Some more Jade and 2.0 updates

Greetings everyone,

 

When I get home and have more time to write and upload photos and videos I will go into more detail on these topics but I wanted to tell you a little now about some Freestyle 2.0 upgrades and general Norwegian Jade info.

 

Improved bedding:

 

This is HUGE!  I must say the new bedding on the ships is wonderful.  My favorite hotel is the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the main reason is because of their great beds but NCL has tied them.  Every cabin, EVERY cabin from inside to mini suite has new bedding and pillows.  Suites and above have new beds and bedding.  They also have a pillow menu where you can select what pillows you want.  I know everyone will notice the improvements. The shore excursion desk will probably see a few last minute cancellations due to not wanting to get out of them in the morning. 

 

Latitudes lounge:

 

They are adding lounges for latitude members on the ships.  These are located near the card rooms, meeting rooms and the library.  It’s a space where people can sit down, read a book or play a game.  They are stocked with coffee and tea. 

 

Improved Library:

 

The libraries now have a honor system place.  Instead of having to show up when the librarian was working to check out books you can now sign them out anytime.  The libraries now also have coffee and tea products.

 

Action station restaurant:

 

These were formally known as the buffets.  I really am impressed with the restaurant.  For starters, during dinner you will notice every table has a table cloth and a candle.  This really adds to the atmosphere at night.  The restaurant also has a wider range of foods but also has more made to order items (stir fry station, pasta station, salad station, sandwiches made to order, wrap station, omelets station etc).  In the morning they also had a station for customized blended fruit and vegetable juices.  Overall great improvements. 

 

Pool deck area:

 

When live music isn’t being played they have a new soundtrack of a very relaxing sounding music.  It’s hard to describe the music but its not obnoxious but sounds fun but still feels relaxing.  You can take a nice nap to it!  Each deck chair now has a drink flag.  It’s a simple flag that you can raise when you want bar service.  Very convenient for those who want a drink and those who don’t and don’t want to be bothered by the bar staff. 

 

Brunches in the Bistro:

 

 NCL now offers brunches in the Bistro restaurant featuring different types of music for each one.  This cruise they had the gospel and jazz brunch.  The setting is in the Bistro restaurant so it has a upscale feeling which is nice.  They offer a buffet line with items from Caesar salads to pastries and eggs.  In addition to the buffet they have a full menu that you can order from.  I went to the jazz one and had a great time.  Can’t beat great food with great live music. 

 

 

IMPROVED! Entertainment:

 

I must say I have been very happy with the new improved entertainment on the ship.  NCL has great new shows and two new parties that are a blast!  The first one was the white hot nights party.  They promote this very well and all the crew wears their shirts during the day for the show.  The party has signature drinks, great dancers, new modern music and it even snows!  I took some video clips from the party that I will post when I get home but overall it was excellent!  Their second featured party is the “Monte Carlo Night” in the casino.  This party is very exciting with champagne fountains, dancers and music in the buffet.  Both shows grew a very large crowd so they were exciting.  I have also been very impressed with the shows in the theater this week.  My favorite so far has been Shout!  It’s about five girls during the 60s in England.  They do all the popular songs and have comedy involved also.  At the end of the show everyone was standing and really enjoying themselves.  The Norwegian Jade also has a 6-8 member second city group that performs for 4 hours 6 nights of the week in the Spinnaker lounge.  I have found myself laughing at every skit and considering they are doing 24 hours a week of improve its quite impressive. 

 

Teen club:

 

The clubs have new and improved hours.  The teen clubs are now open all day and teens can stop over anytime they want.  The teen areas now have some added games such as xbox, Nintendo Wii, Guitar hero, dance dance revolution etc.  The teen club now also has a bar serving non alcoholic drinks and sports drinks as well as soda.  The teen club has a supervisor at all times.  The teen/kids club area share a movie viewing room but the age groups will never mix. 

Here are a few examples of the activities on this week’s schedule.  Wii guitar hero challenge, dodge ball, celebrity, glow in the dark basketball, matinee movie, white hot teen dinner-show off your whites, lazy morning breakfast, teen murder mystery dinner, farewell dance party etc. 

 

Kids Club:

The kids club also has improved hours.  When the ships are at sea, the clubs are open from 9 am-10:30 pm.  Extended service is offered till 1:30 am for a charge of $5 for the first kid then $3 for extras.  When the ship is in port, kids club is open from 9 am-6pm but at the extended service rates.  After 6 pm the club is free.  Also for parents with kids under 2, some ships offer a “under 2 zoo.”  This is a play room full of toys for kids under 2 but parents must remain with their kids. 

 

Here are a few examples of some activities for the 6-9 year olds.  Spy night, undersea adventures, camp night, the great egg drop, acting up, speed ball, friendly amazing race, carnival at sea, pajama party etc.

 

Tweens 10-12 years old: fantasy island fiesta, kids crew dinner, computer, x-box and wii challenge, white hot un-birthday party, scene it challenge etc. 

 

Suites max capacity:

 

Each suite has a new pull out sofa bed so you can now hold two more people.  I believe once all the ships are complete you can book a reservation showing the higher number of guests per room.

 

Self service laundry:

The Jade doesn’t offer self service laundry but they do run specials sometimes with the laundry service.  Great deals.

 

All the cabins now have a mini bar.  If you want to use it for something else just ask your cabin steward to empty it for you.

 

I have been asked if the names of the restaurants have changed and the décor of the ship.  The only thing that has changed was the hull art and the added casino.  The décor and the names of the public rooms have stayed the same.  The only one that has changed was the name of the action station restaurant.  It went from the Aloha Café to the Garden cafe and the great outdoors.

 

The ship offers wireless internet in certain hot spots in various spots around the ship but each cabin has a connection dock.