New to NCL, sailing Gem

[AJMissal]

My husband and I have always cruised Princess Cruise line. We just made a reservation with two other couples to cruise the Norwegian gem in February. I am looking to find some information on how Norwegian works. I was looking for a FAQ, but cannot find one. If someone can give me information on where to find this so it does not have to be repeated. Or if someone would like to answer . Do you need to make reservations for the complementary meals, or is it just walk in? Are there several buffets? Do you have to make reservations for any of the entertainment, such as musicals, comedians etc.? Are there different languages or bars with different types of Music being played for dancing etc? How many pools are on the ship and is it hard to find a lounger during the day? Do they have complementary towels instead of bringing them from home? I have many more questions LOL but I'll start with those. thank U so much in advance.

 

 

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[Dina7]

Here's the link to ncl's Frequently Asked Questions:

https://www.ncl.com/faq

 

You don't need to make reservations for the complimentary main dining room, The Grand Pacific.

Pool towels will be provided in your Stateroom. Then once you have used them, just leave them for your room steward and he will replace them with fresh ones.

[garycarla]

There is some good info on the NCL.COM website with layouts, restaurants, etc. Also,if you scan down through the posts here you will find lots of information and answers to questions you did not know you had.

 

The pools are often full depending on where you are cruising. Some people do fine, others never seem to find a chair. All of the entertainment is "just walk in".

 

The GEM is part of the Jewel family along with Pearl and Jade. Do not confuse posts about their larger ships that have different venues,etc.

[andlep]

You can also do a search on

[fshagan]

We love the GEM! Here are some differences from our perspective:

 

Dining:

There are no set dining times, and for the main dining rooms you just show up when you want to eat. You are seated like you would be on land, so you can have different servers each night. The only time we have had a short wait was either right at opening time on a sea day, or when in a large group. Otherwise they are pretty efficient at getting you seated.

 

In my opinion, NCL lags behind Princess in the speed of the dinner service, and it's easy to spend 2 hours in the dining room (they won't rush you out like they have to do on Princess when there's another dinner seating at 8:30). If you want to only take an hour and catch one of the free shows after dinner just inform your server that you need to be done by X:XX and they will accommodate you.

 

We felt Princess does a better job of presenting the food, but the food on NCL is better than the last time we sailed Princess. We hear differently from others, so this is always subjective.

 

NCL has two options in addition to the normal buffet for lunch on embarkation day. One of the main dining rooms will be open, and they have a pub-style restaurant that is open 24 hours named O'Sheehans. We like this option because the buffet is always such a mad-house during sail-away.

 

Dress Code:

There are no formal nights on NCL. No one dresses up. Well, a few people do to satisfy Mom, but you won't see a lot of people in sport coats or tuxes.

 

Atmosphere:

NCL is "lower class" in terms of general atmosphere and elegance. We actually prefer it that way because we are on vacation, not auditioning for Downton Abbey. But, depending on the itinerary and time of year, you may get many more people in baseball caps and more kids than you see on Princess. You may see more drunks on NCL. Casinos are smokey.

 

Music:

NCL has live music, usually two or three bands plus solo artists in lounges. We really enjoy this aspect of our cruises.So far, they have more of this than we have seen on other lines. The musical variety shows in the main theater are much better in our opinion than the entertainment on Princess. All of this is included as there are no "reservations required" shows on the Jewel Class ships like the GEM.

 

Reservations:

If you have the dining package, or intend to eat at a specialty (extra charge) restaurant during your cruise, you will probably want to think about making reservations if you like eating at a particular time. NCL has a lot of specialty restaurants. The top three are Cagney's Steakhouse, Le Bristro and Teppenakyi (hibachi grill type of thing) in almost everyone's rankings. Teppanakyi has limited seating because you are seated around the chef, who plays with your food before serving it to you. Cagney's has fairly good steaks, and service is usually good. Le Bristro is fancier food, and will remind you of the main dining room experience on Princess, with well presented plates. These three are very popular so making a reservation is recommended, but you can wing it if you are flexible and willing to eat either early or late.

 

In our opinion you can skip the Brazilian steakhouse and Italian place. But others love them. YMMV.

[AJMissal]

GaryCarla and andlep and fshagan. Thank you very much

 

 

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[lawrat1982]

Does anyone know how long the shows on the gem are? I wanted to go to a show at 7 and have dinner reservations around 8, or are the shows longer then one hour?

[morrisretired]

We have been on 16 cruises with different cruise lines, most with NCL. All the shows usually run about an hour. The cruise director usually has something to pass on after the shoe, and bring back show participates for a bow. You can always leave a few minutes early. If you have reservations at a specialty restaurant, they will hold them for 15 minutes. It does take a few minutes to go from the show to the restaurant, though.

[lawrat1982]

We have been on 16 cruises with different cruise lines, most with NCL. All the shows usually run about an hour. The cruise director usually has something to pass on after the shoe, and bring back show participates for a bow. You can always leave a few minutes early. If you have reservations at a specialty restaurant, they will hold them for 15 minutes. It does take a few minutes to go from the show to the restaurant, though.

 

Ok well i was on the breakaway rock of ages was longer, but i wasn't sure blazing boots but i guess its more like burn the floor which was under an hour.

[NMLady]

Does anyone know how long the shows on the gem are? I wanted to go to a show at 7 and have dinner reservations around 8, or are the shows longer then one hour?

 

Even though the shows are only about an hour, unless you leave the show a bit early it takes awhile to get through the crowd exiting the theater. You might want to make your dinner plans for around 8:30 instead, or at least no earlier than 8:15.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

lovely ship

[dexddd]

I checked the Daily and it only showed the times of 7 and 9 when we went but an hour seems about right.

 

It was a great show BTW and the other show the group did was also excellent.

[easyboy]

Your dining options:

Dining_Guide.pdf

[amygutman]

Following...

So excited to be back on the Gem - loved our experience in 2015, and looking forward to seeing the refurbishments. For some great videos on the Gem, go to youtube and inquire about "Cruising With Wheels" - a great couple who VLog about their cruising experiences, and were on the Gem in February. Lots of great photos, videos, tips - have been visiting their site so often I "friended" them on twitter.

When are you travelling? We (son, hubby and myself) are on the 11 day Thanksgiving out of New York.

Amy

[nj356]

Hello

My family and I were on the GEM and NCL for the first time from 7-1 to7-8 and wanted to provide some fyi's. Since this was our first time on NCL we did not know what to expect and overall it was ok, not sure if we will be back. We got to NYC about 9:30 and had number 7ticket to get on. Boarding started about 11:30 and we were on within 15 mins.We went right up to the Great Outdoors to get a table and had lunch and waitedfor the call that the cabins were ready which was around 1:15.

We did the upgrade and went for the mini suite which we got, had cabin11504. It was nice to have the extra space to walk around, a tub for more elbowroom to take a shower and more storage. The one downside is the closest was notin the best location, but we managed.

No need to over dress. We eat in the Grand Pacific and I wore shorts and agolf shirt every night and my wife and daughter went casual and we looked likealmost everyone else. If you need you can ask for an iron and it will bedelivered to your room with an ironing board. My wife did this a few daysand what a big help keeping the clothes looking good.

Another fyi. If you want to sit in the shade by the pool, you are going tohave to get out early and save your chairs, there are few available. On thefirst day and checked out the pool I noticed a lot of tables and chairs butlounge chairs were in short supply. When I asked crew member why he saidbecause of the barbecue they have everyday, people complained they had no placeto sit, so out went most of the lounge chairs.

For the shore exclusions we had OBC and went through NCL. For any onegoing to NASA, it was something to see. The downside was there was not enoughtime to take it all in.

If you are going to their island, a few fyi's. You will need a tender ticketwhich are handed out at 8:00 by the pool, get in line early if you want to gettheir early. If you do not want to be in the sun, there are no umbrellas, youcan rent a clamshell for $35.00 which I think hold 2. They are to far right bythe beach when you come in. From what I have read on other posts, they goquick.

The other thing you can do is as you enter on your right is a largetree with lots of branches and lounge chairs under it, take them. It is a goodspot with a short walk to the beach and lunch. And for those with money tospend you can rent a cabana for I think $400.00 and up and live the high life.

I will not comment about the food since everyone will have their ownopinion and everyone's tastes will be different.

I hope this helps andyou have a great cruise.