Gem Review Jan 27-Feb 5, 2013 OMG What at trip!

[juried]

This is a long one ...

NCL Gem Review 1/27/2013 through 2/5/13

6 Adult in the Garden Villa Suite 14500.

Both my husband and I are platinum latitude members.

This was a last minute cruise for us (we booked 2 weeks prior to sailing) none of our guests had ever cruised before.

Having been on the Gem 3 times prior, I had a very good idea of what to expect.

 

We left New Hampshire at 7:30 on the morning of our cruise and arrived at the Port of NY by 1:30. An easy Sunday drive.

We dropped off the bags, tipped the porter and parked above for $350.00, very easy.

 

FYI … The cruise prior to ours was delayed due to a medical emergency and we could not board until after 2pm. This delay caused longer lines than usual. We were given color cards and waited at the next pier until our color was called. Once we got in the boarding area we were escorted to the Villa or Haven line and Shirley processed us very quickly and got our key cards and let us cut through her counter … and so the “special treatment” began. We were onboard by 3:30 I think …

 

We went directly to the Garden Villa 14500 and there was our butler Kadek who already had a cold Guinness waiting for my husband. He remembered us very well.

The Garden Villa is huge. The colors of the 14500 were vibrant blue, green and gold, perhaps a bit loud for everyday, but absolutely perfect for this Caribbean cruise vacation.

3 bedrooms all with their own bathroom. One is definitely the master with an enormous soaking tub.

I will not bore you with all the details of Garden Villa, it is just as awesome as you have heard.

 

We were kept well hydrated with 6 bottles of alcohol, and all the bottled water, soda (pepsi products only) juice we could want. I ordered additional wine onboard as well. I found out about the $15.00 per bottle corkage fee and realized it was pretty much the same money to buy onboard for $34.50.

I am not a big drinker but I am learning :D

 

Service: In a word, Outstanding.

Our room stewards Elisa and Christopher were wonderful.

While Elisa kept the Villa clean, Christopher kept the private courtyard and sundeck in tip top shape, taking in cushions, hammock, scrubbing up the sauna and hot tub.

It was all very nice.

 

Our concierge was Florentina and let me tell you here Florentina put all past concierges to shame. Naturally she made all our spa reservations, dining (often at the last minute) and seating at the Stardust and so much more.

She also ordered local flowers for me on behalf of my husband, with the instructions "something made locally and funky" She did not disappoint us at all.

 

Kadek our butler (he remembered us from 2010) went above all expectations.

We always had fresh fruit, cookies, finger sandwiches, chips and pastry platters. Plus juices, soda and the unlimited espresso machine.

I lost my voice on day 3 and Kadek brought me tea with honey and lemon … I did not ask for tea, he mentioned it was worth trying and I was very touched.

He gave us suggestions for dinner and shows, reminded us of parties and bridge tours and many special little things that made this particular cruise so very special.

We asked every day about the Super Bowl and even though our darling Patriots did not make it to the big show this year we explained that this is an American tradition and so

Kadek and Florentina worked together and coordinated a private Super Bowl Party / Poker Tournament in the reserved Star Bar (one flight below) for us and our “Party” and they served hot dogs, wings, chip and dip and other snacks.

 

Dining:

Breakfast and lunch at Cagneys is free to Villa guests but we only got there on the first and last day.

Tapenyaki … was great fun and great food.

We had dined at Le Bistro in the past and even though it was very nice, I do not like 2 hour dinners so I passed on this one.

My Villa mates raved about the food in the Orchid and Cagneys.

I also enjoyed the Main Dining Room and the Buffet … but never went to the Blue Lagoon or Moderna or LaCucina.

I am not a particularly fussy eater, it all tasted great to me.

But others I spoke with (not in my party) were a bit disappointed in the food.

 

Ports: My husband and I had been to all of these ports before. This was a first time for our guests.

San Juan Puerto Rico

Weather: Party Sunny 76-80

We did not book an excursion but hired a driver (through Florentina, not the excursion desk) Our driver Rafael took us to Bacardi, the Fort and Old San Juan for some photo ops and shopping in particular the Butterfly Place and Del Sol. At the end of the day it started raining hard and with no place to park our driver kept circling the block while we finished our last minute shopping. He was a very nice young man but did not have much knowledge about the highlights of San Juan, which would have enhanced the day so I just told them what I recall from prior visits. Plus if you just read the insert in the Freestyle it is filled with local info. It was a very nice day.

 

Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

Weather: Party Sunny 78-82

We did not book an excursion but hired a private driver (Winston Churchill), through Florentina.

This was the first time we ever had a driver greet us with his van at the very ship, one foot off the exit ramp (this was awesome!)

Winston took us to Orient Beach, which was very crowded, and then another crowded beach next to the airport and realizing we did not like crowds he brought us to the French side where we all enjoyed a very pricy (all prices in Euros) brunch at a beachfront restaurant. Brunch was a selection of appetizers from Octopussy soup, delicious French bread and truly amazing change-your-life chocolate mouse and of course guava berry smoothies. We learned a lot about the history of Saint Maarten from Winston, he also described to us the story behind the many statues and monuments along the boulevards and rotaries. And when he mentioned that both sides share the same (or similar) National Anthem, we encouraged him to sing it for us and he sang it beautifully. After brunch we stopped at an open air market and we all picked up souvenirs, nice beach cover ups and I got them each a framed print from a local watercolor artist as a memory. Then Winston brought us to a small beachside bar (clothing optional) and had a great afternoon on the beach being served drinks and amazing fish sampler including swordfish, red tuna and mahi … the food on the French side is to die for.

Finally Winston brought us back to the ship and argued with Port Security to be able to drive us up to the ramp, which he did … It was great day for all. But I still prefer the Dutch side with 3 dollar draughts and pizza along the waterfront and ladies walking around trying to sell you cheap wraps and hair braiding.

 

Quick note: San Juan driver was $50 per hour and my husband tipped $100.00 and we were shocked when the Saint Maarten driver said $750.00 (5 times the San Juan driver) and my husband tipped the same.

 

Saint Thomas USVI – Sunny 80

Excursion booked through NCL:

My guests booked Snuba

$79 each, 3 Hours, Activity Level 2

4 in my party did this tour while my DH and I lazed about our own private paradise (courtyard)

My guests reported that this was an awful tour. They did not see a single fish and the group they rode back with saw hundreds. But the beach they were brought to was across from a busy hotel and so no fish.

They also commented that the beach was dirty with empty beer cans and condoms. Yuk.

 

Samana Dominican Republic – Mostly Sunny 78-80

Excursion booked through NCL:

My guests booked Salto El Limon Horseback Ride

$79 each, 4.5 Hours, Activity Level 3

4 in my party did this awesome tour.

They absolutely loved it, the “best day of their lives” type of tour! They raved about the guides and the waterfall and it was just perfect. However the next day they were hurting a bit.

 

We had a blast bowling and dancing the nights away at both Bliss and the Spinaker. My guests enjoyed the shows in the Stardust Theater. I thought Second City was very good.

The incredibly versatile cover band Centerfold has amazing range and when we requested a Guns and Roses tune the guitar solo blew us all completely away.

 

The cruise director Allan Scally (sp?) was very likable, charming and seemed to be everywhere.

 

We got VIP treatment all the way with a private Bridge Tour and escorted entry into the Chocolate buffet and through immigration all the way to our porter back in NYC.

 

We got tons of invites for “free drink” parties (latitudes, captains, haven, etc.)

 

The staff on the Gem is the friendliest on any ship.

Everyone knew my husband … they greeted him by name, Good Day Mr, M., Good Evening Mr. M, etc. I mean everybody from the guys with suits and gold bars on the shoulders to the waiters and maintenance men …. it was awesome.

 

Photography was just OK on this cruise but we still bought tons of memories. We bought a lot of photos plus the NCL ship shaped flash drive for $39.00 additional (A very good idea)

 

I enjoyed playing at the Texas Hold’em cash game in the casino. But the rake is very high (10%!) and some of the dealers are just awful. They are fine for black jack or roulette but poker has defined rules and these dealers were clueless.

The Casino Poker Tournaments were held every sea day at 12 noon but the structure and pricing is just bizarre and a complete rip off. What frustrated me mostly was the wash between every hand. If you do not know tournament poker then it will not bother you but with blinds going up every 15 minutes, every second counts and the more hands you see the better your odds of actually cashing. We tried to explain this to the dealer and he said they know this and they get the same complaints every cruise … well duh.

We hosted a couple of poker tournaments in the villa on the first sea day coming back and the seas were very rough while watching the super bowl in the Star Bar.

 

The Guinness dilemma …

I had pre-ordered 2 cases of Guinness in the can for the Villa and when we got onboard we were told there were only 72 cans onboard. We said we wanted all 72. Quickly doing the math for a 9 night cruise I realized 72 beers was just not going to cut it. So we spoke with Kadek who then spoke with Victor (Beverage manager?) and we were assured that more canned Guinness would be brought onboard in San Juan.

Keep in mind that Guinness in the bottle (stout) was plentiful onboard but it has much higher alcohol content and the taste is not as smooth according to my DH.

In San Juan they supposedly shopped at local stores and picked up another 33 cans … which was so very nice of them BUT had I known this would be a problem, I would have requested our driver help us find some more.

When you have the Villa you often have lots of company and you need to have beer and wine on hand to offer your guests.

In Saint Thomas USVI they said they did not find any canned Guinness and the same story for Samana DR.

So alas, my husband who is a very generous man of simple pleasures did not have his beloved canned Guinness but he handled this disappointment with grace and drank the stout.

It probably does not sound like a big deal to others but to me it was major. After all it was his “one and only” request and he was assured that it would happen. Therefore it was upsetting … until he met with Victor yet again and was told that he would get a significant refund off his cruise expense account.

Now both my DH and I are happy. A class act NCL.

 

On the last night of the cruise my DH was walking through a bar where the guests were told the bar was closed and he invited the whole bar (reggae band included) up to the villa for last call … we still had liquor left over! And finally after 9 nights of searching we found a piano player. It was close to 2 AM and the villa was filled with joyful noise and music of Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack… OMG what a trip.

 

What was missing in 2010 but happily has returned in 2013 …

Welcome aboard champagne, juice or sparking water.

Night chocolates on the bed pillows.

New for us: A pillow menu and a Haven party with the captain and officers.

 

My head is still floating but reality is hitting with a blizzard on the way …

 

Till next time.

 

Peace,

 

Juried

[WaldosPepper]

Great review, my friend! Delighted to know that you two have been back aboard an NCL ship, and had another fantastic trip!

 

Sorry to hear about the Guinness situation, as I know how much your DH loves his Guinness in a can. I have vivid memories of running into Alex onshore in St. Maarten as he was on a frantic search for some! :D

 

Sending a HUGE HUG to both of you!

[A1SusieQ]

Excellent review...Sounds like you are my type of people!!

 

Thank you. :)

[juried]

Great review, my friend! Delighted to know that you two have been back aboard an NCL ship, and had another fantastic trip!

 

Sending a HUGE HUG to both of you!

 

Barb! So nice to hear from you! Our Dawn cruise was still the very best of all.

I truly hope to cruise with you and your family again. You were a wonderful cruise critic leader and kept us all involved.

Please stay in touch.

Terry

[Crusin6]

Question about the $750 tour. What had you agreed upon when booking that made $750 shocking? Was there a weekend surcharge?

 

Do you think they were just trying to get whatever they could? Or did you misunderstand the originally agreed upon amount? Did you question him and mention that it was quite high? It is my belief that they will try to get whatever they can from you if they think they can get it and I would bet others have paid less for the same service at the same time of the year. I hate when they try to rip off what they perceive to be "rich cruisers"

 

I booked a transfer once for 50 Euro, which I felt was expensive for the distance we were going but the convenience of the transfer trumped the price.

 

When I went to pay her, she said 70euro. I knew the tour op had contracted out for this transfer so I said "no, I agreed to 50Euro"

 

she said "oh, ok"

 

she didn't look sneaky, was very prompt and efficient and brought us right up to the difficult destination we were going to....but she still tried to rip us off.

 

And she absolutely knew the ride wasn't worth 70E, geez it wasn't really even worth 50E, but she still tried to milk us.

 

This was in Rome.

[emcee207]

WOW! Anyone that would invite the entire bar (and band!) to their suite at closing time AND are Patriots fans are the BEST in my book!!!:D

 

I"d cruise with you two anytime!

 

Now, will you come down this weekend and help me shovel???:rolleyes:

 

Nice review and you two seem like a great couple.

[Lizcourt]

Great review! (So great that this Giant fan will give you a pass on the "beloved Patriots" references ;-) )

 

We'll be in the GV on the Gem next March, and the more I hear about the "first class" treatment that goes with the spectacular accomodations, the more excited we get. Did I understand you correctly that the non-alcoholic beverages in the villa are complementary? We're not really drinkers, and I doubt that we would make our way through half of one bottle of the six bottles of complementary liquor for the whole week, but boy do we like our diet Pepsi!

 

Also, I have been wondering about the bowling alleys -- something that we've never seen on any ship. With so many people on board, is it hard to get to use them? We were on the Oasis last year (which we loved by the way) and found that some of the things we had looked forward to were really overcrowded and never seemed available.

 

Thanks for any info!

[juried]

Question about the $750 tour. What had you agreed upon when booking that made $750 shocking? Was there a weekend surcharge?

 

Do you think they were just trying to get whatever they could? Or did you misunderstand the originally agreed upon amount? Did you question him and mention that it was quite high? It is my belief that they will try to get whatever they can from you if they think they can get it and I would bet others have paid less for the same service at the same time of the year. I hate when they try to rip off what they perceive to be "rich cruisers"

QUOTE]

 

Well, we did not talk price prior (live and learn) but when my DH commented this was more than anticipated, the driver said OK fine, what were you thinking? But my DH would never consider paying less than requested. And truth be told it was worth it. We understand that the cost of living (and the cost of everything) in Saint Maarten is considrably higher the San Juan. Did the driver percieve my DH as a soft touch? Yes, most likely he did. But he was exceptional ... so you get what you pay for. Winston owned the van he drove and did not work for another company. I would highly recommend him and use his services again.

[juried]

Did I understand you correctly that the non-alcoholic beverages in the villa are complementary? We're not really drinkers, and I doubt that we would make our way through half of one bottle of the six bottles of complementary liquor for the whole week, but boy do we like our diet Pepsi!

 

Also, I have been wondering about the bowling alleys -- something that we've never seen on any ship. With so many people on board, is it hard to get to use them? We were on the Oasis last year (which we loved by the way) and found that some of the things we had looked forward to were really overcrowded and never seemed available.

 

Thanks for any info!

 

We were well stocked with all types of soda, bottled water, perigrino (sp?) pitchers of juices and cartons of milk (for mud slides) the left us a blender and tons of fruit too. There is also a small fridge in each bedroom so put a few beverages in that as well.

 

Because you are in the Villa just let the concierge know when you want to bowl and they will hold the lanes. There are only 4 lanes and with the movement of the ship bowling is not serious. But it can be hilarious.

 

I never saw any huge crowds except when looking out over the pool deck and even then it looked like some deck chairs (on the upper level anyway) were empty.

The Stardust was full for most shows, but we had preferred seating and the concierge or her assistant held our area until the show began.

Spinaker got crowded early but we always sat at the back bar stools.

 

Also be sure to tell the Photography staff your suite number everytime you or anyone in your party have your photo taken and they will gather all of your pictures so you can look through them all at once instead of searching all the panels.

 

Have a blast!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[jaxw17]

Thanks for the report we are on the 4th March sailing. Shame you are not on that one.

Enjoyed reading

[WaldosPepper]

Well, we did not talk price prior (live and learn) but when my DH commented this was more than anticipated, the driver said OK fine, what were you thinking? But my DH would never consider paying less than requested. And truth be told it was worth it. We understand that the cost of living (and the cost of everything) in Saint Maarten is considrably higher the San Juan. Did the driver percieve my DH as a soft touch? Yes, most likely he did. But he was exceptional ... so you get what you pay for. Winston owned the van he drove and did not work for another company. I would highly recommend him and use his services again.

 

Your DH is, without question, one of the kindest human beings I have ever had the pleasure to meet. It would not surprise me at all if he was seen as "a soft touch." I am likewise not surprised that he paid the amount requested either. That's just who he is, and why he is so loved by everyone who comes in contact with him. I'm glad to see he hasn't changed a bit.

 

PS - I promise I'll be in touch via email soon.

[jdvmd]

This is a long one ...

NCL Gem Review 1/27/2013 through 2/5/13

6 Adult in the Garden Villa Suite 14500.

Both my husband and I are platinum latitude members.

This was a last minute cruise for us (we booked 2 weeks prior to sailing) none of our guests had ever cruised before.

Having been on the Gem 3 times prior, I had a very good idea of what to expect.

 

We left New Hampshire at 7:30 on the morning of our cruise and arrived at the Port of NY by 1:30. An easy Sunday drive.

We dropped off the bags, tipped the porter and parked above for $350.00, very easy.

FYI … The cruise prior to ours was delayed due to a medical emergency and we could not board until after 2pm. This delay caused longer lines than usual. We were given color cards and waited at the next pier until our color was called. Once we got in the boarding area we were escorted to the Villa or Haven line and Shirley processed us very quickly and got our key cards and let us cut through her counter … and so the “special treatment” began. We were onboard by 3:30 I think …

 

We went directly to the Garden Villa 14500 and there was our butler Kadek who already had a cold Guinness waiting for my husband. He remembered us very well.

The Garden Villa is huge. The colors of the 14500 were vibrant blue, green and gold, perhaps a bit loud for everyday, but absolutely perfect for this Caribbean cruise vacation.

3 bedrooms all with their own bathroom. One is definitely the master with an enormous soaking tub.

I will not bore you with all the details of Garden Villa, it is just as awesome as you have heard.

 

We were kept well hydrated with 6 bottles of alcohol, and all the bottled water, soda (pepsi products only) juice we could want. I ordered additional wine onboard as well. I found out about the $15.00 per bottle corkage fee and realized it was pretty much the same money to buy onboard for $34.50.

I am not a big drinker but I am learning :D

 

Service: In a word, Outstanding.

Our room stewards Elisa and Christopher were wonderful.

While Elisa kept the Villa clean, Christopher kept the private courtyard and sundeck in tip top shape, taking in cushions, hammock, scrubbing up the sauna and hot tub.

It was all very nice.

 

Our concierge was Florentina and let me tell you here Florentina put all past concierges to shame. Naturally she made all our spa reservations, dining (often at the last minute) and seating at the Stardust and so much more.

She also ordered local flowers for me on behalf of my husband, with the instructions "something made locally and funky" She did not disappoint us at all.

 

Kadek our butler (he remembered us from 2010) went above all expectations.

We always had fresh fruit, cookies, finger sandwiches, chips and pastry platters. Plus juices, soda and the unlimited espresso machine.

I lost my voice on day 3 and Kadek brought me tea with honey and lemon … I did not ask for tea, he mentioned it was worth trying and I was very touched.

He gave us suggestions for dinner and shows, reminded us of parties and bridge tours and many special little things that made this particular cruise so very special.

We asked every day about the Super Bowl and even though our darling Patriots did not make it to the big show this year we explained that this is an American tradition and so

Kadek and Florentina worked together and coordinated a private Super Bowl Party / Poker Tournament in the reserved Star Bar (one flight below) for us and our “Party” and they served hot dogs, wings, chip and dip and other snacks.

 

Dining:

Breakfast and lunch at Cagneys is free to Villa guests but we only got there on the first and last day.

Tapenyaki … was great fun and great food.

We had dined at Le Bistro in the past and even though it was very nice, I do not like 2 hour dinners so I passed on this one.

My Villa mates raved about the food in the Orchid and Cagneys.

I also enjoyed the Main Dining Room and the Buffet … but never went to the Blue Lagoon or Moderna or LaCucina.

I am not a particularly fussy eater, it all tasted great to me.

But others I spoke with (not in my party) were a bit disappointed in the food.

 

Ports: My husband and I had been to all of these ports before. This was a first time for our guests.

San Juan Puerto Rico

Weather: Party Sunny 76-80

We did not book an excursion but hired a driver (through Florentina, not the excursion desk) Our driver Rafael took us to Bacardi, the Fort and Old San Juan for some photo ops and shopping in particular the Butterfly Place and Del Sol. At the end of the day it started raining hard and with no place to park our driver kept circling the block while we finished our last minute shopping. He was a very nice young man but did not have much knowledge about the highlights of San Juan, which would have enhanced the day so I just told them what I recall from prior visits. Plus if you just read the insert in the Freestyle it is filled with local info. It was a very nice day.

 

Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

Weather: Party Sunny 78-82

We did not book an excursion but hired a private driver (Winston Churchill), through Florentina.

This was the first time we ever had a driver greet us with his van at the very ship, one foot off the exit ramp (this was awesome!)

Winston took us to Orient Beach, which was very crowded, and then another crowded beach next to the airport and realizing we did not like crowds he brought us to the French side where we all enjoyed a very pricy (all prices in Euros) brunch at a beachfront restaurant. Brunch was a selection of appetizers from Octopussy soup, delicious French bread and truly amazing change-your-life chocolate mouse and of course guava berry smoothies. We learned a lot about the history of Saint Maarten from Winston, he also described to us the story behind the many statues and monuments along the boulevards and rotaries. And when he mentioned that both sides share the same (or similar) National Anthem, we encouraged him to sing it for us and he sang it beautifully. After brunch we stopped at an open air market and we all picked up souvenirs, nice beach cover ups and I got them each a framed print from a local watercolor artist as a memory. Then Winston brought us to a small beachside bar (clothing optional) and had a great afternoon on the beach being served drinks and amazing fish sampler including swordfish, red tuna and mahi … the food on the French side is to die for.

Finally Winston brought us back to the ship and argued with Port Security to be able to drive us up to the ramp, which he did … It was great day for all. But I still prefer the Dutch side with 3 dollar draughts and pizza along the waterfront and ladies walking around trying to sell you cheap wraps and hair braiding.

 

Quick note: San Juan driver was $50 per hour and my husband tipped $100.00 and we were shocked when the Saint Maarten driver said $750.00 (5 times the San Juan driver) and my husband tipped the same.

 

Saint Thomas USVI – Sunny 80

Excursion booked through NCL:

My guests booked Snuba

$79 each, 3 Hours, Activity Level 2

4 in my party did this tour while my DH and I lazed about our own private paradise (courtyard)

My guests reported that this was an awful tour. They did not see a single fish and the group they rode back with saw hundreds. But the beach they were brought to was across from a busy hotel and so no fish.

They also commented that the beach was dirty with empty beer cans and condoms. Yuk.

 

Samana Dominican Republic – Mostly Sunny 78-80

Excursion booked through NCL:

My guests booked Salto El Limon Horseback Ride

$79 each, 4.5 Hours, Activity Level 3

4 in my party did this awesome tour.

They absolutely loved it, the “best day of their lives” type of tour! They raved about the guides and the waterfall and it was just perfect. However the next day they were hurting a bit.

 

We had a blast bowling and dancing the nights away at both Bliss and the Spinaker. My guests enjoyed the shows in the Stardust Theater. I thought Second City was very good.

The incredibly versatile cover band Centerfold has amazing range and when we requested a Guns and Roses tune the guitar solo blew us all completely away.

 

The cruise director Allan Scally (sp?) was very likable, charming and seemed to be everywhere.

 

We got VIP treatment all the way with a private Bridge Tour and escorted entry into the Chocolate buffet and through immigration all the way to our porter back in NYC.

 

We got tons of invites for “free drink” parties (latitudes, captains, haven, etc.)

 

The staff on the Gem is the friendliest on any ship.

Everyone knew my husband … they greeted him by name, Good Day Mr, M., Good Evening Mr. M, etc. I mean everybody from the guys with suits and gold bars on the shoulders to the waiters and maintenance men …. it was awesome.

 

Photography was just OK on this cruise but we still bought tons of memories. We bought a lot of photos plus the NCL ship shaped flash drive for $39.00 additional (A very good idea)

 

I enjoyed playing at the Texas Hold’em cash game in the casino. But the rake is very high (10%!) and some of the dealers are just awful. They are fine for black jack or roulette but poker has defined rules and these dealers were clueless.

The Casino Poker Tournaments were held every sea day at 12 noon but the structure and pricing is just bizarre and a complete rip off. What frustrated me mostly was the wash between every hand. If you do not know tournament poker then it will not bother you but with blinds going up every 15 minutes, every second counts and the more hands you see the better your odds of actually cashing. We tried to explain this to the dealer and he said they know this and they get the same complaints every cruise … well duh.

We hosted a couple of poker tournaments in the villa on the first sea day coming back and the seas were very rough while watching the super bowl in the Star Bar.

 

The Guinness dilemma …

I had pre-ordered 2 cases of Guinness in the can for the Villa and when we got onboard we were told there were only 72 cans onboard. We said we wanted all 72. Quickly doing the math for a 9 night cruise I realized 72 beers was just not going to cut it. So we spoke with Kadek who then spoke with Victor (Beverage manager?) and we were assured that more canned Guinness would be brought onboard in San Juan.

Keep in mind that Guinness in the bottle (stout) was plentiful onboard but it has much higher alcohol content and the taste is not as smooth according to my DH.

In San Juan they supposedly shopped at local stores and picked up another 33 cans … which was so very nice of them BUT had I known this would be a problem, I would have requested our driver help us find some more.

When you have the Villa you often have lots of company and you need to have beer and wine on hand to offer your guests.

In Saint Thomas USVI they said they did not find any canned Guinness and the same story for Samana DR.

So alas, my husband who is a very generous man of simple pleasures did not have his beloved canned Guinness but he handled this disappointment with grace and drank the stout.

It probably does not sound like a big deal to others but to me it was major. After all it was his “one and only” request and he was assured that it would happen. Therefore it was upsetting … until he met with Victor yet again and was told that he would get a significant refund off his cruise expense account.

Now both my DH and I are happy. A class act NCL.

 

On the last night of the cruise my DH was walking through a bar where the guests were told the bar was closed and he invited the whole bar (reggae band included) up to the villa for last call … we still had liquor left over! And finally after 9 nights of searching we found a piano player. It was close to 2 AM and the villa was filled with joyful noise and music of Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack… OMG what a trip.

 

What was missing in 2010 but happily has returned in 2013 …

Welcome aboard champagne, juice or sparking water.

Night chocolates on the bed pillows.

New for us: A pillow menu and a Haven party with the captain and officers.

 

My head is still floating but reality is hitting with a blizzard on the way …

 

Till next time.

 

Peace,

 

Juried

 

Wow! Wow! And more WOW! Excellent review! I cannot believe the price that

Winston Churchill charged you.

[emcee207]

jdvmd,

 

Please do not take offense to this but do you really have to copy the entire review too:rolleyes: then post two sentences???

[searchers909]

I really enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for sharing.

[brian99]

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you gad a great time. Although I haven't seen a bad review of a garden villa yet! :D

[Crusin6]

Question about the $750 tour. What had you agreed upon when booking that made $750 shocking? Was there a weekend surcharge?

 

Do you think they were just trying to get whatever they could? Or did you misunderstand the originally agreed upon amount? Did you question him and mention that it was quite high? It is my belief that they will try to get whatever they can from you if they think they can get it and I would bet others have paid less for the same service at the same time of the year. I hate when they try to rip off what they perceive to be "rich cruisers"

QUOTE]

 

Well, we did not talk price prior (live and learn) but when my DH commented this was more than anticipated, the driver said OK fine, what were you thinking? But my DH would never consider paying less than requested. And truth be told it was worth it. We understand that the cost of living (and the cost of everything) in Saint Maarten is considrably higher the San Juan. Did the driver percieve my DH as a soft touch? Yes, most likely he did. But he was exceptional ... so you get what you pay for. Winston owned the van he drove and did not work for another company. I would highly recommend him and use his services again.

Interesting that you said he owned the van. For those that are uninitiated to this...remember the owner sets the prices and when he is driving his is not paying an sub contractor. Also, absolutly everything of this nature on a Carib. island is negotiable and initially way overpriced. Remember, if he doesn't get you in his taxi at that moment, he is possibly losing out on getting a fare for the day. You made his day and probably allowed him to take the rest of the week off if he chose to.

 

even with his fixed costs, he made a small fortune and much more than he ever expected to that day.

 

I am not saying this for your sake as it is over and done with and you gladly paid him because you thought it was worth it and your DH wouldn't think of not paying what he was "asked" to pay, but I say all this for future cruisers...buyer beware and please just because the stuff in the shops etc may be priced for cruiser pocketbooks and that may make you think the island is expensive, those prices are not what locals pay and they will always try to get 2 to 3 or more times from you as oppossed to what they really expect you to be willing to pay.

 

Just like a Turkish rug in Istanbul.....you never pay the asking price...it is part of the game.

 

LOL, your DH actually probably disappointed the driver by not haggling with him as it is part of the island culture to haggle.

 

I don't like it but I do it anyway.

 

My guess is that he would have taken $400 or less.

[Crusin6]

Wow! Wow! And more WOW! Excellent review! I cannot believe the price that

Winston Churchill charged you.

 

I would bet that the name Winston Churchill is just a name that he uses with cruise pax. seriously now.:rolleyes: LOL;)

[LegallyBlonder]

Great review- seems like you had a fabulous trip! We were actually in the other Villa (14000) on the cruise prior (the infamous "medavac" cruise), and had an amazing experience as well. I was surprised to read that you had a different Butler than we did, but I guess since there are two Butlers covering the Haven suites (plus one covering the Haven courtyard), it makes sense that they would divide the Villas. We had Randy, who was also phenominal.

 

A couple of notes on our experience that are related to yours:

 

St.Maarten: We also wanted a driver (for 9 of us) to take us to several pre-determined places (specifically, breakfast at ZeeBest, shopping in Mairgot, lunch in Grand Case). I thought about trying to arrange this through Florentina, but read on the Ports boards that it is easy to simply arrange this type of thing at the taxi stand when you arrive. This is what we did, and now I'm very glad, because the taxi company quoted us $36/pp, which ended up being $324 (plus tip, I think we gave him $380 total) for the ENTIRE day. He was fantastic, knowledgable, and the van was spotless and air conditioned. Nine of us fit in the van very comfortably. If we hadn't known exactly where we wanted to go, he was capable of giving an excellent tour of highlights (he gave us some of this anyway). So, moral of the story, I would highly recommend just going to the taxi stand, even if you are looking for a dedicated driver for the day. I'm fairly sure this was even cheaper than any excursion we could have done (we, of course, left an abundance of time to get back to the ship- as in, at least 3 hours :D)

 

Photos: I also wanted to note (since you commented on the photos you got) that I asked Florentina if we could arrange for a ship photographer to come to the GV and take some family photos for us. This was perfect on many levels: we got to use the Villa as our backdrop instead of a cheesy, fake ship sunset, we were all more comfortable than standing in the middle of the crowded atrium (we have very small children, so this was particularly nice), and we got exactly the shots that we wanted (plus some we never would have thought of! Florentina advised us that if we requested one of the ship's two "professional" photographers, there would be a large charge, but that a "regular" photographer would come for free. We chose the latter, but in our opinion, he was as good as either of the "professionals" would have been anyway. We tipped him $40 directly, but it was well worth their time anyway, as we spent more than $200 on photos out of that 20 minute session, alone. This is really the only thing (besides dining reservations) that I asked Florentina to arrange, and she was more than happy to do it. I think it's great to know, and I will certainly be doing it again!

[juried]

 

Photos: I also wanted to note (since you commented on the photos you got) that I asked Florentina if we could arrange for a ship photographer to come to the GV and take some family photos for us. This was perfect on many levels: we got to use the Villa as our backdrop instead of a cheesy, fake ship sunset, we were all more comfortable than standing in the middle of the crowded atrium (we have very small children, so this was particularly nice), and we got exactly the shots that we wanted (plus some we never would have thought of! Florentina advised us that if we requested one of the ship's two "professional" photographers, there would be a large charge, but that a "regular" photographer would come for free. We chose the latter, but in our opinion, he was as good as either of the "professionals" would have been anyway. We tipped him $40 directly, but it was well worth their time anyway, as we spent more than $200 on photos out of that 20 minute session, alone. This is really the only thing (besides dining reservations) that I asked Florentina to arrange, and she was more than happy to do it. I think it's great to know, and I will certainly be doing it again!

 

My DH had the photographer we named "Smiley" come up the Villa to take some impromptu photos of our Poker Tournament / Pre-Superbowl Party. ( As you know) having the Villa allowed us more choices than most folks are aware of. It is hard not talk up all the special treatment without sounding like I am gloating or bragging, so I pull back a bit. I certainly would not want anyone to feel that their cruise was less by comparison. After all we were all on the same ship (same shows, same food options, same ports, etc.) and I am a true believer in making your own awesome experiences. While travelling in the Villa in 2010 I was in the suite watching for my adult kids on the waterslide and noticed a group of adults dancing on the pool deck, these people were having the time of their lives and even though it was obvious to everyone that this group was developmentally delayed, ( I prefer the term “enchanted” ) it did not impinge on the fun they were having. One lady in particular was wearing a huge floppy hat with a giant sunflower and when the wind took her hat away, revealing her shiny bald head, she just kept on dancing. I strive for that state of bliss when I cruise. And I think of her and smile every time I see a sunflower hat.

[Carnac767]

Great review. Thanks for sharing. I'm pretty sure that if I were in a GV, I could have a great time, aground in the Antarctic . . . until the beer ran out, anyway. We're thinking about this sailing for next year--appreciate the insights.

[gelo7]

Excellent review.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review!

[cloudydrms]

There are only 4 lanes and with the movement of the ship bowling is not serious. But it can be hilarious.!

 

For some reason the movement of the ship and its interference with bowling is just now occuring to me. Ha! Now I'll be sure not to miss it!

 

Cindy

[sparks1093]

For some reason the movement of the ship and its interference with bowling is just now occuring to me. Ha! Now I'll be sure not to miss it!

 

Cindy

 

My kids can't wait to bowl on a ship. Come to think of it, neither can I:D.