On this cruise from Istanbul to Athens it was just my wife and I. As we wanted to get the most out of our cruise we thoroughly researched both the Jade and our port itinerary before sailing. By doing so I truly think we were able to optimize our NCL cruise experience in as much as it was possible to do so. Throughout the review I will try to consolidate what we learned from earlier reviews along with our own live experiences so that those of you taking this trip in the months to come can also get as much value out of your cruise as we did.
SHIP - The Jade still retains its bold Hawaiian theme throughout and management gave us no hint that they are planning to change that anytime soon. The wild colors used in many of the public spaces onboard may remind some cruisers of Las Vegas. When NCL does eventually update the Jade we personally hope they do so with a more elegant, understated design and also choose one that is geographically neutral. Overall the ship looks and feels exactly its age at about 5 years old... not the newest, but also not old yet by any means.
CABIN - We booked a standard cabin with outside window view. Unfortunately, our window was quite dirty with sea spray when we first boarded in Istanbul and was not cleaned until mid-cruise in Iraklion. Overall we found the cabin to be adequate as a floating hotel. Cabin service by our stewards was both consistent and friendly throughout the cruise.