Gem Bahamas/Florida 5/4-5/11

[russianmom]

Here is the review of our Gem trip. I changed some settings on my camera and computer so hopefully I can start to post pictures again…

 

We arrived at the terminal way later than I had wanted to (1pm) due to a delay in my cousin’s incoming flight at LGA and a lot of crosstown traffic due to a street fair. :mad::mad:

 

Brought on 6 bottles of wine- paid $90 at security no problem.

 

The terminal was packed and by the time we got on board everything was closing for the safety drill.

 

There were 5 of us travelling- me and my 2 kids in a BD balcony on 9 and my cousin and her daughter in an inside directly across from us. Our cabin steward- whose name I never got was friendly but also complained a lot about how hard he had to work. The 2 just down the hall from us were much more friendly and outgoing towards my sons whenever we saw them.

 

We had 2 twins that we turned sideways against the walls and a pull out couch that the steward only opened part way (my son is 4) and then we had a clear path from the door right out to the balcony. The couch said it was a single but at naptime both of my kids were able to sleep together no problem.

 

We went to the MDR the first night so I could meet the Maitre D’ about my food allergies. His name was Stanny “Stan the Man”. He was very nice and as always NCL does a great job of accommodating me. Each night there after I would order for the next night and my food was made in a smaller separate kitchen.

 

I’m pretty boring and I had the NY Strip and a baked potato every night that we ate in the MDR. My cousins and kids tried most of the other dishes. Food was decent- no complaints. The service was painfully slow and each night our waiters seemed pretty stone faced and checked out from their jobs…..

 

We also ate in Moderno once- delicious as usual but very slow service. Teppanyaki- really delicious- the Maitre D’ and Chef sat us at an unused table and cooked my food first so I could enjoy the meal with my family ( I tipped the Maitre D’ and Chef extra for taking care of me and my allergies).

 

We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet which is quick and has something to suit everyone. A few days my kids had the poolside BBQ at lunch. Great Outdoors was not crowded and beautiful for breakfast every morning- one of my favorite features of Jewel class ships.

 

They also had 2 soft serve ice cream machines- that seemed to be operating almost all of the time (as opposed to last cruise when they were closed more than open). Hard scoop ice cream was offered in the buffets as well as crepes and chocolate fountain each night.

 

The pool deck didn’t seem too crowded and despite the usual chair hogs I never had much of a problem getting a chair near the pool so I could watch my boys while they swam. My younger son is still not a great swimmer so he wears a life jacket and did great. The slide was manned by a staff member and had a 42” height requirement. I had to ride with my younger son.

 

Bought the Spa Pass, for the first time, on day 1. It was $119. SOOOOO worth it. There were never more than 5 or 6 people in there max. It was very quiet and serene. For the first time in 4 years I was able to read an entire book!!!! At the bow were comfy padded loungers facing towards the windows. There were also the heated tile loungers, a Jacuzzi, 2 individual Jacuzzis, a steam room , a sauna and the thalassotherapy pool. TOALLY worth the money and I am hooked now!!!

 

 

First night was cold, windy and a little choppy but the rest of the trip was warm, sunny and smooth sailing!

 

In Cape Canaveral we rented a car for $26 from Thrifty and drove to Orlando to meet some other relatives at Animal Kingdom (purchased tickets online before we left). This park is fairly small and definitely doable in about 5-6 hours. Parking was much easier than at Magic Kingdom and the park was not crowded at all. The longest wait for a ride said 30 min but it was really only about 15. I would pick this again.

We got back to Thrifty about 8:45 the cab was waiting there and took us back to the ship. He didn’t turn on the meter and then tried to tell me the cost was $5/person. I told him I had done this less than a year ago and with the meter on it was $16 which is what I was willing to pay. He said no problem.

 

 

 

Great Stirrup Caye weather was beautiful, sunny and a nice breeze. I had rented a clam shell for $29 as I need shade. We were about 3 rows back and it was fine. 2 nice ladies in the clam shell next to us had rented 2 of the huge blue rafts and offered us one to use. It was very, very rocky here- much more than I remember last year. With water shoes it’s no problem though. Buffet lunch was the usual pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, fruit etc. Don’t go when they first open it as the lines are ridiculous- just be patient and it’s a much shorter wait.

 

 

Nassau- NCL was having a “May Madness” special, if you bought Atlantis tickets thru them. We chose the Shallow Water Dolphin interaction and Aquaventure pass. I was quite leery and skeptical after hearing and reading a lot of negative reviews/comments about Atlantis. I was pleasantly surprised and we had a great time. We got there about 9:30 and could either take the tour or set off on your own. We had a map so went off in search of a locker ($9 for a small one). The pools were open but no rides until 10am so we hung out in a pool near the Lazy River ride until it opened. I had lifejackets on both of my kids. The ride we took was The Current. It was pretty fun and a little rough in some spots. I had my 7 year old with me and my cousin had my 4 year old and her daughter had a single tube. We made it about ¾ of the way around when the water got a little rough. My cousin’s tube flipped over and in her effort to save my son she hit her head pretty hard. There were 4 lifeguards right there as soon as they saw her raft go over. My son was ok but she had a pretty bad headache the rest of the trip. :eek:

 

At 11:15 we walked over to Discovery Cove for our Dolphin interaction. It was fun I’ve done it a number of time before as has my older son. My younger son was a little scared at first but warmed up quickly. You can purchase the pictures there after you are done. I didn’t want to waste time looking thru them so they marked all of ours and then gave me a little card with a code on it- so now I can log on and choose what I want from the comfort of home and they mail them to me.

We spent the rest of the day in the kids water areas alternating between that and me and my 12 year old cousin riding the slides. I’m a real chicken and afraid of heights but the lifeguards were very kind and understanding and encouraging. We ended up riding The Jungle Slide, The Challenger and the Serpent Slide and least 3 times each. Hardly any lines at all. I need to gear up to try The Power Tower rides next time!!!! I think we picked a really great time of year to go and had a blast.

 

 

Kid’s Club now closes 12-2 and 5-7 each day. It was a real pain and at pick up and drop off the lines are ridiculous. This was not a heavy kids week so I can’t imagine what it’s like during school breaks and summer. We also had Nick at Sea on this cruise but they didn’t seem to have the presence they had on Jewel last year. We went to Dora’s Dance party and 2 character Meet & Greets. We over slept and missed the Dora Story time.

 

 

We saw the comedian Jeff Harms- he was hilarious. We also went to Duo Volgyi- which was nice but not great a good portion of the show was video footage of NY and the 2 aerialists as opposed to actual performance.

 

We also went to the Veggie Carving demo, the Balloon animal class and the Cake Master completion between Sinan, Jeff and the head chef. VERY funny! Went to Bliss for the Family White Hot Party but there were only 2 little kids with while balloons and no staff that we could see….???

There were a few other things we wanted to do but time always seems to get away from me!!!! Not sure what happened to the CC M&G. I went to the location twice and never saw anyone there other than the Art Auction. :(

 

 

Casino was very smoky. I really only play the slots when I’m not with my husband to play table games with. I won $45 so I’m happy!

The first afternoon we went to Bliss to bowl. $5/person per game. The ship was a little rocky so it made for quite a hilarious time!!! My cousin also did the rock climbing wall- I think it was also $5 but I wasn’t really paying attention.

 

I was worried about being in a balcony after usually being in suites. No problem at all. Room was plenty spacious, lots of storage. Great service (except for the slow MDR), friendly crew and officers as usual.

 

Back to the grindstone tomorrow and only 280 days until my next cruise!!!!!

 

I don’t think I left anything out… Feel free to ask questions. I’m going to try to post some pictures.

[NoName]

Thanks for sharing your trip! Is Dora on every sailing of the Gem? We sail with my 3 yr old grandson in December. He would flip out if Dora was there!

 

Kim

[russianmom]

Thanks for sharing your trip! Is Dora on every sailing of the Gem? We sail with my 3 yr old grandson in December. He would flip out if Dora was there!

 

Kim

 

I think Nick @ Sea is on Jewel, Gem and Epic.

 

They had a few meet + greets with picture opportunities, story time, dance party and some art & crafts activities. Also there were some things going on on the private island but we spent most of our time in the water so I didn't see what it was.

 

There was also a breakfast, I think it was $15, that we did last year so skipped this year. It was very well organized and each child got to meet every character and have a chance for parents to take pictures.

 

Even my 7 year old enjoyed himself!

[cruiser12]

Nice review. Sorry you missed the meet and greet. Ncl changed the place to meet to the Star Bar on deck 13. There was a very small posted sign, but not that all could see unless you looked up at the door way. Not a good idea. The sign should have been much larger and in a color that would stand out. Not the small black and white they used.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing your review.

 

Keith

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the great review! Loved the first hand account of Atlantis. Will you be posting pictures?:)

[russianmom]

Thanks for the great review! Loved the first hand account of Atlantis. Will you be posting pictures?:)

 

I thought I had it figured out but alas... no pictures.... When I upload them to iphoto they are way too huge. I even opened a flikr account but same problem.

Never had this problem with my pc and picasa:mad::mad:

[russianmom]

Testing uploading photos from my iPad

[signora]

Works: love to see your other pics! Catch you on our Sun roll call!