NCL Gem: Lots O' Questions From a First Timer

[gpa385]

Hello all! I’m a noob to cruising, but have always wanted to try it. Looking to book the NCL Gem for the week of 2/19/12, and had a few questions before I make the rez. Found this forum and have read plenty of the posts, really good stuff. Hope you guys can help, thanks in advance!

 

1. Room Size: Family of 4 (2 adults, 2 tweens), so need a single room large enough to hold all of us. Would the “Balcony” have a pull out couch, or do I need the “Mini Suite” (or something larger)? And does the extra ~50 sq feet in the Mini Suite mean that much?

 

2. Who To Book With: Which place gets me the best price? NCL itself or a travel agent, and if an agent, suggestions on which one? I’m happy to pay a reasonable price, but traveling during President’s Week means I’m already paying a sizable premium. If we're not allowed to suggest agents on this board, then get say NCL or agent, and I'll go from there.

 

3. Port/Starboard Side: Does it make a difference which side we’d reserve the room? Is there a side the ships consistently dock (assuming starboard)? I’m guessing we’d prefer to be facing the water not the dock, right?

 

4. Room Location: Assume there are parts of the ship we’d rather want to book the room, certain deck levels, away from the stairs (but not too far away)? And vice versa, parts of the ship to avoid? If so, what are they?

 

5. Port Trips: Does it make sense to head into Disney if we have a total of 10 hours (really prob more like 6-8 hours with traffic back and forth) in port? And I’ve heard the Stirrup Cay is still under construction - is it worth going anyway? Looking forward to the Bahamas – been before. Do we reserve these excursions ahead of time?

 

6. Early Boarding: We live near NYC (where Gem's departing from), so we’d like to get on board as early as possible. Does it make sense to show up early? What’s the procedure for getting all those thousands of people on board?

 

7. Specialty Restaurants/Shows Reservations: How do we make reservations at the specialty restaurants? Do we do it ahead of time, or do we need to be on the ship? Same question for the various shows.

 

8. Tweens: Is there enough to do for tweens? Have a 12 and 10 year olds (boy/girl), and they're happy enough to spend the week in the pool, but wondered if the NCL programs are good enough.

 

Thanks!

[camz]

The Gem is a beautiful ship and has lots of great things to do. The Teen Club/Kids Club is great on the Gem. The Teens have a Lounge called the Leopard Lounge and the Kids Club has their own club area as well. The Blue Lagoon should not be missed for a great late nite bite or snack. They have great wings, fries, burgers and such. The specialty dining reservations can be made when you get onboard. When you first come into the Atrium you will see a table set-up with the various dining options. GSC is a nice quiet island experience. The kids seem to like it. Some passengers stay onboard to take advantage of the nice quiet ship. The Manhattan Cruise Terminal really has their act together and getting onboard to ship is pretty stress free. They usually start the embarkation process about 12:30. However, you cannot get to your cabin until about 2:00 or 3:00. The buffet is open and very, very crowded. You should go to the the main dining room for a nicer lunch experience. We live in PA so we take the Amtrak, get off at the train station and take a cab to the pier. I am not sure where in NY you live if that would be an option for you to consider. Hope my information was of some help to you. Enjoy your cruise!

[camz]

On another note, with regard to cabin selection, we love the Aft Facing Balcony Cabins. The Aft area of the ship is quiet on the Gem. The view is fantastic from these balconies. We are a family of three. Two adults and a teen, which is practically an adult. The regular Aft Balcony works for us. The sofa pulls out to a bed. However, the sofa is a little on the hard side. IMO the mini suites are not worth the extra money. The only real difference between the balcony cabins and the mini suites, is the mini suites have a bath tub. No suite perks with a mini.

[gpa385]

Fantastic Cams, good to know about the kid programs and re: Mini Suites v. Balcony. Making me that much more confident in my decisions.

 

Thanks! :cool:

 

Anyone else have any other thoughts/suggestions?

[Duncan28]

I just saw on Facebook today that NCL will be rolling out a new youth program mid-February on the Gem. This might be something that your kids will get to experience. Here's what was posted:

 

 

"Today we announced the exciting details of our plan to revitalize our current youth program. We have redefined the age groups to better address the skills and interests of children, and are introducing programming for babies and toddlers ages six months to two years. More focus will be placed on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theater and technology and the new curriculum will also include ...creative themes, such as circus day, theater/technology/sports and port of call day. All of these enhancements are being made to ensure that your children are having the vacation of a lifetime. The new program will be introduced on Norwegian Gem in mid-February and then will be rolled out to the entire fleet. Click “like” if you can’t wait for your child to experience this new program on your next family vacation!"

 

I agree with Camz - I love the aft rooms. They have the best views.

 

Specialty restaurants are booked on board. Usually not a probelm to get reservations.

 

Excursions can be booked online prior to sailing or once you are board. I believe that you now charged upon booking the excursions online. That is a change from how they used to do it.

 

Have fun on your first cruise!

[redlef]

Fantastic Cams, good to know about the kid programs and re: Mini Suites v. Balcony. Making me that much more confident in my decisions.

 

Thanks! :cool:

 

Anyone else have any other thoughts/suggestions?

 

With NCL, I've done 3 people in the mini-suite (Jewel) and 2 in a regular balcony (Gem). I think you'll really be on top of each other in a regular balcony with 4 people. For the Feb 19th sailing date, right now it looks like a mini suite is about $70PP more expensive than a balcony. I don't know what the discount is for the 3rd & 4th person in the room.

 

For this particular itinerary, I'd choose a port side room, because you have two sea days headed north and one sea day headed south. When heading north, you'll get more sun in the afternoon on the port side than the starboard.

 

If there are any AFT facing cabins available, I'd definitely go for it if it fits your budget. Can't beat the view.

 

Many people stay away from Deck 11 because it's under the buffet, but if you want a mini-suite that's where they are. I don't remember any problems with noise when I was in one. One cruise, we were across the hall from the steward's closet, and you could hear them rattling around glassware early in the morning. Didn't spoil my vacation. Traveling during President's week, there will be lots of kids who will be constantly running back in forth in front of your cabin, probably banging their heads against your door. At least, it'll seem like that.

 

The worst thing about cruising during President's week from NYC will be the ill-mannered brats (and their kids) pushing and shoving at the buffet, as if NCL's going to run out of calories and they will starve if they don't knock you aside. Welcome to mass-marketed cruising. :) My first cruise I loved the buffet. Now, with a few more cruises under my belt, I go to the main dining room for breakfast or use room service. I'll use the buffet for lunch if it's a ship day, but I only go after the hungry hordes are done. If it's open until 2:30, I'll be there at 2:15.

 

Last time I was in Bahamas, NCL was docked between a Carnival ship and an RCCL. In other words, their cabins had a view of the cabins next to them. I'm sure that varies based on what ships are there. Haven't been to Port Canaveral so I don't know what the situation is there.

 

Personally, I'd rather face the dock than the ocean when in port. You get to watch all the people and see the city.

 

I've booked through the Cruise line, through a local TA and through an on-line TA. Once got a $25 discount from the local TA, but then learned she just cut her commission to do that. I felt kind of bad, like I was beating her up for $25 when it was a cheap cruise and she wasn't really making a lot off of it anyway. I booked my current cruise through continental airlines cruises, and they also offered what appeared to be a $25 discount from NCL rates, and then charged me a $24.95 booking fee. And the TA just got NCL on another line while I was on hold. Might as well just cut the TA out and make the call myself. My point is, I've yet to get any of the discounts that others always talk about on Cruise Critics. The rates fluctuate so frequently that it's almost impossible to compare. If you have a friend in the travel business, then go with them.

 

Boarding in NY is hit or miss. I've gotten there at 11:00 and walked right on. I've gotten there at 10:30 and waited until 1:30 (when I was in a suite and had "priority boarding"). If customs is slow in clearing the ship's previous passengers, you wait. If two ships come in at the same time and custom's does THE OTHER ONE first, your ship won't be available for a few hours.

 

Lots of folks on Cruise Critics make their reservations for the specialty restaurants as soon as possible to get the times they specifically want. I'm not in a rush to eat to get to the theatre for a show. I'm more like "Honey, want to do French tonight?" and call up and make a reservation. I don't always get the time I want, but there's enough to do on the ship so I don't get bored.

 

In the past, it seems like the Mexican and Italian restaurants fill up quickly because they're a little less expensive, and the Hibatchi fills up quickly because it's a fun show. I've waited at the Sushi bar, but there were plenty of empty seats. Maybe it wasn't staffed as well. For food quality, I've never been dissapointed at Le Bistro. The Italian Restaurant (Mama's or Mama Mias's, or something like that) was good. I was never impressed at Cagney's, and will never eat again at the Mexican restaurant. I ordered some fajitas, or burritos, or something like that, and the chicken was all fat and skin. It was truly disgusting.

[Sandyshore]

Hello all! I’m a noob to cruising, but have always wanted to try it. Looking to book the NCL Gem for the week of 2/19/12, and had a few questions before I make the rez. Found this forum and have read plenty of the posts, really good stuff. Hope you guys can help, thanks in advance!

 

4. Room Location: Assume there are parts of the ship we’d rather want to book the room, certain deck levels, away from the stairs (but not too far away)? And vice versa, parts of the ship to avoid? If so, what are they?

 

Agreed that the aft-facing balcony cabins are wonderful, which makes them very popular. I just took a peek at ncl's site, and I'm amazed to see they are still available, especially on Deck 10, which has extra-deep balconies (cabins 10668 and 10168). They "officially" hold 4 people, altho I can't say for sure how comfortable your kids would be. I think it's one on the sofabed and one on a pull-down bunk. Somebody will correct me if that's wrong. I would run, do not pass go, to snag one of those cabins! :D

 

In general, look at the deck plans, and watch out for what is above and below you, e.g. you wouldn't want to be above the nightclub, and you might not want to be below the pool or the buffet. Mid-ship and lower decks will feel motion less if the seas are rough, if motion sickness is a concern.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[gpa385]

Dang, you people know your stuff - thanks! Keep 'em coming!

 

G

[mjkacmom]

We sailed on the Jewel, which is very similar to the Gem. We got to the port around 10:45, and were on the ship by noon (they will give you a number when you arrive). No lines at all (we live 20 minutes away). Go to the main dining room that will be open for lunch, and avoid the buffet. There will be tons of kids onboard (we went during Jersey week, and there were 800).

 

You will fit in a balcony, but it will be very tight, especially with the bunk pulled down, and the sofa bed open (picture a small room with nothing but mattresses). We're a family of 7, so we did connecting cabins, which made it less claustrophobic.

 

My 7 and 9 year olds liked the clubs (didn't love it, but I think because there were SO many kids), my 12 year old ds didn't like it at all (too many little kids - he would've loved the teen club, but they are very strict), and dd14 LOVED the teen club (and the new group of bff's she met). Wait until you see how many people can squeeze into the main pool (but the adult only pool was very nice). Forget about getting into a hot tub - spend the $ on a spa pass.

 

WDW won't be worth it - by the time you get there, lines (because it's a busy week) will be 1+ hours, and fast passes will be gone. Some of us went to the beach, some went to the KSC.

 

We loved the private island. We reserved a clamshell as soon as we boarded ($30), and were given priority tender tickets. Well worth it.

 

We've been to Nassau 3 times on cruise stops. We did Atlantis one year (booking through Comfort Suites - this is something you have to do way in advance for a good price). If you want to do Atlantis, you will probably have to book an excursion through the ship. They have day passes at the resort, but not when it's busy. We also did day passes at the Hilton, and Sheraton, and preferred the Sheraton, although it is a 10 minute cab ride vs. walking. Would love to try Blue Lagoon.

 

I can't tell you how awesome it is to leave your house, and be at your vacation destination in 20 minutes - it's surreal.

[FLAHAM]

Cabins are small--tiny when compared with average-sized hotel rooms. With 4 to a cabin, the extra space in a mini-suite will make a real difference in your ability to get around each other. I strongly recommend going that way.

[gpa385]

MJ - Great stuff, you included some items I hadn't thought of. A couple of follow ups:

 

> Saw on another post that NCL is revamping their kids clubs to take effect mid Feb (sweet!). But I'm assuming the age cutoff will no matter what disappoint my 12 yo son, stuck with the little kids, but my 10 yo daughter will be thrilled (she loves this stuff).

 

> Disappointed by the pool comment - that's all my kids are going to care about, really. Didn't think of that one. But going to power through that problem and focus on the good stuff!

 

> Good to get confirmation on Disney not happening. I'd prefer the KSC, but I think I'm alone in that.

 

> Great tip on the clamshell on GSC!

 

> What's "Blue Lagoon?" The island/hotel off of Bahamas, or something else? Either way, looking forward to lunch at Senor Frogs - spent a drunken nt (sans kids, natch) there, had fun.

 

> Is the pricey Atlantis AquaVenture excursion worth it?

 

=========

 

Flaham - Alright, I'm officially sold on the Mini Suites. Thanks for the confirmation!

[cjd930]

Blue lagoon is a 24 hr a day place to eat, great for lunch and a late night snack. I recommend the hot wings, they're DELICIOUS! sailed 2 weeks before Christmas on the Gem for the 3rd time. By far our favorite ship.

[camz]

As a shore excursion in Port Canaveral we did the Airboat Excursion. TBH, I wasn't very excited about the idea, however, we had a great time. Lots of fun and we saw lots of gators.

[rrobynec]

Blue lagoon is a 24 hr a day place to eat, great for lunch and a late night snack. I recommend the hot wings, they're DELICIOUS! sailed 2 weeks before Christmas on the Gem for the 3rd time. By far our favorite ship.

I think they were referring to the Blue Lagoon excursion on Nassau. It is a dolphin experience. I haven't done it in Nassau, but did in Mexico, DR and Grand Bahama. Each place was different, but all were exciting adventures.

 

As you can see I really LOVE the GEM.

[Duncan28]

If your family would be into to it, check out the kayak at manatee cove. It's a really short bus ride & a really cool excursion for port canaveral.

[limeyalchemist]

MJ - Great stuff, you included some items I hadn't thought of. A couple of follow ups:

 

> Saw on another post that NCL is revamping their kids clubs to take effect mid Feb (sweet!). But I'm assuming the age cutoff will no matter what disappoint my 12 yo son, stuck with the little kids, but my 10 yo daughter will be thrilled (she loves this stuff).

 

> Disappointed by the pool comment - that's all my kids are going to care about, really. Didn't think of that one. But going to power through that problem and focus on the good stuff!

 

> Good to get confirmation on Disney not happening. I'd prefer the KSC, but I think I'm alone in that.

 

> Great tip on the clamshell on GSC!

 

> What's "Blue Lagoon?" The island/hotel off of Bahamas, or something else? Either way, looking forward to lunch at Senor Frogs - spent a drunken nt (sans kids, natch) there, had fun.

 

> Is the pricey Atlantis AquaVenture excursion worth it?

 

=========

 

Flaham - Alright, I'm officially sold on the Mini Suites. Thanks for the confirmation!

 

Blue Lagoon is a private island with dolphins and sea lion swims, about 25 mins boat ride from cruise terminal. We have been there for beach day, booked through NCL, and this time we have booked ourselves and saved a bundle. We booked with http://www.swimwithdolphinsbahamas.com. At least $20-30 cheaper than cruise price. Just need taxi to ferry, at $5 pp.

 

We did WDW last time, and had fun, but for the price was very rushed. If you go during school vacation, I would not go.

 

Great Stirrup Cay has a lazy river nearing completion, but the beach there is great and you'll have a good time. For what I recall, the construction is away from the beach so won't affect you.

 

NYC boarding - we drive 2 hours to get there, park at the pier very easily, and get there about eleven. We have never had to wait more than an hour, but you have to typically wait until 2pm to get into your room. Head to the MDR rather than the buffet - very crowded.

 

The kids club was very good. Our kids loved it every day. Only issue was the hectic pick-up and drop-off times when there is a lot of waiting. The changes to the programming sounds very good.

 

When booking, I always find that booking through an online TA nets you a slightly better deal. Price is mostly the same, but the promotions are worth booking with them.

 

Finally, look into the NCL cruise rewards, deposit $250 while on-board and get $100 immediate on-board credit. You can have 5 years to use the reward to book a cabin on a future cruise, with no other deposit. We found it a very good deal.

[johnmpcny]

Why not get two cabins? We got two inside and the cost was only $100 more total for 4 vs one cabin with 4 in it. I stayed with my DS wife got DD. Hey your not doing anything with 4 in room so sleeping next door is no big deal. The extra room sure did help.

 

If I could I would have done on balcony and a inside across from it and saved the money.

 

The thing the inside rooms are very quite and dark you can sleep not get woken up.

[gaylemh]

We loved the private island. We reserved a clamshell as soon as we boarded ($30), and were given priority tender tickets. Well worth it.

 

Were you given the priority tender tickets at the time you booked the clamshell, or did you still have to wait on line to get the tickets? With priority tender tickets can you leave the ship whatever time you want? We are not planning to go to the island until later in the morning, early afternoon.

[mjkacmom]

Were you given the priority tender tickets at the time you booked the clamshell, or did you still have to wait on line to get the tickets? With priority tender tickets can you leave the ship whatever time you want? We are not planning to go to the island until later in the morning, early afternoon.

 

We didn't have to wait in line. However, if you are leaving the ship later, you probably don't need the early tender tickets, but yes, you can use first tender tickets later.

[mjkacmom]

MJ - Great stuff, you included some items I hadn't thought of. A couple of follow ups:

 

> Saw on another post that NCL is revamping their kids clubs to take effect mid Feb (sweet!). But I'm assuming the age cutoff will no matter what disappoint my 12 yo son, stuck with the little kids, but my 10 yo daughter will be thrilled (she loves this stuff).

 

> Disappointed by the pool comment - that's all my kids are going to care about, really. Didn't think of that one. But going to power through that problem and focus on the good stuff!

 

> Good to get confirmation on Disney not happening. I'd prefer the KSC, but I think I'm alone in that.

 

> Great tip on the clamshell on GSC!

 

> What's "Blue Lagoon?" The island/hotel off of Bahamas, or something else? Either way, looking forward to lunch at Senor Frogs - spent a drunken nt (sans kids, natch) there, had fun.

 

> Is the pricey Atlantis AquaVenture excursion worth it?

 

=========

 

Flaham - Alright, I'm officially sold on the Mini Suites. Thanks for the confirmation!

 

Someone already answered about Blue Lagoon (you don't even have to do the dolphins), and althought we LOVED Atlantis, I don't think we would've had the same experience during a holiday week (we had very few lines - since we cruised during the NJ Teachers Convention, although the ship was full, leaving out of NY, it wasn't crowded at the ports). My kids didn't seem to mind the crowded pool - just had lots of waiting time for the slide.

[willysgrandma]

The rooms are a tight fit for 4 people. Go for a mini suite or check pricing on an oceanview and inside cabin across the hall - sometimes it is virtually the same price and you'll have 2 bathrooms and not be tripping over luggage.

 

No one can give you a ta name. It is forbidden to name agencies on the board but you may get an obc or something from a ta that you won't get from the cruise line. Ncl has a great free upgrade promo so look at that

 

We like the starboard side as the ship usually docks on that side and there is more to see. We were on the port side on that ship and hsd no grat views in port but saw some very close pods of dolphins while sailing.

 

We avoid decks that are over or under any public areas of the ship - restaurants, bars, clubc, theater, casino, pool, etc. we always book a deck that only has cabins over and under.

 

Yes you can see a lot of Disney during the time in port. We went to Universal and only bought a one park pass and were sorry we didn't get the two park pass because there were no lines when we were there and we had toomuvh time to kill before the bus back.

 

And it is well worth getting off in Great Stirrup Cay. There is plenty to do. Our cruise we couldn't get in as the water was too rough for the tenders and we were disappointed.

 

We arrived at the port st 11:15 and were among the first group to board at noon. We parked at the pier, it was great.

 

You need to make reservationson the ship for the specialty restaurants. The only pne that is usually booked solid is Teppanyaki so if you want that book as soon as you get on.

 

There is plentybto do in the kids program .

[mizLORInj]

2 tweens), so need a single room large enough to hold all of us. Would the “Balcony” have a pull out couch, or do I need the “Mini Suite” (or something larger)? And does the extra ~50 sq feet in the Mini Suite mean that much? YES Mini feels much larger than balcony cabin. With 4 you'd want the extra space. I also saw some oceanview cabins on the deck by Tequila on Gem that were quite large and had 4 beds set up (door was open as we walked by). Or as someone else suggested a balcony cabin across from an inside for the kids? We've done that. There are "family balcony" cabins as well that show they hold 4 but IMO that would be very tight.

 

2. Who To Book With: Which place gets me the best price? NCL itself or a travel agent, and if an agent, suggestions on which one? I’m happy to pay a reasonable price, but traveling during President’s Week means I’m already paying a sizable premium. If we're not allowed to suggest agents on this board, then get say NCL or agent, and I'll go from there. TA will give you onboard credit that could cover gratuity charge so to me it's worth it to use a TA--just ask about their fees if you change or cancel. Make sure they're not in addition to NCL's fees. Have always used a TA and never had any issues. Warehouse clubs have travel agencies too--check them out if you're a member of one.

3. Port/Starboard Side: Does it make a difference which side we’d reserve the room? Is there a side the ships consistently dock (assuming starboard)? I’m guessing we’d prefer to be facing the water not the dock, right? Wouldn't matter to me. In port Canaveral the ship docks starboard side to dock, Nassau you never know.

 

4. Room Location: Assume there are parts of the ship we’d rather want to book the room, certain deck levels, away from the stairs (but not too far away)? And vice versa, parts of the ship to avoid? If so, what are they? Forward cabins will feel more motion in rough seas. I wouldn't want a cabin above the theater or Bliss lounge.

 

5. Port Trips: Does it make sense to head into Disney if we have a total of 10 hours (really prob more like 6-8 hours with traffic back and forth) in port? And I’ve heard the Stirrup Cay is still under construction - is it worth going anyway? Looking forward to the Bahamas – been before. Do we reserve these excursions ahead of time? Disney--too far for me to spend the time on the one day we were there. we went to Kennedy Space Center. GSC--yes it's worth going to the island.

 

6. Early Boarding: We live near NYC (where Gem's departing from), so we’d like to get on board as early as possible. Does it make sense to show up early? What’s the procedure for getting all those thousands of people on board? We were able to board around 11:30 and went right to our cabin. Lines weren't too long when we got to the port either.

 

7. Specialty Restaurants/Shows Reservations: How do we make reservations at the specialty restaurants? Do we do it ahead of time, or do we need to be on the ship? Same question for the various shows. You can make restaurant res when you board. Sometimes they run specials for the first night--on our 12/18/11 cruise it was $5 off Cagney's. There is special seating for suites or VIP at shows but IMO the seats you can get yourself are better. No way to reserve that I know of.

 

8. Tweens: Is there enough to do for tweens? Have a 12 and 10 year olds (boy/girl), and they're happy enough to spend the week in the pool, but wondered if the NCL programs are good enough. We sailed the week before xmas as I was told there were 700 kids onboard. Rarely saw them and I am assuming they were enjoying the kids activities.

 

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HAVE FUN!!