mrdrdoso

http://as0.mta.info/mnr/stations/station_detail.cfm?key=795

lol I must need to learn to read the print

I hope you have a private parking arrangement in Middleton, NY, because it appears they charge for parking weekdays. Train fare is $19.25/pp each way. It's a reasonable option because Manhattan hotels are so cheap for your pre-sail date in the dead of winter.

I was told parking was free, where did you see the charge? I shouldn't of waited to the last minute to do this

Officers on the 12/11/16 Gem cruise:

 

Captain: Konstatinos Fafalios

Hotel Director: Nelson Martins

Assistant HD: Sayeed Razavi

F&B Director: Frank De Amicis, Jr.

Cruise Director: Drew Raitch

Executive Housekeeper: Cesar Hapa

Executive Chef: Bijesh Chandran

Restaurant Manager: Davor Pikic

Beverage Manager: Mohamed Roshan Siyabdeen

Guest Svc. Manager: Jose Piedra

Group Svc. Coordinator: Mary Ann Fernandez

 

 

 

 

Concierge: Patrick Berido

Butler for our deck 10 SE penthouse: Josephine Parba Alison[/quote

 

 

 

thanks for that info, do you remember the entertainment? we were wondering about Leo and Kenosis, my dh is so curious about this:)

we are from upstate ny, vestal area and are looking at driving to middleton ny due to we can park for free and taking the train into nyc, has anyone done that before? suggestions are appreciated.

also looking for a hotel close to terminal without breaking the bank, yes i know we are on vacation but would like to use the money for the ship and ports. also my dh does not want to drive to nyc. would really appreciate all your expertise. thanks in advance:)

what about entertainment? is Leo on the gem and kenosis? they are amazing and would be thrilled in january if they were on board?

quote=dexddd;51272501]Never met Elvina - will she be on Gem mid-Dec?

Wondering if somebody could help me.

 

We are sailing 3rd December on the Escape. Have booked the Escape to Jost van dyke excursion as I know from these boards it will sell out. so we pre booked that one. Just wondering about the Zip lining in St Thomas. We have quite a bit of onboard credit so would rather wait until onboard to book so we can use the credit, However dont want to miss out on this excursion. Was wondering if anybody had any idea if this is popular or not? Would you pre book or wait until onboard?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

i booked this excursion when i was onboard and my sailing was in january. I have zipped a few times, let me tell you this one is scary. the crossing of the bridges swaying was nerve tracking. I did enjoy it but it did raise my blood pressure. Don't let that stop you of course but just wanted to give you heads up, and the idea of just walking off the plank was hard to do but once i did it i enjoyed the ride. other zips I have done, I just had to pick up my feet and not walk off a plank and the yo yo zip at the end is fun. There is much to do in st thomas but you should be ok to book on line but of course there is no quarentees. good luck and have fun

me too, i also purchase the cruise next deposits so when i get back from sailing i book my next one, and not next years but following I want to take my grandkids and want to see about dates and prices for the break, hopefully it will post soon. i have 2 future deposits i'm holding and want to book

I think they are making a mistake waiting so long. Maybe the typical cruiser books 6 to 12 months ahead but there are plenty of people like myself who book up to 24 months in advance.

I am looking to sail out of nyc in 2018 and not much posted and only up to march but thanks anyways

We usually take way too much luggage and have never been able to use self-assist. Since we do not need to bring any formal clothes on NCL, self-assist is our goal. This will not be easy for me, and I need advice!

 

I plan to bring shorts, t's, nice tops, capris and dresses. (Besides swimsuits, coverups, and a few pairs of shoes) What packing secrets can you share to cram a lot of stuff in a suitcase without it getting wrinkled. We bring the Downy Wrinkle Release, but it can only do so much. Do you fold or roll? What material should I look for for dresses (mostly maxi) that pack well. I've always carried my dresses in a garment bag so this will be a first.

I fold with the overlap style, you can find you tube videos to show you and once you master it you can fit a lot more luggage in and unpack as soon as you can. I pack 5 capris with interchanging tops. I also like to have a variety of clothes. so depending on if you are flying or just going to port will matter. Our next sailing I will fit all my clothes for 10 days in one suitcase and one carry on is my goal. During the say its beachwear with coverups and in evening i wear capris with dressy top and bring a few sweaters. Shorts and tanks are a must, I like shoes so i bring 5 pair, and fit them in the bottom of the luggage to fill spaces. I don't wear repeat clothes its just lay out everything then take away 50 % of it. If you are doing only 7 days plan each day outfit with an extra to spare. Its a lot easier to overpack, so guilty myself but I am getting much better. Also I don't like paying for luggage with airlines so that helps also lol. good luck and have fun

This is the first cruise that DW and I will be taking on NCL and we are really looking forward to it. One of our favorite things to do, if available, is to find the acoustic guitar players onboard. We were wondering if anyone could advise as to whether and where we might find this entertainment. We are sailing on The Escape May 21st and can't wait! Thanks in advance for any information.

From my experience the mega ships do not have this and this is what we don't like about mega ships. Leo who was on the gem prior to was amazing. He remembered peoples names and was fabulous to watch. Kinosis the band is truly amazing also. We decided to stick with mid size ships we prefer the entertainment and personality of them.

what were the scary points? :confused:

Just on some of the slippery parts where you needed your human conga line to help pull you up. I did see people fall but it was those who didn't stay true to the course, I also had ruptured my achilles 2 years ago so for me to climb these falls was huge. I would climb these without the guides help. The pictures shown and younger physically fit people and I am so not that lol. loved this experience and highly recommend it

we just did dunns falls in january, best time ever. had a few scary points but definatly a trip to remember. My husband said it was his favorite excursion ever

Thanks for the input, I guess its a wait and see game for me. My husband has mobile dj business so I need to check dates well in advance so I have him free. I'm sorry you have to cancel your cruise, but waiting 2 years to go really stinks. Good luck

anyone know when the schedule for 2018 is posted? I'm looking at florida/bahamas out of nyc in may but nothing is shown yet, any help appreciated, TIA

great pix, it's too bad can't be in tortola longer but will make the most of it while we are there.

Sorry, I don't recall anything about wine classes (which doesn't mean there weren't any). There were poolside BBQs on some of the sea days. We love sea days, and we were certainly never bored.

 

As for Tortola, with the short time there, we opted for NCL's Norman Island Snorkel excursion. It was terrific. A fairly small group and an excellent tour operator. They took us to the Indians, which is a popular snorkel spot, as well as to Norman Island.

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

hi we are doing the 10 day in January. Did they do 2 wine tasting classes? We thought since there is so many sea days they might. Also did you notice if they did anything that you would like to share? Also what did you find out about highlights of Tortola? any info is greatly appreciated

TIA

We've sailed on the Gem three times, most recently the 10-day itinerary out of NY in February. (If you have specific questions about that itinerary, just ask.) We enjoy sea days very much, and that itinerary is a good mix of sea days and port days (San Juan. St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Tortola).

 

Since you've never been to NY, and will be spending time there at the end of your trip, it makes little sense to fly to Florida to get on a cruise ship. Also, the sailaway out of Manhattan is one of the most magnificent in the world. And the Gem is a very comfortably sized ship. If the sailing you are considering makes the most sense for you, you should take it.

 

I hope you have a wonderful time visiting our country!

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

we love the gem and entertainment and everything the gem has to offer. you will love it

Recently I was on the Breakaway and decided to take advantage of the CruiseNext promotion. The day I went down to purchase the certificate, the promo ad in the Freestyle Daily said "buy one $250 certificate and get one free". The standard $250 certificate came with a $100 OBC so I figured it was a great deal..... two $250 certificates for $150... why would I think it wasn't a deal considering everything else on the ship was being marked down... what a great way for NCL to increase CruiseNext purchases \ metrics while locking in future revenue from passengers by discounting them. NOPE! It turns out that NCL's definition of buy one and get one free is completely different than the the real world.

 

NCL requires you to buy TWO $250 certificates for $500 and get a $250 OBC.... wait, the ad said buy ONE not TWO...this actually cost me $100 more than the ad read. So I talked to the CruiseNext Manager and gave her an example using the CruiseNext ad's wording.... "the Best Buy ad says buy a $250 television and get a second for free. You would walk into Best Buy with $250 and expect to walk out with TWO tvs..... not walking into Best Buy and pay $500 and being issued a $250 store credit".... she agreed with my Best Buy example but could not understand her own ad....... I then gave an example "NCL is running a promo where the first two guests pay and the third \ fourth are free..... NCL doesn't charge full price for the third \ fourth and then issue an OBC for that amount, right?".... of course she said that they don't charge for the third \ fourth.

 

While in the big picture, it's not a huge deal..... but considering NCL is nickel and diming us, increasing prices quarterly, holding the passengers accountable for all their T&Cs that are out there, and I'm sure their legal counsel ok'd the ad..... I expected it to be honored. According to her, I am the only one who has ever read the buy ONE get ONE free exactly as it was written....or the first to challenge the promo ad.... she seemed out of sorts that someone actually was standing in front of her complaining. She did not have a viable solution other than comping me a specialty dinner, however this offer wasn't made until 7:30pm on our last night and logically impossible to use.

 

I had submitted a card to the Hotel Director and he referred me to Guest Services..... while I appreciate his response... the CruiseNext Manager reports directly to him.

 

Make sure you have NCL explain their promos before you do anything... it was a great cruise and didn't really ruin anything but I was not pleased with the "bait and switch" tactics and the "dismissive" attitude from the CruiseNext staff

I am sorry but I believe you read it wrong, if you buy one deposit for 250 you get 100 obc, if you buy 2 deposits you pay 250. so you are getting 2 future cruises for $100 more vs buying the 1 deposit. I was a tad confused at first but I asked questions and bought 2. later in thread someone posted a pix and better defines it. So with your best buy definition, you payed full price for next deposit and got one free. Hope that helps happy next 2 sailings to you

Hmmmm. This is disappointing to read. We have UDP' date=' and have it reserved for our last night onboard.[/quote']

 

If you have the package go, the salad bar is amazing. honestly I am going to go just for that. I actually skip most of the meats because I am full from the salad bar. I just cant say enough good things about the choices on the salad bar. go feast enjoy

Thankyou for replying :) he has slept in bed with me since 8 weeks so we are pretty used to that side of things. Don't think we would use a baby sitter - I'm sure the age is 3 or something anyway. Yes aria looks like a lovely ship, very excited!

with little ones the buffet may be the better option, instant gratification is best with them. although i'm not a big buffet person, they have come a long way and the food is pretty darn good

I actually carried our list with us on the getaway, quite a few drinks they didn't seen to know how to make. Our favorite was the raspberry quava mojito, yummmmmmm and the bushwacker was a repeat drink or three or four lol. we had a ball trying the different drinks, and I am sure I may get some flack for this, but they were all really heavy pourers and some drinks were just to strong to enjoy. for instance I got a bloody mary 3/4 easy was vodka and ice and maybe 3 oz of tomato juice, I had to ask for a glass of juice on the side. I am glad I had the package because I would of wasted money on some drinks that were just too strong, and its not me being a wimp our entire group made comments about it and we are far from being old and we like to throw back some drinks, now granted I don't want watered down either. i'm sure it won't be long and ncl will come out with measured pours due to the beverage package and then i'll be annoyed about them being too weak.

We are sailing on the Gem March 2nd this year and see that the time given for docking on debarkation day is 10 am.

 

I have never taken a cruise that the ship returned and docked that late.

 

Is the 10 am listed a mistake ? We usually do the debarkation where you walk off taking all your luggage. Wondering about arranging transport to airport and what time we should be looking at.

i don't ever remember booking debarkation, is this new? I just did sailing and we only requested boarding time. Although we just got off the getaway and we didn't get called to almost 10 to leave, thank goodness we had later flight. If you walk off you should be ok pending any problems, I'm usually not in a hurry to get off the ship though.

we just booked our third sailing for the gem, it is our favorite ship, we personally not huge fans of the mega ships they are pretty and all and very high tech but we like the personality and charm of the gem. The musicians are by far the best, and I love that I can go to just about anyplace and listen to good music. If you see Leo, tell him derue and mary said hi. he is amazing and tries to get to know his audience and will address you by name between songs. Since you haven't been on a smaller ship the last sea day around 3 there will be a crew talent show in stardust, go to it, I can watch fountains a hundred times and I still laugh like crazy. enjoy your vacation

I am booked on the Getaway for 2017, and I would like to know how freestyle cruising works. Can you go into any dining room at anytime you feel like going, or do you have to make reservations ahead? Is there no set seating times? Also, I understand that I will not have to pack formal wear. Is this accurate?

That is the concept but thats not how it works, lol. If you want specialty dining you need reservations although you may get in but not when you want to. Its not like other lines where its 6:30 and 8:30 seatings, you are free to dine whenever you want. Some restaurants its nice to make a reservation at to diminish the wait time. The illusionarium dinner is reserved times though. You don't need formal wear unless you want to wear formal wear. It more of casual dress at dinner, but you won't be out of place if your dressed up, there's usually a variety of dress. I generally make my reservations if I make them at all depending on the day, the port, and what shows I am going to. Hope that helps happy cruising

Did GSC turn into a sea day or did you go to Nassau?

I would like to know this also