|
Party Cruise on Norwegian Jade |
|
Reviewed By: Baker, Waterlooville on 15th Jun 2009
|
| Cruise Line: NCL Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Norwegian Jade |
Sailed:
May,
2009 |
| Destination: Mini Cruises |
Age: 36-45 |
|
My daughter, myself and my two friends went on a mini cruise from Southampton in May. This was a treat for my daughter's 18th birthday and we were eager to try freestyle cruising as something different to conventional cruising.
Firstly the check in was awful, there were no porters to take our bags at the quay side and we had to wait in a queue struggling with bags for about one and a half hours. Older people who had been on cruises before were complaining that their luggage had not been taken from them. You had to pick up your bags to put it through the bag scan which for some people was difficult considering the size of the cases for a two night cruise. Once we had registered our cards and filled in forms about swine flu, we were given a colour tag to wait in the lounge until that colour was called, this never happened so we ended up just walking on.
Once on board we were told we could hand our luggage in and that it would be delivered to our room, however this was not the case as you actually were given a ticket to pick it up half an hour later which did not give time to eat. We did however get a glass of bubbly which was nice.
The foodcourt was heaving and getting a table was difficult, however the food was excellent with great choice.
We booked our table for the evening for the main dining room as soon as we got on board, if you are 15 minutes late then you are charged a cover fee for up to two people, even if you booked a table though, the queue was very long and you still had to wait in it. The food in the main restaurant was again excellant, however you were rushed if you ate early.
We had an inside cabin for 4 people, and it was a good job we all get on well as there was no room at all to move. Normally you get two bunks above the bottom beds, however what you got was another small bed jammed in the middle of the two bottom beds and one bunk bed at the top. If you wanted to get out to the bathroom at night then you had no choice but to step on the middle bed. It was very amusing though, you can imagine four women trying to get ready in a few feet of space. The bathroom was very nice and much more modern than the Aurora which was like a plastic caravan bathroom, this one was tiled and very clean.
The evening shows were at 7.30 and 9.30, not to our taste but clever anyway..a marinette show one night and an Xfactor the night after which I heard was very good.
Drinks - cost varied from $7 to $10 per cocktail and we paid about $35 for a bottle of wine. Sailaway cocktail was about $9 and this seemed to be similar to the cost on other cruise lines.
Service charge was $12 not $10 as stated and if you wanted to use the spa it was $30 for using the female only section and $40 for using the unisex section, this covered the duration of the cruise. You could incidently pay in cash at the end of the cruise in sterling which was not stated.
Out on deck it was packed solid but a good atmosphere. A lot of sunbeds were still locked down so could not be used, we sat on a towel otherwise it was standing room only. The weather was great and the pool was full. The band was great, they also had a bbq on deck.
Tender tickets were available from the art gallery and this was very smooth, it only took 10 minutes waiting until we were called and we disembarked mid morning.
The nightclub was excellent, foam was shot out over the crowd and as there were a lot of hen and stag parties on board, the atmosphere was again very lively.
The ship itself was not quite up to RCL, Carnival or P&O, it had no impressive atrium but it was bright, I would say definately for cruises who do not like conventional cruising but not of the same class.
Disembarkation was the easiest we have ever had, you can get off when you like up until 9am in the morning. You could not fault this.
Overall a fun cruise, however I would not sail NCL again as I prefer conventional cruising, a bit less packed in like sardines and a slightly larger room. Good fun for a booze cruise but not a longer holiday.
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| Mostly ate in self service | | Entertainment | |
| Marinette show was dreadful but singer and group in the piano and cocktail bars were very good | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| We did not go on a shore excursion, we made our own way round Guernsey which is easy | | Staff |  |
| Room Steward was lovely, they provided us with a birthday cake and bubbly for my daughters birthday, they did only provide 3 towels but got us another straight away | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Gym, casino, swimming, spa etc was good | | Cabins |  |
| too small for 4 people but very clean with good bathroom | | Overall Rating | |
|
|
