Gem March 22-April 1 Long Review~Great Cruise!!

[KevinsCruising]

http://www.nycruise.com/manhattan-terminal/parking/ This is only good 'til 4/21/16, but I would check often for discounts.

 

I'm an at home travel agent and I was checking pricing daily for myself and my customers...I just stumbled upon this. About a week out I paid for an upgrade from an OV to a balcony and then when I was looking at the mini suites I did a double take when I saw that it was only going to cost me $5.60 more, plus I got the free dining...I had to pay the extra tax for the dining, about $30. They tried to charge me for the tax etc. on the bev plan as well, but I had already paid that about 6 mos. earlier. It pays to pay attention.

 

I too am a TA but I upgraded from an OA to a BD guarantee. Keeping fingers crossed. Our cruise is April 30th so will keep checking the coupon. Thank you for that link.

[ranchette]

PORTS

 

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico: the day started off with a bit of rain/drizzle, but quickly turned to the most beautiful day. We took the free trolley to the ocean front cemetery next to El Morro. I have seen it many times from afar and have always wanted to go inside. The trolley dropped us off right in front of the tunnel that you walk down to get into the cemetery...it might sound weird, but it was such a beautiful place to walk inside, got some great pictures. After that we grabbed another trolley that took us right up to the door of El Morro. I think this was our 3rd time here and it's still worth going to ...the kids love it and the views are spectacular.

After El Morro we walked down the lawn and flew the kites that we brought with us...it was a beautiful day so we sat on the lawn and watched the kids have some fun with our kites. If you don't have your own they sell them at the foot of El Morro.

Starving, we walked into town and found a great little place for lunch, a Spanish tapas cafe with excellent seafood dishes...what a find! It was called Rosa de Triana and we ate outside in a beautiful courtyard. I highly recommend it! From there I had to go to The Poets Passage, its a gift shop that makes custom wall hangings...they are ceramic "doors of OSJ" and they will customize them for you. I had to add another one to my collection. Stopped at a few gift shops and the little grocery store for coffee (the best place to get it as its super cheap!) We also got some Easter candy for the next day.

By then we were pooped so we headed back to the ship, got our duty free booze and then chilled out at the pool.

 

I read a review recently that said OSJ only has CVS....I feel so sad for people who think that way. There is so much to see there if you do your research!

 

TBC....

Where is the Tapas Cafe and the gift shops? Love your review

Edited April 4, 2016 by ranchette

[razzzbere]

ST. THOMAS: Another beautiful day in the islands. Abi Beach break. Our group of 2 families decided to do this one shore excursion from NCL and we really enjoyed it, plus it wasn't terribly expensive compared to other excursions. We walked from the ship down the pier for about 10 minutes roughly to a Pirate ship with a 3 man crew. We got settled and the crew gave us some safety instructions as we headed towards Abi Beach, about 30 minutes away. Then the crew started pouring....water for everyone! LOL...quickly after that the Painkillers started flowing...and they were good!!! When we got to Abi Beach we anchored offshore and had to take a dinghy in. It looked kind of scary but that little boat held about 10 people and was no problem getting in/out...just be aware that you will get wet walking onto the beach, there really is no way around that. We spent about 2 hours on the beach, it was gorgeous, not crowded, crystal clear turquoise waters...postcard perfect. They had beach chairs that we could use for free and a bar with a $12 breakfast buffet of really very good food. They also had a gift shop, bathrooms and we rented a paddle boat for $30 that we all took turns using. After the 2 hrs. the horn blew and the dinghy came back to pick us up for the 30 ride back to the pier. More Painkillers! My husband was a very happy person that day, lol!!! This was a great way to spend Easter!!!

 

Speaking of Easter, when we got back to the ship we crashed for a little while and then got ready for the Easter Egg scavenger hunt! OMG, we walked (ran) all over the ship for clues to the next stop to get some candy and see the Easter Bunny at the end...we didn't get pics tho, damn....it was cute, and a great way to see the whole ship.

 

ST MARTEN/SINT MAARTEN: Part 1

Today was completely on our own, feeling adventurous...our first time here! I really wanted to go to the French side so we took a cab ($8pp) to Marigot. The cab driver kept saying "you know there is no beach here" I guess not many people go here but I had a plan.... I wish we had spent more time there as it was Easter Monday and most of the shops were closed, we did enjoy the open air market tho...it was mostly the same stuff that you see everywhere, but we did find local goods...we sampled and purchased some homemade rum that you can only get here. It was cool to hear the people speaking French and when we used the ATM we got euros which we quickly spent. Lots of cool looking cafes and bakeries there, will definitely go again as the harbor was beautiful. We grabbed a cab and headed to our next destination.

Part 2

Maho/airport beach!!!

Another $8pp cab ride, (still cheaper than a shore excursion!) We were dropped off right in front of the bar area that is really a lot nicer than I had expected. They are actually building it up even more than it is now and I think it will be an awesome place. Right now there is a gift shop, a bar and a huge covered deck area with tables to eat at overlooking the ocean. They are building a pool, what looks like a pizza oven and more food areas. It's going to be a destination in itself. We were meeting another family there so we got a couple of lounge chairs on the beach ($) and watched the planes fly over our heads to land on the tarmac right behind us. Our kids loved it! It was so cool to take pics and video. We ordered lunch which took an hour to get to us, so order before you are hungry...the food was really very good tho and worth it. We spent a few hours here...the water was rough but we all had fun as this is a very unique place to be.

What a great day on this island, we'll be back!

 

TBC.....

[Barb Nahoumi]

Thank you for posting this review. We'll be on board the Gem very soon, and look forward to a great cruise.

[razzzbere]

I too am a TA but I upgraded from an OA to a BD guarantee. Keeping fingers crossed. Our cruise is April 30th so will keep checking the coupon. Thank you for that link.

 

You are very welcome, good luck with getting an upgrade and before you know it your cruise will be here, missing mine already!!!

[razzzbere]

Where is the Tapas Cafe and the gift shops? Love your review

 

Thank you!!! When you get off the ship hang a left towards the square and then bang a right ...if you walk up on the cobblestones you will hit all of the restaurants and shops/outlets etc. Just walk up and down the streets and you will find everything. If you go to El Morro first just walk straight ahead pretty much on your way down the hill...you'll find many treasures on the streets of OSJ. For addresses you can find the info on Google or Tripadvisor. Good luck!

[razzzbere]

TORTOLA: Another beautiful day! Grabbed a cab at the end of the pier and headed out with friends to Cane Garden Bay. Tortola is very hilly and the views were spectacular. We got a smaller cab so he didn't stop at all or even talk...but that was OK since it didn't take long to get to the beach. We walked onto the beach and were greeted by a waitress/hostess who told us that 2 loungers and an umbrella were $15 so we did that. Another waitress came by and we ordered rum punch for $5 ea. The kids went right into the crystal clear water and swam and played. We went in the water a few times and walked down the beach to check it out....many beach bars/restaurants etc. There were clean bathrooms and a few little spots to buy t-shirts, typical souvenirs. Unlike St. Martin, they do not haggle with the prices here, thought that was interesting...maybe its because its a British isle? Who knows....I bought a t-shirt anyway! We only had a couple hours to spend here...it was such a nice calm place to be, we could have spent the entire day...oh well, next time!! PS. the rum punch will knock you out! I had a few sips and was cross eyed...they make it with 151 Rum...whoa, I was done drinking for the day!!! Easily got a cab back (altho they weren't too happy that we were all kind of wet, ummmm, we were just at the beach right?) Stopped at the bakery right up the street from the beach and grabbed some cookies, banana bread and poundcake...very good food souvenirs :D They probably had more available earlier in the day as the menu listed Shut Up Bread..lol...I asked the lady what that was and she just laughed! Made it back to the ship on time, no issues...sadly our last day in Paradise!

 

TBC

[rguy123]

Nice review

[tumblew467]

Nicely done.

I do have 1 question, In Margot - do they take American money as well as euros?

[KevinsCruising]

Any chance of sharing some pictures with us ?????

[razzzbere]

Nicely done.

I do have 1 question, In Margot - do they take American money as well as euros?

 

Yes they do, but if you run out and need to use the ATM it will only give you euros.

[razzzbere]

Any chance of sharing some pictures with us ?????

 

I've never done pics on here before....I put them all on my facebook page...but I will try!! Anything in particular that you are looking for?

[razzzbere]

After leaving Tortola it kind of felt like the rest of our cruise was a blur. Good food, comfortable beds, cocktails and bingo!

 

We spent time at the pool that day and enjoyed the sunshine. The hot tubs are so weird....some of them are boiling hot, so hot I couldn't even get in them....some of them are full of little kids, nuf said...and then we finally got in one on the adult side of the pool that was just right...aaaahhhhh. The regular adult pool was freezing and the kids pool was cool, but you got used to it. My kids used the slide a few times and had lots of fun in the pool.

 

Speaking of my kids...they did use the kids club for a few hours in the a.m and then sometimes at night. They were in separate groups, he is 10 and she is 8. In his group he was allowed to sign himself out after being there for 2 hrs. if we said it was OK...we allowed it, but he never did it. If he had his sister with him they probably would have...my kids aren't into roaming around by themselves on a ship with 3000 people...unlike some others, but I digress. Honestly, I think that most of the kids on this cruise were well behaved...I heard "excuse me" or "sorry" if one of them bumped into me in the pool...that really meant a lot to me, parents, keep up the good work!

 

Interesting thing about this cruise...no one ever bothered us to purchase more on the ship....I mean we had the UBP, so that was covered...but nothing was in your face, no push for the spa, the gift shops, bingo...it was there if you wanted it, but if you didn't, no big deal. Even the photos...we bought one... My husband kept saying that he was really shocked at how easy this cruise was....now he wants to go again next year!

 

On the last day they finally lifted the "no hands" ban in the dining areas. We could get our own food in the buffet.....it was weird! I overhead someone say to the lady in front of her...."Ma'am, you have to serve yourself" LOL!!

So everything was back to normal, rolls and butter on the tables in the dining rooms...still Washy Washy everywhere but it was as if the whole ship did one big sigh of relief.

 

I feel like I'm forgetting something, so please if you have any questions, ask away...that's why I decided to post my review on here as opposed to just the review page.

 

BTW, we did self disembarkation...we were on deck 11 so we had to wait for the elevators for a bit. When we got there this lady yelled at her kids..."don't let anyone get on ahead of you, we're next!!" So I said to her, "is there a line?" "are the elevators broken?" all she did was shrug her shoulders... Captain Lars happened to walk by just at that moment and he said "there are only 3000 people on the ship trying to get off at the same time..." LOL...I'm sure he hears the same crap on every cruise! Deep breath people...you will get off. It did take us about an hour from leaving our cabin until we got to our car. The line snaked around the back of the ship to the exit...but we made it!

 

FINAL THOUGHTS: We have been on larger, grander ships, but we had a better time on the Gem. We enjoyed family time and we enjoyed time with friends old and new. The people on this cruise were genuinely friendly. The crew seemed like family the way they acted towards each other and that was really nice to see. They always say that you only sleep in your cabin, but if you have kids you probably spend more time there. Get what you can afford...we really made use of the balcony this time for the light and the sounds of the waves, it was really nice. Get room service, i'm sure you don't have that at home! Take naps if you need them....and most of all enjoy yourselves and relax, after all this is your VACATION.

 

Thanks for all of the positive feedback, I hope you enjoyed my review and again feel free to ask any questions. :)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Thank you for your review! Glad you had a great cruise! :)

[wezie]

Thanks for the review! Did you happen to notice if there was a murder mystery lunch?

[razzzbere]

Thanks for the review! Did you happen to notice if there was a murder mystery lunch?

 

I saw an advertisement for it close to the info desk...but I'm not sure if it was for our sailing or not. I never heard anything about it otherwise.

[anotterchaos]

Thank you so much for your outstanding & detailed review! We are embarking in 16 days for our first ever cruise on Gem, and we can't wait! This covers a lot of things I had questions about, and it's lovely to see lots of positives. Seems like some folks look for and find nothing but the sour notes.

 

One thing I haven't seen addressed anywhere. I'm wondering what the shampoo & shower gel are like. I don't usually bother to take products to short stays at hotels, but for 10 days but I might. I have some scent sensitivities so my main question is...are there any heavy floral or vanilla scents? Citrus, tea, etc are fine, but I'd rather not have to up my allergy meds!

[razzzbere]

Thank you so much for your outstanding & detailed review! We are embarking in 16 days for our first ever cruise on Gem, and we can't wait! This covers a lot of things I had questions about, and it's lovely to see lots of positives. Seems like some folks look for and find nothing but the sour notes.

 

One thing I haven't seen addressed anywhere. I'm wondering what the shampoo & shower gel are like. I don't usually bother to take products to short stays at hotels, but for 10 days but I might. I have some scent sensitivities so my main question is...are there any heavy floral or vanilla scents? Citrus, tea, etc are fine, but I'd rather not have to up my allergy meds!

 

I always bring my own products, but we did a 10 day and I was running low, so I did try the shower gel. It had a very light scent, a bit of citrus I think...I didn't use the shampoo, but if I had to guess, it was probably similar.

Thank you for your positive comments and have a great trip! If you have any other questions, please feel free!

[KevinsCruising]

I've never done pics on here before....I put them all on my facebook page...but I will try!! Anything in particular that you are looking for?

 

Anything will do. Looking to see the fixed up Bliss Lounge, Spinnaker, etc. Anything that will get me psyched for my April 30th cruise :D

[djpk2003]

Loved reading your review! I am on the Gem April 21st and it can't get here fast enough!! :D Your review made me all the more excited!

[razzzbere]

Loved reading your review! I am on the Gem April 21st and it can't get here fast enough!! :D Your review made me all the more excited!

[emoji1]

 

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[motherof22boys]

Thanks for the review! The Gem sounds great. Did you have a pullman bed above the couch in your mini-suite? Do all of the balcony and mini-suites on the Gem that are for 4 people have only the pull-out or do some have the couch and a pullman? If anyone has stayed in a cabin for 4 with a pullman I'd appreciate the cabin number. Thanks!

[razzzbere]

We did not have a pullman in our mini suite...I don't believe any of them have that option..the 4 person rooms do have pullmans, your travel agent should be able to see that online when you pick your cabin. Happy travels!

[motherof22boys]

Thanks for the quick reply!

[cv322]

Thanks for your review! I don't know why I didn't see it until today, but I didn't :o...and heaven knows I check in here almost daily! It's so well written, comprehensive & fun!... and it was a pleasure to read :).

 

I was on the cruise immediately before you - I got off the day you got on ;)...(I wasn't one of the sick ones lol) so I'm not surprised at the deep cleaning, and so happy that the crew handled it so well for everyone on your cruise. I'm just sorry I missed Captain Lars by 10 days darn it ...he's my favorite!

 

Anyhow, thanks again for a fabulous commentary...happy that you had an amazing time!