REVIEW - Jade, 12 day Western Med

[khuff7]

Thanks CruisinEurope for your detailed review. It is very informative, and getting us more excited for our cruise:)

 

 

bluesea777, what was the name of the hotel that you stayed overnight in? We are booked on the tour, and I wanted to check out the hotel online.:)

[Romeosc]

I agree with Jen's comments!

 

Thanks to everyone on Cruise Critic for all fun! We met many new people and experienced sites that are "once in a lifetime!"

 

We did like the overnight since we couldn't bear to do the 6 hour roundtrip in same day! We are glad we had the chance to do things no one else in the world has done! (wife falling inside of pyramid, my dropping reading glasses in bottom of 6000 year old Hypageum, even collecting over 50 papyrus drawings (he who dies with most toys wins!) I enjoy the bartering... I was going to set up a "$10 table" on ship to compete with them selling my collections of bookmarks, pens, keychains, papyrus, tablecloths etc!

[CruisinEurope]

I agree with Jen's comments!

 

Thanks to everyone on Cruise Critic for all fun! We met many new people and experienced sites that are "once in a lifetime!"

 

We did like the overnight since we couldn't bear to do the 6 hour roundtrip in same day! We are glad we had the chance to do things no one else in the world has done! (wife falling inside of pyramid, my dropping reading glasses in bottom of 6000 year old Hypageum, even collecting over 50 papyrus drawings (he who dies with most toys wins!) I enjoy the bartering... I was going to set up a "$10 table" on ship to compete with them selling my collections of bookmarks, pens, keychains, papyrus, tablecloths etc!

 

 

Steve,

 

you are HYSTERICAL! You did NOT drop your glasses in the Hypageum?? Really?!?!?! OMG! Too funny!!!

 

I want Dina as my personal shopping guide on my next trip - will you let her come out and play some day?? :D

[ukbecky]

I agree with the OP 100% about Egypt. The vendors were the worst and we came back with very few souveniers because we refused to buy from them. Not much has been written about them and I thought the few negative comments were probably an overreaction. No, they're even worse than you can imagine - stuffing things under your arms and into your hands and on your head, swarming the bus doors as you get off and stalking you, especially at the pyramids - you just want to get back on the bus and leave.

As for the poverty, I've been to over 30 countries, including several in South America and in Asia and nothing compared to what we saw in Egypt. It was truly horrible. It's just such a mess -piles of rubble and trash everywhere - and this in two major cities, not rural villages.

 

That said, I am glad I went and glad I never have to go there again.

 

Bring food for the bus - we left port at 7 am for Cairo and didn't go to the hotel for lunch until almost 3:00.

We were on the same NCL Overnight tour as bluesea777 (in bus #2) and our hotel was on the Nile (the Marriott) but we were put in the smaller wing, not the tower, so we did not have a view of the Nile or the city, just the hotel pool/courtyard. The four of us were split between two rooms and they gave us rooms in different buildings. We were not pleased.

[kleinaar]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. We are an american family currently living in Italy. We are going on this exact ship and ports on the 29th next month and have two young kids with us so it's great to read a family review. I'm a little nervous about taking my 4 and 2 year old to Cairo, so I'm not sure yet if I'll leave them on the ship for that one. We hired a private tour so we could go at our own pace. If we take them, I do worry a little about taking them to crowded, dirty places, with no bathrooms. I was happy to hear about laundry on the ship. I think it's worth $25 to not have to pack so much. :-) Food options sound like a typical buffet, what I expected. You answered a lot of my general questions about the ship and ports, thanks!

[ImpulsivePuppy]

What an amazing review!! Are you a travel writer? You could be! Thanks for taking the time to write and to post it.

[dos equis]

Wow, best review ever!

 

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to write this! I'm going to be on the Jade for 14 nights in May (3rd cruise overall, first NCL cruise,first time to Europe ever) and you've made me feel very confident that I'm going to have a great time. We have a completely different itinerary, but at least I know that the ship itself will be something to look forward to! I will end up having some specific questions, I'm sure, so hopefully you won't mind me messaging you to ask before I leave? Thanks again!!!

 

Jamie

[CruisinEurope]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. We are an american family currently living in Italy. We are going on this exact ship and ports on the 29th next month and have two young kids with us so it's great to read a family review. I'm a little nervous about taking my 4 and 2 year old to Cairo, so I'm not sure yet if I'll leave them on the ship for that one. We hired a private tour so we could go at our own pace. If we take them, I do worry a little about taking them to crowded, dirty places, with no bathrooms. I was happy to hear about laundry on the ship. I think it's worth $25 to not have to pack so much. :-) Food options sound like a typical buffet, what I expected. You answered a lot of my general questions about the ship and ports, thanks!

 

 

Thanks!

 

I don't think you can leave kids that young on the ship for that long ... do check (and double check, and check again) prior to leaving so that you don't have any nasty surprises on the ship.

 

I honestly think that if you go with a private guide/guard you will be OK - even with the small kids. I would NOT recommend a ship tour where you are left to fend for yourself at the pyramids/etc.

 

SO - to this end, be SURE that you have a male guide (or, at the least, a male guard if you have a female guide) with you at all times. Again, not for protection in the bodily harm sense, just to act as a shild between your family and the "businessmen".

 

Bring wet wipes (lots of em!) and be sure to tell your guide/guard that you will need to find potty stops that are up to US standards. They may have to use resort-type hotels or the bigger "ship sponsored" papyrus "museum"/store things. If you have a good guide, they will know where to take you.

 

I honestly even went so far as to pack travel urinals (JUST IN CASE!) - but we didn't need them. The kids were able to use the bathroom on the bus ... so that worked OK for us.

 

Do your research on hotels if you choose to spend the night. Choose ones that have glowing reviews ONLY. Also - with a family of 4 - you will need 2 rooms in MOST Pyramid area hotels. The ONLY one we found that would let us put 4 ppl into a room was the Cairo Marriott (not near the pyramids - but in downtown Cairo). (which didn't work for us, as we needed to be near the pyramids for our schedule to work out).

 

THAT was a huge factor in us deciding NOT to stay overnight. We just couldn't bring ourselves to pay for 2 rooms in questionable hotels, not knowing if our rooms would be close or in totally separate buildings.

 

 

Now - even as I'm writing this I'm realizing that it's coming across horribly.... that you'll be visiting some horrible death trap or something. It's really not like that at all.... you just have to be prepared.

 

AND

 

some people LOVE Egypt, go there all the time without guards or guides, etc. and have no problem.

 

So, as with EVERYTHING in life - it just depends on WHO you are and what your likes/dislikes are.

 

I just think that it all comes down to taking a close stock of your family - what you can handle, and then making informed choices and decisions.

 

Regardless of what you choose - ENJOY your trip!

[CruisinEurope]

What an amazing review!! Are you a travel writer? You could be! Thanks for taking the time to write and to post it.

 

 

LOL thanks! Nope, not a writer of ANY kind! But glad you enjoyed the review!

[CruisinEurope]

Wow, best review ever!

 

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to write this! I'm going to be on the Jade for 14 nights in May (3rd cruise overall, first NCL cruise,first time to Europe ever) and you've made me feel very confident that I'm going to have a great time. We have a completely different itinerary, but at least I know that the ship itself will be something to look forward to! I will end up having some specific questions, I'm sure, so hopefully you won't mind me messaging you to ask before I leave? Thanks again!!!

 

Jamie

 

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, I tell ya, the reviews on here bashing the Jade and NCL in general REALLY made me nervous. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into - - but we went with an open mind and the knowledge about the "gratuities" and the "extra" dining options, and all the other ridiculous things that people whine about on here, etc.

 

We researched on the NCL site, our brochure, and these boards -- and felt that we would be just fine.

 

And you know what? We were MORE than fine! We really enjoyed the Jade and the NCL way of cruising. It fit our family WONDERFULLY and we'll be back and back and back!

[CruisinEurope]

I agree 100% with what you said about Egypt. I went on the Jade there last year and didn't like the experience. I was glad I saw it but was glad it was over. Since then they put up a fence around the Pyramids but I heard you can't tell much of a difference.

 

(sorry - just saw this message)

 

 

LOL the "fence" around the pyramids is a rope. Literally a rope wrapped around them. It's to supposedly keep people from climbing or touching them, but we still saw kids up on the blocks, and adults trying to climb them.

 

I wish they made a fence to keep the "businessmen" penned up! LOL. You can go IN there if you want the real Egypt experience. :D:o

 

 

NOW - just to be fair. The vendors up on the "lookout plateu" - where you can see all the pyramids in a row - were MUCH (and I mean a ZILLION times) easier to deal with.

 

We went there after visiting the pyramids and DH stayed on the bus w/ the kids (who refused to get off, and I don't blame them!). I went out solo and had NO PROBLEMs at all! Honestly! Yes, people came up to me, but if I said NO THANK YOU firmly and kept walking, they didn't follow (which was NOT the case down near the pyramids).

 

So, again, I don't know if our experience was so "bad" because we were a family and they thought we were easy targets... or what.

 

 

Also - on that note - the vendors down at the pier in Alexandria are downright NICE (comparatively speaking). yes, they ask you to come in and browse, and are offended if you don't take a polite glance around ... but they do not hound you or put things on you or follow you for a mile as you try to walk away.

 

we did most of our shopping HERE - and felt that the "selection" and the "prices" were actually better HERE than anywhere else we stopped.

 

Now, it could have been that way because we shopped there early on day 2 when most of the ship was out touring Alexandria.... we had the entire row of shops almost to ourselves... so maybe they backed off a bit. Who knows.

 

But the entire 2 hours we were there (yes - we spent that much time there leisurly browsing, chatting with the vendors, trying on bellydance costumes, etc.) we actually enjoyed ourselves. Kids were happy, they were treated well, and we were able to get them the little trinket things that they wanted without having to rush or feel extorted.

 

:D

[bluesea777]

For us, it was different. We were only handed stickers as we left the stardust theater. We were not "pre-assigned" to our busses at all.

 

So - I guess it'll be a good idea to do BOTH - alert the shore excursion desk and be sure to follow up at the theater to make sure you're all on the same bus.

 

:D

 

We were, too, given the number stickers as we were leaving the Stardust theater but they had to look on our excusrion tickets for the bus number.

[CruisinEurope]

We were, too, given the number stickers as we were leaving the Stardust theater but they had to look on our excusrion tickets for the bus number.

 

they didn't look at our ex. tickets. the lady in the stardust just announced what tour you were on, and if you were on that tour, you left, got your sticker, and off you went.

 

we had a couple on our bus (with the right sticker #) who was on the wrong tour. he only realized it as we were about to drive away.

 

no one ever checked the tix - including the guide when we handed them to her.

 

(not complaining - just stating what happened for us).

 

Luckily though - I think they were the only ones that got on the wrong bus (which was TOTALLY their fault for not knowing what tour they were on).

[bluesea777]

We were on the same NCL Overnight tour as bluesea777 (in bus #2) and our hotel was on the Nile (the Marriott) but we were put in the smaller wing, not the tower, so we did not have a view of the Nile or the city, just the hotel pool/courtyard. The four of us were split between two rooms and they gave us rooms in different buildings. We were not pleased.

 

Marriott?? We stayed in the Semiramsis InterContinental hotel. This is where we had the buffet lunch on the first day in one of the Ballrooms. Very nice. We also went there for breakfast the next morning.

[CruisinEurope]

Marriott?? We stayed in the Semiramsis InterContinental hotel. This is where we had the buffet lunch on the first day in one of the Ballrooms. Very nice. We also went there for breakfast the next morning.

 

 

I looked into the NCL overnight - and had asked them what hotels they use in Cairo.

 

I was told they have a few that they use, and you get put in one based on when you sign up for the ex. They fill one hotel, then move down their list until they've reached max. capacity.

 

So, it was not odd to have ppl on the same shore ex in different hotels.

 

ALSO - with NCL I was told that even though we had 2 adults and 2 kids, we needed 2 rooms. None of the hotels they used would put 4 in a room.

[bluesea777]

Thanks CruisinEurope for your detailed review. It is very informative, and getting us more excited for our cruise:)

 

 

bluesea777, what was the name of the hotel that you stayed overnight in? We are booked on the tour, and I wanted to check out the hotel online.:)

 

We stayed at Semiramsis InterContinental hotel in Cairo. Very nice and clean hotel.

 

Mind you, the hotel might change. We had no idea where we were going to stay until we got on the coach and our guide told us. The NCL excusrion desk would not know.

[bluesea777]

THAT was a huge factor in us deciding NOT to stay overnight. We just couldn't bring ourselves to pay for 2 rooms in questionable hotels, not knowing if our rooms would be close or in totally separate buildings.

 

They would put you all into one room with 2 double beds.

 

We were 3 and we had one room with 2 beds and we asked for and got a rollaway (adult bed) which turned out to be a comfortable one (for a change!).

 

The hotel room and all meals were included in the tour price as were all admission charges. All we paid was for souvenirs.

[insidecabin]

The pyramids have got a lot better since the fence went up they have reduced the number of vendors a lot. (the ropes round the pyramids are not the fence the fence is a long way back so you don't see it from the pyramids.

 

I actualy did not think it was that bad as I thought it would be, they are very anoying and persistant.

 

 

DO NOT give them your camera to take a picture and that includes the POLICE.

 

DO NOT try to give stuff back if they give you something or put something on you, just throw it on the ground.

[CruisinEurope]

They would put you all into one room with 2 double beds.

 

We were 3 and we had one room with 2 beds and we asked for and got a rollaway (adult bed) which turned out to be a comfortable one (for a change!).

 

The hotel room and all meals were included in the tour price as were all admission charges. All we paid was for souvenirs.

 

 

Sorry - but that is incorrect. The max they allow in a room is 3. Not 4. I EXHAUSTIVELY searched this and spoke with dozens of people.

 

It made no sense to me AT ALL, as I know there were rooms w/ 2 double beds and the SPACE for 4, they just do not allow it for whatever reason.

[CruisinEurope]

The pyramids have got a lot better since the fence went up they have reduced the number of vendors a lot. (the ropes round the pyramids are not the fence the fence is a long way back so you don't see it from the pyramids.

 

I actualy did not think it was that bad as I thought it would be, they are very anoying and persistant.

 

 

DO NOT give them your camera to take a picture and that includes the POLICE.

 

DO NOT try to give stuff back if they give you something or put something on you, just throw it on the ground.

 

OHHHH THAT fence! Really? It's new and it actually did cut back on the ppl vending? WOW. Glad I didn't go before the fence. LOL :rolleyes:

 

Yes, that is GREAT advice about not trying to hand stuff back - -DO just drop it on the ground and walk away. Don't try to be polite - it's not worth it.

 

ALSO - never ever get ON a camel for a "free ride" - one person that we knew did this and had to pay $100 (US!) to get off. :eek:

[aussiecruzer]

Great review! Brought back memories of our Jade cruise in Sept 08 which we really enjoyed too! :):)

[cromwell43]

Great review and I have forwarded the link to our rollcall Mar 29th sailing.

One question, you said you did Athens on your own. Are the street signs in just the greek letters or are they written in normal ?? letters. I have good walking instructions to the places we want to go but when I download the google map the streets are only in the greek letters...

Thanks for any help you can give

 

Cheryl

[hightownCO]

Thoroughly enjoyed your review. DD (16) and I are on Jade doing same iten. March 2010. Your review was fantastic & provided so much information for what will be our first venture to Europe and first time on NCL.

 

I've bookmarked your links for tour operators. Have tons of time to research and plan and your review has really been helpful.

 

Thanks so much!

[mickeysgal]

DO NOT try to give stuff back if they give you something or put something on you, just throw it on the ground.

 

I would have a real hard time with someone putting something on me. That's way to invasive for me.

 

It just seems too dangerous to take a chance on visiting here. If you need an armed guard on the NCL bus, there must be a reason. It's not just for kicks. If you can't trust the police with a camera, can you imagine what would happen if you're stranded on a broken down bus in the middle of nowwhere? Would one armed guard be enough? I would never want to bring my kids into a situation like this. It would be so easy for them to be grabbed. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but this doesn't seem like a great, safe family port of call.

 

OP, I'm truly glad you saw it but I'm just as glad that you're done with it. :)

[jellywell]

You have made a HUGE difference in my vacation plans! I live on Salt Spring Island,Canada with my two sons, aged 15 and 11. WE are just setting out for the airport where we will be travelling to London for a few days before our cruise on the Norwegian Jade on Feb 15. I lived in London for three years, so understand your comments abour living in Europe. Your very thorough review of the ship will be most helpful, I plan to print it and read it in detail on the plane. Not having cruised before (nor having used cruise critic before), I'm very foolishly quite late in booking my excursions. I've booked Athens taxi on the recommendation of another NCL patron, but am primarily concerned with the Alexandria part now. My two sons will definitely want a camel ride, but probably don't need to stay two days in Cairo. I hate to take advantage of the wonderful research you did without reaping the benefit of it, but perhaps you could feel like you struggle was not all in vain if others could learn from it. How may I contact the fellow you think you should have travelled with?

 

Thanks again.