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Apart from the bar sometimes being crowded I don't recognize much from when I was on Gem just before Christmas. Cookies - Available every day at around 3 pm in The Great Outdoors. Should be listed as "snacks" in the dailies. OP, did you ask anyone if there were cookies somewhere? Or did you just roam around hoping to run into some cookies? Once a day room cleaning - Old "news"! Unless you need assistance with a third bed or something I honestly don't get why anyone would need any turn down service anyway! If you do need assistance I guess you can request it. Towel animals - seriously? Nice, but surely the steward has better things to do! As has been mentioned, you can request them. And of course you should tip accordingly (whatever that is). As for general cleanliness there was no such issues during my cruise. I thought Gem was an amazing ship! Yes, showing her age a little, but in general very nice!

I'm in Spain quite frequently and tip for example the hairdresser. But I do it by adding to the credit card amount before tapping the card. And in restuarants and similar of course. No US type cash tipping except maybe a tour guide when I take guided tours.

Probably not. But handling cash is really a hassle. Cashless is spreading more and more at least in northern Europe. Probably not as much in southern Europe. But do them a favour, use card when possible!

So you just THINK you'll pay tax. The 150 minutes has no retail value. What would you pay tax on?? Wouldn't the tax for 0 be 0?

What??? Ok, I'm in Europe and it's different here so maybe I don't understand US FreeAtSea. But do you really pay anything for the 150 minutes? Isn't it drinks and food you pay taxes on? You can't UPGRADE to plus unless you first have the basic package to upgrade from. Including the 150 minutes. I get so confused reading this question!

I think I read that you are on a last minute booking. If so there might not be possible to book anything else than guarantee. A guy on my TA last year didn't like what he got assigned and even though they could move him, if I recall right they wanted quite a high fee to do so. I would suggest you contact NCL for correct information though and try to get the room you want right away.

Well, if it sails from Southampton instead that's an improvement. I was considering a Portsmouth sailoff cruise as one of a couple of options. When listing pros and cons Portsmouth was a con for me. Not a big one, but still. Southampton is way more convenient for me (easy to get to from Gatwick, budget hotels within walking distance of both train station and cruise terminal). But NCL still lists Portsmouth as departure port for both May 8-18 and May 18-30..

I just came off Dawn. Elements was on my druise. And a nice rock/soul/pop dance and sing show with the production cast. I liked the music show, Dodn't see Elements since I've seen it before.

Yeah... I guess so...

Nope! Well, I actually don't WANT to lose my luggage. But if I do it's no big deal. It can be a hassle, especially if my winter stuff gets lots on the way home to Sweden. Nothing irreplaceable in my checked bag, and I often fly home wearing my boots because those would be the hardest and most essential to replace.

I was thinking along those lines as well. Vancouver is crazy expensive! But also very nice, so maybe worth it. 😄

This is on more ships than Jewel, but don't know it's on all. It's not new. It's probably meant for carry-on luggage. It's not recommended (although maybe possible) to bring big suitcases onboard yourself. If it doesn't fit the scanner going through security I imagine it's a bit of a hassle. (I actaully saw some people getting told to leave their suitcases with the porters and not haul them around themselves when checking in at Southampton.)

Blaming boots certainly is a main theatre show! But on ships like Spirit and Gem there is first come first serve for the theatre.

That's what I do as well. Not because I'm not tech savvy ( I am...) but because it's the easiest in my opinion for things I'll only use once or twice. Often I take a screenshot of the barcode or QR code and put it as a widget on one of my phone home screens. Things that come with a "dowload to Wallet" (wether Google or Apple) go into the "Wallet", things that don't will go into gallery/ download folder/home screen. I often carry paper copies as well to be on the safe side, but I do prefer to keep things on my phone and not have to pull up papers. (I'm not just talking NCL boardin pass here, but in general.)

PLEASE choose the middle room for this! 😄 (Not that I will be on the same cruise, but I would hate to be the neighbour of a gathering like this!) And have a nice time, wherever you spend it! 😄

Actually, I like that idea! I still have quite a bit to go before Saphire so "dinner with officer" isn't an option for me. But I have been glancing the tier benefits and thought "Nah, not too interested in that". I would actually much rather share a (small) table with a random staff/crew member and talk with them about their work and experiences! The guy clearing buffet tables could be just as interesting as... well, anyone else! (I do chat with staff now and again, but it would be so nice to have them sat down at a table with me!)

I would wait a bit if there isn't a particular reason you need to printe them now (like access to printer - I want to print mine in colour even though I know it doesn't matter).

Yes, of course! To suggest that they replace Broadway style shows with game shows to appeal to younger cruisers of course was just silly! It's OBVIOUSLY about cost! Don't know how anyone could think differently!

Shore excursions can be booked as soon as they appear. It can be a year away or they may only appear a few months before the cruise. Dinners are 120 days unless you're Platinum or higher.

Do? I don't have the need to "do" anything special. Not at home. Not on vacation. Absolutely NOT watch TV! Not at home not on vacation. Gamble? Not at home, not on vacation.Might take a walk. Both at home and on vacation. But usually more interesting on vacation! People watching is better on the ship than in my rural home. 😄 Should I feel like it there are always people to chat with for a while. With a bit of luck I can listen to a few songs performed in the Atrium or elsewhere. And then move on. I do like to see the production cast perform something. And sometimes a guest performer sounds interesting. But I'm glad when shows only last 45 minutes. That way I'll "survive" even if it's not quite to my taste. 😄 (Game shows? Don't watch them at home and certainly not on vacation. Nope! No way! Will not go to one! Not even if it was 20 minutes! ) I don't need to be entertained. Sometimes I'm pleased that there is nothing going on and I can finish that book I started! A bottle of beer and a book... Life is good! 😄

As others say: Solo meetups even on ships with no studios. Spirit, Star and Gem are the ones I travelled last year. If I recall correctly somwhere between 5-7 pm every day. Listed in the dailies.

Agree to both of those thoughts! I actually did put some soft serve in my coffee one day at Star, and seeing what it looked like when it was supposed to melt made me wonder what weird chemicals it consisted of! (Still better/less bad than chocolate sauce on those yummy "cobblers" (more like crumble pie) they served most days though. Chocolate sauce????)

Yeah... I have looked at solo insides and oceanviews on Star and Dawn and they really are more or less the least attractive rooms on the ships. Those ships don't have studios, so it's either those "not so good" solo rooms or pay more for a non-solo. I'll be on Bliss i April and really look forward to trying a studio! Edit: Had to check out Bliss's solo insides and apart from bad location there were quite few of them.

I am an early riser and during my 4 cruises in 2023 "early bird" breakfast in the buffet opened either 5.30 or 6.00 on port days (and also some sea days). It's scaled down breakfast (cereal, bread, cheese, fruit...) but enough to get something inside you. (On my Alaska cruise I was 9-10 hours behind Swedish time and hadn't adjusted very well, so I pretty much stood there waiting for them to open up for breakfast at 5.30. 😄 But wow what nice views and sunrises I saw!)

It's been a hit or miss with Cruise Critic for me. On Star I wasn't able to read the forum without using minutes (it looked like it was loading, but it took forever and I had lots of minutes to spare so I gave up). On my more recent Gem cruiseit was slow, but I was able to read the forum without logging in to use minutes. I just used my forum bookmark on my cellphone. Go figure... I guess it's one of those NCL things where you can say "it depends". Denpends on what? Who knows? I don't...