This was our third cruise with Norwegian, and as usual, we were not disappointed. The rooms were spacious and very comfortable, and the bathroom was surprisingly spacious (more so than on any other cruises we've taken). The ship was beautifully decorated. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze. We did two ship excursions (something we don't normally do because they can be quite pricey), and they were very well organized and quite enjoyable. We did our own thing on two different port days, and getting on and off the ship was super easy. Every staff member we encountered was friendly and helpful. The cabin steward was perfect - always meeting our needs but not overly invasive. We have definitely seen a decline in the quality of service and friendliness by staff on other cruise ships/cruise lines over the last couple of years, but I didn't feel that was the case on the Norwegian Jade. A couple of the casino staff members even called us by name upon seeing us after we had only been in the casino once. The food was great, with a very nice variety at the buffet as well as in the main dining room. I have mixed opinions on Freestyle dining - I like the flexibility, but I do miss the relationship you develop with your wait staff on a traditional cruise. However, this didn't lessen our enjoyment of the cruise in any way. It's just a matter of personal preference. On our sea days, we took advantage of the "quiet area" on deck, as we had already been doing some major sightseeing (with a LOT of walking) in Europe for 8 days prior to our cruise, and we needed a couple of days to rest and rejuvenate before we reached our ports. It was very quiet - you could barely hear the music and other goings-on from the pool area below.

We have sailed with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Disney and Norwegian, and I would say that Norwegian is one of our favorite cruise lines. Overall, we had a great cruise experience.