Love/hate reviews of Jade?

[vunico]

I'm on the 4/19 Jade TA (first NCL trip was on Epic) and I don't think I've ever seen such a wide range of opinions of one ship as this one.

I know that no one boat or line can please everyone,but when you see everything from "worst ship ever " to "great experience" among a high number of reviews, it gives one pause.

Any thoughts?

[fabnfortysomething]

I'm on the 4/19 Jade TA (first NCL trip was on Epic) and I don't think I've ever seen such a wide range of opinions of one ship as this one.

I know that no one boat or line can please everyone,but when you see everything from "worst ship ever " to "great experience" among a high number of reviews, it gives one pause.

Any thoughts?

 

the Jade was our first cruise ever and converted us

we have sailed on her since

 

Having sailed on other Ncl ships

 

We like the soaring atrium on the smaller ships such as Spirit and Star

 

The mega ships such as Epic and Breakaway have lots of extra facilities but lack the central area looking up several floors

 

Jade falls somewhere between with no soaring atrium but facilities such as a really nice spa[extra charge]

[pspercy]

We turned RCL Diamond (80+ nts) in Dec 2014 but our next one in Dec 2015 was on NCL Jade, prices were comparable but NCL included UBP.

 

We were happy with Jade, food was decent, aft MDR pleasant, staff great overall, nothing to complain about at all and no, we did not feel "nickle & dimed".

 

I'd be very happy to be on your TA :)

Edited March 5, 2016 by pspercy

[lindaler]

Hi, Vunico. We too are trying NCL and have heard the reviews of the great; and horrible, never again, and we too are asking questions. There is an active roll call for April 16 that will include your dates and the meet and greet is set to happen after everyone is on from the April 19th boarding.

 

We have 122 days on Holland America so this will be new, starting over again as a nobody who isn't even a latitude person yet. We look forward to seeing you guys and finding out how this compares to your other experiences.

Edited March 6, 2016 by lindaler

[xenagurl]

I've not been on the Jade in a few years but I took 3 cruises on her (in Europe) and loved all of them. I think you'll enjoy it. What is the itinerary of your sailing?

[Linda the Book Lover]

We sail on the 2nd and are looking forward to our trip. We love the Jewel Class as it is the perfect size. My DH was not fan of the Epic due to size. I am sure a few of us may write a review though it will be close to your time to leave when we return.

[vunico]

I've not been on the Jade in a few years but I took 3 cruises on her (in Europe) and loved all of them. I think you'll enjoy it. What is the itinerary of your sailing?

 

Thanks...Miami/Barcelona with a couple of island stops

[xenagurl]

Thanks...Miami/Barcelona with a couple of island stops

 

I did that one a couple of times on the Epic. I know that ships as small as the Spirit sail transatlantic cruises, so you should be fine ship rocking wise, and the Jade is big enough to keep you occupied (I've been on for 9 days, three times) so you should have a good time. Sounds like an excellent trip! Bon Voyage!

Edited March 6, 2016 by xenagurl

[TaDaaa!]

I did that one a couple of times on the Epic. I know that ships as small as the Spirit sail transatlantic cruises, so you should be fine ship rocking wise, and the Jade is big enough to keep you occupied (I've been on for 9 days, three times) so you should have a good time. Sounds like an excellent trip! Bon Voyage!

 

Does the Jade have a big screen like the Epic?

[vunico]

I did that one a couple of times on the Epic. I know that ships as small as the Spirit sail transatlantic cruises, so you should be fine ship rocking wise, and the Jade is big enough to keep you occupied (I've been on for 9 days, three times) so you should have a good time. Sounds like an excellent trip! Bon Voyage!

 

Gracias,

I took the Epic last year and had a great time...

[treyrios21]

I have always had the thought process that a vacation is what you make of it...that being said the jade has completely changed my opinion on that. We just got off yesterday and I'll just say that we should have known what we were getting into when the drink package was raised by $200 fleet wide the day before we set sail. The food served in the complementary services was sub-par (escargot is not served dry with mushrooms on a biscuit). I am one of the most open un-picky people on this earth and pretty easy to please. I have always read these reviews and wondered how the heck anyone can complain about being on a cruise. After sailing on the jade I now know.

[xenagurl]

Double Post

Edited March 6, 2016 by xenagurl

[xenagurl]

Does the Jade have a big screen like the Epic?

 

At the time no, I don't think there would be anywhere to put it, however I took it before the refurb.

Gracias,

I took the Epic last year and had a great time...

 

It's a pretty ship with lots to do, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. The funnel slide on that ship is my favorite out of all of them.

[Cruising Golfer]

We had a great time on the Jade last May. Wonderful staff and you can't forget the Happy, Happy, Washey, Washey, Coffee, Coffee guy. :cool:

[Bluesmania]

Thanks...Miami/Barcelona with a couple of island stops

 

We too are on the Miami/Barcelona TA. See you there....

 

Blues

[ggTexasGal]

I'm on the 4/19 Jade TA (first NCL trip was on Epic) and I don't think I've ever seen such a wide range of opinions of one ship as this one.

I know that no one boat or line can please everyone,but when you see everything from "worst ship ever " to "great experience" among a high number of reviews, it gives one pause.

Any thoughts?

 

There are MANY factors to take into consideration when writing/reading reviews. Pay attention to the itinerary, the length of cruise, the time of cruise, the cabin category and location (if shown), the "traveler status" (couples, small children, seniors, etc), and the overall "tone" of the review. Other factors MIGHT include where people live, age, first-time cruisers vs. experienced cruisers, how far they had to travel (and spend) to get on the ship, and are health/physical ability considerations an issue.

 

Overall, one incident could throw-off the balance of a cruise.

With that in mind, we try to concentrate on the reviews that have "average" ratings, since they tend to reflect the most honest/balanced opinions!

[optimusprime82]

When reading reviews I always take a couple things into account.

 

1. How many other reviews has this person written? If the review your reading is their only review you may want to discount it somewhat if not entirely. Look for reviews from cruisers that have written multiple reviews. You may not agree with everything they write but it shows they have some perspective about cruising in general.

 

2. Is it a one star or five star review? Way too many people speak in hyperbole. Many one star reviews focus in one aspect of their cruise that ruined the entire experience. Conversely, far too many five star reviews remind me of asking a child what their favorite movie is... usually the last one they saw because, "it's the best thing ever!" Stick to reading the two, three and four star reviews; you're much more likely to get a realistic opinion.

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

vunico ~ if you want a current opinion & detailed photos of the Jade & have some time, take a look at mitsugirly's ongoing review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2325153

 

She's been on most NCL ships & gives fair judgments of the ship, food, etc.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[davidel57]

We are on the Jade currently in Cozumel. After two days I have to say we couldn't be more impressed. Service is great, food is good, ship is very clean and comfortable. We're still finding our way around but the music is good, bars are busy but there's some that are not so busy if you look. We've been on a number of cruises, other lines, and various locations but so far we're really pleased. Whatever issues they may have had they've worked through those issues with flying colors! Hats off to the Jade on a great experience so far! Here's to four more days.

[Oakman58]

Here's a link to my review of our mid-January cruise on the Jade. I tried to be as fair and honest as possible.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306351

[Linda the Book Lover]

We are on the Jade currently in Cozumel. After two days I have to say we couldn't be more impressed. Service is great, food is good, ship is very clean and comfortable. We're still finding our way around but the music is good, bars are busy but there's some that are not so busy if you look. We've been on a number of cruises, other lines, and various locations but so far we're really pleased. Whatever issues they may have had they've worked through those issues with flying colors! Hats off to the Jade on a great experience so far! Here's to four more days.

 

That is so good hear!

[HR Queen]

We also just got off the Jade Saturday. We are Celebrity/HAL cruisers - 9 years in a row. We booked last minutes so no packages were included. Ok fine we got a good last minute price on a mini-suite. We ordered our first drinks on board 2 small regular drinks and the total was $23.00. WOW seemed really high so we asked about the drink package. Both people have to take it so 1300.00 for the week. We have had one before that included bottled water and specialty coffee. While talking to the girl she pointed at the water bottle and we thought - said it was included. Well it wasn't. So there is now way we could even break even just on liquor. Why would they even want someone to drink $79 per day? I feel we were just mislead....it should include water in my opinion.

We thought the food was good. We tried most of the free places and Cagney's one night - it was good but not a lot of food. We liked not having to dress up for dinner and the service was faster.

There was more kids on board than we were used to but mostly they were well behaved. We didn't have much of a problem getting drinks. Our room steward was excellent. Seemed maybe a little more crowded at times.

Mostly it was good but not the best cruise we have been on. More questions?

[Lisalk12]

Ok fine we got a good last minute price on a mini-suite. ....Our room steward was excellent

 

 

Thank you for your thoughts. Was wondering what floor your mini-suite was on? Heading out Sat in 11030 and was hoping for a great steward.

[HR Queen]

We were on deck 11 - really close to the aft elevators - thought it might be a problem with noise. The only noise was from the kids place up on 12 but they were gone by 10 or so. It was so handy to go up the stairs for the pools and buffet. Wilber was our steward. We actually never had to ask for anything. Ice 2 times a day - cleaned up - so hard working & smiling all the time so friendly. I thought the rooms were pretty nice and I also liked all the Hawaiian colors and flowers....most of the bartenders were friendly.

[Lisalk12]

We were on deck 11 - really close to the aft elevators - thought it might be a problem with noise. The only noise was from the kids place up on 12 but they were gone by 10 or so. It was so handy to go up the stairs for the pools and buffet. Wilber was our steward. We actually never had to ask for anything. Ice 2 times a day - cleaned up - so hard working & smiling all the time so friendly. I thought the rooms were pretty nice and I also liked all the Hawaiian colors and flowers....most of the bartenders were friendly.

 

 

Thank you!!!