15 day TA, first time on NCL?

[SoloAlaska]

 

I’ve sailed with Celebrity on Millennium for an Alaskan cruise in September (smaller ship with horrible entertainment) and enjoyed the weather and relaxed vibe. I am not the type to go to the Caribbean or enjoy massive mall feeling cruise ships.

 

I am looking at taking NCL on a 15 day TA from Civitavecchia to NYC in December on Gem. I will be traveling solo and looking to book a guaranteed interior cabin.

 

The ports look amazing but the ship seems a little dated. Anyone have any experience with a long sailing on this ship? Am I missing any red flags? Do you think this is a good fit?

 

Note: posted on TA but was suggested I post here for ship info.

[Russiamomm]

I did a B2B on the gem in 2022.  Total of 12 days.  You are right that the ship is smaller than a lot of other ships in the NCL fleet.  Honestly, it wasn’t my favorite.  I prefer the larger ships.  I found the layout to be a little odd and “disjointed”.  That being said, I enjoyed the trip.  The ship is in good shape and I would sail her again for the right trip at the right price.  Some people love it, it just wasn’t my favorite,  

 

For your trip, the only thing I’d be concerned about is the weather.  Crossing the North Atlantic in December could be chilly and choppy, further limiting the usable space on the ship.  I would consider getting a thermal spa pass for the trip solely for that reason.  But I didn't really care for the spa on the Gem.  Perhaps I’m used to the spas on the larger ships with fantastic thermal suites.  The one on the Gem was cramped, with separate saunas in the mens and women’s locker rooms.  The heated stone lingers do not face the ocean and getting into the unisex hot tub was difficult.   Of course this is just me and I don’t know if you are even interested in that. 
 

My friend and I did the TA on the Breakaway in April.  It was one of the best trips I’ve ever done, with a lot of the same ports that your ship will take.  We loved it so much that we wanted to do the reverse.  When the Epic changed its itineraries for next year they added a TA from Rome to Port Canaveral on December 1.  We jumped on it.  We liked the idea of a larger ship and a more southerly route.  Hopefully the trip will be a little warmer than sailing into NYC in December.  But the Epic is a strange ship.  You either love it or hate it.  But traveling solo, you won’t be bothered by the strange bathroom configuration in the cabins.  😂. It also has studio cabins, which I love.  I sailed on the Epic once and enjoyed it.
 

Either way, I wouldn’t hesitate to do the trip on the Gem, but prefer the larger ship and the Southern route.  Look into the Epic and join us!  I do believe the trip is a little more expensive, but it’s 16 nights on the Southern route and a larger ship.

[schmoopie17]

We did a 16 day TA on the Escape from Civita...oh, screw it...Rome...to NYC last November. We really enjoyed it and would do it again if we could find an itinerary with different ports and preferably ending in Miami. The sea was a bit choppy at times (well, it's the north Atlantic in November, what else would you expect?)...but overall wasn't that bad. I think that the Escape, being a bigger ship may have been better able to maintain stability (but I'm not an engineer, so what do I know?)

[SoloAlaska]

5 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

We did a 16 day TA on the Escape from Civita...oh, screw it...Rome...to NYC last November. We really enjoyed it and would do it again if we could find an itinerary with different ports and preferably ending in Miami. The sea was a bit choppy at times (well, it's the north Atlantic in November, what else would you expect?)...but overall wasn't that bad. I think that the Escape, being a bigger ship may have been better able to maintain stability (but I'm not an engineer, so what do I know?)

I did Alaska in September to Seward on Celebrity Millennium I now carry good meds for the potential issue of sea sickness.

[SoloAlaska]

1 hour ago, Russiamomm said:

For your trip, the only thing I’d be concerned about is the weather.  Crossing the North Atlantic in December could be chilly and choppy, further limiting the usable space on the ship.  I would consider getting a thermal spa pass for the trip solely for that reason.  But I didn't really care for the spa on the Gem.  Perhaps I’m used to the spas on the larger ships with fantastic thermal suites.  The one on the Gem was cramped, with separate saunas in the mens and women’s locker rooms.  The heated stone lingers do not face the ocean and getting into the unisex hot tub was difficult.   Of course this is just me and I don’t know if you are even interested in that. 
 

Either way, I wouldn’t hesitate to do the trip on the Gem, but prefer the larger ship and the Southern route.  Look into the Epic and join us!  I do believe the trip is a little more expensive, but it’s 16 nights on the Southern route and a larger ship.

Ya I'm happier with the colder weather and plan on spending my sea days working on the book I'm writing. 

 

I looked at the Epic and it's cheaper if your two but several hundred dollars more as a solo plus the flights where more expensive. I ended up booking the Gem and can't wait. As long as I can find some spots to sit and write and embroider I'll be very happy. Can't wait to explore the ports on the itinerary.

 

Thank you so much for your opinion of the Gem it really helped me see if it would be suitable for my adventure.

[Russiamomm]

22 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Ya I'm happier with the colder weather and plan on spending my sea days working on the book I'm writing. 

 

I looked at the Epic and it's cheaper if your two but several hundred dollars more as a solo plus the flights where more expensive. I ended up booking the Gem and can't wait. As long as I can find some spots to sit and write and embroider I'll be very happy. Can't wait to explore the ports on the itinerary.

 

Thank you so much for your opinion of the Gem it really helped me see if it would be suitable for my adventure.

Have a fantastic time and good luck with the weather and your book!

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

The ports look amazing but the ship seems a little dated. Anyone have any experience with a long sailing on this ship?

I love the Gem (and her Jewel-class sisters).  They are a very comfortable size, with a traditional promenade deck (missing from lots of new builds) and the wonderful Great Outdoors. This past winter, we spent 23 days on the Gem, taking B2B cruises from NY to Panama City and the return. And in early 2020, in what turned out to be our last cruise before the pandemic, we were aboard for a 20-day cruise from NY to San Francisco.  We were in suites for those cruises, which I know enhanced our overall experience, but the Gem is still a wonderful ship. 

[Twolittleboys]

I have never been on the Gem but I did just do a solo transtlantic cruise on the Getaway from Florida to Lisbon. I had a great time but do have a couple of things I would consider on a future cruise:

 

Especially for a winter transatlantic with many sea days I would take a good look at the deck plans and see how much indoor space there is. The Getaway had loads of great outdoor spaces and our weather was nice and sunny so that was perfect. But I did notice that there were very few indoor spaces to hang out in if the weather is bad. Some areas really suffered due to the smell of smoke and the Atrium (Getaway's main venue for trivia/gameshows etc.) felt cramped and very noisy. Like I said, I am not familiar with the Gem but I would check to see if there are plenty of indoor areas. And I would seriously consider booking the Thermal Spa, at least on the Getaway.

 

I also strongly recommend joining any roll call groups (here or other places). On my cruise there were quite a number of activities offered, from a pub crawl to L/R/C. Meeting up with others can make the cruise much more enjoyable.

I was in a guarantee oceanview and loved this as it is like your own enclosed mini-balcony. Depending on the deck plan of Gem, consider whether you would be happy in an indoor cabin. I usually book indoor cabins as well and don't mind them but transatlantics do have a lot of sea days...

[djasinsk]

I booked an ncl transatlantic from Lisbon to Rio to avoid many of the issues mentioned in this thread. 
— cold weather and having to be inside among the biggest one. 
 

the most consecutive “at sea days” ont is cruise is three when it leaves Cabo verde (off coast of Senegal) and heads to Recife.  
 

18 nights.  Great pricing.  Norwegian star.  Nov 24th. 

[sailingships]

4 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

I am looking at taking NCL on a 15 day TA from Civitavecchia to NYC in December on Gem.

 

The ports look amazing but the ship seems a little dated. Anyone have any experience with a long sailing on this ship?

We did the TA on the Gem last December. Plus other cruises. We plan to do the TA in December this year.

 

We love this ship. Yes its smaller and older but its not as crowded as the bigger ships and most of the NCL experiences are there also.

 

Ive been on larger ships where the public areas were clogged all day and the lines for the MDRs, shorex, guest services and entertainment tickets were long continually. Most shore excursions were sold out and entertainment times were full.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 7/17/2023 at 1:03 PM, SoloAlaska said:

 

 

I’ve sailed with Celebrity on Millennium for an Alaskan cruise in September (smaller ship with horrible entertainment) and enjoyed the weather and relaxed vibe. I am not the type to go to the Caribbean or enjoy massive mall feeling cruise ships.

 

I am looking at taking NCL on a 15 day TA from Civitavecchia to NYC in December on Gem. I will be traveling solo and looking to book a guaranteed interior cabin.

 

The ports look amazing but the ship seems a little dated. Anyone have any experience with a long sailing on this ship? Am I missing any red flags? Do you think this is a good fit?

 

Note: posted on TA but was suggested I post here for ship info.

 

We've sailed both ships multiple times.

 

If you've sailed on the "Revolutionized" Millennium (where they gut renovated the staterooms and many of the public areas), the Gem is going to feel very dated. Although the ships are a similar size, the Millennium has a much better layout/design, and feels less crowded than the Gem. The buffet on the Gem is also tiny for the number of passengers trying to use it.

 

Some other thoughts on a TA on the Gem: Unlike the Millennium there is no solarium/inside pool for the general public to use. The pools used to be heated on the Gem sailing out of NY in the winter, but not sure if this is still the case. 

 

The Gem inside staterooms are smaller than the Millennium... no sofas or seating areas in the Gem insides. This probably isn't an issue if you're sailing alone. 

 

Re: entertainment. We've seen some real stinkers on both lines, but the Gem has a very "bad high school musical" vibe, where at least Celebrity seemed to be spending money on the Millennium shows. I would not go on the Gem expecting anything better than the Millennium, and possibly worse. 

 

That said, NCL is a very laid back vibe: shorts in the MDR and specialty dining venues for dinner... it's one of the reasons people like it. 

 

[SoloAlaska]

23 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

We've sailed both ships multiple times.

 

If you've sailed on the "Revolutionized" Millennium (where they gut renovated the staterooms and many of the public areas), the Gem is going to feel very dated. Although the ships are a similar size, the Millennium has a much better layout/design, and feels less crowded than the Gem. The buffet on the Gem is also tiny for the number of passengers trying to use it.

 

Some other thoughts on a TA on the Gem: Unlike the Millennium there is no solarium/inside pool for the general public to use. The pools used to be heated on the Gem sailing out of NY in the winter, but not sure if this is still the case. 

 

The Gem inside staterooms are smaller than the Millennium... no sofas or seating areas in the Gem insides. This probably isn't an issue if you're sailing alone. 

 

Re: entertainment. We've seen some real stinkers on both lines, but the Gem has a very "bad high school musical" vibe, where at least Celebrity seemed to be spending money on the Millennium shows. I would not go on the Gem expecting anything better than the Millennium, and possibly worse. 

 

That said, NCL is a very laid back vibe: shorts in the MDR and specialty dining venues for dinner... it's one of the reasons people like it. 

 

Thank you so much for your opinion from both ships. I’ve been on the revolutionized Millennium and expect Gem to feel dated. I don’t really go to buffets unless I want to pick up some fresh fruit to go so not concerned about seating there. My focus will be the main dining room for most meals, I will miss assigned dinning times because it keeps me on a regular schedule while traveling. 

 

one question, do people hit the dance floor and have fun on Gem? I found my cruise on Millie didn’t really do much in the evenings. Trying to figure out if I should bring my dancing shoes.
 

I travel solo and don’t spend much time in my cabin other than for sleeping. The smaller cabin and lack of chair don’t bother me much. I might try and see if I can have the bed pushed to one side however. 
 

I was hoping for better shows but now realize that don’t be a reality. That’s not a deal breaker for me. The only thing that I might struggle to adjust to is the amount of smoking on NCL compared to celebrity. No matter what I am looking forward to 15 days of not having to cook or clean or drive myself. 15 days where I can focus on writing my book (except when possibly sea sick). 15 days of meeting new people.

 

Thank you for your notes on MDR dress. Celebrity in Alaska wasn’t dressy in my opinion but I always got a little dressed up. I might not worry so much for the TA. I have a feeling that getting changed every night for dinner may be overkill for this trip. At least that means I don’t have to pack as much.