Gem Christmas/NYE - sorry, long.

[Riksha]

Hi everyone,

 

Finally getting around to writing about our Gem Christmas/New Year's Eve Cruise (NYC). There's a lot of info already on the boards which was so helpful for me, so I will just write about our experiences and hopefully someone will find a helpful nugget or two. Apologies for the length!!!

 

Us: me, husband, 2 boys (15 & 18)

Past Cruises: 5 NCL, 2 RCL, 1 HAL and 1 Celebrity

 

NYC: Arrived Monday night for Wednesday departure as I've always wanted to experience Christmas time in NYC - loved every minute. I know there have been posts cautioning NYC departures and how they aren't as friendly. This was our third from NYC and each time, we've met so many friendly, kind and helpful people both in the city and on the cruise - we wouldn't hesitate to cruise out of Manhattan.

 

Embarkation: we were scheduled for the 11:00 embarkation slot and it was packed when we arrived. Sailed through security, only to have to wait 90 minutes before we got to the front to check in. Once we checked in, everyone was already allowed to board. Longest we've ever had to wait, but who cares, we were going on a cruise!!!

 

Room: Connecting balcony rooms, 10th floor. Quiet location. Light above bed wasn't working when we arrived. Got that fixed and then the heat wasn't working in our room which was freezing, and AC wasn't working in boys room which was boiling. Got that sorted and then the light by the front closet wouldn't work. Most glitches we've ever had with a cabin, but they were all fixed in rotation throughout the cruise and nothing earth shattering.

 

Luggage: Suitcases didn't arrive until after 8:00 pm, some sort of delay. Ended up going for dinner at Le Bistro, which I had booked pre-cruise, in the clothes we wore to board. The lady across from us was screaming at her steward for the delay in getting the luggage, asking for compensation but not sure if she got anything. I was just happy our luggage was not lost!

 

Slide: wasn't working.

Rock Wall: believe it was working, listed in dailies.

 

Coffee: as others have said, is terrible. My husband/son are coffee snobs so they brought some ground beans and a French press from home. It was something I thought of after our first NLC cruise so I wouldn't have to hear about the state of the coffee every morning!

 

Service: our cabin steward, the buffet table staff (save for behind the counter who sometimes didn't seem very happy or forthcoming), dining rooms, bars, etc., were excellent - friendly and efficient as usual. I wondered if there have been staff cuts as there didn't seem to be enough bar staff to go around?

 

Beverages: As others have mentioned, hard to get drinks at times. The first night, they couldn't make mojitos or margaritas due to some missing ingredients. They also seemed to be topping everything up with soda, whether it was part of the drink recipe or not. We love caipirinas (may have spelt that wrong), and they were always topping it up with soda, same with my margarita - never seen that before. Not sure it was cost cutting but after that happened a few times, we stated no soda in advance. We were not part of the beverage package and it helped to mention that too, interestingly.

 

Christmas: The ship was beautifully decorated, lovely trees and a gorgeous gingerbread house. On Christmas Day, the main dining room offered a turkey dinner as one of the options. We ate at Cagneys that night and there was no change to the menu, it was like any other night - we knew that going in so it was fine for us, but in case you'd like turkey, stick with the main dining rooms. Christmas at the Vatican was playing in the atrium. Santa was there for the kids in the morning.

 

New Year's Eve: Each of the bar's had something going on with a different type of music. There was also dancing on the pool deck. We visited all the venues throughout the course of the evening. There was going to be a balloon drop in the atrium. Almost impossible to get a drink, we waited 45 minutes in Spinnaker. When the server finally returned with our order, he apologized, saying it was just him and one other person working the floor. On NYE?? Ended up on the pool deck just before midnight. Amazing for us Canadians to celebrate NYE outdoors without freezing. They handed out champagne and hats. Just a few minutes after midnight, it started to suddenly pour, but everyone stayed out, dancing in the rain, getting soaked. Really, a great night. Saw a lot of staff out and about too, enjoying the fun - nice they were able to celebrate with everyone as well.

 

Shows: We enjoyed the performances. The illusionist was very talented but spent more time talking and less time performing - wish he would have done more tricks. The juggler from America's Got Talent was amazing. We enjoyed the male comedian - very funny and seems like a nice guy all around. Second City was ok. Enjoyed World Beat.

 

Debarkation: we did self-debarkation and said our goodbyes at 9:10 am. Took less than ten minutes and we were off the ship. Very smooth and we were able to get to Newark early enough to be put on an earlier flight which was a happy surprise.

 

The not so great:

 

Special Diets: Two vegetarians, two not, and the vegetarian has allergies to nuts and eggplant. We have never had a problem on NCL before. My PCC always notes everything in advance, and there is always a note in our cabin confirming on our arrival. Their website and menus also note the allergy protocols. We sort out our dinner 24 hours in advance. We've done the behind the scenes tour so we know there is a separate section and people who work in this area.

 

Well, my son started eating his entrée one night, and out pops a piece of eggplant. The one vegetable he can't eat. Luckily he saw it before he ate, but it could have been much worse. Apparently, the chef remembered the nut allergy, but forgot about the eggplant, even though it was written in big red letters according to the special diet person looking after us. The next day, my son got a plate of mushrooms as his vegetarian entrée. That's it. Not even mixed mushrooms, just plain, old, sautéed button mushrooms. No pasta, or anything else. If that's the best the chef can do with 24 hours notice for a vegetarian, nut free meal with no eggplant, then I'm a Michelin star chef by comparison. The other nights, there was a vegetarian entrée on the menu so it wasn't an issue, but if you say you're going to accommodate allergies, then there has to be the utmost care and double checking. It made me even more paranoid every time he was eating. I'm fine with little oopsies on vacation like the malfunctions in the room, late luggage, etc., but this is a bigger deal to me.

 

I also found there were fewer vegetarian choices both in buffet and in the restaurant this time. The sandwiches, paninis and most prepared salads always had some type of meat. I guess this is what their customers want, but it would have been nice if there was a small plate of egg salad or other prepared salad kept aside that didn't have pig or chicken in it. Luckily, the salad buffet is still there, along with veggie burgers, pizza and the Indian veg items. It just got repetitive after 10 days, so while we didn't starve, it wasn't our most enjoyable cruise, food wise, and we live to eat.

 

My last comment has to be with activities for 18 year olds. My son was too old for entourage, too young to order a drink at the bar. There were no meet and greets set up for the 18-20 year old set. It was harder for him to meet friends and the first 3 sea days were boring. Once it was warm enough to hit the sports deck, and pool, he met people and then it was more fun for him. He was saying there are meets for LBGT, Veterans, Singles, etc., but nothing really geared to him - he's not into bingo, art, salsa, etc. I never thought of it beforehand as he's always gone to Entourage with my younger son, but there isn't anything that's organized for this group that's considered adults, but not old enough to drink in the bars.

 

So, overall it was great to get away on a beautiful ship and be looked after with no household responsibilities for ten whole days. Would we book another NLC? We didn't automatically put a deposit down this time. I think we will if we can find some friends with kids the same age to travel with, or if it was a port intensive itinerary, without the first few cold days. When we travelled Hal and Celebrity, they had a special vegetarian menu with lots of choices each night so I will look into them again. Or, since we still love freestyle, maybe save up and take fewer cruises but wait until we can afford the Haven again - the Haven restaurant was much smaller - we had excellent food/variety without any safety issue when we ate there on our last cruise.

 

Again, apologies for the length. Happy to answer any questions. Thanks for reading if you got this far!!!

[ColinIllinois]

Did the alcohol policy change recently? Previously, with parental consent, 18 year-olds were able to drink beer and wine.

[Riksha]

Did the alcohol policy change recently? Previously, with parental consent, 18 year-olds were able to drink beer and wine.

 

Oh, I did not know about that. I was just going by what was written in the dailies - over 21 in the bars. It probably hasn't changed, I just wasn't aware you could provide consent. Good to know for next time though - thanks!

[ColinIllinois]

You are welcome. That parental consent isn't valid in Hawaii and Alaska cruises though.

[bbryan5]

Great review, really enjoyed it.

 

but it would have been nice if there was a small plate of egg salad or other prepared salad kept aside that didn't have pig or chicken in it.

 

 

This part made me laugh tho. You technically can't have egg salad that doesn't have chicken in it.. Think about it :D :D

Edited January 12, 2016 by bbryan5

[cloudydrms]

I'll be cruising on the Gem in April for 10 nights to the Eastern Caribbean. How long was your cruise? It sounds like you had a good time. I'm wondering what times the shows were generally so I can plan my dinner times. Thanks for the review!

 

Cindy

Edited January 12, 2016 by cloudydrms

[Riksha]

Great review, really enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

This part made me laugh tho. You technically can't have egg salad that doesn't have chicken in it.. Think abouhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon10.gift it :D :D

 

 

Haha, too funny!!! I didn't catch that :D:D:D

[www3traveler]

Do you happen to recall who your Senior Hotel and Bridge Officers were?

 

Lots of people would like that information if possible.

[Riksha]

I'll be cruising on the Gem in April for 10 nights to the Eastern Caribbean. How long was your cruise? It sounds like you had a good time. I'm wondering what times the shows were generally so I can plan my dinner times. Thanks for the review!

 

Cindy

 

Ours was a 10 day as well. The "Welcome Aboard" show on the first night was only at 7:00. The other nights, there was a 7:00 show, which was then repeated at 9:00. The shows generally lasted around 45 minutes.

 

On our cruise, the line up in the MDR started around 6:00 so if we got there around 5:45, we were able to catch the 7:00.

 

I noticed you have the ultimate dining package - we did that too. By mid-week, it was tough to get a reservation for any of the remaining days so you may want to book those in advance if you can. Otherwise, if you're stuck, try checking on the day of, we did that twice and were able to get in on cancellations.

 

Have fun!!!

[dad son team]

I just got off the ship and they do still have the waiver for parents to sign to allow the 18-20yo's to purchase beer and wine only. You do it once on board at reception. Both people will need to be present as they will have to reissue a new card allowing for the consent.

[cloudydrms]

I noticed you have the ultimate dining package - we did that too. By mid-week, it was tough to get a reservation for any of the remaining days so you may want to book those in advance if you can. Otherwise, if you're stuck, try checking on the day of, we did that twice and were able to get in on cancellations.

 

Have fun!!!

 

Glad you said something while I was planning on booking all of my nights in advance, I had given some though to not booking a few of the days just to see if I'd want to go to the MDR or something like that. Now that you've said this I'll go ahead and book specialty restaurants and then cancel them as we make other plans.

 

Thanks so much!!

 

Cindy

[Riksha]

Do you happen to recall who your Senior Hotel and Bridge Officers were?

 

Lots of people would like that information if possible.

 

 

No, I didn't catch that. We missed the latitudes cocktail party with the ships officers this time. I normally note who they are and it just slipped my mind this time - sorry, couldn't be more helpful!

[ms sjsky]

Thanks for your review. I have a question about the coffee. I remember hearing that the Gem had a coffee press type dispenser as you're leaving the buffet going towards the Great Outdoors, do you know if that's still there? Never thought of bringing my own coffee press, did you bring it to the buffet with you and fill it with hot water, or did you get hot water delivered to your room? Thanks for any info, we leave in 10 days on the Gem.

[luvtheships]

I'll be cruising on the Gem in April for 10 nights to the Eastern Caribbean. How long was your cruise? It sounds like you had a good time. I'm wondering what times the shows were generally so I can plan my dinner times. Thanks for the review!

 

Cindy

 

 

The shows are at 7 and 9 pm

[geegee1]

No, I didn't catch that. We missed the latitudes cocktail party with the ships officers this time. I normally note who they are and it just slipped my mind this time - sorry, couldn't be more helpful!

 

Which day was the Latitudes Party?

[msg12188]

Hi everyone,

 

Finally getting around to writing about our Gem Christmas/New Year's Eve Cruise (NYC). There's a lot of info already on the boards which was so helpful for me, so I will just write about our experiences and hopefully someone will find a helpful nugget or two. Apologies for the length!!!

 

Us: me, husband, 2 boys (15 & 18)

Past Cruises: 5 NCL, 2 RCL, 1 HAL and 1 Celebrity

 

NYC: Arrived Monday night for Wednesday departure as I've always wanted to experience Christmas time in NYC - loved every minute. I know there have been posts cautioning NYC departures and how they aren't as friendly. This was our third from NYC and each time, we've met so many friendly, kind and helpful people both in the city and on the cruise - we wouldn't hesitate to cruise out of Manhattan.

 

Embarkation: we were scheduled for the 11:00 embarkation slot and it was packed when we arrived. Sailed through security, only to have to wait 90 minutes before we got to the front to check in. Once we checked in, everyone was already allowed to board. Longest we've ever had to wait, but who cares, we were going on a cruise!!!

 

Room: Connecting balcony rooms, 10th floor. Quiet location. Light above bed wasn't working when we arrived. Got that fixed and then the heat wasn't working in our room which was freezing, and AC wasn't working in boys room which was boiling. Got that sorted and then the light by the front closet wouldn't work. Most glitches we've ever had with a cabin, but they were all fixed in rotation throughout the cruise and nothing earth shattering.

 

Luggage: Suitcases didn't arrive until after 8:00 pm, some sort of delay. Ended up going for dinner at Le Bistro, which I had booked pre-cruise, in the clothes we wore to board. The lady across from us was screaming at her steward for the delay in getting the luggage, asking for compensation but not sure if she got anything. I was just happy our luggage was not lost!

 

Slide: wasn't working.

Rock Wall: believe it was working, listed in dailies.

 

Coffee: as others have said, is terrible. My husband/son are coffee snobs so they brought some ground beans and a French press from home. It was something I thought of after our first NLC cruise so I wouldn't have to hear about the state of the coffee every morning!

 

Service: our cabin steward, the buffet table staff (save for behind the counter who sometimes didn't seem very happy or forthcoming), dining rooms, bars, etc., were excellent - friendly and efficient as usual. I wondered if there have been staff cuts as there didn't seem to be enough bar staff to go around?

 

Beverages: As others have mentioned, hard to get drinks at times. The first night, they couldn't make mojitos or margaritas due to some missing ingredients. They also seemed to be topping everything up with soda, whether it was part of the drink recipe or not. We love caipirinas (may have spelt that wrong), and they were always topping it up with soda, same with my margarita - never seen that before. Not sure it was cost cutting but after that happened a few times, we stated no soda in advance. We were not part of the beverage package and it helped to mention that too, interestingly.

 

Christmas: The ship was beautifully decorated, lovely trees and a gorgeous gingerbread house. On Christmas Day, the main dining room offered a turkey dinner as one of the options. We ate at Cagneys that night and there was no change to the menu, it was like any other night - we knew that going in so it was fine for us, but in case you'd like turkey, stick with the main dining rooms. Christmas at the Vatican was playing in the atrium. Santa was there for the kids in the morning.

 

New Year's Eve: Each of the bar's had something going on with a different type of music. There was also dancing on the pool deck. We visited all the venues throughout the course of the evening. There was going to be a balloon drop in the atrium. Almost impossible to get a drink, we waited 45 minutes in Spinnaker. When the server finally returned with our order, he apologized, saying it was just him and one other person working the floor. On NYE?? Ended up on the pool deck just before midnight. Amazing for us Canadians to celebrate NYE outdoors without freezing. They handed out champagne and hats. Just a few minutes after midnight, it started to suddenly pour, but everyone stayed out, dancing in the rain, getting soaked. Really, a great night. Saw a lot of staff out and about too, enjoying the fun - nice they were able to celebrate with everyone as well.

 

Shows: We enjoyed the performances. The illusionist was very talented but spent more time talking and less time performing - wish he would have done more tricks. The juggler from America's Got Talent was amazing. We enjoyed the male comedian - very funny and seems like a nice guy all around. Second City was ok. Enjoyed World Beat.

 

Debarkation: we did self-debarkation and said our goodbyes at 9:10 am. Took less than ten minutes and we were off the ship. Very smooth and we were able to get to Newark early enough to be put on an earlier flight which was a happy surprise.

 

The not so great:

 

Special Diets: Two vegetarians, two not, and the vegetarian has allergies to nuts and eggplant. We have never had a problem on NCL before. My PCC always notes everything in advance, and there is always a note in our cabin confirming on our arrival. Their website and menus also note the allergy protocols. We sort out our dinner 24 hours in advance. We've done the behind the scenes tour so we know there is a separate section and people who work in this area.

 

Well, my son started eating his entrée one night, and out pops a piece of eggplant. The one vegetable he can't eat. Luckily he saw it before he ate, but it could have been much worse. Apparently, the chef remembered the nut allergy, but forgot about the eggplant, even though it was written in big red letters according to the special diet person looking after us. The next day, my son got a plate of mushrooms as his vegetarian entrée. That's it. Not even mixed mushrooms, just plain, old, sautéed button mushrooms. No pasta, or anything else. If that's the best the chef can do with 24 hours notice for a vegetarian, nut free meal with no eggplant, then I'm a Michelin star chef by comparison. The other nights, there was a vegetarian entrée on the menu so it wasn't an issue, but if you say you're going to accommodate allergies, then there has to be the utmost care and double checking. It made me even more paranoid every time he was eating. I'm fine with little oopsies on vacation like the malfunctions in the room, late luggage, etc., but this is a bigger deal to me.

 

I also found there were fewer vegetarian choices both in buffet and in the restaurant this time. The sandwiches, paninis and most prepared salads always had some type of meat. I guess this is what their customers want, but it would have been nice if there was a small plate of egg salad or other prepared salad kept aside that didn't have pig or chicken in it. Luckily, the salad buffet is still there, along with veggie burgers, pizza and the Indian veg items. It just got repetitive after 10 days, so while we didn't starve, it wasn't our most enjoyable cruise, food wise, and we live to eat.

 

My last comment has to be with activities for 18 year olds. My son was too old for entourage, too young to order a drink at the bar. There were no meet and greets set up for the 18-20 year old set. It was harder for him to meet friends and the first 3 sea days were boring. Once it was warm enough to hit the sports deck, and pool, he met people and then it was more fun for him. He was saying there are meets for LBGT, Veterans, Singles, etc., but nothing really geared to him - he's not into bingo, art, salsa, etc. I never thought of it beforehand as he's always gone to Entourage with my younger son, but there isn't anything that's organized for this group that's considered adults, but not old enough to drink in the bars.

 

So, overall it was great to get away on a beautiful ship and be looked after with no household responsibilities for ten whole days. Would we book another NLC? We didn't automatically put a deposit down this time. I think we will if we can find some friends with kids the same age to travel with, or if it was a port intensive itinerary, without the first few cold days. When we travelled Hal and Celebrity, they had a special vegetarian menu with lots of choices each night so I will look into them again. Or, since we still love freestyle, maybe save up and take fewer cruises but wait until we can afford the Haven again - the Haven restaurant was much smaller - we had excellent food/variety without any safety issue when we ate there on our last cruise.

 

Again, apologies for the length. Happy to answer any questions. Thanks for reading if you got this far!!!

 

Wondering if you recall the jugglers name.

[Riksha]

I just got off the ship and they do still have the waiver for parents to sign to allow the 18-20yo's to purchase beer and wine only. You do it once on board at reception. Both people will need to be present as they will have to reissue a new card allowing for the consent.

 

Thanks for the additional info!:)

[Riksha]

Wondering if you recall the jugglers name.

 

His name is Charles Peachock - he was a finalist on America's Got Talent. He mostly did juggling but he was pretty funny too and got the audience involved - great show.

[Riksha]

Which day was the Latitudes Party?

 

It was Friday Sea Day 2 at 1:00 in Spinnaker Lounge.

[Riksha]

Thanks for your review. I have a question about the coffee. I remember hearing that the Gem had a coffee press type dispenser as you're leaving the buffet going towards the Great Outdoors, do you know if that's still there? Never thought of bringing my own coffee press, did you bring it to the buffet with you and fill it with hot water, or did you get hot water delivered to your room? Thanks for any info, we leave in 10 days on the Gem.

 

I didn't know about that dispenser, but we did get coffee/tea from the dispensers located there - they were usually less busy - but didn't note the machine in particular - and my coffee snobs did not notice any difference in taste, but maybe that's just them :)

 

We would just run water through the coffee maker in the room and then pour it in the press for our early morning coffee/tea. We'd fill up a cup of cream and milk the night before from the buffet and keep it in our little fridge, although there were a few individual creamers provided with the coffee machine. If we were eating at the buffet, we'd bring it there and fill it up. The press we have is fairly small - 2 cups - and it's metal so no worries about breakage. It was a bit of a pain to clean out the coffee grounds, but not a huge deal.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[msg12188]

His name is Charles Peachock - he was a finalist on America's Got Talent. He mostly did juggling but he was pretty funny too and got the audience involved - great show.

 

Thanks for the info. We are AGT addicts so this is going to be a must see for us. Hopefully he will still be on the GEM on the 1st

[geegee1]

It was Friday Sea Day 2 at 1:00 in Spinnaker Lounge.

 

Interesting. Last year on Breakaway it was around 6 or 7 and we had to reschedule our dinner reservations.

Thanks for the info