Almost Live From The Gem NYC To San Francisco

[MsMaybelline]

Where's bob brown? 😮 We didn't hear from him all day. He did make it back on after Cartagena? I wasn't home all day and couldn't wait for his canal pics. mking8288--I'm getting restless and we haven't even done this next cruise yet! Already looking for the next one.  Thank you (all) for the information you are giving us. It is definitely helping us with our leg. I wonder about how many of the passengers on your cruise are doing (at minimum) the b2b 41 nights? #goals

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, MsMaybelline said:

Where's bob brown? 😮  

 

I am sure he is doing just fine, busy & enjoying this long cruise ... on "airplane" mode until they get to San Pedro.  Turtles & others were invited to join/post on the thread and surely, they can help & get answers, find out & post useful info here.   Satellite reception in that region, apparently, isn't as good as it can/should be, based on what Turtles wrote earlier during their transit thru the Canal.  

 

Questions for them ... would be, how is the MDR with the menu rotation (14 days, then, repeat ) and whether there are any chef's specials offered (not the "EveryDay Special" of pasta, chicken or what not, rather - unique ones.  I know when we're doing 14 nights on the Escape, the never-changing MDR lunch menu was not good after we got to try most of them ... luckily, one day - the server said, we have today's chef special for lunch.  Wow, let's do that instead for a change, really doesn't matter what.  Ditto, nowadays, they have 3 or 4 different items for breakfast in the MDR.  But, that was for the mega/+ ship, not sure if they do this on the Gem on these long crossing ... would be good to know & have the CC'er members update us all.  

 

On the other thread that I've been following, the Bliss doing the W. Caribbean over 14 days - another CC'er shared that Facetime works on their iPhone/iPad, so that is their solution to any possible "block" on using WiFi calling (supported by their carrier & hardware, but not over ship's satellite unless  ...)  WhatsApp worked and my Skype calling worked over WiFi.  

[All in the same boat]

Thanks for all of the info. I'll be on the trip back to NY on the 24th.

[Turtles06]

13 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Turtles & others were invited to join/post on the thread and surely, they can help & get answers, find out & post useful info here.   Satellite reception in that region, apparently, isn't as good as it can/should be, based on what Turtles wrote earlier during their transit thru the Canal.  

 

Until this morning, we pretty much had no internet access since leaving Cartagena on Saturday morning except for that brief moment yesterday when I was able to get on line. 

 

Our transit of the Canal yesterday was spectacular. It was the second transit for my wife and me, and as much as we loved it the first time, we both enjoyed it even more this time.  We could kind of step back a bit and take things in differently.  To say that the Canal is one of the most incredible feats of engineering is an understatement. Going through the Canal is a fantastic experience and, imho, best appreciated if you have some knowledge going in.  I hope folks about to make their first transit have read “The Path Between the Seas.” 

 

I thought the crew did an excellent job yesterday with the open bow on Deck 8, and having cold drinks, fruit, and cold towels available. For those new to the Canal, please keep in mind not only that it is a very long day (the transit takes about ten hours), and not only that it is extremely hot (I think the temp was in the 90s), but also that the proximity to the Equator means the sun is extremely intense.  Brutal, actually.  Use lots of sunscreen and stay hydrated.

 

A tip: this morning on the big screen in the Atrium (unannounced) they were cycling through a several minute long time-lapse video of our transit yesterday. It was fun to watch and easy to record on your own phone or other device.  

 

Our sea day today is beautiful and relaxing. Lots of sea birds following us along the bow, and the occasional turtle swimming by.  I would love several more such days! 

[njhorseman]

On 1/11/2020 at 8:21 PM, mking8288 said:

@Gershep - not a silly one, good question.  AFAIK, not everyone get those new cloth bags for doing ship laundry (maybe, Haven only) - you can double paper bag it to guard against breakage or ripping it apart when stuffing, or just ask steward ahead for a pillowcase (actually, it's a tip/trick they taught us/learn from ... years ago)  Or, many of those plastic hotel laundry bag will fit/do fine as inside/bottom liner - we always carry them ... didn't want to recommend it (someone will blast me for "incorrectness" LOL) 

 

I don't feel it's making a big difference in fitting more in - getting among $120 to $130 in laundry value done free with each bag is good, we've yet to use up our free quota.  More about preventing the contents from spilling out ... in case, they use the free-fall laundry drop at the front of the ship to send it straight down to below deck (they do that with the soiled towels, sheets & washable items collected by the stewards on the mega ships, not sure if they do that for the guest laundry)  

We just leave the bag open and stuffed to the brim. I've never lost anything. The cabin steward should be carrying the laundry bag downstairs. 

 

[AlanaJ]

We are reading all these posts with interest as we embark on 24 Jan at San Fran! Is there any chance anyone can post of photo of Cagneys menu with prices? Just wondering how it compares to  buying 3 or 4 dining pack on board !

[bob brown]

Hi all, I’m back, thanks to shore wifi in Puntarenas...🙂

 

I learned a lesson about using CC for free on board NCL...

When I boarded in NY, I had a “window” already open (on this thread).  As long as it was open, I was able to make posts, and upload photos, albeit slowly.

 

However, a couple of days ago, I closed it by mistake (and also let my phone battery run down). 
 

When I tried to get back in, I cold not get back.   Even using the ship’s terminals, they only let you get into certain areas of Cruise Critic for free...if you try to access the boards, they tell you you must log in and use your plan.

I will see if I can get around that, when I reboard later, like I did originally...

 

Meantime, heres some photos...

 

[bob brown]

Some more...

[bones774]

hi Bob, following as always , great pics and great job. Did/do you have Dr. Dave onboard? He was very good on my Bliss crossing, several hours of lectures and pics over several days prior to and during the crossing. Haven't heard mention on this thread. His website is handy too and he gives everyone permission to freely access it and use what you like.(per attribution)

bon voyage, Ira

Edited January 14, 2020 by bones774

[bob brown]

Mission, accomplished!😎

 

Back on, using the ship’s wifi, free🙂

 

 

[bob brown]

5 minutes ago, bones774 said:

hi Bob, following as always , great pics and great job. Did/do you have Dr. Dave onboard? He was very good on my Bliss crossing, several hours of lectures and pics over several days prior to and during the crossing. Haven't heard mention on this thread. His website is handy too and he gives everyone permission to freely access it and use what you like.

bon voyage, Ira

Hi Ira!

 

No, don’t recall a “Dr. Dave”, but I might have missed it.   
We did have an expert from the Canal giving us a “play by play”...very informative.

There were 26 Panama Canal crew on board, including the pilot and commentator...

We followed the Star Pride (former Seabourne) thru the canal, and met the Emerald Princess when exiting.

My former world cruise home, the Oceania Insignia, is just a day behind us on this year’s ATW cruise...alas, we will not share any ports with her.  Too bad, as we know some folks on board...

[bones774]

You wouldn't miss Dr. Dave he fills the theatre, very informative man and entertaining.

Dr. Dave lectured for several days and gave a whole historical perspective from early pirate days till now. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by bones774

[mking8288]

Excellent pictures from that crossing, like - thank you !

 

Free WiFi onboard ... sounds great.  Someone made a secret idea  

 

Time zone changes onboard ??  since you are on the Pacific side now.  

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, bones774 said:

Did/do you have Dr. Dave onboard? He was very good on my Bliss crossing, several hours of lectures and pics over several days prior to and during the crossing.

No such person on board. We had a retired professor of Latin American studies  (I won’t name him) who gave a lecture about the Canal several days before the transit. He began by stating that he’d never been through the Canal (!), then read from notes, and kept wandering away from the mic.  He not only seemed to lack appreciation for the incredible engineering marvel of the original locks, but he was totally enthralled by the new locks (which he at least knew we would not be using) and gave out the incorrect information that you could watch the operation of the new locks from the original locks, which he encouraged people to do.  At that point, we walked out.  I think many guests on board could have given a better and more accurate talk about the Canal.  

[bones774]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

No such person on board. We had a retired professor of Latin American studies  (I won’t name him) who gave a lecture about the Canal several days before the transit. He began by stating that he’d never been through the Canal (!), then read from notes, and kept wandering away from the mic.  He not only seemed to lack appreciation for the incredible engineering marvel of the original locks, but he was totally enthralled by the new locks (which he at least knew we would not be using) and gave out the incorrect information that you could watch the operation of the new locks from the original locks, which he encouraged people to do.  At that point, we walked out.  I think many guests on board could have given a better and more accurate talk about the Canal.  

that's a shame, he probably wrangled a free cruise for himself and wife, fooled NCL.

Dr. Dave was the best, go to his website drdavesandiego.com ,  he's a real pro, has been on many of the major lines. A very personable guy, no stuffed shirt.

[bob brown]

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Excellent pictures from that crossing, like - thank you !

 

Free WiFi onboard ... sounds great.  Someone made a secret idea  

 

Time zone changes onboard ??  since you are on the Pacific side now.  

We first had to move our clocks ahead to Atlantic Time for Bonaire and Aruba, and then back to Eastern Time when leaving there.

Then we moved back again to Central Time for Costa Rica. Tomorrow is the same for Nicaragua...

[Turtles06]

12 hours ago, AlanaJ said:

We are reading all these posts with interest as we embark on 24 Jan at San Fran! Is there any chance anyone can post of photo of Cagneys menu with prices? Just wondering how it compares to  buying 3 or 4 dining pack on board !

My wife and I ate at Cagney’s last night. We have the SDP promo.  The a la carte “prices” that NCL has arbitrarily set are so insane that the itemized  bill for the two of us came to $156, not including a 20% service charge.  (The bill of course was zeroed out with the SDP.)  In no universe except NCL’s bizarro world was our meal remotely worth that money.  In fact, my ribeye ($32), which I’d ordered medium well, was a fairly poor piece of meat that was overcooked on the outside and rare in the inside.  At least my wife enjoyed her filet ($35).  Without the SDP, NCL is actually charging several bucks for the steak sauces. 

 

Dessert wise, the seven layer chocolate cake ($10) was delicious, and the “OMG cheesecake” ($10) was tasteless.  (I miss the Oreo cheesecake!)  Food is subjective, YMMV.

 

As was the case at Le Bistro and La Cucina, the service was not good.  I think we are coming to the conclusion that with so many people having the Specialty Dining Package, the specialty restaurants aren’t very special any more.  
 

We are really enjoying our dinners in the Grand Pacific.  Excellent service and good food. 

[AlanaJ]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply!  We shall  not swop our port credit for SDP then!

[Turtles06]

There was a bit of an incident yesterday afternoon in Puntarenas around 3:30 pm, just as many of the tour buses (including ours) were returning to the dock in time for our 4:30 pm all aboard. Because of winds, something happened to one of the Gem’s bow lines (it might have snapped, I’m not sure), and the bow needed to be re-secured. (Fortunately, no one was injured.)  

 

While this was going on, no passengers were allowed to walk past the bow and board the ship. Very soon, many hundreds of passengers were crowded on the pier in the sun and nearly 90-degree heat, with more arriving every minute. Our guide allowed us to remain on the air conditioned bus, but some of the buses had discharged their guests, perhaps without realizing what was happening (and, at the time, no one knew what was happening).  
 

This went on for more than an hour.  By this time, it seemed as though half the passengers were trying to get back on the ship.  When boarding was finally allowed, there was such a crowd that there was a very long wait to board, exacerbated by the fact that the forward gangway was now closed and the crew had to set up a new gangway midship.  In the meantime, members of the crew had come down to the pier to give out cold water and washcloths.  These were very welcome and needed in that heat.   We had finally gotten off our bus to join the queue to board the ship, and it took quite some time until we boarded.

 

On a happier note, we’d had a great tour — The Real Coffee Experience, booked through the ship.  We spent the morning at a coffee plantation high up in the mountains, learning about how coffee is grown and harvested, and how it becomes the beverage that people drink. It was a surprise (to us at least) that coffee beans start out looking like cherries, wrapped in a very sweet casing.  We don’t typically take ship’s tours, but this was quite a good one, especially if you’ve been to Puntarenas before (as we had) and had already taken one of the highlights tours, including a boat ride down the Tarcoles River.  I would strongly recommend such a highlights tour for a first time visitor, particularly with a reputable private tour operator. Some other repeat visitors took the ship’s tour to San Jose yesterday and said they really enjoyed it, so we are putting that on our list in the event of another visit! 
 

What we’ve seen of Costa Rica in our two visits is beautiful. 

 

 

[nn07_bh871]

On 1/11/2020 at 12:48 PM, mking8288 said:

How's that roaming/cellular signal from nearby local towers ... good, solid 4G/LTE, in case we decide to book this or similar NCL itinerary next year.  

I bought a 'onesimcard' sim and a 2GB roamingdata package for zone A countries (all ports on this cruise except Bonaire and Aruba). Calls and texts are pay as you go. The service ranged from no connection to excellent - LTE has not been very common.

 

- New York City (I'm from Canada) - great service (LTE from ATT)

- Not used in Bonaire and Aruba, not part of zone A data plan.

- Santa Marta (Claro) - good to excellent service throughout our tour and on dock. Had some LTE but mostly H/3G

- Cartagena (Claro) - good service (3G) at dock in morning. Little to no service in Cartagena and in afternoon.

- Panama canal (Claro PA) - some service near Gatun locks, very slow, slightly better than ship wifi. No service in lake until we were past Gamboa. Slow service (H/3G) before/near Pedro Miguel, but very fast (LTE) around Miraflores.

- Puntarenas (Claro CRI) - service at dock (3G). Service available throughout most of the island with a few exceptions.

 

I expect Nicaragua and Guatemala to be similar but Mexico should be very good. 

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, nn07_bh871 said:

I bought a 'onesimcard' sim and a 2GB roamingdata package for zone A countries (all ports on this cruise except Bonaire and Aruba). Calls and texts are pay as you go. The service ranged from no connection to excellent - LTE has not been very common ... 

 

Thank you, excellent info that will be of mucho help to many on similar canal cruises transiting these ports.  3G/HSPA is superior and faster than ship's WiFi - checking my previous logs/stats ... realized that we had faster satellite WiFi on the Dawn last Spring than on the Gem (last month) - maybe more folks signed up/paying/using and sharing the limited bandwidth.  Emails, text messages/SMS and WiFi calling with sim card-based data worked good & fine, unlike ship's non-premium plan (depending on the "Apps")  

 

You should get excellent coverage in Mexico ports (we had AT&T roaming on a Mexico Rivera cruise over 10 years ago, it was great then)  Is your roaming data package refillable if you run low, how much have you used so far - should be useful to do a summary/wrap up afterward as part of the thread, along with Turtles' feedback on ship WiFi.  

 

Checking shipcam live, looks like already docked - nearby are shipping containers, an industrial area in the port - out & about, exploring.  Have an excellent port day to visit & sightsee.  Much obliged & appreciated. 

[dcipjr]

On 1/13/2020 at 4:37 PM, Turtles06 said:

Our transit of the Canal yesterday was spectacular. It was the second transit for my wife and me, and as much as we loved it the first time, we both enjoyed it even more this time.  We could kind of step back a bit and take things in differently.  To say that the Canal is one of the most incredible feats of engineering is an understatement. Going through the Canal is a fantastic experience and, imho, best appreciated if you have some knowledge going in.  I hope folks about to make their first transit have read “The Path Between the Seas.” 

 

I'm so excited! We will be transiting the canal five weeks from today on the Joy.

 

I'm about about halfway through "The Path Between the Seas" and it's been a fantastic read so far. I can't wait to see it in person.

[MSUjohn]

I am on the gem for the 21 day return trip.

[Turtles06]

11 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Checking shipcam live, looks like already docked - nearby are shipping containers, an industrial area in the port - out & about, exploring.

This was our second visit to Corinto.  The ship docks in a very small commercial port.  The town itself looks exceedingly impoverished.  On our first visit, three years ago, I went to Leon, which I recommend. Today, we walked off the ship around 11am just to wander in the town; folks who had done the same were already coming back, and I think plenty of people had a total ship day.  There is very little to do or see in Corinto itself; mostly, there are a few blocks of stalls set up right near the entrance to the port (and some right on the pier) where the local folks are selling cheap crafts.  I doubt that Corinto will be on anyone’s list of top ports ever visited. 
 

Sailaway was pretty though, with a beautiful sunset. 

[Turtles06]

A tip for folks with a sweet tooth: they make great dessert crepes to order in the buffet.  And you can even get a Nutella crepe, though you won’t see Nutella out there as a choice. Just ask for it, and they’ll bring out an industrial size squeezable Nutella container and make your crepe. (I’m sure there’s a term of art for that container. 🤣)  Yum.

 

Speaking of food:  on a 20-night cruise, variety is important, and so we gave Orchid Garden a try tonight.  We have never, ever, had a good meal there on any NCL cruise, but we keep trying.  I don’t know why.  Tonight the main dishes we ordered were just awful. The orange peel beef looked gross, and was inedible.  The sweet and sour pork looked okay, but tasted pretty bad.  We left and went up to the buffet.  I cannot understand why NCL can’t do better with Orchid Garden.  
 

Food is subjective.  YMMV.