New to Norwegian, cruising the Jade at Xmas, what do I need to know?

So we are reasonably seasoned cruisers having done 2 back to backs with Royal, one to Alaska and then down the west coast and the last was over Christmas last year on the Navigator to the southern Caribbean. Our other back to back was with Princess to Alaska and the west coast as well.

So to try and keep cruising and keep costs reasonable I did some research and grilled my work mates and I plunked down a deposit on the 10 day Jade Caribbean itinerary over Christmas this year.

We didnt really like RCI Navigator of the Seas as it was full at 4800 people and we found it to crowded. We chose Jade for a number of reasons.

1. Two people I work with have over 50 cruises with NCL and both love the experience and I trust their knowledge.

2. The Jade has either just had a refurb or is getting one and is only 2400 people.

3. We have only been to one of the ports on the itinerary

4. We can drive down from Canada like we did last year and spend a week in Florida before to do some sight seeing and shopping

So saying that, what do I need to know about NCL? Our cruise comes with the unlimited drink package so sodas, cocktails and beer. We just have to pay the gratuity on that separately.

Any advice would be welcome. We are i our 50/60's and very easy going, like a drink and a laugh and nice dinner whether its in the main dining area or specialty dining.

Pete

Yay! You'll love NCL. My husband and I (mid-50's) don't love crowds and yet we've totally enjoyed sailings on NCL Getaway and Escape. The ships while huge, are laid out with tons of smaller spaces so we never felt like we were in a crowd. We did specially dining every night and avoided the MDR, but found the few lunch/breakfast we did in Taste/Savor to be good food and a very nice experience. Would expect the same for dinner? There are tons of smaller more intimate bars/lounges both inside and outside. We loved the entertainment quality and venues. We did the Vibe beach club to avoid the mail pool deck. We also had a large balcony room and enjoyed time alone there. Keep us posted on your planning!

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You might want to consider spa passes for your voyage, nice place to relax. Go with the flow -- Freestyle just show up to dinner when you want, I would suggest making specialty restaurant reservations when they open up for your cruise 90 days out (or 100 for suite guests). No need to pack any fancy clothes, shorts are allowed in dining rooms at dinner except for Le Bistro and the aft MDR.

Have a great cruise!

We are booked on the very same cruise at Christmas. We are also "mature"...we love the Jade....this will be our third cruise on her. We just did the Fjords in May. We intend to do the spa package as this is delightful and so relaxing in the evenings or early mornings, or both! Sign up for the roll call for this cruise, so you will know when the meet and greet will be and can start chatting with others on this sailing. Most of all, let's have a blast!!!

What a wonderful way to spend Christmas. I have spend the last two Christmas's on the Getaway- much larger ship than The Jade.

Yes, The Jade had Her dry dock earlier this year and lost most if not all of Her Hawaiian decor.

I love Norwegian and The Jewel Class ships. The ship be beautifully decorated for Christmas. There seems to be a Gingerbread Village competition between all the the Norwegian Executive Chefs. I have seen some very elaborate ones created and displayed near one of the dining rooms. It is really something to see how creative they can get with a lot of white icing and gingerbread.

At least on The Getaway the Senior Hotel Management staff leads Christmas carol singing. There was also Santa Claus in the lobby handing out Christmas gifts to all the children. The lobby was packed with people watching the kids and Santa. Do not know who had more fun, the kids, Santa, the staff watching or the passengers watching.

Enjoy Wish it were possible to join you.