Seas2mountains

We are staying at Ink 48 in Hell’s Kitchen which is super close to the pier. It took about 45 minutes in mid-day traffic to get here by taxi from LGA and about $80+ with tip. Check out the super expensive hotel mini bar prices. Yikes. When we returned to the hotel after lunch, we walked past a family with their Getaway tagged luggage. The pier area will be busy with the Gem and Getaway both here tomorrow. Photos of our room.

We are in New York! The past few days have been a little busy with the typical packing, throwing out food in the refrigerator, watering all plants, cleaning up the house and visiting with relatives who were in town this week. DH and I also had a last minute trip to Florida from Saturday - Tuesday since we both have time off from our full-time jobs for 2.5 weeks beginning with this work week. It was really nice to get to the warmer weather in Florida and hang out by the pool all day those past few days. We were a little bummed about the cooler weather in NY but knew that was likely, too. I do also have a small business and had to work a few hours on Tuesday night but most of that is remote. I do always have to get the internet package on the cruises to stay connected with the business but this week won't be too bad as we will be closed for most of those days. The alarm went off at 3:45am this morning as we picked an early flight. All was uneventful with good weather in both locations.. I'll post photos of our lunch and hotel info. It looks like we will be able to walk from our hotel to the pier.

Thank you! I appreciate it. It sounds like Bermuda isn't happening based on weather reports and rumors being reported on social media from tour providers in Bermuda. Where we are going instead of Bermuda is a mystery and some are calling NCL reps and getting different results. You are right that there are plenty of people who do like Bud Light. It sounds like the cruise before ours got restocked at some point. It has been really busy for me even though DH and I have not worked at our day jobs at all this week. I will be enjoying your review, too!

We can see the Gem is making her way back to NYC with the Getaway nearby. Both arrive in NYC on Friday. The Gem is skipping Bermuda due to weather and the Getaway was supposed to be at Dominican Republic today. Looks like they are headed up the coast with strong headwinds over the next few days.

Thank you! I enjoyed reading your excellent review and viewing the photos! Looks like you had a wonderful cruise.

As mentioned, the Gem cruise before ours will be skipping Bermuda according to an update on a social media site made by someone who said they were on the Gem now. They also reported that they ran out of Bud and Bud Light. I agree with another poster who suggested if you are going to run out of beer on a cruise ship, Bud and Bud Light are the least impactful choices. 😂 Here is what the Windy.com app shows now for the area around Bermuda. It looks like weather forecasts predict strong winds and waves for the rest of the week.

We are just a few days away from an 11 night cruise on the Gem leaving from and returning to NYC. It will be our first time on the Gem but we’ve been on the sister ships of the Jewel x 4, Jade, and Pearl. We booked this in mid-January when prices were very reasonable for a mini-suite. We really wanted a suite but the prices for the few remaining suites were too high even a week ago or so as prices never really dropped. We are thrilled to report that the upgrade fairy hit this morning and we are blessed with a 2 bedroom non-Haven suite. That means we have the awesome spacious bathroom with windows in the shower and bathtub plus the separate living area. We do like breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s or Moderno with the same breakfast and lunch menus used in the Haven. We have a thermal spa pass so we won’t be too disappointed about not having access to the Haven pool and hot tub. We loved our Haven experience on the Getaway in September. This is the first cruise we are able to use the new NCL military discount of 10% off. DH is an Air Force retiree and I’m an Army veteran. We do have all three of our sons on active duty (one is Army, one is Navy and one is Air Force). One daughter supports new Air Force pilots so we are truly a military family grateful for the new discount as one son and his fiancée will join us on an NCL cruise in May. Here is the itinerary. Will we make it to Bermuda? The cruise before ours will not due to wind and sea conditions.

I’ve had a few HAL cruises but as others mentioned, the entertainment was quite disappointing as there weren’t many options. We have had a great experience on MSC in the Yacht Club and will return to them for another cruise later this year.

I think the OP's daughter DID eat the chicken or steak with fried rice or other food as the OP did seem to hint about sharing food since the portions were so large. The OP was just being cheap about it. If I were the OP's 15 year old kid I would be in tears that my parent forced me to order off the kid's menu to save a few $. When we went to Teppanyaki on the Pearl a few years ago with our granddaughter who was 3 years old at the time, they did require us to pay the full meal price for her as they noted their policy. We did not argue and understood that she was taking up a seat and got to enjoy the show. She barely ate anything but even a few years ago that was NCL's policy.

If you Google "Chocolate covered strawberries" you will find photo after photo of them with the stems on. I like them on as I agree that it makes it easier to eat as you can hold it by the stem. They also look better with the stem on.

I look forward to another one of your wonderful reviews! After being in suites, I am sure it will be an adjustment to be in the "closets". Lol. So Dad decided to stay home this time? I will miss his funny comments.

I look forward to your live review! We have not been on the Joy but definitely want to try it out especially if we can get in the Haven. Like you, we also love being in the thermal spa and we intentionally did not book it because of it not having a spa. I think the itinerary you have will be just fine without it. We will be on the Gem which departs this Friday, March 10th until Tuesday, March 21st so while I may do a live review of it, I may not see some of your posts until getting back. Have a wonderful cruise! Congratulations to your husband on his citizenship! The passport thing would cause me some stress but I bet it will all work out for you!

Will you be on the Gem or the Getaway in two weeks? If on the Gem on March 10th, I am more than happy to give you the bottle of sparkling wine we will receive for being in a Club Balcony Suite that we won’t drink. Welcome back to NCL and cruising again. This will be our 6th cruise since the restart and 5th on NCL. We’ve been really happy with the excellent service, food and entertainment on each cruise. I hope you have a great time! We are sapphire, too.

Thank you so much for your wonderful and detailed review of the Gem! We are so excited to board in a little over two weeks from today. I look forward to reading more. Is it possible to add screen shots of any of the dailies?

@janetz to get your money back from the insurance claim, you need a doctor statement declaring that your husband should not go on the cruise. It sounds like you saw a doctor who said your husband was safe and healthy to cruise UNLESS he had a fever. You will probably need a doctor statement to confirm that your husband DID have a fever. Have you filed an insurance claim in the past? if not, please listen to the advice you are getting as the insurance companies require proof from a doctor to pay on the claim.

The documentation from a doctor is critical to get reimbursed from insurance. Has your husband been seen at urgent care or your doctor office or a medical care facility? Have you contacted the insurance carrier to find out what they need to start the claim? Hope he feels better soon.

We were on Divina last month. We really enjoyed the YC experience and will cruise in YC again later this year. As mentioned, the service in Le Muse was almost perfect. We’d definitely cruise Divina again because of Le Muse and One Pool and the service we received there.

Yes, absolutely!

In the atrium? 🤷‍♀️ They were dancing in the atrium near their seats and didn’t leave the area. Did you think they went to another lounge?

Excellent review! Glad to hear you had a great cruise! We know what you mean about embarking out of New York. We have learned to expect a little more assertive/aggressive personality types when choosing cruises out of there and don’t hear “excuse me” or “I’m sorry” quite as often as other ports in the US. At the same time, we have witnessed some funny responses from NYers such as the guy who had no shirt on who insisted his camelback was a shirt when he tried to get seated at Le Bistro. He was probably a little drunk, too. We have also had people try to take our seats when we are dancing especially in the atrium but on all ships. Thank you again for sharing so many helpful details. In this time when some are reporting about cutbacks it’s great to hear others are making the best of their experience.

If you skip it. The escargot in Le Bistro are soooooo good. The French baguettes are perfect to dip in the leftover butter.

Thank you for taking the time for this wonderful live review! Do you know if your VIP status will get you any other perks for hosting the M&G? I believe a few years ago the M&G hosts were invited to eat breakfast and lunch with the non-Haven suite guests on ships that had non-Haven suites.

We stay at Cocoa Beach for cruises departing from Port Canaveral. There was a restaurant at the Cocoa Beach pier that had delicious lobster rolls. I can’t find the name of the restaurant. The service wasn’t great but the lobster rolls were good and the view was also nice as it was oceanfront.

Yes, we tip with cash. I don’t think the staff get tips left when we fill out the paper receipts after dining at a specialty dining restaurant or if paying for drinks not covered by a drink package. We have also had some nice servers get us wine from other bars/restaurants when ordering wine on the P+ plan.

We also tip the servers/bartenders $1/drink. We know it isn't required but by day 2, they get to know us and when they see us walk into the lounge or by the pool, they will quickly come over to confirm our drink order. They also are so quick to come back before our drinks are empty to provide refills. We drink a lot of San Pellegrino with the P+/FAS+ packages so it's not just for alcoholic drinks for us.