Norwegian Jade Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We thought a cruise with my brothers and their wives (6 total people) would be the best way to see three countries. No need to worry about the lodging and meals. My sister-in-law has Irish heritage and my family ancestors were from England so we wanted to see the land of our ancestors. We were disappointed with some of the excursions. The one to St. Patrick's Cathedral was disappointing. The tour guide was annoying as she kept saying,"Excuse me, excuse me!" every other sentence. She said she was going to cover 4-5 highlights of the cathedral which would take 20-25 minutes. However, when we looked at our watches, we realized that would take up the whole time and no free time for us to explore on our own. My husband and I ditched her lectures and went on our own. Another place I would have liked to stay longer is the Blarney Castle. The line was so long to be able to go and kiss the blarney stone that that eats up all your time there. The grounds are beautiful and the shop there is very nice. In the summer, a falconer is there with his birds. I think NCL should offer that excursion as an all day trip. Either bring a lunch or sell lunches there so one can enjoy the grounds. We didn't get to explore all the grounds but what we did see was beautiful. We really enjoyed the Falkirk Wheel excursion. The Cagney Steakhouse Restaurant was excellent. La Cucina was ok. The Teppanyaki was fun if you like that style of dining. The last night of the cruise, the entertainment was excellent. This was my first NCL cruise and I would cruise with them again.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We lucked out in that we were placed in a disabled room although we're not disabled. The bathroom was large to accommodate a wheelchair. With the floor drains being level with the tile, the water from the shower did not drain off and tended to pool on the floor. Could be a slip/fall risk. My husband said he would notice an odor from the shower drain at times. This was more so when we were gone all day on an excursion and then come back to the room. Our steward, Willie Lopez, was very helpful and friendly.
Port Reviews
Cobh (Cork)
Title: The Best of Ireland excursion: Would have liked to spend more time at the Blarney Castle. Line too long to go kiss the Blarney Stone. The grounds are beautiful. Lunch was provided on this excursion which was nice. Had the Michael Kennedy Irish band play and sing and two dancers entertain us with with two dances. .
Kirkwall
Went on the excursion of the Ancient Treasures of Orkney. These stones are older than Stonehenge from the neolithic era. You can actually go and touch some of the stones. Not all are roped off. A cross on one of the stones is believed to be from the 12th century. Saw lots of single stones in people's yards. Also visited the Skaiel House of Orkney built in the 1600s and the Skara Brae, also from the neolithic era. . .