Cruise Ship Review

Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Cruise Line's first ever ship to sail in Europe year-round, may boast an incongruously decor that's tropically focused, but the recently refurbished vessel is "freestyle" through and through.

For the most part, its "Freestyle" design refers to an onboard ambience that abandons traditional cruise formalities. All meals are open seating and choice of cuisine and vibe is relatively unrivaled (range goes from a top-notch steakhouse and Tepannyaki to French, Italian, tapas, sushi, buffets and even a 24-hour cafe, complete with traditional English breakfast).

Beyond that, Norwegian Jade, which in April 2008 repositioned from a year-round post in Hawaii (hence the tropical decor) to the Mediterranean and got a fresh new look. Carpets were replaced and worn furnishings repaired. The small Hawaii cultural center has disappeared while the Jade Club Casino has been added.

Where the majority of passengers and crew were North Americans aboard Pride of Hawaii, the breakdown on our 12-night Istanbul to Athens cruise was rather evenly divided between passengers representing the U.S. and those from international countries, including Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico and Japan. The more global experience, with announcements now coming in Spanish and German as well as English, was the defining element of the cruise.

Jade is the first ship to debut Freestyle 2.0, NCL's new fleetwide service, dining and cabin initiative (other vessels have since followed suit). The touches range from little gestures, such as a "bubbly" welcome or on-deck Evian spritz, to new programs, such as the introduction of NCL-U "education" courses to the more indulgent addition of pillow menus to suites.

NCL also debuted two new theme parties aboard Jade: the Monte Carlo casino party with its show girls in feathered hats and annoying host continuously rolling his tongue as he bellowed "Monte Carrrrrrlo" and the White Hot Party, a very well-attended danceathon where a large number of passengers clad in white spazzed about to some bass-heavy joints. Menus in all the restaurants have also been overhauled (and surcharges increased we should note), with signature dishes added to all specialty restaurants (Cagney's Steakhouse has a 32 ounce porterhouse). With "Lobster Galore," passengers will now find lobster in at least one restaurant every night of the cruise. And suite guests have a new place to dine for breakfast and lunch with the opening of Cagney's to guests booked in Romance Suites or higher.

An interesting, but less talked about, upgrade is Crew 2.0. A happy crew is a good crew so this new initiative includes better food in the crew galley, opportunities for the crew to go on shore excursions, and more crew-passenger interaction.

All said, the dramatic shifts seem to have been taken in stride. It's a cruise where U.S. passengers can see Europe in the most economical way possible, and European and Asian travelers can take advantage of the woefully performing U.S. dollar. Complaints about the additional costs of all the specialty restaurants -- something that's dogged NCL's Freestyle concept from the start -- were common, and a case could be made for NCL doing a better job of providing more realistic expectations. If guests really do want to enjoy the wide variety of dining options available during a single cruise, as the multiplicity of restaurants clearly suggest, an additional, say, $25 per person, per night, should probably be figured into the cost of the cruise.

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