cxc362

reports from anyone from the last sailing of issues with the azipods. She was cruising at 21 knots on the trip up to NY, from AIS data that I saw.

All’s well as far as I know. We were doing 23 knots all the way up the coast on the way back to NYC.

They usually require long pants and a collared shirt in the aft dining room on the Gem and in Le Bistro, the french restaurant. I say "usually" because it isn't always enforced. In any case, formal clothes aren't necessary.

In fact for the cruise which ended today shorts were allowed every night everywhere except LeBistro. The “dress code” each evening was “Resort Casual”.

Yes, usually in the atrium. One of the lame 'activities' the cruise staff will put on. Just some of the entertainment NCL provides that costs them virtually nothing.

That would be “Goofy Golf”, not mini-golf.

I just got off on Wednesday. Our CD was Lorraine from Chile. She was good. Very involved and visible. She had good chemistry with Tim Kaminski, which was fun to watch.

It’s Lorena (Tapia), not Lorraine. We just got of the Gem today and she is very good, has a lot of energy, and, as stated, good chemistry both with her staff and with the entertainers. The assistant CD (Evan Brienza) was also good, especially with game show duties (both as host and as a participant.

Tim has really good chemistry with anyone and really all of the entertainers had chemistry with and seemed to support each other. For example Tim participated in alot of activities and attended many of the shows.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Do Mini-Suites on the Gem have a laundry line?

Thanks!

I think the answer to this is no but I’m looking for confirmation.

Do Mini-Suites on the Gem have a DVD player?

Thanks!

i never had to wonder if i was getting overcharged.

Such a benefit!

However there are several late bookers and one is planning Lucca and Pisa with Tuscany bus so interesting to hear your thoughts on the company

Lucca may be lesser known but it is well worth a visit. It has some of the best preserved city walls.

I just got back from my cruise, the current Hotel Director is Richard Janicki

Thank you very much! I will pass this information on to my mother who asked me to try to find out the name of the current HD.

Bump.

Bump.

Does anyone know who the current Hotel Director is on the Gem? If so, do you also know how long they'll be onboard? Thanks!

Does anyone know who the current Hotel Director is on the Gem? If so, do you also know how long they'll be onboard? Thanks!

I just got an email from Vivian Ewart that I hope is wrong cause if it's right, they took a day OFF the 11/21 cruise.

 

Something has happened cause St Kitts is missing from original itinerary. :confused::confused:

 

That is strange! (Never mind, I just saw the newer posts).

When you are studiously poring over the alcohol menu, you'll notice that some of the spirits do not carry a price. They simply say "Ask your server."

 

So I did.

 

The vast majority of the liquors labeled "Ask" carry a $3 - $5 supplement, putting them in the $17.95 to $19.95 range. You'll have to account for the additional 18% service charge on top of the supplement. The two notable exceptions are Johnnie Walker Blue and Don Julio 1942. Those two carry a $17 supplement, before service charge. Apparently, when the UBP first came out, anything not covered by the package carried a $3 up charge. According to my senior research associate, it wasn't unusual for people to reserve a bottle of Johnnie Blue at the bar and come back to visit their bottle throughout the voyage. These particular guests were said to be "very generous" to the staff.

 

...

 

There are quite a few liquors that do not show up on any of the printed lists. They are however, stocked. If you see something on the bar back and want a splurge, you can safely figure on $3-$5 in add on cost, plus 18%.

Thank you very much for this information! It will help me out greatly on the Gem in January.

Still waiting for word - and we are on the Dec 23 Gem sailing. NCL could at least communicate something - like we are still working; or trying to see if we can keep to the original itinerary or definitely going to change one or two. Something.

That would be nice.

When we got back to our cabin, we found a surprise: a bottle of Champaign! The letter accompanying the bottle wasn’t exactly clear as to why we were given this nice treat, only that it was part of our Latitudes rewards benefits. I don’t remember ever being given a free bottle of Champaign on any previous cruises, so my only thought is they gave it to us because we reached a new Latitudes tier—though this is a complete guess.

This a now a benefit that every stateroom with a Latitudes member receives as of the program revamp this past February.

For ports, look up your provider's plans. AT&T offers plans that cost $20 per day in most countries.

AT&T International Day Pass is (as cheap as) $10 per day. It worked great for us this past summer in Canada.

Any drink over $15, you pay the difference.

Plus 18% gratuity on the difference.

Received an updated itinerary today!!

 

Sat. 11/11 Depart NYC

Sun. 11/12 At Sea

Mon. 11/13 At Sea

Tues. 11/14 At Sea

Wed. 11/15 St. John's, Antigua

Thurs. 11/16 Castries, St. Lucia

Fri. 11/17 Basseterre, St. Kitts

Sat. 11/18 St. Thomas, USVI

Sun. 11/19 At Sea

Mon. 11/20 At Sea

Tues. 11/21 Arrive at NYC

Great!

I think we may try a visit during winter next time, just to see if it’s any less crowded.

It will be and hotels will be much cheaper. The trade off is that it will be colder, daylight hours will be shorter, places to visit will have more limited hours, and some seasonal establishments (for example from our personal experience, many restaurants in Venice) will be closed.

We were out of the airport in about 5 minutes (we only brought carry-on luggage, thankfully), and I was slightly surprised when we didn’t have to go through any kind of immigration/passport check. My guess is this is because we flew in from another EU country, but I’m still not entirely certain whether we entered Italy legally or not.

You did. Your guess is correct.

I had a similar feeling once. We flew from PHL on US Airways to either Munich or Frankfurt and switched to Lufthansa for our code share flight to Rome.

We had to switch terminals and before entering the second terminal they checked our passports. I didn't think much of it until we exited FCO without going through passport control. Then it hit me: We cleared EU immigration in Germany before our intra-EU flight.

The email today related to Gem cruises that depart 10/31 to 12/23 according to the email. I would guess that they are going to wait for a later date to see how the Islands come back - I guess when we see where we are going the later cruises will have some idea of what is definitely on vs. still questionable.

Thanks so much!