Everything...JADE! (Coming home to Houston 11/14/15)

[tanyaheart]

Look at Victor Bodden tours. There is a "best of " private tour where you have your own driver and they will take you to do what you want, lots of things to choose from. This is what we booked. They will wait on you if it takes a while to tender.

 

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I agree. Victor will take care of you and he is well aware of the tendering issues.

[anonmom]

So, we've talked about our dining options on the Jade, and Tanya had been kind enough to share lots of pictures, menus & dailies. We've also discussed the tendering situation in Roatan (and Belize City).

 

Now, how about all of the fabulous DRINKS onboard?? Looks like the Martini bar is going to be my go to place on the Jade. What drinks have people had there and loved? What other bars have great drinks and great service?

 

And what about the limited drink selection while in Texas waters? Does anyone have a copy of the shipwide limited drink menu? From my understanding, there is nothing special on it, but it should be enough to get us through sail away. :D

 

Bon voyage to those on the 12/12 sailing and welcome back to those who sailed 12/5!! Please remember those of us who are still stuck at home for a few more days, weeks or months and let us know all of your tips for making our Jade sailing great. :)

[txagfan]

So, we've talked about our dining options on the Jade, and Tanya had been kind enough to share lots of pictures, menus & dailies. We've also discussed the tendering situation in Roatan (and Belize City).

 

 

 

Now, how about all of the fabulous DRINKS onboard?? Looks like the Martini bar is going to be my go to place on the Jade. What drinks have people had there and loved? What other bars have great drinks and great service?

 

 

 

And what about the limited drink selection while in Texas waters? Does anyone have a copy of the shipwide limited drink menu? From my understanding, there is nothing special on it, but it should be enough to get us through sail away. :D

 

 

 

Bon voyage to those on the 12/12 sailing and welcome back to those who sailed 12/5!! Please remember those of us who are still stuck at home for a few more days, weeks or months and let us know all of your tips for making our Jade sailing great. :)

 

 

You'll be able to find something to drink, it's not like the only choice on embarkation day is Pabst Blue Ribbon. There was no special menu, they just apologized if something was being restocked.

[jeo_la]

Affirmative. A power strip is recommended. You can take water and sodas but you either have to pack them or carry them on board yourself. The porters will not carry your drinks.

 

Are you unable to checkin a case of water with your luggage and not have to haul them around on embark day? I thought we could put a luggage tag on them and drop off with the luggage?

Edited December 12, 2015 by jeo_la

[txagfan]

Are you unable to checkin a case of water with your luggage and not have to haul them around on embark day? I thought we could put a luggage tag on them and drop off with the luggage?

 

 

We cruised on the Jade a few weeks ago. For whatever reason the porters would not accept water. We carried on two small (12 bottles) packages.

[GITC]

No snacks at bars.

 

 

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They used to do a jar of nibbly things at the Martini bar.

 

Still do. They're shown in the beer tasting pictures.

[GITC]

We are having a great time. Last night too much of a great time. The best bar & bartenders are at Martini's.

 

A couple of familiar faces from the Martini bar - Aan and 'Dracula' - we loved our times on the Jade - particularly at the Martini bar.

 

Have to agree that Aan & Marius were by far the best bartenders we encountered on the TA. Not even a contest.

Edited December 13, 2015 by GITC

[jeo_la]

We cruised on the Jade a few weeks ago. For whatever reason the porters would not accept water. We carried on two small (12 bottles) packages.

 

That is disappointing who wants to lug around a case of water on embark morning waiting for your room to be ready

[anonmom]

That is disappointing who wants to lug around a case of water on embark morning waiting for your room to be ready

 

I have heard many veteran cruisers saying you should just stick said waters in a bag. Which makes me wonder, are there baggage limits, like on airplanes?

[comcox]

I have heard many veteran cruisers saying you should just stick said waters in a bag. Which makes me wonder, are there baggage limits, like on airplanes?

 

NCL website says 2 pieces of luggage each neither weighing more than 50 lbs.

 

My guess that the ban on checking bottled water is that if they should leak it would be a mess to everyone's luggage nearby. If you have ever watched the luggage loading and unloading you can see how roughly the bags are handled at times.

[comcox]

So, we've talked about our dining options on the Jade, and Tanya had been kind enough to share lots of pictures, menus & dailies. We've also discussed the tendering situation in Roatan (and Belize City).

 

Now, how about all of the fabulous DRINKS onboard?? Looks like the Martini bar is going to be my go to place on the Jade. What drinks have people had there and loved? What other bars have great drinks and great service?

 

And what about the limited drink selection while in Texas waters? Does anyone have a copy of the shipwide limited drink menu? From my understanding, there is nothing special on it, but it should be enough to get us through sail away. :D. :)

 

Speaking of drinks. . .is there anyplace on board to get milkshakes?

[wvfrogg]

 

After reading all the poor reviews lately of the Jade, I was very concerned about my cruise 12/5 on the Jade. But I should have had no fear at all -- it was a wonderful cruise and an awesome ship. The ship was spotless and in great condition.. The crew was outstanding: friendly, happy and very helpful. Our cabin steward Derick was one of the best I have ever had. And I felt that the food was definitely two or three notches up from my last few NCL cruises.

 

I normally ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe and there was a huge variety and I had no trouble finding a place to sit. Usually (on purpose) I ended up in the Great Outdoors enjoying the sea and sun. The omelet stations were very good, made to order. The pastries were also very good although I tried to stay away from them (failing from time to time on that one). All the bacon you could ever want was available, both in the crispy and limpy varieties. Huge selections available. I even thought the coffee was better than last year. Again, at lunch, I ate at the Garden Cafe. Dinner, though, was reserved for dining!

 

We ate 3 times at Grand Pacific and thought it was very good to excellent. I had poached salmon that was prepared perfectly, a "striploin" steak prepared rare that I though was as good as the steak at Cagneys, and prime rib, again rare and excellent. The French Onion Soup could have been left off the menu, it was a disappointment, but the rest of the appetizers we tried were good -- carpaccio, fried brie. Desserts also were very pretty but not very tasty- not worth the calories. We usually skipped dessert there and headed to the crepe station in the Garden Cafe for made to order crepes. Probably one of the best desserts on the ship.

 

Specialty restaurants: LaCucina -- fantastic. The carpaccio was perfect and the osso bucco was unbelievable. I missed having the 3 flavored oils with the warm bread, but they did give you good olive oil with a drop of balsamic to dip your bread. The osso bucco was one of the best I have ever had - on sea or on land. My friend ordered a pizza as an appetizer and was disappointed with that. But my meal was wonderful. Le Bistro -- again excellent. Escargot for an appetizer and the rack of lamb for entree. Both perfect. Creme Brulee for dessert, and this was one appetizer that was worth every bite. Cagney's -- okay! My least favorite of the 3. I ordered the lump crab meat salad for an appetizer, and there was no "lump" to it -- tasted like tiny bits of crab in mayo. Not impressed. The steak (ribeye) was very good and huge -- could only eat about half of it. Excellent were the fries in truffle oil and parmesan cheese. OMG. They were that good. I didn't care for the raspberry creme brulee at all -- thought it had a funny texture.

 

Okay - service at meals: I thought it was perfect - about 1 - 1 1/2 hours for most meals. They didn't try to rush you and I thought made the meal an occasion. I know there are those who think that is too long for a dinner, but for us it was just right. Often we sat with our coffee for even longer.

 

Negatives: Getting reservations for the specialty restaurants was a joke. I went down on Sunday morning to get 4 different reservations, and my choices (when I had one at all) were 5:45 or 9:30. There has to be a better way of doing that. We ate at 5:45 each night, and even by 7 when we were finishing, there were still lots of empty tables. It felt as though I had to fight for my "free" platinum dinner! Soda Package: my friend got the soda package, and most of the time when she went to the bar to get soda, in her words "when they saw my 'free' glass they just passed right over me." Maybe they should have a soda bar instead of having to jostle with the "tipping" tipplers for a drink.

 

Embarking and Disembarking: I thought they went well. We got to the port around 11, and were onboard at 12:05. We put our carryons in our cabins and then wandered until around 2 when our rooms were ready. Disembarking felt like it took forever, but when I checked my watch when we were done it only took 40 minutes, which really isn't bad. We had a later time - 9:30 and we were at IAH airport before 11:30.

 

Pool - always found seats, although on sea days it was crowded. But still found 2 together just about anywhere. There were a few chair hogs, but as there were plenty of lounges it didn't bother me. Negative - they did let the kids run around all over the pool and they would often "bump" into people. Thought the staff could have watched that a little better.

 

Cabins - my friend and I had adjoining balcony cabins on the 10th deck, mid ship. Obviously, we had plenty of storage as we weren't sharing with anyone! They were spotlessly clean, towels were newer and fluffy and plentiful. Derick made wonderful towel animals every night.

 

All-in-all this was one of my favorite cruises of all times. I'm not a huge fan of sailing from Houston (cost of taxi from hotels to port), but I love the Jewel class ships and this was my choice this time. And it turned out to be an excellent choice. So if you are concerned by the negative Jade comments, rest assured -- it was a fantastic cruise.

[txagfan]

Negatives: Getting reservations for the specialty restaurants was a joke. I went down on Sunday morning to get 4 different reservations, and my choices (when I had one at all) were 5:45 or 9:30. There has to be a better way of doing that. We ate at 5:45 each night, and even by 7 when we were finishing, there were still lots of empty tables. It felt as though I had to fight for my "free" platinum dinner!

 

Totally agree. We ate specialty all seven nights. I tried to change one reservation when we got on the boat and there was basically nothing except 945 seatings. What baffled me was that when you would eat at say Cagneys at 7 the restaurant was empty. This was my observation except Teppenyaki which has only the 32 seats of which 16 turn every half hour.

 

I actually spoke to the Food and Beverage Director explaining to him the whole situation was real frustrating and that id heard people complaining often on the boat. He seemed clueless. This was not my experience on the getaway last summer. Sure they weren't packed at 530, but by the time prime time came along the restaurants were busy.

 

We had a very good time by the way, this along with tendering in Roatan were really our only negatives. I understand the boat is now docking in Roatan to start the day and that would make a big difference.

Edited December 13, 2015 by txagfan

[NclJadeCruisin]

Does anyone know what the cost of the laundry service is? Any opinions about using it?

 

Jason

 

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[bluehawks47]

Fran,

 

Thank you so much for the awesome review. Yes, I have read some horrible reviews, so it was so nice to read a good one.

Thanks again and I am glad you had fun.

 

Kathleen

[wvfrogg]

Fran,

 

Thank you so much for the awesome review. Yes, I have read some horrible reviews, so it was so nice to read a good one.

Thanks again and I am glad you had fun.

 

Kathleen

 

Thanks Kathleen -- it was a great cruise! Even had perfect weather.

[lifes-a-beach]

NCL website says 2 pieces of luggage each neither weighing more than 50 lbs.

 

My guess that the ban on checking bottled water is that if they should leak it would be a mess to everyone's luggage nearby. If you have ever watched the luggage loading and unloading you can see how roughly the bags are handled at times.

 

we have always carried a heavy canvas bag in which we put water and when the kids go even soda. I put shoes and other stuff in the bag and no one has ever said a word about it when I check it. I've never lugged around water but I sure see a lot of folks doing just that. on the other hand I've never tried to check water or soda by themselves.

[tanyaheart]

So, we've talked about our dining options on the Jade, and Tanya had been kind enough to share lots of pictures, menus & dailies. We've also discussed the tendering situation in Roatan (and Belize City).

 

 

 

Now, how about all of the fabulous DRINKS onboard?? Looks like the Martini bar is going to be my go to place on the Jade. What drinks have people had there and loved? What other bars have great drinks and great service?

 

 

 

And what about the limited drink selection while in Texas waters? Does anyone have a copy of the shipwide limited drink menu? From my understanding, there is nothing special on it, but it should be enough to get us through sail away. :D

 

 

 

Bon voyage to those on the 12/12 sailing and welcome back to those who sailed 12/5!! Please remember those of us who are still stuck at home for a few more days, weeks or months and let us know all of your tips for making our Jade sailing great. :)

 

 

One of my favorite martini's...

 

The Speak Easy!

 

 

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[tanyaheart]

Are you unable to checkin a case of water with your luggage and not have to haul them around on embark day? I thought we could put a luggage tag on them and drop off with the luggage?

 

 

Cannot put luggage tag on cases of drinks anymore.

 

 

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[tanyaheart]

Still do. They're shown in the beer tasting pictures.

 

 

Those were only offered at beer tasting to clear your palette.

 

 

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[tanyaheart]

 

 

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[Travel Junkie Judy]

Am I looking at this correctly? If they are docking every other will, the jade will dock on our cruise that departs December 26?

 

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They do not get to dock every other week in Roatan.

If the RCCL ship is in, they get the dock - owned by RCCL.

 

We debarked on Saturday, Dec 12.

 

We tendered this week in Roatan and it was easy.

They are now organized and all went well.

 

BTW - This was an AMAZING cruise and we love the JADE and her Officers and crew.

 

Don’t listen to all of the negative comments.

 

More later......

 

Judy

[txagfan]

Judy...I'm glad things have improved, but there's no exaggerations above re: tendering on the initial itineraries. It was a mess. I don't bring it up to be overly critical about NCL, but to give people a heads up they should plan to get up very early to get a tender ticket and probably not plan for a private excursion if they are expected to be onshore at 9am or something.

[Oakman58]

 

 

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That's a great looking drink, but it would be sooooo much better if those beans were chocolate covered coffee beans.

[hawk1972]

They do not get to dock every other week in Roatan.

If the RCCL ship is in, they get the dock - owned by RCCL.

 

We debarked on Saturday, Dec 12.

 

We tendered this week in Roatan and it was easy.

They are now organized and all went well.

 

BTW - This was an AMAZING cruise and we love the JADE and her Officers and crew.

 

Don’t listen to all of the negative comments.

 

More later......

 

Judy

 

Thanks for the info.

If I wanted to plan a private excursion in Roatan and got up early to get tender tickets, do you think there would be any problem? We are just planning a trip to West Bay for beach and snorkeling. I could take the NCL Tabyana Beach Break excursion if necessary but some of the private ones are cheaper.