My family and i enjoyed every moment of this cruise from the ports of call, the great service we received and the best food we ever ate. we spent 2 days in rome first and was able to see all rome had to offer. then we got on the boat which took about 35 minutes from check in to our first meal. our first shore excursion time was 9:30 am when i made the reservation. it was changed to 8:00 and i was not aware of the change. when the staff saw how upset i was they contacted the shore excursion manager, dana, who went out of her way to get us on the same excursion with their sister ship at noon. the way they went above and beyond for my family will never be forgotten. for this reason alone i will only cruise norwegian. i can't thank them enough for the special attention i received to make it the best cruise for me and my family. One of the best things about free style dining is I was able to make a reservation for diner 1 hour after all my tours ended. Each day was a different time so going to a diner at the same time everyday would not have worked. And may I say we did not have one bad meal. Plenty to choose from and everything was great. Read Less

We are in Canada, so we flew in Rome 2 days early to ease the time change and visited Rome at the same time. Embarkation and disembarkation were a piece of cake, they were well organised; we followed the instructions and everything went well. We had a cabin with a balcony. This is not a huge cabin but it has everything one may need and lots of space for clothes and stuff. For us, the size was sufficient. We bought a 4 restaurants diner package before we left and we picked the restaurants and nights on the first day. All the other meals were taken at the buffet style dining room. The restaurant packages evenings need to be coordinated with the excursions one is buying: if you come back from an excursion at 1800, you don't want a reservation at the same time. The food was great (the Steakhouse is fantastic for a great steak), everything is clean and the staff do everything they can to assure a great meal experience. Great entertainment and I like the fact that there were great musical acts early in the evening. Services were great. All the staff are doing an excellent job. The biggest problem I had was with the internet. I bought a unlimited social media for two for the 11 days. It cost me almost $300.00 CAD. For that kind of money, I thought I was going to get top quality internet: I did not. I got slow and unreliable wifi. Big let down. We took 4 excursions and they were well organised even if at some times, I was left wondering if I got my money worth. The company run the outfit in a very professional manner and I will be looking at them first when I decide to go on my next cruise. Read Less

We wanted to visit the Greek Isles and Italy and chose this cruise as the most economical way to go about it. While the itinerary was packed with exciting destinations and fun places to explore, the on board experience was lacking—significantly. With the exception of a hand full of crew members (yes out of over 1,000+ staff), the service was sub par—with the majority of the staff seemingly unhappy and quite rude. If you plan to cruise with teens as we did, don't think you will get any good entertainment on the ship. The "Entourage" teen program is boring and unstructured and other than the 2 small pools, ONE ping pong table (which was never available), shuffleboard, a very small and dated arcade, and a seemingly great basketball court (that you were not able to play on after 5:30 PM because it was directly over a restaurant, which meant on this itinerary, my kids could never use it since we were off ship practically every day)... the entertainment was TERRIBLE. The cruise director was a joke. His cocky attitude and off-color commentary lacked professionalism and hospitality. While the food was overall very good, the service was not worthy of ever recommending this cruise or line to anyone. My parents, who are frequent cruisers and don't complain, were shocked at how unfriendly and lacking in service this cruise was. ** LACK OF SAFETY ** We were using the cabin hairdryer, and sparks began to fly out and we were horrified, dialed 911 and they said "we'll send someone up right away" and NEVER came. When we called back 10 minutes later, same response. After 45 minutes and no electricity, they claimed they didn't come in because the "do not disturb sign was on the door." I was fascinated. An actual fire on the ship and NOBODY came to help. As if someone would change their door sign during an emergency situation! If you're ready to be nickel and dimed and receive POOR service in the process, this is the cruise for you. Otherwise, Royal Caribbean seems like a better option for a cruiser. Read Less

21 July- We catch the 11.12 train from Rome to civitavechia (€4.60 each). We arrive an hour later and pay another 2€ to get the bus right to the ship, rather than push the bags along 2km of cobblestones. We board the Norwegian jade within 10 minutes and are soon having lunch on board with a glass of Chardonnay. We do the lifeboat drill at 4 and are sailing away by 5pm. We see the opening show which is not inspiring, and do some trivia. 22 July- Sea day today, so I go to dance aerobics , ping pong and we play 3 different trivia, winning 2 and making many new friends. There are 2 different bands by the pool- a Latino one with great kudos but bad singer, and a Phillipino duet with an good singer! But they are all sooooooo loud!! The progressive trivia tonight is about American sports stars and we think we are pretty disadvantaged when the Americans start complaining that they are all obscure, in fact one is a picture of an American female soccer player that played 10 min in a reserve game. They get so angry its like a mutiny and the poor Chinese host doesn't know what to do, but promise better questions tomorrow! After dinner we do the battle of the sexes game which I play in, then see the production show called blazing boots, which is a mess of unknown country and driving songs with hard choreography done well. Trouble is they tried to link songs that just don't work, and the singing is only ok. 23 July- Santorini. We play a quick trivia at 9 before getting the first tender to the old port ( the advantage of being a gold member) where we pay 15€ to get on a large boat and go around the coast to Oia, then back to Fira by bus. When we arrive it's a little crowded and we see the amazing vistas by walking around the small town. Many Europeans and Asians have worn their best clothing (big flowing cotton dresses) and spend hours posing for pics at beautiful locations. We see the famous windmill houses and the blue roofed buildings and then the crowds of 4 cruise ships hit and it turns unpleasant in the tiny overcrowded cobble streets. We try to catch the 1pm bus to Fira, but it's stuck in traffic and can't get through, so we don't arrive there until 2pm. We walk around the village here ,all built along the cliff top, see the cable car that carries people up the hill, but decide to walk down the stairs , pass many people coming up on the biggest donkeys ever- some must be crossed with draught horses! We go by the pool for a late swim, some more trivia, dinner, the true or false game and a Scottish singer concert. 24 July- Piraeus. We thought we would like to see the Athens riviera today, but there is no scooter hire and the hop on and off bus won't work as we would have to do the Athens city loop first, then meet with the Riviera bus which is only hourly. There is no tourist office around, so we think about bus 80 direct from port to the acropolis, but we can't get info on the return trip. So we opt to walk the 3km into Piraeus from our pier ( which is the farthest). We ask for directions many times but eventually find the metro station and buy tickets each way for € 1.40 with trains every 20 min. We know to get off at Monastika station, but the sign says another word and the station master said 7 stops and it's only been 5, but I realise at Odeon we have gone too far, so we catch the train back a stop. As soon as we exit the station we see the Byzantine church in the plaza and are very close to the roman agora, which we walk around.( though after turkey they look like incomplete ruins) .We then head for Adrian's gate and see many other historic ruins and churches on the way. We go to the base of the acropolis but don't go up today as we did this last time, and walk back along the narrow streets to the flea market and then catch the train back from Monastika station. We walk more directly back to the ship this time, and enjoy a beer/ wine with a late lunch and tired feet after another 14km walking day. Tonight's trivia is on strange animals so most are Australian so we win, then have dinner at the Chinese before seeing a Glen miller tribute played by the jade band. 25 July - Mykonos. We are shuttled by bus for the 5 min drive into town and start by walking around the very windy old port, with its white houses and azure sea. It is a maze of metre wide streets with tiny vans trying to pass pedestrians .We find the area they call little Venice which is medieval old houses with shuttered balconies overlooking the sea. Most of these are now restaurants with St Mark’s square prices to match. We wander up the hill to take the classic Mykonos shot of the old windmills on the hill. We decide to hire a 50cc 2 stroke scooter (25€ for 3 hours) and we soon find out why he asked if we were experienced riders as no normal person could handle the super touchy throttle and poor brakes. The bike whines with a ring ding ding around to some beautiful beaches including Kotfos and Ornos which are opposite each other on a little spit. We ride up the hill and around to paradise beach which is where many from the boat have headed to for the day (30€ for 2 sun lounges and an umbrella). It's pleasant enough now but we can see at night it has over 100 speakers and spotlights...living hell! The rooms are small, basic and aimed at the 20s crowd. We ride back via Pinkys beach and a few more that have over 100 foot boats moored near. We return the bike, though he can't find my licence for a while and we get back boat quickly realising that there is little to do on these islands other than lay on the beach, eat, drink and shop. Tonight we see the production cast do a Broadway cabaret, and a visual comedy show- of which both are underwhelming (but we do win beers of the world trivia with help from our Italian friends.) 26 July- Rhodes- Now this is my sort of port...within 5 min walk from the ship you are at the edge of medieval town, surrounded by high walls with many majestic gate entrances. We enter through St Catherine's gate (go me!) and walk through the perfectly maintained old buildings, easily imagining the knights of St. John strolling here. We walk up Sokratous Street, which is mostly shopping, then see the mosque of Mustafa pasha and a high clock tower. We buy a 10€ combined ticket to access the close sights- a 14C church, the archaeological museum (which was a 15C hospital in which the architecture is much more interesting than the exhibits) , and the grand masters palace. This sits at the top of a fully medieval street called the knights way, and houses architectural exhibits on the ground floor, and has more rooms with furniture etc on the top floor- all 3 are worth seeing and make the ticket great value. We then walk out of the old town via the water and see another harbour guarded by 2 dears on towers next to St Nicholas light house and tower. We see many beaches including Elli beach that have crystal clear water, but it is a steep rocky entry to the water and quite windy, so we walk back to the old town where Glen realises his wallet is missing. He thinks he brought it but isn't sure, so we go back to the boat to check through everything, and it's not there. We walk back into the tourist office that had Wi-Fi to cancel his credit card as he is convinced he has been robbed. We were going to have a swim on the beach just near the ship but are now both hungry and thirsty .Back on to the ship, and our extra wallet hunt has bumped our 11km day up to 15km.. We then get changed for the pool, and he finds his wallet in another pocket of the shirts he is still wearing arghhhh!! Afternoon and evening trivia and a spa fill the afternoon before another production show based on Havana (again random unknown songs) and the 60 seconds to win it game. 27 July- This morning we dock outside the tiny town of Chania in Crete for just a few hours, so we skip brekky and get the local bus (€3.40 return) in by 7.30. We visit the old local markets with their fresh meat, including rabbits with the fur left on the feet and many skinned lamb heads?? We again see old synagogues, Catholic Churches, mosques and Greek Orthodox all within a few streets and built between the 13 and 19 th centuries. The most interesting is the unique shape of the Kioutsouk Hasan mosque built in a renaissance style with flying buttresses on a dome roof. The Venetian harbour and lighthouse are picturesque and there is an old Fort right on the corner. We wander again through the tiny cobbled streets and pat the many cats before returning the 20 min to the ship by the bus. We are moving again by midday so read, listen to music, swim and play games through the afternoon. We see a great French acrobatic show tonight after we play a music mania game and win blow up guitars?? 28 July- We play shuffleboard and morning trivia as we don't dock until lunchtime at Valletta in Malta. As we enter the harbour we see amazing forts and cathedrals all around and realise this is 3 cities in one. But we settle for a walk around Valletta and are stunned by its history and beauty. We get a tourist walking map at the dock and catch the lift up to the town for 1 € and arrive in upper Barrakka gardens. We look at the thick Fort walls and the many canons all around and love the view of the water and other cities. We do 14km walking around the Castillo, St James and johns bastion, the royal opera house the triton fountain, grand masters palace and many more. Unfortunately it is Sunday afternoon so the famous St. John cathedral is actually closed, as are all the churches. We walk through the steep lanes and down to the ferry crossing, passing old buildings constantly. It's the first day I haven't brought swimmers with me and we see such enticing water! We do the whole loop including Fort st Elmo and the lower gardens, then find the only open church, which is the shipwreck church of St. Paul and it is stunning. It has a crypt and decadent decorations and has two strange artefacts- the wrist bone of St. Paul from when he broke it in Valletta, and part of the plinth from where he was beheaded in Rome. It's in a quiet little backstreet but is a real gem. As we approach the ship in our loop back we see gondola type boats doing tours of the harbour for 8€ and crossing to the other side for 2€, which we would have done if it was earlier as it looks great. We sail out as the sun has just set and see the wonderful old buildings all flood lit, before another show with the singer Lilly Jane. 29 July- We are off the boat soon after docking in Messina, Sicily as we would like to visit Taormina, a hillside old town with a 2000 year old amphitheatre and pretty buildings and churches set near steep cliffs and blue sea. We catch the inter bus there (€4.30) which leaves next to the station ( a 10 min walk from the dock) at 9am, passing through some interesting and dirty areas , and arrive up in the village around 10.15, though the bus is way too big for the tiny roads and it's a hair raising trip up the final hill. We don't go the theatre as it's 10€ and an hour wait, so decide to walk the Corso Umberta which runs through the town and has most of the historic buildings and churches on it, ranging from the 11th century. When we reach the end we can see Mt Etna really well, including pockets of smoke leaking out. We then catch the cable car down (3€) to the bottom of the hill where there are amazing beaches including isola Bella, and Mazzaro where I have a lovely swim in the floaty water and explore the ruined castle and its secret entries from the water. The whole area is just stunning, but we look forward to the return train journey along the water’s edge, which doesn't disappoint (after getting another local bus to the station). We get back to Messina with time for a quick wander to a few sights including the church of Santa Maria del Anna which looks a little like a mosque, the huge and grand cathedral in piazza del duomo, and happen to be there right on the hour to see a small movement of the mechanical clock in the bell tower, which has its main performance at midday. We are really pleased we didn't take the offer of a taxi at the start of the day which only offered an hour in Taormina as so much more time is needed, and the train and bus were easy and cheap. More trivia, food and a feature violinist tonight. 30 July - We dock at 7 in Naples, so leave early as we plan to travel to Sorrento. We ask at the tourist information about ferries as I have read they travel there, and she just says she doesn't know, and gives us a poorly photocopied map of Naples which is so pale it's not readable. We walk to the ferry terminal just beside the port, but it's so crowded we get no help and there are ticket windows to everywhere but Sorrento, so we decide to take the train. We walk the 4km to central station, but then find out it's a metro line so we could have caught a closer one to the port, but we catch the 9.10 to Sorrento for €3.50. It's interesting passing mount Vesuvius and hearing the many unusual train buskers, including a family where mum carries the speakers playing piano accordion music, the son has a Turkish drum and dad proudly plays the tambourine...not worth a tip. The train is very slow and not air conditioned so we at arrive 10.30. Very hit and ready to get off. We wander around the piazzas and cathedrals then walk down to the marina, where we find there is a return ferry, but it's at either 12 or 2 and it's more expensive. We see the sheer cliffs with fancy hotels on top and the many beach clubs right on the water (that really doesn’t look that appealing). We catch the lift back up to the other end of town and stroll some more, and realise we have seen enough, so run down the steps to catch the 12 o'clock ferry which we find is not €26 each, but for 2. We sit topside and watch the coastal scenery in the breeze as we return to Naples, where we have a walk around the churches , opera house and glass roofed shopping mall before boarding the ship. Swim, Trivia, dinner and the best show we have seen called elements, combining the production cast, gymnastics and magicians. 31 July - We dock at Livorno today at 9 and most people are going to Florence, but we decide we need more than a few hours in Florence so we opt for Pisa. All must pay 5€ to get out of the port area as you are not allowed to walk. We are the 3rd ship here today, and plan to catch the € 15 bus straight to Pisa, but by 9.10 when we get off, the buses are booked up to 11am, so we catch a local bus € 1.40 to the station, and catch the train (only 20 min and €5.30 return). We walk through the old streets admiring many churches and buildings from the 10 to 13 century, most open for a quick look inside. We see grand piazzas with highly decorated buildings then the huge cathedral, tower and Baptisma, all in white stone with the finest decorations carved throughout. Large crowds take their pics with the famous leaning tower, and we look at walking up it, but it's a 3 hour wait as tickets are very restricted (17€) and it's a bit pricey. You can see the cathedral for free in a scheduled ticket, but again this is not for a few hours, so we opt to pay the 5€ for the Baptisma , and you get the cathedral for free anytime. Both buildings are ornate and stunning. The cathedral has huge paintings throughout from the 15 and 1600s, an exposed saints tombs, as well as a golden ceiling and stunning carved pulpit all nearly 1000 years old. We walk back to the station via different roads, and almost as great scenery including a cute church on the edge of the river. The train soon comes, and we bus it back to the shuttle stop, then the ship...it all takes around 1 hour. One last afternoon of sun, swimming and trivia before we swap our game and trivia winning tickets for prizes. 1 August- we begin the long journey home , with a bus to the airport direct from the port( 20€ ) , a few hours wait, a 6 hour flight to Dubai, more hours wait and a 14 hour flight to Sydney. Read Less

We have cruised four times before on a different cruise line. We chose this particular cruise with Norwegian due to the amazing itinerary in the Mediterranean. We arrived in Rome four days before our cruise and had time to explore all the tourist spots and get acclimated to the time zone. We had six of us and decided to book the 2-Bedroom Family Suite because it was not much more than two separate balcony rooms and the amenities were much better, and I'm so glad we did. Our initial embarkation was so smooth, and we were whisked to the VIP area while we waited to board the ship. We met our concierge (Bruno) and butler (Leo), both of whom could not have been nicer or more accommodating, and we were escorted onto the ship to our private dining room for suite holders (at Cagney's) for lunch. The quality of that meal was above average, but nothing extraordinary or special, and unfortunately, the lunch menu at that restaurant did not change for eleven days. Once we finished our meal, we found our suite, which was incredible. The master bedroom/bathroom was spacious with lots of storage, and we were able to fit both my sons' hanging clothes in the closet with ours. The master bed was king-size and very comfortable. My teen boys slept in the living room, where the sofa converted to a queen bed, which was as comfortable as expected. My college-aged daughter and her best friend stayed in the second bedroom, which is basically an interior room with a couch that converts to a full bed and a pull-down bed, both of which were not as comfortable. The second bathroom was more spacious than expected. The best part of the suite, other than the master bathroom shower and tub that overlooked the ocean, was the level of service from our concierge, butler, and housekeeper. All three of them made sure our room was clean, ready, we had afternoon snacks, and that getting on and off the ship was quick and painless. The worst part of our particular suite was that it is located right beneath the gym, and apparently people enjoy running on the treadmill very early and very late. While the accommodations and suite service were wonderful, many other parts of the cruise were not so wonderful. My husband and I had the premium beverage package, and there was quite a variety of wines and beers, but the mixed drinks were usually disappointing if not horrible. We also had four nights of specialty dining, which we were incredibly grateful for, since all of the complimentary dining places we visited were not great. Most of the food was comparable to Applebee's or Chili's. We usually ate breakfast and lunch in the suite-holder's dining areas, but as stated, the menu was exactly the same every day. The specialty restaurants we visited were all good - La Cucina, Le Bistro, Moderno, and Cagney's - with the best being Cagney's and Le Bistro. The service in the specialty restaurants was great, but the service in the complimentary restaurants and bar areas was not very consistent. We were very surprised that there were not bar staff roaming the pool decks and other open areas for drink orders. The entertainment on board was generally superior quality to the other cruise line we have experienced, with the musicians stealing the show. The acrobats were also stellar. The magician was cheesy, however. I wish we had seen the comedian and some of the other entertainment, but we were honestly exhausted by all of our excursions at each port. We did not try our luck at the casino, but did hang out by the pool a few times, which was always crowded and busy. We enjoyed karaoke one night, and the college kids went dancing a few times, but the cruise was mostly about the ports for us. We all experienced the spa, which was very expensive for the quality. The boys got excellent haircuts at the salon for a reasonable price, however. Most of our excursions were booked outside of Norwegian, but as suite holders, we were always able to get off our ship in time. The two excursions we booked with Norwegian were excellent (Highlights of Rhodes and Ultimate Florence and Pisa). In all, if we were booking another cruise and wanted to experience a great cruise, we would likely choose a different cruise line. However, Norwegian has great itineraries and prices that the other cruise lines are not competing with in Europe especially, so it is possible we would choose Norwegian again for that reason. Read Less

All of the staff were amazing, engaged and helpful. The crew is what makes or breaks the experience. The Cruise Director was not overbearing, the crew was polite, and not in your face. Jasmine restaurant was excellent! Loved the people that engaged in the dancing activities and the shows were great! The food in the Garden Cafe was Excellent !!!! Loved the White party and the mood on the ship all the time. The ship was always clean, the casino was a lot of fun. The drinks were pricey, but I guess that is part of the business. I do recommend this cruise to people. Wish my son, who is 12, could have participated in the teen activities. Being with the little kids was embarrassing for him. Luckily, he enjoyed the game room. That was a great help. Also, should have more options for late night snacking. Should not have to go to a sit down dinner. Read Less

This cruise started out in the hole due to substandard technology and inefficient customer service. Customer service has no capabilities of emailing you or calling you back. 15 phone calls and nearly 10 hours on hold was frustrating. This was necessary for correcting air tickets set up for the wrong day (eventually corrected), no access to e-docs (never fixed), misinformation received that warranted another phone call to hear a different story, Setting up drop off from excursion to a hotel that they had not booked us at, then finding out they hadn’t made a reservation at the hotel they had charged me for. I wound up having to make hotel and transportation plans and spending another $600 on the spot. After 2 more phone calls I found out that I would have to File a formal request for my refund and that would take 3 weeks for them to review and decide if they would refund my money. Seems like a long time for a company who required immediate payment for every new addition to the tour. While trying to get info from Customer relations on the ship they would have to contact NCL in Miami and had no access to invoices prior to trip. The right had did not know what the left hand had done. However, the food, ship, excursions and atmosphere was great. Tour guides for the tours were exceptional in their knowledge of the venues and locales. So in spite of NCL and their concerted effort to screw this trip up, we had a good time. NOTE: Service by food staff and housekeeping was excellent. The customer service staff were ineffective and I believe that is because of the misinformation they were given. I was given 3 different responses to the same problem by 3 different staff members. Plus shore excursion and customer service staff bounced clients back and forth in the hopes the other knew what was going on. Read Less

Friends recommend the liner. We stopped at lovely places and had fantastic experiences. The restaurant staff were absolutely incredible. Attentive, friendly, professional, knowledgeable. Couldn't have been better. Our cabin was awful on the 4th level, but we did book an open allocation hoping for a better one, so that was partly our own fault. However I think that NCL aught to warn passengers and they shouldn't really have cabins in those parts of the ship at that high price! We were above the laundry and at the front so it was very noisy at night. If the waves were high it made a very loud crashing noise all night against our wall! We had a dripping sound in the wall between us and the cabin next door and a loud thudding from the laundry presumably. We liked the free dining options and the food was excellent everywhere we ate. The pool was crowded and not much fun..too small for the number of people. Overall, as cruise ships go, this is probably a good one. We just had a lousy cabin which coloured the trip for us! Read Less

I chose this cruise for the low price and interesting ports. I won’t cruise NCL again. Complimentary restaurants too crowded, loud & busy with multiple children running around. Overabundance of specialty (fee based) restaurants crowd the complimentary ones. Prices for specialty restaurants, bottled water, beverage packages, photos, room service & shore excursions were excessive. Shore excursion staff only interested in sales not helpful or informative. Shore excursion disembark exit typically empty- general exit > 1 hour wait for some ports. Guest service personnel not friendly. Beverage service areas signage prohibit filling water bottles; embarkation staff prohibits bring bottled water aboard forcing purchase of expensive NCL logo water. NCL App useless without expensive WiFi charges/person which are exorbitant! Most disappointing was continued plethora of emails boasting free WiFi, beverage, restaurant & shore excursion packages for latitudes members which I AM! However, NCL refused to honor any offers after booking. My overall opinion: NCL is so worried about getting $$$ from the passengers they forget the passengers! Read Less

We love the med cruises and wanted to cruise again with the Jade after her dry dock. The ship is in excellent conditions and the refurbishment shows its effects. The Atrium is just gorgeous. The speciality restaurants are very good and we loved the new location of the Moderno, serving excellent meat as in Brazil. Service allover is perfect . We were a little bit disappointed with the quality of the buffet and thought it was much better in the past. Breakfast service in the Great Outdoors should be improved to match the other parts: empty milk cans every morning,1 day toaster not working, another day one coffee machine down. Improvement needed on: - the mineral water which is not a true -mineral- water and is therefore way too expensive - reservations management of the specialty restaurants; they say full but often empty tables during a long period of time - wifi performance: sometimes very poor even at night when everybody sleeps ! Great entertainment almost every evening, excellent shows. Don't miss the show on the penultimate evening. Shore excursions: we took 2 tours organized with NCL and we were glad we had private arrangements in the other ports: expensive compared to renting a chauffeur-driven vehicle, local operators not always under control, huge delay in Livorno which made us missed a spa arrangement. Embarkation in Civitavecchia: ok according to the circumstances; NCL does its best to cope with the poor local facilities. we had to wait for more than 1 hour with some fellow cruisers for a shuttle at the official bus stop Molo Dei Bicchiere ( no NCL local number to call) Disembarkation: quick and well-organized. Read Less

The food was terrible. No one got sick but the food was disgusting. We dined in the "nice" restaurant for one night and we left, my pasta tasted like spaghetti OS and my husband steak was covered in gravy tasted like microwave dinner. The room across from us had their toilet overflow and the whole trip smelled like poop as the carpet in the hallway stuck and the shower and sink were letting up sewer smells.The excursions cost 3 times as much as independent groups and didnt do anything fun. We took a on your own trip to pompeii through the cruise, we got 2 hours but when we got their the line took an hour for all of us to get our tickets so we got one hour. We saw 2 shows they were both like watching a middle school performance. We vacation 4 times a year and this was twice as much as our normal vacations and was a 1 star experience. I do not recommend ncl. Read Less

We recently sailed on NCL Jade on 11-day Mediterranean itinerary. We had not sailed in many years and never on Norwegian but took advantage of partnership with Caesars Total Rewards program. Our trip was fantastic from start to finish. I have read some negative reviews of Jade on this board and suffice it to say we had a completely different experience. Not perfect in every respect but totally positive experience overall. We booked in Haven class and while I cannot speak to how it may be in other cabins or experiences, but all of the staff we met went the extra mile to make sure that we were happy. Prompt and friendly at all times, eager to help. They seemed to have an attitude in general to make your vacation as positive as possible. Bottom line: we are actively looking as to when we can sail the Jade and NCL again. Ship is not huge but big enough. Generally seemed clean and well kept. Not a mega ship by any means but plenty of space and activities. Our 13-year-old enjoyed the teen club and many events. Our cabin (10004) was great. Well appointed and plenty of space. Shower was plenty big and closet had more than enough room for everything. Dining area that we did not use except for maybe one time. Best aspect - two balconies, one in front (bow) and one on the side. Bow was great for sailing in and sailing out, but too windy to use on sea days or once ship picks up speed. Beautiful sunsets from the front of the ship and a great way to see ports as you sailed in and out. From the front balcony you basically had the same view as the bridge crew. When front balcony could not be used, you also have a side balcony to watch the ocean on sea days, read, enjoy fresh air, etc. Dining: We did not make use of all of the outlets and actually never went to the main formal dining room one time. Free venues we went the buffet several times and the food was quick and very good. Some options rotated, some were consistent. Great for a quick breakfast when we had tours. Jasmine the Chinese was also good and we went to O'Sheehans a few times. Our son thought O'Sheehan's was the best food he ever had. Specialty dining we went to Cagney's, La Cucina, Moderno, and Teppanyaki and all were excellent. As Haven class passengers, we had Moderno exclusively for breakfast and Cagney's for lunch. We used Moderno much more frequently to get away from the hustle and bustle of people of rushing to their various tours. They had a little buffet of pastry and yogurt and also food to order. In short, it was great to have this additional option. Activities: We did not do any of the usual cruise activities but they seemed fun and the crew had a lot of energy. Our son loved the teen club and the staff. Met a lot of new friends there and they had great activities. Casino was fine, never particularly crowded. Again friendly and helpful staff. Lots of tournaments and other fun events. We went to three shows: Blazing Boots (entertaining although I am not a country person); Imagika (or something like that - magic guy), which also passed the time although not amazing, and Elements, which was great. Other shows we missed were the singer, acrobats, and violinist. Showroom includes Haven class seats which were not the best seats in the house, but nice to know they were there and you didn't have to worry about arriving early. Spent time in the Spinnaker lounge listening to music. Large venue, great views, good drinks. Enjoyable place for downtime. We are not huge drinkers and generally avoided the busier/party areas including the pool. We did use the Haven deck pool on a few occasions and the Haven sundeck. The latter was never very crowded at all and was a great option. My wife used both the gym and spa and said they were great. I opted to leave my workouts at home. They also have a card room with board games and other games, which we used on occasion. Video arcade had Guitar Hero and some other fun games. Service: As stated, everyone in all aspects of the ship seemed very committed to our enjoyment and needs. All questions were answered, all needs were met. In Haven class, you have use of a concierge and a butler (Bruno and Leo for us), who were both fantastic. Whatever need you had, whatever question you asked, they had it covered. One night I got sick, Leo brought room service and movies. Bruno had all of the information on the ports and what to do and what to avoid. Came around at breakfast and asked you for your plans and gave you suggestions. He also had periodic meetings/presentations to go over critical information and the ports. If you had cruise excursions (we did only one instead opting for private), Bruno and his team got you to your bus first. As a Haven/suite guest, the concierge team also takes you down the back stairs to get off the ship when you are ready so you skip the line. This was great as on the first day, the line for tender tickets at Santorini was about 400 people long (we got right on a tender when we were ready), and the last day at Livorno we got in late due to a port mishap of some kind. The line to get off the ship was 3 decks long up the stairs. We went right downstairs as soon as the ship was cleared. Leo also kept our room stocked with drinks and water for our excursions. These types of benefits and peace of mind made the Haven completely worth it, even aside from our awesome and spacious cabin. Excursions: We opted for mostly private excursions so we could control timing. A few suggestions regarding the various ports: Santorini: When you get off the ship the line for the cable car to Fira was enormous. Instead we took the water taxi straight to Oia. No line, hopped right on the boat. A bit of a walk up the hill to a bus but in the end, far better and Oia is much more scenic than Fira. Rhodes: Underestimated how great this city was. We hired a driver when we got off the ship and ended up being worth it. Saw so much more than we anticipated! Malta: Very underrated stop. Beautiful sail in. We were there on Sunday so much was closed, so still very interesting. We enjoyed the palace and museum with a history of the medieval knights. Livorno: We booked a Pisa/Florence excursion but in my view, it was too much for one day. Nice to see many things but not enough time at any location to appreciate anything. Pisa only or Pisa/Lucca might have been better. We did see David statue which was great. Your view may vary. Embarkation/Disembarkation: Another huge benefit of Haven class. At embarkation, you skip the line completely to a separate area. Maybe 50-75 people on line when we got to port. Instead, we went to separate area, no line and on the ship eating lunch 15 minutes later. Disembarkation you do not get a set time. Concierge team takes you off the ship whenever you like in the window. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before departing. Bottom Line: We loved our trip on the Jade and it was fantastic in every major respect. I would sail NCL and the Jade again without hesitation. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary and loved it. Embarkation was fast and easy. Our cabin steward was great and brought us all the extra things we asked for. The rooms are smaller than other cruise lines, but the mini-suite was worth it for the nice tub and shower. Not a lot of storage. The movie channel often did not work and the movies are repeated throughout the week. The drink package was disappointing in the fact that there were very few wines available. We like to try different wines, but they were out of most of the wines that were in the package and $20 bottles of wine at Bevmo were $24 a glass on the ship - which was $9 per glass more than the package would allow. The sommelier was not the friendliest woman we have encountered. I'm not sure why we always fall for the drawings and raffles - always a disappointment with long sales pitches (especially the Spa raffle). Most of the entertainment was good, dancers better than singers, and those dancers work so hard! The Elements show was definitely the best of the week. The adult pool was great. Overall the staff was friendly throughout the ship. The steakhouse was the best restaurant on the ship, the Italian restaurant was fantastic, but the main dining room was not bad either. We didn't take any excursions but loved renting cars and taking the buses all over the islands instead. Much cheaper and way more fun to have the freedom to roam at your own pace. We ended up getting off a day early in Livorno and went to Florence for a few days instead of going back to Rome. It was a great way to get off the ship - easy and whatever time we wanted to - but it was expensive to get to Florence. All in all - it was the wonderful ports that made it a great trip. Read Less

First of all if you have never been on the Jade before some of the changes you will not know off. The ship is very clean with excellent bar and waiter staff who are so helpful and friendly. Having sail before on the jade we have notice some small but important changes, Cabins very clean and are of average size and the balcony are very small (not worth £10 never mind the £1000 they charge. forget about having breakfast there its far to small. (comparing to the celebrity ships) If your are not a smoker forget this part, smoking areas have been cut back. One half of the top bar which opens at 2 in the afternoon and closes early so your left with a few ash trays on port side which is always crowded with smokers. (no where to go) also if you are not a player in the casino you cannot smoke. WHY? As for the casino the staff seem to be very poorly trained if they make a mistake in the payment off hands be prepared for them to say 5 minutes later that THEY made a error on a hand and want their money back in front off everyone at table. This happen on 5 occasions once with myself which was very embarrassing they just don't care. Stopped playing after this after wanting to make a formal complaint you cant, just a apology from manager and a offer of a drink (we have a drinks package thankyou) Finished off by wanting to tell us a Irish joke we are from Ireland talk about rubbing salt into a wound. The dining rooms are excellent quick service excellent food could not find fault in any of them. Entertainment was very poor in the theatre unless you like volin or magic. not one show on entire cruise. No stage shows with cast just individual artists. Shore excursions were very very expensive luckly we have been on lots of cruises and have been to many of the places before. Please do not get me wrong this was our third time with Norwegian cruises but standards have dropped badly, would I go back not a chance, when you see what others offer at sometimes a cheaper price I would say think very carefully its a lot of money to make a mistake. Read Less

We hgad an amazing trip on NCL Jade 30th June. We originally booked IX cabin and got allocated 1E deck 4 midship almost immediately/8 months out. Price drop at 90 days we were offered oceanview or $ back. We took the $ and then bid on upgrade. Our friends were successful at 60 days and got B1 aft. We got the sorry no upgrade 48 hours before we departed Rome. We were really happy with our inside on 4 and it was so easy to get off at our 9 ports. The ship and crew were amazing. Some people can be rude, but we find it we interact with them, ask them about themselves and their family it makes it really enjoyable. The food was good, the entertainment was great and we did not have any issues at all. Embarkation was so easy. We arrived at 11am after a Cabs Roma shared shuttle. We were on the ship by 11.20am and were able to leave our hand luggage in cabin and meet our cabin steward. Bags did not arrive until around 5pm which was ok so take what you need for the afternoon. My Daughter 14 had a great time at Entourage 13-17yrs. She met some great friends. The family we travelled with had a 12yr 9 month old and she was not able to join them. They are really strict with age 13 or have to turn 13 during the cruise. Disembarking was a breeze. We chose 8.30 which meant luggage had to be out 11pm night before, -we had breakfast, walked off, collected luggage in 10 mins and was on our shared shuttle with NCC airport at 9am on the way to airport. Read Less

Great ports and length. The Room was amazing! perfect size. We reserved a mini suite with balcony 11th floor ( i think it was termed a mini suite). We have 4 in the room, 2 parents and 2 teens. plenty of space, awesome beds and storage. great balcony. Bathroom is amazing for a cruise ship! extra sliding door in bathroom helped with teens. The room divide was so helpful!! Loved the Great outdoors and all the specialty dining, loved the Pub too!! Great spa area, we added thermal bath passes which were perfect after long excursions. Would have liked the older teen room to be open better hours. The teens activities were all closed 7-9 and had activities too late for my teens ( 15 and 16). They would have liked more activities but with long amazing port excursions they dont stay up late. most teen activities were way too late. amazing staff. love starbucks on board. wish it was a full starbucks that took starbucks app like some cruise ships do, but the barista was a joy every day ( BingQing Xia). amazingly easy getting on board . we had carry ons so that was a bit confusing getting on board, but it was still a breeze. getting off a breeze. i would rather have more inclusive pricing, wifi, alcohol, soda package etc.... that would make a better experience. The excursion and dining reservation system is less than stellar ( disney has dining reservations and activity reservations in their app that is the way to go) , the app was great for texting but should have been able to make dining reservations in the app. the online reservation system prior to boarding was also not stellar. Read Less

This was a great cruise. The Jade is a smaller ship (compared to other new monster ships) so it was much more friendly and not overwhelming. The crew was great and friendly. And the itinerary of Greek Island and Italian ports was great. The only improvement I might suggest would be to visit one less port. A port everyday was a fast pace so we stayed on the ship at Crete. We chose a cabin with a deck which was very relaxing to be able to watch the ship arrive to port or depart. Having a deck helped to expand the space of our cabin and made it bigger. I would also like to commend the server Pandidurai Rengasamy who waited on us the first night. He was pleasant and joyous. And then we served us several other times through the cruise. On the last night, we made sure to eat in the restaurant where he was working and he served us again with pleasure - a great send off. We also saw several shows in the big hall - both of which had great dancing and acrobatic feats. Read Less

The Norwegian Jade chosen for its itinerary and convenient for dates of travelling. The balcony cabin was of a good standard but could do with a side table each side of the bed. the cabin stewards were excellent. The (washy washy) team made us smile in the buffet restaurants which started the day well. The choice of food was good for mass catering. But the speciality restaurants food could be improved for the price paid. The overall variety of entertainment was of a good standard with adequate seating in the theatre. The waiting staff were excellent with a good knowledge of the food that was being served. Some bar staff needed to know how to greet all customers even if its just with a smile. The shore excursions were all over priced for the trips provided. The scenic Athens and coast there was no coastline,poor buffet lunch which did not represnt the Greek culture and food styles, served by surly waiters with no customer skills at all. Some fellow travellers thought the warm acidic wine on the table was vinegar. The only good thing about the trip was the whisper headsets,which were sadly lacking on all the other trips which made it very difficult to hear the guides in crowded cities. If not taking an orgainised excursion the help was poor and no maps were available onboard for self exploration. Read Less

My husband, two kids (7 & 14), and myself sailed on the Jade on their 10 day Italy/Greece cruise and had a great time!! The itinerary was amazing and the main reason for us choosing this cruise. We sailed from Rome and our ports were Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Chania/Crete, Valletta/Malta, Messina/Sicily, Naples and Livorno. This was our first time on NCL and was nervous because of the some of the negative reviews but I am here to report that we had nothing positive experiences. The food and variety was outstanding in the buffet for dinner with highlights being Greek night, prime rib, brisket, Asian, and Italian night. We had the dining package and ate at Le Bistro, Cagney’s, Teppanyaki, and the Italian restaurant which were all excellent! We had a mini-suite 11016 and it was a great size for a family of 4 with lots of storage and space. We never felt cramped. Only complaint by the kids was that the sofa bed was hard. Our cabin steward was friendly and did a great job. We saw one show Elements and it was excellent! My teenage son enjoyed the entourage club and my 7 year old daughter enjoyed Splash Academy every night! We really enjoyed our cruise and would definitely sail on NCL again! Read Less

Whilst the ship was ok, the staff were simply doing their job and no more, with the exception of the Steward and the Washy-Washy Ladies. Food was ok but no more. Bar staff seemed to not really care. Choice of drinks was ok, again, but no more, especially non-alcoholic versions of cocktails. The main desk staff were pretty hopeless and the WiFi non-existent. The worst thing really were the massively over-priced shore excursions. One trip to Athens included a disgusting 1970-style lunch and a wasted afternoon with a politically motivated courier under the guise of a Scenic coast. Shame because the cost and content of most of these excursions spoiled things. If you weren’t on a trip, they didn’t seem to care how to got about. The entire aim of the ship was really to extract dollars from your pocket. A real let down from what we were expecting and nowhere near as good as other cruise lines we have used. Would I recommend? Definitely not unless you like a truly American atmosphere and are happy to pay way over the odds for everything. Nuff said. Read Less

This was our first cruise, my husband and I. It was well deserved by us both and I’m happy to say it really delivered in almost every single way. We chose the Mediterranean Sea and the countries and islands therein as our first adventure. You will love Norwegian lines. The ship is immaculate with great attention to hygiene and public health which I appreciate greatly. Our stateroom was spacious, comfortable and a wonderful private place to spend time together. We were well attended by our cabin steward who was efficient and a gentleman. Food is largely great. Free style dining gives you choices and freedom of time. Our specialty dining choices were mostly excellent with high praise for The Bistro and Bliss and high marks for the Brazilian restaurant as well. The drink package was a great choice for both of us as well and believe me we indulged fully. Entertainment on board was varied and really fun. We had so much fun.Of course the shore excursions were the thing for me and Norwegian offers so many choices. Do chose wisely though because they will wear you out! Staff is Always pleasant, helpful and respectful. I have to nitpick in order to find any negatives. I can offer only two: the coffee and the internet reception. Fortunately there is a Starbucks on board and as for the internet it will be waiting for you at journeys end. I have wonderful memories. Read Less

We started off with 4 days in Rome then did a half day countryside tour on the way down to the port. Embarkation was very smooth - dropped of luggage and only about 3 groups ahead of us in line. Communication beforehand was excellent. Ship: We had been on the Jewel a decade ago which is a sister ship so many things were similar. The casino was quite large (and had one of the better bartenders). Layout was good and everything was well marked. Cabin: We were a group of 7 (2 couples and 3 teens) and had two adjoining mini-suites with nice balcony's (they no longer are able to open up the balcony adjoining door) Room was nice sized and even had a tub. We had configured as a double bed and then they turned the sofa into a bed each night for one of the teens. They no longer do towel animals so had to find online pictures for the teens. Dining: We were not able to make any specialty restaurant reservations for our group of 7 before hand and were not able to make them on the ship either and there were no walk ups available so didn't get to try any. We were disappointed with the Jasmine Cafe - everything was breaded in the same breading which should have been on country fried steak, not sweet and sour. The two main restaurants were good though the food options did not change much over the 10 days. We ended up having most meals at the buffet (especially since there were picky teenagers) Good selection with a few special items each day but again not much rotation over the ten days. I expected a chocolate buffet night but either it didn't happen or I missed it. Breakfast at the buffet was always the right option since we did so many excursions on this trip. We are much more spoiled foodies then the last NCL cruise so nothing was impressive but all was good. Entertainment: We missed all the shows (but did catch a few movies) was nice to have the bands as background at the various bars only Bliss was to loud to have a conversation. The teens tried out Entourage but were to introverted to give a second try. Both the library and the game room were nice spots to hang out. We tended to pool / hot tub in the evening and often missed towel service (which ended at 8pm) which was annoying (maybe we are supposed to check out at the beginning of trip and keep until end instead of just get when swimming) The hot tubs were never overcrowded and quite relaxing. Service was great (except at Alizar restaurant where there was always a long wait for us between ordering drinks and anything else - often having to flag someone down to send our server over multiple times before we got them. I did get one massage at the Spa after to many days walking my hip wasn't going to let me do any more - got a deep tissue massage and was able to walk much better the next day - did have some high pressure sales for product and their acupuncture doctor which was annoying. The shop had everything we needed that we ran out of or forgot - overpriced and why do we have to pay 20% service change when not a 'service' but otherwise fine. Ports - great ports - only one (Santorini) that we needed to tender at. We did six excersions and most were great. worst was Pompeii where the guide kept forgetting how many people she had and had to go back to get people all the time when the company called her. Best was Lucca and Pisa. Would have liked a port map in the daily communications but was able to use my phone map. Kids: 13, 16 and 17 they all had a good time - loved the buffet and being able to wander the ship on their own. I expected better access to soda for the soda packages (had to go up to a bar to get a soda) and there was no lemonade which disappointed one of them. Disembarkation was good - though I would have liked to have the schedule options ahead of time when planning my transportation, we would have been able to sleep in a bit later. I will take another Norwegian cruise again, though likely a different set of ports since seen these and the ones we want to return to for in-depth says we want more then a cruise stop. Read Less

We had sailed on the Jade in the Med before, but totally different ports, excepting Malta. But we loved Malta so this was a good fit for us. Embarkation was painless. The sailaway through Venice was amazing. We had an aft cabin so had a perfect view. Our cabin steward, Gede, was attentive and took care of our requests promptly. We took all of our shore excursions from NCL, and with a few changes being made in our itinerary I am glad we did. We had the drink package as well as a 4 meal package for the specialty restaurants. We dined in Cagney's, the Teppanyaki restaurant, and La Cucina twice. Several lunches were in O'Sheehan's, and one dinner in Jasmine Garden. One dinner in the Grand Pacific and the remainder of dinners were in Alizar. Breakfasts were in the Great Outdoors daily. I used the spa for a massage/facial special one day--so wonderful! And we made use of both laundry specials, as we had travelled for 4 nights pre-cruise and 4 nights post-cruise. Disembarkation was so smooth, again totally painless. Read Less

I LOVE the itinerary of the NCL Jade. I’ve been on other Mediterranean cruises with other lines who were organized so one cannot say oh that’s how they do things in Europe. The Jade had poor communication from the time we checked in (late 2 1/2 hr start was never emailed to us— a little more time in Venice would have been nice!) until debarkation in a quonsa hut in Rome. No porters were available for embarkation. The one NCL rep giving directions, gave incorrect information causing everyone to drags their bags twice as far. They just didn’t have enough help! All of the excursions met in the theater at the same time and it was chaotic and delayed or slowed down the departures. I spoke with Dawid at the desk and asked him why different excursions didn’t meet in the multitude of lounges. He said I wish we had the staff! My cabin steward was OUTSTANDING! My mini-suite door lock probably needed changing since my sister and I had to get our card re-keyed several times. The cabin steward always knew when we needed to get into the room! The entertainment was average and they did a fabulous Cuba show one night. The food was tasty but the entrees in the dining room were not hot. I spoke with the assistant maitre d and he said he would look into it. There was no change the next night so I wrote a complaint at the front desk. The following day I received a message and an apology from the dining room manager and from that night the food was hot and delicious! Some of the excursions were good, others sub-standard. Beware if you take the scenic views of Malta excursion and are taller than 5’4”. The buses are very old and the amount of room between the seats is worse than the airlines! It was not enjoyable. In Naples, we booked the HOHO with NCL (we had $50/port off excursions perc). They knew exactly how many tickets were sold so they should have had buses waiting. Nope. 45 minutes wastes waiting! When we returned to the ship we tried to retrace our footsteps, but a guard would not let us pass. We followed a general sign “to the ship” which led us to the second floor of a building with NO information or direction how to return to the Jade. Finally a staff member from the ship was returning and we followed her. I was not the only passenger looking for the way back! CRAZY. A note of concern was the steep ramps at most of the ports. The angle was so steep that it was hard to stop mid ramp. All in all, I enjoyed the cruise, but I could not recommend the NCL Jade to others. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the Itinerary that it provided. A fantastic selection of ports and we loved every one. It was magnificent leaving Venice at dusk. We walked around a number of ports that we had been to in the past Kotor, Dubovnik Santorini and Mykonos and took some private day trips to Messina ( Taormina ) , Naples (Positano and Sorrento) Livorno (Florence )and The Tuscan countryside. Ships tours are too expensive. We had travelled on the Star so had some idea of the layout of the boat. We travelled with 2 other couples and all found the Jade an ideal size for us. It was a plus that there was an adults only swimming pool and used this after a hot day out. The Balcony cabin on level 11 ( mini suite) was a really good size and it even had a full bath. It was close to everything and we would willing stay there again. We ate in 4 specialty restaurants and we mainly breakfasted in the Garden Cafe and often had dinner in the main dining room The Grand Pacific. We booked a number of time slots for dining online before we joined the ship. The food was lovely and served by very friendly and helpful staff. We have absolutely no complaints re food or staff. Our favourite was Le Bistro. We had the drink package which was excellent value and there is no big shock when you get your final bill on leaving the cruise. Entertainment was good, we attended 6 concerts and loved Victor Michael. Read Less