Norwegian Gem - 2/16/08 thru 2/23/08 - Wow!

[Maryfrei]

We returned yesterday, but I can't seem to rev myself up from vacation mode! Working on my review, but will probably get to it in pieces. Thanks for your patience, and please ask questions. We had a lovely group of CC'rs on this group and between us can probably provide answers.:)

 

Norwegian Gem – 2/16/08 through 2/23/08

 

 

Me (51) and DH (50)

 

We booked this cruise to celebrate our 25th year of marriage. We had a great time and were wowed by the Gem and its staff and crew.

 

Embarkation: We took the bus from Danbury CT to the Port Authority, then a cab to the pier. We arrived very early, in fact I think we were the first arrivals, before 9AM. The pier and the process are totally different from our previous cruises. NCL representatives had us sit and wait for the process to begin.

 

At around 10:30 they put us in line and we went through security and into the check-in line. At that point there really wasn’t a line so we got our cards quickly, and we were directed further down to a spacious seating area to await boarding. So basically, the process is linear. You walk in the door, check your bags with a porter, get in line and go through security, then on to the check in line, then on to the waiting area. They also handed out dailies so that we could check it out while waiting which was something new that I enjoyed!

 

Everything is clean and new and pretty comfortable, and the process has been streamlined. You really don’t see the people disembarking, as they go out through the lower lever. The main level is all for arrivals, and there is only one waiting area, no snack bar anymore. They assign numbers during check in, and then they call the numbers for boarding. The process keeps things organized and under control and is an improvement.

 

Because we were so early, they hadn’t started giving numbers yet, so we ended up in the waiting area without a number. Fortunately the attendant took care of us. Shortly after we checked in, the computer system went down for about 45 minutes to an hour. We were sitting comfortably but I felt badly for the people who were standing in the line. NCL was good though about making announcements concerning the situation. There was cake, juice and hot chocolate in the waiting area, but for some reason no coffee. I also heard that people standing in line were offered sandwiches. Boarding began at about 12:30, and we were on vacation!

[dongordon]

Hi Mary,

 

Well, we are back and I agree what a wonderful cruise, even though the weather was less than perfect, the ship, the crew was fantastic.

 

Thanks once again for organizing our Meet and Greet. It was great that so many of the officers attended our meeting along with the captain. And of course, Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby.....I am sure it will stand out as being a memorable one. It was so great meeting all of our roll call members throughout the cruise and comparing notes. I hope to see you again on a future cruise.

 

The Gem is beautiful and I would like to offer these observations.

 

I am not a buffet fan and hardly ever ate there. but on the the Gem, it is something special. With so many interesting stations delivering great food (bakery, deli, pizza, soup and salad, desserts, omlets and eggs (did I mention my favorite-eggs benedict) in the morning, etc., it was a delightful surprise from past experiences. And those "help yourself" expresso, cappuccino and cafe latte machines throughtout the Garden Cafe were fantastic. Throw in the Great Otdoors (annexed to the Garden Cafe) with its mini-buffet and great view from the aft in my opinion defferentiated the Gem from all other NCL ships I have been on.

The service in the area was suberb as well with restaurant crew offering to carry food in trays if they saw someone having any type of difficulty and also coming around with refills for coffee...a nice touch very similar to the type of service that made Celebrity Cruise Lines a favorite of many cruisers.

 

The three production shows were great and my wife who never accompanies me to these shows, after seeing the first show, came to the next two and enjoyed all of them. Ariel Jacobe was one of the finest entertainers I have seen on a ship. His piano and singing added to the enjoyment every evening.

 

Love the adult only pool and the rule that if you leave your belongings on the lounges, they are taken away and may be picked up in the reception area.

 

The cigar bar was very nice, but small, however, cigar smokers had Cigars and Cognac under the stars in the "Great Otdoors" at night to enjoy their cigars at night....a nice touch by NCL, since smoking is so limited inside the Gem.

 

The restaurants were all very good and a tip to future cruisers.....La Cucina is the hardest restaurant to get into and one of the best. Twice we ate there and had to settle for very late reservations. The others were not as difficult to get into,except for the last night. The "Seafood Mix" Can't remember the name) is on Thursday night on the 7-day cruise and it comes with an assortment of seafood including a lobster tail. My wife had the beef wellington and said it was great!

 

The February 16th "Cruising Bandits" are here to answer any of your questions about our cruise.

 

Don

[ETski]

We are leaving next Saturday on the Gem and can't wait. Thank you both for your prompt posting. Can't wait to hear more, right before each cruise, I get addicted to these boards. Any tips about the ports or Gem will be appreciated by all. Glad everyone had a great week on the Gem.

Counting down the days till Saturday........................

[Maryfrei]

Thanks once again for organizing our Meet and Greet. It was great that so many of the officers attended our meeting along with the captain. And of course, Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby.....I am sure it will stand out as being a memorable one. It was so great meeting all of our roll call members throughout the cruise and comparing notes. I hope to see you again on a future cruise.

 

Don

 

Don, you're welcome! We chose so many activities in common on board, maybe we will choose the same cruise in the future. I hope so!:)

 

We knew what we wanted to do as soon as we boarded. They had a station set up for dinner reservations just outside of the Magenta restaurant, deck 6 mid, not in the atrium as on previous cruises. As is the policy, reservations were for same day/next day only.

Half price “Happy Hour” specials for Le Bistro, Cagney’s and the Asian Restaurant were for 9PM to 10PM reservations every night. These were not advertised in the daily, but only by a small sign at the reservation station. During the dinner hours the reservation station was moved to the corridor between the Champagne bar and casino, so reservations could be made in the evening as well.

 

We made a reservation for Le Bistro at 9 and headed to the Grand Pacific for lunch. Unlike previous cruises, no one tried to redirect us to the buffet! Our roll call decided to wear bandanas to the ship so we could find each other, and sure enough there was Don Gordon sporting his in the Grand Pacific! We had a lovely first lunch and headed for our cabin.

[dongordon]

We are leaving next Saturday on the Gem and can't wait. Thank you both for your prompt posting. Can't wait to hear more, right before each cruise, I get addicted to these boards. Any tips about the ports or Gem will be appreciated by all. Glad everyone had a great week on the Gem.

Counting down the days till Saturday........................

 

Hi Lynn,

 

You will have a great cruise.

 

We went to Disney (MGM Studios) and probably the easiest to navigate with such a short amount of time....figure about 5-6 hours in the park.

 

We stayed onboard for the private item...weather was not favorable and stayed onboard for Freeport as well.....plenty to do on the ship.

 

Nassau, we ventured out to the Atlantis, played a bit in the casino, saw the free aquarium at the bottom of the stairs and that is quite large and ate lunch there, but should have had lunch back on the ship if I had to do it over again.

 

If you have any other questions, fire away. I am leaving for LA tomorrow (business), but will return on Wednesday

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Don

[dongordon]

We are leaving next Saturday on the Gem and can't wait. Thank you both for your prompt posting. Can't wait to hear more, right before each cruise, I get addicted to these boards. Any tips about the ports or Gem will be appreciated by all. Glad everyone had a great week on the Gem.

Counting down the days till Saturday........................

 

Hi Lynn,

 

You will have a great cruise.

 

We went to Disney (MGM Studios) and probably the easiest to navigate with such a short amount of time....figure about 5-6 hours in the park.

 

We stayed onboard for the private item...weather was not favorable and stayed onboard for Freeport as well.....plenty to do on the ship.

 

Nassau, we ventured out to the Atlantis, played a bit in the casino, saw the free aquarium at the bottom of the stairs and that is quite large and ate lunch there, but should have had lunch back on the ship if I had to do it over again.

 

If you have any other questions, fire away. I am leaving for LA tomorrow (business), but will return on Wednesday

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Don

[nyflush]

lHi Mary and Don!

 

Mary thanks again for the CC meet and greet it was great to meet all of you. Wish we were still on the Gem the week went so fast.

 

I agree the Buffet was very good on the Gem. I'm to lazy to write a review lol i will this week im still doing laundry:):)

[Maryfrei]

lHi Mary and Don!

 

Mary thanks again for the CC meet and greet it was great to meet all of you. Wish we were still on the Gem the week went so fast.

 

I agree the Buffet was very good on the Gem. I'm to lazy to write a review lol i will this week im still doing laundry:):)

 

Jen I can't wait to read your review. Take your time,after the week you had you deserve a break!:)

[bjinouno]

Hi Lynn, you will have a great time on the Gem and your ports. In Flordia we went to Universal Studio's with the VIP pass (the Only way to do it) we had a blast and more than enough time to enjoy EVERY ride they had to offer, and lunch as well as shopping. The private island?? well??? it took a while to tendor over there, Get there early if you want a lounge chair or you will have a sand chair, the food was great, but I expected more from NCL (it's a island) maybe what made it so bland was the lack of great sunshine and very cool water. Now Nassu is a different story, we went to Atlantis, and did a room with Comfort suites, 4.00 a person cab ride and 1.00 for the toll at the bridge, We did everything, all the water rides have heated water except the slide you go threw the aquarium that was Cold! But GREAT! The ocean there is wavey and the water temps were perfect, we did snacks which were very expensive, it's alot of walking or riding on a tube, so expect some sore muscles the next day! Freeport was shopping, and the island people do haggle you to come into their shops, Make sure you say good morning to each and every store attendent as you enter their shops, If you don't They will remind you to do so. we took a walk around one of the near by hotels and out to the beach which was very pretty, but when you pull into port, just close your eyes! I have to say, IF you want to eat and see a show on the Gem you MUST make reservations to fit the time slots, We only had luck making 2 reservations they fill up Very quickly and so does the main dining rooms, (which both have the same menu, just different styles to them) The food was very good, and every staff member was more than polite! the Gem is a beautiful ship. But in my opinoun I like the timed seating, Than you Don't have to LOOK at the clock all day,or stand in lines in hopes of getting that reservation for dinner and making it to a show. Don't look for Lobster tails unless you want to pay 30.00 for dinner, I heard they were very small too. But the steaks were great, (so I heard) The Asian places were Very good!

We had a few rocky sea days, Lots of clouds but warm air mid 70's But everyone who wanted some color Got what they wanted! I saw alot of sunburns, so wear sunscreen even if it is cloudy. Have fun!

[Maryfrei]

We had the aft BA 10668. Yes, it has a huge balcony. We had an aft BA on deck 9 of the Dawn last year and this balcony was much bigger. The layout of the room is basically the standard BA layout so I won’t go into detail about that. Of course, everything on the Gem is bright and new. I had read on the boards that the balcony doors in 10168 didn’t work, but they didn’t work too well in 10668 either. It must be a design problem with the latch. I know they are aware of it because there is a wood board in the room that can be used to keep the door open. Keeping it closed it another story, as it tends to pop open spontaneously at various times of the day and night, LOL!

 

 

 

In spite of that it is a fantastic cabin. In my opinion there is nothing like hanging out on the aft balcony enjoying the wake. I left a note asking for lounge chairs and by the next evening our room stewards had put them out there and we enjoyed them every day. Hopefully whoever has that cabin on the current voyage is enjoying them as well!

[cruise4kicks]

We had the aft BA 10668. Yes, it has a huge balcony. We had an aft BA on deck 9 of the Dawn last year and this balcony was much bigger. The layout of the room is basically the standard BA layout so I won’t go into detail about that. Of course, everything on the Gem is bright and new. I had read on the boards that the balcony doors in 10168 didn’t work, but they didn’t work too well in 10668 either. It must be a design problem with the latch. I know they are aware of it because there is a wood board in the room that can be used to keep the door open. Keeping it closed it another story, as it tends to pop open spontaneously at various times of the day and night, LOL!

I wish we'd had that amenity when we were in AE 8632! :D That simple 2x4" would have gone a loooooong way toward helping us get far more enjoyment out of our balcony. When out there we either had to sit so we could wedge a foot against the door to keep it from sliding open, or have the person who remained inside latch it locked -- and hope like heck they didn't fall asleep! :eek: :p

[coffeebean]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

[LOWTYD]

Sounds like you had a great time. How is 2.0 coming on the GEM? Did you notice any of the 2.0 upgrades on board?

[cruise4kicks]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

All bars and lounges are non-smoking. Smoking is only permitted in the casino and at the bar in the casino, the cigar lounge, and designated outdoor areas.

[smeyer418]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

 

they are all smoke free except the Casino bar.

[coffeebean]

Hi Mary...

You mentioned that you were able to fit two lounge chairs on your aft balcony. Did two regular chairs fit also with the loungers??? We have the aft balcony directly below the one you had and by the looks of the deck plans, the balconies are the same size.

[dongordon]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

 

HI Coffeebean,

 

Sorry, no lounges permit smoking. The cigar lounge is next to the martini and champagne lounge as well as Le Bistro restaurant. As I mentioned, smoking is permitted on the great outdoors cafe annexed to the Garden

Cafe and the open decks. The 7th deck has smoking stations throughout the deck. My wife found it a bit inconvenient (especially during inclement weather), but she managed. I smoked my cigars in the cigar lounge and my balcony (only the first day as we cruised out of NYC

 

Don

[dongordon]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

 

HI Coffeebean,

 

Sorry, no lounges permit smoking. The cigar lounge is next to the martini and champagne lounge as well as Le Bistro restaurant. As I mentioned, smoking is permitted on the great outdoors cafe annexed to the Garden

Cafe and the open decks. The 7th deck has smoking stations throughout the deck. My wife found it a bit inconvenient (especially during inclement weather), but she managed. I smoked my cigars in the cigar lounge and my balcony (only the first day as we cruised out of NYC

 

Don

[dongordon]

Hi Don...

You mentioned smoking is very limited inside the Gem. Which bars and lounges, if any, are smoke free??? So glad you had a great time. We will be on Gem March 29th and are looking forward to seeing this beauty.

 

HI Coffeebean,

 

Sorry, no lounges permit smoking. The cigar lounge is next to the martini and champagne lounge as well as Le Bistro restaurant. As I mentioned, smoking is permitted on the great outdoors cafe annexed to the Garden

Cafe and the open decks. The 7th deck has smoking stations throughout the deck. My wife found it a bit inconvenient (especially during inclement weather), but she managed. I smoked my cigars in the cigar lounge and my balcony (only the first day as we cruised out of NYC

 

Don

[coffeebean]

I'm glad to hear all the bars and lounges are smoke free. NCL has really picked up the ball with their smoking policy. Thank you for your responses to my question.

[Maryfrei]

I wish we'd had that amenity when we were in AE 8632! :D That simple 2x4" would have gone a loooooong way toward helping us get far more enjoyment out of our balcony. When out there we either had to sit so we could wedge a foot against the door to keep it from sliding open, or have the person who remained inside latch it locked -- and hope like heck they didn't fall asleep! :eek: :p

 

I'm just glad DH had the side of the bed closest to the door, you should have seen him leap up at 3AM when the door flew open!!:D

[Maryfrei]

Hi Mary...

You mentioned that you were able to fit two lounge chairs on your aft balcony. Did two regular chairs fit also with the loungers??? We have the aft balcony directly below the one you had and by the looks of the deck plans, the balconies are the same size.

 

Yes, you can fit all four. When they added the loungers they left the chairs there. There is also a very small table. I looked below to see if I could compare the size of the deck 9 balconies to the deck 10, but I couldn't get a good view. The deck nine balconies do protrude out below 10, as 10 does below 11. Deck 8 seem to be the only ones totally covered.

 

That protrusion causes some interesting issues. Firstly, the balcony gets very wet very frequently from the washing and if it is raining. It doesn't drain well and tends to pool in the middle. Be careful in New York if it is cold because it does freeze.

 

The real problem though is caused by passengers throwing things over board from the Great Outdoors. I don't blame NCL for this, how many times and in how many ways can you tell people not to throw things overboard? I never knew if I would find french toast, lettuce and turkey or drink stirrers out there.

 

Our first port day people were throwing stuff over for the gulls. One poor gull went into the balcony next door after some food and couldn't get back out. He kept bumping up against the glass and just couldn't seem to figure out how to fly over. Finally an attendant came and was standing there with a towel, but I could see he didn't want to mess with that gull. He saw me on my balcony and asked if I would like to do it. So I got to rescue a gull on my trip:p!

[Maryfrei]

Sounds like you had a great time. How is 2.0 coming on the GEM? Did you notice any of the 2.0 upgrades on board?

 

That's an interesting question, I'm trying to remember the enhancements that were mentioned. The bedding was certainly very comfortable. I thought that the food portions were bigger than last year, though I saw lobster only one evening in the main dining rooms, and that was as part of a seafood pasta dish. Didn't see a chocolate fondue tower in the Garden Cafe! Was there anything specific that you remember and are wondering about?

[coka]

Welcome back! I hope your anniversary cruise was everything you hoped it to be. As I read, it seems everyone enjoyed themselves. I will soon meet Gem's older sister Pearl. Vicarious cruising will soon be a reality!

Coka

[Silverspoon]

I'm glad to hear the Gem's switch over to the Bahamas cruise was a success!

 

Does anyone have copies of the Bahamas cruise "Dailies" to post?

 

I know there are some from the Christmas/New Year's cruise floating around, but I'm hoping to get copies without all the holiday activites included.

 

TIA, to anyone who can help!

 

P.S. Love to hear all these Gem-specific tips--keep 'em coming!;)