JackHamilton Posted June 1, 2012 #1 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I'll be on the Norwegian Gem out of NYC on December 13, 2012. Anyone else on board? Prices are good right now and the ship isn't full, if anyone is pondering where to go. The itinerary is NYC - San Juan - St. Maarten - St. Thomas - Samaná - NYC, four sea days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted June 24, 2012 #2 Share Posted June 24, 2012 My partner (Wayne) and I just booked. His parents (and maybe his aunt) will also be aboard (we travel together a lot). New stops for us, fantastic price, and--best of all--no planes!!! :D We have generally alternated between NCL and Celebrity (not really much in common). Our first cruise together was on the Dawn (NYC/Bermuda) and we really enjoyed it. The subsequent NCL cruises have gone a bit downhill in our view and we've never been able to figure out if it's the line, the ships (Dawn, then Pearl/Miami/W. Carrib., then Spirit/New Orleans/W. Carrib.), the ports of origin or the itineraries. We are hoping that going back out of NYC may result in an experience that approximates that first cruise. We do love the Freestyle concept and NCL's prices are so great, we are really hoping that this re-enthuses our NCL spirit. Look forward to meeting you on board! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHamilton Posted June 24, 2012 Author #3 Share Posted June 24, 2012 We have generally alternated between NCL and Celebrity (not really much in common). Our first cruise together was on the Dawn (NYC/Bermuda) and we really enjoyed it. The subsequent NCL cruises have gone a bit downhill in our view and we've never been able to figure out if it's the line, the ships (Dawn, then Pearl/Miami/W. Carrib., then Spirit/New Orleans/W. Carrib.), the ports of origin or the itineraries. I think it's the increasing amount of hard sell for onboard shops, art auctions, and so forth. They make the public areas unusable at times. The crew and cabins have always been very good on NCL ships. The food may have gone downhill a bit, probably a result of cost-cutting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted June 25, 2012 #4 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I think it's the increasing amount of hard sell for onboard shops, art auctions, and so forth. They make the public areas unusable at times. The crew and cabins have always been very good on NCL ships. The food may have gone downhill a bit, probably a result of cost-cutting. That is very noticeable--on the Century they are (temporarily, at least) without an art auction company. And you would hardly ever know that there was Bingo on board unless you stumbled across it. They hardly mention the casino tournaments outside of the casino and daily bulletin. The most heavily-promoted events were the FREE ones. It makes for a VERY relaxing environment. On NCL, we quickly start to tune out the announcements because of the huckstering. NCL--by far--has the better entertainment. The MDR menu was the same or at least nearly identical on all three of our NCL cruises. We just don't know if the quality is the issue, if we (so quickly) grow bored with it, or if just the novelty of cruise dining wore off. It seems industry-wide that there is at least a perception that the quality in the MDRs has gone down as a way to entice people to dine in the for-fee specialties. The cynic in me says that's probably true, but I can't imagine that's an intentional (or smart) strategy--if everyone diverted, they would never be able to handle the capacity. We're too frugal (cheap) to book those unless there's a 2-for-1 coupon involved LOL If the MDR food doesn't meet our expectations, it's very likely that this will be our last NCL booking--we can live with most everything else, but eating well (but still smartly) is such a big factor. Hope this board gets more attention towards the Fall. Are any of your traveling party also LGBT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake54321 Posted September 17, 2012 #5 Share Posted September 17, 2012 My partner and I (Joey & Larry ) and our friend Cris will also be sailing with you. Just booked the last Haven (courtyard) Villa left. I really love the NYE cruise ,NCL does it right. Lookig forward to meeting you all. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted September 17, 2012 #6 Share Posted September 17, 2012 My partner and I (Joey & Larry ) and our friend Cris will also be sailing with you.Just booked the last Haven (courtyard) Villa left. I really love the NYE cruise ,NCL does it right. Lookig forward to meeting you all. Larry Larry, Just to be clear, this is the December 13th Sailing--not the New Year's Eve sailing. Which are you on? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake54321 Posted September 17, 2012 #7 Share Posted September 17, 2012 oh man hat a dope I am :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted September 18, 2012 #8 Share Posted September 18, 2012 oh man hat a dope I am :rolleyes: LOL Well, we'll leave the ship in good condition for you :D Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 3, 2012 #9 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Hey guys - Ed and I are thinking about taking this Dec 13th cruise. We were just on the Gem Sept 30 for 10 days to Canada, so would really love to be back on the ship, but to warmer ports. If we do book, we will let you know. The price is right for this saling, just have to move around some stuff at work and make sure I have the time off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted November 5, 2012 #10 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Hey guys - Ed and I are thinking about taking this Dec 13th cruise. We were just on the Gem Sept 30 for 10 days to Canada, so would really love to be back on the ship, but to warmer ports. If we do book, we will let you know. The price is right for this saling, just have to move around some stuff at work and make sure I have the time off. The more the merrier :) Hope we'll see you aboard. We've toyed with a Canadian cruise, so it would be nice to hear about that. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 18, 2012 #11 Share Posted November 18, 2012 We booked - so we will see you guys on the Gem Dec 13th. I guess we can meet up at the Friend of Dorothy the first night. In the meantime, lets keep in touch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted November 19, 2012 #12 Share Posted November 19, 2012 We booked - so we will see you guys on the Gem Dec 13th. I guess we can meet up at the Friend of Dorothy the first night. In the meantime, lets keep in touch.... Welcome aboard! (writing from nearby Haddonfield) That was an amazing rate you got. We get too impatient and Wayne's scheduling is too complicated to do "last minute" deals, but we'd have done that in a heartbeat. There's more and more variety every year going put of NYC, so maybe we can do one of these like that down the road. Too bad Philly isn't hosting any cruise ships these days. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHamilton Posted November 19, 2012 Author #13 Share Posted November 19, 2012 We booked - so we will see you guys on the Gem Dec 13th. I guess we can meet up at the Friend of Dorothy the first night. In the meantime, lets keep in touch.... Great! Are you signed up for the Meet and Greet? I've never had any luck even finding the Friends of Dorothy meetings - they've always either been in very crowded bars where there was no way to tell who was there for the meeting and who was just there to drink, or the place has been completely empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 19, 2012 #14 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Hello Neighbor - lol - yes, I wish Philly would get ships back, but for now, we just try and go out of NYC. We take the Megabus, so it's pretty cheap. If you guys have facebook - look me up - we can chat on there too. Welcome aboard! (writing from nearby Haddonfield) That was an amazing rate you got. We get too impatient and Wayne's scheduling is too complicated to do "last minute" deals, but we'd have done that in a heartbeat. There's more and more variety every year going put of NYC, so maybe we can do one of these like that down the road. Too bad Philly isn't hosting any cruise ships these days. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 19, 2012 #15 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Normally on NCL they have a good turnout for the Friends of Dorothy. Usually they will have a meeting the 1st day, and most sea days (sometime while in Port, but it's not all the time). Usually on the Gem they have the meetings at the Star Bar, which is nice because it's not in the middle of anything. Make sure you check it out the first night. Also, if you have facebook, friend me. Can give you more info. We were just on Gem in October for the Canadian Cruise. Great! Are you signed up for the Meet and Greet? I've never had any luck even finding the Friends of Dorothy meetings - they've always either been in very crowded bars where there was no way to tell who was there for the meeting and who was just there to drink, or the place has been completely empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHamilton Posted November 20, 2012 Author #16 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Also, if you have facebook, friend me. Can give you more info. We were just on Gem in October for the Canadian Cruise. I sent you a friend request, assuming that the name I picked was the right one - it seemed obvious, but there might be 1000 people on Facebook with your name and a picture of a ship. I'm traveling with four other people I met on the Gem a few years ago. We had a very rough trans-Atlantic crossing. A few of us were also on the Pearl last year, also a rough trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 22, 2012 #17 Share Posted November 22, 2012 You got it, but I tried to accept on my phoen and it didn't work. So I refriended you. Make sure to check and approve. I sent you a friend request, assuming that the name I picked was the right one - it seemed obvious, but there might be 1000 people on Facebook with your name and a picture of a ship. I'm traveling with four other people I met on the Gem a few years ago. We had a very rough trans-Atlantic crossing. A few of us were also on the Pearl last year, also a rough trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeKenCruise Posted November 27, 2012 #18 Share Posted November 27, 2012 My partner Joe and I are excitied to go back on NCL for another grand adventure! We love to cruise and do most of our trips with either Princess or NCL. Looking forward to NYC in December! Hope to meet new friends and have a grand time on the Gem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHamilton Posted November 27, 2012 Author #19 Share Posted November 27, 2012 This trip was months away and all of a sudden it's almost here! How did that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 28, 2012 #20 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Sounds like a plan - see you in two weeks ! My partner Joe and I are excitied to go back on NCL for another grand adventure! We love to cruise and do most of our trips with either Princess or NCL. Looking forward to NYC in December! Hope to meet new friends and have a grand time on the Gem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 28, 2012 #21 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Months go by too fast these days ! This trip was months away and all of a sudden it's almost here! How did that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted November 28, 2012 #22 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Party at the Haven? lol My partner and I (Joey & Larry ) and our friend Cris will also be sailing with you.Just booked the last Haven (courtyard) Villa left. I really love the NYE cruise ,NCL does it right. Lookig forward to meeting you all. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubMichael Posted December 8, 2012 #23 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Only 6 days - wow - time is flying by fast. See you all next Thursday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHamilton Posted December 8, 2012 Author #24 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Only 6 days - wow - time is flying by fast. See you all next Thursday... Yeah, how did that happen? The same way I worked myself into the CDC's "near-elderly" category, I guess. I will try to get on early enough to have lunch. Is there a FOD meeting that evening, do you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattNYC Posted December 8, 2012 #25 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I will try to get on early enough to have lunch. Is there a FOD meeting that evening, do you know? I cannot recall if they advertise a FOD gathering on the first night in the program. Regardless, we're probably going to take it easy on Evening One. Maybe we'll pop by just to say hello. Is everyone here signed up for the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet on the main Roll Call? If our gaydar is not functional right away, we can try to connect then, if not at the next FOD. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.