Just back from the Gem! Happy Happy, Smiley Smiley, Haven Heaven!

[sharandmike]

This is a review of the Gem from 8/2-8/9 from NYC to Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

 

Background – We are a fun-loving, family of five including DH and myself, 40 somethings, with 3 kids – DS 18 (had a birthday on the ship!), DD 15, and DD 10. This is our kids’ first cruise and second cruise for DH and me. Last time we sailed was in the early 90’s, so things have changed…We were celebrating DS’s graduation and 18th birthday.

 

In a word – Fantastic! The Gem delivered! Here is the rundown:

 

Room - we were in a 2 BR family suite in the Haven. Incredible! There was a complimentary bottle of champagne and large bottled water on ice waiting for us on embarkation day. Oh la la!! We put the champagne to good use for sail away. I thought we would be crowded with five of us in a 576 square foot area, but that wasn’t the case. Never felt cramped. The beds were sooooo comfortable. We did have to get dressed in shifts for privacy issues…not a huge deal. Butler, concierge, and stewardess were top-notch. We always had everything we needed, when we needed it. The only thing I would change is the glass door to the toilet. What?? It seemed to be the joke of the week. In the morning there was coffee, juice, water, pastries and fruit in the courtyard. During the day there were cookies, gummy bears, m&ms and water. You could sit down at one of the tables in the Haven and order breakfast or lunch from Cagneys. We saw people doing it, but we did not. We usually just went to Cagneys for those meals. You could also order drinks from one of the Haven stewards, and he would bring it right to you. The steward (Geoph, I think?) was very accommodating and made sure towels were always on lounge chairs, and told us to let him know if we needed anything. Our butler brought us goodies to our room every day in the afternoon. Each day it was something different and we looked forward to what would be waiting for us. Everything from veggie platters, fruit, canapés, cookies, gourmet chocolates, you name it. There are 2 sun decks on the 15th deck. One is public access, and the other is for Haven use only. Both sides were always pretty empty. It was a good place to go to get some sun and feel the ocean breeze. We loved the Haven and are now spoiled and can never sail any other way! It was great knowing you could either have the liveliness of the main pool or the calmness of the Haven. Also we loved having the option of breakfast and lunch at Cagneys included in our rate. Did I mention the Valera hair dryers? Swankyyy! Puts m ConAir to shame!

 

Restaurants – wow! We opted for the UDP. So glad we did! We ate in every specialty restaurant and there were all amazing. Service was attentive at all of them. Our favorite was Cagneys. The very best steak. Ever. And we have access to a lot of steak houses where we live. Moderno was an interesting experience, trying all the different meats. The salad bar is wonderful, with so much more than salad. Lots of delicacies that should not be missed. DS liked it so much, he wanted Moderno again for his Birthday dinner. Teppanyaki was wonderful too. A great cooking show put on by the chefs, and our meals were great! Not used to having such high quality steak at a hibachi. What a nice surprise! La Cucina was excellent. DH and I had the lobster fettuccini, which was delicious. Le Bistro was amazing as well. We would have loved to have dessert there, but we had to catch up with our kids who were eating at Cagneys that night so we could make it to the 9:00 show. No worries, we had dessert at Cagneys with them. Love Freestyle dining! Note that if you have children under 12 who eat in the specialties, it is half price. We didn’t have UDP for my 10 year-old because of that – we just paid for that separately when we went. She also ate from the kids menu in the specialties, which was free. She was happy with her choices. We did the Garden Café buffet one day when we slept so late we missed breakfast. It is set up very nicely with an extensive selection of food items (love those pretzel rolls!). The food was tasty and fresh. It was a little chaotic since it was so close to lunch time for most people. We found a table with no problem though. The staff was very attentive, clearing dishes and providing utensils and napkins to each table. Wish I could say the same for some of the fellow passengers. There were only a few, but I really wonder where they learned their manners. I saw people grabbing food with their hands (actually moved the tongs out of the way and grabbed with their hands:eek:…seriously?), cut in line, eat over the food in the buffet. C’mon guys, this isn’t your high school cafeteria! That’s all I’ll say about that.

 

Bars/Drink package – we purchased the Corks & Caps, because we are mostly wine and beer drinkers. I wish NCL had a better way of regulating this program, because it was frustrating that we had to purchase the soda packages for our kids.:mad: My 2 DDs don’t drink soda at all, and DS had maybe 3 sodas the whole cruise. It still worked out economically for us, as we did enjoy our unlimited wine and beer. The selection of wine and beer is very good. We even found a new favorite chardonnay that we really like. It was not always easy getting a drink. More bartenders are needed in the busy areas like the pool, especially at peak times. Can never have too many bartenders!;)

 

Shore Excursions –

Port Canaveral - Did Kennedy Space Center at the last minute. We got a taxi at the port for $125 round trip for the 5 of us. Probably could have done better had I planned ahead. KSC itself was pretty cool, but turned out to be an expensive day when you add up the taxi, admission, and $70 for lunch and snacks! Still glad we did it though.

 

Great Stirrup Cay - was very nice. We had priority tendering and we were the first tender of passengers. The crew went over right before us. The swells were very high, and we sat forever on the tender before it left. It was rocking and slamming against the ship. Kids were crying. DH almost got sick. People were falling. It’s not NCL’s fault, the swells were unpredictable. I heard they turned the ship around and temporarily stopped tendering until noon. I was wondering why the island was so empty. In hindsight, we feel very lucky to have made it there when we did. We rented a cabana and I highly recommend it. Do it in advance, there are only 20 and they go quickly. We could go there to cool off at any time. Shade, fan, fridge, water, beer, fruit, and snacks…we were living large! DH and kids did the Hippo slide. Great fun. Couple things to note: bring OFF for the sand fleas, bring water shoes, as the beach and shore are rocky in spots. Also, note that a $50 food/beverage credit is included with any cabana booking. We weren’t sure what to order, since we already had the drink package and none of the food items appealed to us (plus lunch was an extensive barbeque buffet). Our concierge told us not to worry about ordering anything on GSC, as the $50 credit can be used for anything onboard. We liked that, so we ordered nothing on GSC. Come to find out on the last day of the cruise that the $50 credit was charged back to us as “non-refundable unused credit”. I went down to the front desk to have them correct it the morning we left. It was no problem to correct it, but there seems to be some discrepancy in what actually is considered onboard credit, and what isn’t. :confused:

 

Nassau was a lot of fun. We did Atlantis Aqua Adventure. We saved a lot of money by booking a room at Comfort Suites. That worked out very, very well, and if you don’t mind spending a little extra time to check in at Comfort Suites and then get wrist bands at Atlantis, it’s well worth it. I could not see spending $700+ for the 5 of us to visit a waterpark for a day. We did the not-so-lazy river which was really cool! It had rapids, waves, and a tunnel that we got out and skipped because I’m claustrophobic. No worries, we just took our tubes to the next entry point (there are many), and continued the ride. Also did the jungle slide and the Mayan temple slide. Both were fantastic. The grounds at Atlantis are beautiful and you feel very safe walking around. Yes it’s crowded, but it was August and 3 cruise ships were in port. We are used to crowds at amusement parks in the summer, being from NJ so it wasn’t horrible for us. They don’t have water parks like that in NJ!

 

Entertainment – loved, loved, loved all the shows. We saw every variety show with the production cast. Very talented men and women singing and dancing. Jeff (forgot his last name) the comedian was hilarious. I laughed until I cried at his routines. Second City was very funny too, although some adult humor sort of flew over my 10 year-old’s head (good thing). Chip Romero, the comedy magician, was fantastic too. He did some tricks with volunteers from the audience. Very entertaining! Barry in the lounge by Magnums was there some nights, and he drew a crowd. He played the piano and got the crowd involved with name that tune, artist, movie, etc. Lots of laughs there. We did the White Hot party in the Bliss. The parties were in 2 locations – one for 18 and over in Spinnaker, and one for families in Bliss. Everyone was dressed in white and enjoying the dance music. We did go to Norwegian Night Out in the Spinnaker. That was a lot of fun. The DJ would count down every 15 minutes and give out prizes for the most enthusiastic dancers, etc.

 

Activities –

The beer tasting was a good deal. For $15 you got to taste about 10 beers (lost track after a while :D), all served in decent sized glasses (maybe 7 oz). So you got a lot of beer for $15. Eddie, our beer tasting host, was great. He would ask trivia questions for prizes (shots, souvenirs, etc.).

 

DDs and I did cupcake decorating. I thought it was a class, but it was just what it said – decorating a cupcake with frosting and sprinkles. It was fun anyway, and killed 15-20 minutes.

 

More on The Haven –

If you can swing it, I highly recommend it. We needed a suite that we can all be in, since we couldn’t count on adjoining state rooms. Being in a suite brings the best perks. We had priority boarding and disembarking, priority tendering – we were literally the first passengers on Great Stirrup Cay. When there was not a seat to be found at the main pool, we had the quiet pool in the Haven with plenty of lounge chairs. If it rained, the glass roof would close, and we’d have an indoor pool. I read some horror stories of other guests ruining the Haven experience by not controlling their children, playing loud music, sharing their Haven key cards with family members not staying in the Haven, etc. We were fortunate to have a great group of Haven guests. There was a mix of families, seniors, and young couples. Everyone got along, and everyone was very respectful. My DDs even met some girls their age from England and they had such a good time together. We also had an invitation to a VIP cocktail party where you get to rub elbows with (ok, take pictures with) the Captains and ship officers. We probably could have taken advantage of other amenities, such as meals in the cabin or in the Haven, but we enjoyed just being around the ship. It was great having a calm place to go to anytime we wanted, but if we wanted the action by the main pool, we had that too. There is also a concierge lounge in the Star Bar (by Cagneys) that I think is only for Haven guests. It overlooks the main pool, and it’s a great spot to sit in to observe all the action.

 

Staff- I left with the impression that the staff is comprised of hard-working, eager-to-please people who can’t do enough for you. We always got a friendly hello and smile from all workers, anywhere we went on the ship. We had purchased the birthday package for DS. For $35 we got our suite decorated with balloons and streamers, a delicious cake, and a “towel cake” adorned with gummy bears and m&ms. The look on my son’s face when we stepped into our cabin after breakfast was priceless! At 18, he still has plenty of kid left in him, and I know he loved the attention. We took him to the beer tasting as a special treat (remember, 18 year-olds can drink legally while in international waters , with parents’ consent). Everyone sang Happy Birthday. Also at dinner, they brought him another cake and all the servers sang. We noticed there were many of these throughout the week - both anniversaries and birthdays. The staff really makes it special for everyone. Dan Dan the Cruise Director is a funny guy and has so much energy. I have no idea when he sleeps! He seems to be everywhere!:cool:

 

Gift Shop –

We didn’t buy any liquor or gifts there, but it was great for some of the toiletry items we forgot to bring. Note that on port days, the store does not open until 6 pm. However, if you need anything, Guest Services keeps a supply of necessities on-hand that you can purchase right there at the front desk.

 

Although my kids signed up for Entourage and Splash Academy on the first day, they never went back. We were all having too much fun on our own! We did see a lot of kids dressed up as pirates, etc. and they all looked like they were having fun. Cannot comment on the spa or the fitness center, as lovely as they are, we didn’t make use of them.

 

One thing we didn’t know before the trip was that we had an inter-ship telephone in our room (not sure if it’s just the suites that have it?). We carried around the portable receiver anywhere on the ship. If we were doing something separate from the kids, they could pick up a house phone anywhere on the ship and call us. Very convenient and peace of mind, since the new i-concierge app does not work on the Gem yet.

 

All in all, we had a great time and we will be back. Maybe for DD’s graduation/18th!

 

I’m happy to answer anyone’s questions!

[SuiteCruiser]

Thanks for the great review, I was just there the second week of July, so it's nice to relive those happy memories. I was in 14012 and it was nice and quiet in the room and nice and relaxing in the Haven.

 

Glad you had such a great experience!

[Mr Robberts]

Great review leaving August 30 can't wait. Do you know if the two room family suit on deck 11 have haven access. ?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[sharandmike]

Great review leaving August 30 can't wait. Do you know if the two room family suit on deck 11 have haven access. ?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

No, those suites do not have Haven access. But they do have all the other perks - Cagneys for lunch/breakfast, Butler & Concierge, priority tendering, priority embark/disembark. Have a great time!!

[soaringfalcon]

We were on the same cruise and had a delightful time as well. The cabana was amazing!!! Loved it!!! We ended up getting the charcuterie platter and there was plenty for all 4 of us. Loved the chips and fresh salsa too.

 

Jeff Harms was absolutely hysterical. We went to Cake Wars with him and DanDan and I haven't laughed that hard in ages. His show was really top notch.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the great review, sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[latebloomer56]

We loved the DOS on the Gem last year, but were looking at the Breakaway for our next NCL trip we will need a 2 BR suite . You reminded me how much we loved this ship and the crew.

Thanks

[bogalusa]

Thanks for your detailed post!

[cjnwildfire]

We are looking at this room for our next cruise with our kids.

Do you happen to have pictures of the beds all made out. We are wondering how the logistics would work for us?

Thanks for the great review!

[sharandmike]

We are looking at this room for our next cruise with our kids.

Do you happen to have pictures of the beds all made out. We are wondering how the logistics would work for us?

Thanks for the great review!

 

Hi,

 

I don't have pictures of our exact room, but here are 2 photos from another CC member who stayed in this room (or one exactly like ours):

 

This one is looking into the bed area from the Master bath.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=309109&d=1397167595

 

This one is a close-up of the same bed right after turn-down service

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=309107&d=1397167595

 

I'll try to give you as much detail as possible about the room setup to help you decide:

 

My DDs slept in the small bedroom. They both slept in the bottom double. We didn't even pull down the single overhead. It looked like more hassle than it was worth, and they were very comfortable in the one bed. They are also tall for their age, 5'8" and 5'1". DS slept on the futon type thing in the living area. It folds out into a twin, which for him was just big enough. He is 6'1" and used to a double bed at home, but he said it was a little small but comfortable. Our bed was somewhere between a queen and a king (it's 2 singles pushed together but you would never know it). One of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in, and we have a king at home. I'm 5'8", DH is 5'10". Each room, including the living area, can be closed off with doors that lock. So DS really got his own room to sleep in, the only thing he didn't have was his own bathroom. The only issue we had with this suite (and it was very minor) was we had to take turns going somewhere to get dressed. For some reason there is a glass door into the toilet area in the master bath. Duh! With 5 of us, and really only 2 private rooms to get dressed in, it involved a little shuffling.

[AAAAmerican]

Dear sharandmike,

 

 

Welcome back to the Garden State!;)

 

Thank you for your view and review too!:cool

 

So glad youall and your children had an awesome time abaord!

 

My one question is..

What was the Embarkation Day Lunch served?

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a review of the Gem from 8/2-8/9 from NYC to Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

 

Background – We are a fun-loving, family of five including DH and myself, 40 somethings, with 3 kids – DS 18 (had a birthday on the ship!), DD 15, and DD 10. This is our kids’ first cruise and second cruise for DH and me. Last time we sailed was in the early 90’s, so things have changed…We were celebrating DS’s graduation and 18th birthday.

 

In a word – Fantastic! The Gem delivered! Here is the rundown:

 

Room - we were in a 2 BR family suite in the Haven. Incredible! There was a complimentary bottle of champagne and large bottled water on ice waiting for us on embarkation day. Oh la la!! We put the champagne to good use for sail away. I thought we would be crowded with five of us in a 576 square foot area, but that wasn’t the case. Never felt cramped. The beds were sooooo comfortable. We did have to get dressed in shifts for privacy issues…not a huge deal. Butler, concierge, and stewardess were top-notch. We always had everything we needed, when we needed it. The only thing I would change is the glass door to the toilet. What?? It seemed to be the joke of the week. In the morning there was coffee, juice, water, pastries and fruit in the courtyard. During the day there were cookies, gummy bears, m&ms and water. You could sit down at one of the tables in the Haven and order breakfast or lunch from Cagneys. We saw people doing it, but we did not. We usually just went to Cagneys for those meals. You could also order drinks from one of the Haven stewards, and he would bring it right to you. The steward (Geoph, I think?) was very accommodating and made sure towels were always on lounge chairs, and told us to let him know if we needed anything. Our butler brought us goodies to our room every day in the afternoon. Each day it was something different and we looked forward to what would be waiting for us. Everything from veggie platters, fruit, canapés, cookies, gourmet chocolates, you name it. There are 2 sun decks on the 15th deck. One is public access, and the other is for Haven use only. Both sides were always pretty empty. It was a good place to go to get some sun and feel the ocean breeze. We loved the Haven and are now spoiled and can never sail any other way! It was great knowing you could either have the liveliness of the main pool or the calmness of the Haven. Also we loved having the option of breakfast and lunch at Cagneys included in our rate. Did I mention the Valera hair dryers? Swankyyy! Puts m ConAir to shame!

 

Restaurants – wow! We opted for the UDP. So glad we did! We ate in every specialty restaurant and there were all amazing. Service was attentive at all of them. Our favorite was Cagneys. The very best steak. Ever. And we have access to a lot of steak houses where we live. Moderno was an interesting experience, trying all the different meats. The salad bar is wonderful, with so much more than salad. Lots of delicacies that should not be missed. DS liked it so much, he wanted Moderno again for his Birthday dinner. Teppanyaki was wonderful too. A great cooking show put on by the chefs, and our meals were great! Not used to having such high quality steak at a hibachi. What a nice surprise! La Cucina was excellent. DH and I had the lobster fettuccini, which was delicious. Le Bistro was amazing as well. We would have loved to have dessert there, but we had to catch up with our kids who were eating at Cagneys that night so we could make it to the 9:00 show. No worries, we had dessert at Cagneys with them. Love Freestyle dining! Note that if you have children under 12 who eat in the specialties, it is half price. We didn’t have UDP for my 10 year-old because of that – we just paid for that separately when we went. She also ate from the kids menu in the specialties, which was free. She was happy with her choices. We did the Garden Café buffet one day when we slept so late we missed breakfast. It is set up very nicely with an extensive selection of food items (love those pretzel rolls!). The food was tasty and fresh. It was a little chaotic since it was so close to lunch time for most people. We found a table with no problem though. The staff was very attentive, clearing dishes and providing utensils and napkins to each table. Wish I could say the same for some of the fellow passengers. There were only a few, but I really wonder where they learned their manners. I saw people grabbing food with their hands (actually moved the tongs out of the way and grabbed with their hands:eek:…seriously?), cut in line, eat over the food in the buffet. C’mon guys, this isn’t your high school cafeteria! That’s all I’ll say about that.

 

Bars/Drink package – we purchased the Corks & Caps, because we are mostly wine and beer drinkers. I wish NCL had a better way of regulating this program, because it was frustrating that we had to purchase the soda packages for our kids.:mad: My 2 DDs don’t drink soda at all, and DS had maybe 3 sodas the whole cruise. It still worked out economically for us, as we did enjoy our unlimited wine and beer. The selection of wine and beer is very good. We even found a new favorite chardonnay that we really like. It was not always easy getting a drink. More bartenders are needed in the busy areas like the pool, especially at peak times. Can never have too many bartenders!;)

 

Shore Excursions –

Port Canaveral - Did Kennedy Space Center at the last minute. We got a taxi at the port for $125 round trip for the 5 of us. Probably could have done better had I planned ahead. KSC itself was pretty cool, but turned out to be an expensive day when you add up the taxi, admission, and $70 for lunch and snacks! Still glad we did it though.

 

Great Stirrup Cay - was very nice. We had priority tendering and we were the first tender of passengers. The crew went over right before us. The swells were very high, and we sat forever on the tender before it left. It was rocking and slamming against the ship. Kids were crying. DH almost got sick. People were falling. It’s not NCL’s fault, the swells were unpredictable. I heard they turned the ship around and temporarily stopped tendering until noon. I was wondering why the island was so empty. In hindsight, we feel very lucky to have made it there when we did. We rented a cabana and I highly recommend it. Do it in advance, there are only 20 and they go quickly. We could go there to cool off at any time. Shade, fan, fridge, water, beer, fruit, and snacks…we were living large! DH and kids did the Hippo slide. Great fun. Couple things to note: bring OFF for the sand fleas, bring water shoes, as the beach and shore are rocky in spots. Also, note that a $50 food/beverage credit is included with any cabana booking. We weren’t sure what to order, since we already had the drink package and none of the food items appealed to us (plus lunch was an extensive barbeque buffet). Our concierge told us not to worry about ordering anything on GSC, as the $50 credit can be used for anything onboard. We liked that, so we ordered nothing on GSC. Come to find out on the last day of the cruise that the $50 credit was charged back to us as “non-refundable unused credit”. I went down to the front desk to have them correct it the morning we left. It was no problem to correct it, but there seems to be some discrepancy in what actually is considered onboard credit, and what isn’t.

 

Nassau was a lot of fun. We did Atlantis Aqua Adventure. We saved a lot of money by booking a room at Comfort Suites. That worked out very, very well, and if you don’t mind spending a little extra time to check in at Comfort Suites and then get wrist bands at Atlantis, it’s well worth it. I could not see spending $700+ for the 5 of us to visit a waterpark for a day. We did the not-so-lazy river which was really cool! It had rapids, waves, and a tunnel that we got out and skipped because I’m claustrophobic. No worries, we just took our tubes to the next entry point (there are many), and continued the ride. Also did the jungle slide and the Mayan temple slide. Both were fantastic. The grounds at Atlantis are beautiful and you feel very safe walking around. Yes it’s crowded, but it was August and 3 cruise ships were in port. We are used to crowds at amusement parks in the summer, being from NJ so it wasn’t horrible for us. They don’t have water parks like that in NJ!

 

Entertainment – loved, loved, loved all the shows. We saw every variety show with the production cast. Very talented men and women singing and dancing. Jeff (forgot his last name) the comedian was hilarious. I laughed until I cried at his routines. Second City was very funny too, although some adult humor sort of flew over my 10 year-old’s head (good thing). Chip Romero, the comedy magician, was fantastic too. He did some tricks with volunteers from the audience. Very entertaining! Barry in the lounge by Magnums was there some nights, and he drew a crowd. He played the piano and got the crowd involved with name that tune, artist, movie, etc. Lots of laughs there. We did the White Hot party in the Bliss. The parties were in 2 locations – one for 18 and over in Spinnaker, and one for families in Bliss. Everyone was dressed in white and enjoying the dance music. We did go to Norwegian Night Out in the Spinnaker. That was a lot of fun. The DJ would count down every 15 minutes and give out prizes for the most enthusiastic dancers, etc.

 

Activities –

The beer tasting was a good deal. For $15 you got to taste about 10 beers (lost track after a while :D), all served in decent sized glasses (maybe 7 oz). So you got a lot of beer for $15. Eddie, our beer tasting host, was great. He would ask trivia questions for prizes (shots, souvenirs, etc.).

 

DDs and I did cupcake decorating. I thought it was a class, but it was just what it said – decorating a cupcake with frosting and sprinkles. It was fun anyway, and killed 15-20 minutes.

 

More on The Haven –

If you can swing it, I highly recommend it. We needed a suite that we can all be in, since we couldn’t count on adjoining state rooms. Being in a suite brings the best perks. We had priority boarding and disembarking, priority tendering – we were literally the first passengers on Great Stirrup Cay. When there was not a seat to be found at the main pool, we had the quiet pool in the Haven with plenty of lounge chairs. If it rained, the glass roof would close, and we’d have an indoor pool. I read some horror stories of other guests ruining the Haven experience by not controlling their children, playing loud music, sharing their Haven key cards with family members not staying in the Haven, etc. We were fortunate to have a great group of Haven guests. There was a mix of families, seniors, and young couples. Everyone got along, and everyone was very respectful. My DDs even met some girls their age from England and they had such a good time together. We also had an invitation to a VIP cocktail party where you get to rub elbows with (ok, take pictures with) the Captains and ship officers. We probably could have taken advantage of other amenities, such as meals in the cabin or in the Haven, but we enjoyed just being around the ship. It was great having a calm place to go to anytime we wanted, but if we wanted the action by the main pool, we had that too. There is also a concierge lounge in the Star Bar (by Cagneys) that I think is only for Haven guests. It overlooks the main pool, and it’s a great spot to sit in to observe all the action.

 

Staff- I left with the impression that the staff is comprised of hard-working, eager-to-please people who can’t do enough for you. We always got a friendly hello and smile from all workers, anywhere we went on the ship. We had purchased the birthday package for DS. For $35 we got our suite decorated with balloons and streamers, a delicious cake, and a “towel cake” adorned with gummy bears and m&ms. The look on my son’s face when we stepped into our cabin after breakfast was priceless! At 18, he still has plenty of kid left in him, and I know he loved the attention. We took him to the beer tasting as a special treat (remember, 18 year-olds can drink legally while in international waters , with parents’ consent). Everyone sang Happy Birthday. Also at dinner, they brought him another cake and all the servers sang. We noticed there were many of these throughout the week - both anniversaries and birthdays. The staff really makes it special for everyone. Dan Dan the Cruise Director is a funny guy and has so much energy. I have no idea when he sleeps! He seems to be everywhere!

 

Gift Shop –

We didn’t buy any liquor or gifts there, but it was great for some of the toiletry items we forgot to bring. Note that on port days, the store does not open until 6 pm. However, if you need anything, Guest Services keeps a supply of necessities on-hand that you can purchase right there at the front desk.

 

Although my kids signed up for Entourage and Splash Academy on the first day, they never went back. We were all having too much fun on our own! We did see a lot of kids dressed up as pirates, etc. and they all looked like they were having fun. Cannot comment on the spa or the fitness center, as lovely as they are, we didn’t make use of them.

 

One thing we didn’t know before the trip was that we had an inter-ship telephone in our room (not sure if it’s just the suites that have it?). We carried around the portable receiver anywhere on the ship. If we were doing something separate from the kids, they could pick up a house phone anywhere on the ship and call us. Very convenient and peace of mind, since the new i-concierge app does not work on the Gem yet.

 

All in all, we had a great time and we will be back. Maybe for DD’s graduation/18th!

 

I’m happy to answer anyone’s questions!

[cjnwildfire]

Hi,

 

I don't have pictures of our exact room, but here are 2 photos from another CC member who stayed in this room (or one exactly like ours):

 

This one is looking into the bed area from the Master bath.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=309109&d=1397167595

 

This one is a close-up of the same bed right after turn-down service

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=309107&d=1397167595

 

I'll try to give you as much detail as possible about the room setup to help you decide:

 

My DDs slept in the small bedroom. They both slept in the bottom double. We didn't even pull down the single overhead. It looked like more hassle than it was worth, and they were very comfortable in the one bed. They are also tall for their age, 5'8" and 5'1". DS slept on the futon type thing in the living area. It folds out into a twin, which for him was just big enough. He is 6'1" and used to a double bed at home, but he said it was a little small but comfortable. Our bed was somewhere between a queen and a king (it's 2 singles pushed together but you would never know it). One of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in, and we have a king at home. I'm 5'8", DH is 5'10". Each room, including the living area, can be closed off with doors that lock. So DS really got his own room to sleep in, the only thing he didn't have was his own bathroom. The only issue we had with this suite (and it was very minor) was we had to take turns going somewhere to get dressed. For some reason there is a glass door into the toilet area in the master bath. Duh! With 5 of us, and really only 2 private rooms to get dressed in, it involved a little shuffling.

Exactly what I needed, thank you, thank you!:)