As usual, we left the packing to the last minute, completing it early Thursday morning, just before we were driven to Tampa by our friend Paul. We were scheduled to board the Norwegian Jade between 12:30 and 1 pm and left, we thought, so that we would arrive by noon. But traffic was heavier than expected, with an accident on I-75, and the last half-mile was a crawl. So we arrived at 12:40. Not late, but not early, either.
The embarkation was surprisingly slow considering the relatively small size of the ship – about 2,200 passengers. The wait was made a bit more exciting by one of the cans of cola that I was carrying letting loose, drenching my back and making a mess in the terminal. We were allowed to bring 24 cans of soda aboard and I was carrying 16 in my backpack. So we boarded with 23 cans of cola.
We got on the ship just as the rooms were ready. We went to our cabin (interior, Deck 5), dropped off our bags then found our way to Deck 12 for some food.
Our initial impression of the Jade… small, tastefully decorated but not flashy at all. The buffet, while very clean and efficiently arranged, lacked character.
We wandered about the ship a bit, figuring out where things were. Took a look at the (closed) casino. Found one solo artist who entertained us as the ship set sail. We were in the (still closed) casino when it passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and headed out to sea. The start of our 25-night cruise to Anchorage.
We had dinner in the buffet and then explored a bit more. The pool looks very nice, but it seems that there will be little in the way of music or shows compared to our Carnival experiences. And the smart phone app that I downloaded appears to be nearly useless.
Not very impressed with the ship or the cruise line so far. But it should still be a terrific itinerary.
The trip actually started Friday when we drove both cars to Coral Springs. We are leaving one car and one dog with Marlene’s brother for the month (sorry, Becky!). We will fly from Anchorage to Miami at the end of the cruise, pick up the car and the dog and return home. Hopefully with many good memories.