. Being able to visit 6 ports in 10 days was incredible. Instead of wandering around airports and dealing with transport to-and-from airports, hotels, and toting luggage all around, we only had to hop on and off the ship. My wife and I were able to eat to our hearts' content. My only complaint was that the soft serve ice cream machine was shut down every day around 11 PM. When that's my only complaint, I have to give it a 5-star review.

The alcohol was generally reasonably priced (Seagrams 7 & Sprite for $6 is the same as a bar in the States!) but some wasn't ($14 for a margarita hurt).

The interior staterooms were more spacious than my wife expected. We were both very pleased and already looking forward to our next cruise.

Even though Norwegian Jade will be refurbished in 2016, the ship was in tip-top shape. Well kept ship thanks to the crew.

The Jade was a beautiful ship,very clean. Personnel were professional and helpful. The Speciality Restaurants were a highlight. The Garden Cafe is a zoo with people everywhere, lines waiting for food and a terrible shortage of seating! Shows in the evening were a highlight

 This was our 1st full scale cruise as a couple and our 2nd Cruise Line we had travelled on. Our previous experience was a simple 2 night cruise on the P&O Cruises Arcadia and we wanted something a little more flexible in terms of dining options and a more "casual" approach. The cruise was for my wives 40th Birthday 

Pre cruise booking & preparation Our booking was made with the Agency Iglu Cruises approx 8 months before the Cruise. This was a pain free process with excellent communication and paid what seemed like a very reasonable offer. We decided to go with a night's stay in Rome a night before just for peace of mind. After registering our booking with the Norwegian Cruise website we were a little taken back by the on board prices for drinks and so opted to pre pay the soft drinks package for us both. 

Embarkation & introductions to the ship This could not have been simpler and was quite simply a delight! Despite an embarkation time of 12:00 we arrived at 11:30 and had our luggage taken by the Porters straight away. The security process was a breeze (no more than 5 minutes) and we went straight to the desk attendant to check in. This took no more than 5 minutes to complete and we were ready to board straight away. On entering the ship we were welcomed by a ships' rep and a friendly Pirate. We were warned that our cabin may not be ready but nevertheless we went to check it out and to our delight  found it all there ready for us. Please see our separate review of the cabin. We opted to take a guided tour by one of the cruise staff of the main areas of the ship as well as a more dedicated tour of the spa. Both were very concise and informative 

Dining 

The best thing about dining on the Jade is you can pretty much eat however much you want when you want wherever you want and it's the flexible approach that attracted us to this cries line in the 1st place. The Garden Cafe was our 1st experience open for buffet as soon as we boarded. Initially the choice is so overwhelming with at least 3 - 4 main food stations in the main area. Hygiene is the 1st order of the day here and all the restaurants with the staff constantly reminding us in a friendly "washy washy happy happy" tone.  It takes a few minutes to take it all in but the variety is simply incredible. For those not opting for the soft drinks package there is plentiful choice of hot & cold drinks available on tap (water, iced tea, lemonade, fruit juice etc) though the cold drinks were VERY sweet! This restaurant is also the venue of choice for breakfast buffet and offers a wide choice of items hot & cold. You can also opt to eat "Al Fresco" in the aft section though it did mean the hot items did get colder much quicker though the plus side was there was always plenty of seating. Overall the availability of seating was easy throughout the cruise. Perhaps a little busier at peak times but nothing that caused too much concern. There was never a situation of not finding a table.

Our main gripe about the two main free dining restaurants Grand Pacific and Alizar was that their menus were identical. Surely there should be some kind of choice between the 2. The daily menus also appeared to be pretty similar every night. Having said that the quality of the food served is very good and well presented all bit it slightly small portions. (not really a serious problem though as we simply went upstairs later to the buffet if we were not filled up sufficiently!) the food was served reasonably hot and the restaurant staff were attentive, friendly and all too keen on pleasing you. I would say you do have to be clear when ordering. there was more than one occasion when I ordered my "regular pepsi" only to have diet brought to the table yuk! The other smaller cafe restaurant the Blue lagoon is probably our favourite service simply the most divine buffalo chicken wings. Again not much variety in the menu options but by far the best table service. Always tables free and available 24/7! There is also the option to have breakfast there but we found the level of replenishment on the buffet counter not very fast. Our only experience of the supplimentary restaurants was Teppenyaki at $25 a head extra. This was great fun with a a personal chef serving directly at our table providing the most entertaining session of cooking tricks as he prepared our food. They were simply excellent and the food tasted great. The let down for us with the whole experience was 1. the cleanliness of the floor (they hadn't cleaned up from the last session and the floor was simply disgusting) and 2. the time it took to seat us , take our orders and serve starters. It seemed about an hour before the personal chef came out to cook. As it was my wives birthday that night they added the nice touch of some personal tricks for her and a bonus free birthday cake brought to us at the end of the dining session which we took back to our room.

One final note on drinks. The prices are extremely expensive for drinks so we strongly advise to purchase the drinks packages. There is a cocktail of the day which if purchased is the best deal. If you can wait to later in the cruise they did sell some wines at half price which we took advantage of.

Service The majority of  ships staff are extremely friendly and offer a great atmosphere. They are all knowledgeable about their individual roles and clearly show a passion for what they do. What is strikingly good about the ship is the cleanliness. It looks immaculate and almost new throughout. Our steward is mentioned in the cabin review.

Entertainment Surprisingly We didn't see too much of the live entertainment other than the opening preview night in the Theatre, a high wire act mid way through and a broadway/west end song session. These acts were passable to while an evening away but were by no means spectacular. That being said there was a good variety of small singers/ quartets in the bar areas which were probably more entertaining than the headline theatre acts. We were somewhat surprised at the lack of an in house dance troupe. other activities such as the quizzes and gameshows were a lot more fun & entertaining for us. The quizzes were varied and provided a mix of challenges. A nice touch was the rewards system in place even if you didn't win the quiz. Enough signatures gathered at the end of the cruise from participation alone ensured the collection of fun ship based goodies including tee shirts mugs & pens etc. 

Excursions These although pricey were superb. we opted for 3 ship organised trips to Ancient Olympia, Ephesus and Istanbul. They were well organised, offered plenty of time for shopping and were all run by knowledgeable friendly guides & drivers. We never felt rushed or bored. A nice touch for the Turkish excursions was the free guides, gifts and postcards left on our seats. On this cruise we were disappointed not to have offered a tour to Ancient Corinth which as Christians was a must see activity when in docked in Athens. That being said we were again more than impressed with the speed of disembarkation if we chose to go it alone. The whole process of getting back on board was also a breeze wether going on organised excursions or touring alone. 

Disembarkation Again the process of getting off was simplicity. We simply chose a preferred time and got off at our leisure. We never felt pressurised to get off like we had with P&O Cruises. Our main gripe was more with the Port facilities at Rome CIVITAVECCHIA. Our transfer was unfortunately delayed by 2 hours which meant a lot of time sitting in the terminal. Facilities for departing passengers were we felt extremely poor with almost no seating, no change facilities and no cafes. The only food & beverage option was a rather tired & dirty looking vending machine located right next to some rather dirty toilets which attracted more port staff than passengers. A rather sour end to an extremely pleasurable trip.

Overall Norwegian cruises and the Jade provided just the flexible cruise we were looking for We never felt out of place not matter what attire we wore wether smart, casual, scruffed or dressed to the nines. We would defiantly make NCL our 1st choice for cruising again.

staffs are good

This ship was clean and well run.

We had a truly magical trip to places we longed to see. The ship was great with a good layout and plenty of dining options.

Just a wonderful cruise. The only thing is we don't get to sit together as there 12 of us when we dine.

A nice, not too Gaudy (or Gaudi!) ship

been on ship before, not the same.cruise was shortened by one stop.so ship had to make up the difference at sea, making cruising to 6 to 10 mph.sometimes we would just float in water ,so we would not get to ports early. last day was a mess people stuck on elevators fighting to get off to meet their connections.staff didn't know what to do,almost fighting broke out.what a mess,never again for me.

Someone told me - that because I had been to Italy - to expect to be underwhelmed by Greece.  I have to say - sadly - they were correct.  Greece is most certainly beautiful but I will not return.  Italy on the other hand ... I will continue to go and never get tired of it. Santorini and Mykonos were definitely the highlights of our trip.  Olympia was a tad boring and Corfu we never saw as there was a horrible storm.  

As far as NCL - it was our first time using them (have been on 4 previous cruises with other lines) and it will be our last.  Not impressed at all.  NCL is a cruise line for the 60+ crowd.  Boring food.  Boring entertainment.  Boring shops. Bugs in our stateroom. We suspect they were bed bugs.  Complained several times and to NCL'S defense they did what they had to do (remove bedding and thoroughly inspect the room).  

Onboard activities - well this ship is certainly not meant for anyone who doesn't go to bed at 9pm.  I remember walking around the ship and it being absolutely deserted at 10pm at night.  Most nights, we were the only people in the "DJ" room.  If you're looking to meet people, unwind by dancing and having a few drinks - this is not the cruise line for you.  We were utterly BORED the entire cruise upon return from our excursions.  No entertainment/music on at sea days and the asian band they had were absolutely HORRIFIC.  Every time they played they literally cleared out the room. 

Food - not up to par.  After the 2nd night we stopped dining in the main dining area's and stuck to the buffet area's.  The food was bland, undercooked or overcooked.  Menu's were not very descriptive of what you were getting.  The 2 nights we did eat in the main dining area our waiter was a bit of a douche. Couldn't/wouldn't go into more detail about our food and didn't really have much information on drinks either.  

Staff - our cabin attendant was superb.  Aside from him - we were underimpressed with other staff.  From the main dining hall to bartenders, NCL staff leave little to be desired.  I actually witnessed a bartender pick his nose as he was pouring someone a drink.  Disgusting. 

Room service breakfast was great.  Arrived on time and hot.  I think they were the only meals we really enjoyed. 

Excursions - we enjoyed thoroughly EXCEPT for the Corfu but that was because of the weather.  I can't believe NCL allowed passengers to go into the tender boats in a storm.  People almost fell overboard and the last tender to arrive back at the ship was stuck as it was too rocky to get people out of it.  Unreal! The Olympia excursion was pretty boring.  

A seven night cruise cruise spoilt by noisy plumbing at all times of the day. 

The room, well both rooms suffered from the sound of water sloshing about in tanks/pipes and the sound pipes banging. Staff were aware but were reluctant acknowledge my complaints. 

NCL staff solution was to hand me 2 sets of foam ear plugs one evening when I was complaining. 

Otherwise the ship itself was clean and tidy. Food was good, although the buffet area serving breakfast and launch was busy. 

Shows on board were superb. 

At the price point we paid it was worth it.