GEM Thanksgiving Cruise 11/25 - 12/4/13

[pcreek]

11/25 – 12/4/13 GEM Cruise Review – Mini version (well, it started out as a mini version – I will post this in installments)

 

 

'Code Red': Since this seems to be what everyone is interested in lately, I'll start with this. While some state they were given a paper informing them about the Noro scare at the pier, and given the opportunity to cancel & re-book another date – we were not told anything prior to boarding. We did know about it – thru the boards here – before going. It would not have changed our minds to cruise this date.

Actually no more 'washy-washy' than usual. There were no self serve food stations anywhere on the ship. At the buffet there were crew handing out plates, bowls, silverware & napkins, servers for all the food and for the beverages. This was at all buffet stations – Garden Cafe (beverage stations were closed throughout the cruise – yep, the 'good' coffee machines were not available), Great Outdoors, Poolside Grill, Moderno salad bar, and breakfast buffet in Cagney's, as well. Salt & Pepper were given on a plate of small individual packets, by request only. Creamers & sweeteners were served on a small plate – enough for 1-2 cups of coffee/tea as well. All public restroom doors were propped open – so you didn't have to actually use the paper towels to open them.

Captain talked about the precautionary measures being taken (on San Juan day 4) and that the ship would be scrubbed while we were ashore. However, later that night, the sanitizer bubble stands were in all elevators as well and we had a notice in our cabin about the necessity of washing, washing and more washing.

All bar / lounge menus were removed. I asked at Java Cafe to see a menu, and was told I could not. I suggested he hold the menu and just let me see it – but no, sorry, I can't do that. So, I just got a latte. I thought this was slightly inconvenient, as I like to look at the choices and pick something different for a coffee drink. Seems funny that all the restaurants still were able to use menus?

Was in inconvenient? Maybe slightly. Did it ruin or destroy or disrupt our vacation? Nope. We were grateful that they were doing whatever necessary to stop the spread of germs. We did feel bad for the crew, as they were working round the clock on cleaning and cleaning again. But, as NCL crew are known for, they always had a smile!

We did not get sick from any kind of gastrointestinal disease. I was sick the last sea day, however. I just had a headache, aches all over and sure I had a fever. I slept 20 out of 24hrs and woke up back in NY and felt much better – just tired? Maybe too much sleep! LOL

[pcreek]

Background:

This cruise was just my DH & I. We are in our mid-late 50s. I am Platinum & DH is Gold. We have only cruised on NCL.

I book through CAS. Currently we are only eligible for a discounted cabin. We were given a 'free' inside cabin for a couple of years – that we upgraded. Guess we haven't lost enough in the casino lately! Strictly through CAS, as our land based casinos are not affiliated with NCL. We normally cruise around Thanksgiving time. This was our first time actually onboard for Thanksgiving. First time on the GEM.

It had snowed overnight and we had about 2-3 inches of fun stuff to run away from! (for those of you who have read previous reviews of mine - our buddy 'Y' has a friend along this trip - Spidey! Our 6yr old triplet grandsons insisted we bring him along.)

We drove to Elizabeth, NJ and stayed at Country Inn & Suites. We got the 'park & fly' package. We used Dial 7 for car service from hotel to port and return. All this cost us about $40 more than just parking at the pier. To us, it was worth it - made us feel like we got a little more for our money than just vehicle storage. Oh yeah, plus my DH won't drive in the 'City'. ;-)

[pcreek]

Handicapped Accessibility:

I am having ankle fusion surgery on 12/12 and will be totally off my foot for min of 3 months – then a couple months of PT afterward. We considered skipping a cruise this year, but decided to go ahead and take our annual cruise anyway.

We secured a scooter, through Special Needs at Sea (http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/). Easy and convenient ordering. It was ready & waiting in the cabin. Then we just left it in the cabin for pick-up.

I had no problems going anywhere onboard the ship! Last year was a struggle for me, those corridors were looonnnggg!

I had been warned that elevators were a special problem for scooter and wheelchair passengers. I did not find them a problem.

Most everyone I encountered was very helpful. There were a lot of folks who were just oblivious to their surroundings! One woman started walking backwards and almost landed in my lap! She turned around and said “I almost fell over you!” With a surprised look on her face. What I wanted to say, but didn't was 'Umm... yeah, well until you grow eyes in the back of your head, maybe you should at least glance over your shoulder?' LOL I just laughed and she looked insulted. Another time a little boy – maybe 5yrs old – was in the back of the elevator as I pulled in. He looked scared and I told him not to worry, I wasn't going to run into him. His dad then told me that someone had run over his foot earlier that day – without so much as an apology!

The scooter even fit down the hallways with the stewards carts all over – no problem!

For access to the Grand Pacific (after embarkation day) via elevator, you need to get your cabin card coded to use that elevator. You can do this at the customer service counter in the atrium.

There was a letter in the cabin with more information and about contacting the special needs coordinator onboard if we needed it.

[pcreek]

Embarkation / Disembarkation:

I was checking online to watch the GEM sail in – and she didn't get to port until almost 10am – the time stated on our itinerary. The past couple of cruises, she was always in hours early. Cruise critic is always handy to check out what is going on, with current passengers posting updates from the ship. Apparently they had run into some bad weather and were going slower than expected. CC member said they were VIP and not off the ship until 11am.

We had local news on the tv and they reported an accident on the George Washington bridge – causing about a 90 minute delay. Our car service – Dial 7 – called to let us know he would be late, due to the traffic. Since the ship was late, we didn't care! :-) He had originally called our home phone (not cell?)& left a message – then called the hotel to be transferred to our room. Very good customer service on their part! It took us almost twice as long to get to the pier as usual, due to the traffic. We ended up going via the Holland Tunnel, instead of the Lincoln Tunnel – which our driver said was also backed up.

Since we were booked as 'special needs', we got wheelchair assistance on and off the ship. We entered the pier and to the left was the desk for special needs and events. We signed in, letting her know that we were also VIP, she took down our cabin number as she hadn't been provided the VIP list yet. We were directed to a couple of rows of chairs to wait. This was some time about noon.

After more than an hour wait, we were the first group called to be transported through Security to the VIP Check-in, then to the VIP lounge. We had a short wait here, then onto the ship. The driver wheeled me onto the ship to the elevator. I got out and we went up to Cagney's for lunch. We were seated right before 2pm.

There was conflicting information about how/when/where to meet to get off the ship. I think this was because not only was I VIP, but also needed wheelchair assistance. The special needs letter said to go to Orchard Garden and wait there for escort at 8:45 – no wheelchair pickup at cabin. Another letter told us for priority, to meet at the Stardust Theater at 9am. We called Carlos, the concierge, and he cleared it all up for us. We were to have a driver pick us up at the cabin at 9:15, to be escorted off the ship, through customs and out to the curb for our Dial 7 pickup @ 10am. Carlos is awesome! :-)

 

 

The wheelchair driver arrived at our cabin @ 9am....got us to the head of the line getting off. We found our luggage and secured a porter. It was no problem getting off. If you get a porter, they have a special line through customs - easy peasy & FAST!! 9:30 we were curbside waiting on our car to show up.

 

 

We did not have to cross the street to get our pick-up, as some have mentioned on here. I was thankful for that. :D

[david_sobe]

Welcome home Pamela

Cant wait to read more of the review!!!!

[pcreek]

Cabin:

We finished lunch about the time they announced decks 9-11 cabins were ready. We trudged (okay, I trudged) to our cabin – 9672, Penthouse Suite – aft. It was our first Aft cabin. I was looking forward to seeing if it was all it was cracked up to be! Some folks on CC really, really rave about the aft cabins! Apparently, NCL noticed, and I believe they are higher priced than others in the same category.

Well, it was nice, but I would rather have a balcony midship. My favorite part of cruising is coffee & sunrise on the balcony. I mistakenly thought that while being aft, we would have awesome views of both sunrise and sunset on both legs of the trip. Wrong. We never did get a really full-on decent sunrise or sunset from our balcony. I had to lean over and sorta catch it off to either side of the ship. :-( This was my biggest disappointment of the cruise.

My scooter was there, as promised. All charged and ready to go!

The balcony was larger than a regular balcony, in width, not depth – had a lounger, 2 wicker chairs and a small table with a wooden top that was in bad shape. ( that was replaced with an all metal, smaller one sometime during the cruise – no, we didn't mention it or complain about it at all – it held my coffee!). The sliding doors to the balcony were push button. You pushed one to open and one to close. They were slow..but that's ok.

[pcreek]

The handicap features were great and definitely appreciated!

The bathroom was roomy and no steps. It was rather dark in there. Only one light over the mirror, over the sink. There was a handle, with a cord to adjust the angle of the mirror. Not very much storage here, but small issue.

 

 

The shower was very nice. There were grab bars all around 3 sides. Just be careful to grab the grab bar, not the bar the water goes through – it gets HOT! LOL Not that I did that, or anything.

 

 

The water did run out of the shower area, by the toilet. The towels soaked it up good, tho. This happened especially when the captain was driving erratically and hitting every pothole there was to be hit.

There were Elemis shampoo, conditioner and shower wash – in those little travel bottles. We ran out after about 3-4 days and requested them to be replenished – they never were. There was also a shampoo / shower wash dispenser on the shower wall. It worked. <shrugging>

There was one grab bar on the wall next to the toilet and another one on the other side that could be moved up against the wall if not needed. This also was the 'divider' between the toilet and shower and worked as grab bar while in the shower. There was a seat in the shower that folded up against the wall.

Edited December 8, 2013 by pcreek

[pcreek]

We asked our butler for a couple of straight back chairs, as there was a small couch (leather) and 2 padded stools that slid under 2 separate desk areas. Well, I guess one of these was the make-up place, as there was a lighted magnifying mirror (attached almost in the middle of the desktop area) and the hairdryer was there.

 

 

Anyway, nice chairs arrived within the hour.

 

There were mysterious red & green buttons near the door. We tested them and nothing appeared to happen. Moments later, our butler, Jayson, arrived and we asked him about them. He said they were for emergencies and not to push. Oops..too late. Would have been nice if there were a sign? There was an emergency cord in the bathroom, and on either side of the bed, as well. I think there was also a button on the balcony, too.

The door to get into the cabin was not automatic. That would have been helpful to get into the cabin by myself when on the scooter. Fortunately, seemed like whenever I was needing to get in, our cabin steward was nearby and rushed to unlock & open the door for me. :-) Good thing, as my key card never worked in the door. Yes, I had it changed and immediately went to the cabin and it still didn't work there. It did work everywhere else on the ship, tho. :-\

Please see the next few posts for more photos of the cabin.

[TracieABD]

Very interesting review with photos!!! Love it!:o

 

I lived in Syracuse and Buffalo. I feel your pain! (with the snow and ice...)

[pcreek]

Welcome home Pamela

Cant wait to read more of the review!!!!

 

Thanks, David! :D

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Very interesting review with photos!!! Love it!:o

 

I lived in Syracuse and Buffalo. I feel your pain! (with the snow and ice...)

 

Thanks, Tracie!!:D Snow was pretty much gone by the time we got home.

[pcreek]

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

 

[dmrrn73]

You're Lucky! You got to leave the snow, I got to come home to it! LOL DH and I live not far from Rochester in Farmington. We were on the 11/16-11/25 Gem cruise, it was interesting to say the least! Enjoying your review and pictures.

[deladypilot]

Great review so far. Looking forward to more

[NoName]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these photos of your cabin. I am so excited as this is our cabin for the 12/14/13 sailing......(5 days and counting!) I have been looking and looking for pictures without success until I stumbled up on your review...thanks again.

 

I have a couple of question on this cabin. I am sad to see that there isn't a small dining table. I had heard that rumor and your photos confirmed it. Do you think there is sufficient room to add one? This is our first "suite" and I was really looking forward to a nice meal in our cabin......

 

Also, is there a DVD player in the room? Our 3 year old grandson is joining us and a dvd player would help.

 

Thanks again.

[pcreek]

You're Lucky! You got to leave the snow, I got to come home to it! LOL DH and I live not far from Rochester in Farmington. We were on the 11/16-11/25 Gem cruise, it was interesting to say the least! Enjoying your review and pictures.

 

 

hey, Neighbor! What a small world..we should have waved at each other in the terminal! :D

[pcreek]

Great review so far. Looking forward to more

 

 

Thanks! I hope to get to adding more tomorrow! :D

[pcreek]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these photos of your cabin. I am so excited as this is our cabin for the 12/14/13 sailing......(5 days and counting!) I have been looking and looking for pictures without success until I stumbled up on your review...thanks again. And that is exactly why I knew I had to take some pictures & post upon my return. I could find pretty much nothing when I was searching!

 

I have a couple of question on this cabin. I am sad to see that there isn't a small dining table. I had heard that rumor and your photos confirmed it. Do you think there is sufficient room to add one? This is our first "suite" and I was really looking forward to a nice meal in our cabin...... Well, maybe a folding card table could be used and then taken down when done? Or ask Jayson (butler) if they have a table to bring in & out with the food. We had a breakfast and a lunch in the cabin. DH sat at end of bed and had the small round glass table. I sat in one of the chairs I requested at the vanity and ate there. There is a wall of mirror over the bed - you can watch tv from there, too!

 

Also, is there a DVD player in the room? Our 3 year old grandson is joining us and a dvd player would help. Yes, there is a DVD player. It's behind my scooter in the photos...to the left of the tv, in the cabinet. There is also a DVD list that you can pick movies from and Jayson will bring them to you.

 

Thanks again.

No Problem, I'm happy to help!

A lot of folks on here helped with my questions, nice to return the favor.:D

Edited December 9, 2013 by pcreek

[sparks1093]

Loving the review so far!

[boopsahoy]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post these photos of your cabin. I am so excited as this is our cabin for the 12/14/13 sailing......(5 days and counting!) I have been looking and looking for pictures without success until I stumbled up on your review...thanks again.

 

I have a couple of question on this cabin. I am sad to see that there isn't a small dining table. I had heard that rumor and your photos confirmed it. Do you think there is sufficient room to add one? This is our first "suite" and I was really looking forward to a nice meal in our cabin......

 

Also, is there a DVD player in the room? Our 3 year old grandson is joining us and a dvd player would help.

 

Thanks again.

 

Ive always had a small dining table in the Gem PH. Maybe because she had a scooter they took out the table for more room?

[NoName]

Ive always had a small dining table in the Gem PH. Maybe because she had a scooter they took out the table for more room?

 

I hope you are right! I am going to ask to have a table brought in. Without a table, we would lose one of the perks that I was most looking forward to......in cabin dining!

[boopsahoy]

I hope you are right! I am going to ask to have a table brought in. Without a table, we would lose one of the perks that I was most looking forward to......in cabin dining!

 

I am absolutely positive every time I had a PH on the Gem there was a table. We ate breakfast there almost everyday!

[boopsahoy]

 

Heres the table!

[Keith1010]

What a great review and looking forward to more.

 

Keith