Norwegian Jade Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Just back from an 11 day Panama Canal cruise on the Jade. Wanted to pass along a few thoughts for those considering this ship in the future.
Dining : This is the only reason I didn't give this ship a 5 star rating. The main dining rooms (2 of them) had a few issues. I had gone the extra mile to pre-book reservations online for the specialty restaurants, as well as the main dining rooms. I was given conformations for all of them. While they worked with out a hitch for the specialty dining areas, they were a waste of time for the main dining rooms. On the first night, we showed up at the Grand Pacific main dining room at 6:25 PM for a 6:30 reservation. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. I noticed they were all holding beepers, so I went to the hostess stand to announce my arrival. Even though I showed my confirmation for a 6:30 reservation, I was told I would have to wait up to 45 minutes. Further, I had to wait until all those people with beepers were seated before me. I asked if they also had reservations, and was told the main dining room is "first come, first served" only. So, we went to Guest Services and were told we should have asked for the maitre de. The next night when the same thing happened, I did go get the maitre de, but still had to wait 15 minutes. Bottom line .... don't bother with making reservations for the main dining room. They really don't do you any good. No such problem with the specialty venues. All were excellent, and all seated us upon arrival. The free venues like OSheehans and Jasmine were spectacular. Always good and service was excellent. Didn't do the buffet much except for breakfast, but it seemed well organized and had a very large selection.
Staterooms : Service was great. We had a balcony on deck 8. Room was always kept clean and neat, and our steward was very attentive to our needs. Towel animals every night.
Cabin Review
Family Balcony
Located near the front of the ship on the port side. Even though it is near the front, we had very little noise or movement. Bathrooms are small, but isn't that the case almost always? Adequate storage and plenty of outlets for charging things.
Port Reviews
Roatan
Very nice shopping area at the pier. Prices a little high, but large selection of souveniers.
Santo Tomas de Castilla
Went on a river tour of the Rio Dulce. They don't tell you, but you basically boat at a high rate of speed for about 30 minutes uyp to Livingston from the cruise pier. The waters are open ocean, so the ride is very bumpy. Once you reach the mouth of the river, they take you about 5 miles up the river and then back to Livingston. The sights are awesome. Livingston is nothing spectacular. The smell of sewage is apparent while walking through the streets. Then you have another 30 minute bumpy ride back to the ship. The shopping area at the port is an indoor "flea market", but you can get some good deals on souvenirs. They will keep coming down on the price of everything if you say no to the first offer. They expect you to make them an offer. Go low. My wife got a necklace for $20 that started at $125!
Harvest Caye
Awesome beach and pool. Love this place!