genealogyfan

So sad, the news said there were 2 survivors so far but construction workers were on the bridge at the time too.

I took the paid Behind the Scenes Tour last April. It is interesting, especially if you have never done it before. We also went to the Bridge, galley, laundry area, engine control room, stage and costume area. They had a crew member at each stop. There is a group photo (in the past there had been individual photos). Also make sure you wear closed toe shoes (not open toe shoes).

You can book them online or on the app, ahead of your cruise, I’ve seen them as an option to book ahead

I was on the Jade for 12 days on the Trans Atlantic sailing in November. The crew was great, and enjoyed the ship. It wasn't too large and not a huge number of passengers either. Some of the specialty restaurants seemed smaller then the larger ships. There is a deck that goes all around the ship, so it was a nice place to walk all around the ship. Many people were walking there each day. I would suggest if you eat from the buffet, go outside to the back and eat outdoors, Nice area and not as crowded. They didn't offer many different options during non typical meal hours. For example, they had really good variety of cookies for a set amount of hours (I think starting at 3pm) in the outdoor cafe area. I wish they had more times for snacks. Easy flow to get around the ship, there are 3 sets of elevators and 3 sets of stairs. You'll enjoy the ship and the crew. Ralph was our cruise director and he was great and friendly. He had been our cruise director on a different sailing we did last year.

I don't remember any chairs either. On one side there were two shuffleboard areas. As the other poster said, it's a great deck to walk everyday. You can walk all around the ship.

I recently got off the Jade and there were USB ports on each light next to the bed (under the light). I don't know what type, just the normal USB. You should be able to see the light up above the edge of the bed. There was a light on each side. The USB plug is underneath.

I was able to make MDR reservations on my recent sailing on the Jade ahead of sailing. One evening when we were in Bermuda, I hadn't made any dinner reservations. I showed up at one of the MDRs and was told unless I wanted to share a table, there was nothing available until really late.

Le Bistro is my favorite. You will get different suggestions from everyone. For example, I just recently got off the Jade. Cagney's Steakhouse food was worse then the buffet. Even the dessert tasted awful. I heard from someone else, that Cagney's was their favorite. I've never had a bad meal at Le Bistro. In regards to excursions, I did a beach excursion in the Dominican Republic, which included a lounge chair and lunch. I thought the food was good, nice beach and nice facilities.

I've gotten the triple loyalty points on two cruises this year. Both were repositioning cruises. One I booked about 5 months in advance (sailed in April) and the other I booked about 6 months in advanced (and sailed in November).

When I went to Le Bistro, they asked if I was using the FAS or my platinum voucher when I checked in. Thanks for all the other info.

Avoid the Manhattan Room if you want to be able to have a conversation or think or be able to hear. When the music is playing, it’s so loud you can barely hear the waiter or other people at your table. After one dinner there we avoided it again.

I sailed on the Epic in April and I thought it was fine. Crew was great and friendly, it was clean, well kept maintenance. It was the 2nd time I had been on it, the previous sailing was 2013. Here's the link to my review. The entertainment "Ebony and Ivory", a couple who sang was really good. You will get different opinions about the ship and the entertainment.

I've been in a connecting room and the people next door were loud, the sound through the door was not soundproof. We now try to avoid all connecting rooms.

What about all the other NFL teams? I'm sure there were passengers who wanted to see other NFL teams play? Just because a ship leaves a certain port, doesn't mean everyone is from that area or want to see specific games. A major sporting event, like the Super Bowl, they should air, but just regular NFL games, no. Someone would complain they are airing a specific team and not another. I don't think it's an issue.

I would suggest going to Palm Beach and maybe take a sunset cruise. There is a nice path you can walk that starts around the Hilton and goes along Palm Beach toward the Holiday Inn and passes by alot of the hotels. You can also walk along the beach too. There are restaurants and shops along the road. Find a restaurant like Smokey Joe's, Fisherman's Hut, Salt and Pepper are among some of the good ones. The beaches are beautiful, even if you just walk along them. Red Sail, out of the Hyatt has a nice sunset cruise.