Picked this cruise primarily because of the itinerary. Had never been to Bonaire, Aruba or Curacuo. Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth. Cabin was nice. When they refurbished last year, they put in a vanity stool as the only seating. For people with back issues this is a problem as there is no back support. As I did last year when I was on the Northern Capitals European cruise, I asked for a chair with back and one was promptly provided. The water in the shower took hours to drain. For the most part the food was good and the Hot & Sour soap in the Jasmine restaurant is the best I've ever had. Entertainment was good - the acrobats were magnificent! I took the Best of Bonaire; Best of Aruba and Willemstad Trolley tours. Learned a lot about each country and enjoyed the tours. FYI- right outside the pier there is a free trolley that circles through downtown Aruba, you can get on and off. Crew was polite and helpful. I was in the Solo traveler group and the Coordinator on this cruise was Roberto Olea. He was exceptional! Full of knowledge, encouraging and fun. He is an excellent host for NCL. Three out of the last four years - 2015, 2017 and 2018, I have cruised on the Jade and would happily do so again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for its unique itinerary to the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) with 4 full sea days for utmost relaxation. The ship was recently refurbished and - although we cannot compare with the "before" - we thought the decor and finishes were excellent. Tasteful yet fun and modern, not gaudy or too glitzy. This is the largest ship we have cruised on and think it's perfect for familiarization over 7-8 days. We actually knew where we were going after Day 3! Embarkation was well organized, just had to wait about an hour in cruise terminal. Debarkation was smooth with pre-booked transportation to MIA airport. Just waited awhile for the bus to fill up. Appreciated the priority given for the earliest flights. We were off the ship by 8:30am and easily made a 12:30pm flight departure with plenty of time to spare. We had a mid-ship balcony cabin and am now convinced that the mid-ship location is worth a little extra $$. You can zip down to the room to grab something without having to traverse the length of the ship. The cabin was large enough and thoughtfully configured. We really appreciated and utilized all the shelving, drawers, desks, and cubbies throughout. The bathroom was no exception - the shower and toilet have sliding glass doors for privacy and there is plenty of space to put all those little travel bottles. Three glass shelves by the sink and a larger under-sink shelf hold all the stuff. The shower has a handheld sprayer and several metal wire shelves for more bottles. It's actually larger than my "phone booth" shower at home! The ship's crew were lovely, with some impressive bartenders. We didn't have to wait a long time for a drink. The sushi cooks were awesome! Loved the espresso bar - that barista knows how to make a great cappuccino!! Enjoyed the Garden Cafe indoor/outdoor buffet and Grand Pacific dining room. The Alizar dining room was fine, pretty basic but great for a no-frills meal. We used the Specialty Dining Package for Cagney's (1) and Sushi Bar (2). Both were excellent, we were very happy! Karaoke at night was popular so that was fun - I purposely sang a non-country song to mix things up a bit (come on, people). The casino was really hot and smoky for the first 2 days but they resolved the issue and it was tolerable the remainder of cruise. The Stardust Theater is very nice with fun "Venetian Carnival" decor. The entertainment was great and got better each night. The aerialists - WOW!! Everyone in the theater was turned on LOL. The comedian Alvin was also excellent - enjoyed the adults only show on the last night. We did not book any shore excursions through the ship, but loved the cold, refreshing towels and welcome dance party upon our return! The only point of criticism is for the organized activities during sea days. Not everyone likes to spend all day at the pool or on a chaise lounge, so it would have been nice to have some more fun or interesting activities that you don't need to go poolside for during sea days. The evening Pub Trivia on the first sea day was awful and we couldn't wait to get out of there. This was for idiots! It was multiple choice and every answer was D. Are you kidding me? Pub trivia is supposed to be challenging and (somewhat) raunchy. Make it fun! We're day drinking, after all :) We also participated in Movie Trivia, Shout out the Lyrics Gameshow, Deal or No Deal, and Bingo. Bingo is expensive ($50ea) with small pots (~$200). Not worth it IMO. Overall, this was a great cruise and we had a BLAST!! Norwegian does a great job with everything they have to deal with. We can't wait for the next cruise with Norwegian!! Read Less

The ship was nice, service in the restaurants was very basic, usually had to ask 3 or 4 times for iced tea and was lucky if they refilled the glass. Food was good but didn't always arrive hot. The shows were superb! I have been on more than 30 cruises with my spouse but this was the first time travelling solo and noticed that the service was geared more to couples and families. Many times in the restaurants it felt like I was ignored or rushed by the wait staff because I was alone. The daily entertainment guide always offered a good variety of things to do. Shore excursion in Aruba was great, did the 4x4 safari. Definitely a must do. In Curacao went to the Ostrich Farm, would not recommend it, the ostriches look sickly and it is very dirty. Bonaire was beautiful, although most of the excursions are geared towards those who scuba or snorkel. Read Less

First, a little about my past cruising experiences: This was my 19th cruise overall and first with Norwegian. Past cruises have primarily been with Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival and even a Holland America voyage thrown in. I'd heard mixed reviews (literally love/hate, no in between) of NCL in the past and wanted to see for myself. When a good itinerary popped up, with a great price and free perks, I didn't hesitate. I'm of the mind that a vacation is what you make of it... I'm pretty simple to please, had a fantastic time and just like each of the 18 before it, I wish I was still relaxing onboard. Miami and Embarkation: Stayed overnight at the Eurostar Langford, downtown Miami. They have an awesome outdoor rooftop bar ($reasonable) and buffet breakfast ($15pp). Ate a lovely dinner at the sports bar across the street, which I can't recall the name of. Although a little loud with sports fans watching the game, the food was good, reasonably priced and I'd highly recommend the yucca fries; so tasty! Uber to the port from the hotel was under 10 minutes and cost something like $20. The embarkation process was quick, painless and smooth overall. Arriving about 30-45 minutes ahead of our scheduled check-in time was not a problem. Curb to cruise card in hand was about 30-45 minutes, followed by a wait of approximately 15 minutes to board the ship. Not bad in my opinion. Rooms weren't ready right away (~1:00 pm), but not a big deal. Headed to O'Sheehans for lunch, which was quick, delicious and complimentary (fish and chips, shepard's pie, pound cake and brownie cheesecake were all quite good)! Just a note, when still in US port, even with unlimited beverage package, you are required to pay tax -- completely understandable and they were upfront about that! The Ship: The ship is smaller than the mega liners of Royal Caribbean, but it was nicely laid out and easy to navigate (although it took me two days to figure out that there was another main dining room at the back of the ship, haha!). Muster drill was painless and for stateroom 5048 was held in Le Bistro, French restaurant on deck 6. Simple and quick. I did notice that the deck had limited loungers for sun bathing. We always found a chair, but it was full at times, which is to be expected. On days with very high wind (first two sea days) it was a little less crowded on deck... which made sense because it was REALLY windy. Felt good though, as the hot sun and high wind evened out. The ship was recently refurbished so it was in great condition overall and very clean. For a ship with such a long service (Jade was previously the Sun) since 2006... it is in great shape. Lovely colors, what I'd call understated elegance... no plain, not extravagant, but really comfortable and classy. The Stateroom: 5048 is an oceanview with picture window. Well appointed, classy colors and overall very comfortable. Always amazing how many cubbies, drawers, shelves and areas there are to store stuff. I can't imagine ever being able to bring enough to fill every space. The bathroom is really neat having a separate toilet with sliding door. Although it is glass, with minimal privacy, so overall you wouldn't want to invite others to use the sink while in there. Also, I found when you actually needed to use the toilet, it was kind of cramped, so that door stayed open anyway. Nice idea though! Very nice bathroom and the shower was nice (it's a sliding door, so no curtains to get frisky when showering). My only two minor complaints were the picture window (it was a great size but very scratched and hazed, so you couldn't get a great view) and the a/c. It was very warm the entire trip. We did mention it but nothing changed. I am always cold and thought it felt a bit warm, especially when sleeping, but didn't really impact me. Our companions were just a few doors down and had a hot night the first night, but it improved for the rest of the trip. It wasn't HOT, just a little warmer than preferred. Oh well, guess that means I'll spend some more time exploring the ship, haha! Oh, and the beds were pretty comfortable. This is also a connecting room, but I only once heard a sneeze from the adjoining room, nothing more for all 8-days. Our stateroom attendant was good. The room was cleaned nicely as needed and we didn't run out of necessities at all. Overall, stateroom service was good! Service: This is the only... complaint? I don't know that I'd call it a complaint (except one specific experience). I guess it was more of an observation. Normally cruise staff go out of their way to say hello and really make you feel special. Most experiences were similar on Jade. A few times, staff didn't respond when I said hello in passing, our stateroom attendant was a little cold, and some bar staff weren't overly friendly, but all in all everyone provided good service in the end. I think the freestyle cruising a partly to blame as the dining staff doesn't get to know you on a personal level and therefore doesn't have the ability to provide that exceptional experience. Still good, but not WOWing. Dinner was normally served efficiently, with only one night we had to wait to be seated. Bar drinks were produced quickly, tasted great and they didn't skimp on alcohol! Although dinner felt very cold with an "order-taker" feel, not really warm and friendly. Was only offered coffee after dinner twice, although simply asking worked perfectly. Bartenders sometimes were all business, but this can also be understandable when the bar is busy. Not a complain, just an observation. I think it could be summed up by saying it felt understaffed. No time to be overly friendly, but never being rude of off-putting. Except once... the hostess, Y--, at the Italian specialty restaurant. Long-story short... my reservation was confirmed for 7:00 pm, but her paper showed 6:45 pm. Arriving approximately 7:03 pm she repeated three times that our reservation was for 6:45 pm, not 7:00 pm (and I didn't have my confirmation paper at the moment). She made a call to see if we could be "accommodated," and even when seating us repeated that since we had missed our reservation, to be understanding if service was slower than expected so we could be accommodated. Just very rude about it. Seeing as the restaurant had approximately 4 tables full, the rest empty, I can't even imagine what the problem would've been if we had, in fact been late (just to note, i did confirm the reservation was for 7:00 pm, not 6:45 pm, and our other two specialty experiences were amazing). They were also a la cart and our bills were approximately $45 per person, excluding beverages. We had a perk that paid for all three, so only an extra tip for the exceptional service in these restaurants. The Food: I'm not a food snob. If they're cooked the way I like (or somewhere close) and item that should be hot, are hot, I'm happy. So I wasn't disappointed. I thought the selection was great, food was tasty, not overly anything (not too salty, too cold, etc.) it was just great! Breakfast in the dining room was nice, paced well and satisfying. The buffet was clean, varied and worked well for lunch. O'Sheehan's pub was great. Specialty restaurants were great: Steaks were plump, cooked perfectly, very tasty, seafood was great, sides were tasty and desserts were decadent. Overall, i was really happy with the food. The Rest: The ports (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) were great, as always. We didn't use Norwegian for shore excursions, so no reviews there. Also no review on the fitness area or children's activities. Weather was OK, rained a bit in Aruba and Bonaire. Had an amazing time at Soroban resort in Bonaire. It poured heavy when we were in the ocean, which had all of us laughing hysterically. It was a great memory! Disembarkation: The process was similar to all others. Luggage out the night before, pick your tags/departure time, etc. On the morning of departure our cabin steward was a little rude advising, quite firmly, that we must be out by 8:30, which was not a problem. I know turn-around day is rough for the workers, so I'll assume that's what it was. Oh well, he still did great every other day! Once our tag color was ready we walked off the ship, got our bags, traversed customs and was in a taxi within 15 minutes. Overview: It was a great cruise... with some very minor issues that didn't detract overall. I don't know that I'd RUN back to Norwegian, but I would feel secure if I chose one for the future, that I will have a great time. Thanks for reading: I hope it helps! Read Less

Cruise was an anniversary gift. Romantic package was excellent. For someone who can’t walk very well getting to the ship and back was a bad experience. Complimentary food was good we only had one subpar meal. Crew was always friendly and helpful. Shows were very entertaining however showroom seats were not comfortable. Shopping and port information briefings were very good. Cabin steward was very friendly and helpful. Restaurant service was good although at times it seems they were under staffed. The ship was clean and seemed well maintained. We did have a water leak outside of our cabin and maintenance people were on it very quickly. Casino was smoky and I could not spend much time there and it only seemed crowded one evening. Entertainment in other areas of the ship was very nice. Drinks were tasty and reasonably priced. Getting around the ship was not hard at all.Overall the cruise was a great time. Read Less

It started when we boarded the ship in Miami, went to the Grand restaurant for lunch. 2 waiters in our section and neither one wanted to wait on us. In fact they argued in front of our table, in front of other passengers. Never in my life have I been so disrespected, embarrassed and angry. Then we made the mistake of going back to dinner at the Grand and asked for a wine list. We were told by the waiter they don't have a wine list, when we forced the issue with him he came back with a piece of paper with only red wines. When we asked about whites he again said they don't have any. We ordered 2 soft drinks while we looked at the menu and the wine list. After selecting a wine, we order our meal and waited for the soft drinks. The bottle of wine came, when I asked about the soft drinks the waiter said "you still want them"??? Once again we asked to speak to whom ever was in charge of the dinning room. When we spoke to her, she informed us that this is a brand new staff, its there first cruise. We went to the bar and order a gin martini and watch the bartender make it. He gave us a bill for premium gin, he said he used Tangueray, which he didn't and we didn't ask for it either. So we went to the casino for some fun only to be very disappointed once again. At the roulette table the girl running it had no idea what she was doing. I placed a bet on the winning number and she paid a guest at the other end of the table with my winnings. Lucky for me the lady was nice and pushed my winnings back to me. Then we bet on odd, which won, and she raked in all the chips thinking no one won. When everyone at the table started shouting at her that she removed a winning bet she asked how much did we bet. I'm an honest made and told her the truth instead of lying and claiming we bet $200 dollars. But it didn't stop there, she spin the ball out of the wheel 2 straight times. The second time she stopped the game to look for the ball. Her manager told her to play another ball but she decided to look for the ball anyways. The manager said in a very stern and loud voice to play the other ball. Finally the gentleman sitting next to me won and the girl paid him half of the amount he was due. The manager once again got involved and paid the correct amount. We only went back to the casino 2 times on our trip. Next, we went on shore in Bonaire, where we wanted to have a picture taken with the mascot. We decided just to have a selfie taken, next thing we heard was the guy taking pictures yelling at the top of his lungs "No pictures unless you pay for them" We had no idea Norwegian was so desperate for money.. Once again another member of the crew embarrassed us in front of people. So the next day we decided to play trivia, until the girl running the game made 2 homophobic comments. I filed a complaint with the cruise director and with guest relations. They gave me a number to use as a reference so I could follow up. The number is 262336. When I called Norwegian to follow up they told me I had to go on line and file another claim. How ridiculous, you insult me on your ship then you want me to file 2 more claims??? For shame on you, the cruise ship, the girl who made the comments and Norwegian cruise line. This cruise was to celebrate my wedding anniversary, it was the worst experience I have ever had on a cruise ship. Norwegian ruined my anniversary, my vacation and my money. You insulted me, embarrassed me and disrespected me. Read Less

GreAt cruise. Fun smaller ship, more intimate and nit crawling with people everywhere. Only three complaints: one, our air conditioning in the cabins is not good ( ours was slwsys warm, neighbors told us theirs was same ); two, we had a 3 meal package upgrade. NCL used to deliver an envelope explaining the packages and related info. Now apparently they just code your room card. Result: we waited for info that never came and when we found out on day two mostbofvthe places and times we would have chosen ( Cagneys) was unavailable. Not cool. Third, whats up with the rap and Gen X music playing loudly at the pool and bars. Get real NCL, the vast majority able to afford your cruises are 40 plus. It is time to Stop marketing to twenty- somethings. It is also high time to make same sex, legally married couples feel equally welcome and to make a very clear public statement (posted) that NCL supports full Diversity and Inclusion! Read Less

This cruise was free so we decided to give it a try. We have been on at least 15 cruises prior to this one. Overall services were quite poor. Bar service and pool service were awful. Could never get a chair at the pool unless u “saved seats” about 6 a.m. Entertainment was mediocre. Food was at best average. Only good thing was ports of call. Never again. First nite on cruise a woman fell while dancing in a club. She was down.. on the floor.. for 47 minutes until medical help came. When help finally arrived , they never even put a collar on her neck. Just “ rolled her onto the stretcher.” There were serveral other issues which I will not address due to the fact that we will never again go on Norwegian cruise line. Only good thing is that we met some lovely people. Thank God!! Read Less

We had pcked this specific cruise for the destinations. And rarely do i complain, but food, spa, room were subpar as compared to past NCL cruises. Osheehans is usually our favourite dining spot to visit onboard but this time was not near their normal standard. Wings were miniature and food was sometimes cold. Meal typically arrived before beverages. Spa was not co-ed so we could not enjoy that as a couple. Spa beds were rarely available due to people hogging/ reserving them. We Advised spa staff that they should police this, but they didn't want to be the bad guy. Still like NCL as a preferred cruise line, but this was our worst of 5 cruises with NCL. We enjoyed our ashore time to each of the 3 Islands. Entertainment was ok and Blazing Boots and comedian Alvin were our davourite shows. We look forward to a better experience on our next NCL cruise. Cheers, Read Less

We traveled on the Norwegian Jade on a trans-Atlantic cruise last year and found it to be a very enjoyable experience so we signed up for this 8-day Caribbean cruise because it was the same ship and we even reserved the same cabin. The crew is great and service was superb. We are not big eaters so I can't comment on the dining but from what I heard from other passengers, it was quite good. We really like Norwegian's "Free Style" cruising and would recommend it for those who want a less regimented experience. We did not attend any of the shows in the Stardust theater but we understand that most passengers really enjoyed them. We were a little disappointed with the entertainment in the Spinnaker lounge. The ship appears to be in excellent condition and was very clean. We took 3- to 4-hour ship's tours in each of the three islands visited (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and really enjoyed them. The tour bus in Aruba was the nicest tour bus I have ever been on with adequate leg-room and leather contoured seats. Read Less