GEM Review

[NJBill]

We (wife,myself 17yr,17yr,19yr kids) just returned from a great cruise on the Gem 8/30. Embarkation was smooth. We arrived around around 10:30am and boarded at 11:30. We were undecided on the UPB prior to the cruise but decided upon boarding it was an option so we purchased it upon boarding. We got our money's worth and was glad we did.

 

Ate Lunch in the MAin Dining room and spent the sailaway in the Spinnaker Lounge. Great place to view it.

 

Overall we had a great cruise. Quality of the food was very good. Selections were not as varied as past cruises but still enough not to repeat if you did not want to. Service was good except one night where dinner took 1 hour and 45 minutes. Only ate in Buffet for one breakfast, all othger meals we used MDR. BUffet was the normal chaotic place with people rushing and cutting lines etc..

Port Canaveral we took ship shuttle to Cocoa Beach. We had planned on fishing from the Pier but due to a Surfing tournament fishing was banned that day, so we just spent the day on the beack was was fine. We rented umbrellas and chairs from Cocoa Beach Surf Shop.

 

Nassau we took the local Jitney to breezes $1.25pp each way. Nice way to get a local flavor. It was drizzling when we left the ship, but started to clear around 10am. Purchased our day pass bracelets at the front desk for $65 pp unlimited food & drinks. Food by the pool was good especially Conch Fritters. Wife said buffet was ok..standard buffet food. Beach was not crowded. Did some snorkeling...a few fish to see but not a great deal like St. Maarten or Roatan. Pool was clean. The swim up bar was also nice. Overall the use of the beach and pool & hot tub along with unlimited food & drinks was worth $65 pp. Took Jitney back and did some shopping in town. Wife and Daughter purchased Pandora pieces from John Bull. Straw MArket was the same as the past.

 

We had a small cabana on the Private Island $249. Well worth the $$..

Water, Fruit, $50 food/drink credit,(we got shrimp), and 4 float mats, waiter service for drinks so that was nice. Snorkeling was ok not spectacular. Tram service was sporadic to buffet, we walked most times, not too far. Cabana purchase gets you on the first tender, and we were on the last tender back so we had a full day.

 

We ate at Cagney's one night which was very good. We also ate in Moderno which was ok but quality of food was less than other brazillian type restaurants I have went to.

 

Cruise director and assistants were very high energy the entire cruise. Deal or NO Deal was ok ,as was Bingo. Our M& M slot pull was a bust but we had fun doing it.

 

Room attendent was ok nothing special but ice not filled and cabin not cleaned to degree of past cruises. We had a balcony 9544 and inside 9545.

 

Any questions I would be happy to try and answer. The only real complaint was picking up spirits on the last night..25 minutes in a very small room, very disorganized and hectic..surprising it was done so poorly.

 

Would not do walk-off debark again. People were lining up at 7am when you were not supposed to line up until 8am. We waitied untl 8:20 and still waiting in a long line for over 20 minutes.. Did learn a valuable lesson and got a porter to carry our luggage..breezed through customs without waiting in line.

 

Feel free to ask any questions.

[meatball_nyc]

Welcome home.

Thanks for the review and glad you had a good cruise!

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[spidybabe]

Thanks for your review... We love the Gem, and will be back on her again in the beginning of Nov for a CTN. Great ship, great staff

Safe sailing

[jaja]

welcome home..thanks for the review!

 

Love the Gem and its crew....:D

 

Question....did pax have to go across the street for car service pick ups when disembarking?

[NJBill]

welcome home..thanks for the review!

 

Love the Gem and its crew....:D

 

Question....did pax have to go across the street for car service pick ups when disembarking?

 

No. We were picked up and dropped off right in front.. Pier 88 Bay 32

[www3traveler]

I read a couple of reviews on another website that said there were a large number of uruly kids on board. Did you encounter any problems with unruly kids?

[jaja]

No. We were picked up and dropped off right in front.. Pier 88 Bay 32

 

Thanks so much for the info....guess they changed it back again....:rolleyes:

( procedure seems to change for no reason !)

[cookmg40]

Is the price of the cabana different on the Gem than on the Breakaway? For my October cruise on the BA, the small cabana is $349.

 

Thanks for the review. I love the Gem!

[cls711]

I read a couple of reviews on another website that said there were a large number of uruly kids on board. Did you encounter any problems with unruly kids?

 

Yup. I was on this cruise as well. I have no problem with kids and teens on most cruises. I like to see teens making new friends and having fun on a cruise. I don't mind some noise, some colorful language, some splashing in the pool, some running in the halls, some trips in the elevator with all the buttons pushed, all good clean fun in my book.

 

My problem on this cruise was the unbelievable level of utter disrespect some teens on this cruise exhibited. For example, they would gather and sit on the staircases, when someone would approach to get thru they would not move. You would have to step over and around while they glared at you like you were the one in the way. The behavior in the buffet was appalling, yelling, cutting lines, eating in the line, tasting food and putting it back. There were plates, glasses, food, bottles, cans, trash, wet towels, left all over the ship. Can't blame this just on teens, it was so prevalent that there had to be some adult culprits as well.

 

There also seemed to be a lot of grumpy, complaining cruisers on the ship as well. It seemed everywhere I went someone was complaining to some staff member about something. It was almost comical. I mean it's a vacation on a cruise ship, how bad can it be? Smile, say please and thank you, be respectful of others and roll with the punches! Works for me and despite the negatives I mentioned I had nothing to complain to anyone about and had a great cruise!:)

[galleycook]

Thanks for the review NJBill. May I ask if they had the Jazz Brunch?

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review, welcome back.

[NJBill]

I read a couple of reviews on another website that said there were a large number of uruly kids on board. Did you encounter any problems with unruly kids?

 

A few older teens running up and down the stairs..sitting on the stairs...foul language... Adults wearing shorts to specialty retaurants bothered me more:rolleyes:

[NJBill]

Thanks for the review NJBill. May I ask if they had the Jazz Brunch?

 

I do not remeber seeing that. They did have Jazz a few time in the atrium.

[NJBill]

Yup. I was on this cruise as well. I have no problem with kids and teens on most cruises. I like to see teens making new friends and having fun on a cruise. I don't mind some noise, some colorful language, some splashing in the pool, some running in the halls, some trips in the elevator with all the buttons pushed, all good clean fun in my book.

 

My problem on this cruise was the unbelievable level of utter disrespect some teens on this cruise exhibited. For example, they would gather and sit on the staircases, when someone would approach to get thru they would not move. You would have to step over and around while they glared at you like you were the one in the way. The behavior in the buffet was appalling, yelling, cutting lines, eating in the line, tasting food and putting it back. There were plates, glasses, food, bottles, cans, trash, wet towels, left all over the ship. Can't blame this just on teens, it was so prevalent that there had to be some adult culprits as well.

 

There also seemed to be a lot of grumpy, complaining cruisers on the ship as well. It seemed everywhere I went someone was complaining to some staff member about something. It was almost comical. I mean it's a vacation on a cruise ship, how bad can it be? Smile, say please and thank you, be respectful of others and roll with the punches! Works for me and despite the negatives I mentioned I had nothing to complain to anyone about and had a great cruise!:)

 

I agree with comments which is why we avoided the BUffet. NCL has to share the blame as crew/staff members witnessed the described behaviors and did nothing to correct or discouraged it. I did speak up when I heard foul language around my wife and daughter, and did not yield from the railing when using the steps. When I said excuse me..the did move out of the way..and seemed surprised to be asked to do so..

[NJBill]

Is the price of the cabana different on the Gem than on the Breakaway? For my October cruise on the BA, the small cabana is $349.

 

Thanks for the review. I love the Gem!

 

My understanding from reading different threads is that the price varies by demand/ship. Also remember there are large & small Cabanas with different prices.

[Mr Robberts]

I agree with comments which is why we avoided the BUffet. NCL has to share the blame as crew/staff members witnessed the described behaviors and did nothing to correct or discouraged it. I did speak up when I heard foul language around my wife and daughter, and did not yield from the railing when using the steps. When I said excuse me..the did move out of the way..and seemed surprised to be asked to do so..

 

They were even dressed in the main dining room like they were sitting at the pool disgusting I am for free style but bathing suits tank tops and bandanas on heads really ? When I asked Joseph the assistant Matri D why I was turned away last year in a button down shirt and pleated dress shorts and this year anything goes he told me that it was such a relaxed crowed they were letting them do it so the wait at the smaller dinning room was not as bad. What a load if you wanna dress like that for dinner than do the buffet or small dining room and wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[newcruiser48]

I was also on this cruise. It was the most disappointing cruise vacation I've ever had. There is no reason to run in the hall (deck 10), slam your door every time, or yell for your friends while some people tried to sleep. I also witnessed the behavior previously mentioned.

Needless to say, we avoided the buffet whenever possible, it was like a free-for-all...no respect or courtesy. I witnessed a senior crew member practically being run over by the hordes. Disgusting!!

My husband did wear shorts to LeBistro, but it was a surprise dinner, so we weren't prepared with formal wear. They were dress shorts, though.

GSC was the best part of the cruise. We had a small cabana ($249 with a $50 credit back). We were far away from the maddening people on this trip.

We did meet some very nice people, not everyone on the ship was rude. The crew and entertainment were excellent, the food was mostly good.

[sailingnut]

When I am on vacation~~I ignore, ignore, ignore and have a great time!

[spidybabe]

I do love freestyle, but I think you should be properly dressed for the MDR...no beach/pool attire in the evenings, and every cruise should be the same.

Just my two cents worth

Safe sailing

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[bogalusa]

I was also on this cruise. It was the most disappointing cruise vacation I've ever had...

 

Be happy you were not on the 8/23 Gem sailing. Although we loved the cruise, the thousands of scurrying school-age kids with no, uh, what did they use to call them...oh, MANNERS...got to us more than a few times.

[lzybeanie]

Be happy you were not on the 8/23 Gem sailing. Although we loved the cruise, the thousands of scurrying school-age kids with no, uh, what did they use to call them...oh, MANNERS...got to us more than a few times.

 

I dunno, I was on that cruise & I think the grown ups were just as bad or worse. My 5 yo daughter got knocked on her @ss by a middle aged man walking through the buffet & he never even looked back. I wasn't expecting him to fall all over himself w. guilt but a quickly muttered 'sorry' would have been appreciated. & a woman in a scooter practically ran an entire line of ppl over to get to the elevator. She just kept hollering "'scuse me comin' through!!!" over & over while barreling through the crowd to get in the at-capacity elevator. People has to dive out b/c she wasn't stopping.

[NJBill]

I dunno, I was on that cruise & I think the grown ups were just as bad or worse. My 5 yo daughter got knocked on her @ss by a middle aged man walking through the buffet & he never even looked back. I wasn't expecting him to fall all over himself w. guilt but a quickly muttered 'sorry' would have been appreciated. & a woman in a scooter practically ran an entire line of ppl over to get to the elevator. She just kept hollering "'scuse me comin' through!!!" over & over while barreling through the crowd to get in the at-capacity elevator. People has to dive out b/c she wasn't stopping.

 

I was on this cruise and almost got ran over by the lady on the scooter too..

[galleycook]

I do not remeber seeing that. They did have Jazz a few time in the atrium.

 

Thanks.

[pe4all]

We were on the 8/16 sailing. No jazz brunch.

[AAAAmerican]

Dear NJBill,

 

WELCOME HOME to the Garden State!

 

Are your twins identical?

 

Thank you for your truthful and refreshing review too!:D

 

GBY < :><~~

 

 

 

 

We (wife,myself 17yr,17yr,19yr kids) just returned from a great cruise on the Gem 8/30. Embarkation was smooth. We arrived around around 10:30am and boarded at 11:30. We were undecided on the UPB prior to the cruise but decided upon boarding it was an option so we purchased it upon boarding. We got our money's worth and was glad we did.

 

Ate Lunch in the MAin Dining room and spent the sailaway in the Spinnaker Lounge. Great place to view it.

 

Overall we had a great cruise. Quality of the food was very good. Selections were not as varied as past cruises but still enough not to repeat if you did not want to. Service was good except one night where dinner took 1 hour and 45 minutes. Only ate in Buffet for one breakfast, all othger meals we used MDR. BUffet was the normal chaotic place with people rushing and cutting lines etc..

Port Canaveral we took ship shuttle to Cocoa Beach. We had planned on fishing from the Pier but due to a Surfing tournament fishing was banned that day, so we just spent the day on the beack was was fine. We rented umbrellas and chairs from Cocoa Beach Surf Shop.

 

Nassau we took the local Jitney to breezes $1.25pp each way. Nice way to get a local flavor. It was drizzling when we left the ship, but started to clear around 10am. Purchased our day pass bracelets at the front desk for $65 pp unlimited food & drinks. Food by the pool was good especially Conch Fritters. Wife said buffet was ok..standard buffet food. Beach was not crowded. Did some snorkeling...a few fish to see but not a great deal like St. Maarten or Roatan. Pool was clean. The swim up bar was also nice. Overall the use of the beach and pool & hot tub along with unlimited food & drinks was worth $65 pp. Took Jitney back and did some shopping in town. Wife and Daughter purchased Pandora pieces from John Bull. Straw MArket was the same as the past.

 

We had a small cabana on the Private Island $249. Well worth the $$..

Water, Fruit, $50 food/drink credit,(we got shrimp), and 4 float mats, waiter service for drinks so that was nice. Snorkeling was ok not spectacular. Tram service was sporadic to buffet, we walked most times, not too far. Cabana purchase gets you on the first tender, and we were on the last tender back so we had a full day.

 

We ate at Cagney's one night which was very good. We also ate in Moderno which was ok but quality of food was less than other brazillian type restaurants I have went to.

 

Cruise director and assistants were very high energy the entire cruise. Deal or NO Deal was ok ,as was Bingo. Our M& M slot pull was a bust but we had fun doing it.

 

Room attendent was ok nothing special but ice not filled and cabin not cleaned to degree of past cruises. We had a balcony 9544 and inside 9545.

 

Any questions I would be happy to try and answer. The only real complaint was picking up spirits on the last night..25 minutes in a very small room, very disorganized and hectic..surprising it was done so poorly.

 

Would not do walk-off debark again. People were lining up at 7am when you were not supposed to line up until 8am. We waitied untl 8:20 and still waiting in a long line for over 20 minutes.. Did learn a valuable lesson and got a porter to carry our luggage..breezed through customs without waiting in line.

 

Feel free to ask any questions.