NCL Jade Bahamas Oct/Nov 2024

[Jaworskym]

Hello folks. We've been looking at short notice weekend trips for Oct/Nov and NCL Jade has some going out of Miami. We've been on the Bliss and Encore and am curious about a smaller NCL ship. I'm not concerned with the departure port, itinerary, or excursions and probably won't spend a dime after boarding other than tips for great service. What's the ship like, is it easy to get a drink at Sugarcane or Martini Bar? Is it difficult to get into MDR or the Garden Cafe? How does Cagney's compare vs the big ships? I read the Jade was refurbished in 2022. Do balcony rooms have glass or shower curtains?  We took Celebrity on our last short cruise so I know how it measured up. Any advice would be great. Thanks 

[LatinaInTexas]

28 minutes ago, Jaworskym said:

Hello folks. We've been looking at short notice weekend trips for Oct/Nov and NCL Jade has some going out of Miami. We've been on the Bliss and Encore and am curious about a smaller NCL ship. I'm not concerned with the departure port, itinerary, or excursions and probably won't spend a dime after boarding other than tips for great service. What's the ship like, is it easy to get a drink at Sugarcane or Martini Bar? Is it difficult to get into MDR or the Garden Cafe? How does Cagney's compare vs the big ships? I read the Jade was refurbished in 2022. Do balcony rooms have glass or shower curtains?  We took Celebrity on our last short cruise so I know how it measured up. Any advice would be great. Thanks 

We were on the Encore in May and had the Jade booked for earlier this month. I was concerned because I had not cruised on a smaller ship before. 

I ended up loving the Jade! No difficulty getting into the MDR for dinner or lunch but there is only lunch in the MDR on Sea days not every afternoon.

Garden Cafe was always crowded and busy and it took some luck to snag a table sometimes.

Casino was small and smokey so we spent very little time in there. 

Instead after the 9pm shows we headed for our nightly fun time at the Martini Bar. We met our favorite bartender ever there, Jay Mark. We had so much fun closing down the bar with the best workers. So many laughs, good natured joking along with some serious talks about their families and life on a cruise ship.

Mojito bar usually had seats available.

I can't recommend eating at Moderno the Brazilian steakhouse. All the beef meat choices were overcooked to well done even the filet. The chicken and pork belly were very good. Would have preferred Cagney's for sure.

The complimentary Chinese restaurant was hit and miss. Some dishes were quite bad, others quite good. You also need a reservation to eat here. 

Pool situation was good. By 8:30 when we arrived we were able to pick out good shade spots.

There was no comedy for our sailing but the production shows were good.

If it applies to you the military appreciation was really nice, the best one we have attended.

Getting on the ship and getting off carrying our luggage was quick and easy.

 

[mcmomny]

We have been on several small and several larger NCL ships including The Jade and we loved her!

Great crew, nice and comfortable bar areas and plenty of quiet areas also!

We hung out each night at The Whiskey bar and had wonderful service!

No trouble for us at the pool either and we enjoyed the Noodle Bar very much.

We have never been impressed with Cagney's but this time we tried Le Bistro for the first time and loved it!

Glass shower doors and nice sized balcony cabins.

I would sail her again!

[schmoopie17]

The Jade is now our favorite ship. Contrary to popular opinion, we loved Jasmine, the free Asian restaurant. We liked it so much we ate there four times...and loved it every time. In fact, every meal we had in every restaurant was as good or better than any other NCL ship we've been on. 

 

The crew was exceptional. Great service everywhere. If you get Genifer for your cabin steward(ess), consider your self lucky. She's awesome.

 

Make friends with Shane the star bartender in the Martini Bar...you'll be glad you did. You'll know who he is...he's the "cute one" doing the flair tricks and all the women love him (including Mrs. Schmoopie).

 

Edited August 30 by schmoopie17

[Jaworskym]

2 hours ago, mcmomny said:

We have been on several small and several larger NCL ships including The Jade and we loved her!

Great crew, nice and comfortable bar areas and plenty of quiet areas also!

We hung out each night at The Whiskey bar and had wonderful service!

No trouble for us at the pool either and we enjoyed the Noodle Bar very much.

We have never been impressed with Cagney's but this time we tried Le Bistro for the first time and loved it!

Glass shower doors and nice sized balcony cabins.

I would sail her again!

Thanks for confirming the glass showers. Makes a difference on a cruise ship. Haven’t really done the whisky bar, may have to try 

[Jaworskym]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

The Jade is now our favorite ship. Contrary to popular opinion, we loved Jasmine, the free Asian restaurant. We liked it so much we ate there four times...and loved it every time. In fact, every meal we had in every restaurant was as good or better than any other NCL ship we've been on. 

 

The crew was exceptional. Great service everywhere. If you get Genifer for your cabin steward(ess), consider your self lucky. She's awesome.

 

Make friends with Shane the star bartender in the Martini Bar...you'll be glad you did. You'll know who he is...he's the "cute one" doing the flair tricks and all the women love him (including Mrs. Schmoopie).

 

Hmm, as long as Shane keeps the drinks flowing, we can be friends. I’ll leave it at that. Big fan of the Martini Bar. 

[Jaworskym]

2 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

We were on the Encore in May and had the Jade booked for earlier this month. I was concerned because I had not cruised on a smaller ship before. 

I ended up loving the Jade! No difficulty getting into the MDR for dinner or lunch but there is only lunch in the MDR on Sea days not every afternoon.

Garden Cafe was always crowded and busy and it took some luck to snag a table sometimes.

Casino was small and smokey so we spent very little time in there. 

Instead after the 9pm shows we headed for our nightly fun time at the Martini Bar. We met our favorite bartender ever there, Jay Mark. We had so much fun closing down the bar with the best workers. So many laughs, good natured joking along with some serious talks about their families and life on a cruise ship.

Mojito bar usually had seats available.

I can't recommend eating at Moderno the Brazilian steakhouse. All the beef meat choices were overcooked to well done even the filet. The chicken and pork belly were very good. Would have preferred Cagney's for sure.

The complimentary Chinese restaurant was hit and miss. Some dishes were quite bad, others quite good. You also need a reservation to eat here. 

Pool situation was good. By 8:30 when we arrived we were able to pick out good shade spots.

There was no comedy for our sailing but the production shows were good.

If it applies to you the military appreciation was really nice, the best one we have attended.

Getting on the ship and getting off carrying our luggage was quick and easy.

 

I’m retired USAF and enjoyed the military appreciation service on the Encore back in Oct. I put the NCL challenge coin on my desk along with many others. 
Archie was still playing at The District on your sailing. We probably caught five hours of his shows that week, great performer. I’m afraid I would eat too much at the Brazilian steakhouse anyway so wouldn’t try that. Cagney’s was really good on the bliss and encore. 
Good tip on reservations for the Jasmine Garden. For a short sailing like this, I don’t mind not having a comedian or magician, and can spend that time at the martini bar or sugarcane