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Enjoyable NCL mini-cruise |
| Reviewed By: Bramah, Uxbridge on 29th Jun 2008 |
| Cruise Line: NCL Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Norwegian Jade |
Sailed:
June,
2008 |
| Destination: Mini Cruises |
Age: 36-45 |
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Just got back from Southampton - Le Havre - Southampton, 2 nights in a mini-suite. Fairly long check in queues bit lots of desks open so the wait wasnt too long. Not sure how the mini-suite differs from a balcony, but as well as shower, it had a full size bath and the cabin itself was a good size. All the staff seems friendly and efficient, tho it took a while to get a drink at the saill-off party. I like the idea of 'Freestyle' cruising - eating when you want rather than commit to a particular sitting or having to dress up. Booked dinner for the first night - 2nd night all restaurants were full for reservations (they book to 30% capacity apparantly) We chose the Tepanayaki restaurant - there was a $25 cover charge per person for this a a few of the others, tho you can quite easily eat well without going to any of these. The chef cooked the food right there infront of us on hotplate, putting on quite a show and the shrimp I had were plump, fresh and very tasty. Worth the cover I'd say. Second night dinner we chose the Alizar restaurant with no cover charge - very good food - fast service. Alcoholic drinks on board were pretty reasonable - maybe because they are charged in UD dollars and the exchange rate favours the GB pound very favorably at the moment.
I don't know whey these cruise lines say le Havre for Paris - it might be the closest port - bit still a 6hour round trip to the French capital, and might be a shock to anyone who hadn't done their holiday research! We opted for the trip to nearby Honfleur - only about 30mins away by coach, it included a local guide who took us on a walking tour of this very picturesque harbour town plus there was plenty of time to wander on our own and shop - Normandy cider - yum! The cost was quite steep as you might expect - $67 each for the 4hour trip, but on this occasion just could not be bothered trying to organise a visit myself - like sharing a cab or getting a bus.
The theatre on board was impressive, bit the shows didnt appeal - an acrobatic show and a a musical Shout! with numbers from the 60s. The did have 3 private 'anyuse' rooms for kareoke, dvdgames or Wii games - but as u might expect always seemed in use and no booking system for them - also they seem to open from 5pm and were just empty during the day which seems a waste. Got some good bargains on board the shop - some fragrances were hugely cheaper than the high st.
On the whole a good experience but not sure I would be entertained in the evening if it were a longer trip.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Alizar, Grand Pacific and Tepanyaki all good. Buffet breakfast excellent choice in Garden cafe | | Entertainment |  |
| Did watch any show - non appealed | | Shore Excursions |  |
| Honfleur trip was well organised but pricy at $67, 4 people prob could have shared a cab for $120 total | | Staff | |
| Cabin stewards very friendly and helpful as were most staff | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Could do with more Wii games machines! | | Cabins | |
| Mini suite was a nice size | | Overall Rating | |
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