Gem in November

[Bazookajoe]

Hi

We are looking at booking the Gem in November, 15th-26th Caribbean from NYC, would like to know what kind of crowd would we expect to see on this cruise and any pros/cons.

 

This will be our third cruise with NCL but first to the Caribbean

 

Many thanks for any help with this.

[maggie cruises]

My guess would be an older demographic

 

Families with kids say ages 10 and up won't be there as it's really a lot of school time to miss

 

Families with kids 10 and under won't be there because those are youngish families that probably have thanksgiving traditions if they have family nearby or if not would probably prefer to travel home for thanksgiving versus a cruise

 

College kids...nope

 

Parents of college kids..nope...because the kids will be coming home for perhaps the first time since august

 

Couples...older... with family that live far away that won't be seeing them for thanksgiving..yup

 

Singles with no family nearby...yup

 

Canadians that celebrate thanksgiving in October anyway...yup yup yup

 

 

This cruise is on the longer side plus it covers thanksgiving so that is what will determine the demographics

 

If I had no commitment to family...if I had a job that allowed me to take the time off...or was retired...and had no reason to want or need to be home for thanksgiving I'd book this cruise

 

For me though I wouldn't miss thanksgiving at home

 

I'm also thinking lots of solos on this cruise too and couples with no kids and no immediate family nearby

 

 

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[Sunshine827]

My guess would be an older demographic

 

Families with kids say ages 10 and up won't be there as it's really a lot of school time to miss

 

Families with kids 10 and under won't be there because those are youngish families that probably have thanksgiving traditions if they have family nearby or if not would probably prefer to travel home for thanksgiving versus a cruise

 

College kids...nope

 

Parents of college kids..nope...because the kids will be coming home for perhaps the first time since august

 

Couples...older... with family that live far away that won't be seeing them for thanksgiving..yup

 

Singles with no family nearby...yup

 

Canadians that celebrate thanksgiving in October anyway...yup yup yup

 

 

This cruise is on the longer side plus it covers thanksgiving so that is what will determine the demographics

 

If I had no commitment to family...if I had a job that allowed me to take the time off...or was retired...and had no reason to want or need to be home for thanksgiving I'd book this cruise

 

For me though I wouldn't miss thanksgiving at home

 

I'm also thinking lots of solos on this cruise too and couples with no kids and no immediate family nearby

 

 

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I’m booked on the cruise immediately following this one & hope you’re answers hold true for mine too 😉

[bluesea777]

The 26 Nov one is a 12 day (Tortola).

 

Why don't you price both the 11 and 12 day cruises plus air & hotel pre- and post-cruise and decide which one?

 

The US Thanksgiving is on 22 Nov and air in USA is crazy before and after. You'll need to do web-shopping for air fares and routes.

 

Same with hotels.

[Travelenfool]

My husband and I are cruising this cruise!!! We are a couple in our 50's and have been married for 30+ years. We have a very active Facebook page and Roll Call on CC. Check it out! We are a bunch of fun and seems that a lot of the people booked are ready to have a good time! I'm wondering about the amount of children on this one... not that they bother me just wondering about the little ones missing that many days of school! We did the Breakaway out of NYC on the madness week of NJ's Teacher Week! What a nightmare!!!

[imaoceanluver]

Nov. 26 sailing has been changed, no Tortola and now St. Martin, also with a port schedule change

[Bazookajoe]

Thanks for replies, a lot of great info, good tip about looking at the 26th sailing.

 

Thanks Maggie for the low down on what to expect.

 

Hotel prices before the cruise on the 15th are high but I think that cruise suits us better so better start getting things booked up.

 

 

 

 

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[UandMe4Ever]

Hi, where did you find information about Port change from Tortola to St. Maarten and also port time change? Thanks a lot.

 

NCL still shows Tortola as of now.

Edited May 7, 2018 by UandMe4Ever
additional information.

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi, there will be many families on board as it covers Thanksgiving weekend. We were thinking about this and then realized it was a Holiday cruise. No offense, but I think we'll go after T'giving! Older crowd also as it's a little longer. Enjoy:D

[IrieBajan54]

I have done the GEM at Thanksgiving and there were lots of kids onboard. That was about 3 years ago. Talking to a Mom from Brooklyn in the pool area, she said that it will be a tradition to sail that week. That it makes her life easier letting NCL do all the work.

Edited May 7, 2018 by IrieBajan54
change wording

[Travelenfool]

I have done the GEM at Thanksgiving and there were lot of kids on board. That was about 3 years ago. Talking to a Mom from Brooklyn in the pooling area, she said that it will be a tradition to sail that week. That it makes her life easier letting NCL do all the work.

 

 

 

I’m surprised by this... as a mom of 2 (now grown) kids... I can’t imagine allowing them to miss that much school. With all the scheduled holidays in the beginning of November and then the cruise for the last two weeks, seems they would be out almost the entire month. I assume it would depend on the ages.

 

 

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[newcruiser48]

Hi, where did you find information about Port change from Tortola to St. Maarten and also port time change? Thanks a lot.

 

NCL still shows Tortola as of now.

I am on the 26th sailing. I got an email Friday. The booking site isn't updated.

[imaoceanluver]

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

 

Norwegian Cruise Line has important information for you regarding Norwegian Gem's 12-Day Southern Caribbean sailing of November 26, 2018 from New York. All guests booked on this sailing need to be aware of this change and travel professionals are asked to forward this information to their clients.

 

Due to a berthing conflict, we have made a change to the ship's itinerary and port order. We will be calling at Philipsburg, St. Maarten on November 30, 2018 instead of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Please review the revised itinerary information below:

 

 

Original

Day Destination Arrive Depart

Mon New York City, New York 4:00 pm

Tue At Sea

Wed At Sea

Thu San Juan, Puerto Rico 4:00 pm 10:00 pm

Fri Basseterre, Saint Kitts - Nevis 11:00 am 6:00 pm

Sat Castries, St.Lucia 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Sun Bridgetown, Barbados 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Mon St. John's, Antigua, Antigua 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Tue Tortola, British Virgin Islands 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wed St.Thomas, United States Virgin Islands 7:00 am 1:00 pm

Thu At Sea

Fri At Sea

Sat New York City, New York 10:00 am

Revised

Day Destination Arrive Depart

Mon New York City, New York 4:00 pm

Tue At Sea

Wed At Sea

Thu San Juan, Puerto Rico 4:00 pm 10:00 pm

Fri Philipsburg, St. Maarten 9:00 am 3:00 pm

Sat Bridgetown, Barbados 11:00 am 7:00 pm

Sun Castries, St. Lucia 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Mon St. John's, Antigua, Antigua 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Tue Basseterre, Saint Kitts - Nevis 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wed St.Thomas, United States Virgin Islands 7:00 am 1:00 pm

Thu At Sea

Fri At Sea

Sat New York City, New York 10:00 am

 

 

 

If you booked shore excursions with Norwegian Cruise Line, these will be automatically cancelled and a refund will be processed to original form of payment. You may book available tours by visiting us on https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions or you may also contact our Shore Excursions department for assistance at 866-625-1167 (Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET).

 

Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-327-7030 (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to midnight ET and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET).

 

For any guests booked outside of the US/Canada, please visit http://www.ncl.com for our local contact information.

 

We look forward to welcoming you onboard Norwegian Gem.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Vivian Ewart

Senior Vice President, Passenger Services

 

9 Attachments

[maggie cruises]

Thanks for replies, a lot of great info, good tip about looking at the 26th sailing.

 

Thanks Maggie for the low down on what to expect.

 

Hotel prices before the cruise on the 15th are high but I think that cruise suits us better so better start getting things booked up.

 

 

 

 

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You're welcome...but....I just took a closer look at the dates...and basically I think I'll revise my opinion on families with kids under 10 or 12

 

I think there will actually be more than you expect..

 

Why? Because it's really only missing 4 or 5 school days and the day before thanksgiving is usually a fun non learning school day anyway

 

It's not a big deal to pull kids from school anymore (although I never did and my kids would have balked if I tried to anyway)

 

In the tri state area you get very little resistance from teachers or principals as family time is considered very valuable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 8, 2018 by maggie cruises

[HuliHuli]

My guess would be an older demographic

 

Families with kids say ages 10 and up won't be there as it's really a lot of school time to miss

 

Families with kids 10 and under won't be there because those are youngish families that probably have thanksgiving traditions if they have family nearby or if not would probably prefer to travel home for thanksgiving versus a cruise

 

Couples...older... with family that live far away that won't be seeing them for thanksgiving..yup

 

This cruise is on the longer side plus it covers thanksgiving so that is what will determine the demographics

 

If I had no commitment to family...if I had a job that allowed me to take the time off...or was retired...and had no reason to want or need to be home for thanksgiving I'd book this cruise.

 

I think you missed one @maggie cruises: Bring the whole family on a Thanksgiving cruise - parents, grown children and five grandchildren. Given favorable school closing dates, the oldest grand kids only miss two days of school. Now the challenge is getting a table for 11 on the Gem. :D

[maggie cruises]

I think you missed one @maggie cruises: Bring the whole family on a Thanksgiving cruise - parents, grown children and five grandchildren. Given favorable school closing dates, the oldest grand kids only miss two days of school. Now the challenge is getting a table for 11 on the Gem. :D

 

 

 

lol I know and that's why I rethought my first response and posted again in post number 14.

 

 

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[UandMe4Ever]

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

 

Norwegian Cruise Line has important information for you regarding Norwegian Gem's 12-Day Southern Caribbean sailing of November 26, 2018 from New York. All guests booked on this sailing need to be aware of this change and travel professionals are asked to forward this information to their clients.

 

Due to a berthing conflict, we have made a change to the ship's itinerary and port order. We will be calling at Philipsburg, St. Maarten on November 30, 2018 instead of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Please review the revised itinerary information below:

 

 

Original

Day Destination Arrive Depart

Mon New York City, New York 4:00 pm

Tue At Sea

Wed At Sea

Thu San Juan, Puerto Rico 4:00 pm 10:00 pm

Fri Basseterre, Saint Kitts - Nevis 11:00 am 6:00 pm

Sat Castries, St.Lucia 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Sun Bridgetown, Barbados 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Mon St. John's, Antigua, Antigua 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Tue Tortola, British Virgin Islands 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wed St.Thomas, United States Virgin Islands 7:00 am 1:00 pm

Thu At Sea

Fri At Sea

Sat New York City, New York 10:00 am

Revised

Day Destination Arrive Depart

Mon New York City, New York 4:00 pm

Tue At Sea

Wed At Sea

Thu San Juan, Puerto Rico 4:00 pm 10:00 pm

Fri Philipsburg, St. Maarten 9:00 am 3:00 pm

Sat Bridgetown, Barbados 11:00 am 7:00 pm

Sun Castries, St. Lucia 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Mon St. John's, Antigua, Antigua 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Tue Basseterre, Saint Kitts - Nevis 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wed St.Thomas, United States Virgin Islands 7:00 am 1:00 pm

Thu At Sea

Fri At Sea

Sat New York City, New York 10:00 am

 

 

 

If you booked shore excursions with Norwegian Cruise Line, these will be automatically cancelled and a refund will be processed to original form of payment. You may book available tours by visiting us on https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions or you may also contact our Shore Excursions department for assistance at 866-625-1167 (Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET).

 

Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-327-7030 (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to midnight ET and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET).

 

For any guests booked outside of the US/Canada, please visit www.ncl.com for our local contact information.

 

We look forward to welcoming you onboard Norwegian Gem.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Vivian Ewart

Senior Vice President, Passenger Services

 

9 Attachments

 

Wish St. Marteen was a full day and St. Thomas:eek:

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi all, we just booked this great cruise! Please add us to the M&G. We are Paulette and Norman from New Jersey! Thanks.

[vince_g]

Hi all, we just booked this great cruise! Please add us to the M&G. We are Paulette and Norman from New Jersey! Thanks.

 

I too am on this sailing. You need to locate the roll call and post your request there. The keeper of the roll call isn't going to find your request here. As a frequent Gem cruiser, I still find her to be my favorite NCL ship. I think she is the right size ship for me.

[UandMe4Ever]

I too am on this sailing. You need to locate the roll call and post your request there. The keeper of the roll call isn't going to find your request here. As a frequent Gem cruiser, I still find her to be my favorite NCL ship. I think she is the right size ship for me.

 

Thanks, I thought I did. Appreciate the help. Yes, love the Gem. love the size. Been on many of the Mega Ships. Very pretty, but do not like how they do shows, need tickets, anytime dining, etc. See ya!:)

[canadian bartender]

lol I know and that's why I rethought my first response and posted again in post number 14.

 

 

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to get a table for 11 go to the dining room earlier in the day and make a reservation for 11 at a certain time. they will do that. we travelled in a group of 10 and each day someone reserved our table.. but I think you have to do each day you want it

[Geri168]

I did the Thanksgiving cruise a few years back and it was crowded. There were plenty of families. We still enjoyed ourselves but be prepared for all the kids.

[Bazookajoe]

We have finally decided to go with the 26th-8th sailing as it might be more adult friendly and it’ll be closer to Xmas for shopping when we get back to NYC, the last port day seems very short on time, is it worth while going ashore.

[Captain_Cruising]

We have finally decided to go with the 26th-8th sailing as it might be more adult friendly and it’ll be closer to Xmas for shopping when we get back to NYC, the last port day seems very short on time, is it worth while going ashore.

 

 

 

BazookaJoe,

 

I will also be on the Nov 26th sailing of the Gem.

 

I’ve done several variations of this post Thanksgiving Caribbean itinerary. At the last port, St.Thomas, there are several shops in the immediate area of the dock. Assuming we dock as opposed to tender, it’s definitely worthwhile to go ashore.

 

 

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[kochleffel]

I’m surprised by this... as a mom of 2 (now grown) kids... I can’t imagine allowing them to miss that much school. With all the scheduled holidays in the beginning of November and then the cruise for the last two weeks, seems they would be out almost the entire month. I assume it would depend on the ages.

 

As a former Sunday-school principal, I can tell you that many families take their children out of school for a longer vacation that encompasses the Thanksgiving break, even though school is closed for only three days. The vacation is often from Friday of the week before Thanksgiving week to the Monday after it.