Norwegian Jade Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our 2nd cruise this year; we pretty much had to cruise to use up expiring Future Cruise Credit. We were traveling as a family of 3 myself, my husband, and our Five year old.
We chose this itinerary as we were in the UK for an extended trip and wanted to visit Greece and Turkey. We decided on the Jade as we much prefer this class of ships. We cruised the Breakaway earlier this year and really did not like the ship at all.
We originally booked a Club Balcony Suite, our usual cabin type. When I went to make the final payment, our cruise consultant checked prices and noticed a price drop, so we got a discount, I then called a few weeks before to pre-pay our service charges, and she noted that prices had dropped quite a lot, so she put in a request for FCC, which we received. I then called to ask about an upgrade and ended up with a Forward Penthouse and a $400 refund. I have no idea how the math worked out, but I was happy with the result!
Cabin Review
2-Bedroom Deluxe Family Suite with Balcony
Cabin 9002 Forward Facing Penthouse Suite. We really loved the extra space and found the room to be well laid out with a king-size bed with curtains around it, a sofa bed, a bar area with a mini fridge and Nespresso machine, a large balcony and a dressing area and lots of storage.
The balcony had 2 loungers and a table and chairs. We were a little concerned about movement at the front of the ship and not being able to use the balcony at sea but it was actually ok and we had no issues at all.
One thing to be aware of with this location, is that outdoor sound travels, whenever there was an event at night on the pool deck the noise traveled and could be heard inside the cabin. This was not an issue for us and it usually finished by 10:30 or earlier but something to be aware of.
Port Reviews
Kusadasi
We were only in port from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm and did not want to go to Ephesus with a 5-year-old; so we had breakfast and walked around the port and found a playground for my daughter. It is a lovely port but we wish we had more time there.
We then spent the afternoon at the pool.
Istanbul
We spent a week in Istanbul 10 years ago so did not feel the need to do all the sites this time. We planned to go to Topaki Palace but when we arrived it was closed. Istanbul was also very crowded and congested to the point it was not comfortable and we did not feel comfortable. We had difficulty getting a taxi or tram back to the port so ended up walking 7 miles over the Gallata bridge and to the port. We stopped for tea and snacks multiple times on the way to give our 5-year-old a rest. Overall it was a hot, crowded uncomfortable visit.
Volos
We arrived in Volos on a Wednesday, everything in Volos closes on Mondays and Wednesdays so it was a ghost town.
Most people took ship excursions to the monasteries but we did not think the long drive or experience would be good for our daughter. We took a bus into the town center for 5 EUR and walked along the waterfront and around the empty town, had lunch by the water and took the bus back, and spent the rest of the day by the pool.
Voos is a nice town with a nice waterfront but there was nothing to do as it was Wednesday!
Mykonos
We did an independent excursion with a company called Kids Love Greece; they arrange family tours and excursions in the Greek islands. We really wanted to go to the beach in Mykonos but we were unsure which beach and had heard that transport on the island could be problematic. We booked a private catamaran tour which was amazing. They picked us up at the port and drove us to the marina where a small motor boat met us to take us to the catamaran. We then spent 5 hours sailing around Rhenia and Delos stopping at deserted coves and beaches to swim and snorkel. We then had an amazing lunch on board made by the captain of local dishes. Our driver met us back at the marina and drove us back to the ship.
Rhodes
We loved Rhodes so much we would like to spend a week there.
We had visited on a cruise ship before where we walked around the old city and the grand masters' palace on our own. This time we wanted to see more of the island and maybe go to the beach so I booked a private tour with Rhodes Private Tours. Our driver met us right off the ship and took us on a very interesting tour around the island, we even stopped at a very out-of-the-way pottery workshop and a lovely beachside restaurant for lunch. We were going to stop and walk around Lindos but the crowds were insane so we decided to skip it.
Santorini
In Santorini, you dock below the town of Fira, tender to the dock, and take a cable car 6EUR up to the town. Being in a Suite we got priority tendering so we did not have to get tender tickets or wait in a line we got escorted straight to the tender when we were ready. We got off the ship at 8:30 and were in Fira just after 9 am.
I again booked a tour with Kids Love Greece; our lovely guide met us and walked us through Fira to meet our driver, who drove us to Oia, where we walked around and took pictures of the blue domes. We then drove to Pirga where our guide arranged for a donkey ride for my daughter up to a castle, and we stopped for ice cream. We then visited the Venetsanos Vinyard where we tasted amazing local wine and feasted on grilled octopus. We then had the option to be dropped at the beach but decided instead to go back to Fira and walk around shopping.
We had planned to go back to the ship and shower as it was very hot, and come back out for dinner but we got lazy and our daughter wanted to go to the Splash Academy so we stayed on the ship instead.
Overall it was an excellent day and we would visit again. It did get very crowded in Fira and Oia in the late afternoon.
As well the cable cars you can ride mules up over 700 steps, this is not recommended as they are not very well taken care of and it is very hot. The Donkey ride my daughter did was in a small village where the owner takes very good care of his donkeys and uses them to deliver groceries to the villagers and give kids rides.