The Suite Life of NCL Jade

About 12 days before our NCL Jade cruise (2 days before we leave for our MSC cruise) we received a call from our travel agent about an upsell. For $700 more the three of us can have a 2-bedroom penthouse suite on our upcoming Jade cruise. We just couldn't pass that up and accepted the offer, so did DC and MC who also took the upsell. What a great decision that was! We were truly treated as VIP throughout the cruise. Originally we booked an aft balcony cabin which I was really looking forward to have on deck 9. Now we are on deck 11, port side, near the front of the ship. We have done inside, oceanview, and balcony, but never in a suite. What should we expect?

Check-in
Checking in was easy because we are Latitude Gold, so we got in that special line. For some reason we were not directed to the suite line but it made not much difference anyway. The person who checked us in walked out of her counter space and walked us to the suite passengers waiting area. We picked up our key-cards there and refreshments (sandwiches, cookies, coffee, juice, etc.) was served in that area. But we weren't there for a long time before a crew member came and escorted us through passport check and onboard photos. Then we were taken to the Star Bar on deck 13 where more refreshments was served. After meeting Carlos, the concierge, who greeted us with a big "Welcome Home!" another crew member took us to our fabulous cabin.

suite passengers lounge--Star Bar

State Room

Our penthouse suite is a two-bedroom suite with a spacious living room/dining area. I will let the pictures do the talking. It was wonderful to have so much space on a ship so we spent a lot of our time just relaxing in the cabin. It was good that we had four sea days on this trip. There are four TV sets in the suite and a coffee/cappuccino machine that was convenient for a cup of coffee early in the morning. The tub with the view was amazing, just make sure you do not take a bath with the shade up when in port.

the master bedroom

and the bathroom

living room

and the dining area

the 2nd bedroom

and the 2nd bathroom

entry way

master bathroom with a view by the tub

my sharps container was waiting

coffee/cappuccino maker

sparkling wine

Cagney's
One of the perks as suite passengers is the breakfast and lunch at the steakhouse, Cagney's. It's just incredible having your meals in this quiet restaurant enjoying the freshly cooked food right there. Service was wonderful and the atmosphere was special. The menu remains the same everyday but everything is worth repeating. Having steak (filet mignon) and eggs every morning was just heavenly. Their waffles and french toasts were good also. We were so spoiled having our meals here.

forgot the name, but it has lobster and scallop pieces stuffed inside

filet and egg

chefs in action behind the counter

buffet tables at breakfast

canapes delivered to the cabin every afternoon

lunch menu

shrimp cocktail--not the little shrimps, but three large-size ones, and it's OK to order double

great salad that shouldn't be missed

sirloin steak at lunch

fruit and berries as dessert

Other Perks

Other suite perks included priority debarkation at all the ports, butler and concierge services, dining in room from restaurant menu, etc. We are low maintenance and did not really use our butler that much except to make reservations for dinner a few times. Carlos, the concierge, checked on us every afternoon to see if everything was OK. For priority debarkation, Carlos will leave a note the night before telling us the time he will be available to get us off. We usually met him at the Star Bar and then he or his assistant took us to the crew elevator down to the gangway. On the night of the Chocolate buffet, suite guests gathered at 7:00 and were taken to the Garden Cafe to take pictures and started the buffet before other guests were invited in. It was way worth the few hundred dollars extra for us to get the suite and we were well-taken care of. It would be really hard to be a normal passenger again next time around.