Norwegian Jade Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Frankly, we picked the NCL Jade simply because their itinerary matched our son's spring break schedule. Fortunately, all the destinations were also new to us except for Cozumel. We were the second cruise after dry dock so it was not surprising to see that they had new carpets, new restaurants, refurbished bar areas, etc. The only things I saw that consistently showed wear and tear were the chairs in the common areas and bars. I believe they were well cleaned but ideally should have been replaced as seat cushions were worn out and upholstery was worn if you took the time to notice. Otherwise though, everything looked fresh and well-maintained. I did not think that public space restrooms were well maintained. I never once saw an attendant in a woman's restroom or one closed for cleaning. I did see a guy maintaining a men's room once. They'd start out ok but by mid-day there would be wet floors, tissues on the floor, toilets that needed to be cleaned and no paper towels. I don't get that when bathroom cleanliness is key to keeping a ship healthy, not to mention it was gross. Other public spaces were kept neat but not the restrooms.
This is not a ship for kids if you are planning to limit excursions. It is older and not surprisingly lacks pool slides, rock walls, fountains and other pool-side thrills. The kids club seemed to have a lot available but my son found a friend and they hung out together most of the time playing basketball, video arcade games, shuffle board and pool time. We also made sure to get off and do excursions at each port to keep it interesting for our 11 year old son. We knew all of this before we booked so it was not a disappointment - just something to know about if you choose this ship.
The food was adequate at the buffet. To me, it all tastes the same but my husband and son liked it well enough. We all enjoyed the specialty restaurant choices. Our favorite was Le Bistro. My husband said his steak was done perfectly and we all agreed the quality and flavor was the best of the four extra $ restaurants we tried. All were good through and worth the extra fees in our opinion. We tried Le Bistro, Moderno, Cagney's and Tempanyaki.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
Our cabin was 11558 and provided easy access to the pool deck and buffet. The only bad thing was that the safe didn't work from the moment we boarded. We asked the steward to fix it every day through the first 4 days and then gave up. He had to know it didn't work when we boarded but he never seemed very concerned or motivated to have it repaired. Other than that, he was nice to us and made up the rooms as requested and provided the obligatory towel animals. Some stewards on other cruises have tidied up the room a little but he touched nothing but the beds and kept the bathroom clean. More would have earned him additional tips but as it was, he did the basics expected.
Our cabin was obviously refurbished and we appreciated the new interior plus extra outlets and USB ports. There were no outlets next to the bed. This was awkward for my husband's C-Pap machine. The cord reached but you might want an extension cord if you have things you want to plug in next to your bed. There were USB ports next to the bed so you could recharge your phone overnight and use it as your alarm clock if desired. The couch was like a rock and it was hard as a bed for my son but it was livable with the addition of a foam mat under the sheets. The main bed was firm but comfortable. Pillows were good too. The bathroom is good but not refurbished. However, it was still in good shape. It has a hard plastic movable shower partition so there was no leaking on the floor. I was happy about that since it's hard to keep the floors dry in a space that shares a sink, toilet and shower in a small space. We had a balcony that was good sized and we used it regularly.
Port Reviews
Tampa
Embarkation went smoothly but getting off was another story. They had a whopping THREE customs officials on duty and it took forever. One of the customs people were only checking out those that a porter was helping for tips so it's my feeling that the customs official in that line was underutilized as not that many people chose to hire a porter. It was Easter Sunday so maybe that's why they had so few people in customs to check out 3,000 people. This is not something NCL has a ton of control over but it was not an ideal ending memory of the cruise experience.
Costa Maya
Crowded, dirty and we were pestered constantly by hawkers. Couldn't wait to get back to the ship!