Just off the Gem - first installment of my "mini" report

[momtothree]

Today, 09:26 AM

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Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Dec 2007

Location: landisburg, pennsylvania, usa

Posts: 17

 

 

Just off the Gem - my mini report

Hi everyone,

 

We just returned last evening from a glorious week at sea on the Gem. As far as the spring breakers go, we didn't find them to be too bad. To be quite honest some of the younger children (probably around 11-14) were more annoying than the spring breakers - running through the halls and stairwells unsupervised! I'm not that fussy - we were cruising with our 10, 14, and 17 year olds and they are by no means perfect; but, my son (14 year old) did meet up with a group of about four other boys his age and was permitted to "hang out" with them as long as he checked in every hour - either by phone or in person. One time we did catch him and his buddies running in the halls and stairwells and quickly put an end to it. Fortunately, the other parents were also nearby and all had the same feeling about letting the boys run through the ship. After our little "talk" with the boys, we had no more problems with them.

 

Anyway .. . as far as the spring breakers, we found them to be polite and fairly well behaved. Of course there were a few who were rowdy, impolite, and used foul language; however, overall they were not that big of a problem. We were sailing with my parents, who are in their upper sixties, and they weren't bothered by them either. Our only complaint was that they did monopolize the hot tubs - especially later in the day/evening. However, if you got to the pool early, most of them were still in bed. I can't even imagine though what some of their bills were for alcohol. It always seemed that they had a bottle of beer in their hands or a glass of something. However, none ever seemed to be visibly drunk.

 

The buffet was indeed a madhouse at prime eating times. At times it was difficult to find a table, especially for 7 people. However, we always were able to find seating on deck at the back of the ship at the Great Outdoors. It was a little walk back to the buffet if you wanted more to eat; but, they also had great food right there at the Great Outdoors. The selection of course was not as great as in the Garden Cafe, but it was fine for that second, third, fourth . . . trip for more food! We were always able to find a nice little quiet table in that area.

 

We ate at Tequila two times and the first time were in and out in 45 minutes. The second time it took 2 hours! There were many more people there the second time - not sure why, but it took forever! My son kept saying he was going to leave and to the Garden Cafe. However, he hung in there with the rest of us and once we finally received our food, it was worth the wait. We only did the Grand Pacific two times. My parents did Cagney's one evening and said the food was great - the service was wonderful as well - sometimes too wonderful, almost as though there was always someone "hovering" over you to make sure you had everything you needed.

 

Our cabins were 4560 and 4564, oceanview forward. Although it was great being on the same deck where we disembark for the ports, it was sometimes a bit noisy. Our one cabin was right beside the gangway and one particular morning, there was a constant line of people right outside of our cabin for a half hour or more waiting to get off the ship. The day we spent two days at Nassau - because of not being to get off at Great Stirrup Cay (the seas were too rough for the tenders to run), there were people boarding the ship at all hours of the first night from nighttime to morning. The ones who boarded between 2 and 6 am were a little rowdy - I think they had been out all night drinking. Don't get me wrong, the cabins are amazingly soundproof, but you could still hear quite a bit - although not enough to ruin by entire night's sleep. I'm a very light sleeper and hear everything!

 

Sorry this has gotten so long - I'll write more later, but it's time to get set for Easter Sunday and the kids are still in bed. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Since our family ranged in age from 10 years to 68 years, we can give opinions from several different age ranges.

Overall, it was a great time and we hated to leave the ship - especially when the temp. was 36 degrees when we got to NYC and it had been 86 degrees in Freeport! No wonder I'm sick this morning!!!!!!!

 

Julie

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Cruisin' Family of Five

 

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[KJPG]

Thanks for the "quickie"! ;) We're on the Gem in 2 weeks and the temperature thing has me a bit concerned as well. I read in another review that temperatures on Sunday warmed up by about 2:00pm? Was that the case for your as well? How was Friday as you were coming back up north?

[GJClay]

Why are there so many complaints about children? There are cranky and unruly people of all ages and were we not all children and/or teens at one time? Are there ships that do not allow anyone under the age of twenty-one to cruise at all? Maybe that is where the people who are against families cruising would be happier; or an adults only resort. I don't know if this is on topic, but since there was a comment about someone having no interest in cruising with other people's teens or something, I was wondering why. If you book a cruise during periods commonly known as school breaks, children should be expected, right?

[drbabe]

Any info about free access to arcade, climbing wall, Wii, bowling, etc with kids club for the ten year old?

[momtothree]

Any info about free access to arcade, climbing wall, Wii, bowling, etc with kids club for the ten year old?

 

My ten year old daughter really didn't have much interest in the Kids Club for some reason. We offered it to her but she preferred to hang out with me or her dad or her big sister. All three of my kids did the rock climbing wall and it was always free. It just had limited hours. I think Wii was free as well. Bowling was $5 per game.

 

Julie

[lil buddy]

:confused:

Why are there so many complaints about children? There are cranky and unruly people of all ages you think???????

The op was most complimentry about the spring breakers and had 3 children of her own......where did your post come from ?

No one is saying that there should be "no kids".

To the OP thank you for your report, we were on the GEM 1/8 and I commented how well behaved the kids were, and what a tribute they were to their parents.

[missty]

Great review so far! Can't wait to hear the rest.

 

missty

[snorklinbarb]

Enjoying your review. I'm sure when you're "momtothree" you don't have much spare time.

 

So when you have a chance, let's have some more!:D

[kttest]

Were any of the Freestyle 2.0 benefits in effect?

[lastingtouch]

Thanks for the "mini" review. Can't wait for more. WE too loved the Gem and it's crew!

[scopewest]

Thanks for the review.

[jazz392]

Was the 2.0 in effect yet? How was the weather in florida and the bahamas. I glad u had a great time I can't wait to witness the same. Leaving 04/05/2008.

[Phoenix cruiser]

Here is the link to my reviewof the same cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=741628

[momtothree]

Enjoying your review. I'm sure when you're "momtothree" you don't have much spare time.

 

So when you have a chance, let's have some more!:D[/quote

 

You are so right - mom to three, wife to one, and a job, and taking classes for my Master's Degree - doesn't leave me with much spare time!!!!! I really needed that week away!

 

Anyway . . . as far as the ports were concerned, we had a great time at each stop. At Cape Canaveral we did the fun and sun day excursion from NCL. I believe it was about $39 per person for adults and $29 for children. A very nice bus picked us up right at the port and took us to Cocoa Beach - it was only about a 10-15 minute ride. Once there, we had the use of the Holiday Inn Resort's amenities including a pool, hot tubs, private beach area. However, it you wanted chairs and an umbrella, there was a $20 fee for two chairs and an umbrella. Make sure the "beach guy" only charges you $20 because it is a special price for NCL guests; otherwise, the price is higher. We were back and forth between the beach and the pool. There is also a restaurant right on the beach - can't remember the name right now - but it gives NCL people a 10% discount and the prices were really reasonable, even without the discount. You can start returning to the ship any time from 2:30 until 5:30. A bus comes every half hour between those times. You may also opt to stop at Ron Jon's Surf shop and they'll pick you up. My husband and kids took advantage of this and said it was great! I was anxious to get back to the ship - I had a little too much sun that day.

 

Great Stirrup Cay - The seas were too rough for the tenders to take us to the island so we went on to the Nassau and spent the night there as well as the next day. We were a little disappointed, but a lot of people seemed to get off in Nassau and we decided to stay on the ship the first day and the pools and hot tubs were not crowded at all.

 

Nassau - My ten year old daughter and I did the Dolphin Encounter and it was great. She absolutely loved it. You get to dance with, kiss, touch, and interact with the dolphins. You spend about 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins. First they take in one group or family at a time for several activities and pictures, then they take in several groups for the rest of the activities. The dolphins are so well-trained. It was really great. I couldn't resist the $16.00 picture of my daughter hugging one of the dolphins. They also have souvenirs - shirts, hats, etc. which are very reasonably priced. My daughter got a baseball style hat that was very well made for $10.99. There is a good deal of walking involved though to get to the encounter area. When you get off the ship, you must walk along the pier and into town for about 10-15 minutes. That walk isn't so bad because it is along paved roadway. The boat ride is about 30 minutes each way to the island. It's a fairly large boat and the ride was nice. However, when you get to the island, you must walk on a very uneven, unpaved path to the encounter area. The worst part is walking a distance on sand - not wet packed sand, but very deep fluffy sand that is difficult to walk on. Once you're over that part, the rest is smooth sailing. They do, however, have two golf carts at the dock for people who may have trouble navigating the terrain.

 

My husband and two older children did the underwater scooter snorkeling but it was cut short by about 1/2 hour becaue of rough seas. They said it was kind of difficult to stay on the scooter because the seas were so rough. I think they did have fun though.

 

My parents were going to do the Glass Bottom Boat tour but it was cancelled due to rough seas. I guess my daughter an I got the best of the excursions that day!

 

Grand Bahama Island (Freeport) - We decided to stay on the ship that day. The pools were not crowded and neither were the restaurants, hot tubs, etc. We did get off the ship for a short walk to the straw market which is right across the pier from the ship. The kids got some cute t-shirts for 3/$10.00 and my mom got a straw bag for about $12.00. We were only there until 2:30 so we decided not to do any excursions or the beach at that stop.

 

Embarkation and disembarking went very smoothly. We were on the ship within minutes after they started boarding. We got to the cruise terminal early - about 11:30 and were number 21 to board the ship. Everyone headed to the Garden Cafe for lunch so we were glad to be some of the first on the ship before it got really packed. Leaving the ship was smooth as well. You choose what time you want to leave and get corresponding color luggage tags. I think we were scheduled to disembark at 11:45 and we were off by 11:30 or so. It did take a while to get through Customs, but there was a very organized line and it went smoothly.

 

Some tips: Don't get too much sun (like I did) on your day in Florida. I ended up with sun poisoning on both of my legs and my legs, ankles, feet, and toes were swollen and very uncomfortable until Friday! I couldn't get any shoes on my feet other than an old pair of flip flops. My mother insisted I see the ship's doctor because she was afraid it was from my blood pressure rising. Be warned - the cost to see the doctor is $78.00; however, you can submit it to your insurance when you get home.

 

Take advantage of that first day at sea to learn the layout of the ship. I do not have a very good sense of direction and found myself at "dead ends" frequently. My ten year old had to steer me in the right direction more than once!

 

If eating in the Garden Cafe, try not to eat at prime times, it does get a little crowded. A great place to always find a table is at the Great Outdoors at the back of the ship. It is on an open deck but we never had trouble finding a seat there and the temp. was always comfortable, except when we were close to New York. It is a little bit of a walk from the main buffet, but they also have a small buffet set up there.

 

The shows were enjoyable as well. There was a comedian who was great and the group Second City was hilarious as well. My kids loved karaoke. My ten year old sang EVERY night. Andre, who leads karaoke, is also great!

 

The rock climbing wall was fun for the kids too. It has very limited hours though - about 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. There are several spotters there to help you. We never found to be too crowded. The bowling alley was ALWAYS busy. My husband and kids did play two games, but had to wait about half an hour to get a lane. There are only four lanes we you just have to be patient.

 

The decor on the ship is a little "funky." Lots of pink and black and zebra prints, etc. I walked through one of the lounges (I forget which one) and it sort of reminded me of a brothel. Oh well, I wasn't there for the decor.

 

The casino was fun for a little diversion. I got lucky on the 5 cent slots and won $278.00 starting with just $5.00. Don't get greedy though - at one point I had it up to about $400.00! I stayed away after that!

 

Gotta go now - if you have any questions, feel free to ask. All in all , we had a great time!:) :) :)

 

Julie

[Silverspoon]

Just off the same cruise. My 10 yr old daughter loved the Kid's Club. She made lots of friends and was begging to go back everyday--so much so that we had to set limits.

 

She loved that they spent much of their time in the teen "Leopard Lounge" with the dance floor and music. (The older teens were not in the lounge when the 10-12's were there.)

 

She liked it as well as Disney's Cruise Kids Clubs. She is very social and will talk to ANYONE though...:rolleyes:

[Cosmopolitan]

We're on the Gem in 2 weeks and the temperature thing has me a bit concerned as well. I read in another review that temperatures on Sunday warmed up by about 2:00pm? Was that the case for your as well? How was Friday as you were coming back up north?

 

Weather will always be questionable...but we've sailed from NY in Feb., when it was very warm and also sailed when it was cold in Feb.

We've also had snow in NY in April:eek:

 

I, personally, think you will be fine with hoodies for all.

 

We've sailed in Feb., when passengers were in the hot tubs for sailaway;)

And, sailed in Feb., when we came back to a N'easter...you never know.

 

Enjoy your cruise and be ready for any weather:)

[Cosmopolitan]

How was the weather in florida and the bahamas.

 

Right now the weather has been hot:)

[Cosmopolitan]

Why are there so many complaints about children? There are cranky and unruly people of all ages and were we not all children and/or teens at one time? Are there ships that do not allow anyone under the age of twenty-one to cruise at all? Maybe that is where the people who are against families cruising would be happier; or an adults only resort. I don't know if this is on topic, but since there was a comment about someone having no interest in cruising with other people's teens or something, I was wondering why. If you book a cruise during periods commonly known as school breaks, children should be expected, right?

 

IMHO, we love seeing the young children from the kids club parading around the ship...just adorable.

 

While we do not cruise during Spring Break...our best karaokes have been with the college crowd...MANY laughs:)

 

And, yes, the "cranky" adults are the worst;)

[suzimack]

Why are there so many complaints about children? There are cranky and unruly people of all ages and were we not all children and/or teens at one time? Are there ships that do not allow anyone under the age of twenty-one to cruise at all? Maybe that is where the people who are against families cruising would be happier; or an adults only resort. I don't know if this is on topic, but since there was a comment about someone having no interest in cruising with other people's teens or something, I was wondering why. If you book a cruise during periods commonly known as school breaks, children should be expected, right?

 

I think what folks are talking about here are out of control , obnoxious kids . The parents often just send them off with no guidelines and the run around the hallways and clock stairways. I am a teacher and have no other choice but to travel during school vacation time. I like kids. So when I am onboard I appreciate parents who surpervise their kids. I enjoy watching all ages have a great time and get silly where approriate but bad behavior is bad behavior and when no parent is there to correct it , it affects everyone. Ihave no problem speaking up and asking kids where their parent is or speaking to the crew. I have three children, one of who will travel with me. She will have supervision and limits. Others will appecaite this..nuf said..susan