We initially chose this cruise because of the itinerary although we were not sure about the Norwegian Jade as the reviews were very mixed. However, we did enjoy the smaller ship (approx. 2,400 passengers) and it was easy to get around the ship. Embarkation was surprisingly smooth and felt we were onboard and having lunch within minutes. We decided to avoid the busy buffet and went to O'Sheehan's which was quieter and order from a menu. Our cabin was mid-ship balcony and was quite comfortable for 2 people with plenty of storage. For 3-4 people, I would think it would be somewhat tight but again, you are there to sleep only. Enjoyed the "freestyle dining" and found there was sufficient choice of complimentary restaurants and menus. For specialty restaurants (additional cost), reservations are recommended as it seemed they were booked every night. If you wanted a quiet dinner, the Garden Cafe buffet was very busy and noisy. Choose the Grand Pacific or Alizar. We would rate the food anywhere from fair to very good depending on what you ordered. There are a variety of Bars/Lounges with entertainment on the Jade. We did not attend any of the shows as we had a number of early morning excursions. The shore excursions booked through NCL are little more expensive than some of the other online excursions or port offerings. We decided to book 7 of our 10 excursions with NCL as we did not want to worry about the ship not waiting for us if there was a transportation issue or unforeseen delays. Our pre-cruise excursions were booked independently and one non-NCL excursion was in a port city where we could walk to and from the ship. Overall, we did enjoy our NCL shore excursions. We picked mostly shorter excursions (3-4 hours) except for one (7 hours) to allow time to explore some of the port cities and try the local cuisine. Finally, we were fortunate to have experienced polite and courteous service staff and our steward was excellent and looked after our daily needs. Would travel on Norwegian again.