ellewoods

They may have moved in to a smaller location only for this cruise as a ton of families are cruising and likely the larger location is not needed

Yes, the cruise remains decked out for Christmas. All of what you describe is there. It is beautiful and very festive.

Blackjack lowest limits when they first open in the AM is 15. Roulette are $2 per chip, 5 chip minimum I believe. I am used to Vegas Locals casinos where I can find $5 blackjack anytime of the day. I know I am not going to find that but have seen $10 tables on past cruises.

Day 4- At Sea Seas were extremely rough last night. I have used the patches for 20 years and have always been fine and last night was the first time they didn’t completely work. Made friends with my bed, thankfully since the addition of a mattress topper and some extra blankets it’s very comfortable. The outdoor decks were opened around lunch time today. The weather is warming up and the sun is out. Lots of festive Christmas outfits around the ship today. Most people appear to be in a good mood now enjoying a Christmas Day at sea. Spent some time in the Haven courtyard this afternoon relaxing. The roof is still on so it’s warm and comfortable inside. Very few people hanging around the Haven so it’s not at all difficult to get seat when you want it. Breakfast in Moderno this morning where they serve the Haven guests. It’s very good, there is a small buffet of cold items, pastries, fruits, etc. and then a full hot menu. It’s a nice quiet place for breakfast. Lunch in the Buffet. Again the food is very good. Have to fight for a table but the staff does all they can to help clear plates and tables as soon as someone is up. Dinner in Cagneys. We were supposed to be in port today and had an excursion planned so we made a late reservation. We were able to get in a little early. Food was good. Service even better. We ended up with our waitress from breakfast and each day, Racquel. She is so upbeat and provides great service. We love seeing her. We turned down dessert as we were way too full, Raquel insisted on calling our butler and having dessert sent to our room for dinner. Saw the Christmas show tonight. The production cast is very good, they put on a wonderful show. Seas have drastically calmed down since last evening. Hoping for weather warm enough to sit in the sun tomorrow.

Currently aboard Gem, 5th time, 1st since COVID. Its reputation is not tarnished in the slightest. Same great food and service.

It has been at 5:00 pm in Maltings

i agree. I think many people don’t really research what can “go wrong” before booking a cruise. We’ve sailed in the winter before, we’ve sailed during hurricane season. It can mean rough seas or missed ports, it’s a risk we take. Seas are still pretty rough, ship sort of looks like a bunch of drunks stumbling around. We all just say excuse me when we run into one another and carry on. It makes things just a little more interesting.

3 Beginning of three full sea days. Our itinerary was scheduled for only 2 sea days down. Confused as to why we now need a whole extra day. In any event we are told we will now set sail directly for St. Thomas. There was a short pause this morning after leaving port for a medical emergency…appears NYPD and coast guard removed a passenger from the ship. The captain has advised we will have rough seas today and tomorrow. Spent the morning at the spa for a massage. As on all cruise ships be prepared for the hard sell. Otherwise a wonderful experience. Breakfast in the room today as I had an early appointment. First experience with room service in the Haven, they set a whole table with a white tablecloth just for my Raisin Bran and banana. It was truly unnecessary but service in here really is a step up. Quick lunch at the buffet. I think the selection seems smaller than past cruises but still plenty to choose from and the food is still very good. I see no change in quality from prior cruises. It is difficult to get a seat in the buffet however again I’m sure this is due to conditions outside coupled with a full capacity sailing. Morale seems to be up around the ship today. Not sure if that’s due to Christmas Eve (lots of festive outfits) or the fact that we are finally on the move towards warm weather. Cruise Director seems more lively today as well. Hearing reports that she was sick last cruise which could have led to her muted mood earlier in our cruise. It’s a very packed cruise and everyone is cooped up inside which is making for very crowded interior areas. Staff remains upbeat and helpful. Dinner tonight was in La Cucina. Food was delicious. Service was very good as well. Hearing a number of complaints about food quality on the ship and I’m just not seeing it. The food remains the same as I’ve had on the Gem in the past. The only thing I’d rate poor is the coffee, I am visiting Starbucks daily to remedy this. I am super picky and probably a snob when it comes to coffee though so if coffee is less important to you Im sure it’s fine. Just as a random note if it’s important to you. The Casino is pretty quiet on this ship compared to others. Table limits are high. I generally spend little to no time there so it doesn’t matter to me but I know some people care. Shows get crowded early as do most public lounges. If there is something you really want to see, get there early. There is always something going on in a lounge or theater. I’m sure the crew is eager to get people out on the pool decks but they are doing an awesome job keeping things fun while we are stuck inside.

Check in times are new since COVID, apparently to reduce crowds. Doesn’t seem like it has the intended effect. Arrived an hour earlier then our check in time 2 days ago as we believed the trip would take longer then it did. No one was even checking times. I’d say hubby will be able to check in with you. I wouldn’t be concerned.

Gem and Getaway both left NYC this morning. Getaway had overnighted next to us last night. Hopefully it’s all smooth sailing from here (pun intended).

Will do!

New update. Now scheduled to depart tomorrow at 6 am. San Juan also now cancelled. 100 per stateroom on board credit. 15% FCC

Update on status: Getaway is docked next to us and also on hold here in NY awaiting clearance. Earlier her smoke stack was going but she never made movement. Below is my overall review of today. Day 2 Woke up still docked in NYC. The Getaway was docked next to us, they came in early to avoid the anticipated storms as well. Not sure how early they came in. Another small note on the room, I have heard complaints about a water noise in the walls of this room (14008). We do hear it as well. It’s kind of soothing, like white noise, and didn’t cause any issues for sleeping for us. However, it is definitely audible at all times if this is something you think would bother you. We forgot to order coffee last night and wished the coffee was out earlier in the courtyard. However, Teddy had it set up promptly at 6:30 and we got to chat a little bit while he set up. He is definitely an asset to the Gem and I can already tell he will be a noted “vacation hero”. Service in the Haven continues to be top notch. I mentioned to the cabin steward that a mattress topper would make the bed much more comfortable and he had one on as soon as he made the bed this morning. We went to Cagneys for breakfast. Quick and friendly service. Food was very good. Lunch at O’Sheehans today. Service was not good. Slow service and not as friendly as we’ve experienced in the past. The fish sandwich was still very good. Many latitudes of this sailing. The party was packed this afternoon. Seemed very muted from prior cruises. Introduced senior staff and a cruise next promotion and then it was over. In the past they have had videos of everything coming in NCL. Lots of angry people around the ship griping and groaning. Not sure if that’s bringing the overall mood down or not. Dinner in magenta. Food was good, service also good. I believe the staff is getting a lot of grief from passengers. We turned down dessert (just didn’t want it). The waitress apologized and asked if we were turning it down due to slow service. We had to assure her that service was fine and we just didn’t want anything. Definitely still pockets of people having fun around the ship. Others being miserable. The staff is trying very hard. I hope they realize plenty of us see that. Cruise Director is not great. Hardly see or hear from her. When you do see her around the ship she isn’t greeting people or attempting to uplift the mood in any way. Some of the entertainment staff we have seen at events is much better and personable. Hoping to be at Sea when we wake up. Will also hit the spa tomorrow and have an update on that.

New update is that we are not leaving at 5. Coast Guard has the port closed. No word on when we may leave. No new updates as to how this affects our cruise. Not NCLs fault at all but do feel there has been a lack of communication. Ship is understaffed for a holiday cruise. Service is slow but remains friendly. Cruisers appear to be 50/50 on making the best of it and complaining about everything.

That does sound fun! Unfortunately we need something with a little less activity level on this cruise.

thank you for this recommendation. We may just try that out in San Juan!

Embarkation: we left from NYC, which we have many times. Small issue on arrival was that we were parking at Pier 90 but the boat was at Pier 88. There were no porters to get luggage. We had to walk it all the one block. A small hassle for us, but if you had mobility issues I could see this being a task. We did arrive very early as we did not hit any of the anticipated traffic so this could be our issue. Check in was extremely organized. There was a separate security line for Haven, we were immediately checked in and seated in a separate room with a small buffet of fruit and sandwiches. We were on board by 11:30. (Note: we were not scheduled to board until noon this trip as a transatlantic had come in before us. About us: family of 3. I’m the “child” at 37. Therefore, we have no use for kids club or teen activities and I won’t be able to comment on them. We have sailed NCL many times, 4 other times on the Gem. We have sailed many of the mass market cruise lines so we can compare across the industry. This is our first time in NCLs Haven and have also sailed RCCLs Star class so that is our only comparison as to a “cruise within a cruise” concept. Ship: this is our 5th time on the Gem. She is my favorite ship. She looks beautiful after the recent dry dock. Common areas look modern and clean. Room: we are in a Haven 2 bedroom family suite. This is our first time in the Haven. The rooms remain dated looking, they could use an update. Overall good space in the family suite, the second bedroom could use an overall in the storage department, it’s an odd layout with no real hanging bar. However, for one person it’s sufficient. Haven Staff: we inadvertently wandered to the Haven before rooms were ready, when we arrived, we were met by the courtyard attendant Teddy. He greeted us by name which shocked us. He allowed us to place our carryons in our room and sneak a peek of the Haven and then we went off to explore the ship. We have met our butler, concierge, and room attendant briefly. All seem friendly. Teddy has been the most visible and helpful. He already secured us an extra umbrella for last nights adventures (details below). Ship staff: everyone we have encountered has been friendly and helpful. Exactly as they always are. I know there have been recent reports of poor service on the Gem, I have yet to see it or experience it. This is a Christmas cruise so there are a ton of children, some better behaved than others. Obviously a holiday cruise is bound to draw children and families. The weather in NY is poor. Sailaway was planned for 4:00pm. Sometime before that we were advised that we would not be leaving until the following day at 5:00 pm. We have a revised itinerary, canceling the port of call in Dominican Republic and most of the day in San Juan (now there 4:00- midnight) so in effect canceling that call as well. We were allowed off the ship last night and all day today in NYC. We got off and had an unexpected dinner with my sister so we are making the best of it. I’d rather be sailing towards warm weather but also appreciate NCL keeping us safe. Upon arrival in our cabin only our Dominican Republic shore excursion tickets were missing. This was many hours before an official announcement was made. At the time I believed it to be an oversight. Now I am wondering if they knew the update long before we were advised. I know there have been complaints about the food. We have eaten only one meal, embarkation lunch in Cagneys, on board. It was delicious! No complaints at all. As mentioned above we did get off the ship for dinner. I will update further on the food as the trip goes on. The ships wifi appears to be non existent (I am currently still using cellular data since we remain in NY). I will attempt to update throughout. Please ask any questions and I will answer what I can. My motto is always “a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work”, may have to be updated to “a bad day at sea or docked at a Pier, is better than a good day at work” 😂. Seriously, I believe in making the best of whatever you’re given and we fully intend to do so.

Yes crew have been ashore this evening. Seems like quite a few have made their way off the ship. They have to be back on board by 2 AM. Guests do not have to be back aboard until 4:30PM.

Not sure. We have the drink package and I was surprised not to get charged a tax earlier when we ordered drinks.

Getting off to see my sister for dinner, she lives here. All is good. Crew is fabulous. Happy the Captain is keeping us safe.

Boarded Gem today. Just advised due to weather conditions our cruise is delayed 24 hours and we hope to leave tomorrow evening.

Not sure when you are sailing. I set sail on the Gem Thursday and have sailed her many times. I’m happy to report back after if you have any questions that haven’t been answered by then

Can you point me to the other thread you mention?

Our luggage tags for December are green and say priority. No Haven on them either.