Ben the Bendy Man's Gem-tastic Adventure Feb 23 - March 4, 2013

[kylenyc]

I am intrigued by Ben's return. How did he find his way home?

I think Ben needs a thread to tell us all of his adventures and finding his way back home. What do you say' date=' Ben?[/quote']

Due to advances in Cylon technology, Ben miraculously rematerialized in a cloning tank aboard the cylon resurrection ship. After having learned a valuable lesson about zip line safety, Ben now makes sure he has plenty of clones and a roll of duct tape should he ever decide to do anything dangerous again like feeding iguanas or hiding from customs officials while stowing away aboard the Gem. (Amazon.com also operates a cloning facility. At about $4, Bendy Man makes a great filler when you're trying to reach that $25 to get Super Saver Shipping). :p

 

After disappearing into the jungles of Samana back in December, the original and slightly scuffed Ben had to reassure concerned fans by demonstrating "proof of life" (and a questionable taste in tabloid newspapers) while he monitors the progress of his new clone.

 

Ben clones are now with several Cruise Critic friends as well as Maricel (bartender) and Gianini (bar manager) aboard the Gem.

[sunnywithachance]

Hopefully Ben uses his cloning powers for good and not evil!

[sparks1093]

Hopefully Ben uses his cloning powers for good and not evil!

 

I know, it would be awful if the cloned Ben developed a tendency towards cussing that would cause kylenyc to drop him off the zipline leading to kylenyc's arrest (for making an obscene clone fall :eek:).

[kylenyc]

Ben would neeeeever use his cloning powers for evil. :rolleyes: In fact, when giving out Ben clones at the Meet & Greet, he had to to insist any pictures be "Rated PG" (honest!) because... well ... you know some Cruise Critic members were bound to think up some trouble. You know who you are! ;):p:D

[sunnywithachance]

I know, it would be awful if the cloned Ben developed a tendency towards cussing that would cause kylenyc to drop him off the zipline leading to kylenyc's arrest (for making an obscene clone fall :eek:).

 

Groan

[kylenyc]

In the afternoon, a bunch of the Cruise Critic friends went to the Latitudes Cocktail Party in Spinnaker Lounge. To Ben's delight, two in our group won prizes in the free raffle. Considering the party was full of hundreds of Latitudes members... our group was very lucky! The prizes were perfect for the winners. Tom won some internet minutes, and Gretchen, Chip & their son Levi won credit towards a private photography session which was nice for their family.

 

Spinnaker Lounge - Tom and Gretchen win raffle prizes at the Latitudes Cocktail Party

 

We lounged around well after the party was over and caught the beginning of a Nickelodeon activity for the kids.

 

Spinnaker Lounge - Nickelodeon

 

Afterwards, Ben made his way to the Martini Tasting where he met up with bartender friend Maurice. Ben was pleased to hear that he'll see Maurice again in April when he sails the new Norwegian Breakaway.

 

Maurice mixes up a Godiva White Chocolatini

 

Ben carefully makes his way down a row of martinis. The White Goldiva Chocolatini was deeeeelish.

[sjnyc323]

Awesome review as always Kyle

 

Suzanne

Hope to sail with you again in the future

[Burpelson]

Ben is hilarious. I swear, I thought that first round drink glass was a repurposed fish tank and the iguana were GI-HUGE normous. So I thought Ben was 2+ feet tall...... until the casino, post #18! Good fun, good review. Thanks!

[gizmo911]

I am solo on the Jewel on Sat. I love reading your review and have a few questions. Ben and sidekick seems to have no trouble spending time with others at dinners,etc. Does he invite or does he get invited. I don't mind traveling alone, but I hate eating alone. Does been set up some of his future gatherings at the initial meet and greet. When you go to dinner, do you ask to be seated at a large table. Just want some pointers in making this a more social trip than some of my past cruises. Thanks for feedback.

[kylenyc]

I am solo on the Jewel on Sat. I love reading your review and have a few questions. Ben and sidekick seems to have no trouble spending time with others at dinners,etc. Does he invite or does he get invited. I don't mind traveling alone, but I hate eating alone. Does been set up some of his future gatherings at the initial meet and greet. When you go to dinner, do you ask to be seated at a large table. Just want some pointers in making this a more social trip than some of my past cruises. Thanks for feedback.

 

Hi Gizmo. Thanks! Ben can totally relate. Despite his smiley disposition, he finds it difficult to break the ice and prefers to hide in pockets. So, Ben's butler always joins the Cruise Critic roll call, introduces himself, and tries to be active on it. He's has been fortunate to always meet new friends from Cruise Critic to have dinner with. Let everyone on your roll call know that you're traveling solo, find out who else is, and suggest meeting up for dinner. He also highly recommends that you have an informal gathering on the very first day so you can meet up with potential dinner mates. He organizes one every cruise if there isn't already one -- 1) Pick a spot to meet up for drinks immediately after the mandatory safety drill and 2) Ask everyone to wear mardi gras beads to identify each other. You can find them at many dollar stores. Meet & Greets are usually the second day so it's important to meet up on the first day to find dinnermates that first night.

 

Also go to the "solo gathering" that's listed in the Freestyle Daily. This is an unhosted gathering and Ben finds them a bit harder to break the ice with total strangers. You just have to be a bit more outgoing and go around asking everyone around if they are there for the solo gathering. Feel free to invite them to the M&G too.

 

For dinner time, let the maitre d' know you'd like to share a table with others who want to share. Many people like to do this and it's fun meeting new people. You might want to try meeting the maitre d' ahead of time and ask about being seated with other solo travelers and people who want to share tables.

 

Another thing he tries to do is join excursions and tastings so he has the opportunities to meet people even if he's done the excursion before and isn't a big drinker. He really wanted to do the thriller flash mob class too but didn't get the chance :)

 

Good luck!

[kylenyc]

Ben is hilarious. I swear, I thought that first round drink glass was a repurposed fish tank and the iguana were GI-HUGE normous. So I thought Ben was 2+ feet tall...... until the casino, post #18! Good fun, good review. Thanks!

Heheh. Ben looks so happy swimming in cash! If you look really close at the group photo, you can see a couple of us holding a Ben :p Ben ran off with Tanya & Kevin and they took some hilarious pics too. Stay tune! Oh and I ... umm ... I mean Ben was scared out of his wits afraid to get bit by the iguana while trying to tempt it closer!!

[sjnyc323]

Heheh. Ben looks so happy swimming in cash! If you look really close at the group photo, you can see a couple of us holding a Ben :p Ben ran off with Tanya & Kevin and they took some hilarious pics too. Stay tune! Oh and I ... umm ... I mean Ben was scared out of his wits afraid to get bit by the iguana while trying to tempt it closer!!

 

Funny Kyle

Hope all is well. I am off to Nola on Saturday then b2b on Star

 

Suzanne

[j603]

Lovin' this review! Reminds me of my vacation Gnome, Gnomeo. :)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Awesome review so far, please keep it coming! :)

[gizmo911]

Thank you so much for your feedback. I have taken your advise and put myself out a little but more. I invited any other solos to have dinner first night. I figure if none, someone else may offer. I also gave a description of myself and ask folkd to introduce themselves. Also, asked to join in as "one more" for a specialty resturant as this is one of the activities I really do not enjoy doing alone. I am so glad I mentioned this on your thread and took the risk to talk about it on my roll call. Again, thanks.

 

PS: When and where is your next cruise, you seem like a blast to be aroung.

[kylenyc]

Entertainment

The entertainment aboard the Gem was excellent and after 11 cruises with NCL, Ben didn't expect to see anything new and refreshing . However, our curious canary colored crusader was happily wrong. He was delighted by the amazing singing of tenor Aaron Shaw, and he gripped the edges of his seat barely able to watch the thrilling acrobatics of Duo Volgi. He tapped his little feet to the singing and dancing of the Gem production cast in several evening shows including Colorz and World Beat, chuckled at the family-friendly comedy of Tim Kaminski who had the audience members act out a scene from Wizard of Oz, and he often enjoyed relaxing evenings listening to his good friend Michael on the piano. Ben was also thrilled to see one of his all favorite performances - Sinan in the Farewell Variety Show where he laughed his socks off watching "Fountains".

 

Aaron Shaw has performed leading roles in small operas and musicals with the Utah Festival Opera and Nashville Opera companies, and appeared a 2007 finalist in "X-Factor".

 

Aaron Shaw fills the Stardust Theater with his stunning voice accompanied by the flawless Gem orchestra.

 

Live music fills the Gem - Ben's enjoys one of his favorite Gem regulars - Michael singing and playing the piano in the Star Bar.

 

Live music fills the Gem - Aubrey Grant from the Gem production cast sings and plays the guitar in the atrium

 

 

[The P]

Entertainment

The entertainment aboard the Gem was excellent and after 11 cruises with NCL, Ben didn't expect to see anything new and refreshing . However, our curious canary colored crusader was happily wrong. He was delighted by the amazing singing of tenor Aaron Shaw, and he gripped the edges of his seat barely able to watch the thrilling acrobatics of Duo Volgi. He tapped his little feet to the singing and dancing of the Gem production cast in several evening shows including Colorz and World Beat, chuckled at the family-friendly comedy of Tim Kaminski who had the audience members act out a scene from Wizard of Oz, and he often enjoyed relaxing evenings listening to his good friend Michael on the piano. Ben was also thrilled to see one of his all favorite performances - Sinan in the Farewell Variety Show where he laughed his socks off watching "Fountains".

 

Aaron Shaw has performed leading roles in small operas and musicals with the Utah Festival Opera and Nashville Opera companies, and appeared a 2007 finalist in "X-Factor".

 

Aaron Shaw fills the Stardust Theater with his stunning voice accompanied by the flawless Gem orchestra.

 

Live music fills the Gem - Ben's enjoys one of his favorite Gem regulars - Michael singing and playing the piano in the Star Bar.

 

Live music fills the Gem - Aubrey Grant from the Gem production cast sings and plays the guitar in the atrium

 

 

It's already 3 weeks ago today we left on what wound up being a terrific cruise. Thanks for these new reminders, Kyle. Ben the Bendy Man is sitting in my kitchen, but so far, he hasn't cooked a thing or left even one towel animal!:mad:

[kylenyc]

Lovin' this review! Reminds me of my vacation Gnome, Gnomeo. :)

Lol! Great name!

 

Thank you so much for your feedback. I have taken your advise and put myself out a little but more. I invited any other solos to have dinner first night. I figure if none, someone else may offer. I also gave a description of myself and ask folkd to introduce themselves. Also, asked to join in as "one more" for a specialty resturant as this is one of the activities I really do not enjoy doing alone. I am so glad I mentioned this on your thread and took the risk to talk about it on my roll call. Again, thanks.

 

PS: When and where is your next cruise, you seem like a blast to be aroung.

That's great. Ben's met so many wonderful new friends on Cruise Critic Roll Call and Meet & Greet and they've save him many a times from the buffet! Ben's next cruises are listed in his signature below :)

 

It's already 3 weeks ago today we left on what wound up being a terrific cruise. Thanks for these new reminders, Kyle. Ben the Bendy Man is sitting in my kitchen, but so far, he hasn't cooked a thing or left even one towel animal!:mad:

You have a Ben? Did you take any pictures of him? Ben's spoiled by his butler so doesn't cook or clean. :p

[kylenyc]

Ben in San Juan

Ben snuck away from his butler and went with Gretchen, Chip, & Levi, while Ben's butler went on a walking tour and did some shopping in Old San Juan. San Juan is a wonderful city for walking and exploring. There's also a free trolley service that takes you to many of the city's landmarks. Ben ran in Tina, Earl, and Jon relaxing on a sidewalk cafe and joined them for some sangrias.

 

Ben in front of Castillo San Felipe del Morro - Courtesy of Gretchen, Chip, & Levi

 

Ben has a sleepover with Gretchen, Chip, & Levi's towel animal. Yaaay!

 

St. Maarten - Bernard's Tours

Ben had a nice time in St. Maarten. He booked an island tour with Bernard's Tours. It was an easy 3 min walk from the dock to the Tourist Information Center where we met with the tour operator. Initially, things were slow going as we first had to stand in a long line to pay where only one person was taking payments and the processing of credit cards held up the line. They should've had an additional cash only line. After we enough of us finish paying, we were led to our small mini tour bus and things were mostly smooth going from there.

 

The first stop was an iguana farm. Ben was told there'd be lizards but instead a dinosaur snuck up on him.

 

The tour guide reassures Ben that Godzilla is a vegan. Ben gathers up his bravery before wrangling the giant lizard. He can do eeeeeet! He watches Swamp People!

Ben finds the hidden stash of refreshments included with the tour including El Presidente beer and a rum punch that packs a real punch! The tour suddenly became most entertaining!

 

Ben tries to make off with the cooler but has a 'little' difficulty. Foiled again! Tomorrow we'll definitely take over the world!

 

[paiagirl]

Looking forward to seeing Ben next month at the Maritime.

Paiagirl

[kylenyc]

St. Maarten - Bernard's Tours (Continued)

Our next stop would be Orient Beach, a popular tourist attraction known for sections of the beach that are clothing optional. We followed the tour guide to a section of the beach operated by a small resort where we were offered a beach chair, umbrella, and a drink for $10 each. To our annoyance, vendors walked up and down the beach selling souvenirs, clothing, and jewelry. We (tried to) relax for about 90 minutes on the beach before heading on to Marigot for a little shopping, and finally Maho Beach famous for being alongside the airport.

 

Orient Beach - Soft warm sands and crystal clear waters

 

Ben doesn't understand the fuss over clothing optional. He always sunbathes in the buff.

 

Maho Beach - Surfboard at the Sunset Bar and Grill lists arriving flight times.

 

Ben heeds the warnings and observes from a safe distance

 

Arriving US Airways flight from Charlotte Douglas International

 

After the spectacle ended, we decided to hop a cab back to the ship instead of stay at this beach and wait for the tour bus ride back. The tour could have dropped us off in downtown Philipsburg which has shopping, beach, and boardwalk. The cab ride was $8 to $10 per person depending on who you asked.

[kylenyc]

Looking forward to seeing Ben next month at the Maritime. Paiagirl

Ben can't wait to meet you too! It's coming up so fast and he so much planning still to do! :eek::eek:

[The P]

Lol! Great name!

 

 

That's great. Ben's met so many wonderful new friends on Cruise Critic Roll Call and Meet & Greet and they've save him many a times from the buffet! Ben's next cruises are listed in his signature below :)

 

 

You have a Ben? Did you take any pictures of him? Ben's spoiled by his butler so doesn't cook or clean. :p

You gave me a Ben even after I told you I wasn't much of a photo taker. He and I peacefully co-exist as new roomies as we remind each other of our GEM cruise.;)

[emcee207]

Due to advances in Cylon technology, Ben miraculously rematerialized in a cloning tank aboard the cylon resurrection ship. After having learned a valuable lesson about zip line safety, Ben now makes sure he has plenty of clones and a roll of duct tape should he ever decide to do anything dangerous again like feeding iguanas or hiding from customs officials while stowing away aboard the Gem. (Amazon.com also operates a cloning facility. At about $4, Bendy Man makes a great filler when you're trying to reach that $25 to get Super Saver Shipping). :p

 

After disappearing into the jungles of Samana back in December, the original and slightly scuffed Ben had to reassure concerned fans by demonstrating "proof of life" (and a questionable taste in tabloid newspapers) while he monitors the progress of his new clone.

 

Ben clones are now with several Cruise Critic friends as well as Maricel (bartender) and Gianini (bar manager) aboard the Gem.

 

Just off the Gem 3/4 sailing as first time NCL cruisers. I must say that Maricel and Gianini are two of the best staff we've ever encountered in all of our 12 cruises. Maricel's upbeat personality early in the morn while making our cappuciono's and Gianini's consumate professionalism were fantastic. A credit to NCL they are. LOL, we also loved "Mango", server during the day at Bali Hai!

[SafetyNerd]

After hanging out and having great luck with his new found friends at the casino during the slot pull, Ben wanted to spend some time with Tanya and Kevin to see how Nova Scotian's like to have fun!

 

Ben was welcomed, but also reminded that he had to behave as it was a "PG Rated" tour. Ben didn't mind that (although he did run off a couple of times) and kept his smile the during the trip.

 

Ben was excited to hang out with his new friends on the boat, and made a lot of people smile and laugh. Ben was also great company when one of his caretakers fell ill, Ben is VERY thoughtful!!

 

Ben hanging out poolside having some fun and making the guest laugh.

 

 

After playing all afternoon, he wanted to go to the pool to cool off but it was really busy so he got Tanya to get him is own cool pool.

 

 

 

 

Ben "aka Lucky Charm" playing some games at the Casino. He had much luck on two island casinos and on the ship winning in total $900, which he donated to the onboard spending account.

 

Kevin tought Ben how to play Angry Birds.....they played for hours on our deck as they relaxed.

 

Ben helped Kevin purchase his drink of choice to bring back home.

 

 

White Hot Party Night! Ben knew Tanya was starting to feel better and wanted to go out dancing, so he decided to get dressed up for the party too.

 

We had a great time with Ben, and will be posting some excursion pictures soon. He made friends on the islands and one of his clones came home to Nova Scotia and is playing daily with his new friends, Felix and Tigger.