LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

The calendar reflected the date as Thursday, April 14, 2016.  It was 5:30am when my cellphone alarm began ringing.  Today would be the first of a 22-day adventure that would include a 17-day transatlantic crossing from Houston to Barcelona aboard the Norwegian Jade.    

17-day Transatlantic itinerary on Norwegian Jade

Our first flight from Medford, Oregon was scheduled for 7:00am on Alaska Airlines.  With a change of airplanes in Seattle and a lengthy layover, we finally arrived safe and sound at Houston Bush International Airport at 4:35pm.   As always, I was very relieved to spot my luggage on the baggage claim carousel.  Nothing worse than starting a cruise without your clothes. 

After a phone call to QualitySuites Intercontinental Airport West and a very short wait curbside, the complimentary hotel van arrived.  This property carries a 4-star rating and our www.hotels.com double rate came to just under $80.  This included free wifi, airport shuttle and complimentary breakfast.  The van was also available for shuttles around the hotel area so I scheduled the van for 7:00pm transportation to Good Eats Grill for dinner.

The motto of Good EatsGrill is “Homemade food, Texas style”.   We arrived at 7:15pm and there was plenty of seating but it became quite crowded as the evening wore on.  The food was excellent, nicely presented and modestly priced with a menu that offered a wide variety of choices, including numerous beers and wines.   

Two weeks prior to our departure I contacted Super Shuttle and arranged for a 10-passenger van to shuttle us from our hotel to the cruise pier.   As a member of Cruise Critics I posted on the Jade roll call at www.cruisecritics.com that I had 6 seats available for the cruise pier transfer and within 24 hours had confirmed an additional six passengers, bringing our price down to $18.00 per person. 

Port of Houston Cruise Pier

Our sailing on the Norwegian Jade was scheduled for 4pm on April 15^th.  I arranged for our van to be at the hotel at 10:00am.  The driver and van arrived 15 minutes early.  Quickly and efficiently our luggage was loaded and we left for the Port of Houston.   The drive to the port can only be summed up in one word “boring”. During the 1 hour drive there is not much to look at except oil refineries.  

The Jade was built in 2006 and has a passenger capacity of 2,400.  We had less than 1,900 passengers for our sailing.  The April 15th sailing of the Norwegian Jade is the final sailing for Norwegian Cruise Lines out of the Port of Houston.  The Jade will return in October to it’s new home port of Tampa. 

Norwegian Jade

The boarding process was very efficient and easy.  As we entered the check-in area we were given a card indicating we would be in boarding GROUP 7.  We checked in with absolutely NO waiting lines, with the entire check-in process taking about 5 minutes.  After another 15 minute wait, GROUP 7 was called for boarding.  

Our cabin category was OX and we were assigned room 8100.  This was listed as an accessible room with partially obstructed view but we were pleased at both the size of the room and also with the views.  Just a small bottom portion of our window was obstructed by the top of the tender.  We felt we had a wonderful view.  

View from cabin 8100-Cat OX partially obstructed view

After a relaxed and enjoyable lunch in the dining room, we headed back to our cabin to find that our luggage had been delivered.  We spent the next hour unpacking and settling in.  After putting on our Mardi Gras beads we headed up to the Outdoor Café, deck 12 aft for our Houston sail away party where we met several of the 134 registered Cruise Critics onboard.

Grand Palace Dining Room on Norwegian Jade

We enjoyed a fantastic meal in the Grand Palace Dining Room before heading to the Stardust Theatre for the evening show. Then it was back to our cabin where we were greeted by one of the nightly towel animals created by our cabin steward.  This was also the first of 8 nights where we found the dreaded “SET YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD 1 HOUR TONIGHT” notice on our bed.   With the lights out and the gentle rocking of the ship, sleep came quickly.  
It’s always a good feeling to be on the ship and settled in on the first day.   
Now to relax and let the adventures begin.