Jade's First Transatlantic Voyage

cruisecouple · 03-01-2008, 10:53 AM

We have just boarded the Jade and now sailing.

We had planned to try to board the ship early, but traffic going into Miami was more difficult than expected, and in my haste to return our rental car I forgot to gas up, which added another 1/2 hour. We got in line at the port at about noon and boarded the ship at about 1 pm, so the whole security and check-in process took about an hour (most of the time we were waiting in line).

I tried to get a photo of the hull art but security stopped me (terrorist threat?). I can tell you though, that there is no hull art, only the name, which should be to Ally's liking.

The Hawaiian theme is all still there. My wife thinks they should keep it all and not change anything. She thinks Europeans who may not have traveled to Hawaii would enjoy the atmosphere. Other passengers we talked to agreed.

After the emergency drill was over, we talked to one of the new service crew members. She said the the previous service crew (Pride of Hawaii) left the ships "as if pigs had been living on it."

She said they didn't care and they would sometimes be eating while serving food to guests. She said "Americans are spoiled." I agree and I'm American.

The crew is widely diverse. I noticed nationalities of Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Indonesia and Barbados the first day.

The captain delayed our departure about four hours because all the stores and luggage were not loaded on time.

Enjoying the cruise now.

**Ally** · 03-01-2008, 10:57 AM

Great to hear from you

What do the crew think about Jade not going back to the US in November as planned?

She is staying in Europe til at least 2010 now, so maybe she will have the bow art done whilst in Europe. The stories about the ex crew do not surprise me at all, that was part of the problem that has pretty much put people off from NCLA.

Have a great cruise and enjoy Jade!

Try and stay in touch if you can, please, and if you meet up with Norman & Diane, please pass on our good wishes

cruisecouple · 03-03-2008, 04:05 PM

Day 2 aboard the Jade

Our concern about rough waters and seasickness has been allayed so far. With 4 to 7 foot waves, these are the largest we have experienced on a cruise ship. There is some side-to-side swaying (like a train in slow motion) but no heaving that would cause me to lose my lunch. I can get sick very easily.

My wife complained yesterday about cold food. We had a few items in the Grand Pacific dining room that were served cold when they clearly should not have been. It really was not a big deal, and we were not unhappy but it was noticeable. She just wanted to give the cooking staff a "heads-up". In response, one of the executive chefs sent us an assorted fruit basket with his card and personal phone number offering to help with any need we had. We graciously thanked him for the fruit, saying it was not necessary but appreciated.

I had a wine tasting on day one and another today. The host was very knowledgeable and entertaining and it was enjoyable discussing further wine topics after the session ended.

The weather is beautiful with 70-75 degree highs and mixed clouds and sun - great for sitting out on the terrace.

Day 3

Cooler today but still very pleasant weather. The ship's motion is still comfortable although we go through periods where the ship "shudders" or shakes very quickly, slightly, for a few seconds. Not uncomfortable but a little annoying at times when trying to sleep.

We watched a Broadway show last night and man, those singers were good. We wanted it to keep going but the performers have to rest sometimes I guess.

We ate a smaller breakfast and exercised today, because we had over-gorged ourselves yesterday (sound familiar anyone?).

Saw a couple of oil tankers and a fishing boat but other than that it's just us.

**Ally** · 03-03-2008, 04:09 PM

That was a good response from the chef regarding the cold food. That is how it should be done, so you know that they are taking comment, both good and bad, on board and acknowledging you.

Sounds like the weather is being very kind to you...hope that it continues

cruisecouple · 03-07-2008, 07:54 AM

Day 4 on the Jade

Last night and today we had rough seas (7-12 feet). The larger sway was more difficult to deal with when moving around, but did not cause my wife and I to become sick. My wife compared the motion to a large baby's cradle. We have been eating ginger candies and mints just so that we keep our stomachs calm. Seas are supposed to subside by tomorrow.

There was a false alarm this morning. Normally, seven short tones followed by one long tone indicates an emergency. We had some short tones but I never heard the long tone. After the tones, the captain immediately announced to the ship that this was a false alarm.

The weather is still 65-70 F with clouds and sun mixed with a steady breeze.

One problem they are having on the ship is with presentations about the ports. They always schedule them in rooms that are too small. It seems to me, logically, that these would be popular because we are so long at sea, thus high anticipation of arrival at ports. The presentations are not all that spectacular but passengers are hungry for information about them. They are not using the theater for these presentations though it would be perfect for them. Excuse me for being cynical but perhaps it is because nothing is being sold at these presentations (the paid tours presentation DID use the theater, though attendance was moderate).

Day 5

The sea is now very rough (12-18 feet) and has been since last night, with a wind at 45 knots generating the waves. We are really being tossed around. Not getting sick though - maybe we are getting used to it? Nevertheless, we will be glad to hit some land in a couple of days.

It is also quite a bit cooler with temps in the 50's.

Last night's ventriloquist/comedian was very funny and took our minds off the rough waters.

We visited the bridge viewing area yesterday. You can see the bridge through a large window as well as having access to the same navigation information screens that the captain sees. There is a video on ship building continuously playing as well as a display of some Pride of Hawaii memorabilia.

We just attended a Q&A session with the Hotel Director, Chief Engineer and the Captain. One question was about the changes that will happen to the ship after this cruise has completed. The Hotel Director said that a full casino will be added but not many other changes will be made. The carpet will be replaced and toned-down with less red hues. Other than that, artwork and names will remain, with the exception of the kids areas and the buffet (will drop the name Aloha Nui).

At about 3 p.m. this afternoon, our toilet stopped working. We called the reception and found out ALL of the toilets on the ship stopped working.

Think of the impending disaster! However, toilets were working again by dinner time.

Late in the day, the sea seems to have subsided a bit. What a relief!

We went to watch guitar of Fabio Zini (Grammy Awards Nominee). Latin style guitar was excellent and upbeat.

Day 6

Seas are still rough, but waves are coming at the bow, instead of the side so we are cutting trough them nicely.

Mostly sunny skies filtered by some high clouds. Winds are strong but it is very pleasant.

The daily ship paper erred in that they asked us to move our clocks forward tonight. We are already on GMT minus 1 hour (Ponta Delgada time) so another adjustment would put us on GMT, thus making the ship's clock one hour ahead of the port clock.

I brought this up to the front desk and they were not aware of it. They said an announcement would be made for the correction but as of 1 p.m. this has not been announced. Hope they don't forget! (They finally announced at 6 p.m.)

Day 7

Now in Ponta Delgada at the internet café. Will post more later. The ship is 75 cents per minute so I will only post from land. It's only 1.50 euro here!

cruisecouple · 03-07-2008, 07:55 AM

The crew did not seem to care either way about the change in fall itinerary. The ship is their home, not any port!

**Ally** · 03-07-2008, 07:59 AM

Great to hear from you again

I liked Ponta Delgada, went up to the Sete Citades crater lakes...was a wonderful place, with amazing views across the island.

Glad the seas have calmed for you and that the ginger seems to have done the trick too

Fable · 03-19-2008, 12:55 PM

I am interested in the overall comments from "Cruisecouple" on the quality of services, food, entertainment and local tours on board of the Norwegian Jade after it has been repositioned to Europe.

cruisecouple · 03-25-2008, 02:59 PM

Sorry for the late post. We have been continuing travels in Europe and I haven't had a chance to post until now...

Day 7

Ponta Delgada was an amazing place for us because we are into agriculture and horticulture. They can almost grow literally everything here. We went to the farmers market and saw bananas, cherimoyas, avocados, pineapple and other tropical fruits (grown on the islands) as well as the cool weather fruits such as apples and vegetables such as leeks and cabbage. On the horticulture side, there was everything from palms to azaleas. We went to a nice park, the Jardim Antonio Borges, to see the ornamental plants. We didn't tour so only saw the town. The architecture was interesting and most buildings used basalt due to the volcanic nature of the islands. We heard the countryside is beautiful. It is very green there. This was a rare treat as it is an out-of-the-way destination. We would love to go back one day and see the other islands.

Day 8

Day at sea. Wave are much calmer than they had been on previous days at sea. It was pretty uneventful for us, except we watched a couple of movies we brought on our computers.

Day 9

Lisbon. This is a very nice town. We came on a Sunday so many shops were closed. However, as we don't shop much, this turned out to be a treat as we could see all the locals going to and from church or other weekend activities. Again, we did not buy a tour but made one on our own. Traffic was very light so it was easy to get around. There were many little cobblestone walkways and stairs leading in all different directions so it was a challenge to figure out where you were.

It was definitely a family day as we saw them going to the sights, walking along the port wall and going out to eat.

We started in the downtown where there is a large pedestrian mall. Then we made our way over to Alfalma to the narrow "streets" there. Quite interesting. You never knew where you were going or would end up. Then, we found a trolley to take us over to the Belem area. We saw the Jeronimos Monastery (quite impressive) as well as the Tower of Belem (an old mini-fortress) which was really neat. Lastly, we walked to the Padrao Dos Descobrimentos, which was somewhat of an homage to the Portuguese sailors of the past. This was a very large sculpture. We then walked back to the ship, so it was quite a bit of walking for the day, well over 5 km.

And, let me also say, while the wife isn't looking, that Portuguese women are quite beautiful!

Day 10

Gibraltar. An absolute letdown after Lisbon.

We did not do any tours nor did we see the rock up close so I can't judge there. However, after walking into town I can say that part did not make us happy. Frankly, it is not a nice looking town and is not well kept. There was much hype before hand about the great prices to be found but we found Portugal to be cheaper. Perhaps the GBP is "pounding" the dollar. We went to the Morrison's grocery store where local people shop so I would assume they would be cheapest, and based our price comparisons there. We weren't shopping for diamonds so can't give you any info on that. There were many ugly apartment buildings. It reminded my wife of the high-rise suburbs of the cities of France. I'm sure there were nicer parts of town but we did not see them. At least the poorer parts of Lisbon had more style. Nevertheless, this is a historical peninsula and we are glad we were able to cruise to it to experience it. Oh yes, I can also say that the rock on the African side is much more impressive, as rocks go...

Day 11

Malaga. We had been here before but only stayed in the countryside. We had seen Ronda and The Alhambra at that time, which are must-see destinations. This time we took no tours and walked into the town. We saw the Alcazaba and Cathedral, then walked back on the Paseo, which was wonderful. It was a wide area between the two directions of traffic on the avenue that had many types of palms plus other tropical and subtropical plants. We had never heard of it but it was a big attraction for us, as plant lovers.

Day 12

Palma de Mallorca. We had originally booked a tour to the Cuevas del Drach (Caves of the Dragon) but thought the ships tour price was too expensive so we canceled. However, we went there anyway by splitting a taxi with another couple for about 100 Euros. What a fascinating place! The limestone caves are really cool and contain the largest underground lake in the world. At the end of the tour there is a presentation on the lake with classical music. A memorable experience.

Day 13

Barcelona. We had a early arrival so we disembarked without event (Spanish customs are non existent). We took a taxi to pick up a car, then picked up our friends from California to continue our European tour.

Summary

This was a cruise with great value. Norwegian did a very good job all around, though I must say our Princess cruise was a level above in almost all aspects. In our informal poll, other passengers seemed to favor Royal Carribean or Holland America. No one preferred Norwegian. This does not mean we would never cruise Norwegian again, though all things being equal (price, itinerary etc.) we would choose another company. The bright points were housekeeping service, library, and price. The low points were food quality, internet service department, and dining room service. We had a great time and were so happy to have done, and had no regrets.

cruisecouple · 03-25-2008, 03:01 PM

"I am interested in the overall comments from "Cruisecouple" on the quality of services, food, entertainment and local tours on board of the Norwegian Jade after it has been repositioned to Europe."

Fable, read my latest post, then ask me any more specific questions you may have and I will be glad to answer!