JennieCoconut

At this time Escape is the only NCL ship scheduled to visit the Eastern Caribbean.

 

 

This isn't true. I'm scheduled for Eastern Caribbean on 10/31 on the Gem.

I would be fine with that. We've been to Bermuda and love it!!! I was looking forward to st Thomas but we can try again if this trip doesn't take us there! No biggie.

Bermuda, San Juan and St Croix (which looks like it came out with very little damage) offer a lot and remember this about Bermuda: May-October

This is Bermuda's beach season when temperatures range from the high 60s to the mid-80s. A few days in Bermuda with a day or so in SanJuan and a day in Beautiful St Croix would be an excellent way to have lemons turned into lemonade.

bosco

Thanks bosco!

We are excited to go wherever we go! I just like to research and plan. I had some excursions in mind and I'm glad I didn't book them (they weren't thru NCL). So I'm hoping we hear before we board so I can plan some stuff.

I doubt they would take you North in October.

 

SanJuan looks like it will be fine, there is always Bermuda, but it does look like you itinerary will be changed.

 

I know you will have a memorable Honeymoon and cruise NO MATTER where the Gem takes you.

Best wishes...

 

bosco

My heart goes out to all of those put out by Irma. I cannot believe Jose may take the same path!

I'm not sure if an 11 night would go south since there's not a ton of time. I just hope it's still the Caribbean. Would they change it to Canada? And if so, would I be able to then cancel? We have zero interest in a Canadian honeymoon.

Thanks. I wouldn't have called. I know they are dealing with people whose trips are cancelled. I don't care where we go, it'll all be new to us!

Op,I don't think anyone can answer your questions right now, not even NCL. Lord knows thery have a lot on their minds right how, they probably would rather not have a lot of calls with questions that absolutely can not be answered at this time. I remember working for a major hotel chain during and after Andrew. Everyone wanted answers, we were just trying to help those who were in need of a place to stay. I do know, as others have said, NCL will do all they can to visit the ports scheduled or find another port if possible.

 

Good luck and have a great wedding. Things will work out.

I am booked on the same cruise and was getting very curious as to how NCL handles these delicate situations so I called them about 3 hours ago. I was told that they have to evaluate each stop (both the pier and the island itself) and then they make the decision if they will stop at the island. They told me not to expect an answer for several weeks. I was told that they try to find other ports first before having to make it another Sea Day.

I hope they will find other ports. We already have quite a few sea days. Not sure about the other stops but I've heard St Martin and St Kitts are pretty much destroyed. So terrible.

I agree. I saw pictures of St Martins cruise dock along with many other photos. I do not see that being back to normal by the time we get there. I just hope we stop at other islands. I do not want more days at sea!

Give them a couple of weeks to assess the damage. There is another hurricane heading that way right now. Until they can assess the damage there is no way for the cruise lines to plan. It will be a very fluid situation for the foreseeable future. Don't believe anyone who tells you it will be OK in seven weeks, that is not likely to be the case. Irma is one of, if not the most destructive storm to ever hit the Caribbean.

Hello all.

I'm scheduled to take my honeymoon on the Gem on 10/31 for an 11 night Caribbean cruise. Irma is pretty much hitting all of our expected ports (San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Martin and Tortola). If the docks are damaged, what happens? Will NCL let us know ahead of time if we are changing our itineraries? We have never been to Caribbean before so any islands will be great. Just wondering because I like to plan ahead.

Thanks!

You might find some info in the PORTS OF CALL section since this applies to all cruise ships, not just the GEM.

I looked and didn't find anything about the St Kitts ziplining.

Hello, everyone!

We are just under 100 days out until our honeymoon cruise on the Gem. We want to zip line but unsure where. I know St. Thomas has a popular spot, but we are going to do the sea lion swim when we are on St. Thomas. In my research, the Puerto Rico excursion doesn't work time wise. I see there is a company in St. Kitts, but I can't find any info on how far away they are from ports. Any information would help!

We are going to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Marteen, St. Kitts and Tortola. Thanks in advance!

We are torn between ziplining or a sea lion encounter in St. Thomas. I think we will end up meeting the sea lions because there is ziplining in St Kitts as well!

Thanks everyone. It is all listed on the TA docs, just wasn't sure that was enough. I wonder how they do the free photos? Will that be some sort of voucher in our room? Just wanna make sure we get them since it's our honeymoon!

im still pretty far out, sailing on the Gem on Halloween.

We received a dining plan and beverage package as our perks. The agency we used also gave us 10 free photos, free phone calls, some OBC, and 100 minutes of internet. On NCL, it only shows dining and beverage. Where do the other things show up?

Hi there. My hub and I are on the sailing before you. We are in Methuen MA. We actually found it cheaper to fly into NYC and get a hotel for the night before. Parking at the terminal is crazy and we didn't feel comfortable with it. This way, it also extends our honeymoon with a night in NYC.

How far out do prices usually drop? I want to make sure to keep an eye on it. Would love an upgrade for our honeymoon cruise.

So glad you are back! Cannot wait to read the rest!

Congrats on retirement!

Great review! Did you do a detailed review like this for your Gem trip? If so, can I have the link? Would love a detailed review like this. Sailing Gem in October for my honeymoon!

I can't find how to edit.......Sheesh

Hey everyone!

Booked through Direct Line Cruises. We got some extra perks from them that aren't showing up on NCL website. One of them being a 10 pack of pictures. How does this work? Do we just go on the last day and choose ten? Or can we grab them as we see them on the trip? With an 11 day trip, I'm not sure if they have room to keep all pics taken on display.

Thanks for any insight.

Hello everyone!

We are leaving on the Gem on 10/31 out of NYC to the Caribbean for 11 nights. We have 3 at sea days before our first stop. I know it doesn't actually take 3 days to get there and they slow the boat down for more sea time. My question is, how long before we are in warm weather? Was curious if our first sea day would still be NY like weather or if we'd already been in warmer climate. Thanks for your help:cool:

Ya know what? I read her review wrong. I just went back to look at it because I remember the poster had an UBP. She said they were increased from $14.95 to $17. Sheesh. NCL is getting out of hand with all these upcharges. Can't even have a martini on board ?!

Hi everyone!

I haven't been on NCL in years. Last time I did not have a beverage package, but I just read a review here that got me wondering. Someone said that NCL has raised the prices of martinis to $14.95 each. So after "fees", they end up being 17? We got the UBP for free as a perk so we pre-paid the gratuities. So will I still be able to get martinis under this package or not?

Does anyone have any RECENT drink lists for the Gem?

Thank you!

We got all of these as well!

We also got $50 on board credit and 4 nights in speciality dining restaurants (11 night cruise) thru Direct Line Cruises.

I will be on that cruise as well for my honeymoon. I love Halloween so would love someone who has cruised before to let us know!

I see you guys are talking about the speciality dining package. We got 4 free nights for our honeymoon in October. How does it work with the ala carte restaurants? I'm used to Celebrity where it's one price and you get whatever you want.