Day 3 NCL Jade – Malta

Day 3 brought our first port visit to Valletta in Malta. I’ve been so busy at work recently that I’d not had time to do the usual port research so I’d only managed a quick look online where I’d seen photos of a beautiful Baroque walled city.

We began the day with an al a carte breakfast in the Grand Pacific main dining room as we sailed through the narrow entrance to the port surrounded by the fortified walls of the city. A quick trip to top deck helped us get our bearings, plan our day and check the temperature. It was noticeably hotter than the day before with blue sky and just the odd cloud.

Outside the port gates there was the usual offer of a HoHo bus at €10 per person and waiting taxi drivers offering tours of the island along with horse drawn carriages with prices varying from €40 – €75 – so worth a bit of a haggle! We did consider the HoHo but the queues were huge so we just followed the crowds and about 5 minutes walk right out of the port on the other side of the road we spotted a sign for a very modern lift to the old city. This seemed like a great idea as I wasn’t looking forward to the walk up the hills in the heat with a small child. The high speed lift cost just €1 each for adults and children were free for a return trip which scaled the city walls and delivered you right into the historic city. We exited into a beautiful flower lined square with monuments and fountains and viewing platforms to look down over the city and our ship below.

We walked down the main shopping streets filled with lots of familiar British brands such as Marks and Spencer, The Body Shop and BHS due to it’s historic links to the UK. We found the main square and Finn had a run around in the fountains to cool off from the midday heat. We walked to a nearby tree lined square and enjoyed a drink (a very reasonably priced Maltese red for me) while we were entertained by a busker pianist and then left the parents to explore further while we took Finn back to the ship for lunch.

We ate at the Blue Lagoon which was quiet as most guests were still ashore and food was once again great but service was slow despite the lack of diners. We returned to our cabin so I could finish yesterday’s blog post which was a little frustrating as wifi isn’t great on board. I paid $19.99 per day for the unlimited package which means in theory we can surf, tweet and post all cruise. In reality the connection constantly drops so you have to log in again and again which is a time consuming process every time you need to use it. There are also alternative time based packages where you can buy 60, 100 or 200 minutes. I don’t know if it was just the position of our room but the wifi works much better in the public areas and bars on the ship than in the cabins so now we have a valid excuse for drinking in the bars all day!

As the sun was shining we went to top deck and braved another ride on the water slide and a swim in the thankfully warm pools before heading back to our cabin to change for dinner.

We’d decided to dine at Jasmine Garden, the complimentary Asian restaurant on board. When we last sailed NCL this was a paid speciality restaurant however in the past year they’ve changed their policy fleet wide to make it part of the cruise fare. Andy loves Chinese so that was good news for us but Finn wasn’t so keen so chose to go to dinner with my parents in the main dining room. We soon realised that children can eat for free from the main kids menu in any restaurant on board so actually he could have dined with us after all.

NCL Jade has an amazing array of restaurants on board, speciality restaurants include Cagneys Steakhouse at a cover charge of $29.95 per person, Le Bistro French Restaurant at $19.95 per head, Moderno a Brazilian restaurant which offers unlimited meat carved at your table for $19.95 each, La Cucina an Italian again at $19.95, an a la carte sushi bar and a Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant where chefs prepare meals at your table for $29.95 per person. Complimentary restaurants include the Jasmine Garden, two main dining rooms Alizar and Grand Pacific, the buffet Garden Cafe and Blue Lagoon so wether you splash out or not, you’ll never go hungry on board! NCL also offer room service but unusually for cruise lines there is a charge of $7.95 per delivery.

You can’t make reservations at Jade Garden but as we arrived at 6pm we only queued for a few minutes. The menu offers a choice of 7 or 8 starters, 15 or so mains from rice dishes to noodles and 5 Asian inspired desserts. Andy had a sweet corn and chicken noodle soup and I had pork dim sum to start followed by a sweet and sour beef dish with rice for me and chicken and shrimp noodles for Andy. The food was excellent quality and service was very good.

We had after dinner drinks up on deck 13 in the Star bar and then the Spinnaker lounge where we left the parents to enjoy a Glenn Miller tribute. There was a White Hot party and a white hot kids disco on board but Finn was tired after the walk around Valletta so we finished the night with a night cap in the room and a chapter of Harry Potter.

Day 4 – A not so lazy sea day

We began our 4th day at sea with breakfast at Moderno, the Brazilian restaurant on deck 8 above the atrium where they offer a pastries buffet and reduced a la carte.

Our almost 8 year old son Finn decided he wanted to try kids club so we headed to Splash Academy on Deck 12 to sign him up. The registration process was done on an iPad and then Finn got his wristband and skipped in. He’s in Seals, the club for 6 to 9 year olds and there’s also Guppies for under 3’s (who must be accompanied by parents), Turtles for 3 – 5 year olds, Dolphins for 10 – 12 year olds then Entourage for teens up to 17. The kids club is a parent free zone so I didn’t get to see it properly but Finn tells me it’s one big room with a cinema area with bean bags and a movie screen. Kids club is free and open daily from 9am to 10.30pm closing for lunch and dinner on sea days12pm – 2pm and 5pm – 7pm. It’s open throughout on port days but if your child stays for lunch or dinner there’s a $6 charge per staff supervised meal. There’s also a late night fun zone from 10.30pm – 1.30am which is charged at $6 per hour for the first child and $4 per hour for any additional siblings.

We took advantage of our new found freedom and went to the Spinnaker lounge for the Senior Officers Profile which was a Q&A with Captain Kim Karlsson, Hotel Director Misread Bucuk and Chief Engineer Jordan Rasmusson. The officers sat on stage while two members of crew circulated with roaming microphones so the audience could ask questions. It was surprisingly entertaining and was a great opportunity to learn how the ship operates, how the crew work and to understand some of the challenges they face. As a bit of a cruising geek I loved it and it was a great way to pass an hour or so.

There’s a varied entertainment programme on board on sea days with trivia quizzes, a very popular bake off style cake decorating competition, bingo, dance classes and even a Ms Biceps competition which I chose not to enter! We returned to kids club to check our boy who was having a great time and wanted to stay until the session closed so we returned to Spinnaker for another glass of red. At noon we collected Finn and went to Grand Pacific for the al a carte lunch. I had a tasty meatball sub but Andy was a little disappointed with his Vietnamese soup so we went to Blue Lagoon where he had the always excellent wonton soup and some chicken wings.

After lunch we went to the Stardust Theatre to watch the crew talent show featuring a range of acts including waiting staff doing traditional Thai dancing, one of the stage hands doing a great job of a Joni Mitchell cover and than some very amusing silliness by the cruise director and a few of the crew called Fountains which involved them dressing up in togas and spitting water at each other. I guess you had to be there: )

We had an early dinner in Grand Pacific hoping to see the 7.30pm Stardust Theatre show but the restaurant was busy and service was slower than usual so we decided to enjoy a leisurely dinner and catch the later show at 9.45pm. Dinner was well worth the wait and followed by a trip to the Medusa Bar to watch Twice as Nice, a duo performing soul and Motown hits.

At 9.30 we took our seats in the theatre which was busy but still had ample seating for everyone. The show was Elements, a Cirque du Soleil style thing featuring a vague storyline but spectacular acrobatics, dance and magic. It ended with a fabulous finale covering the stage in confetti followed by a parade of officers and crew from all of the ship’s departments. It was a great way for guests to show their appreciation and the staff looked like they were having a great time too!

NCL Jade – Venice to Barcelona – Day 1

It’s just a little over six weeks since our last cruise but yesterday we boarded NCL Jade for a five night half term trip from Venice to Barcelona visiting Malta and Majorca. We’re travelling with my Dad and step mum as it’s a late 70th birthday celebration for Dad and an opportunity for us to introduce them to cruising.

We’ve cruised with NCL once before on the smaller Norwegian Spirit around the Canaries. We liked their freestyle, less formal attitude and I was very much looking forward to sampling Jade, which carries over 2500 passengers and is one of the larger ships in their fleet.

We took an early easyJet flight from Manchester on the day of the cruise however my parents flew in on Thursday to enjoy a few nights in Venice. It was a short two hour flight trip and before we knew it we were in a cab from the airport to the port for the quick 15 minute drive at a cost of €45.

We dropped our luggage and met up with the parents at the terminal. Check in was quick and efficient with very little queuing and after getting our cruise cards we were asked to take a seat until our boarding number 12 was called (they were currently on 9). Twenty minutes later we were on our way, through security and quickly on board.

The boys were hungry after our early start so it was straight to the buffet, The Garden Cafe on deck 12. We took seats in the Great Outdoors an al fresco dining area for the buffet at the aft of the ship where they have a grill area serving fast food style snacks and also access to the main buffet inside. Most importantly there’s a self serve ice cream machine much to my son Finn’s delight. I enjoyed my first glass of red on board courtesy of the ultimate drinks package (UDP) which we received as a free perk when booking. NCL seem to almost always run an offer when you book and currently you can enjoy either the drinks package or a dining package (allowing you 4 meals at speciality restaurants) or free wifi. We opted for drinks as anyone who reads this blog knows I do enjoy a glass or two! The UDP allows you to order anything up to $15 a glass but isn’t valid for speciality coffees, bottled water or bottled wines. You do get a 20% discount on any bottled wine but It makes sense to order the same vintage by the glass for free!

First impressions of the ship were great, everything appeared spotlessly clean and carpets and furnishings were fresh and new throughout. The top deck seems quite small with just two pools but Finn was most impressed with the big yellow water slide which I’m sure we’ll be sampling tomorrow on our first sea day. There are two pool side bars and a grill which was serving a delicious smelling barbecue of ribs, steaks and salads. Top decks also feature the usual areas such as a sports court with stadium seating, a running track, golf practice nets and a well equipped gym.

Around 1.30pm an announcement was made that the cabins (or staterooms as NCL likes to call them) were ready. We’d booked two adjacent balcony rooms on deck 8 both with large, comfortable double beds and a sofa which is made up into into a bed for Finn each night. The bathrooms are more spacious than most with a good sized shower with sliding doors rather than a curtain, a toilet with a further sliding door and a sink area with lots of shelf space. There’s also complimentary shampoo and shower gel in a dispenser and elsewhere in our room, a mini fridge, good sized TV and lots of storage too. The balcony is recessed and surrounded by metal which is different to the standard glass balconies above but more private as a result and the metal structure does create a nice wine shelf!

Paul our cabin steward popped by to say hello and check we had everything we needed then as the cases hadn’t yet arrived we went off to explore further. The majority of bars and venues are on decks 6 & 7 so our room on deck 8 is well located. We had a peek at the spectacular Stardust Theatre, a large impressive venue that I’m sure we’ll sample later in the week. We took a seat in the cocktail bar on deck 6 and had a glass of wine before returning to our cabins to unpack.

At 5pm it was time for the obligatory muster but you don’t need to take your life jackets with NCL. It was soon over and then we got changed for our first dinner of the cruise. NCL is freestyle dining, so there’s no need to dress up if you don’t want to but we always like to make a bit of an effort to smarten up.

We decided to dine at the Alizar Restaurant, one of three complimentary al a carte dining options on board, the others being The Grand Pacific main dining room and Jasmine Garden Asian restaurant. Alizar and Grand Pacific serve the same menu just with a different decor and atmosphere. We arrived at the restaurant around 7.15pm and were quickly seated with no waiting time for a table for five but it’s worth noting that queues began to form very soon after. The menu choice is vast with around 10 starters and 15 or so mains, definitely the widest choice I’ve ever experienced at sea. I chose spicy chicken wing starters followed by a beef tenderloin chef special with baked potato, Andy had French onion soup and a Chorizo and radish salad (he couldn’t decide between the two so had both) then a New York strip steak with fries and onion rings from the always available options. Finn had chicken tenders with fries and a generous portion of jelly from the kids menu. The food was excellent and piping hot and service was efficient and friendly.

Finn was exhausted after an 4.30am start so Andy took him off to bed while I enjoyed a quick night cap back in the cocktail bar with my parents where there was a piano player entertaining the guests. After a quick glass of red I headed to bed looking forward to a lazy sea day tomorrow.

Day 2 – At Sea

Thanks to the clocks going back, our second day aboard began with a bonus hour in bed. This caused a little confusion when we awoke as we had three different devices showing three different times!

As regular blog readers will know I love an al a carte breakfast however there was no mention of the main dining room Grand Pacific being open for breakfast. Blue Lagoon, the 24 hour cafe on deck 8 mid ship appeared to be the only al a carte option in the Freestyle Daily newsletter. There was a small queue but no available tables so the hostess suggested we went to Grand Pacific which was in fact open for breakfast. We were soon seated in the large, Hawaiian themed dining room which has floor to ceiling windows at the aft of the ship overlooking the wake. The restaurant was very quiet, most probably as no-one knew it was open! We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast from a menu offering everything from eggs benedict to pancakes. The service was perhaps a little slow but as it was a sea day we had nothing to rush for so it wasn’t a major issue.

After breakfast Finn wanted to have a swim so we found sun loungers on top deck and settled in to enjoy a little autumnal sunshine. Thankfully (and unusually) the pools were heated so a swim wasn’t as chilly as I feared it maybe, the hot tubs were heavenly though. There’s four on board, two adult only and two by the family pool. There is also a life guard on board keeping an eye on the water slide and pool and enforcing the adult only spaces and no swim nappy rules. Finn and I swam a few lengths before braving the water slide which was a bit chilly queuing on the stairs with the wind whipping round. The slide itself was great fun but you need to lie down to slide to avoid getting stuck in places. We spent a few hours relaxing by the pool then it was time for lunch. We’d missed the al a carte option in the main dining room so we went to Blue Lagoon, a complimentary restaurant that offers a Frankie & Benny’s style menu of chicken wings, mozzarella bites and potatoes skins followed by burgers, sandwiches and sides. We had fond memories of the food in Blue Lagoon on NCL Spirit a few years ago but the Jade version is far superior to the fast food style cafe in a a corridor we’d visited on Spirit. On Jade it’s an al a carte restaurant with full waiter service.

At 3pm there was a cinema screening of Hercules in the the Stardust Theatre and as Finn is currently obsessed with all things Greek God and myth related, we had to watch it. The theatre was very quiet so we got great seats on the balcony and settled in for 90 minutes of blockbuster entertainment, the only thing missing was popcorn! Finn loved it and during the film I was reflecting on how cruises really do offer great value for money when you add up what similar food and entertainment would cost at home. I’m sure at two days in we’ve already had our cruise fare!

After lunch we visited the ship’s large duty free shop which offers the usual selections of handbags, make up and cosmetics. Finn was disappointed to find there weren’t any toys on board and that the chocolate selection was limited. I suspect NCL are missing a trick here when the ship has so many families on board but this will most likely save me a fortune so I’m not complaining. I placated him with a free self serve ice cream from the buffet and then it was a quick change for dinner.

There are no formal nights onboard however there was an opportunity to have photos with the captain and guests were encouraged to dress to impress so we smartened up a little with dresses and jackets for an early dinner in the spacious Grand Pacific dining room which I prefer to the smaller Alizar. There were no queues at 6pm and we were quickly seated for a dinner of fried mozzarella for me followed by a substantial striploin steak with fries. Andy had Steak Diane and Finn wolfed down a pizza from the kids menu. We skipped dessert and left at 7.20pm to get seats in the Stardust Theatre for the Soul Rockin Nights Show.

The show was excellent and featured the 7 piece Jade orchestra, four lead vocalists and ten dancers performing a brilliant selection of soul and Sixties RnB hits. After the show we had a drink in the jellyfish themed Medusa bar watching Twice as Nice a duo featuring an ex Broadway singer and a keyboard player who was once in the Commodores then Andy took an exhausted Finn to bed while I took the parents to Deck 13 to find two bars we’d not yet experienced. The Star Bar is an intimate space overlooking the pools but sadly there were no seats so we went to the Spinnaker Bar a little further along deck which is a fabulous show lounge with cabaret style seating. Here we enjoyed the end of the karaoke followed by an excellent performance by Ironica, another 7 piece band playing soul and party hits. I left the parents to drink and dance the night away at a 70’s dance party while I headed back to my boys in the cabin.