On the Gem now docking in NYC 11/13/11

[darrengs]

Just docking now in NYC. We have returned from our Florida, Bahamas cruise. Although we missed our Great Stirrup Cay stop, we still had a great time and I will be posting a review soon.

[vacation 24/7]

Can't wait to hear about your trip:) We will be doing this same trip in May.

[Cruiser9384759]

Why did you miss GSC?

[Rileyz]

Just docking now in NYC. We have returned from our Florida, Bahamas cruise. Although we missed our Great Stirrup Cay stop, we still had a great time and I will be posting a review soon.

 

Welcome home! I assume the seas were too rough to tender into GSC? Looking forward to your review, would love to see some dailies if you have 'em. Thanks :)

[cv322]

Welcome back, I'm happy you had a great time.

 

I was on that itinerary in September, & while I LOVED the ship (booked it again for next fall with a different itinerary), and the crew...it was a fabulous cruise...in my humble opinion you didn't miss much by not calling at GSC. I'm just hoping that the need for missing the port wasn't some medical emergency. I hope everyone was OK.

 

Look forward to your upcoming review!

[suzequ]

Darren - welcome back! Can't wait to hear about the trip; we'll be doing this trip in early March. Sorry to hear about GSC, I would love to have heard about the improvements. Altho I'm not surprised, about 1/2 the times it's been on our itinerary we've missed it because of high seas.

[shof515]

Why did you miss GSC?

 

GSC is a tender port. Any bad weather or strong winds can prevent the tenders from running thus canceling the port

[Cruiser9384759]

We are on here next week,cant wait to hear about the 1st Bahama sailing!

:D

[Laszlo]

GSC is a tender port. Any bad weather or strong winds can prevent the tenders from running thus canceling the port

 

Its a shame they don't make it a docking port. Its sounds like it missed a fair amount of the time

[family cruisers]

I remember when you came on the 10/30 Gem-Bermuda roll call to wish us a great trip and now you're back already . Hope it was GREAT :)

 

Carrie

[Poipu04]

Is it an extra day at sea when they miss GSC or do they stay an extra day at the previous port?

[SuiteCruiser]

So looking forward to your review! Hope you kept the suite in good shape for us, we leave in 7 weeks :)

[shof515]

Is it an extra day at sea when they miss GSC or do they stay an extra day at the previous port?

 

Most likely an extra day at sea which is common when ships miss tender ports. It can be complex and/or costly to stay in port for more then a day on a short notice

[darrengs]

We missed GSC due to high winds. It ended up being an extra sea day, but according to David the Concierge it could go either way sometimes they will dock in Nassau a day early.

 

We did have some interesting currents not long after the pilot for Port Canaveral boarded. The ship was rolling back and forth pretty harshly, plates and food crashing to the deck as well as a gentleman in a wheel chair who fell over. As I was helping get the gentleman righted, my son was hanging onto a stack of plates and some buffet items until relieved by some crew members. Also Friday at sea was a little rough with "wave height large" and some stiff winds.

[Veronica Beaverhausen]

We were very disappointed (especially my 11 year old) that we were not able to go to GSC last week. We had the beach bag already packed and they told us last minute that we would not be getting off. We were hoping the ship would go to Nassau sooner to make up for not going to the private island..but no so luck. I think NCL should have given the passengers a little something (small onboard credit or even a free soda). I understand we did not go because of the high waves but if NCL did not want to pay for us to dock earlier in Nassau they could have done some small gesture. As soon as the announcement was made (that we were not going to GSC) people were almost killing each other for a chair by the pool.

[jaja]

We were very disappointed (especially my 11 year old) that we were not able to go to GSC last week. We had the beach bag already packed and they told us last minute that we would not be getting off. We were hoping the ship would go to Nassau sooner to make up for not going to the private island..but no so luck. I think NCL should have given the passengers a little something (small onboard credit or even a free soda). I understand we did not go because of the high waves but if NCL did not want to pay for us to dock earlier in Nassau they could have done some small gesture. As soon as the announcement was made (that we were not going to GSC) people were almost killing each other for a chair by the pool.

 

 

I am sorry you missed GSC--but the safety of the passengers comes first. It is not uncommon to miss GSC...and an extra sea day is the norm..

RE: docking early at Nassau..sometimes that is not possible..esp if other ships are in port..and to be honest..the costs associated with extra dock time can add up...and not something any cruise line could routinely absorb..(or giving OBC for missed ports for that matter)...

THe possibility of missed ports are part of cruising...

[Veronica Beaverhausen]

JaJa,

 

Try explaining that to an 11 year old who was soo excited to go to the island, especially when it was a last minute decision :(

[SuiteCruiser]

JaJa,

 

Try explaining that to an 11 year old who was soo excited to go to the island, especially when it was a last minute decision :(

 

Yes, it's disappointing. They are not going to risk the safety of the passengers so people can sit on a beach. I have kids too, and we've had to change things that would be fun too, but the reality is you're on a cruise! How lucky are the kids to be on a cruise in the first place?

 

The decision is usually last minute there, they not only take into consideration the conditions on arrival, but the anticipated conditions to leave.

[cv322]

JaJa,

 

Try explaining that to an 11 year old who was soo excited to go to the island, especially when it was a last minute decision :(

 

So sorry that he was disappointed. Sometimes it's a life lesson to a pre-teen: that they're not always going to get everything they've always hoped for.