Gem 4/28/2018 Semi-Live again, take #3 NY-Port Canaveral-GSC-Nassau, what's new !

[seadog67]

Always a bit sad the last night of a cruise, but just gives you more reason to start booking another one! Thanks for the awesome updates all week! It helps keep us all sane between cruises! Safe travels home tomorrow Mking! Thanks again for a great report!

[mking8288]

We are almost home, sailing under the VZB now, cellular signal on. Thanks all in following and will finish up w photos, uploads & Dailies once we get back in our house. First, back for some zzzzz's for a few hours.

 

Ship is in excellent shape, our bed mattresses are nice & firm too.

 

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[mking8288]

Late night arrival snacks at OSH ??? Anyone ...

 

Very quiet down here on deck 5 earlier already.

 

The Bliss is here so we will be right next to her, yeah !

 

 

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Edited May 5, 2018 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Ship docked around 3:30 am, got a peek of the Bliss also at Pier 88, berth #1. We are at berth #2 on the opposite side, same terminal.

 

In line with traditions, ate our full breakfast in GP MDR.

 

It was around 8:30 am, ship just cleared by local authorities and now ready for express self-dissembark ... long lines of folks with heavy luggage. Even the Haven guests are held in the Bliss Lounge, going nowhere in a hurry. We aren't in any hurry, going to wait until yellow tags for Platinum are called, maybe with luck, off the gangway and inside the luggage hall by 9:15 to 9:30.

 

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[meatball_nyc]

Welcome home to nice cooled off nyc. Hope you had a great cruise.

Thank you for taking us along and loved all the pictures too.

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

[mking8288]

Platinum, yellow & orange tags called at 9:15, we are almost at the gangway, looks like another 30 minutes before reaching luggage hall & CBP station.

 

The Bliss.

 

@ 9:48 almost to the escalator.

Totally disorganized.

 

 

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Edited May 5, 2018 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Fast track using porter, outside 12th Ave at 10:15, booked Carmel on App, picked up at 10:35 and head home to NE Queens via I-95 Cross Bronx & WS Bridge, ETA 35 minutes.

 

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30 minutes in line w our yellow tags & yet dozens & dozens cut ahead, lack of crowd control. Unacceptable !!

Edited May 5, 2018 by mking8288

[Teddybearrn]

Fast track using porter, outside 12th Ave at 10:15, booked Carmel on App, picked up at 10:35 and head home to NE Queens via I-95 Cross Bronx & WS Bridge, ETA 35 minutes.

 

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30 minutes in line w our yellow tags & yet dozens & dozens cut ahead, lack of crowd control. Unacceptable !!

Thanks for all your information we were in terminal to embark by 1015

 

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[mking8288]

Bon Voyage ... ship is in great ship, the worst part is crowd control in managing, not, orderly flow of crowds that manage to cut the queues once off the gangway, no lines along the exterior terminal walk path.

 

If you get the chance to raise this as a concern, feel free to refer them to my posts & pictures taken this morning. Not acceptable, IMHO.

Thanks for all your information we were in terminal to embark by 1015

 

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[biker@sea]

:) Welcome Home :D

 

Thank you.

I am So looking forward to Gem from Boston.

[dexddd]

So if I got this right, you got in around 3:30, they were going to let you off at 8 but it didn't start until 9:15? If so, what was the delay?

[mking8288]

So if I got this right, you got in around 3:30, they were going to let you off at 8 but it didn't start until 9:15? If so, what was the delay?

We're advised by Wed & again on The of favorable cruise timeline & likely very early arrival into NY, hightailed out of Nassau doing 20 or 21 knots but slowed to average of 15 to 16 knots for most of the 800 n.m. coming up the Atlantic, seas never higher than 5 feet & light to moderate wind.

 

CBP was the reason for not seeing anyone allowed off before 8 am but even Haven got held in the Lounge till past 8:30 am. There must be easily 700 to 1,000 doing the Express, many with huge rollers & spinners + duty-free shopping bags. Took an hour before we got called for Platinum w yellow tags to proceed toward the exit ... traveling w my group of 7, took an hour to reach the bottom of the escalator ... while watching dozens & dozens followed those w Special Needs & escorted Havens get ahead of us and others ... 1 single NCL ID badged agent working the length of the entire terminal upon leaving the gangway, Midship.

 

Requested Carmel pickup finally at 10:15 once we cleared CBP passport check and got into a Toyota minivan 15 minutes later for the ride home.

 

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[daffodiliaz]

Where did you meet the Carmel van please?

[mking8288]

Where did you meet the Carmel van please?

Hi, for Carmel (and, probably Dial 7 or even Uber/Lyft pickup - police & port security're chased just about everyone across 12th Avenue, and, even away from the taxi stand on the corner for meeting the car/driver ... along with traffic agents ... didn't surprise us.

 

Our usual pickup spot is W. 48th Street, mid-block between 12th Ave & 11th Avenue, as it's easy for drivers coming from points north, south & cross-town.

 

Carmel app showed the mini-van being 6 minutes away or about 4 city blocks nearby, we set it for 10 minutes to get picked up - allowing time to cross 12th Avenue & walk up mid-block. Earlier, we changed to W. 49th Street, one-way facing 12th Ave and/or Pier 88, and the driver was waiting by the MTA Bus Stop toward the corner by the time we pulled our bags over - pier's porters dropped the bags on 12th Ave outside the pier, as requested (safety & insurance reasons, they aren't allowed to cross the Avenue). It worked out great with that - aside from being 10:20 am already and tons of cruises already off the Gem, and criss-crossing while looking for their driver & assigned vehicle.

 

Our mini-van ride cost $59 on the base fare, before a $3 coupon/digital/online discount code deduction, toll was $8 crossing into Queens - tipping, about $75, shared by 5 adults ... easily fitted 5 22" rollerboards and several smaller bags & my convertible backpack. On our ride out to MCT last week, we got a "free" no-charged upgrade to XLT Suburban SUV for the same.

 

Plus, earned airline mileage on both segments & posted by Carmel once the minimum points accrued, something not offered by our local car service - Carmel gladly accept credit/debit cards or cash - and, a digital eReceipt uploaded to the email address on file.

[mking8288]

Now, that we had lunch at home - "real" Beef Pho Noodles Soup and Grilled Pork Chops & steamed rice, Vietnamese style and coffee ... I will upload those promised Freestyle Dailies here for those interested in the entire set.

 

A few items of interests and comments ... an excellent Meet & Mingle organized by Pat/Jim that sailed frequently on the Gem (kudo & thanks ...) with the fun Cabin Crawl, and (Lisa ?) for running the Slot Pulls for those that took part - plus the Raffle prizes.

 

The Latitude Behind The Scene Tour this time wasn't held on the morning of the 1st. Sea Day (Day 2 ... being the usual) but rather on morning of Day 3, thus, totally avoiding any scheduling conflicts with CC's events.

 

NCL's Latitude Reception for Gold, Platinum & Plus members were held at 12:15 pm on Day 2, but it was - sadly, I am sorry to share & report - another watered down event - not even door/raffle prizes for attendance ... still "free" drinks & some cute, mini bite-sized appetizers circulated ... attendance wasn't great at all, with 400+ members on the sailing, including 2 Ambassadors. It was apparently discontinued quite several months ago, sometime in 2017 ... not a big "deal" to ruin our wonderful cruise experience overall.

 

But, clear enough for those seasoned NCL cruisers to agreed that it's just a sign of the times, and other mass lines are doing it too.

 

The crew was friendly and welcoming ... and, noticed very few "trainees" on the job being trained, unlike a year ago.

 

The MDR menu (not sure about Specialty) is now available in different languages, including Chinese, on request while being seated - it's a nice gesture ... nothing really new on any of the 7 nights, basically same as 2016 menu in rotation on the Gem & Breakaway.

 

Meanwhile, the beverage stations where numerous water bottles getting filled DIRECTLY without using a clean cup to transfer, with the "mouth" of those oversized containers being placed directly under the dispenser ... has gotten WORST !! Signs & reminders are there, and mostly ignored - and, some crew members trying - hopelessly - to gently informed the guests to do it differently, otherwise. Maybe a universal pictorial symbol would be better, instead of multi-lingual warning signs to "not" fill directly.

 

Bottled waters & sodas still attempted to be taken onboard and "seized" by security for custodial safekeeping.

 

... to be continued, among random thoughts that I wrote down

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

Thanks for this review. We sail on the Gem in July and I can't wait!

[callmebetty]

Thank You. No Video Poker on the bar tops?

I apologize for the delay, there was video poker according to DH.

 

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[mking8288]

Pictures of LaCucina & Orchid Garden Asian Restaurant ... LaCucina on Deck 12 AFT, portside is open for seating for the buffet (Garden Cafe) across on starboard side, for those who prefer not to go to the "Great Outdoors - AFT" as it could be windy & chilly and with adverse weather conditons. It wasn't discovered by the buffet's window table hogs that sit & hangout there all day long on sea days.

 

 

Sea Day #3 (Day 6) - Dining ... good availability for Specialty, except for Teppanyaki & Cagney (advantage over mega-ships like the Breakaway & Escape, sailing out of NYC)

 

It was themed "Asian Night" in the buffet on the last (sea) day #7 ... "American Night" (LOL) was held earlier in the week. BBQ was out on the open deck space by the pool with the usual items. Late night (after 9:30 pm) the snacks from the buffet was moved to the Great Outdoors, those that didn't read/check the posted signs and walk "all the way" to the back would not find items to munch on ... Impressions: there are far fewer items/variety available this time vs. a year ago.

 

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Edited May 6, 2018 by mking8288

[mking8288]

The watering holes (bars & lounges) on Deck 6 midship, near LeBistro ... not always busy.

 

Looking for a quiet spot to read or doze off, a noise-isolating or noise-canceling headset or ear buds are a must ... don't need a pair of Bose, my Sennheiser sets worked great.

 

Bliss Lounge, Deck 7 AFT - Art Auctions were being held inside and also closed at timees for private functions. Check the Dailies for time slotted for Karaoke. Tips: dislike the crowded & often noisy & "smokey" casino, here in BL, you will find a handful of slot machines in a non-smoking environment to play for jackpots, very often nobody playing there at all, from what I heard.

 

 

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[mking8288]

On Embarkation morning, a table is setup inside the cruise terminal in NYC's Pier 88, after the check-in area, to view Specialty Dining menus and to make last minute reservations or to make changes, etc. (this was offered also for the Breakaway & presumably, on the Escape ... without waiting until one is onboard the ship, good when NCL is running their operations behind schedule & late, etc.)

 

Here is the Quick Guide to the Gem w deck plans/maps for the Gem, still not available on the newest iConcierge App, the newest Norwegian App is still not operational.

 

Disembarkation Guide, supposed to be well organized & should be with early arrival & sitting at the pier for 5 hours after docked. CBP's written Declaration Form is no longer needed, unless one has to declare purchases in excess of the allowances - presentation of passports and/or other acceptable travel documents are required for qualified sailings only.

 

But this morning, I can only summarize it as near chaos, out of control and rather annoying for sailing out of NY piers for 20 years.

 

We wrote out several "Comment Cards" for Dining with remarks about food during this week's Gem sailing. Our Room Steward did a very good job, great but nothing really exceptional. As such, it was the collective concensus among 7 of us staying in 3 cabins on 3 decks that we did not have anyone to nominate or write about being "Your Vacation Hero" - certainly, the Cruise Director and/or whoever "partially" responsible organizing the Disembarkation process, procedures & allocation of staff to assist ... need to work on the matter, it was something I heard from others that stayed onboard the week before doing B2B, they're spot on. NCL corporate, please kindly pay attention - pictures taken as proof didn't lie at all ... explain how purple & blue color luggage tags got ahead of us.

 

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Edited May 6, 2018 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Norwegian's Night Out Party held on Day 2 in the Spinmaker's Lounge ... see flyer below

 

Photo deals & packages ... Capt. Lars Bengstsson was in the atrium lobby that same evening for studio photos w passengers. Otherwise, 95% + of the passengers did not dress up, certainly not the men in suits w. shirts & ties, or tux for evening dinner ... ate in the MDR & saw plenty in shorts ... part of Freestyle Crusing, I supposed.

 

An "info-mmercial" note, subjective, on getting a better deal on 10 photos package, now with a free (4GB sized) USB drive with the 10 purchased image & "release" for reprints, priced at $149 - and, with our qualifying Plantium discount of 25% - came to about $105 net, the "Embarkation" photo w. the ship's background & the larger/portrait pictures priced at $25 each ... make this a fair deal, if you like the pictures the ship's photographer took, of your group (previously, the USB was an extra $20 charge) Besides, gotta love those non-refundable OBC used to offset this expense ... as Mrs. M did not raid the duty-free shop this time for cosmetics, availability & choices were slim to none, unlike the mega-ships.

 

Marlboro cigarettes were on sale, buy 3 and get 1 free (each cartoon is $45 each) - paid just under $135 for set of 4 ... under $34 a cartoon) ... more ways to use those OBC.

 

 

... to be continued (Freestyle Dailies will be posted tomorrow, getting late/been up early this morning) for those who wish to follow with the details

 

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Edited May 6, 2018 by mking8288

[Gershep]

Totally agree with disembarkation, it's a nightmare. Always puts a damper on a great vacation. Pat and Jim do great Meet and Mingles, they did my last one on the Gem. Last couple of Lattitudes gathering had no raffles. I don't know about you but I wish they would change the MDR lunch menus.

 

Thanks again for your live review.

[ETski]

Enjoyed your day by day review. Thank you for doing this. Love Gem and will cruising on a 11 day in November. I know you posted the lunch menu for the dinning room. Do you know if that is the same menu every day then main dinning room is opened for lunch?

[mking8288]

Freestyle Dailies for Gem's 7 days, without GSC, as we missed private island due to strong north wind, making it unsafe to tender ... Royal ships also skipped their stops & headed for overnight stop in Nassau.

 

For Day 1 ... mandatory lifeboat muster drill was 2 pm and we actually sailed a few minutes earlier than 3 pm, as scheduled. Just report to assigned assembly station with Guest keycard to be checked off and no longer asked to bring along one's life vest.

 

Note: if these zoomable images, best view on a tablet or iPad/mini or desktop are not readable, kindly notify ext. 00 or "Guest Sevices" (just kidding) for a high-resolution upload, if you wish or need details, etc.

 

 

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[mking8288]

Freestyle Dailies for Gem's 7 days -

Day 2 ... Sea Day (ship already off MD/VA coast in the morning, doing 20 knots and crossing into NC, CC's Meet & Mingle typically scheduled at 11 am ... free Platinum Behind the Scene tour often scheduled in the morning had changed to Day 3's morning, check with your Roll Call for "current" details)

Tips: for a leisure lunch, recommend going to the MDR ... Grand Pacifica is open, or, O'Sheehans - both not crowded. If you prefer the AYCE buffet, find plentiful seating in the less crowded AFT "Great Outdoors" or La Cucina, across the AFT elevators - corridors.