Review of our 12 Day E. Mediterranean Cruise aboard the NCL Jade 3/7/2010

[MRDIAL]

Wonderful review and simply awesome pictures!!! Thank you so much for sharing with everyone! I'm sorry you aren't doing the B2B as I would love to meet you.:)

Marilyn

[Turtles06]

> We were also told that regardless of reporting illness, they monitor toilet paper usage. :eek:

 

 

Wow. Being two women, we sometimes had to ask Ronald to leave us an additional role of toilet paper. Maybe that put us on a watch list. Too funny!!! :):)

[smilesback]

Your photos are exceptional! Thanks! Your read has a good sense of humor and very enjoyable. (:eek: except my politics are different as I would have rooted for Obama). Hope to see you on-board sometime. Take care, Ciao!

[snorklinbarb]

Thanks for the wonderful travelogue, Auntie Barb! We loved the Jade through the Norwegian fjords last summer and when I came back for some reason I was looking at your fabulous itinerary.

 

Sorry you missed Athens but looks like you enjoyed Taormina to the fullest.

 

I was reading one roll call back in Dec. who had arranged Cairo overnights privately but NCL's was also mentioned. I was wondering what it all included and how it was and your vivid descriptions & pictures describe what sounds like an excellent tour. Hope you didn't have any valuables or medications in that carry on, lol.

 

I've read some reports that people are too exhausted by the time the Nile dinner cruise rolls around at night. What did you think?

 

Interesting that you had a late return. Do you know how the private excursions with overnights turned out for others? On the Gem TA there were a few excursions that returned late as well - nothing major but the ship was waiting.

 

You've confirmed my worst nightmares about camels, lol! Your DH got kicked - oh my - was the camel spitting, too?:eek::D

 

You tantalized us with showing the appetizers in Turkey after those incredible Ephesus pictures. How was the rest of the meal?

 

Nice t shirts you guys had in one of the pictures. Was that some kind of James Bond girl depiction?

 

Glad to hear the officers & crew were so visible and friendly.

 

Actually I loved reading all of it.:)

[AuntieBarb]

The things I love about cruising; especially with NCL!

 

First and foremost, getting away from the rat race with my man! Champagne on the balcony? You bet ya!

 

 

Beautiful skies and seas - Mother Nature's canvas! I especially love the wake of the ship!

 

 

 

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Hey there! Nice to see you! :)

 

I was reading one roll call back in Dec. who had arranged Cairo overnights privately but NCL's was also mentioned. I was wondering what it all included and how it was and your vivid descriptions & pictures describe what sounds like an excellent tour. Hope you didn't have any valuables or medications in that carry on' date=' lol.[/quote']

 

Ya know, NCL's price on that excursion was indeed pricey, but we've got to say that everything that came with it (meals & hotel) more than justified the price. Plus, the quantity of what we saw and the time we had to see it, makes me wonder how others on private excursions - jam packed with so many stops - actually get to enjoy it all.

 

As for our bag on the bus....We went back for it; not a problem. But it was funny that we were just walking away not giving it a thought until I said "Ooops!" LOL

 

I've read some reports that people are too exhausted by the time the Nile dinner cruise rolls around at night. What did you think?

 

Not for us! We had a couple of hours to eat & relax at the hotel before going back out. Heck' date=' we took the opportunity to shower and freshen up from the heat & dust of the day. Worked out perfectly in my opinion.

 

But we were indeed ready for sleep by the end of the day, but that's mostly because of such an early wake-up for the excursion meeting time on top of a full day of activity.

 

Interesting that you had a late return. Do you know how the private excursions with overnights turned out for others? On the Gem TA there were a few excursions that returned late as well - nothing major but the ship was waiting.

 

Never were we in danger of missing the ship, thankfully. But coming in on top of "All aboard!", without time for additional shopping was a downfall in a couple of ports. As I recall, we left on time in all ports except Egypt, which was only about 15-30 minutes delayed at most. There was talk about NCL getting fined for such, but they do enough business there it wasn't an issue.

 

You've confirmed my worst nightmares about camels' date=' lol! Your DH got kicked - oh my - was the camel spitting, too?:eek::D[/quote']

 

The worst part is when the camel gets up or down. Without being able to plant my feet in stirrups, I definitely felt like I was going down! That whole thing was too funny looking back, but I was scare sh*tless at first. ROFLMAO! (Planer's Edge says he can picture me to a tee!)

 

The camel tried to bite Paul, but luckily only got a hold of his shirt and tore it. Then he fell on his knee and scraped it up a bit, but that's it. Fortunately we didn't have any "spitters" ROFL

 

You tantalized us with showing the appetizers in Turkey after those incredible Ephesus pictures. How was the rest of the meal?

 

The entire meal was great! Yes it was a fixed menu and the main course included lamb' date=' which was not to the liking of some. But we were more than pleased!

 

Nice t shirts you guys had in one of the pictures. Was that some kind of James Bond girl depiction?

 

LOL....Actually those were t-shirts we bought at an Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) concert.

[AuntieBarb]

The things I love about cruising; especially with NCL!

 

Accessible staff, who really do make you feel like part of the "NCL Family"

 

 

Paul with Messiah, Exec Chef

 

 

Our dinner with Armando DeSilva, Hotel Director

 

 

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Not only are the crew happy and helpful, they are talented too!

 

Jill announcing the Crew Show

 

 

Gabby rocking the house

 

 

Messiah performing "I feel good!"

 

[AuntieBarb]

Seeing "Fountains" one more time......

 

 

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Having a "home away from home" and being spoiled rotten!

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Your photos are exceptional! Thanks! Your read has a good sense of humor and very enjoyable. (:eek: except my politics are different as I would have rooted for Obama). Hope to see you on-board sometime. Take care, Ciao!

 

Thank you!

 

As for Obama....Certainly your choice. We'll just leave it at that! :)

[AuntieBarb]

Wonderful review and simply awesome pictures!!! Thank you so much for sharing with everyone! I'm sorry you aren't doing the B2B as I would love to meet you.:)

Marilyn

 

Thank you, Marilyn! Believe me, if our employers would have gone for the idea, we would have loved to do the B2B.

 

Perhaps we will meet someday. Happy sails!

[Tangocherie]

Many, many thanks for such a well thought out review. One of the best I have ever read! Your photos are wonderfull. This is one cruise I'll have to take.

[AuntieBarb]

Many, many thanks for such a well thought out review. One of the best I have ever read! Your photos are wonderfull. This is one cruise I'll have to take.

 

Thank you so much!

 

I got to reminisce while doing so too, which is helpful for PCD sufferers like me! If you can arrange to go, I highly recommend it! :)

[bluesea777]

Excellent review - great reading and the photos were superb. You certainly relived our East Med cruise experiences. We also took NCL's Best of Cairo Overnight and LOVED it.

 

We did speak to a lady who took private overnight Cairo tour - less number of people, smaller bus, about half the price - they enjoyed it, but ran out of time and they missed one or 2 things.

 

Seems to me that the motorists in Cairo gladly gave away to the large tour buses more than the smaller ones - we had no problems with the congestion on the roads in Cairo.

[stegosaurus1]

!Dan and I are so happy to see your post...we love your pictures, love the camel ones...wish we were there! Love Barb and Dan:D

[AuntieBarb]

Excellent review - great reading and the photos were superb. You certainly relived our East Med cruise experiences. We also took NCL's Best of Cairo Overnight and LOVED it.

 

Seems to me that the motorists in Cairo gladly gave away to the large tour buses more than the smaller ones - we had no problems with the congestion on the roads in Cairo.

 

Thank you! Very good point as well, because our bus would jut out into traffic and take command of where we were going without a problem! :D Cairo traffic is crazy indeed! LOL

[AuntieBarb]

!Dan and I are so happy to see your post...we love your pictures, love the camel ones...wish we were there! Love Barb and Dan:D

 

Hi Barb! Thanks a bunch! Much love for the two of you! {{{huggers}}}

 

I've got my scopes on the Holy Lands in 2011. LOL Wanna come?

[Wineshipper]

AutieBarb

 

Thank you for the wonderful review of your trip. We will be on this one in 54 weeks. I lived in Izmir for 3 years back in the mid 60's and really looking forward to seeing this city and Ephesus again. Looks like lots of changes since then. Walking the ancient streets can really change your perspective of history.

[AuntieBarb]

AutieBarb

 

Thank you for the wonderful review of your trip. We will be on this one in 54 weeks. I lived in Izmir for 3 years back in the mid 60's and really looking forward to seeing this city and Ephesus again. Looks like lots of changes since then. Walking the ancient streets can really change your perspective of history.

 

Thank you!

 

We really enjoyed our visit there, only wishing we had the time to interact more with the people and all Izmir is about. Our perspective of history has indeed changed though. In fact, all the ancient ruins we saw definitely had its impact on us.

 

Enjoy visiting again!

[jkloni]

Review was perfect Barb! Not too much not too little. It was like I was in your pocket traveling around with you. And you didn't look scared one bit on that damn camel. I heard camels were mean - and Paul's tried to bite him! I wonder what made the camel do that??

 

Even though we rarely book excursions thru the cruise lines, I have to agree that in non-Caribbean foreign ports I'd probably go with the cruise sponsored excursions too. That overnight one was incredible! That room - wow.

 

I had no idea what that thing was that you were looking to buy in Egypt. THen I saw the picture of it around Uncle Paulie's neck. So it's like a medallion... never heard of it before - but it looks really nice. Did you get one? Or a better question...what did you decide to get for you on the trip?

 

I never really had Egypt on my bucket list. But I have to tell you the pics of those pyramids made me think of it as an option now.

 

Love, Love, Love you pictures and your review! I'm so happy you and Paul and such a wonderful time!

 

Kathy

[AuntieBarb]

Heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Kathy! ;) Thanks for stopping by! Aren't you supposed to be packing? :p (You know I would be by now. LOL) Pack lightly!

 

Review was perfect Barb! Not too much not too little. It was like I was in your pocket traveling around with you. And you didn't look scared one bit on that damn camel. I heard camels were mean - and Paul's tried to bite him! I wonder what made the camel do that??

 

Thanks a bunch, Kathy. Happy to have you along, even if just virtually. Glad you enjoyed the pics.

 

Believe me I was scared. That pic of me is on the 2nd camel 1/2 way through my ride. We had time to get acquainted! LOL

 

I guess Paul's camel thought he was hanging around too long, since his ride was over with. Kind of a "Get moving along now!" :D

 

I had no idea what that thing was that you were looking to buy in Egypt. THen I saw the picture of it around Uncle Paulie's neck. So it's like a medallion... never heard of it before - but it looks really nice. Did you get one? Or a better question...what did you decide to get for you on the trip?

 

That's it...a medallion. Any assortment of hieroglyphic symbols can be placed on it, for whatever meaning desired. Most folks get their names in hieroglyphics, which is what we did. Except Paul added the "Watchful Eye" at the end of his (or some similar meaning). LOL

[AuntieBarb]

A couple of things I forgot to mention...

 

If you plan to ride a camel in Egypt, make sure it's pre-arranged by your tour company. DO NOT buy one at the pyramids on your own! Why?

 

> Because someone there did, at just $15 to ride.........BUT they had to pay $55 to get off of the camel !!!!!!!! :eek: Scam artists!

 

Also, some of the hieroglyphic symbols on Paul's cartouche looked different after a day or two; brassy color compared to the rest. We had felt good about our purchases, but then had to wonder. However, Paul took his to be checked and it is indeed 18K gold. We had noticed the different cast was on alternating symbols, which the jeweler stated was done for affect and that those symbols merely had higher copper content.

 

> I am not implying that all of them can be trusted. Just be sure to check over your merchandise before buying and if you see any variation like we had perhaps this info will help you feel more confident in your purchase. :)

[jkloni]

A couple of things I forgot to mention...

 

If you plan to ride a camel in Egypt, make sure it's pre-arranged by your tour company. DO NOT buy one at the pyramids on your own! Why?

 

> Because someone there did, at just $15 to ride.........BUT they had to pay $55 to get off of the camel !!!!!!!! :eek: Scam artists!

 

I'm still laughing. (ok I know it wasn't funny to the person it happen to.) Pretty sneaky - what if you don't pay?? They make you stay on the camel forever? Who would think to ask how much to get on - and OFF the camel? Thanks for the insight.

 

Kathy

[AuntieBarb]

I'm still laughing. (ok I know it wasn't funny to the person it happen to.) Pretty sneaky - what if you don't pay?? They make you stay on the camel forever? Who would think to ask how much to get on - and OFF the camel? Thanks for the insight.

 

Kathy

 

ROFLMAO! Could you imagine? Had that been me, you would have heard me screaming all the way down in the Big Easy!!!