The Jade...Again! Jan 25-Feb 6

[MNcruisingcouple]

This is my first time posting a review. Hopefully it will be as helpful as the ones I've read. This was our 6th cruise on NCL so we know what to expect, I hope that corresponds to creating a balanced review.

 

Our group consisted of two couples in their mid-40's who are experienced cruisers. We had been on the Jade last year out of Houston, so the ship and some of the crew were familiar to us. We flew into Tampa the day before to avoid any weather related travel issues.

Pre-cruise we stayed at the Bay Harbor Hotel which was adequate for what we needed. We took their 10:30am shuttle to the pier the next day but if we were to do it over we would check into the cost of the taxi. The shuttle took a long time and stopped at anther hotel to pick up more people. We would have preferred to be at the pier at 10:30 instead of just leaving the hotel them.

When we got to the pier, it was chaos. No one knew where to go, there was a huge pile up of luggage, there wasn't good signage, direction or flow. That was true both outside where we were dropped and inside. After security, everyone bottled up not knowing where to go next or which line to get in. Also there was no latitudes line. But once we got through the line and received our sea pass cards, the wait to board was short, maybe 15 to 20 mins.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

Once on board, our first stop was Moderno to purchase our dining package and make reservations. We did this last year after boarding and it worked so well we did it again. Despite not booking ahead of time, we got all the dining times we wanted.

Next stop, Grand Pacific for lunch. The staff member at the top of the stairs tried to hard sell us on the buffet but we are way too experienced for that. The Grand Pacific is so much quieter and less hectic on embarkation day. But this time the service was very slow. I'm sure it was just because they are busy on the turn over day but it was almost painfully slow. Still, it was better than the zoo upstairs.

Up next, Bali Hai bar for our first cocktail in the sun. We stopped at our eighth floor obstructed view state room before the muster drill. We loved being on the eighth floor, never very far from anything. Steps from the Blue Lagoon and one floor up from the Atrium bar and the dining rooms.

There was a delay leaving Tampa due to maintenance but it didn't affect us at all.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

So we hung out at the pool for awhile, did some unpacking and then decided to head to dinner at Alizar. That was the best decision we made the entire cruise.

Our waiter was Pascoal, he was so great that we requested him nearly every night and he made all our dining experiences wonderful. He took special care of our dietary needs and never let our wine glasses get empty. One night he brought us 7 desserts. Also his service was much quicker and more attentive than any thing we received at Grand Pacific. All the staff at Alizar was great, the hostesses, maitre d's and assistant waiter. Whenever we had a request, they did all they could to help us.

As a result, we ate at Alizar 8 nights out of the 12. We did one night at Grand Pacific and weren't as happy. Two nights we did Le Bistro which were both wonderful. Frazier was an excellent waiter as well. One night we did Cagney's which was great too.

Breakfasts were a combination of Blue Lagoon and Grand Pacific. Our favorites were omelette and eggs Benedict. The hashbrowns and breakfast potatoes were terrible. Grand Pacific was able to do gluten free options like toast, waffles, muffins and english muffins for the eggs Benedict.

Lunches were a combination of the buffet (1), the poolside grill (2) and Blue Lagoon.

 

Next up, entertainment.

 

 

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[All-ready2cruise]

You're doing a great job, thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.

[MNcruisingcouple]

Entertainment

None of us are big on the production shows. Either we've seen them or we just prefer good music and not all the flash. We did enjoy the comedian Rod Long.

Otherwise we rotated between lounges listening to music. The duo Soul Wave was good. His guitar playing was amazing but this was their first contract so experience will help them in the future. Also their command of English makes them uncomfortable. This doesn't affect their singing as much as their interaction with the audience. They played in the Medusa mostly, occasionally in the Spinnaker

Temperature was another band. They did a lot of the theme shows at the Spinnaker. They were ok, missed some notes.

The big band was also just good. Different members played individually in the Atrium and the piano bar. They also did the Beatles show in the Spinnaker. The vocalist wasn't impressive, numerous missed notes. The one member of the band played at least 4 different instruments which was impressive.

Barry in the piano bar was terrible, obnoxious. He was more concerned with people laughing at his jokes than playing the piano well.

One thing that hindered our enjoyment of the music was due to the demographic of the cruisers on board. We were some of the youngest, so the music definitely catered to an older clientele. 1950's music for ballroom dancing when we would have preferred listening to late 60's-80's. Given the age of the musicians, it would be my guess that they would prefer playing something more modern too. But I understand that NCL has to accommodate the preferences of the majority of their guests.

 

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

Ports

Cozumel- We've been to this port numerous times and what we are looking for is the best place to snorkel from the shore. In the past we've gone to Chankaanab and the Money Bar. This time the No Name Bar was recommended to us, so we decided to give it a try. We liked the idea that we could walk there. It was fine but we would probably just go to the Money Bar in the future. We saved money on the taxi but the food, drinks and snorkeling is all better at the Money Bar. The vibe was also better there.

 

Jamaica- Since it was a Sunday, we wanted to go to our worship service at a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. We had never been to Jamaica before but we had an address and a map so we went to get a taxi. The drive was 10 minutes and the driver agreed to return for us when we called. We were charged $40 round trip. I'm not sure if we were ripped off or not but it seemed excessive for the distance. But we were happy to be able to go to our meeting.

 

Grand Cayman- We booked Stringray City and Snorkeling through Native Way. It was amazing, we would so do it again. They always limit the group size, which is one reason we chose them, but there only ended up being 8 of us. The sting rays were wonderful as was the snorkeling. The captain was very knowledgeable and helpful with the rays, giving us direction on how to handle them. They also provided lunch at Rum Point beach. There were lots of choices and it was very good. The photographer was excellent too. Because we were a group of 4, he gave us a deal on purchasing our pictures. But he wasn't high pressure, which I appreciate.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

You're doing a great job, thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

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[Sotermarler]

One thing that hindered our enjoyment of the music was due to the demographic of the cruisers on board. We were some of the youngest, so the music definitely catered to an older clientele. 1950's music for ballroom dancing when we would have preferred listening to late 60's-80's. Given the age of the musicians, it would be my guess that they would prefer playing something more modern too.

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I agree with you, it was the same for us this past November. I found the music to be old and boring. I thought the Temperature was ok, but again they played older music.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

 

With the sting rays in Grand Cayman.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

 

 

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

Ports continued-

Santo Domingo, DR- We hadn't heard good things about this stop, actually we hadn't heard much of anything about this stop. There are a lot of old, historical buildings at this port. But that didn't interest us very much. So we ended up staying on the ship. From the reports that we heard, we were glad that we did.

 

Tortola- Again, high on our list of things to do is visit a beach and snorkel. Brewer's Bay was decided on. The taxi/van ride to Brewer's Bay was exciting. Beautiful views but very steep roads. The location at Brewer's Bay was beautiful but initially there were a lot of people there. We expected a quieter beach. The taxis all drop off at one spot and everyone stays around there. We ended up walking down the beach to a small bar with $3 beers and it was much quieter there. DH tried to snorkel but it was really wavy with poor visibility. That was disappointing but we can't control the weather. As it turned out we were the last people left on the beach, that's always a good day.

 

San Juan, PR- A day of wandering around old town San Juan, seeing a fort and doing a little shopping. Stopped at a Starbucks to cool off and use their wifi.

 

Key West- This was a Sunday as well, so again we went to a worship service. The taxi seemed expensive here too, given the short distance. On our way back we stopped for some frozen Key Lime pie.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

 

 

Brewer's Bay, Tortola

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

Disembarking-

This is always the worst day but this was exceptionally bad. We did a leisurely breakfast at Grand Pacific but by 9:30 they still hadn't called our 9:15 luggage tag color. Once it was called, the line was soooo long. Long line to get off, long line to get to the escalators and then, after picking up our luggage, a long line through customs. When we got up there we realized why. THREE customs agents! This is just ridiculous. I realize that it is out of NCL's control but you would think the port of Tampa would want to move people through quicker. They aren't new to this so I don't understand why they haven't figured out a better system. And, for NCL's part, if they know there is only 3 customs agents they need to stager the times more. Again, it isn't there first time in this port, they need to work this out.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

Pros-

-Cruising, in general. I'm not in the MN winter!

-Beverage pkg. Second time we've had it, so nice not to think about the prices of drinks and the bill at the end. Plus flexibility to try whatever we want.

-Pre-paid gratuities. Again no bill at the end.

-Staff. Everyone, except for a few, were exceptionally helpful. In addition to those I've already mentioned are bartenders Miguel and Noel and all those at the Atrium bar, hostesses Divine and Ionna, room steward Boban and the assistant beverage mgr.

-Ship size. Easy to get around and find things.

-Perfect weather.

-Food. Better dinners than last year in the main dining rooms. Always received our special requests. Favorites were fruits de mer, mushroom soup and chocolate napoleon in Le Bistro; filet and ice cream sandwich in Cagney's; salmon tartare, cod, prime rib and dessert soufflé in MDR.

 

Cons-

-Embarkation and disembarkation procedures

-Several small maintenance issues. Its hard to even call these cons as they were addressed and fixed so quickly.

-Lack of waiters at the pool. But I can't complain about getting up and walking to the bar. Never had to wait long to get a drink.

-Service at Blue Lagoon. Occasionally very slow and disorganized, especially when busy.

-Service at Grand Pacific. Slow and lest than friendly. Maybe this was just because we had such an amazing waiter in Alizar.

-Decor. But that won't be an issue for long!

-Food. Only complaint at dinner was sometimes the food was extra salty. Seemed to get better as the cruise went on. Breakfasts and lunches are fine, they just get boring after awhile. The biscuits and gravy had hardly any gravy.

 

Would cruise again with NCL in a heartbeat for the value. Already planning next year, maybe out of Tampa again.

 

 

Any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer. I love cruising including researching and planning.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

 

With Pascoal at Alizar.

 

 

At Cagney's.

 

 

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[MikeyB]

Enjoyed reading your review. Now where can I find Miguel and Noel?\Thanks

[MNcruisingcouple]

Enjoyed reading your review. Now where can I find Miguel and Noel?\Thanks

 

 

Miguel was at the Bali Hai bar and the martini bar. Noel was at medusa and occasionally Spinnaker.

 

 

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[crayola1932]

I was on this cruise. I thought it was a great cruise, the extra day for Key West was a special treat. The staff were outstanding and the food was delicious as usual.

 

The OP is right--we were a gray cruise. I had an excellent time with my fellow grays, lots of nice people to talk to, and the few babies were cute. I love the oldies music

 

We arrived in Florida 4 days early and spent time in Tarpon Springs and Crystal River. I highly recommend visits to these places. I especially recommend the Homosassa Springs state wildlife park in Crystal River.

 

After returning our rental car, we took a cab to the cruise terminal from the airport. Only $25 for the two of us, and we were able to get to the terminal a little earlier than the free shuttles from the hotels. Because there was a lot of demand for taxis, the dispatcher paired us up with another party, so the cost was even less than $25 per couple.

 

When we got there (shortly before noon), there was a special line for Platinum/Gold. The signage wasn't great, so we had to ask, but after that we were processed quickly. There are two terminals side by side in Tampa and we were in the smaller one for embarkation (and the bigger one for disembarkation). There wasn't enough room in the area where you sit in chairs to wait for boarding; it was a bit of a madhouse, but well-organized.

 

Food:

I think NCL must have been listening to customer criticism because I noticed some improvements: There were THREE coffee bean coffee dispensers in the buffet instead of only one. Skim milk was much more easily available than it has been on previous cruises. There were enough omelet stations in the buffet that you rarely had to wait long. Then I discovered that the steam-table eggs were moist and fresh--a pleasant surprise. And they separate the crispy bacon (DH) from the soft bacon (me) so that you can get the kind of bacon you like.

 

I agree with OP: Alizar is better than Grand Pacific, but they are both too noisy for me. We always get a table for sharing and then can’t hear what our dinner-mates are saying (and I DO have excellent hearing).

 

Tours

Submarine tour at Georgetown good. City tour of Santo Domingo good, but it really does involve lots of stairs. Tortola by land and sea a great tour. The only disappointment was the El Junque Forest Drive out of San Juan. A few years back they had a drive combined with a VERY short hike, which I loved. This time they had two tours: one involved a hike that I couldn't take because of length and difficulty, and the other was just a drive: OK but not as great as a few years ago.

 

When we disembarked, our flight wasn't until evening, so we walked over to the Aquarium (about a block from cruise terminal), checked our luggage with them (free), and spent the morning there. Excellent aquarium.

 

My one disappointment was the ventilation. Our cabin was extremely cold during the day (OK at night). Also, someone must have been smoking in a cabin nearby, because we had a fairly faint smell of smoke at times. I spoke to the Steward and he promised to report it, but I didn't push the issue, because the smell was so faint that DH couldn't detect it. Hopefully ventilation will be improved during Drydock.

 

I’ve been long-winded. If I am violating CC etiquette by piggybacking my review on top of someone else’s, please tell me, and I won’t do it again.

Edited February 13, 2017 by crayola1932
Omitted info

[Tampaskier]

Hmmm.....1950's music! If you can jitterbug (in one form or another you will be in 7th heaven. Or the twist (if they merged into that music). Personally I would have loved it. As always....to each his (or her) own!

 

 

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[Satincruz]

--MNcruisingcouple

--crayola1932

 

Thanks for your reviews.

 

Did either of you save any of the Freestyle Dailies from your cruise? If so, could you scan a couple of the days + post them?

 

Just the 3rd pages = "What's Happening Today", showing all of the activities and times.

 

Thank you!

[All-ready2cruise]

Hmmm.....1950's music! If you can jitterbug (in one form or another you will be in 7th heaven. Or the twist (if they merged into that music). Personally I would have loved it. As always....to each his (or her) own!

 

 

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I agree, we would have loved that music too but ... variety is the spice of life :D

[MNcruisingcouple]

Hmmm.....1950's music! If you can jitterbug (in one form or another you will be in 7th heaven. Or the twist (if they merged into that music). Personally I would have loved it. As always....to each his (or her) own!

 

 

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I totally understand why they played the music they did, we just would have appreciated a little more variety.

 

 

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[MNcruisingcouple]

--MNcruisingcouple

--crayola1932

 

Thanks for your reviews.

 

Did either of you save any of the Freestyle Dailies from your cruise? If so, could you scan a couple of the days + post them?

 

Just the 3rd pages = "What's Happening Today", showing all of the activities and times.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Sorry, I didn't save them. I don't know how helpful they will be since this was the only cruise with this itinerary.

If you have a specific question, I might be able to help.

 

 

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[zencruisers]

Thank you for the review.

[hairmagician]

Yay! A real gluten free person that was just on the same ship I'm going on in 21 days! What gluten free meals/ dishes are "don't miss" and "don't bother"? Thanks!:D