Cruising Africa’s southern coast on the newly refurbished Norwegian Jade doesn’t only bring warm weather and beautiful scenery, but the excitement of seeing elephants, giraffes and other big game in their natural habitat.
This round-trip cruise from Cape Town brought big-city thrills as Norwegian Jade overnighted in the city before departing for a trio of South African ports: Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth and Richards Bay, before sailing on to Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia.
As the second of NCL’s Jewel-class ships, built in 2006, Norwegian Jade’s design reflects this, though a refresh last summer brought new carpets and soft furnishings throughout, giving a more updated feel.
The biggest changes are to the theatre, with updated staging and lighting, and the casino which has a new central island bar, plus more gaming machines.
There is also additional seating in the atrium which has more of an open feel, where guests can relax with drinks from the nearby Java coffee bar and listen to musical performances. Staterooms also benefit from handy new USB sockets.
The atrium has more of an open feel. Image: Sara Macefield
Carrying just 2,402 passengers, Norwegian Jade is considerably smaller than NCL’s more modern ships, and thus lacks their headline-grabbing attractions of waterslides and racing tracks, but its size brings an intimate feel.
There’s a good choice of complimentary restaurants in addition to the main dining room and buffet Garden Café, plus speciality favourites such as Teppanyaki, Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro.
Evening entertainment was varied and plentiful with the Stardust Theater offering tribute acts, and a foot-stomping, all-energy country and western tribute Blazing Boots, while karaoke ruled in the Bliss Lounge and Spinnaker Lounge was the place for late night disco vibes.
The main pool deck was the setting for Norwegian’s Jade’s two decent-size pools and there were tucked-away sundeck areas too.
The Stardust Theater is the place to go for top-tier entertainment. Image: Sara Macefield
The natural choice when going ashore is a safari game drive at the numerous wildlife reserves along the route and NCL offered animal excursions at every stop.
At Port Elizabeth, I visited the Addo Elephant Park and was rewarded with plentiful sightings and close encounters with these majestic giants, in addition to ostriches, antelope and warthogs.
On a seven-hour tour to Thula Thula game reserve near Richards Bay, we spied giraffes, rhinos and baby nyala antelope.
Getting close to these gentle giants (and some smaller ones too) at Addo elephant park. Image: Sara Macefield
Cape Town makes a natural pairing with this cruise and I stayed at the Radisson Red hotel in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a few minutes’ drive from the port.
This area is a buzzing tourist haven set against the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain, with al fresco waterside restaurants and cafes, tourist shops and a smart shopping mall.
It feels very safe and you could easily base yourself here for several days as the hop-on hop-off Cape Town sightseeing bus stops here, offering three routes, one of which includes Table Mountain.
There are numerous boat trips, including to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, plus sightseeing helicopter trips.
Table Mountain. Image: Rutendo Petros/Unsplash
Escaping to the balmy climate of the Southern Hemisphere during Britain’s icy winter is an absolute tonic. The flight time to/from Cape Town was longer than I expected at just under 12 hours, but as both flights were overnight the journey seemed shorter.
The minimal time difference, at just two hours behind the UK, also meant jet lag wasn’t a problem, while virtual wall to wall sunshine and temperatures in the 30s made it ideal cruising weather.
The Victoria & Albert waterfront. Image: Matthias Mullie/Unsplash
A 12-night South Africa & Namibia round-trip sailing from Cape Town, including calls at Port Elizabeth, Durban and Luderitz, departs on February 1 and March 8, 2024. It costs from £1,286pp based on two sharing. Flights extra. ncl.com
“Norwegian Jade offers the best of both worlds – compact enough to offer a cosy feel, without having to walk too far to reach anywhere else on the ship, but large enough to still offer a decent selection of facilities. I loved the extensive choice of dining spots and varied evening entertainment, while the diverse range of excursions gave a good flavour of the destination.”
“NCL have made beautiful upgrades throughout Norwegian Jade, which has constantly evolved to suit all tastes. I love that the refreshed décor and look includes an eye-catching chandelier in the atrium, enhanced reception and shorex desk areas and banquette seating. Eagle-eyed regulars will notice new pieces of artwork in staterooms, updated televisions and new USB outlets, while our guests have loved the new Pit Stop bar complete with vintage licence plates, gas centre signage and classic car elements.”
Dan Radnor, LoveitBookit