Norwegian Gem- 1/9 Now Seven Days at Sea...

[Cruising to Retirement]

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-cancels-two-caribbean-ports-for-norwegian-gem/63610

 

Thinking of Cancelling our Norwegian Gem 1/19 Cruise-  Not sure we want 7 Days at Sea.... ???

[MichiganBound]

23 minutes ago, Cruising to Retirement said:

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-cancels-two-caribbean-ports-for-norwegian-gem/63610

 

Thinking of Cancelling our Norwegian Gem 1/19 Cruise-  Not sure we want 7 Days at Sea.... ???

You'll still be in warm weather for the majority of your cruise which will be a nice change from your current location.  Also, you still have a few interesting ports on the itinerary that are worth visiting.  I personally love sea days so such an itinerary change would be no problem for me.  Only you can decide if this adjustment is a deal-breaker or not for you.  Good luck with what ever you decide!

[mking8288]

Well, that isn't a surprise but it is still unfortunate, expect the unexpected is the buzz phrase with crusing to just about anywhere, except when it is clearly going almost nowhere ... hmmm  🤔

 

Port charges & fees getting refunded, I assume since they aren't stopping there.  That non-refundable OBC of $100 per reservation is probably what some will be unhappy and dissatisfied with - limited in what, where, when, how and what you can do with it - basically, spent it onboard then & now.  Hopefully, their gift shops are well stocked with over-priced items and the duty-free shops as well.  Unlimited WiFi upgrades, perhaps - but, then, the entire network will become sluggish.  And, it can no longer be used to purchase CruiseNext certificates (some CC'ers probably still got unused one plus FCC with expiration dates coming up next year) - if I am not mistaken ... heads spinning with the stream of changes in the past 2 years of Covid hitting.  

 

Isn't it possible for them to slot in GSC as a possible tender port ??  

[tutuwahineLV]

if you're not comfortable with that many sea days you should absolutely cancel.  no need to head into a vacay dreading it.  

personally, I love sea days, having nothing to do and all day to do it.  in our society today it always seems to be GO Go go, especially with being 'connected' almost 24 hrs a day, having large chunks of unconnected quiet time is a balm to the soul.  we've forgotten how to just BE ... and should look for opportunities to unplug and just breathe

[cruiservictor]

Unless I can’t count, which is possible, it appears to be “only” 6 days at sea, at least for now. 

[Brian V]

35 minutes ago, tutuwahineLV said:

I love sea days, having nothing to do and all day to do it.

It is kind of the whole point of a vacation, right?😎

[Snowrose]

We cancelled our Jan 29th Gem cruise a few days ago, but because NCL dropped their commitment to on-ship PCR testing for folks who needed it to get back to their country of residence. Just after that, we learned that some Gem crew have COVID. That will keep them out of some ports for a while and may impact their services and entertainment, so then we felt better about cancelling.

[Cruising Lynne]

1 hour ago, cruiservictor said:

Unless I can’t count, which is possible, it appears to be “only” 6 days at sea, at least for now. 

LOL. I guess they must be counting embarkation day. I know this isn't what people expected, but this itinerary sounds good to me. It is not like the sea days are all in a row. It looks like a good mix, and maybe they will add a port. 

 

Pre- covid we had a cruise that followed hurricane Irma and/or Maria ( I can't remember exactly). We ended up missing Tortola, but got to go to Martinique which we really enjoyed. They told us St. Croix would replace our St. Thomas stop. Just when I started getting excited about going there, they changed it back to St. Thomas. It was Veterans Day when we were in St. Thomas, and the beach we went to through NCL was also having a party for veterans with a live band playing. They pulled up in all kinds of boats. It was a good time. You just never know know what will happen.

[EllieinNJ]

We are now on the 11 day RCI Anthem and after having 2 ports cancelled (PR and St. Kitts) we now have 7 sea days, three going and 4 returning.

[CruisingComumbus]

This week's Gem has about 800 passengers -- 1/3 capacity.  If next week's is the same, the ship will be almost empty.  My on-board spies tell me it's very relaxed and pleasant, the staff are wonderful, and distancing is easy.  Gem has a lot of open air places too, which is nice.  Now, if the ports are important to someone, it probably makes sense to postpone, but if you're someone who likes just being on a ship, this would be a great opportunity to be on a virtually empty cruise. 

 

It's worth noting that if you have prepaid a bunch of things, it might make sense to get refunds on those so that you can purchase on board and use up any OBC you receive.

[natefish95]

I'll be on the Gem 2/8 and would not mind all the sea days. Just don't touch St. Maarten!