Norwegian Jade

On March 30, 2008, we set sail on the inaugural European cruise of NCL's newly refurbished Norwegian Jade from Barcelona, Spain. We traveled with another couple and met up with the new friends we had met online through Cruise Critic before leaving home. This was our first Mediterranean cruise and our first time in Europe.

The Jade began her life as NCL America's Pride of Hawaii in 2006. In February of 2008, NCL moved her to their parent company. After a short refurbishment in Los Angeles (where she was renamed), a Panama Canal cruise, a Trans-Atlantic sailing, and a major dry dock in Spain, she was ready to begin her new life as the Norwegian Jade. She originally was to sail in Europe for part of the year and the Caribbean for the rest. NCL later decided to keep her in Europe year-round sailing a variety of itineraries.

OUR ITINERARY

3/30 Barcelona, Spain

3/31 Cruise the Mediterranean Sea

4/01 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

4/02 Naples, Italy

4/03 Cruise the Adriatic Sea

4/04 Venice, Italy

4/05 Venice, Italy

4/06 Dubrovnik, Croatia

4/07 Cruise the Adriatic Sea

4/08 Athens, Greece

4/09 Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey

4/10 Istanbul, Turkey

4/11 Istanbul, Turkey

At 93,000 gross tons the Jade is the largest ship we have been aboard yet we were quickly able to find our way around. We found the public areas to be very well laid out. They include 12 restaurants, 10 lounges, 2 swimming pools, 1 kid's pool, 4 hot tubs, a 3-tiered theater, a newly added casino, a chapel, a large gym with an ocean view, and plenty of deck space. It is evident that some areas were made over during the dry dock, but the Hawaiian theme still abounds.

This was also the inaugural cruise for the overhaul that NCL has dubbed Freestyle 2.0. As members of Cruise Critic we had the privilege of meeting with ship and corporate execs about ideas of how to fine tune this concept. Some of the 2.0 features are; upgraded bedding and toiletries, a replenished fruit basket in each cabin, Wii systems on board, and some type of lobster item on the menu in at least one restaurant every evening.

We had the opportunity to enjoy both the Alizar and Grand Pacific main dining rooms, Le Bistro French restaurant, Teppanyaki, Paniolo Tapas and Salsa, Papa's Italian Kitchen, and the Blue Lagoon as well as the many action stations in the buffet. Although the food was not truly gourmet, we always found something to our liking and never went hungry!

The onboard entertainment ranged from the usual trivia games and bingo to more upscale evening offerings. A group from the Second City Comedy Troup of Chicago appeared several times throughout the cruise. Smokey Joe's Cafe was one of three new broadway style shows. The interactive play, Tony and Tina's Wedding, was performed as well.

Check out the video slideshow below to see some of the ship and how much we enjoyed it. Make sure your speakers are on!