jakesnana

On 6/3/2019 at 4:56 PM, GetMeOutOvHere said:

 

I have sailed out of Boston about 12 times. I've also sailed out of Miami. (THAT is a nightmare, going from the airport to that cruise terminal!) I live about 40 mins north of Boston. I've driven myself in to the seaport cruise terminal (Black Falcon) 11 out of the 12 times. (Last year, took an Uber..same route I would have driven myself.)  In all of those times, I've left my house about 9:30-10:00 am. Took me between 40-50 mins each time. I live in Salem, so it's not a route that has less traffic. If anything, it has far more. I just cannot understand why you "won't drive into Boston to do this cruise again."  Did you know that at least 85 percent of people who do the Boston to Bermuda cruise live about 2 hours or less in the Boston/surrounding area? 

We must have just encountered the "perfect storm" on this trip. The traffic on Summer Street leading up to the terminal was a disaster, filled with 18 wheelers (most of whom turned into the port, probably delivering supplies). From the time we turned onto Summer St. it took us 45 min. to get to the port 😞  After we dropped off our traveling companions and luggage we needed to return a car to BOS and uber back. The return trip in the uber was much better.

I do know the area, we just relocated to FL 14 years ago and I used to work on Summer St. (next to the Boston Athletic Club), it just seems like they need to come up with a better strategy to get all of the passengers and supplies to the ship. Having everyone go on just one 2-lane street is a killer.

On 5/29/2019 at 8:09 AM, Seaside122 said:

Thank you for your review! My family and I will be sailing on this cruise in August, and since we have never sailed on Norwegian before, we’re very interested to hear about your experience. Did you happen to notice whether there were many families aboard with young children? We will be bringing our 20-month-old daughter on her first cruise and it would be wonderful if she had some small friends to play with! 

As others have mentioned, your daughter will be too young for Splash Academy (the youngest children's group, starts at 3 years old), but they did have several times posted for the Guppies (0-2 years old) to get together. The Activities for Families was listed in the lower left hand corner of the Daily, inside the first page. Make sure to check that out.

On 5/28/2019 at 11:32 PM, Birdnutty said:

Thank for your review!  A few questions - you are obviously a high ranking Latitudes member with so many cruises.  Did they have any parties for the upper Latitude Tiers? (we're Platinum)  We don't usually get the beverage package and really look forward to the wine and drinks offered at those parties.

 

The welcome gift...  it's such a lovely gesture.  But it's been changed the last few times we went.  We used to have a choice of red, or white wine, or "champagne".  Now all they offer is the "champagne" and it literally makes us sick.  No bars or anyone else will exchange it for something we can drink.  Is this still the case?

 

The dance classes - I know you didn't do any, but do you remember if there were any Zumba or latin dance classes?

We too are looking forward to getting back to the smaller ships after doing several of the megas.  But boy, I wish they didn't use that Atrium for so much!  First of all, as everyone else has mentioned, there's not enough seating.  Period. But that also applies on the megaships.  I really loved all the activities they did in Stardust, back in the day.   And although few people seem to mention this, the noise level in the Atrium is just too loud.  But that's my hang-up.

 

Are there any secrets you discovered in negotiating the Boston pier?  Is it worth it or a waste of time to go early?

 

Who were the main officers?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

I didn't even try to change out the champagne, we just used it for mimosas in the cabin with our traveling companions.

I just looked through the Dailies and there was a Merengue class on Sat., a line dance class on Sun., Country line dance class on Mon., Salsa dance class on Tue., Jazz dance class on Wed., and Cha Cha dance class on Thu.

I agree with the noise level in the Atrium, I absolutely HATE it and refused to eat at Moderno's because of it, until they relocated Moderno's up to the old Star Bar.

I agree with several posters who stated to arrive later (after 12 PM). There is only one way in and out of the port area and arriving earlier got us caught up with all of the 18 wheelers who were trying to deliver supplies to the ship. It was PURE HELL. The only reason we arrived early is because we had rented a car from the airport on Wed. at 10:30 AM and needed to return it by Fri at 10:30 AM to avoid another day's charge. I would never arrive at the port before noon again (if I ever sail out of BOS again).

Sorry, I didn't really pay attention to who the ship's officers were, but Ferdie was our CD.

On 5/28/2019 at 9:37 PM, Sand and Seas said:

Thanks for sharing your review with us!   We have already booked Cagney's for our first night on board so nice to hear you enjoyed it there. 

We spend time in the casino too.  Can you  remember the names of any other slot machines they have?     Lately we have been cruising on the bigger ships (Bliss/Breakaway & Escape).  They have lots of new machines but we were looking forward to getting back to a smaller ship for a change.

There were several variations of the Quick Hit machines, the 88 Fortunes machines, Lock n' Link (4 and they were always full), Wheel of Fortune, Carnival Rio and some type of Mexican type game that was loosely played like Buffalos. That's all I remember off the top of my head. I will caution, if you sit down at a game you've never played before, make sure you read the rules. I sat down at a machine that didn't award the "free games" unless you were playing a certain amount. Playing the higher amount didn't increase the amount you won on regular spins, just made you eligible for the "free games", which were far and few between.

5/17/19 Norwegian Gem

A little about us - I am 62 and my husband is 72, we have been on 60+ cruises and although I cannot remember how many specifically with NCL, enough to be Platinum.  We have sailed the Jewel class before, on the Pearl, which we loved, so I was hoping for the same experience on the Gem.  We were traveling with my sister-in-law (who has been on several cruises, one with NCL) and her 2 granddaughters, who had never cruised before.  Rather than do a day by day review, I will break it down into sections.

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION

Although it is probably not all NCL’s fault, I will NEVER sail out of Boston again.  The total scene is a hot mess.  If Boston EVER wants to see an influx of ships sailing from there, than they need to do something about the traffic into and out of the port.  On Embarkation day they have a baggage check for your carry-ons in the Bliss Lounge and the Grand Pacific Dining Room is open for lunch.  I highly recommend taking advantage of lunch here rather than dealing with the crowds at the Garden Café.

SHIP

The ship was very pretty and kept spotless. I LOVE this size of ship.  It seems to have the best space to passenger ratio.  I don’t remember ever feeling like the ship was overcrowded.

CABIN

We had an inside category IA cabin and it was TINY!!!!  With the beds pushed together as a queen/king I literally had to sit on the bed and slide my legs UNDER the corner of a table to get to my side of the bed.  I have never seen a cabin so small, however, I will say there was more than enough storage for the 2 of us.  The bathroom, well that’s another story.  The shower is a good size and has a sliding glass door vs. a shower curtain (which I loved), but the toilet was positioned so that anyone but a small child would almost hit their knees on the wall.  I am not a large person (size 10) and I almost hit the wall with my knees.  I can’t imagine a large person using that toilet.

STAFF

Everyone was amazing.  Although we were never addressed by name by anyone, everyone was very friendly, helpful and respectful.  I did not run into one rude or unfriendly staff member the entire cruise.

DINING

We ate at Cagneys, Moderno’s, Grand Pacific, Magenta, O’Sheehans and the Garden Café, so we made the rounds.  Cagney’s was amazing and our server, Ankit, was incredibly friendly and helpful.  We had a blast there and it set the tone for the entire cruise (we ate there the first night).  We had a good time at Moderno’s and I like the new location where the Star Bar used to be.  It was too noisy across from O’Sheehans.  The food was good and plentiful – you could not possibly leave there hungry.  We preferred the Grand Pacific dining room over Magenta.  We had a party of 5 and in the Grand Pacific they gave us a table to six and removed a place setting.  In the Magenta they squeezed us into a table for 4, which made it very tight.  I also thought the Magenta dining room was tight in general.  The food in the main dining rooms was mostly good and served at the appropriate temperature.  My husband and I missed some of our favorites (shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, escargot, etc.), but we didn’t go hungry.  I really enjoyed all of the different stations in the Garden Café, but they need to find a way to establish what line is for which station.  Many people didn’t know what they were standing in line for.  I also wish they had a drink station right at the front of the café.  Many times I was just going for a drink and had to walk beyond the first food serving station for it.  I DID like that coffee service was available at several spots throughout the ship in the morning – the Bali Hai bar, the casino and O’Sheehans (you could get coffee to go at all times in O’Sheehans).  We ate at O’Sheehans a lot for breakfast and lunch.  The only disappointment was when we arrived at O’Sheehans for breakfast one day at 10:50 AM (they’re supposed to serve breakfast till 11:00 AM) and were told that they were CLOSED until 11:30 AM so that they could transition to the lunch menu.  In all of my NCL cruises I have only seen O’Sheehans closed once and that was at 5:00 AM, while they were cleaning the kitchen, which is an appropriate time since there’s not many people up at 5:00 AM.  I was slightly annoyed that a 24 hour restaurant was closed for over a half hour in the middle of the day.  Despite that, we didn’t go hungry as the Great Outdoors was still open.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

I found the activities lacking.  Most of them were some type of seminar where they would try to sell you something at the end.  I missed having trivia different types of trivia 3-4 times a day.  There were a lot of dance classes, but I’m too old for that.  Also, they held most of the activities in the Atrium, which is too small and lacked seating.  It would have been better in Magnums Champagne Bar, which had a TON of seating.  Imagine trying to do origami in your lap (because there were no tables) or standing up (due to lack of seating).

ENTERTAINMENT

We went to all of the production shows and none of them disappointed.  They were all awesome and I believe that NCL has some of the best production shows at sea.  I love that they still have a show band and don’t use canned music for their shows.  During the evening there were several music options, either in the Atrium or Magnum’s.  Both venues were always well attended.

CASINO

Although not everyone will care about this, I will share for those that do.  The casino is TINY in comparison to other ships.  The types of slot machines were limited and they were missing several of my favorites (only one Buffalo machine and not one Hot Roll machine).  Also, the table minimum for Black Jack was $10 and they only had 2 of them, not to mention that BJ only paid 6/5 on these tables.  I’m used to that on $5 tables, but not $10 tables.

BERMUDA

What can I say, Bermuda is GORGEOUS!!!  This was our 4^th cruise to Bermuda, so we’ve pretty much already seen and done it all, but we crammed as much as we could into the trip for our traveling companions, who had never been there.  We did a 6 hour tour on Sunday, which took us all over the island and showed us the best landmarks.  On Monday we caught the first NCL ferry to St. George at 9 AM and explored all day, not getting back to the ship till 11 PM.  On Tuesday the weather was expected to be bad, so we just hung around the dockyard, went to Snorkel Beach and did some shopping.

Would I sail the Gem again, probably, just not out of Boston.  Overall, the cruise did not disappoint and we had a great time with family.  If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll try to answer while everything is still fresh in my mind.

3 hours ago, Maarek said:

This is probably your best option.  Book them into a new room and have them be a no show the original reservation.  I don't think there is anything in rules about how many rooms can be booked by a single passenger at a time.  It is after all a hotel at sea so if you want to book a dozen rooms in your name, and pay for them, then there shouldn't be an issue of someone occupying them or not. You paid in full for the room what they would have got from anyone else....

This is the best advice.  Book the cabin you want with your 2 children in it - period. No explanation to anyone, just book it.  At the port just tell the res agent that the 2 extra in your cabin will not be going.  This should result in a refund of the gov't taxes for those 2 passengers since the cruise line is only allowed to collect those fees on passengers who are actually sailing.

20 minutes ago, sun_lovin!1 said:

I have sailed with NCL, RCL, Celebrity and Carnival over the past 40 years but have never done a European itinerary.  My family is looking into cruising the Greek Islands in 2021 and we want to sail out of Venice.  Next year's starting pricing for the MSC Orchestra appears to be much less expensive than the pricing that is out for the Dawn for 2021.  I have enjoyed my cruises with NCL, which is why I am posting this question on this board; however I am not adverse to sailing other lines.  I have never sailed with MSC.  Any insight that would help me make a decision between these two ships would be greatly appreciated.

It depends on what type of vacation you and your family are looking for. The Dawn is an American ship doing a European cruise. The Orchestra is a European ship doing a European cruise.  If you're looking for an American cruise in Europe (food, entertainment, clientele, etc.) than the Dawn would be your best bet.  If you and the family are adventurous and would like to experience a decidedly more European flair (food, entertainment, clientele, announcements in several languages, etc.) than the Orchestra may work for you.  I have sailed on several MSC ships before they were Americanized (the Seaside) and really enjoyed the experience, but others didn't because it wasn't what they expected.

8 minutes ago, Chesneygirl said:

 

We've thought about doing this with another couple.  The master bedroom is obviously more desirable. So how do you decide who sleeps where? 

That's what I was thinking. If you're splitting the cost with another couple, how do you decide who gets the "nice" master and who gets the smaller bedroom?  If I were the one in the smaller bedroom and I was paying 1/2 the cost, I'm not sure I would be very happy.

Back in the day NCL did this.  That was my first cruise in 1988, I booked a "share guarantee" for an inside cabin.  It was something I did at the last minute on a whim.  I ended up with a porthole cabin by myself :)  This was on the Southward.  NCL arranged for all of the singles to share a table at dinner.  We had a table of 10 of us who were all single, 4 women and 6 guys.  We had a great time :)

16 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Hope he continues to do well.

It sounds like he (and you both!) had a tough start!

 

BTW, one little thing to consider that might take the sting off the loss (if you don't go) is ... keep in mind what you saved on about 10 trips (it sounds like approx?) when you didn't get insurance.  So whatever those would have cost, it's really the difference between that total and what this trip cost.

 

But we all hope you go!

 

GC

That was my philosophy, we have gone on 60 cruises and never purchased travel ins. After about 25 we figured that IF we needed to cancel than the amount of money we saved from the policies not purchased would more than cover our current loss.  Luckily, we never needed to cancel (better luck with this than in the casino :) ). However, now that my DH and I are older, we DO purchase travel insurance because at our age you just never know.

3 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Awful part--a 12 hour overnight layover in Boston.

You have a 12 hour layover in Boston just to get back to JFK?  Also, if I'm reading this correctly, you live in CT?  If all of this is fact, I would just ask TA to do the air from Boston, not JFK.  What is the advantage of driving to JFK vs. driving to BOS?

When I did my check in for my NCL cruise, I was given the option of paying $25 for a policy that would insure any medical expenses incurred while traveling. I'm not sure if it is still available to you, but if you do decide to travel I would see if that is an option in case your child gets sick again while traveling.

As far as purchasing "cancel for any reason" protection, you are well beyond that point.  In every situation I have seen, it must be purchased by the final payment date at the latest, and would not cover pre-existing medical conditions.  IF you needed to file a claim, your child's pediatrician would have to fill out a form and he would be required to put down that he had treated the child for an illness PRIOR to your purchasing the policy.

5 minutes ago, 138east said:

Probably $20-25.  Why would he drop you off at Black Falcon first and then go back to Logan and return to Black Falcon?  Also check with Thrifty about E-ZPass.  MA tolls are cashless and the car is billed later, which could result in expensive surcharges from Thrifty.  Where exactly are you driving in the area?  The Boston tunnels have tolls, the Tobin Bridge, and the Mass Pike.  Unless you’re using route 1A to and from the North Shore, you will hit tolls unless you go roundabout to avoid them.

It won't just be me he's dropping off, but my SIL and her 2 granddaughters (there are 5 of us traveling). I figured it would be easier to drop us and the luggage off than having 5 of us and luggage having to Uber back to Black Falcon.  Once we leave the airport we will be nowhere near the tunnels until we return for the cruise. We are going to NH at the beginning of the cruise and then NH, Wilmington, Dedham and Seekonk after the cruise. Not sure if it's worth paying the daily rate for the easy pass for just a few times through the tunnel.

17 minutes ago, 138east said:

 

I’m assuming you are renting and returning a car to Logan Airport instead of a downtown Boston location.  No Cruiseport shuttles from Logan car rentals.  Uber would be the fastest.  Shuttle from rental car to any terminal (Terminal E is the last SIlver Line airport stop) and Silver Line to World Trade with free transfer over the right of way to the SL2 Silver Line to Black Falcon would be free.

 

On the return trip Uber to Thrifty at the airport. 

Thanks for the info. Yes, we are renting from the Thrifty at the airport. Do you have an idea how much an Uber would be from airport to Black Falcon? Although my DH likes free, he's probably not willing to jump through hoops to get back to the airport and will opt for the fastest, least hassle way :)

We will be in the Boston area for several days visiting family prior to our Gem cruise on 5/17. We plan to have a car to get around, but then need to return the car to Thrifty at BOS on embarkation day. I'm planning on having DH drop myself and the luggage at Black Falcon, return the car to Thrifty and then come back to Black Falcon. Does anyone know if Thrifty provides a shuttle to the port (at some ports it's an option)? If not, what would be the fastest/least expensive way to do this?  We also need to do it in reverse after the cruise, go to BOS to pick up a car.  Thanks in advance for the help.

I have only done NCL reduced air once and that was for an Alaska cruise on the Bliss in Sept. NCL booked Alaska Air non-stop from PHX to SEA in both directions. I could have gotten the same thing, but it only cost $99 pp through NCL and would have cost more if I did it myself.  Check Kayak to see what the possibilities are, that will give you an idea.

2 hours ago, luvteaching said:

Hi Jakesnana, 

 

In Juneau we did a ship's tour with the scooter to Mendenhall. The scooter fits under any of the Greyhound type buses. I didn't realize this until a few years ago and what a difference it has made! In Juneau we tend to do it ourselves and go over to the Alaska State Museum, we've been up to the Capitol Building and the Juneau/Douglas museum, and wandered as far as we can go. The same is true in Ketchikan as we've gone up to the Totem Pole park and to Cape Fox Lodge (but the hill was too steep for the scooter so I had to push for a bit!). 

In Skagway we've done the White Pass Yukon Railroad several times and they are great with the scooter. They have a handicapped accessible car and my DH rides his scooter on to the lift and they lift it up into the train car. The advantage is that there are a lot less people in the car so more room to spread out and move around! We've also done the trolley tour but had to leave the scooter near the ship until we got back. Last year we did the Bennett Lake excursion with Chilkoot Tours and the train and bus were not handicapped accessible so left the scooter behind and DH did fine. 

 

I hope this helps!
 

Karen

Thanks Karen. How do they get the scooter into the luggage hold on the bus? Lift it up? The scooter is being rented, so I don't know how much it weighs, I hope it's not too heavy. Which ship/cruise line offers a tour to Mendenhall that is scooter friendly?  Thanks for all the help.

On April 24, 2019 at 7:21 AM, luvteaching said:

I can only speak to the scooter but I've watched the ship's crew members taking wheelchair users up and down some pretty steep ramps and they do it carefully and with a smile. For DH's scooter one member is in front and the other in back and they monitor him. We cruise HAL and in Juneau they dock at either one of the new docks which are floating docks. The docks adjust to the tide changes so they never get really steep. 

Karen

Karen, do you have the names of tour companies you have used for Alaska cruises that are scooter friendly? I asked previously on this board, but didn't get a response. The ports I am interested in are Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. Thanks for your help, this is the first time I'm trying to organize the trip with a scooter.

On March 8, 2019 at 10:07 AM, fstuff1 said:

 

yup, i agree.

 

i see them making the same mistake for alaska.

2 mega ships and a small ship for this year's alaska season?

from what i've read, they werent close to sold out with 2 small ships and the Bliss last year.

 

maybe they're gambling that people really want to sail the Joy because it's new?

hm.. Joy also has lots of non-Haven double bedroom cabins, which would look attractive for families with kids especially during summer when school's out.

and you keep the Jewel in Alaska because some places the larger cruise ship cant get to.

And the Bliss was built specifically for Alaska...

 

Although I've heard the Joy has 2 bedroom inside cabins, I've looked all over the specs and deck plans for the Joy and cannot find where they exist. Do you know which category I should be looking for?  TIA

On April 27, 2019 at 7:12 PM, lupaglupa said:

Swing is swing style music and dance from the 30s and 40s. Great songs and terrific dancing. Get Down Tonight is all the hits from the 1970s. Lots of familiar songs, even TV theme songs. It's a lot of fun. Both shows had the audience on their feet applauding at the end. 

Awesome!!!!  Now I'm REALLY looking forward to my Gem cruise on 5/17 :)

9 hours ago, matymil said:

Thanks for the info. Is there a charge for the hammocks? We will try to get down there early. Our other two ports are Grand Turk and HMC, I think we planned on staying by the port and doing the beach at both of those so even if we do a short excursion I think we may want to do something. We have never seen the island before so we are excited but I have heard that the port is nice.

There was not a charge for the hammocks and all the ones I saw were empty. They are not very close to the pool area, if that is of consideration. That's why I think they were empty, people didn't know about them. I happened to be walking around looking for a restroom for my grandson and saw them.  I call them hammocks because they are hung from poles and swing, but it is actually a large plastic covered piece of foam suspended between the two poles. Perfect place for the 3 of you to take a nap :)  BTW, the water slide is free also, just the zip line cost extra.

15 hours ago, sanmarcosman said:

If you handed over the two blankets together at the hut they may have mistaken it for one blanket. To prevent this each person should go to the hut and individually turn in the blanket they used. You could also ask for a receipt, you may not get one but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

We have never "checked out" a blanket from the towel hut, so I didn't realize you needed to do that. We sailed on Super Bowl Sunday this year and watched the game on the big screen, but it was FREEZING up there. People who were in a table near us decided to leave and gave us the blankets they had. When we were done we turned them in, but I don't think anyone got "credit" for turning them in. I feel bad now thinking they may have been "charged" for the blankets they were nice enough to let us use :(

10 hours ago, matymil said:

We have amber cove on our upcoming cruise, our kid is going to be a 16 months old. We were supposed to go to amber cove before but we missed the port. Just wondering if anyone has ever gone through carnival for an excursion at amber cove with a baby and if so which one and did you like it?

If I were going to Amber Cove with a toddler, I would just use the kiddie pool that is provided right at the port.  FWIW, there are also hammocks covered by a palapa between the pool and ocean that would be ideal for "resting" with a toddler. When we were there they were all empty, like people didn't know they were there.

On April 2, 2019 at 3:07 PM, katisdale said:

I found the Alaskan ports to be accessible. In Skagway we took the train. It rolled right up to the dock and had a car with a lift. In Juneau we did whale watching that was accessible as well as visiting the visitor's center at Mendenhall glacier. I think there are also some short hikes that are accessible but I did not try them. We took the Aleutian Ballard excursion in Ketchikan and it was also accessible. The ADA is in effect in Alaska.

Do you remember the tour company you used in Juneau that included the whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier and was accessible for a scooter?  I'm trying to set up plans for a Sept. 1 sailing.  TIA

1 hour ago, RealSoxFan said:

I believe you are referring to business principle of supply and demand.  NCL has determined demand for this sailing to be lower than anticipated so reduced price.  In business if this occurs,the consumer is refunded the variance.  I am seeking no refund, just a complimentary upgrade to next cabin catagory.

 

Called NCL.  Said if booked through them, they would accommodate me.  Had no record of TA calling them.  Lesson learned, book through NCL.

 

Have benefitted from price increase on high demand sailings booked early.  Supply and demand. It works.

How exactly would NCL have accommodated you?  A complimentary upgrade, more OBC?  It has been my experience that when this happens you are offered approximately 25% of the difference in the form of OBC or an upgrade if the price increase is high enough to match the price of a higher category.  BTW, I wouldn't just automatically assume it's better to book directly with NCL, perhaps you need to find a TA who is more proactive in protecting your interests.