Anyone here currently on the Gem?

[Kristall]

According to the crew we are full booked. Just sitting in the Italian restaurant for breakfast because the garden Cafe is full.

 

Because the outside restaurant area is a bit too cold for breakfast, dining, everything - all stack inside. 

K

[njkate]

Reviews imo are subjective, you have people who go with the flow and don't let the little things bother them, then you have the Divas who love to complain about everything.

 

Just go with an open mind and enjoy your cruise

[njkate]

12 hours ago, Kristall said:

Well. I'm sittin here on Deck 12 of the Gem in this moment.

Taking about that the weather seems to get worse tomorrow and drinking water because you have to pay port taxes. 

what is that like 80 cents to $1.50  a drink?? 

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 hours ago, mixmix11 said:

I wonder if this is a new "policy"  - doing everything possible to get you to go to Starbucks.

Why not just get some coffee in the buffet?

[Kristall]

3 hours ago, njkate said:

what is that like 80 cents to $1.50  a drink?? 

It's 1,33 to 1,99 per drink. Just looked at the overview on our TV in the room. 

 

 

[workink]

Although the casino is closed, some passengers in the buffet have started a pool with a fifty dollar buy-in on when, if ever, we will leave port. Gambling, like life, always finds a way.  Updates will follow this exciting story.  

[calamityJ]

On 12/22/2022 at 1:51 PM, mainecruisefan said:

 

Coffee maker in the room was still a thing, but decaf pods only. They didn’t have normal pods. I bought my own in port in Spain.

 

 

Could you please clarify re coffee pods. Are they actually pods (capsules, k-cups), or regular ground coffee packets as it used to be?  We like having a coffee maker in the cabin. I would bring some regular coffee with me, just in case, if they only have decaf. 

[njkate]

4 hours ago, Kristall said:

It's 1,33 to 1,99 per drink. Just looked at the overview on our TV in the room. 

 

 

That’s not earth shattering if you have 10 drinks that’s like $20 max on the tax. Still a hell of a lot cheaper than off the ship in port in NYC 

[Mira28]

I was on the TA from Barcelona to New York 12/8-12/22. First time on the Gem. It is a lovely ship, and I had only positive interactions with the crew. Room steward, bar servers, Garden Cafe staff, all were friendly, kind, and efficient. I thought the food was acceptable to good in all venues, very good in both MDRs and Le Bistro. 

In my opinion the entertainment on the cruise was poor to just okay. While I enjoyed the Latin band in the Bliss lounge, the acrobat brothers,  and the B12 group, most of the rest of the offered entertainment was not memorable. Although many of the performers had talent, what was presented seemed not up to NCL standards. I’m wondering why this is the case on this ship. Having sailed the Getaway, Breakaway, and the Bliss I know how great the entertainment on NCL usually is. 
 

Finally, the Wi-Fi failure during 4 out of the 6 sea days was a major concern for me and caused a lot of frustration all around. I don’t think it’s right for NCL to claim to offer unlimited and/or premium Wi-Fi (at a very high price) when they really cannot provide this service. 
 

Overall, this was a good cruise. The ports were amazing, and I had several great shore excursions through NCL. I hope the issues regarding entertainment quality and Wi-Fi will be addressed by NCL, as they significantly affect an otherwise positive experience. 
 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Mira28
Spelling

[mking8288]

It's a Hamilton Beach 1-cup coffee (hot water) maker - brews a small 6 oz. cup.  Steward usually provides the (flat) coffee pod/filter, regular and decaf - sugar & creamer, etc. daily & replace as necessary.  You can use your own flat filter pod and choice of coffee grounds - DIY filters and pre-filled filters sold online at Amazon and ShopRite, etc. locally.   Nowadays, it's available by request only via the steward.  

 

You can make hot water, tea & hot cocoa with it.  We prefer our own "private label" brand and always bring some along, just in case.  

 

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, workink said:

Although the casino is closed, some passengers in the buffet have started a pool with a fifty dollar buy-in on when, if ever, we will leave port. Gambling, like life, always finds a way ...   

 

FYI, a live CC blog from one of your fellow cruisers on the GEM, mentioned a short while ago that Coast Guard (likely, the "harbourmaster" that manage the NY Bay's marine traffic) has closed the harbor (probably for cruise ships)  Reading the maritime charts on wind, waves, swell and storm info ... my bet would be on a closer toward midnight or 11 p.m. departure from the cruise terminal, and to hug close to the coastal water for a "smoother" ride - depends on the bridge's charted routing to your 1st stop.  

 

Happy holidays and a safe sailing ... I would probably still take precautions if motion sickness prone for tonight.  

 

[HabitualLineStepper]

I was on the TA from Barcelona and also agree with most of the comments made about the subpar quality so far. Early on in the cruise, some cruisers I met commented that this was a 'cheap cruise' and therefore at that moment I accepted that things were not going to be up to par. With half capacity, the shows would only have one seating. It just proved to me that they would cut cost wherever they could including running out of certain foods.

 

At first, the Cruise Director blamed her sickness for not being visible, but even after her recovery, she was only visible on TV and the late night parties. They said she was lured over from Disney Cruises and I was curious to see what she would bring over. Overall, it didn't matter to me because her team was absolutely wonderful and they more than made up for her lack of presence.

 

There were definitely a lot of people that were sick on this cruise. Early on in the excursions, there were people unmasked and constantly coughing on the buses. Gradually, you would hear more and more people with that similarly sounding cough on the ship including the dining room. The announcements started to change to infer there was something floating around. Some people blamed it on the new carpet, but you can hear that the cough sounded like a respiratory illness resembling a cold/flu. Sadly, by the end of the cruise, I caught whatever was spreading around the ship.

 

Out of my three NCL cruises this year, I can definitely say that the taste of the food on this trip was the worse. On a few days, the food was so salty in the MDR, that I could not eat it. It truly tasted like you were eating a spoonful of salt. The fish and meats were often overcooked and dry. Even the Korean Chili wings didn't taste like usual.

 

By the end of the cruise, the main dining service improved a lot. However, O'Sheehan's continues to be spotty. Sometimes food never arrived with no explanation given and customers including myself just got up and left. I would expect no refills on ice water, since I have experienced this on other NCL ships, however waiting for over 15 minutes and not getting any food was just unacceptable.

 

Even leaving a note for the GM at guest services for an unrelated issue produced no acknowledgement nor reply.

 

Again, all of these things didn't bother me since I accepted early on that this was going to be a 'cheap cruise.' With that lowered standard, I had a wonderful time. The weather didn't always cooperate, but I loved the ports, the people I met and made the best of everything that was offered.

[mainecruisefan]

Anyone currently on the Gem or if you were on the sailing over Christmas, what shows were available on the ship? On the transatlantic there was only one show offered per evening and it was Divos and Divas with B12, Dance Fever with Katia and Zenia, Spencer Robson, NO SHOW, Blazing Boots, Paul Suha Violin Party, Chernov Brothers Circus, Dance Fever repeat, Spencer Robson repeat, Paul Suha repeat, Yuri and Nato acrobatic duo, Jess Mullock Night at the West End, Chernov Brothers repeat, Variety Show with some of the previous acts.

 

Was there anything different offered? Did they have more than one show per night?

 

The rate for the Gem cruises in January and February out of New York are extremely reasonable. However, I would like to know if they will be offering Blazing Boots or some other production show before I will even consider cruising on the Gem again. I am really hoping that since it just came out of dry dock that new acts have joined the ship.

 

[Turtles06]

23 minutes ago, mainecruisefan said:

Anyone currently on the Gem or if you were on the sailing over Christmas,

 

Just scroll right down your screen in this forum and you'll find this very active "live from" thread

 

 

[MichiganBound]

On 12/22/2022 at 1:51 PM, mainecruisefan said:

One show per night at 8pm or 7:30pm and no late show means every dinner is rushed.

 

 I am really hoping this is not a new NCL policy on the one show per night...

I've been on several NCL trans-Atlantic cruises on Jewell-class ships.  It's not unusual for the main theatre entertainment to be somewhat reduced.  One show per night is normal for these cruises.  I think it's a product of fairly low passenger numbers on these cruises as well as most fares being quite cheap.  In my experience, even at one show per night, the theatre is usually never full.

[mainecruisefan]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Just scroll right down your screen in this forum and you'll find this very active "live from" thread

 

 

I read that post... which was very interesting. I had stopped reading it before someone posted a few days worth of Freestyle Daily Schedules which answered my question. Thank you for pointing it out. It seems they have added different entertainment (quality wasn't my question as it is dependent on the viewer) and they are back to two shows per day. I appreciate the quick feedback folks. It is why I read these forums.

[mainecruisefan]

1 hour ago, MichiganBound said:

I've been on several NCL trans-Atlantic cruises on Jewell-class ships.  It's not unusual for the main theatre entertainment to be somewhat reduced.  One show per night is normal for these cruises.  I think it's a product of fairly low passenger numbers on these cruises as well as most fares being quite cheap.  In my experience, even at one show per night, the theatre is usually never full.

Thank you. I had never done a transatlantic on the jewel class ship before. Only a transpacific which was amazing on the jewel. That said, my transatlantic on the Epic in 2021 was great so I had higher expectations.

[ellewoods]

1 hour ago, mainecruisefan said:

I read that post... which was very interesting. I had stopped reading it before someone posted a few days worth of Freestyle Daily Schedules which answered my question. Thank you for pointing it out. It seems they have added different entertainment (quality wasn't my question as it is dependent on the viewer) and they are back to two shows per day. I appreciate the quick feedback folks. It is why I read these forums.

Hello! Just a note since I posted some freestyle dailies but not all, there are two shows each night in the theater. Blazing boots is scheduled for this evening. There is also another venue showing live music at least twice per evening!