This was my second time on the Jade, and my partner's first cruise ever. We were both generally very happy with the ship (activities, food, service) and the itinerary. We had wonderful sunny skies, mild temperatures, and calm seas for all but the last two days of the cruise, so we were very lucky there.

We stated overnight in Rome and took the train to the port around 11am the next day. We had a short walk around Civitavecchia looking for some bottled water to take on board, then took the port shuttle to the ship. Check-in was fast and efficient, and we were on board in no time, and our stateroom was ready. Our suitcases didn't arrive until almost dinnertime, however.

We had booked an obstructed oceanview guarantee and got the dreaded "upgrade" to a deck 4 forward porthole. It was fine. We didn't notice any crew or mechanical noise. We could hear the waves on the last couple of nights, and in some ports people would be walking right outside our window, but we thought it was funny. The room was a bit out of the way for some activities, but convenient for the theater, the fitness room, and for getting on and off the ship at most of the ports. It was especially practical on disembarkation day, since we did the easy walk-off and just had to roll our suitcases down the hall and off the ship. Read more