LIVE Norwegian Jade May 1,2024

[Cruising Lynne]

On 5/4/2024 at 11:39 AM, umaine89 said:

Breakfast this morning, back at Great Outdoors which is behind Great Cafe. 
 

 

I love the two drinks at a time. I didn’t even ask for 2. RCL makes pina coladas with dark rum. In NCL, it is always light rum unless I ask for Goslings. It should be dark rum, IMHO, but this is definitely a first world problem. Haha. 
 

I have never been to the buffet when I didn't see multiple tables open by the window. This ship does not feel crowded at all. 
 

That said, it’s windy on the deck and they closed the port side top deck. So you’re not finding a lounger right now. 
 

 

Loving the picture of your breakfast. On my last cruise I enjoyed a pina colada with my breakfast. My husband was a little surprised when I headed to the bar, but it goes very well with the fresh fruit! Not a bad idea on a sea day.

[Cruising Lynne]

4 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

WOW...looks like a huge "crowd" for Deal or no Deal. That was about the same size "crowd" we had for Wheel of Fortune on the Jade. Hoping NCL observes the "crowds" and decides to pull the plug on the game show fiasco.

Agree.

It may help if other people stop complaining about how crowded the atrium is when they hold games there. Some people do not read the Freestyle Daily and having it in the atrium may attract spur of the moment players who see the event while passing through.

 

 Having a game in the theater during the day is okay, but I enjoy a show or some other type of performance at night. Wheel of Fortune is not a good replacement for a show.

[umaine89]

Day 5 Private island, Great Stirrup Cay!  My favorite part of any cruise. 
 

 

Unfortunately you have to tender in and out. I hear a pier is coming. But I only waited about 15 minutes each time after boarding to get underway. 
 

 

My boat was almost full both ways. This was during loading. 

 

 

I did not get a map so I have no map to share. That said, I walked all around the island. 
 

I headed to the fake lighthouse which is the zip line tower and kept going.

 

 

Eventually you hit a gate for Silver Cove, Private retreat. But at the last beach before that, there’s a drink hut, food hut/truck thing and bathrooms. And since we were the only ship there, I shared the section with maybe 10 people. I figure we had 2000 off our boat on an island that could hold 6000 (my guess). It felt like COVID times all over again. It was AMAZING. 

 

 

 

I found a palm tree and 100 empty chairs and set up my spot. 
 

 

Lunch came from the food hut/truck thing and was also amazing. Ceviche and mahi mahi sandwich. With, of course, the Bahamian beer. 
 

 

There’s plenty to do for free, I saw people playing beach volleyball and ping pong and soccer pool. 
 

 

and even look at wildlife. 
 

 

Unfortunately, we had to leave an hour early due to congestion tomorrow at Cape Canaveral, but it was truly a Perfect Day at Coco, whoops I mean, Great Stirrup Cay. 

[umaine89]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, look who’s next door. Two RCL big boats at Coco Cay. They did not have the empty island that I did. 
 

Edited May 5 by umaine89

[umaine89]

One more picture. This was taken at 1045a when I showed up. There was no way I was getting the first tender out at 0700. You see a sea of empty chairs. 
 

And my chair under the palm tree. 
 

[umaine89]

8 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

WOW...looks like a huge "crowd" for Deal or no Deal. That was about the same size "crowd" we had for Wheel of Fortune on the Jade. Hoping NCL observes the "crowds" and decides to pull the plug on the game show fiasco.

I won’t go back to Deal or No Deal. I like the game show but the audience participation method was not that fun. I think it made money for NCL though. My estimate is they sold 100 cards at average value $25/ea. So $2500 revenue and gave away maybe $500 in prizes. 
 

I’d rather play bingo where someone will win the prize. 

[laudergayle]

18 hours ago, umaine89 said:

I am operating with no dinner reservations so I appreciate the board telling me how busy things are. 

 

Dinner at Sushi 11/10. Couldn’t have been better. With the meal package you get to order any 4 things on the menu. I was stuffed. 

 

 

Yes that was all free for one speciality dining credit. 
 

For $210, I got upgraded internet, upgraded free drinks package and 2 more speciality dinners (3 total). I have had multiple calls and the reception is fine (I have t mobile WiFi calling). I have been able to drink whatever I want and they give me two at a time. And the two speciality dinners so far have been awesome. That is the best $210 I have ever spent. 

Sushi looks delish.  Question.  I have to use wifi calling at home due to a weak VZ signal.  If I have the unlimited NCL internet snd my phones wifi calling turned on…can I make wifi calls to anyone?  We will be in AK so it’s not considered international?  What do you think?

[umaine89]

26 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Sushi looks delish.  Question.  I have to use wifi calling at home due to a weak VZ signal.  If I have the unlimited NCL internet snd my phones wifi calling turned on…can I make wifi calls to anyone?  We will be in AK so it’s not considered international?  What do you think?

I have T-Mobile so I can’t speak to Verizon. That said, if I am on WiFi signal and have airplane mode on so I am not picking up cell towers, I have made calls in Europe and Caribbean and it’s just like I am at my house on WiFi. No extra charges. My phone says airplane mode and T-Mobile WiFi. 
 

Edited May 5 by umaine89

[umaine89]

20 hours ago, jamin jul said:

How is the music on board? Any calypso music? Does the buffet have a good salad bar? Fruit bar?

@jamin jul  I was passing through the buffet tonight on my way to Italian and got a picture of the salad bar. 
 

[jamin jul]

57 minutes ago, umaine89 said:

@jamin jul  I was passing through the buffet tonight on my way to Italian and got a picture of the salad bar. 
 

Wow- thank you so much for the picture.  Salad bar does not look extensive like Celebrity or RC but looks good. I have read that NCL had cut back on it.Your breakfast fruit looked good and your drinks looked really good😀

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/5/2024 at 12:02 AM, umaine89 said:

Back on this Hawaii thing. I am going to go into MBA mode for a minute, so feel free to skip over this post.
 

I am amazed how fast NCL stopped sailing in Hawaii. It must have been a horrendous business decision to start with.

This is what I think about NCL's plan when they put Joy together and sent her to the Pacific. It wasn't long before they spent a boatload of money to convert her to a more western crowd, twice. I would have been so interested to see the analysis that made them think Asia was a good market. I'm not saying anything they did was wrong, but with 20/20 it was a poor decision. It could be an interesting HBR case study. 

 

On 5/5/2024 at 12:15 AM, umaine89 said:

I am operating with no dinner reservations so I appreciate the board telling me how busy things are. 

 

Dinner at Sushi 11/10. Couldn’t have been better. With the meal package you get to order any 4 things on the menu. I was stuffed. 

 

 

Yes that was all free for one speciality dining credit. 
 

For $210, I got upgraded internet, upgraded free drinks package and 2 more speciality dinners (3 total). I have had multiple calls and the reception is fine (I have t mobile WiFi calling). I have been able to drink whatever I want and they give me two at a time. And the two speciality dinners so far have been awesome. That is the best $210 I have ever spent. 

Love this dinner photo. Yum! I have found NCL's wasabi to be lacking, though. The quality of the sushi has been good. I'm definitely jealous of your dinner! I need some sushi - maybe later this week when my husband and I take a couple extra days from work. 

Also - so glad you're enjoying your trip! 

 

  

15 hours ago, laudergayle said:

Sushi looks delish.  Question.  I have to use wifi calling at home due to a weak VZ signal.  If I have the unlimited NCL internet snd my phones wifi calling turned on…can I make wifi calls to anyone?  We will be in AK so it’s not considered international?  What do you think?

I know we're not talking the same ship, but I've had mixed results with Wi-Fi calling. In 2022 I had a Samsung Galaxy S22+. The Wi-Fi calling from the Atlantic, on Getaway, between NYC and Bermuda worked just fine! And, thankfully, since we had to talk with our home inspector about the report he created when we were traveling. 

 

In 2023, on Joy, with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Wi-Fi calling did not work. We were traveling the Western Caribbean on this trip. 

 

I'm not sure if the phones, shipboard internet, location on the globe impacted the connectivity, but it definitely was not working on that second trip. 

 

I didn't try on Pr1ma, so can't speak to that ship. I think you're on Jewel...actually, aren't you on right now? Or is it May 13th? 

[dmwnc1959]

THANKS again for taking us along! Really enjoyed your pictures and the dailies posted. Looking forward to any final thoughts on NCL and the Norwegian Jade. 😁

[BirdandBaby]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Thinking about booking Jade but was hesitant. We've been on several NCL cruises and like them, but mostly big ships. I was concerned that the lack of variety on the smaller ships would bother me, but the vibe seems good.

[AVLTravelers]

So glad to see folks still love the Jade.  My first and second  NCL cruises were on the Jade in 2010 & 2013 from Barcelona.  Will be on her next week!  Thanks for posting all of this, just confirms everything I already knew and that I made the right decision.

[umaine89]

Last night dinner. Back at La Cucina (Italian)

 

Appetizer was tomato caprese. I like big tomatoes but this tasted very good. 

 

Then pork Marsala. There was spinach underneath. If you got a bite of spinach, a michroom and some pork this was very good. Though some of the pork was a little tough. 7/10 due to tough pork. 8/10 when the bite was good. 
 

 

Cheesesteak for dessert. 10/10 and service was 10/10. 
 

Last night, bars were hopping. Karaoke was always popular and casino was busy. Nightclub was busy too. 

 

Edited May 6 by umaine89
Format

[eyecantwait]

Thanks so much for taking us along. Can't wait for July to get here!

[umaine89]

I was looking at the parking garage from top deck at 8a and made it to the car in the garage by 830. I hit the gates of Kennedy Space Center right at opening at 9a. I stayed for a few hours and then headed back to MCO.

 

 

KSC was a cool visit with many rockets.

 

The space shuttle launch simulator was a cool ride where they tilt you 90 degrees so you are pointed straight at the sky. (That’s the real space shuttle, not the simulator). It’s amazing how small that thing is. 

 

There is actually a person in that suit. 
 

 

The Mars pavilion was cool also. 
 

 

It was a nice way to spend ~4 hours. I didn’t have time to get on the bus and go to “behind the scenes” launch area. 

Edited May 6 by umaine89

[umaine89]

I will summarize my final thoughts in a bit but I bought some Next Cruise credits so I will definitely be back on Norwegian soon. 

[oz61]

How was disembarkation? It sounds like you were off the ship fairly quickly. We have a transfer to the airport with NCL for a late morning flight, so want to be on our way asap.

[schmoopie17]

23 hours ago, BirdandBaby said:

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Thinking about booking Jade but was hesitant. We've been on several NCL cruises and like them, but mostly big ships. I was concerned that the lack of variety on the smaller ships would bother me, but the vibe seems good.

We were on the Jade two months ago for 14 days. Loved pretty much everything about it. Our new favorite ship (and crew).

 

Edited May 7 by schmoopie17

[umaine89]

12 hours ago, oz61 said:

How was disembarkation? It sounds like you were off the ship fairly quickly. We have a transfer to the airport with NCL for a late morning flight, so want to be on our way asap.

I started packing at 7a when the announcements started. I was done packing at 745 and headed to buffet for a quick breakfast. Started walking downstairs at 8. Line was short and quick to get scanned off boat. Then walked by everyone’s luggage (still a lot left at that time) and hit the line for the facial recognition scan. I was maybe 3rd person in my line. Stand and get scanned and when digital check mark displayed, I was on the way. Hit the car in the garage around 0830. Easy peasey. It could not have been quicker. 

[umaine89]

11 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Loved pretty much everything about it. Our new favorite ship (and crew).

 

I agree. I didn’t love the food in the Alizar dining room but loved almost everything else. 

[umaine89]

NCL Jade was classic cruising. Karaoke, buffets, pina coladas by the pool, trivia, piano players, cigar bar, night club on top deck, main dining room, excursions on port stops, private island, shows in the theater. 

 

My only criticism is that I didn’t love the food in the Alizar dining room.  I gave it high marks on the NCL survey but definitely mentioned the food quality in main dining room.  

 

But the Jade had specialty dining and a 24 hour sports bar, and I got great food at both. With the $210 upgrade at booking, I got upgraded unlimited drinks, 2 more specialty dining nights and unlimited non-streaming internet that worked for my conference calls. (Non streaming meant I couldn’t watch Netflix or listen to streaming music which is fine because I didn’t go on a cruise to watch tv)

 

It did not have rock walls, ice skating, boogie boarding or water slides. 

 

It did have thermal suite that I want to try next time. 

 

I enjoyed it very much. It was very relaxing which is just what I was looking for and it fit my solo traveling budget. I believe that I would have paid twice as much for solo traveling on Royal Caribbean. 

 

I want to try a bigger Norwegian ship next. On that note, I bought $500 of next cruise credits for $250. I heartily endorse the NCL Jade and wish I was back on the ship. 

[dmwnc1959]

1 hour ago, umaine89 said:

 

NCL Jade was classic cruising...I want to try a bigger Norwegian ship next. On that note, I bought $500 of next cruise credits for $250. I heartily endorse the NCL Jade and wish I was back on the ship. 

With every Live thread I learn something new, take notes, and continue to plan for when it's my turn - which is still 329 days away.
 

As a NCL newbie I've been beating up this forum for 4 months with a hundred questions and hounding people for information, but for a cruise that will be over 30 days long every new insight helps make my journey that much less stressful. 
 

I hope we continue to see more Live threads from Norwegian Jade this year. Thank you for taking the time from your vacation to help the rest of us.