Anyone here currently on the Gem?

[pookel]

I'm seeing some VERY negative comments elsewhere on the internet about the current crew of the Gem - the gist is that a lot of people are new & untrained & don't know what they're doing, especially in the kitchen. Can anyone here provide any info on how things are going? Is this normal when there's a new crew & they're working out the kinks? Has anyone here been on the Gem since the November refurb who can comment on what it's like now?

 

I'm pretty easygoing about travel difficulties but I do like to be prepared ahead of time. 🙂

[mking8288]

Just got an email update from our 2 Sapphire CC friends onboard the GEM, they sailed much further south than usual in nicer & warm weather for last few days, currently south of Bermuda & heading toward NY for this Thursday's morning arrival.  In all fairness, the "positives" going onboard ...

 

Dine with Officers supposingly being resumed when asked, signed up but still waiting for particulars - over 500 Latitudes members out of 1060 onboard and 49 Sapphires ... satellite WiFi has been unusable for past few days since they left Funchal, barely able to upload a few pictures for us (as seen in the other thread).  Probably frustrating and difficult to do any kind of extensive live or semi-live reporting while doing the crossing.  

 

What you read on the other platform, I cannot vouch for/against but overall, seemed spot on & reasonably accurate ... look for a post-TA crossing review/critique by others in greater details & depth.  I am considering posting indirectly, sharing what they wrote in the other thread ... as heads-up for those embarking soon on her.  GEM has been one of our favorite mid-size ship over the past 10 years and cruised her just a month before the Covid-19 ...

 

P.S.  Coughing reporting onboard in public area, best to consider - IMHO - stocking & bring some masks & wipes/sanitizers for, optional, personal use while at sea ... for your (in)convenience.  Not mandated, not recommended, not ... strictly on your own.  

Edited December 20, 2022 by mking8288

[All-ready2cruise]

I love the Jewel class ships, although, to be honest, if it's a ship, if it sails, if I have a nice stateroom on it, I love it.  Jewel, Jade, Gem and Pearl are all great ships as well as all the new ships too.  IMHO, you're the only person who can make your cruise an enjoyable experience.  

I've only been cruising for 10 years, while I've had some iffy experiences, I've always ended up having a great time.  

Stop worrying and decide to enjoy your cruise, there's so much to love.  

Cheers. 

[ellewoods]

30 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Just got an email update from our 2 Sapphire CC friends onboard the GEM, they sailed much further south than usual in nicer & warm weather for last few days, currently south of Bermuda & heading toward NY for this Thursday's morning arrival.  In all fairness, the "positives" going onboard ...

 

Dine with Officers supposingly being resumed when asked, signed up but still waiting for particulars - over 500 Latitudes members out of 1060 onboard and 49 Sapphires ... satellite WiFi has been unusable for past few days since they left Funchal, barely able to upload a few pictures for us (as seen in the other thread).  Probably frustrating and difficult to do any kind of extensive live or semi-live reporting while doing the crossing.  

 

What you read on the other platform, I cannot vouch for/against but overall, seemed spot on & reasonably accurate ... look for a post-TA crossing review/critique by others in greater details & depth.  I am considering posting indirectly, sharing what they wrote in the other thread ... as heads-up for those embarking soon on her.  GEM has been one of our favorite mid-size ship over the past 10 years and cruised her just a month before the Covid-19 ...

 

P.S.  Coughing reporting onboard in public area, best to consider - IMHO - stocking & bring some masks & wipes/sanitizers for, optional, personal use while at sea ... for your (in)convenience.  Not mandated, not recommended, not ... strictly on your own.  

Can you point me to the other thread you mention?

[ellewoods]

1 hour ago, pookel said:

I'm seeing some VERY negative comments elsewhere on the internet about the current crew of the Gem - the gist is that a lot of people are new & untrained & don't know what they're doing, especially in the kitchen. Can anyone here provide any info on how things are going? Is this normal when there's a new crew & they're working out the kinks? Has anyone here been on the Gem since the November refurb who can comment on what it's like now?

 

I'm pretty easygoing about travel difficulties but I do like to be prepared ahead of time. 🙂

Not sure when you are sailing. I set sail on the Gem Thursday and have sailed her many times. I’m happy to report back after if you have any questions that haven’t been answered by then 

[pookel]

28 minutes ago, ellewoods said:

Not sure when you are sailing. I set sail on the Gem Thursday and have sailed her many times. I’m happy to report back after if you have any questions that haven’t been answered by then 

 

I'm on the Jan 16-25 sailing so I'd love to hear your updates! 

[mking8288]

25 minutes ago, ellewoods said:

Can you point me to the other thread you mention?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2896346-gem-dry-dock/page/3/

Not posting any additional details from today's email message, verbatim as a 3rd party, until I clear with our CC friends whom we've cruised together in the past and keep in touch as they live close by.  Issues with observations about management, crew and staff, and quality of food served, as well as service standards (which they deemed below NCL's benchmark standards) as they're just recently on the Pearl out of Boston - opinions are subjective and reviews are often non-scientific ... thus, precautions always advised reading them and also care when doing a write-up.  

 

I can help them report out, not surprisingly and the practice has been fairly consistent recently with other NCL ships, no OBC were (asked & requested, nicely) given - issued - credited - posted - etc. with their skipped and missing ports, 3 extra sea days plus the 6 nights crossing for the 14 nights (of course, some folks are happy to be at sea and hardly go ashore at all ... others do, to each her/his own about what's important to do & not do).  When it comes to finances and OBC, the authority & approval are certain to be vested not onboard but rather, dictated by Miami HQ's senior leadership.  

 

I've said more than I wanted to.  Happy cruising ! 

[angalyse]

I need a decoder ring

 

[mking8288]

Marinetraffic has the GEM on their radar tracking about 3 hours ago, on a northwest approach doing 20 knots toward NY, should be picking up the pilot boat soon - maybe 30 - 40 nm off Long Branch, NJ for an early arrival (now, slow to 10 knots at midnight)

 

Other CC'ers onboard will probably do a full or detailed write-up later, as our friends don't plan to.  Cleared with them with to just share below, some of their observations & comments as seasoned Latitudes members,  FWIW, informational only: 

Subjective comments - verbatim, edited for clarity only  ... 

 

1.  Haven't seen or heard from the GM or Cruise Director at all ( M&G ... with the cruise more than half over.)  Something that we discovered is that you can bring your own wine, liquor on board. In a number of Spanish ports ( Lisbon as well ), one goes thru scanner and X-ray at the pier and duty free is situated after that. No X-ray screening to come back on board and no one asked to store your alcohol purchase away until the last day. We purchased sherry from Cádiz and port from Lisbon plus a few bottles of Portuguese wine.

 

BTW our return on board in Lisbon was done through face recognition technologies ( no need to show keycard).

 

2.  Funchal is in sight but Gem is 2 hours late arriving due to very strong headwind overnight. We were only able make 14 kts instead of 20+. All shore excursion delayed but no mention of late departure ( scheduled for 5pm ). Indeed many new environments on the Gem except the stateroom. If you look carefully at the photo on deck 6 you will notice all the chairs and sofa are quite low ( design over function). We see lots of passengers struggling to get up ( we just avoided them completely).

 

One good news is that NCL arranged for EU Customs to be at the pier from 2-4 to process and stamp VAT refund ( normally only available at departure airport ).

 

We believe that the last of the contractors got off in Lisbon. It was a three weeks refit in marseille and the work continues. 

 

We had dinner at Le Bistro and the “ special “ wine menu for us had been further downsized. The food portions were smaller as well. 

 

3.  The Gem had taken a very southerly course across the North Atlantic. We had pleasant temperatures ( 70’s), relatively clear skies, calm seas with a slight ocean swell. 

 

The last 2 to 3 days wifi was slower than molasses and I cannot even use IPhone messaging. Today seemed to be back to “normal” all iPhone messages, Facebook messenger and mail download all came through.

 

Our balcony cabin is exactly the same configuration as it was when we started cruising on NCL in 2006. Kind of sad in a way as it is showing its age. 

 

We also have a canceled port call but no offer was made, OBC or otherwise. Our friends on the Epic told us about their compensation ( sad ! ) and they were trying to find things to buy as they prepaid everything so no onboard expenses at all. I tipped him off on the buy one get one on Cruise next ( wasn’t on the offer but unless one asked ). 

 

Taking about Covid, no known cases on board yet but a lot of people coughing and very few worn mask ( we do ). This morning in Garden Cafe a man cough right on the plexiglass over the food !

 

On the topic of food, we are rarely disappointed with food and food service on NCL, this cruise is the exception! Just not up to NCL standards. The bacon at Garden Cafe are broken into pieces or stuck together into a flat. I thought it was a one time thing for the beginning of the cruise as the Gem was in Marseille for a three weeks refit. But the bacon situation did not improve. The food in the MDR lacks the same presentation this is even in some of the special venue. The cooks behind the carving station had no idea how to carve and this extended to some of people In Mordeno. Last night one of them carved a crispy cut with all fats on the inside !

 

Overall impression is not a good one. Only seen the GM at the latitude party ( over 500 Latitude members out of 1060 passengers, only 49 Sapphire). The Meet and Greet venue was changed ( there was an art auction there ) and no signage to advise the new location ! Even the Cruise Director wasn’t very visible. Never seen the Captain and all the announcements from the bridge was from the 1st Officer. 

 

The Dining with the Officers was reinforced and we were told that an invitation with be forth coming. We inquired two days ago at the desk, was given an excuse and promised that we will be called about the day and time. Tomorrow is our last sea day so I guess it will not be forth coming at all. 

 

Even the Freestyle Daily was substandard, usually crammed with information now some days are double spaced as they had nothing to say. None of the port of call had a description or a map so if one didn’t book an excursion you are out of luck. 

 

It was hard for us to write about Vacation Hero as they are few and far in between. Our waiter at Moderno was so flustered ... 

 

... The Captain and GM set the tone of the ship. We ... had been the Gem many times prior. The ship was not perfect but still well run, not so this time ... went to reception to ask for priority tags for our luggage and was told they they will be delivered to Platinum and above by their room steward ( he could have easily hand them to me as I stood in line to inquire ). As compare to the Gem’s 2 or 3 rating , our recent trip on the Pearl ranks a 8+, the food was exceptional all around. The GM was visible all the time. 

 

4.  Just had a surprisingly delicious dinner at La Cucina with decent service ( still room for improvement). And, no not a peep from Cruise Next re dinner with the officers ! Finally saw the GM, he was walking around with his very young son who is apparently on board.  

Edited December 22, 2022 by mking8288

[mainecruisefan]

I just got off the gem from the TA. I was on the Gem in May and it was a lovely ship. The quality of the dry dock work especially on the tile in the garden cafe makes me want to cry. I don’t know if the work was rushed or just cheap.

 

Aside from the posted comments being accurate, I want to mention escargot in Bistro is scallops now. One show per night at 8pm or 7:30pm and no late show means every dinner is rushed.

 

Also, service is slow but I found the service crew in restaurants to be very nice. They are at the mercy of the cooks. 
 

I always wear a mask. I saw a lot more people wearing masks at the end of the cruise than at the beginning. 

 

I didn’t have hot water in my stateroom for 4 hours one morning. Water pressure was very low.

 

Internet was pretty minimal with WhatsApp being blocked for 4 days. 
 

Food was just ok. 
 

Please note that the Gem 11 day cruise I took in May was amazing. I am really hoping this is not a new NCL policy on the one show per night and the lobster ravioli becoming shrimp, escargot becoming scallops.

 

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.

 

This particular cruise was not up to par. Feel free to ask me specific questions but between this post and the last, most of the details are covered.

 

 

[Davechipp74]

I've been on 6 different NCL ships, the Gem is my favorite and will always hold a special place in my heart. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:24 PM, mking8288 said:

P.S.  Coughing reporting onboard in public area

Yikes!!!

[ellewoods]

Boarded Gem today. Just advised due to weather conditions our cruise is delayed 24 hours and we hope to leave tomorrow evening. 

[Turtles06]

38 minutes ago, ellewoods said:

Boarded Gem today. Just advised due to weather conditions our cruise is delayed 24 hours and we hope to leave tomorrow evening. 

That’s a shame!  Maybe go see a show on Broadway …

[WYB!]

If the ships remains docked in NY, does that mean that drinks will also be taxed?

[ellewoods]

18 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

That’s a shame!  Maybe go see a show on Broadway …

Getting off to see my sister for dinner, she lives here. All is good. Crew is fabulous. Happy the Captain is keeping us safe. 

[ellewoods]

7 minutes ago, WYB! said:

If the ships remains docked in NY, does that mean that drinks will also be taxed?

Not sure. We have the drink package and I was surprised not to get charged a tax earlier when we ordered drinks. 

[raitch]

17 hours ago, mking8288 said:

the bacon situation did not improve.

The most harrowing sentence I’ve read in all my years on CC.  I’ll be praying for your friends!

[Turtles06]

44 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

That’s a shame!  Maybe go see a show on Broadway …

 

32 minutes ago, WYB! said:

If the ships remains docked in NY, does that mean that drinks will also be taxed?

 

Funny where our minds first went at the news of the Gem's delayed sailing.   😁

[mking8288]

Maritime forecast for the Gem's southbound sailing not looking pretty with forecasted sea state, wind, waves & swell.  We're sailed her right after Sandy & other times thru rather challenging navigational routes.  Capt's bridge team must've made the call in consult with Miami HQ to postpone this time, not fun to ride 35 to 40 ft. waves with adverse gale force wind for an extended duration.

 

BTW,  slightly off-topics: seeing any crew members off-duty going ashore for a few hours ... my understanding is that, due to recent events, NCL crews not  permitted by CBP to go ashore even if they're granted time-off (has to stay onboard.) 

 

Safe travels 

Edited December 23, 2022 by mking8288

[angalyse]

I will be on this fine ship January 11th and I will promise you if you are with my group, you will laugh every day, drink more than you should but still act kinda like an adult.  Enjoy every meal and find the entire crew a joy.  I hope I dont see the captain because that would mean I am in trouble.  As far as the tile floors go I will report back about the ceiling tiles with a little luck

[Kristall]

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. 

[ellewoods]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Maritime forecast for the Gem's southbound sailing not looking pretty with forecasted sea state, wind, waves & swell.  We're sailed her right after Sandy & other times thru rather challenging navigational routes.  Capt's bridge team must've made the call in consult with Miami HQ to postpone this time, not fun to ride 35 to 40 ft. waves with adverse gale force wind for an extended duration.

 

BTW,  slightly off-topics: seeing any crew members off-duty going ashore for a few hours ... my understanding is that, due to recent events, NCL crews not  permitted by CBP to go ashore even if they're granted time-off (has to stay onboard.) 

 

Safe travels 

 Yes crew have been ashore this evening. Seems like quite a few have made their way off the ship. They have to be back on board by 2 AM. Guests do not have to be back aboard until 4:30PM. 

[mking8288]

37 minutes ago, Kristall said:

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

Latest marine forecast not looking pretty until late tomorrow night, system is fast moving and on an upbeat note, seasick minimized (if any) - depending on how they chart her course to head south.  Bow of the ship gets a stronger & better 5G and 4G/LTE signal, and terminal itself has free (unsecured) WiFi - at least folks onboard don't need to worry about satellite WiFi while docked. 

 

Being a holiday sailing, ship must be at full capacity with lots of families & children/teens onboard - restless.  Sister ship, the mega-sized Getaway is early, inbound now, passed Ambrose and just off the Rockaways, already met by the pilot boat to help escort her to navigate in, should be docking next to you folks much sooner than scheduled (tomorrow).    Stay warm & dry and happy holidays, healthy & safe sailing to all.  

 

 

P.S.  @ellewoods - thanks for that "update" about the crews being permitted to go ashore again when docked in NYC, especially with this unscheduled, unexpected & unplanned extension by mother nature.  Our friends that just disembarked this morning wasn't sure if seamen's privileges were restored by CBP already, which NCL has very little say about it.  

[mixmix11]

15 hours ago, mainecruisefan said:

I just got off the gem from the TA. I was on the Gem in May and it was a lovely ship. The quality of the dry dock work especially on the tile in the garden cafe makes me want to cry. I don’t know if the work was rushed or just cheap.

 

Aside from the posted comments being accurate, I want to mention escargot in Bistro is scallops now. One show per night at 8pm or 7:30pm and no late show means every dinner is rushed.

 

Also, service is slow but I found the service crew in restaurants to be very nice. They are at the mercy of the cooks. 
 

I always wear a mask. I saw a lot more people wearing masks at the end of the cruise than at the beginning. 

 

I didn’t have hot water in my stateroom for 4 hours one morning. Water pressure was very low.

 

Internet was pretty minimal with WhatsApp being blocked for 4 days. 
 

Food was just ok. 
 

Please note that the Gem 11 day cruise I took in May was amazing. I am really hoping this is not a new NCL policy on the one show per night and the lobster ravioli becoming shrimp, escargot becoming scallops.

 

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.

 

This particular cruise was not up to par. Feel free to ask me specific questions but between this post and the last, most of the details are covered.

 

 

RE no regular coffee pods - this was the case with us on the Dawn in October - decaf pods only.  I wonder if this is a new "policy"  - doing everything possible to get you to go to Starbucks.