Seas2mountains

If you get to cruise on the Gem in the Haven/Suites and eat in Moderno/Cagney’s for breakfast/lunch or in Cagney’s in the evening for all, I can assure you will have fantastic service by all. The Host/Hostess during breakfast or lunch is Ernille who is the happiest and one of the kindest persons you will meet who has a contagious smile. Ernille works in Magenta for dinner. We observed as some guests tried to sneak in to seat themselves at preferred window tables and Ernille was so professional despite how rude a few guests could be. Next, Ivy is a strong leader who makes magic happen for so many guests as the maitre d’, She isn’t afraid to dive in to take guest orders during peak times and help to get tables ready quickly for the most demanding and picky guests. I do think NCL will benefit from continuing to promote her and I won’t be surprised when she is a future food and beverage manager. She is so engaging and you can see that she has a high level of emotional intelligence which is needed in this demanding position. The servers of Leah, Wayan and Nikhil tended to be our primary servers for breakfast and lunch and we are so blessed to be placed in their sections as they were accurate and efficient and they remembered our preferences. We did write vacation hero cards for all and did tip them, too. While we appreciate the great service and had some friendly conversations with other guests, many of these NCL crew deal with some real jerks as we unfortunately witnessed but were amazed and how the crew members remained professional and calm when a few guests were rude and demanding. Maybe the crews kindness and humility will make some realize they can take a deep breath and be kind in return. We can wish.

It’s a cold and rainy morning but the rain appears to be stopping as we make our way back to NYC for our final day and sea day. We tried sharing the shrimp toast at breakfast which was excellent. I think they ran out of the little super yummy hashbrowns as we had this substitute which was not as good. We went to the spa right after breakfast to enjoy the thermal pool and hot tub one more time before the crowds. The heated lounge chairs were available for us to use on all visits despite a few chair hogs who tried reserving them for an extended time period but fortunately this was minimal on this cruise compared to others with the thermal spa.

We alternated between listening to Nathaniel, the Gem show band and Sea Shakers. All restaurants and lounges were crowded even with two shows of a great singer in the theater. The guest who plays the saxophone was there again with the Sea Shakers and another talented guest helped with singing for one half set. Both were really great and added to the performance. We enjoyed some quiet time in the cabin finishing a movie we had started The movies are free in the Haven and Suites.

Last night, dinner was at Grand Pacific. French Onion soup - me Strawberry Spinach salad - hiusband Entree- Prime Rib with mashed potatoes, broccoli and corn - both of us We skipped dessert. My husband said it was the best salad he’s had on the cruise. The soup was good, too. The prime rib and sides were tasty. The roasted onions on the prime rib were delicious and a nice addition. The service at dinner was better than at lunch.

One other “new to us “ feature we noticed were appetizers being handed out in the Atrium on embarkation day. Tonight, a server was handing out appetizers again in the atrium. A nice touch.

Yes, that dining room is beautiful. I’m sorry I don’t know any prices for the lazy river.

Thank you! We have had some past disappointing snacks but it was before we knew what to expect and that we could ask for changes. Maybe they could provide a menu and checklist for the snacks? We do feel spoiled not only by the butler but all staff in restaurants and lounges.

I uploaded a bunch of photos which appeared to be there before clicking on “submit reply” but now I can’t see any. I may wait until we get back to add them but only if anyone wants to see them.

We did receive a refundable credit of $21.37 per person for the missed port of Bermuda. These was given as a cash refund at guest services.

Bliss Lounge photos Yes, there is an area with slot machines but am not sure if they are open when the casino is open?

Grand Pacific dining room photos. Very nice ambiance in here especially with the glass windows and aft view.

Spinnaker Lounge photos - these are all mostly comfortable. The only complaint is they put too many pillows on the sofas and most people tend to remove them or they are in the way. Photo of new carpet in staircase areas towards end. Photos don’t always load in the order that I select.

Magnum’s Lounge photos. These are some of the most uncomfortable chairs. I volunteer to test future seating updates. The interior designer or the team of people who selected these must be young and out of touch with older adults. These are located directly outside of Le Bistro. One photo of the casino is at the end.

We attended the Captain Q&A this morning. He did say that more people than usual were transported off the ship at every port by ambulance due to medical issues. We have cruises frequently and don’t remember seeing ambulances at the ship as often as we saw on this trip. Several people asked about why we missed Bermuda. The captain explained the rough seas to get to Bermuda and that we might not have been able to dock due to wind conditions. Even after he clearly answered the question, it was asked again. It was a very informative Q&A. He did say the recent Gem refurbishment cost about $60M to update common areas. The common areas look great but as previously reported, some seating is low to the ground which is uncomfortable and difficult for older people which tends to be the target market for this class of ship.

Afternoon treats. We can say for sure the the treats and snacks have far exceeded our expectations and those from previous cruises in the Haven or Suites. My husband wrote a list of treats we liked and those we did not care to eat. The butler checked with us each day to see what we liked and didn’t like. We did stop these for one full day and we are having trouble keeping up with eating them.

Lunch at Grand Pacific dining room to have some variety for the menu choices vs. Cagney’s. We had a nice table by the window. Spinach Caesar salad. Scallops Gratin. Beef Moussaka Ribs

Garden Cafe decorations.

Day 10 At sea with beautiful weather and temps about 78 degrees.

Yummy dinner in Teppanyaki. This time we ordered shrimp and scallops and avoided the steak. We were given 5 shrimp and 6 large scallops but no one at our table finished all the seafood/meat served. Tania had some great sets in the atrium followed by the comedian in the theater. It was another great day. We continue to be spoiled by Jafar our amazing butler, Leo the wonderful concierge and all other staff!!

We successfully docked at Taino Bay at Puerto Plata. The lazy river is open. You get to the pool and lazy river area by walking through the duty free shop area. We walked around to check it out before a Celebrity ship arrived at the port. We got back on the ship to enjoy the Themal Spa all to ourselves. It looked like they were still working on updates to the areas around the lazy river.

A little behind in posting updates as we are enjoying the final days.

We ate at Moderno on Friday night and initially enjoyed hearing Nathaniel in the atrium followed by Sea Shakers in Spinnaker. Lots of rocking and rolling with the ship continued that night but didn’t really bother us. Photos of evening cheese treats. My husband loves cheese.

St Patrick’s Day decorations at Garden Cafe Many guests are wearing their green shirts and accessories as today everyone can be Irish. Since sail away from Tortola was at 1pm, some people have been enjoying drinks to celebrate. The ship has been rocking and rolling all afternoon and the sickness bags are at the stairwells. We think there has been more motion now than our trip down from NY. The lounges aren’t as busy tonight as I think some people aren’t feeling well enough with the motion. It was fun to dance with all the motion!