Gem 1/2/2015

[johnsak123]

Any reviews or thoughts about this cruise

Cheers!!

[KayFit]

I really want to hear a review of this because I will be on the Gem Jan 30, 2015.

[KevinsCruising]

Me too...... leaving this Wednesday on Jan 21st . :o

[aces389]

Start this reflects my view only and the things I enjoy may not be applicable to you. I like to gamble and spend most of my time in the casino. I don't go to shows so I can't comment to them. I can't even comment on the availability of chairs at the pool.

 

Food on the Gem was some of the best that I have had on any NCL cruise. I even enjoyed the buffet, where the food was tasty and hot. We had two enjoyable meals in Cagney's, steaks were really tasty. Tepenaki was a good show. Moderno's was ok, only so much meat that I can eat. Le Bistro - I had one good meal and one eah. I did not care for the fruits of the sea, an extra charge item on their menu. Not what I expected it was supposed to be a puff pastry shell but it was really a dense roll cut in half with lobster, scallops and shrimp in a cream sauce. Other food complaint was long wait in O'Sheehans for lunch/dinner service.

 

We generally don't get off of the ship in most ports. San Juan stayed on, St Thomas took the tender to the downtown area did a little shopping and returned. For me the tender was not a problem as I am platinium on NCL. St Martin just did a little shopping in the little mall at the pier.

 

Best part of the cruise was the friendly NcL staff, they always say hello and how was your day. We had a great location for our cabin 10590, which was by the mid-ship elevators. Central to everything that i did.

 

Check to see if they adjusted the time the ship returns to NY. Ours was scheduled for 10:00 am but we returned at 8:00. Since I scheduled a car service for 11:00 this was a long wait. Getting off was easy grabbed a porter and they dropped us off on the street level to wait for the car service.

 

Enjoy your trips.:)

[woodburykt]

Just quick question for you.........

 

....."St Thomas took the tender to the downtown area".....

 

Did you tender into downtown because there were a lot of ships in port that day? I'm wondering why you did not dock at the Havensight pier. Not a biggie for us, but any info that you may have would be appreciated.

 

We sail on our old friend the Gem for the 7th time on 02.09.2015!!!!

Edited January 15, 2015 by woodburykt

[Bluewake]

Also was on the Jan 2nd sailing of the Gem. Kind of a long post so beware!

 

Embarkation: We were very pleased with the embarkation process....although the parking fee is exorbitant! Check-In may have been so easy because we are gold members and were allowed to go through an expedited check-in process and line. We went to O'Sheehan's instead of the buffet while waiting for our cabin. Much easier! Tip - instead of using the Lincoln Tunnel, unless it's really out of your way, use the George Washington Bridge. Must less congested and you avoid the left turn from the West Side Highway into the cruise terminal which can take forever!

 

Cabin: We were in a balcony cabin on deck 9. I've always thought that NCL cabins tend to be a bit smaller than other cruise lines (perhaps just my imagination) so this was a good choice. Surprisingly, we were able to use the balcony all but the first and last day. Our cabin steward (Patrick) was excellent. When we returned he made us feel "welcome home".

 

Ship: For it's age, the Gem seemed to be in pretty good shape. While we cruised, the crew replaced the carpet in our hallway and did some other projects. No complaints about the condition of the ship. We spent a lot of relaxing time at Magnums listening to the musicians/singers. I do think the Gem could benefit from having another bar or pub, though. I am not a fan of the atrium being used as a "hang out" and activity location but that is a feature on several NCL ships so others must enjoy it. It certainly was rocking during NFL playoff games.

 

Entertainment: The shows were pretty much standard cruiseline...they were the production numbers, the comedian, the juggler, magician, etc. All were entertaining but nothing extraordinary. I think I was spoiled by last being on the Breakaway with Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, etc. Those we attended were good, then again, I probably fail to appreciate the shows as much as others may. I did hear from a couple of other passengers that they really enjoyed some of the shows we missed.

 

Food: My wife and I both agreed that the food quality on NCL seems to have gone up appreciably in the past year or so. We always found something in the main dining room that was pretty good and the "classic menu" available every night also was quite well rounded so we didn't feel a need to pay the surcharge for a specialty restaurant. The dining room servers were very good...in fact, among the best we've had on NCL. The buffet on the Gem seems smaller than on other ships...essentially only one side. But, we always managed to find a table and the food was fine with ample choices. We also enjoyed O'Sheehans and thought it was a step up from the Blue Lagoon.

 

Ports: We'd been to these ports several times before so there wasn't much we didn't expect. (1) San Juan - we went to the rain forest in the morning and hit several of the jewelry stores in the afternoon. The rain forest was okay but it was not the peak season so the flowers weren't in bloom. Excursion was okay, not great. I have to say that having a full day in San Juan was a delight. (2) St. Thomas - tendering was no problem at all but because we were taking a ship excursion, we were able to get on the first tender. We spent some time shopping - which is always an adventure in St Thomas - and then went to St Johns. A tip - if you take a tour of St. Johns, sit on the left side of the vehicle. Virtually everything the driver pointed out or that is photo-worthy was on the left. We did stop and get out at a couple of key picture points so that was helpful. (3) St. Maarten - one of our favorite ports. We've already been to Marigot, Orient Beach and Maho a few times so we decided just to spend the day in Phillipsburg. With the beach, the boardwalk and the shopping all right there, we had a great day and without having to run to catch excursion vehicles, etc.. Tip - get lunch at the "Blue Bitch Bar"....great Nachos, ribs, etc.

 

Debarkation: Much easier than we thought it would be. We were the first "color tags" to go after self-assist and disabled. We breezed through. The last time we were on the Gem, we were in an inside cabin and it seemed to take much longer and a lot more people cut in line. This time was a totally different experience. Again, however, if you can leave NYC via the GW Bridge instead of the tunnel, it is much easier.

 

Of course, the above is entirely subjective!!

Edited January 15, 2015 by Bluewake

[KevinsCruising]

Thank you so much for the reviews !

[aces389]

Just quick question for you.........

 

....."St Thomas took the tender to the downtown area".....

 

Did you tender into downtown because there were a lot of ships in port that day? I'm wondering why you did not dock at the Havensight pier. Not a biggie for us, but any info that you may have would be appreciated.

 

We sail on our old friend the Gem for the 7th time on 02.09.2015!!!!

 

All the big ships were in Havensight that day. Actually worked out better for us because we usually never leave the Havensight area.

[Poipu04]

All the big ships were in Havensight that day. Actually worked out better for us because we usually never leave the Havensight area.

 

 

Does any one have dailies they would be willing to share?

 

 

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