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

[pcreek]

St. Maartin:

We went to Great Outdoors for breakfast, then back to cabin to sit on balcony. We were backed in and had the perfect view of the pier! There is a steel drum band playing on the pier. The guy with the mic was saying 'Good Morning”, then “ I SAID Good Morning!!” Apparently, folks were ignoring him as they passed by! I thought it was funny and thought good for you to repeat yourself! Mark found it annoying. Shows our different views of things sometimes! LOL

 

 

 

There was a P&O Ship, I think Ventura, here as well. Also, there were several private yachts – even one with a helicopter!

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2013 by pcreek

[pcreek]

Luckily, the rain was holding off and we were off at about 11:30! I called special services to see if there was a place to leave my scooter close to where we were leaving the ship – and security said I could park under the stairs there. Nice!

Maho Beach, look out, here we come! This was one of the highlights of the trip! We got off the ship, waited at the bottom of the ramp for a people mover to take us to the taxi stand. We got a cab (mini-van – with an extra step to help me get in). Our driver was our own personal tour guide and we chatted the whole way there. There was a LOT of traffic and we asked if this was normal. She said, no, it's because of Black Friday – lots of shoppers! She also said that a lot of locals even went to the states to shop for the day! She offered a lot of information, including where to find the restroom and how to get a taxi to come back to the ship whenever we were ready!

 

 

 

 

 

We went to Sunset Bar & Grill, right next to Maho Beach. Charge was $10 pp, would have been less if more than just the 2 of us – but we enjoyed being alone! We found a table and decided to have lunch while we were there. It was almost 1pm when we got there. I decided to try something called Dutch Croquette Von domme. She explained that it was like a hush puppy, with shredded beef inside, served on a hot dog roll. Okay, I'll try it! Mark had a cheeseburger. When she brought the food, she told me to squish the croquette down on the roll and that most people use mustard, but she prefers mayo. I tried the mayo. It was delish!

 

 

 

 

it was breezy this day - good excuse for bad hair! LOL

Edited December 16, 2013 by pcreek

[pcreek]

Mark went to check the surfboard for plane times and only saw arrivals, no departures. At least not while we were there. It was very sunny and difficult for him to see the screen on the video camera. I think we got a 3 min. one of actual plane in it! LOL It was hard to catch a good photo with the camera, as well. I tried! But we did see them in person, so that was good! We small planes come in and a couple large ones, too! How fun it was!

We got a photo of our waitress and she took one of us as well. She was very nice. She seemed surprised with we asked for a menu. I said, well, since we're sitting at the table, it would be rude not to order – she said most do not! Really? Strange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

We decided to head back around 2:30. Saw a man with a taxi to cruise ship sign and grabbed him and we were off. Same price on way back – again only the 2 of us. He asked if we wanted to wait for more people and we said no. Another chatty driver, telling us a bunch of stuff! Mark asked if it were possible to stop at Hard Rock so he could run in for a shot glass for our collection. Driver said sure, no problem! It was bumper to bumper traffic on Front St – shopping street. Our driver was like the local mayor – several people came up to the van to chat as we waited in traffic!

 

 

 

 

 

[pcreek]

We were dropped off at the taxi stop and waited for the people mover. Decided it wasn't coming so we slowly headed back toward the ship. We made frequent bench stops! One time, I spied the Diamonds International store and checked my charm bracelet punch card. I did not have the one from here and Mark headed over to get me a free charm. Nice!

We took our time getting back to the ship. There were – thankfully – several benches to rest at. No red carpet dance party – however, there was water/orange drink, squeeze up freeze-pops and cold wash cloths! Really nice touch and very refreshing! Got my scooter and we headed back to cabin.

 

 

 

 

Our cabin in RED:

 

 

 

About 5pm, Mark decided to grab some grapes from the fruit bowl and saw that they were really past their prime. Just at that moment, Jayson arrived with 2 plates of garlic toast & cheese. Perfect snack / perfect timing! This was our most enjoyable afternoon treat ever!

 

 

All aboard was 5:30. Shortly after that, they were calling names over the loud speaker. Finally about 6:45, a golf cart came flying down the pier with what appeared to be several children/teens in it – all with those big swim noodles. We then immediately got ready to pull out. We wondered if they were on a ship sponsored tour that was late for some reason?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whoops - I guess some of these are really blurry!!

 

 

Great day!

Edited December 16, 2013 by pcreek

[pcreek]

St. Thomas:

Captain came on this morning and said there was about a 20% chance of rain. I think he meant that there was about a 20% chance of no rain! LOL It was pouring when we arrived. Great Outdoors for breakfast. It also rained while we were here. Good thing we were sitting under cover! I had brought my journal, Mark his kindle. Eventually, we moved inside to the back area of the buffet – totally empty!

We were the only ship on port today. I had no plans of getting off, but Mark thought he might wander around the shops.

The rain let up and he was off. He bought a hat for himself and a glass emery board for me. He called when he returned as we thought to catch the movie in the atrium on the big screen.

I went down to meet him there. They passed out popcorn in little bags. It was some kids' cartoon movie, so we didn't stay long.

Lunched at the buffet – big mistake – very crowded and non-handicapped folks were in all the designated handicapped reserved seating. (well, to be honest I don't know if they needed those seats, but there were no wheelchairs or scooters or walkers or canes anywhere near them) Difficult to find a place to get in with the scooter – or to find a place to park it and then a seat. We grabbed something quick and made a fast getaway!

More storms came through – complete with lightening and thunder!

 

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

Samana:

Well, we did have plans – bought excursion tickets to Cayo Levantado online – today. Unfortunately, I woke up very achy and my ankle was really bothering me. I decided that I wasn't going to be comfortable with all the walking and the 15 steps to the ferry boat (as I was told by special services when they called the day before to make arrangements for me to get off the ship. They were going to send a wheelchair for me to go to meeting place, then there were these steps, then there was walking from drop off to beach. Decided it was not for me this day.) I called Carlos to ask if he could let them know we wouldn't be showing up for our tour time/location. He said he would and that he would also try to get us a refund. I said I really wasn't asking for that..just didn't want to hold everyone up, if they were waiting for us to show up to go. It was very nice of him – and he did get us a refund that showed up on our cabin billing.

 

 

We had room service breakfast and hung out in the cabin most of the morning. We ventured out later to find the bridge viewing room and Coka's mermaid!

 

 

We were going to go to Grand Pacific for lunch – but according to the Freestyle Daily, they weren't open for lunch today. So, Cagney's it was. We were the only pax there the entire time.

We then wandered around the ship and saw that the casino was open!?! Talked to one of the hosts, and she assured us that yes, they were open, as Samana didn't care! There were maybe 5 others in there playing, so it wasn't publicized very much!

[pcreek]

Final Thoughts:

We played several sessions of trivia with Leslie from St. Lucia. He was a lot of fun!

We spent quite a bit of time in the casino, but no big wins. I think my largest win was about $60.00 on the slots. We only played the slots. We used both the coupon from slotplay.com and from NCL website/gifts. We each spent out of pocket about $400 each – and didn't earn anything while onboard, nor did we receive any special treats in cabin. Dh was supposed to go down to casino on last day to see if we could get anything off on board bill, but I think he forgot. Oh well.

 

 

We saw a couple of the shows and Jeff Harms the comedian. We sat in the upper balcony in the back, where they had straight back chairs set up. Very comfortable.

 

 

We enjoyed listening to guitar and songs with Leo – Elton John tribute & Billy Joel tribute. We also enjoyed piano with Michael in Magnums – outside Le Bistro several times.

We attended the 'finale' show where all the crew comes out. Love that and every time I get teary! Must be getting old!!

We spent a lot of time relaxing (our plan) and reading.

I enjoyed sitting at Bali Hai, overlooking the pool deck and reading or writing in my journal. The water kept spilling out of the pool! Looked like fun!

 

 

 

 

Watched a young woman who was in a wheelchair, get lifted into the pool and enjoyed a swim with the orange ring on. She seemed to be having a great time! Nice that they had that option for her!

[pcreek]

We had a nice time on the GEM. Our vacation was exactly what we made of it and we got in a lot of down time! I felt very well taken care of by all the crew & staff aboard and in the terminal. It was an amazing time – even with the scooter! Can't wait to see what next year's cruise will bring! Hopefully, I will again be fully mobile and able to do a lot more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[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.

 

\Seems like I goofed and moved these cabin photos into their own folder.

Here is the link to look at all of them! Sorry about that!! You can click on a lot of other photos that I didn't post on here, as well. Thanks for reading!!

 

http://s1016.photobucket.com/user/pcreek1/library/NCL%20GEM%209672?sort=3&page=1

Edited December 16, 2013 by pcreek

[pixiedustdawn]

Thank You for sharing all your photos. They are lovely.

 

So happy you had a great time.

 

I recognized Marlon as well as I Wayan. They are terrific waiters in Cagneys.

 

Did you happen to get any pictures from the final show with the officers on stage?

 

Dawn

[pcreek]

Thank You for sharing all your photos. They are lovely.

 

So happy you had a great time.

 

I recognized Marlon as well as I Wayan. They are terrific waiters in Cagneys.

 

Did you happen to get any pictures from the final show with the officers on stage?

 

Dawn

 

Yes, actually, I did! I will look for them tomorrow and post!:D

[pcreek]

 

 

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

 

 

 

[pcreek]

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know the lights are blurry..I like to try to get them that way. I call them 'art' :-)

[pcreek]

 

 

 

 

 

[pixiedustdawn]

Thank you for posting the pictures, they are beautiful. And I know they probably weren't from your phone so it took work getting them on here. Thanks Again. :)

 

 

Dawn

[pcreek]

Thank you for posting the pictures, they are beautiful. And I know they probably weren't from your phone so it took work getting them on here. Thanks Again. :)

 

 

Dawn

 

 

LOL You are correct! It is definitely a process - that I get better/faster at the more I do it. My phone is 'dumb' - it only makes phone calls - go figure?!?! :rolleyes: Good thing I have plenty of time right now! LOL

[www3traveler]

Pamela,

Did you get a chance to talk with your Captain? Does he also have a father who is a Norwegian Captain?

[pixiedustdawn]

Pamela,

Did you get a chance to talk with your Captain? Does he also have a father who is a Norwegian Captain?

 

I think that last name is just a popular name there.

[pcreek]

Pamela,

Did you get a chance to talk with your Captain? Does he also have a father who is a Norwegian Captain?

 

No, I didn't. We saw him at the cruise critic M&G, but I didn't have the opportunity to speak with him. We didn't end up attending any of the other VIP cocktail gatherings this time. Sorry, Can't help with this. :(

[pixiedustdawn]

No, I didn't. We saw him at the cruise critic M&G, but I didn't have the opportunity to speak with him. We didn't end up attending any of the other VIP cocktail gatherings this time. Sorry, Can't help with this. :(

 

I highly doubt that it is his father.

[coka]

Hi Pamela! I hope your ankle surgery went well and you are healing nicely with very little pain. I enjoyed the rest of your review and especially the pictures of the Gem-It Mermaid. Looks like she has a lot more charms on her tower of good luck! I will look at some comparison pictures from when she first appeared in public just in case I need to get the artist back on board to offer a facial! Even so, I hope she is aging appropriately! The Gem's Godmother does sail and does visit the ship and the crew loves her so. All is well with the world!

My favorite pic is the one with you and hubby in the suite robes...the smiles are precious and priceless! Glad you had a good time and perhaps we will find ourselves on a same future sailing!

 

Happy New Year,

coka:D

[pcreek]

Hi Pamela! I hope your ankle surgery went well and you are healing nicely with very little pain. I enjoyed the rest of your review and especially the pictures of the Gem-It Mermaid. Looks like she has a lot more charms on her tower of good luck! I will look at some comparison pictures from when she first appeared in public just in case I need to get the artist back on board to offer a facial! Even so, I hope she is aging appropriately! The Gem's Godmother does sail and does visit the ship and the crew loves her so. All is well with the world!

My favorite pic is the one with you and hubby in the suite robes...the smiles are precious and priceless! Glad you had a good time and perhaps we will find ourselves on a same future sailing!

 

Happy New Year,

coka:D

 

 

Aww..thanks, Coka!!

Glad you enjoyed the mermaid photos. Yes, I think you should take the artist back onboard to check her out. Good excuse for a cruise. ;)

 

My ankle surgery went well. I am on the way to recovery - it's been 1 week! Most of the actual pain is gone, it's just very uncomfortable now. Thanks for asking!

Nice to hear about the Godmother!:)

 

LOL Your fav pic is not of me & dh in robes...that's someone else posting about the table in their non-handicap cabin! LOL

 

Happy New year back at ya! Hope to someday cruise together! :D