Norwegian Jade Review
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Additional details
This was my first cruise and I had read mixed reviews so I didn't know what to expect. Because I've never sailed on another line, this review is best taken by others looking for a reaction to a first time cruise.
Embarkation: We took a water taxi in Venice from our hotel to the port. Picked up at 10:30, we were taken straight to the ships dock and our luggage was handled and checked by NCL porters immediately. Contrary to other reviews, I was not able to check a bag of sodas and water we purchased at a local market. We were told that liquids and/or the open bag couldn't be checked.
It was a long walk from the pier to the building for check in. Maybe it felt longer than it was because we'd been walking around Venice for 4 days. Once in the building I finally found where to check in and we had our Sign & Sail card in a matter of minutes. After whisking through security we were on board and headed straight to the Garden Buffet. It was busy as usual, but we did immediately find a table. At 12:30 it was announced our rooms were ready.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
This is the very last room on port side. I was thrilled to find that because it was the room at the end of the hall, we had a much larger balcony. It did make getting to anything at the front of the ship a trek, but it was worth it. The storage in the room was plenty for 3 people. 4 large drawers and two smaller ones plus a large closet. Only 3 small shelves in the bathroom did not provide enough space for 3 women's beauty products, but I had taken the advice of other cc.com members and brought an over-the-door shoe storage that held everything we needed. It hung on the shower door nicely. The beds were amazingly comfortable, pillows very fluffy. I am 5'10" and my feet did hang over the edge, but I felt it was a small price to pay. My 16 year old daughter slept on the convertible couch, which pulled out to a full-sized bed. I tried it once and it was very hard and uncomfortable. The safe in the room was plenty large enough to hold all three travel wallets, two phones and my ipad. With lots of room to spare. It did quit locking at one point but was immediately repaired by maintenance. We emptied the minfridge and it held 24 cans of soda and 3 bottled water (1ltr. Sized). It kept the drinks relatively cold, though we did ice our drinks so it didn't matter much. The bathroom was separated into three sections. There are glass sliding doors that part the tub and toilet from the sink area. The shower head was not tall enough for me but I made due. The sink was ample size for face and teeth washing. There was a nice lip all the way around the tub for bottles and such. The water temp and pressure was great. The toilet is very loud and vacuums like an airplane toilet. The balcony was the most amazing part of this room. It was extra large due to the placement on the ship, and our room steward was more than happy to snag us a lounge chair from the pool deck. It fit perfectly with plenty of room for the small table and other chair. We even put the coffee table from the sitting area out there and could still move around with no space issues. I specifically chose NCL and a balcony room so I could smoke on my balcony. There were no other rooms behind us, so no one was bothered by smoke wafting back as the ship cruised. NCL provided me with a very nicely designed ashtray that prevented ashes from blowing around or spilling out. While we could keep our curtains open and enjoy the beautiful Medeterrainian sun, it was also very easy to make the room nearly pitch black for sleeping. We never once heard any noise from any other rooms or the hallway. Only on the balcony were we able to hear or feel anything from the restaurants one floor above.