Norwegian Jade Review
Rating by category
Additional details
NCL is rapidly becoming my favourite cruise line. They just do everything really well. The ship is in mint condition. No wear and tear anywhere which is astounding. Though smaller than other NCL ships I've recently sailed I actually really enjoyed the size. It's not too big to get around and never seemed overly crowded. We never had to make reservations in any dining room and with the exception of one day never had to wait to be seated.
The mix of pax on this cruise was slightly older - definitely 55+, however it was September so that would eliminate a lot of families. There were quite a few couples on their honeymoon as well.
We booked a guarantee inside cabin and were assigned one on the 8th deck, right on the front of the ship over the theatre. Though small it was perfectly adequate for two people. It was my first time in an inside and I can honestly say it was just fine. I did not miss the window or the balcony at all.
Cabin Review
Family Inside
This cabin was assigned to us via a guaranteed inside booking. We rarely heard any noise - occasionally only from the cabin beside us and above us. We didn't hear any noise from the theatre below. Though it was a small room, there was lots of storage space. Beds are a little on the firm side - not my favourite - but you get used to it. Cabin service was very good.
Port Reviews
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Very easy embarkation / debarkation. We got a bit confused about how to get to the ship from the train station, but found out later there is a city bus that will take you right into the port where you connect with a coach bus that takes you to the ship. It costs a few Euro but it's totally worth it. We took a frecciabianca train which runs non-stop from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia. If you're embarking at Termini and have a lot of luggage just be sure to get onto the train early.
Santorini
Beautiful port - was my favourite last time, but it's really suffering from too many tourists on the island at one time. We were one of 5 ships in port and the line-ups to get up and down the cable cars were very, very long. Oia was also difficult to navigate due to crowds. At the tender port there are a few companies that offer a boat ride directly to Oia and a coach back to Fira, however, it is a bit disorganized. Last time we visited Oia we rented a car for the day which was actually a better way to get around.
Athens (Piraeus)
We got off the ship and walked to the subway which I would not recommend. It's far and hot with a lot of traffic. I've heard there is a city bus that runs directly into Athens or a Hop On Hop off that takes you to the acropolis. We did the HOHO bus directly from downtown Athens which I do not recommend. It wasn't really interesting and mostly we just sat in traffic. We did enjoy lunch and shopping in Plaka and wished we had spent more time there.
Mykonos
This was our favourite port. We took a boat over to paradise beach for a few hours and then did some shopping in old town. It's a beautiful place. If you're looking to buy jewellery it's an expensive island, though. We found the exact same items to be much cheaper in Rhodes and Chania.
Rhodes
We very much liked this port. It was so easy to get off the ship and walk to the old town. They had lots of shopping and restaurants. Great day and the shopping was cheaper than in other Greek ports.
Malta (Valletta)
Our ship arrived on a Sunday. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed but there was enough open that we still had things to do. It was sweltering hot the day we were there, even in the end of September. Local beer and water was so cheap!