Birdnutty

Thank you!

Ewww.. that really creeps me out. Hope they were gone before the next set of pax came in.

Thanks for those pics! Looking forward to your next entries.

Probably needed pants, too. Sorry.... couldn't resist.

That's what we're doing. Staying at the Crowne Plaza in Panama City (not the airport), doing a half day tour the next day and then coming home the next night. Took all the stress out of the day and allowed us to spend some time in this fascinating city. The Crowne Plaza had excellent prices (even cancellable!) for seniors, and said they'd allow us to leave luggage with them for the day while we toured.

Thank you for your daily report. We're getting more excited by the day - we get on when you get off. If you have a chance, would you please be so kind as to post a picture or two of the dailies? The activities part is what I'm most interested in, especially on sea days. Any shows happening?

Forgot to ask-what was your stateroom number?

Never heard of this. May we have details, please? It might be something we should look into.

They usually have them in the terminal as you disembark. They did last time we were there.

I forgot to ask you last night to take a look today. Our itinerary for the day depends on the ferry(s), so that's why I'm asking. It would be great if you could find out. I'd sure appreciate it!

Mine is completely random. Could be all of the above. But if you can get your hands on some Theraworx when you get back near port, that stuff is awesome! Homeopathic, can't overdose, topical. Squirt it on,, rub it in and it somehow magically goes away! YMMV, but it's worth a try. Many of the larger chains like Walgreens do have a non-name brand, sometimes. Did you use the ferry? Is the NCL ferry running? Can you take a pic of the schedule, if so, please?

So glad you're posting! We'll be getting on when you get off. With all the last minute changes NCL is making, it'll be interesting to see how your cruise goes. I'm particularly interested to hear how your Bermuda day goes. Please tell us if the NCL ferry is running. Our whole Bermuda schedule is based on ferry times and this one could make a difference. Looking forward to your next entry. Wishing you smooth seas and no missed ports. 😁

I GOT IT!!! After all this time.... I think there was a problem with the email system, because three times I sent the email and they said they didn't get the necessary documents. Sent it via a different email, and it worked. Don't know what the problem was, but I feel bad that an already overworked staff is trying to sort through disasters like mine. Anyway, I'm doing the happy dance.... we cruise in a week.

OMG! Bed bugs! We've been on 50 cruises, never had a problem. And I understand that bedbugs can be like roaches. If anywhere has them, everywhere can have them. What do you check for before you unpack? Do you have to take the whole bed apart?

Thank you for doing this review. As you said, these ports are vastly under-reported. We went on this same tour, and I'm glad to have my memory so excellently refreshed. We are nature enthusiasts, and were highly disappointed to see to hear not even one bird on the aerial tram, although the scenery was beautiful. We did see one toucan on the rainforest walk waaaaaaayy far away and some feasting on berries right outside the lunch pavilion. It was beautiful, however, and we enjoyed everything. The canal ride was very cool. We saw sloths, herons, monkeys and the coolest tiny little bats hanging from the supports of a bridge! Here are some of my pics: in no particular order. Sorry they're all smooshed together - I don't know how to separate them. And this one, from the bus - a novelty... Yes, that is a toilet sitting atop a shed roof.

Thanks for the Daily! I enjoy reading some of the offerings that I can possibly look forward to, weather permitting. And for you, it doesn't look like it's permitting lot. So disappointed for you. Hope the weather clears a bit so you can enjoy the last of it. Looking forward to the next report.

Thanks! Have you ever been there? Are we allowed to just go and walk around, go to the beach without an excursion, etc? There is so little info out there to go on!!!!

I tried the Dominican Republic Port of Call Board, but either nobody knows or there isn't enough activity to get the question answered. Our itinerary on the Gem is scheduled to stop at Catalina Island, Dominican Republic. But there's no docks there, and very sparse info on the whole situation. It looks like we could dock at La Romana, but none of the cruise Mapper/Timetable/dig, etc sites show anything at all about our ship being there. Has anyone been to the actual Catalina Island, and where did you dock when you did? we're not happy with ship's excursions and want to find something else, but we don't know from where! Please help.

So happy you are doing this. Too bad you didn't label your review as being LIVE, as many more folks would be following. But maybe that's a good thing, meaning less dumb questions. Hmmm Sorry that your weather is less than ideal. It's fun to be a little rocky, but crazy rocky can be nowhere near as much fun. Hope it doesn't affect your stomach or your trip in any way. If anything, it might send some people to stay in their cabins instead of being out and about, reducing the "crowd" factor. Three questions: On the days at sea, have there been any mention of Latin dance classes or Zumba in the Daily? Lots of people, especially me, really love that. Secondly, are there many people masking up at all? And how was your day in Bermuda? What did you end up doing?

Me too. That's the number I called, and I fully agree - they take the shareholder option and dump it right into customer service. it's the luck of the draw as to whether the rep knows about this stuff or is totally clueless. I got one clueless one, and one who knew a little but couldn't help me.

I heard a nasty rumor that the paper dailies are being discontinued. Are you still getting them on this sailing?

Does NCL charge you right away if you make dining reservations pre-sailing? We have an SDP, and Latitudes dinners. We are traveling with another couple and want to make reservations for the 4 of us. They only have the SDP. Do you get charged right away, is there a priority (latitudes vs sdp) that they use, and how can we tell them which one we want to use?

What number did you call? Or write to? No matter which way I turn, I get the royal run-around.

Please keep posting about your experiences on board. I, among many others, will be on board in a few weeks and am interested in how things are going. Have they initiated the once a day turn down service on the Gem yet? As an aside, I’m sure it was very disappointing to have most of your Bermuda stay truncated. It sucks, but I guess from a safety point of view, it’s better to be out at sea. Hopefully, seasickness aside, it’s still better than a day at home or work.

Well. it's been a few days without any response other than a new case number. So I'm going to take the suggestion that I print out all my attempts and the dates involved, and see if it does me any good at Guest Services. I'm done - spent too much time at this. Maybe I'll be lucky and the Benefit Fairy will visit me somewhere along the line. I will post if she does.