Yet Another Gem 4/05-4/12/08 Review, Sort of

[Hobbins]

But this one is short and just an opinion data point if anyone is interested.

 

Excellent

• Sailing Buddies
  
• People I met

Very Good

 

• Ship
  
• Housekeeping
  
• Food (no extra fee)
  
• Cappuccino Machines
  
• Slot Machines in Bliss
  
• Debarkation
  
• Gym
  
• The cruise experience as a whole
  
• New LCD TV screens
  
• Weather

Good

• Alcoholic Drinks
  
• Passengers (only a few undesirables)
  
• Entertainment
  
• Embarkation (including Champagne)
  
• Karaoke contest
  
• Food service staff

Bad

• Itinerary
  
• Orchid Restaurant (didn’t try other pay venues)
  
• Bliss lounge
  
• Availability of pool chairs
  
• Management’s business direction (following other lines instead of leading)
  
• Mix of smoking and non-smoking tables at Great Outdoors
  
• Public spaces seem a bit smaller than the Dawn on the Gem
  
• TV program availability

Very Bad

• Too many pay restaurants (took away another ‘free’ one without notice)
  
• Waiting for seating in non-pay restaurants (more now than before)
  
• Finding a table in Garden Cafe
  
• Practically useless restaurant status boards
  
• Not being sure of food ingredients (published vs. served)
  
• Feeling of being ‘pushed’ to pay restaurants
  
• No free movies

If anyone is particularly interested in the details behind any specific opinion, I will be happy to provide those when time allows.

[angeljt]

Hey Hobbin, welcome home!!!

Sure wish we were leaving this Saturday, it went by too fast.

We also had excellent sailing buddies, and met a lot of nice people! :D

Thanks to you and Hobbinette for all the fun and laughs we had together. I wish we could go in October with you. Who knows, maybe Terry will be able to take more time by then. I miss the vacation flexibility he had with his old job.

It was tough finding seats in the Garden Cafe, and it seems to be a lot busier with the new setup. I do like the action stations much better, but not having to search for a table carrying food that cools off quickly. Next time we'll find our table first and have Terry wait until we get back since he'll still finish eating before me. ;)

Yes, the signs for the restaurant waiting times seemed to have a short circuit. It almost always said there was a wait for the Blue Lagoon, but it was almost always empty when we checked it out.

Hope to see both of you soon.

xox

Jackie

[dukejr]

But this one is short and just an opinion data point if anyone is interested.

 

Excellent

• Sailing Buddies
  
• People I met

Very Good

• Ship
  
• Housekeeping
  
• Food (no extra fee)
  
• Cappuccino Machines
  
• Slot Machines in Bliss
  
• Debarkation
  
• Gym
  
• The cruise experience as a whole
  
• New LCD TV screens
  
• Weather

Good

• Alcoholic Drinks
  
• Passengers (only a few undesirables)
  
• Entertainment
  
• Embarkation (including Champagne)
  
• Karaoke contest
  
• Food service staff

Bad

• Itinerary
  
• Orchid Restaurant (didn’t try other pay venues)
  
• Bliss lounge
  
• Availability of pool chairs
  
• Management’s business direction (following other lines instead of leading)
  
• Mix of smoking and non-smoking tables at Great Outdoors
  
• Public spaces seem a bit smaller than the Dawn on the Gem
  
• TV program availability

Very Bad

• Too many pay restaurants (took away another ‘free’ one without notice)
  
• Waiting for seating in non-pay restaurants (more now than before)
  
• Finding a table in Garden Cafe
  
• Practically useless restaurant status boards
  
• Not being sure of food ingredients (published vs. served)
  
• Feeling of being ‘pushed’ to pay restaurants
  
• No free movies

If anyone is particularly interested in the details behind any specific opinion, I will be happy to provide those when time allows.

 

Very well said, great points I agree with you completely...

[dukejr]

I would also add in the VERY BAD...category Prem the new hotel director on the Gem...

[angeljt]

I would also add in the VERY BAD...category Prem the new hotel director on the Gem...

 

We found the opposite to be true on our cruise. I'm sorry you had problems with him. He was very helpful to us, and appreciated our bringing some things to his attention.

[zebster15]

Al,

 

One thing we would add to your Very Bad List....Air quality in the Casino. Extreme stale smoke smell even when the casino was closed. I could not walk thru, let alone make my usual 'donation'.

 

It was nice running in to you and Cheryl yesterday at Costco. I'm sure we will be seeing you around town now that the weather is warming up. The first sign of spring...dinner last night at Stonebridge...out on the PATIO:)

 

Gail

[Hobbins]

Hey Jackie,

 

I'm so happy we had the chance to cruise together again. Your being there made this cruise extra great. By the way, the date is November 2 in case you guys win Lotto and can get the time! Go buy some tickets!

 

Hey Gail,

 

I agree with your Casino air quality rating. Should have had a "Very Stinky" category. I have a feeling COSTCO will be the place. I don't know why we go there so much. You would think we could figure out what we needed for just one trip for the week but I guess it's just too convenient. See you there!

 

Hey dukejr,

 

I can see, somewhat, your rating of Prem. Even though Jackie had a good experience, after talking with him at the M&G I got the impression he was 'talking out of both sides of his mouth'. Happy to take my comments of dissatisfaction with the additional pay restaurant, but adamant that nothing would come of it if I wrote NCL. He seemed to act 'big' as he took some credit for that decision and even though I told him I felt cheated by not being notified before the sailing he did not even offer to 'treat' me to the Mexican restaurant ($10), not that I really care. It's the thought that counts. He doesn't seem to have the people skills I would expect from someone in his position. Other than that he seemed fine.

[mcpepe]

I would also add in the VERY BAD...category Prem the new hotel director on the Gem...

 

Utterly disagree with your assessment. :eek: Prem is amazing and went out of his way to help folks. Perhaps you had an unreasonable request? :mad:

[angeljt]

Hey Jackie,

 

I'm so happy we had the chance to cruise together again. Your being there made this cruise extra great. By the way, the date is November 2 in case you guys win Lotto and can get the time! Go buy some tickets!

 

Hi Al... :D Yes, it was great cruising together again. I'll see when Terry has off and maybe he can stretch his vacation if it's around the same time. Would love to do the 13 days with you and Cheryl....

Jackie

[dukejr]

Utterly disagree with your assessment. :eek: Prem is amazing and went out of his way to help folks. Perhaps you had an unreasonable request? :mad:

 

Not unless you consider an unreasonable request a clean cabin. I do not think I needed a woman's soiled underwear, dirty socks, lipstick on bed linens, and feces on the toilet seat. These items were found upon arrival in our cabin.

 

My main problem with Prem was his dishonesty, and arrogance. He also talks down to women as if they were not on his level. During a meeting with my wife he attempted to belittle her, and fabricate issues to make himself look better, but was corrected by his own staff members that were present.. I have traveled on NCL many times and have found Prem to be the rudest, and most unhelpful HD that we have sailed with.

We do not ask for anything we are not entitled to and rarely complain, we also get to know a large amount of the staff on a personal level and enjoy and stay in touch with many of them still. My experience with Prem was so bad that I had to speak up..

[wench25]

Not unless you consider an unreasonable request a clean cabin. I do not think I needed a woman's soiled underwear, dirty socks, lipstick on bed linens, and feces on the toilet seat. These items were found upon arrival in our cabin.

 

My main problem with Prem was his dishonesty, and arrogance. He also talks down to women as if they were not on his level. During a meeting with my wife he attempted to belittle her, and fabricate issues to make himself look better, but was corrected by his own staff members that were present.. I have traveled on NCL many times and have found Prem to be the rudest, and most unhelpful HD that we have sailed with.

 

We do not ask for anything we are not entitled to and rarely complain, we also get to know a large amount of the staff on a personal level and enjoy and stay in touch with many of them still. My experience with Prem was so bad that I had to speak up..

 

 

 

Great - a man in charge who hates women....man - he had better not piss me off because I don't hold back punches (figuratively AND literally)...We leave tomorrow - fingers crossed he doesn't upset my husband or myself...

[nychelle02]

:o I was thinking of booking a trip on the NCL Gem, the ship looked fabulous.

[Maryfrei]

This is not to dispute dukejr's complaint. I wasn't there and didn't have his experience. We spoke to Prem frequently on our Feb voyage, at the meet and greet, Latitudes events, and at dinner almost every evening. We found him to be very personable and attentive, so much so that it really increased our enjoyment of our cruise. I am a woman and never felt talked down to, but rather we always felt Prem wanted us to enjoy ourselves. In any case, that was our experience and many others I spoke to as well, so I just want to add this for reassurance to wench25.:)

[cruitenn]

:o I was thinking of booking a trip on the NCL Gem, the ship looked fabulous.

 

 

Great - a man in charge who hates women....man - he had better not piss me off because I don't hold back punches (figuratively AND literally)...We leave tomorrow - fingers crossed he doesn't upset my husband or myself...

 

We had a totally different experience from dukejr and his wife's when we sailed on the Gem in February and as so it seems, did other passengers. Of course, one can not please everybody no matter how hard one tries. It's usually a personal opinion and expectation.

 

We usually keep an open mind when we go on a cruise, been on over 50 since 1986 and 27 of them were with NCL. Never had a bad cruise yet whether its on NCL (Platinum), Celebrity (Elite), Royal Caribbean (Diamond), Carnival, and others. Not even when we met up with Hurricane Bonnie coming back from Bermuda on the Norwegian Crown and in the smallest cabin on the Norway (N096) on our first cruise on her in 1987. We sailed on the Norway 12 more times after that first one but never on N096.:D It's a vacation, so we don't let anything bother us.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[dukejr]

We had a totally different experience from dukejr and his wife's when we sailed on the Gem in February and as so it seems, did other passengers. Of course, one can not please everybody no matter how hard one tries. It's usually a personal opinion and expectation.

 

We usually keep an open mind when we go on a cruise, been on over 50 since 1986 and 27 of them were with NCL. Never had a bad cruise yet whether its on NCL (Platinum), Celebrity (Elite), Royal Caribbean (Diamond), Carnival, and others. Not even when we met up with Hurricane Bonnie coming back from Bermuda on the Norwegian Crown and in the smallest cabin on the Norway (N096) on our first cruise on her in 1987. We sailed on the Norway 12 more times after that first one but never on N096.:D It's a vacation, so we don't let anything bother us.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I have also traveled numerous times on NCL and am very easygoing and very seldom complain, because as you say it is vacation and I want to have a good time. We have had great times on NCL and speak very highly of them, recommending them to everyone we can. This was truly our first time complaining about anyones service and/or demeanor while traveling with NCL. The only reason I spoke of this is because of how upset he made my wife and several other women and couples that we had met on the cruise, this was not a single couple issue thus I felt it should be mentioned.

 

I also hope anyone taking a cruise has a great and relaxing time...

[lil buddy]

March 1st on the GEM and had the pleasure of seeing and talking to Prem

everyday and thought he was great. We were two couples and he went out of his way to acknowledge us and speak with us every time we ran into him. He was at our table every night to discuss the day and just "talk" in general. Sat with us at the "get to know the crew talk". spent time with us at the Captains Party. Was a great ambassador.

Point is, he is the only person that I ever took the time to write a thank you note to, when we returned, saying how much we enjoyed his presence and that he was quite an asset to NCL.

No two experiences are the same and I am so sorry that yours was unpleasant. Hope it didn't spoil your trip.

Barb

[dukejr]

March 1st on the GEM and had the pleasure of seeing and talking to Prem

everyday and thought he was great. We were two couples and he went out of his way to acknowledge us and speak with us every time we ran into him. He was at our table every night to discuss the day and just "talk" in general. Sat with us at the "get to know the crew talk". spent time with us at the Captains Party. Was a great ambassador.

Point is, he is the only person that I ever took the time to write a thank you note to, when we returned, saying how much we enjoyed his presence and that he was quite an asset to NCL.

No two experiences are the same and I am so sorry that yours was unpleasant. Hope it didn't spoil your trip.

Barb

 

No we made the best we could of the trip, even with his repeated comments to my wife. He is also the first and only person I have complained about since sailing on NCL...

 

Duke

[drbabe]

Sorry someone here had a bad experience. Just got off Gem yesterday. Prem and his staff were extremely responsive to requests.