Hamrag, Thanks for your review. Just wondered why they had people queuing when they could have remained in the terminal and been called through in smaller numbers? I wouldn't want to stay there too long myself, but at least there are seats, cloakrooms and refreshments

Thanks Spandance, no need to shout though! We were at all the singing & dancing and other main theatre shows. We enjoyed most, and felt the variety was good although not all to our taste which is fair enough. We heard many others complain about the entertainment standards but overall our expectations were met in that regard.

As far as getting a good deal for next April is concerned I can only relate our experience for the cruise just gone. Last October I spotted this on vacationstogo.com at $899pp + local taxes etc. for an inside cabin. We booked immediately, and the price was up by $500 the following day. Our total price was only $1011 each. Closer to the sailing of all the May/June 2008 Jade cruises the prices came down a bit again but not to the low levels we paid at. You should be able to get VTG to agree to give you the benefit of any price reductions after booking.

Regarding the queuing half of it is outside getting into the cruise terminal where you do get an opportunity to sit for a bit before being called, but then the queue is huge again, and extremely uncomfortable in plastic "glazed" corridors with no air conditioning after you go up the elevator.

Most cruiselines do a staged embarkation, I guess the problem with NCL is that the ship sails at 4.00pm and they aim to get everyone on before the safety muster which was at 3.00pm!! Headlined boarding time is 12.00noon to 2.00pm, a 2 hour window to board 2500ish passengers! We were directed straight to our muster station without the safety vests as we were two of the last couple of hundred to board.

sorry for shouting! thanks for the advise I will start having a look. I usualy use smartcruiser.com I find them quite good value and lower prices but Europe always seems to be higher than the Caribbean (which I don't understand)? I would always choose the caribbean but I'm not keen on flying,hence why we are going on the Gem in November from Barcelona to New York and then staying on for the Bahamas and then one way flight from New york to the Uk to visit my family and then fly back to Alicante. That's enough flying for me!

WINDJAMMER
We are on the Jade 29th north Cape!
Sue

For those who'd like to know more about the entertainment here's a bit of a review

We mostly enjoyed the entertainment, although definitely NOT the White Hot Night. It got a big build up, but it wasn't made clear what sort of event it was. A lot of older people took their places and sat through half an hour or so of loud driving beat music, looking at the ice carvings of swans and waiting for the show to begin. When it did the music got even louder and more so, and just about every one over about 25 or so decided to leave, including us so we can't comment on the rest of the show. They sold white hot t-shirts and other stuff, angel wings and feather boas (I think) ahead of time. We'd been asked to wear something white which showed up in the UV lighting and the photographer was hard at work by the entrance taking 'white hot' photos.

We enjoyed Tony and Tina's Wedding, which was based on a show where the audience interacted with the players as though they were guests, although we weren't not too happy about the extra charge. A lot of people moaned about the food served at the "reception" which may have had something to do with the cost of the 'invitations'

Music around the ship included 'Guys and Doll' Alan Lee at the piano, The Skyline Band, W T Greer and Butch O'Sullivan. Caberet acts included a very good magician, and a juggler and an opera singer who had also appeared in the theatre. We liked "Second City" who performed sketches and clever improvisation, even though we kept thinking they were saying "Second Sitting".

shamansue wrote:

:wave: WINDJAMMER
We are on the Jade 29th north Cape!
Sue

Ok, Got you now on the rollcall. I am username blind someties.

tidewatching wrote:

We had cookies and coffee or juice. They listened to a lot of moans and groans as well It sounded as though the laundrettes made way for the much larger casino, but there were cross conversations going on and it could have been more cabins.

The made the happy hour sound like an innovation, maybe they just increased them.

From Hamrag's review it doesn't sound as though the embarkation queues have improved at all, so I think you are right. It was mostly a 'stroking' thing :cheers

Moans and groans was that on on the first full day or was the meet a bit later in the cruise, we are 1st day.
We have some serious NCLers on our trip with contacts in high places so we will see if they BS our group.

Laundretts looks like more cabins which is crazy with so many 12n+ cruises in europe.

I will pass on the feedback from here, through my contacts on board.

I have also just returned fro Jade my 23rd cruise and 4th with NCL Dream 2001/2002 & the Dawn 2002. But in nearly 6 years the freestlye concept in my opinion has gone downhill much to casual, men wearing white tux seated next to men in very shabby T shirts also a man seated for lunch at the great outdoors without a shirt and his little bucket of six beers no way is this 4-5 star cruising.

I think NCL try very hard it is peoples way of thinking and behaving that is the problem.

I agree with most of the things in Hamrags review it is very fair and accurate except we found the food in the Grand Pacfic and the Alizar very unappetizing the first 3 nights OK and we were given a pager, but I did notice on the 2nd week no queues and the dining room very slack

We used Le Bistro and Cagney's and both were superb but even after paying 15 or 20 dollars the waiter was still pushing the chefs recommendation at a futher 10 dollars

We are not gamblers which is a pity because here they served free drinks to anyone playing I was next door at the piano bar paying $8.50 + 15% for a glass of wine

They even had gambling tables poolside in the afternoon

But on a positive note there is a great choice in the Garden Cafe for breakfast and lunch and smashing fish & chips in the Blue Lagoon

We has a great cruise in spite of the little niggles and like Hamrag if the price and the itinerary were right would sail with NCL again

Thanks prindy.

If you have time would you mind posting a review on our Review site. As you know these are invaluable for people thinking of booking a particular cruise.

luci

luci

Hope you don't mind if I pass on your request afraid I do not have the ability to write a review

I think I will leave that up to the " LADS "
Prindy

Luci, you have reminded my I posted a review 2 or 3 days ago and it is still not there under cruise reviews!! Maybe another internet ether job? Having said that it is basically the same as my long post this thread on Monday 16 June.

Prindy

I'm sure you have the ability as your previous post has proved. You can just copy and paste your earlier post into the reviews site.

hamrag

I shall bring this to the attention of Admin. I thought most of our problems with reviews had been solved when the anti-spam meaures were removed. I'm really sorry if it has disappeared again.
luci

Prindy

I too am not good at submitting reviews! I was asked to do a bit about solo cruising for Scotland's Cruise Centre and Graham was interested in reading it so I emailed it to him.
I don't like people who know me reading what I have written. I got an email today from Yvonne from CC who lives in Scotland and I met on Millennium last year. She got the Mag today and thought the story sounded familiar and looked at the signature!!

I have still to see it in print but will do in the privacy of my own home. I was just reading your post and actually as Luci says all you have to do is cut and paste it.

Have the confidence to just do it!! Says me big coward that I am.

Glad that you enjoyed the cruise. Graham I will private message you when I get organised well enough. Written a couple of long letters today as well as some long emails so TOMORROW I did have a big adventure coming home. Big boo boo on my part.

Sue

hamrag

I am delighted to say that your review is now on view for all to read! (Phew! )

Many thanks for posting it.

luci

Have posted a review of the Jade, so hopefully it will be there soon.

Bob

Many thanks Bob. It should appear in the next couple of days, but there is a backlog of reviews at the moment awaiting approval.

Sue, I read your article in Scotland's Cruise Centre's magazine and was very impressed!

luci

Did anyone on the Jade find that the self service restaurant kept running out of things? On our trip they kept running out of orange juice, either that or it was rationed They often ran out of major items on the menu, sometimes they'd get replace with something else without the label being altered which was always a bit of a challenge. They frequently ran out of plates so diners would be walking around the different stations hoping to find a couple , and we'd often have to sit at the table with our food rapidly cooling in front of us (not that it was all that hot to begin with) waiting for someone to come round with cutlery, eying their rapidly diminishing supply and hoping he didn't run out himself before he got to us. We nearly always had to find seats at a shared table first, and one of us sit to hold our places whilst the other got food. Even then someone once pinched my seat. Going for breakfast once my husband who took his turn first was ok but they were on to lunch by the time it was my turn so I had to sit and watch him eat before moving on to the Blue Lagoon where it was his turn to watch me.

Thanks Luci

Yes they wanted to do something on SOLO cruising they are going to target that market. I was asked if I would write something but I had reservations.
I don't like people who know me reading what I write. I just got the Mag. today so saw it in print for the first time. Reads OK I think.
My fault is that I only write as things come into my head. I never sit down and think now WHAT will I write. Sometimes my thoughts are all over the place. I can touch type and I write as fast as I think!! Mistake but there you have it.

Thanks for the compliment anyway.

Sue