This was our 2nd cruise with NCL, and based upon our last one on the Crown to Halifax out of Phila, Pa. we should never have gone on the Jade. (The one to Halifax was scheduled to visit Savannah,Ga. but the capt. said he was having trouble with 1 of his engines and BESIDES HE HAD NO DOCKING RIGHTS (AND THEY KNEW 1 YEAR IN ADVANCE THAT THEY WERE TO GO TO SAVANNAH). NCL, (how big of them,) gave everyone $25. A letter to the home office was answered with a " that's the way it is".)

Now to the Jade. We picked the ship because Norway has a policy of only allowing each cruise line ONE cruise a year up to the fjords, and it was the time (June/July) we wanted to go. The bus ride to Southhampton was ok, but getting our boarding tickets to get on board was a nightmare. No A/C in a waiting room of over 2,000 people, and when we did get on board at noon, they said the rooms would not be ready till 3pm. The cabins were smaller than we had experienced on HAL, (same category).Freestyle dining is a joke...11 restaurants but only 3 free. And of the 3, only 1 was a regular dining room, the other 2 were buffets that were tasteless ,unless you like curry and spices. The pay ones ($10 to $20 per person) were just ok. The Italian and French ones were very good. However, in the French Bistro it was loaded with large Spanish families that allowed 2-3 year old children to run wild and bother other diners, with no staff to stop their antics,even allowing them to bang with their hands on oil paintings. The shore excursions were not that great, but the PRICES WERE. One morning, after buying 2 tickets for a shore excursion, my wife did not feel well. When I asked about a refund at the desk, I was told I would need a doctor's note. IE, I would have to pay $100 to the doctor to get a $73 refund !!!

The staff's knowledge of English was poor, esp. at the trivia sessions. The girl had to go through the questions and use the ones she could pronounce... Read more