NCL Newbie's Take on the Gem with Haven Upgrade

Tito, our room steward, made our entire night with his towel "animal." When we first returned to the room, it appeared as though we didn't have one yet. We were in for quite a surprise, however, when one of the boys later opened the bathroom door. These pictures don't quite capture just how hilarious and awesome it was...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That is the best towel "animal" that I've ever seen!! I can't imagine walking into the room and seeing that.

Really enjoying the review!

That is the best towel "animal" that I've ever seen!! I can't imagine walking into the room and seeing that.

 

Really enjoying the review!

I think our jaws dropped....My boys didn't want to use the bathroom after that because they didn't want to mess up the towel animal...lol. Tito really was the best! We filled out a vacation hero card for him and for Roberto. He went above and beyond for us and for the kids....loved him!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We went out to thank Tito for his efforts and had a chance to chat with him for a little while. He shared that he has been working for NCL for 27 years and that his wife and three children live in the Philippines. Each of his contracts is 8 months, with two months off. During those eight months, he works 10 hour days, 7 days a week with no breaks. The cabin he lives in is the size of the second bedroom in the 2 bedroom suite with just one bathroom, and it is shared by four crew members. Yet, for as hard as he works and as difficult as his living conditions must be, he always greeted us by name and was always smiling and personable. He went out of his way to make our vacation extra special.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The pool looked extra inviting as we made our way back to the cabin, and the boys decided they wanted to go for a night time swim. There was something extra fun and exciting about swimming in the haven with the dark sky and glowing lights in and around the pool. We had the whole area to ourselves. After at least an hour of splashing, my youngest son wanted to check out the white hot glow party, and since he had taken a three hour nap earlier in the day, we got our glow sticks on and got ready to go. Meanwhile, my oldest son and husband returned from the haven to tell us that the pool had inexplicably started draining with nobody else in sight. By the time I went out to take a look, the pool was completely empty, and a sign had been posted in front of the ladder saying it was closed. Baffled, we headed out to the white hot party hoping it would be refilled the next day.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

When we arrived at the white hot party, we realized that it was geared more toward adults than kids. It was quite late anyway so we ended up heading back to the cabin to get some rest. After tucking the kids in bed, my husband stepped out of the cabin to find two men taking down the tent over the hot tub. I poked my head into the haven to find out if it would reopen and to determine what the status was on the pool. I was informed that the pool drains every night (who would have guessed?) and that it would be available again for the rest of the cruise. Yay!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The hot tub remained closed, but NCL was kind enough to give us (and I guess all haven guests) a refundable onboard credit.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Day 7:

Our last sea and vacation day had arrived. Packing was much easier at the end of our trip in that there was no decision making involved, but it was also bitter sweet. We still had a full

day ahead of us, and our vacation had been amazing. The boys wanted to stay longer, but they also missed home.

After a relaxing breakfast served by Randy in our cabin, we once again headed to our favorite place on the ship, the place where we had spent the most time - the haven. My hubby surprised us with some yummy drinks poolside.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Not long after, the peace and tranquility were suddenly shattered by what sounded like a loud explosion. I ran up to the sun deck, followed by some other passengers and Roberto, the courtyard valet, to make sure everything was alright. The pool music at the main pool had suddenly stopped, and everyone was looking off the stern, completely bewildered. When we eventually returned to the haven courtyard, a passenger who had been in the navy speculated that the noise was a sonic boom coming from a plane nearby. The sound was quite unnerving. Roberto was continuing to investigate and was in contact with Patrick, the concierge, to try to find out what had occurred. He said he had never heard a sound like that before. As far as we could tell, there were no announcements explaining what had happened. It was very odd, but eventually everyone returned to what they were doing.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I managed to doze off for a little while on one of the haven loungers. As we continued to sail north, we could already feel a difference in the air temperature. There was a beautiful breeze, but it was noticeably cooler than it had been before. My husband asked Roberto if the retractable roof could be closed later in the evening so we would still be able to swim. We had lucked out with great weather for the duration of the trip so it had never been fully closed during the week, even when we left New York. I don't think Roberto had any control over the roof because he said he would ask to have it closed later. We're not really sure who normally makes that determination.

By 7:00, we were headed to the Stardust Theater for the final show of our vacation. It was a wonderful performance, and the cruise staff was called on to the stage, where they received a standing ovation. My only regret was that we had not made it to all of the theatrical productions during the week. As we headed outside to circumvent the crowds leaving the theater, there was a gorgeous sunset on the horizon. It was the perfect culmination to an incredibly fun and relaxing week on the Norwegian Gem!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Sounds like you had an amazing vacation.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Sounds like you had an amazing vacation.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

thanks! figured i'd pay it forward since i read so many reviews that helped me plan our trip...hoping this will help others :)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

By 4:00, we were more than ready to return to the ship. We were starting to sport sunburns, and we knew we would be baking in the sun again the next day. As soon as we got back to the haven, we noticed that the hot tub had a canopy and tarp taped around it, along with a sign stating that it was closed for maintenance. Our concierge called later to inform us that it would probably be closed for the duration of the cruise due to the need for "urgent maintenance." We were very disappointed since the hot tub was where we had been spending the majority of our time, and the haven pool was fairly cold.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That is very odd - I've never seen anything like that. It looks more like a crime scene than anything else. Did the butler do it in the Haven with chocolate covered strawberries?

That is very odd - I've never seen anything like that. It looks more like a crime scene than anything else. Did the butler do it in the Haven with chocolate covered strawberries?

lol....you never know!! i'm still trying to figure out the caution tape in front of the crew member area....i'm wondering if that was a crime scene!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Great review and pictures! Thank you for taking the time! Can you tell how did you book a day pass st Atlantis through Comfort Suites? Sounds like a great way to spend the day!

Great review and pictures! Thank you for taking the time! Can you tell how did you book a day pass st Atlantis through Comfort Suites? Sounds like a great way to spend the day!

It was so easy and we had so much fun! We booked directly through Comfort Suites Paradise Island, and you automatically get passes with the room. I checked prices on other online travel sites before booking and found they had the best rate at the time. Be sure to book it for the night you are arriving, not the night before, and when you get there you just check in and check out, and they will direct you where to go. If you only have two people, you may be better off booking day passes through Atlantis, but as a family of four, we saved hundreds of dollars. Here is the link:

http://www.comfortsuitespi.com/m/

Have a great time!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you again - It's so fun living vicariously through folks like you who are "paying it forward".

13 days to our our Haven...then 159 to our own Gem Haven experience!

Thank you for pointing out how hard the staff works to make everyone's vacation wonderful. They are truly the backbone of the cruise industry, and it drives me nuts when people say "I with held tips because I my dinner was cold...my room wasn't perfect...I had to wait in line" - if you don't tip, the staff gets less than minimum wage. Vacation is what you make of it - so glad you share our respect for the men and women who ALWAYS make our vacation special.

Warm regards, Amy

It was so easy and we had so much fun! We booked directly through Comfort Suites Paradise Island, and you automatically get passes with the room. I checked prices on other online travel sites before booking and found they had the best rate at the time. Be sure to book it for the night you are arriving, not the night before, and when you get there you just check in and check out, and they will direct you where to go. If you only have two people, you may be better off booking day passes through Atlantis, but as a family of four, we saved hundreds of dollars. Here is the link:

 

http://www.comfortsuitespi.com/m/

 

Have a great time!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you so much! Great information!

We have 12 more days then we are on the Gem in the Haven!!! Thank you so much for your very informative review! Even tough we hve been in the Haven on other ships this is our first on the Gem! getting very excited now!!

Enjoyed reading your review. We were on the same cruise thou not in the Haven. We lucked out with beautiful weather and calm seas. Great food, drinks and crew. Wish we didn't have to get off the ship.

I love your son's Penn State shirts, my oldest graduated from there.

Great review. Thanks!

What a delightful review and what a delightful family!

Great review; thank you! The hot tub tent and caution tape on the crew door definitely appeared disturbing. On Princess when a hot tub is closed for maintenance, a net is just put across it. The Haven hot tub setup makes it seem like a serious contamination or something.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hello CC peeps!!

 

I placed the absolute minimum bid on the H4 (2 bedroom Haven suite) and eventually decided to leave it to fate. 5 days before our sailing, I was quite shocked to find out that we had won our bid!

I know it's been almost a year, but I'm just now researching the Gem and found this fantastic review. Great job! Was your cabin number given to you with your bid notification, or did you have to wait until embarkation day? Which cabin number were you eventually assigned in the Haven? Sounds like you were very impressed with it.