LIVE ON THE GEM - 04.05.08 - Saturday - Long

[Maryfrei]

Thanks again Jackie, I love reading your reviews, they are always so uplifting!:)

[angeljt]

Hi Jackie,

 

I've been reading all your posts regarding your Gem cruise. We are also scheduled to sail the Gem in May in an Owner's Suite. I'm assuming we'll also have Putu as our butler.

 

I have a few questions for you:

 

If we want to host a small gathering in our room do we need to notify the ship in advance? Also, are there special costs associated with the party? I know we should tip the butler well after the party but wasn't sure how we pay for all the extra food and/or drinks.

 

Also, how does disembarkation work? Do OS guests get to leave a little early? I'm only asking because our flight out of Barcelona leaves at 11:30 and I'm getting a little worried about making it to the airport on time. It's a shame since we'll probably be rushed on our last day of the cruise.

 

Finally, do the OS room keys get you in the Courtyard on Deck 14 or will we need a special escort (butler, concierge) to access this private area? I've read breakfast and lunch are served there (from Cagney's). Do we need to make a special reservation to eat in the Courtyard in the morning/afternoon?

 

So many questions! Can't wait to sail!

 

Cruizinaway,

Lucky you to have that wonderful cruise ahead of you! You'll love the Owner's Suite and Putu if you have him. I hope you do, he was wonderful. We were in 10004. I don't know if he has all of the Owner's Suites, but he also had the Deluxe Owner's Suite on deck 15 and other suites all the way aft. I don't know how they do it. No wonder they're so thin. He told us to let him know what we wanted that day, but you should mention it to him a day or so in advance to give him a heads up. There is a butler's menu in the OS, and there are many free items and others that you pay for. He brought us soda and juices for mixers, but I also had plenty of my own. We had a cheese and cracker tray, fresh fruit tray, pizza and nuts. A couple of the CC members brought their anniversary cake, which was very nice of them. Thanks, Rada & Bob!

You will be able to disembark early, and Lisa, the concierge, or Claudio if he's back from vacation, will take you off the ship right after express disembarkation for people who are carrying their own luggage. I don't think they'll be too many on a longer cruise, so you should get off quite early.

Make sure your room cards are RED and go up and enjoy the Courtyard for breakfast and lunch a couple of times. It's a nice, relaxing area and very pretty. You can go up by yourself, just put your card in the slot in the elevator that says 14. There are also doorways to get in that take the cards. Let your butler know that you'll be eating in the Courtyard. We ran into a little problem there and the Courtyard butler told us our own butler was supposed to serve us, but I'm not sure how that works. We did tip the Courtyard butler extra since he wasn't our butler.

I'm heading to my Mom's for a couple of days, but I'll be happy to answer any other questions when I get home.

You can check out some of my pics in my Webshots link in my signature. I have a lot more to post, but it will have to wait until I return.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jackie

[angeljt]

Thanks again Jackie, I love reading your reviews, they are always so uplifting!:)

 

Hi Mary,

You're very welcome. I enjoy doing them, but I always think they might be boring since they're so long.

Jackie

[LindaandJeff]

Charged us $75.00 per person (or $20.00 per day) for the whole week. Included main hot tub pool, very invigorating. Hot tub, heated tile lounge chairs, cushioned lounge chairs with a beautiful view, beautiful sauna (glass enclosed/great view) steam room, showers, lockers, robes, even two single person hot tubs in both the ladies room and mens room. Plenty of towels, ice water, hot teas, oranges. Just a quiet pleasant time when ever I went, *5 times. Any other questions, just email me.

 

My only suggestion about purchasing a one week pass is to ask how many they have already sold. If they have sold alot of passes, I would pass. DH and I bought one on our March cruise and even though we tried different times of day, several times a day, every day, I only succeeded in getting a heated tile lounger once and DH, never. People would sleep on them for hours...there are no time limitations. So, we always sat in the 2 wicker chairs. Also, one morning two of the heated loungers were being used for reflexology sessions. While we loved the spa, we really feel like we didn't get our money's worth. (Note: we have also done this on other lines and loved it and had no such problems.) One day three of the heated loungers were taken up by people having a loud party, so no relaxation was to be had that day. Also, when you tour the spa in port it looks and sounds so peaceful in there...but on our cruise as the ship rocked the water in the tub would slosh around and the drain was very noisy. It was actually quieter and more relaxing to turn on the jets and hear it bubbling. I don't mean to sound like I am complaining...just stating facts and advising to check about how many passes they have sold before you spend the money.

[Lovelyskin4u]

I love reading your review.....I was married 4-7-08....On the GEM. It was a wonderful cruise....

[angeljt]

I love reading your review.....I was married 4-7-08....On the GEM. It was a wonderful cruise....

 

Congrats to you and your hubby!!! :D

Glad you had a wonderful cruise and honeymoon and enjoyed my review. I'm sure it brought back a few memories of the cruise for you.

Good luck!!!

Jackie