In February, after two years cruising the Hawaiian Islands, NCL America's U.S.-registered Pride of Hawaii was reflagged to Bahamian registry and staffed with a foreign crew to become parent company Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jade. The 93,502-ton ship, built in 2006, is the first NCL vessel to be based year-round in Europe. It will sail a wide range of itineraries in the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic seas; the Atlantic; the British Isles; and Norway's coast through 2009.
The ship was given a two-week, multimillion-dollar dry docking in Barcelona that saw the addition of a casino, acres of fresh soft fittings and the implementation of NCL's latest Freestyle 2.0 enhancements. During an Eastern Mediterranean cruise from Istanbul to Piraeus, Greece, via the Greek Islands and Egypt in April, F2.0 on the Jade was still in its early testing stages (the upgrades were installed fleetwide June 15) but showed great promise overall.
At the cutting edge
F2.0 covers myriad lifestyle and hardware enhancements, from small but thoughtful touches such as a welcome glass of champagne on arrival and cookies on stateroom pillows on final nights to gala theme parties and shows, upgraded bedding, improved menus in all restaurants and state-of-the-art teen and children's facilities.
F2.0 is the stepping stone to the next phase, F3, which promises unprecedented innovations with a pair of 150,000-ton ships due in 2010 from St. Nazaire's Aker France shipyard.
Aloha, Aegean!
Underneath the glistening new, million-dollar, jade-inspired hull art, the 2,402-passenger Norwegian Jade is still very much the Pride of Hawaii.
A great deal of expense and effort was invested in the original Hawaiian-themed decoration, which remains intact. So for now, there are totems in the Garden Cafe (originally the Aloha Cafe), floral patterns in the rubberized decking, lava floes in the carpeting, fissures in the coffee bar, evocative Matson Line menu art panels in the main dining room and Hawaiian steamship-line poster art in the stair towers.
However incongruous, watching Greek isles or the minarets of Istanbul pass by from under a colorful canopy of glass hibiscus blossoms from Hawaii actually adds a kind of kitschy cachet to cruising.
F2.0's evolving lifestyle
The only major structural alteration to Norwegian Jade was the addition of the 367-capacity Jade Club Casino, which replaced 44 cabins on forward Deck 6. In addition to boasting almost as many brightly colored Chinese lanterns as it does slots and gaming tables, the casino is home, once each cruise, to the Monaco Nights F2.0 theme party, where revelers are encouraged to don specially made, black tuxedo T-shirts as the music pulsates, showgirls gyrate and a champagne fountain flows.
The other F2.0 theme party, White Hot Nights, takes place way up on forward Deck 13, in the Spinnaker observation lounge. At that party, crowds decked out in specially designed, white T-shirts are gleefully subjected to blitzes of confetti and fog.
Other, more sedate F2.0 lifestyle enhancements include a restyled, 24-hour library where coffee, tea and pastries are offered on a regular basis. Judging from the sea-day crowds gathered in the Jade's handsome SS United States Library, with memorabilia and decor inspired by the circa-1952 ocean liner, it's a positive step.
In the ship's expansive lido area on Deck 12, NCL has dispensed with 1970s-style pool games, although barbecues and intermittent live music have been retained. Ethereal world music and New Age tunes are now piped in to provide soothing, adult-friendly sonics. And deck chairs have been fitted with convenient flags that can be raised to request drink service while a team of "Evian misters" circulates, zapping sun-worshippers with a free, refreshing spritz upon request.
Fussy sleepers can delight in improved F2.0 stateroom hardware that includes extremely comfortable Bliss collection memory-foam mattress toppers, upgraded pillows and linens; suites and villas feature fully upgraded mattresses, linens and feather pillows, with a six-choice pillow menu.
The F2.0 stateroom experience has also been enhanced with Elemis bathroom amenities and a wider selection of minibar offerings. Balcony and minisuite guests now get an escort to their cabins at embarkation, bathrobes, customized fruit basket choices, priority restaurant and reception hot lines, and a specially baked cookie placed on the pillow on the final night.
For suites and villas, the F2.0 list expands with plusher bathrobes, MP3 connections, Moet et Chandon White Star champagne, custom canape menus, coffeemakers with Lavazza coffee products and private breakfast and lunch in Cagney's, which on busy mornings or between shore excursions seriously beats queueing up at the main restaurants.
In the courtyard, F2.0 goes even further with a dedicated butler in addition to the private buffet setup.
On the Jade, only courtyard villas have in-stateroom WiFi access, but all staterooms have Ethernet connections. WiFi is available in all public areas of the ship.
Dining options
Recent cover-charge increases in the extra-tariff restaurants have been attributed to the new F2.0 implementations; however, this is not quite true. The tariff changes were made last year but still generally reflect a good value for the money.
In the instance of new F2.0 seafood, lobster and steak signature dishes in the specialty restaurants, there is a surcharge in addition to the cover, ranging from $10 to $15 per person. Current per-person cover charges in the extra tariff restaurants are as follows: $25 at Cagney's (steakhouse), $20 at Le Bistro (French), $15 at Jasmine Garden (Asian fusion), $10 at Papa's (Italian) and, from July 1 onward, $10 at Paniolo's (Tex-Mex/tapas). One suggestion: Take advantage of "happy hour," with two-for-one prices in key venues between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. most days.
If anything, the transition to the Norwegian Jade has meant better overall service in the main dining venues. In the busy Grand Pacific Restaurant, once known for delays and uneven cuisine, service was friendly and efficient and the food well-presented and tasty. In the Garden Cafe, improved F2.0 "action station" offerings included more variety -- including daily Indian choices, stir fry, sandwiches and wraps made to order as well as omelets, pasta and salads -- and an enhanced dinner ambience that features tablecloths and candlelight.
After long, tiring days in port, the buffet was especially handy when just a quick, casual bite would do the trick.
A huge F2.0 culinary plus is the elegant, extra-tariff Le Jazz Hot brunch ($15 per person) in Le Bistro, where the ship's jazz quartet and talented singers perform a soothing range of selections.
Buffet (Caesar salad, pastries, desserts) and menu selections can be combined to heart's content. F2.0 also includes the extra-tariff ($15) "Tony and Tina's Wedding" in the Spinnaker Lounge, which is transformed for a satiric performance of an Italian-American wedding as the audience, as invited "wedding guests," are served pasta on paper plates.
F2.0 has also seen an expanded room service menu, which features a special-occasion menu with extra-tariff selections such as jumbo shrimp ($20) and caviar (market price) in addition to the free bites.
Instead of the traditional two main shows per night available on most cruise ships, F2.0 features one main show followed by more intimate entertainment such as the Second City improv troupe or a comedian.
Activities for all
F2.0 has also introduced improvements to the shipboard enrichment programs, with a new selection of NCL "U" courses that include tips on digital photography, improv demonstrations hosted by the Second City troupe and destination discovery overviews. Wine and spirit courses-- including whiskey, wine and tequila tasting; how to "shake" a martini; and mojito making -- are subject to a $15 surcharge, but the others are complimentary.
NCL's teen and children's clubs, already state of the art, have nonetheless benefited from F2.0 upgrading. Teen clubs are open all day with activities such as Xbox, Guitar Hero and Wii, feature their own nonalcoholic bar and are supervised at all times.
The Kids Club is open from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at sea with extended service until 1:30 a.m. for a surcharge of $5 for the first child and $3 each for additional children. In port, the Kids Club is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the extended service rates. There is an Under 2 Zoo where parents are invited to play with their tots. Special programs are printed for each cruise detailing activities for the following age groups: 2 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 17.
With F2.0, NCL has taken its successful Freestyle Cruising product and raised the bar on an already diverse program of entertainment and cuisine. Between the Norwegian Jade's port-intense European itineraries, original Freestyle options and new F2.0 enhancements, guests will be hard-pressed to partake of all the activities available to them.