First time cruise - Jade - eastern Med - need advice

[soderholm]

This is the first cruise for my husband and me. We are on the Norwegian Jade 10 day eastern Mediterranean cruise leaving Dec 18 - leaving out of Rome with stops in Olympia, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul and Naples. We would appreciate any advice you can give us regarding shore excursions, dining options, entertainment, etc. Also, do we need a shore excursion at all ports? Thank you ahead of time!

[meltingmoments]

Hello and welcome to CC and congrats on booking your first cruise! :) You've chosen a lovely ship in the Jade. We sailed her this Summer to the Greek Islands and loved her!

 

 

Your dining options are many.......2 main dining rooms, Alizar and the Grand Pacific....both complimentary. Also complimentary the Garden Café ( buffet ) and the Great Outdoors and the Blue Lagoon Café.

 

Cover charge venues are Cagneys Steak house, Moderno Churrasscaria, Le Bistro.... French ,Jasmine Garden....Asian, Papa's Kitchen.....Italian, Teppanyaki.....Asian ,and Sushi.

 

 

Entertainment was varied......from shows in the Stardust theatre like Elements......magic , music and dance.......to Norwegians White Hot Party....to Piano bars ......to game shows and trivia....to Rock and Roll dance parties........there was no shortage of things to do!!

 

I'm afraid I cant answer your question on shore excursions for the trip that you are doing, but I'm sure others will help.......they're a great bunch of helpful people on here!

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[AquamarineBreeze]

You must be so excited about your upcoming cruise!!!

I think you'll really enjoy the Jade. She's very easy to get around and the crew are fantastic! I think you'll have some great ones on board with you.

Both of the main dining rooms are nice - two different feels. Food equally good in both. I also liked the various foods in the Asian restaurant areas too. Anyway, lots of options.

If you can go to the welcome show on the first night, you get a little taste of some of the upcoming shows during your cruise. The past two times I was on board the aerial dancers were great as were a quartet of male singers (I forget their name). Of course Elements on the last night is the best. For a good laugh go to Dancing with the Jade Stars in Spinnaker. If Gary Glading is your CD go to some of his talks about the ports he's very knowledgable. He also has coffee chats sometimes. The spa is also lovely and the thermal area has a nice view! The behind the scenes tour is also a great way to get an up close look at all the work that is done behind the scenes.

When I was on this cruise last March I took Ncl excursions in Ephesus,the first day in Istanbul and in Athens. Katakalon we just enjoyed the little town and shopping. The town is tiny but has some great little shops and a nice waterfront with places to eat or have a drink. The only ' negative thing about the ship tours in Turkey were the stops at the carpet stores. The first was interesting, honestly, but one was enough. However, you are not pressured to buy in any way. Naples is interesting too, but keep an eye on your wallet or purse ;-)

Have fun ... And enjoy your gorgeous view of Istanbul at night!

[soderholm]

Thank you! We're definitely looking forward to it. :)

[pieshops]

Finally someone who will be on this cruise with us.

 

We are myself, my wife and 2 daughters 15 and 10.

 

We are doing private tours in most ports.

 

Almost less then a year. Lol

[pieshops]

Oh well just saw you are going this year , we are going next year oh well

[karoo]

Google Katakolon Express and you can go to Olympia for around 10 euro. The same company also do the Piraeus Express and for around 20 euro they'll take you to all the highlights including the Acropolis and the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square. Much cheaper than the ship. In Izmir if you want to visit Ephesus I'm pretty sure you will need a tour to get there. So check your roll call to see if one has been organized. Istanbul is easy to do on your own. There is a tram outside the port that will take you to all the main mosques, blue mosque, Topkapi, Hagia Sophia also the Grand Bazaar. Naples is very easy to do too. You catch a ferry to Capri, a tram from the front of port to station. The Circumvesuviana train will take you to Pompeii, Herculaneum or Sorrento. Their are also cheap minivans at Pompeii Scavi (train station) that will take you up to Vesuvius. I did this exact itinerary last January. There is lots of info on the ports on this site. Type virtualrain into the search engine and he has detailed information on most of the ports. Check your roll call to see what others are doing. I didn't do one NCL excursion last year, but found most of my information through cruise-critic.

 

 

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[squidf]

Check out the roll call for the 27 Nov Jade cruise. It has the same itinerary and there's lots of good info.

Frank

 

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[Milaandra]

Also, do we need a shore excursion at all ports?

 

You will need either a shore excursion or private tour in Ephesus...it's quite a journey from port. It's amazing, by the way. Truly spectacular. If you are a cat lover, bring some kibbles.

 

Naples...if you are going to Pompeii, you can do it by train. Check the port boards here for details. We enjoyed doing that by ourselves because we got to really absorb the atmosphere. Watch for pickpockets in Naples.

 

You don't need a shore excursion in Istanbul, but check the days of the week you're in port. Topkapi Palace is closed on a different day than the other attractions, and if we hadn't looked all that up, we would have missed it. It's better to buy those tickets online, by the way. Please, please, please show courtesy at the mosques and keep your shoes off until you are out again. Although it isn't always required by tourists, I think it's also just polite to cover your hair.

 

You don't need a shore excursion for Athens, either. There's a short walk to the metro, then that takes you right in.

 

I'm not sure about Olympia...I had an emergency dentist appointment, so after we just hung around the Katakolon cafes at the waterside enjoying the sun.

[Milaandra]

I did this exact itinerary last January.

 

You might be the one who brought the Australia magnet that's on my fridge... :)

[4774Papa]

This is the first cruise for my husband and me. We are on the Norwegian Jade 10 day eastern Mediterranean cruise leaving Dec 18 - leaving out of Rome with stops in Olympia, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul and Naples. We would appreciate any advice you can give us regarding shore excursions, dining options, entertainment, etc. Also, do we need a shore excursion at all ports? Thank you ahead of time!

You need to check out the roll call for your cruise, also the ports section of cc.

 

Athens is best done DTY, you can walk 20 minutes to the METRO, take the METRO to the Acropolis station, see the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum, then walk to some of the other sites. Get a guide book like Rick Steves or Frommers.

 

Ephesus, you may be able to find private tours, but if you can take a tour that includes the Terrace Houses, not to be missed.

 

Istanbul is a great DTY port. If you only have one day, you can probably see Topkapi, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. There is a tram stop close to the cruise port in Istanbul. Again, check out details on ports.

 

Naples, there might be a private tour of Pompeii that includes either Capri and or Sorrento, or perhaps the Amalfi Coast. We took an NCL tour the last time, since we didn't connect with a private tour.

[TracieABD]

I know very little about NCL, but I do want to welcome you to Cruise Crtiic!:)

[soderholm]

Thanks so much for the info and advice. Which excursions did you do in Ephesus, Istanbul and Athens? Also, would you recommend signing up for any of the restaurants that have a cover charge?

[soderholm]

Thanks so much . . . . . I thought we should be able to do a lot on our own . . . . .but they sure don't want to tell you that at NCL.

[soderholm]

Too bad . . . . . sorry about that - and hope we all enjoy the cruise!

[Sauer-kraut]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19Here is the link to the PORTS OF CALL for Europe, read here for all your ports! Also people post reviews of tours here as well. Lots of reading to be done here :D

 

http://cruisecritic.com/rollcalls?cruise_line_id=24&ship_id=438 Look here for your sailing! Others might be looking to share private tours for a reduced price, you will also be able to chat with others on your sailing. You might want to sign up for the Meet & Greet get-together on board and learn about senior staff and NCL.

 

Have a wonderful cruise :D

[Milaandra]

Too bad . . . . . sorry about that - and hope we all enjoy the cruise!

 

Hi, you need to hit the "quote" button when you reply to a message. If you're just adding something general to the thread you can hit "reply".

[Milaandra]

Thanks so much for the info and advice. Which excursions did you do in Ephesus, Istanbul and Athens? Also, would you recommend signing up for any of the restaurants that have a cover charge?

 

Yes, I do! Although the food is fine to excellent in the main dining rooms and the atmosphere is pretty good in the aft one, sometimes you need a small, more intimate setting. Le Bistro is normally my favourite, but not as much on the Jade last time (maybe because there was a rotten b**ch maitre 'd who was just nasty one of our tablemates). Moderno was very nice, the Italian place was nice, and we finally did Cagneys last cruise and it was tremendous.

 

Personally, I don't like the buffet, but that might be me. Try the restaurants first so you can compare! Oh, and the Blue Lagoon is another freebie with wide-open hours and some nice diner-type food that can be a life-saver on port days if you're tired or need to eat at odd times.

 

Don't waste any sleep thinking about the chocolate buffet. Inferior flavour. I'm not blaming NCL...I've seen the heaping platefulls people leave to rot on the tables...I wouldn't present my best stuff either! I just skip it and get my chocolate on in the regular dessert offerings.

[karoo]

You might be the one who brought the Australia magnet that's on my fridge... :)

 

Yes- that could have been me. I was part of the magnet exchange.

 

 

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[karoo]

You might be the one who brought the Australia magnet that's on my fridge... :)

 

Yes that was probably me. I did take part in the magnet exchange.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Delbankin]

We didn't think much of Alizar - only ate there once. I likened it to 1970's office canteen in a basement! We ate in MDR every night and found the food to be perfectly acceptable. Given the hundreds of meals prepared at a time we never expect gourmet cuisine anyway.

 

If this is your first trip to the ports I would recommend you take as many trips as you can afford as there is so much to see. We normally take ships excursions knowing full well that we are paying more but there is no worry if things go wrong and the excursions are delayed because the ship will wait for ships tours to return. It seems US cruisers go large on the organising of their independent tours and getting as many fellow cruisers to join them. Whatever works for the individual really.

 

We took a Jade cruise in May this year (our first with NCL and are taking a cruise in the New Year on Spirit) to similar destinations and thoroughly enjoyed the ship and the relaxed dress down experience. Hope you enjoy your trip!

[jdvmd]

This is the first cruise for my husband and me. We are on the Norwegian Jade 10 day eastern Mediterranean cruise leaving Dec 18 - leaving out of Rome with stops in Olympia, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul and Naples. We would appreciate any advice you can give us regarding shore excursions, dining options, entertainment, etc. Also, do we need a shore excursion at all ports? Thank you ahead of time!

Definitely check out the Ports of Call board on Cruise Critic. Have used Ephesus Shuttle for both Ephesus AND Istanbul and they were fabulous especially in Istanbul. Some like to do Istanbul on their own but we covered so much more than the do-it-yourselfers. Also, Athens by Taxi have used twice and would them again with no hesitation.

[ausrobbo]

Thanks for that info. DW and I are on the Jade sailing on 22 March - her first cruise although I think I might have made a mistake by starting off in a suit:)

[sjpo]

You will need either a shore excursion or private tour in Ephesus...it's quite a journey from port. It's amazing, by the way. Truly spectacular. If you are a cat lover, bring some kibbles.

 

Naples...if you are going to Pompeii, you can do it by train. Check the port boards here for details. We enjoyed doing that by ourselves because we got to really absorb the atmosphere. Watch for pickpockets in Naples.

 

You don't need a shore excursion in Istanbul, but check the days of the week you're in port. Topkapi Palace is closed on a different day than the other attractions, and if we hadn't looked all that up, we would have missed it. It's better to buy those tickets online, by the way. Please, please, please show courtesy at the mosques and keep your shoes off until you are out again. Although it isn't always required by tourists, I think it's also just polite to cover your hair.

 

You don't need a shore excursion for Athens, either. There's a short walk to the metro, then that takes you right in.

 

I'm not sure about Olympia...I had an emergency dentist appointment, so after we just hung around the Katakolon cafes at the waterside enjoying the sun.

 

Hi there,

 

Sorry for asking but I am in the middle of a dental treatment and I will be boarding Norwegian Jade on 08 Jan. Was your dental emergency treated on board or in Katakolon? Thanks and I hope it was well taken care of.