Gem 1/11/2023, NYC to Bermuda

[Mlake09]

5 hours ago, cruiseat50 said:

Thank you for this information as that is something I was trying to find out since we will be there for a day in March before heading down to the Caribbean.  We are taking an excursion on a boat to see the famous homes and hideaways of the rich and famous but that is only a couple hours and were wondering what to do with the rest of the day.  I really would have loved to go to the famous pink sand beaches but since it's early march it most likely won't be warm enough especially for a dip in the water.  Even though I do have mobility issues I would have tried to get my rollator down to the water to take a dip but don't really want to freeze my --- off.

Help! I think the water stays around 68-69 during the winter/early spring months. Depending on what you are comfortable with, you might be able to do it- we snorkeled but it was pretty chilly so I didn’t stay in as long as I normally would. The beaches are beautiful

on Bermuda. I hope you have a great trip!

[mking8288]

Good evening and welcome home ... wind picked up here in NYC earlier but nothing like the onboard.

 

CM has the ship outside AIS, thus not showing up on Marinetraffic, soon ... already passed Ocean City & Atlantic City hugging a lot closer along the coastline.  Wish the weather was better than forecasted and not as rough, conditions eased up slightly looking at different indicators but nowhere ideal ... cruisers without sea legs & those prone to motion sickness probably going to plenty of horror stories to tell.  Glad to hear you're able to dance in the rain & wind, indoors & to make the best out of it all ... perhaps, NCL knew the odds & GEM had extra, last minute sales incentives for folks to book it this month.  Anyway, this chart should help tell & share with folks ... apparently, NCL ships all experiencing serious satellite WiFi internet issues lately.  

 

Should be a little smoother to get some sleep after midnight.  Cheers and safe journey getting home.  

[coyboy1971]

Smooth disembarking at the Manhattan cruise terminal this morning. Enjoyed our last Haven breakfast in Moderno. They were full service and it was once again terrific and highlight of our cruise. 
 

Opted for Grand Pacific MDR for dinner last night. We got one of the tables for 2 by the aft windows dead center. It was spectacular watching the wake, but felt like we were at the tiller of the worlds largest motorboat. Service and food were excellent. Since there wasn't any entertainment other than the small things in the atrium and by Magnum's we just turned in and finished packing. 

 

Norman, our butler, whom we barely saw all week was full service this morning and escorted us from our suite to the priority disembarkation line on Deck 7. This was nice, because he took us around the congested areas. (One last chance to earn a tip, too, I guess.)

Bag claim was a breeze and a few minutes later we are waiting for our train home in the beautiful new metropolitan lounge at the gorgeous Moynihan Train Hall. 
 

With the bad weather, shortened port call, and cancelled shows, this is the the first NCL cruise that was just kind of "meh."  The beautiful updates to the Gem, the terrific food and service in the restaurants, the truly entertaining wine tasting events, and our amazing cabin steward (plus 2 good books brought from home) were the shining points. 
 

We will probably wait and see how NCL's announcement of entertainment cuts plays out before we book again, despite that right up to the disembarkation talk, CruiseNext deals were being endlessly pushed at us. Will be following your trip reports and enjoying your pics until then. 
 

Bon Voyage!

 

 

[Turtles06]

52 minutes ago, coyboy1971 said:

Bag claim was a breeze and a few minutes later we are waiting for our train home in the beautiful new metropolitan lounge at the gorgeous Moynihan Train Hall. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments in this thread.  We'll be on the Gem for 23 days starting next week, so I've been following along.   Sorry that your experience this time was "meh," and hope things improve!! 

 

Quick question: did you use a cab, Uber, or some other means to get from the cruise terminal to Moynihan Train Hall?  (And yes, that's a gorgeous new lounge!)  We generally drive, but this time it's Amtrak, so we've never had to face the throngs looking for cabs upon disembarkation.

 

Safe travels home! 

 

 

[coyboy1971]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

 

 

Quick question: did you use a cab, Uber, or some other means to get from the cruise terminal to Moynihan Train Hall?  (And yes, that's a gorgeous new lounge!)  We generally drive, but this time it's Amtrak, so we've never had to face the throngs looking for cabs upon disembarkation.

 

Safe travels home! 

 

 

We caught an Uber after collecting our bags. We didn't request it until bags were in hand and we found the pickup spot. (On Pier 88 where we came in this was on level 2). It was pretty smooth. 

[Turtles06]

4 minutes ago, coyboy1971 said:

We caught an Uber after collecting our bags. We didn't request it until bags were in hand and we found the pickup spot. (On Pier 88 where we came in this was on level 2). It was pretty smooth. 

Thanks for the reply! Isn’t Level 2 where folks are arriving?  Are they letting car services pick up there?  

[cruiseny4life]

3 hours ago, coyboy1971 said:

Bag claim was a breeze and a few minutes later we are waiting for our train home in the beautiful new metropolitan lounge at the gorgeous Moynihan Train Hall. 

Penn Station? I have a feeling this new name will be like the Tappan Zee. I'm sure not calling it the new name. 🙂

 

Glad you were able to survive the waves with minimal disruption...except for not being able to go outside.

[coyboy1971]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Thanks for the reply! Isn’t Level 2 where folks are arriving?  Are they letting car services pick up there?  

They did for us. Told us to just wait at the curb. Private car pickup on the roof. 

[sailorusvi]

30 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Penn Station? I have a feeling this new name will be like the Tappan Zee. I'm sure not calling it the new name. 🙂

 

 

 

The official name is Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.  So yeah, Penn Station it is for me.   Also no Cuomo bridge for me either.

[CazualCruzer]

Just got off this cruise, too.  Attached is a video of the waves, taken from our room yesterday morning. Myself, better half and two kids had two Oceanview rooms on deck 5. This is the first time we've cruised in anything other than The Haven or a Suite, so that was an interesting contrast. (There were no higher categories of room available when we made our last minute booking.)

 

Overall, the cruise was okay. With one, big, gross exception - my wife and I got eaten alive by the dreaded bed bugs. It took us until last night to realize what was causing the red marks on our bodies (faces, necks, arms, legs, even my fingers!) We told our cabin attendant this morning, and she was going to have pest control deal with it before the ship set sail again.

 

Overall, I think NCL did a good job making lemonade out of lemons. Can't fault them for their response to the weather. It was a bummer to miss the overnight in BDA, especially as we'd prepaid for a night at a local resort in St. George, to the tune of several hundred dollars. Won't be seeing that money again.

 

I was a bit annoyed at the dreadful internet service, but was somewhat prepared for it, having read about it on here prior to departure. As another poster noted, they did give $50 non-refundable OBC to everyone to compensate for the BDA overnight being cancelled. We also received $102 and change, each, in refundable credit, posted to our account on Sunday. There was no notification of any sort about this - I just spotted it in my account on the NCL app. Had I not being using the app, I would have been none the wise. As I've never had refundable OBC before, I didn't know you had to visit Guest Services to get paid out before disembarkation but, thankfully, a casual mention of the credit to some fellow cruisers quickly educated us to that quirk. Can't complain about walking off the ship several hundred dollars richer than when I walked on! (Plus, the "Luck of the Irish" was with this Dubliner at the Casino on this voyage, so I was up about $2k when all is said and done!)

 

Strangely, there was no recognition of our Platinum status. No vouchers, extra water, welcome letter - nada. I did visit the Cruise Next desk, and they eventually issued new certificates, which we used at Cagney's and LeBistro.

 

Anyway, I am posting this mainly to share the video. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go slather cortisone on my bed bug bites!

[mking8288]

16 minutes ago, coyboy1971 said:

They did for us. Told us to just wait at the curb. Private car pickup on the roof. 

Welcome home from the wild North Atlantic ride with those strengthen sea legs.  

 

Yeah, sometimes port security (has absolutely nothing to do with NCL as it is facility operations) will direct & allow car services to also dropoff and pickup on the lower level ... sometimes, it's confusing for Uber/Lyft & car service drivers as they are sometimes turn away.  

 

We used porter services once off the ship & downstairs in the luggage hall, and the porters do know by then - their buddies aren't going to give their fellow workers a hard time, unless security protocols in place dictate otherwise ... and CBP only deal with securing the zones inside the fenced / gated area, not out on 12th Avenue.  

 

The other difference, I think, is yesterday was Sunday - a weekend for disembarkation and traffic in town & for that area is light ... no street fairs nearby, no half-marathon, or other major events in the neighborhood/town ... everybody got along fine.  Gem is a mid-size ship and even at capacity, isn't letting more than 2,300 or 2,400 passengers - unlike the mega Escape, Joy or Getaway.  

 

We rather go across 12th Avenue with the porter minding our heavier bags on the cart, and hail a taxi or wait for car service or Lyft (prefer over Uber) to come around, mostly quicker than waiting for them to get into the secured terminal pickup/dropoff zone, especially with that left turn traffic light on 12th Avenue (not all pro drivers know to use W. 55th approach).  

 

 

 

[CILCIANRQTS]

4 hours ago, coyboy1971 said:

Smooth disembarking at the Manhattan cruise terminal this morning. Enjoyed our last Haven breakfast in Moderno. They were full service and it was once again terrific and highlight of our cruise. 
 

Opted for Grand Pacific MDR for dinner last night. We got one of the tables for 2 by the aft windows dead center. It was spectacular watching the wake, but felt like we were at the tiller of the worlds largest motorboat. Service and food were excellent. Since there wasn't any entertainment other than the small things in the atrium and by Magnum's we just turned in and finished packing. 

 

Norman, our butler, whom we barely saw all week was full service this morning and escorted us from our suite to the priority disembarkation line on Deck 7. This was nice, because he took us around the congested areas. (One last chance to earn a tip, too, I guess.)

Bag claim was a breeze and a few minutes later we are waiting for our train home in the beautiful new metropolitan lounge at the gorgeous Moynihan Train Hall. 
 

With the bad weather, shortened port call, and cancelled shows, this is the the first NCL cruise that was just kind of "meh."  The beautiful updates to the Gem, the terrific food and service in the restaurants, the truly entertaining wine tasting events, and our amazing cabin steward (plus 2 good books brought from home) were the shining points. 
 

We will probably wait and see how NCL's announcement of entertainment cuts plays out before we book again, despite that right up to the disembarkation talk, CruiseNext deals were being endlessly pushed at us. Will be following your trip reports and enjoying your pics until then. 
 

Bon Voyage!

 

 

The ship seems to listing badly in the last photo…

[njhorseman]

This must be an accurate rendition of how passengers felt during the rocky trip home from Bermuda  😁

[JGmf]

21 minutes ago, CazualCruzer said:

Overall, the cruise was okay. With one, big, gross exception - my wife and I got eaten alive by the dreaded bed bugs. It took us until last night to realize what was causing the red marks on our bodies (faces, necks, arms, legs, even my fingers!) We told our cabin attendant this morning, and she was going to have pest control deal with it before the ship set sail again.

 

Whaaat?  Whoa.  That's horrible.  We always check bedding before we unpack anywhere go, but never ever would expect to find anything on a cruise ship.  Yikes.  I bet that cabin took a lot longer to turn over for the next guests.  Sorry you had to endure that.

[CazualCruzer]

6 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

Whaaat?  Whoa.  That's horrible.  We always check bedding before we unpack anywhere go, but never ever would expect to find anything on a cruise ship.  Yikes.  I bet that cabin took a lot longer to turn over for the next guests.  Sorry you had to endure that.

Honestly, it is the last place I'd except to find them, too. I've traveled over 5 million miles and hit 120 countries, and never encountered a bed bug. This was a first - and I hope last - for me!

[njhorseman]

3 minutes ago, JGmf said:

never ever would expect to find anything on a cruise ship

It can happen anywhere...your home...a hotel room...a cruise ship. They don't just appear out of thin air, they got to where they are because they've been transported there by someone, often in  luggage.

 

I'm not saying this is the case here, but a cruise passenger could have stayed overnight at hotel that had an infestation pre-cruise, the bugs got into their luggage and then set up shop in their cabin on the ship.

 

It can happen to the cleanest people staying at the most luxurious of hotels.

 

It's also not uncommon if you go to a beach you can be bitten by sand fleas, and the bites  can easily be mistaken for bed bug bites. This is very, very common in the tropics.

 

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Penn Station? I have a feeling this new name will be like the Tappan Zee. I'm sure not calling it the new name. 🙂

 

59 minutes ago, sailorusvi said:

The official name is Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.  So yeah, Penn Station it is for me.   Also no Cuomo bridge for me either.

 

Yup, no Cuomo bridge for me either. It will always be the Tappan Zee.  

 

Moynihan Train Hall is a mouthful.  But it's a separate building across 8th Avenue from Penn Station.      (Maybe folks need to call it "the Moyn."  😂)

[AwesomO]

The one time we sailed on the Gem, we also had bed bugs. It's too bad you didn't find out until the last day. They moved us to a new room and washed all of our clothes and I believe even cleaned the suitcases, iirc.

 

At first NCL tried to claim it was mosquitos (we were out in the middle of the ocean and hadn't made it to any ports yet). but after I received more bites, they required me to go to the infirmary, though the doctor on call had nothing to say about it besides trying to give me hydrocortisone cream and charge me (NCL insisted I go, so I wasn't paying for that) but once my husband finally found the actual bug itself, they were very, very good at handling the situation. Bed bugs can happen anywhere, but to me, what matters is how the place handles it. Not going to hold it against a place for having the bugs, but will hold it against them if they dont try to right the situation. We also, unfortunately, had a similar experience in one hotel and they were less keen to accept personal responsibility. 

[coyboy1971]

56 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

This must be an accurate rendition of how passengers felt during the rocky trip home from Bermuda  😁

I have no idea why that one posted upside down, but yes, I do think it was the meta verse's way of trying to turn some frowns upside down. 🙃

[Birdnutty]

19 minutes ago, AwesomO said:

The one time we sailed on the Gem, we also had bed bugs. It's too bad you didn't find out until the last day. They moved us to a new room and washed all of our clothes and I believe even cleaned the suitcases, iirc.

 

At first NCL tried to claim it was mosquitos (we were out in the middle of the ocean and hadn't made it to any ports yet). but after I received more bites, they required me to go to the infirmary, though the doctor on call had nothing to say about it besides trying to give me hydrocortisone cream and charge me (NCL insisted I go, so I wasn't paying for that) but once my husband finally found the actual bug itself, they were very, very good at handling the situation. Bed bugs can happen anywhere, but to me, what matters is how the place handles it. Not going to hold it against a place for having the bugs, but will hold it against them if they dont try to right the situation. We also, unfortunately, had a similar experience in one hotel and they were less keen to accept personal responsibility. 

OMG!  Bed bugs!  We've been on 50 cruises, never had a problem. And I understand that bedbugs can be like roaches.  If anywhere has them, everywhere can have them.  What do you check for before you unpack?  Do you have to take the whole bed apart?

[njhorseman]

36 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Moynihan Train Hall is a mouthful.

Those of us who are fortunate enough 🙄 to use NJ Transit don't have to worry about that. We have the pleasure of using good old Penn Station. I'm sure the planned $7 billion dollar 😲 refurbishment will be money well spent.  😏

[Turtles06]

54 minutes ago, Birdnutty said:

OMG!  Bed bugs!  We've been on 50 cruises, never had a problem. And I understand that bedbugs can be like roaches.  If anywhere has them, everywhere can have them.  What do you check for before you unpack?  Do you have to take the whole bed apart?

 

Don't want to derail this thread with bedbug discussions, but no, you don't have to take the whole bed apart.  Google "how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room," and you'll find plenty of videos.    

 

 

[shof515]

2 hours ago, CazualCruzer said:

Strangely, there was no recognition of our Platinum status. No vouchers, extra water, welcome letter - nada. I did visit the Cruise Next desk, and they eventually issued new certificates, which we used at Cagney's and LeBistro.

did you win an upgrade bid 48-72 hours prior to sail date?

 

the same thing happen to me on the Joy back in October and when i talked to the cruise next staff about not getting the platinum things in the room they told that if my cabin was changed very recently they do not have the updated information. they prepare the platinum stuff a few days prior to sail date so they will often times have your old cabin information

[sailorusvi]

7 minutes ago, shof515 said:

did you win an upgrade bid 48-72 hours prior to sail date?

 

the same thing happen to me on the Joy back in October and when i talked to the cruise next staff about not getting the platinum things in the room they told that if my cabin was changed very recently they do not have the updated information. they prepare the platinum stuff a few days prior to sail date so they will often times have your old cabin information

 

I feel like that is a pretty lame excuse. Major hotels do amenities and deal with room changes all the time. Most likely even more changes than on a ship.  When a room change was made room service (who delivered the amenity) was informed.    They should be able to get an updated list to compare on the sail date (even if it's after they set sail) before an amenity is delivered (even if they are pre-made).  There might be a delay, but it should get to the correct person eventually. 

[CazualCruzer]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

did you win an upgrade bid 48-72 hours prior to sail date?

 

the same thing happen to me on the Joy back in October and when i talked to the cruise next staff about not getting the platinum things in the room they told that if my cabin was changed very recently they do not have the updated information. they prepare the platinum stuff a few days prior to sail date so they will often times have your old cabin information

Nope - the cabins were assigned from the time of booking, some weeks ago.