We like to cruise out of Tampa so this is a cruise we realy wanted to do. I had read several reviews on Cruise Critic thatstated the Jade was a tired old ship and quite run down. Found that hard to believe since we have cruised with NCL many times and always found the ships to be in great shape. The ship itself is a perfect size for us. Big but not too big like the Epic or Escape. There was always a lot going on and if you were bored it was your own fault. One thinf that we noticed is that the staff seemed friendlier than on one of the bigger ships. There was more of a personal touch from them thatn on a mega ship.

The Jade will be going in for a refit and I imagine it will be to change out the Hawian decor. Even so, the ship was very clean and well maintained. We experienced a minor problem in our cabin and it was resolved immediately. We had an ocean view cabin and it was very well designed. Lots of storage space and it was very clean. Our room stewardess was fantastic anticipating all of our needs wothout us ever having to ask for anything.

Dining on board was great in the main dining rooms andf the specialty restauraunts. We cruised on the Epic last month and both my wife and I agree that the food was better on the Jade even for the same menu items. The garden Cafe buffet was a real surprise when we had dinner there a couple of times. The seafood buffet was amazing. All kinds of fish and seafood beatifully prepared and presented. What a surprise! We did notice a difference in menu items in the specialy restauraunts between the Jade and Epic. The Jade had better selections in my opinion. I presume that the difference is the old menu before the refit vs the new menu after the refit. Read more