djpk2003

I may or may not be creating a checklist for my group to plow through LOL. 

You've heard most of the best tips - Great Outdoors is my favorite!! Such a gorgeous place to hang out. O'Sheehans has a great breakfast that many people miss. If LM Cancio is still on the gem, he is a must see - extremely talented young man. The Spinnaker Lounge is a nice place to do sail away if the weather isn't so great. 

Blazing Boots is phenomenal. We also didn't care for Swing, although not because they weren't talented - just wasn't our thing. We enjoyed the hypnotist and some of the variety shows as well. Comedian and Magician were both just so-so for me personally. If the aerialists are still there, they are amazing. We skipped that show in October only because their routine has been the same the past two times we were on the gem. Still they are extraordinary to see! 

Cannot speak to Labadee because I have not been there yet, but given the others I would do:

* Beach Day - Sapphire Beach St Thomas (Bonus is the snorkeling, as another poster mentioned. Perfect calm clear water). 

* Puerto Rico - island tour, with at least part of it being on foot - lots to see, very interesting to just wander around OSJ.

* SXM - lots of adventures to be had. Maybe ATV or jeep tour? Kids/teens definitely love visiting Maho to see the planes landing too. 

Thanks for the insights! It'll be October, and I'm sailing on NCL. Perhaps we will have less time than I think until we get our baggage, etc. 

I have never cruised out of Boston and am looking for some advice. Because I wanted to leave a cushion of time allow for any flight delays or issues, we are going to arrive at Logan about 2 hours before we can board the ship. The plan is to take an Uber to the port, but my question is...what then? Originally I thought we could grab breakfast or something until I remembered we will have our luggage in tow. Any thoughts? Flight is set to arrive at 8:21, our boarding time is not until 10:30. Will we be able to drop our bags with the porter and just hang out until our check-in time? 

On 8/27/2019 at 6:31 AM, roxette said:

Too bad, he was such a personality. I'll never forget his announcements from the Bridge on a Panama Canal cruise some years ago. He talked about the usual stuff, weather and navigation, but even more about what his wifes shopping in all the ports of call. 

This bums me out too. He was definitely full of personality. Loved his commentary/announcements. Such a fantastically dry sense of humor. 

I just got an upgrade acceptance at 72 days out! We were in Obstructed Oceanview, booked over a year in advance. I submitted an offer of $165 pp to go to Balcony and just received our new stateroom - B2 Family Balcony category. Considering it's a 14 day cruise and the cost to upgrade at this point would be $588 pp. I am ecstatic! Now to try and keep a secret from the family for a sweet surprise in October 🙂 

This is on the Gem, Southern Caribbean route out of Boston. We are Silver in Latitudes, will be bumped into Gold after this cruise. 

Thanks for the review! We are excited to sail on Gem again in October. I rarely see people post about her so it's always good to hear when people have had good recent experiences! 

Our last upgrade was accepted 12 days before we sailed. My understanding is that most people hear about 4-5 days out if they are accepted. 

My family's favorites are:

• Wings and fajitas in O'Sheehans
• Lava cake in MDR's
• Steak at Cagney's 😆
• Crepes and omelets at the buffet
• Poolside BBQ & Rice (might be only on the Gem)

They did it on the Gem for our cruise last year. Fingers crossed Gem still does this because you're correct - some of the best food of the entire cruise! We are back on board the Gem in October 🍽️

A few of our faves: Miami Vice, Mr. Worldwide, Toasted Almond, and Rebellious Fish!

1 hour ago, Zippeedee said:

You do not need to wait until final payment. I booked my Panama Canal inside to balcony upgrade in January for next April. Final payment is due in December and that is when I'll pay for it. You do have to be sure to ask first which category you can book to get the upgrade you want.

That is good to know for future. I was given the impression when I asked my TA about it that I needed to wait for final payment to be eligible to upgrade. Perhaps we misunderstood each other. 

It wasn't a sail away rate. I said OX mistakenly, but meant OK (obstructed ocean view). Sorry for the confusion. Yes, I recognize there is fine print. I guess it's on me for thinking they just upgrade you if there are cabins available. I suppose I thought with 4 months still left they would have something available to use the upgrade offer. My understanding was that you cannot use an upgrade offer until you're paid in full. Payment date was yesterday. 

I am so frustrated right now. I'm booked on Gem leaving Boston in October and was just told I cannot redeem my 30,000 points for a single meta upgrade because all upgrades are unavailable on this sailing (all upgrades already used up). Didn't realize this was a possibility, especially since if I do a mock booking there are a ton of cabins still available. I booked the OX category thinking we could just use the points I've been saving to upgrade after final payment. I am very disappointed. This is literally the only reason I signed up for the card in the first place. I feel like I've been bait and switched a little. Tell me - what are the benefits of having this card?? Right now it doesn't feel like much if any.😞

We have never gone on such a lengthy cruise and I was hoping for some feedback. Anyone done this cruise in particular? I'm mostly curious about sea days - since there are 3 there and 3 back - would love to know activities schedule, etc. If anyone has the dailies, they'd be a lifesaver! Also was wondering if they do the cheap laundry twice or only once? I know on our 11 day they just did it once half way through. Trying to think about packing quantities, etc. 

Thanks in advance! 

Thanks for the insight! I am a newb with the SDP so just wasn't sure how it worked exactly. Appreciate the clarifications! 🙂 

I have never sailed with the SDP and will have 10 SDP credits for an upcoming cruise (5 each, since it is a 14 day sailing). My question is, how strict are they with making sure those credits are only used by the first two guests in a room? I ask because we would like to treat our children to Cagneys one night, and I was wondering if it's possible to just use 4 credits for that meal or if I should budget to pay out of pocket for them for that meal. 

Thanks in advance! 

54 minutes ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

Check out the Bermuda board on CC.   post your question there, and someone may have some information.

Thanks, I did. So far, I haven't received much feedback there. 

Wondering if anyone has any experiences to share about visiting Bermuda this time of year? We are currently booked on the Escape out of NYC November 3rd to Bermuda but having some second thoughts. We love beach time and snorkeling and the more I think about it the more worried I get that we will end up disappointed with the trip...opinions and experiences greatly appreciated 🙂

Norwegian. That's what I was thinking too 😞

Anyone have experience visiting Bermuda this time of year? We will be docking Nov 6-8 for our first time in Bermuda and I'm really not sure what to plan. Will it be warm enough to swim and hang out on the beach? Will a lot of things be closed that time of year? I am seeing conflicting information on various websites and starting to worry a bit that this cruise was the wrong choice for us. 

As a frame of reference, we are a family of 4 with a 12 & 13 year old. We most enjoy snorkeling, beach time, and some exploration of the sights of new places. I was considering the caverns, but honestly we have visited caverns before and don't know if that's worth it. Don't want to book a tour that includes snorkeling if the water is going to be freezing. 

Advice and insight much appreciated! 

Just returned from a cruise that stopped in St. Kitts, and can say Shipwreck is alive and well. We had an awesome day there, enjoyed the black sand and monkey sightings, food and beverages, etc. The restrooms are fairly primitive but not bad at all. If you like a laid back atmosphere with very few people/little to no crowds - this is your place! I loved it personally!

Just returned from our trip there. $4-5 US, or a bucket for $15 (6 beers)