NCL Gem Transatlantic Review ... longest review

[WinnieinWA]

Thank you so very much for a very fair and informative review! I'd have never known about the balcony problem if I hadn't read your review. I have a forward OS on the Sun to Alaska in July but I understand it won't be a problem there.

 

I do agree with you that NCL should let PAX know that such an expensive cabin will have limitations at sea.

 

Thanks!

[prg2101]

My husband and I took the NCL Gem Transatlantic from NYC to Barcelona on April 19, 2008. This was our 19th Cruise.

In all of our NCL cruises we have never complained about anything and we have sailed in regular balcony rooms, suites and villas, so we thought we knew what to expect.

On all of our previous NCL cruises we felt like welcomed guests but this time around, something had changed … I felt NCL treated us more like potential customers, never missing a single opportunity to sell us “something more” and IMO, the captivity of being on the Gem was exploited to its full potential.

The NCL stock holders must be thrilled.

 

Summary:

The Good: Embarkation, Food, Staff, Casino, Ship condition, Bar Service

The Great: European Itinerary, People, Poker, Weather (perfect at every port), the very coolest Club ever “Bliss” with a Bowling Alley.

The Not so good: TV, lack of free things to do, music, bad seating layout at the Buffet, No Cinema, Never seemed to be enough seating at Spinnaker.

The Very bad: My own personal balcony situation, feeling nickel-ed and dime-d to death and just a general lack of respect.

 

Here goes … the longest review in History ….

 

We decided since we were able to fly directly back to Boston, we would take the Entertainment Tours shuttle from Boston to NYC. We arrive at South Station in Boston by 6:20am. We have to leave the vehicle at the curb while our son drops us off and helps us carry luggage up to floor 3 (via elevator and escalator) to Entertainment Tours gate 23 which is hidden behind the Fung Wah desk. There is no sign or rep from Entertainment Tours but luckily we see a crowd of NCL Spirit cruisers and get in line behind them. We are the last in line and the bus is full. This was a warm, rather stuffy ride, we are at the very back of the bus, directly beside the toilet and chemical smells and traffic of curious children awaiting their turn to try the potty. Because the bus was full, it did not make the scheduled stops in RI and CT.

Upon arrival in NYC, our driver never once was stuck in traffic, it was a Saturday and the Pope was in town so there was much anxiety over changed traffic patterns and added security, but it did not slow him down one bit. So we arrived at the cruise port by 11am. All but one other couple was sailing on the Spirit and after the crowd of Spirit Cruisers debarked from the bus, the 4 of us and our luggage were driven to the next pier to the Gem.

We tip the porter who took our luggage and went into the terminal.

A bit chaotic with so many people getting off the ship while so many more were just arriving but honestly it was very well choreographed. Following the sign for Latitudes Member / Suites we get in a very short, fast moving line. We go through quickly, show the passports, give the credit card, get the photo for the key card and because we are so very early we are invited to wait in the VIP lounge. The Lounge is large with lots of seating, coffee, juices and cookies. There are a dozen or so people waiting. This was nice and easy. We sit and snack and wait. The assistant concierge “Dawn” introduces herself and gives us a fold out map of the ship and today’s Freestyle.

At 12:30 we all follow the concierge rep onto the Gem. We bypass the line of guests still in line registering but we miss the opportunity for a Welcome Aboard photo. This is not good (I would have liked a photo) and as soon as NCL realizes the lost revenue, I am sure they will change the route.

We are offered the complimentary glass of champagne. DH takes one, I pass.

We read in the Freestyle that the cabins will not be ready until 2pm and we are directed to the Garden Café but from reading the Cruise Critic message boards, we know that the Grand Pacific Restaurant is open, so we go there and are seated at table 17. A great window table for 2. I love this table but we are never able to sit there again.

 

Now this is new: We go to the Grand Pacific and they now ask for your room key, swipe it and you wait for an escort to your table. This was not a problem at the moment but later on during the cruise this became a major nuisance with many passengers asking “why do you need our room key? We are guests on the ship, and this is a free restaurant.” This process only served to slow down the seating and anger guests.

Anyway, we enjoy a very nice relaxed lunch and we eat slowly enough that when we leave to find our stateroom it is 2pm and the cabin is ready.

 

We have a cabin Category AC which is considered a “Penthouse” suite and is located at the very front of the ship. I was very unhappy with this cabin due to the fact that the balcony was unusable for the majority of the cruise, I ended up posting my vent on cruise critic and had my *ss properly handed to me. The bottom line: I paid much more (about 6X more) for a balcony that was not usable, it was a joke. I have huge problems with NCL over how they disregarded my concerns and boldly lied to me on more than one occasion. I met with everyone I could think of and even wrote to NCL while onboard. In the end I was offered an inside cabin, with a chuckle, (idiots). I will not bore you with the details…. And surprisingly this “Balcony Situation” did not affect my most awesome European adventure.

 

My Cabin Number 9502 Fwd: first impression: reeked of cigarette, so I tell the room steward about the smell, no problem he “fabreezed” the room and then it smelled like wet dog…(?). I met my butler Made who was very pleasant and I requested that he empty the refrigerator, take out all the liquor, snacks, etc. There is very limited storage around the fridge, it is mostly taken up by a huge espresso machine:D (which my husband enjoyed very much) so I was surprised the Made filled all the cabinets with the stuff from the fridge…(?) :confused: but at least we were able to put the beer and juice in the fridge.

Good news: The bar service we pre-ordered was already in the cabin.

A nice little floral arrangement and a bottle of champagne were also in the cabin, The TV screen is large, the DVD player worked and the huge bed is very comfy.

What stunk:

The TV programming on this cruise is the very worst ever. I do not cruise to watch TV, HOWEVER transatlantic cruises are different, many sea days, a slower pace and you are in your cabin a lot more, so TV becomes much more important. The guide states besides the 9 NCL info channels and 7 TV channels:

CNN (only on day 1)

Fox News (came in very poorly and the audio was lousy)

ESPN: 2 nights only and even then soccer or golf

Cartoon Network: Never (my husband had a joke that there was a smurf marathon on the Cartoon Network because the screen was solid blue, very funny)

TNT: never

Turner Classic Movies: Yes and it continually showed Citizen Kane, Singing in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz.

Sports: Occasionally, but not in English.

Now, to be fair, the second week, while we were in the Mediterranean, TV programming improved quite a bit with added news channels like Euro News and the BBC. But now that we were off the ship all day, it didn’t really matter as much.

I had brought some new DVD’s with me and watched the entire series of Hero’s, which I highly recommend as mindless indulgence and great fun.

 

Alright, here we go… if you do not want to hear my “rant” about my cabin (poor me, I know stuck in a Penthouse, in the Mediterranean, blah, blah, blah) Just skip the RED text... I read the notice on the balcony door about keeping the door closed while at sea and I am upset. The sign on the door reads All Capitol Letters on the sign: “ WARNING – DANGER STONG WINDS, OPEN AND CLOSE DOOR WITH EXTREME CARE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, OPEN ONLY WHEN THE VESSEL IS IN PORT. TO AVOID DAMAGE KEEP THIS DOOR LOCKED AT SEA. I tell my butler no way can that be the case, he says I can open the door with caution and to be careful not to let it slam and upset the neighbors or cut my fingers off… yeah thanks pal. (Note about the balcony door/s. It is not a lovely sliding glass door like a regular balcony but 2 doors, the interior is nice solid high gloss wood much like the rest of the cabin but when you open this door you are faced with a large heavy insulated metal structural door resembling something from a WWII naval movie. This door is truly hard core, weighs about a ton and not easy to open. (A GREAT DOOR SHOULD A ROGUE WAVE HIT US) Once open it locks in place, so that is good. There is also a 6 inch lip at the bottom that you need to step over to get onto the balcony, not a big deal unless it is dark and you forgot to step up and you fall face first … ouch, I might not have fallen if I was able to put a friggin light on, you must keep the drapes closed and the balcony dark or the light can reflect above you, no kidding, the sign reads: “Due to the Bridge being above your suite, we kindly ask your cooperation in the evening (whilst at sea) by keeping the drapes closed. This is due to the light from your suite reflecting onto the bridge, minimizing night vision).” No big deal here, since the winds are too much for me stand out there and the door is too heavy to open, and the sign tells you not to go out there anyway… jeeesh)

Truth be told, for its limited usability, the balcony is the best part of the cabin, it is about the same size as the cabin and has a 6 foot sofa, end table, coffee table, 2 lounge chairs, 2 upright chairs and a trunk to stash the cushions in while at sea all made of lovely beige rattan (or faux rattan?) Either way it is very nice looking and quite comfortable. My glorious Red Sox Banner fit perfectly on the railing and a sunbathing (whilst in port) topless neighbor to boot. Now, nobody complained about the topless neighbor and she sunbathed directly below the bridge, no problem with me, I say “if you got it, flaunt it” but I was a bit concerned with all the officers staring down, we might hit an iceberg, joke here, lighten up. :D

Once we got to the Mediterranean the winds calmed down and the balcony was more usable.

It was great to have your coffee out there in the AM, go on your excursion and return to toast the city goodbye as we cruise out, until we hit such speeds that you cannot stand out there any longer…

 

Cabin:

The good: Nice looking (a bit too pink for my personal taste but nice, just the same) , huge HDTV Screen, DVD Player, Espresso machine, nice hot water, great water pressure, flowers, champagne, comfy pillows and duvet.

The Cabin looks nice. But the layout is lousy, I hung up my own clothes (plenty of closet space, easily accessible by both sides and plenty of clothes hangers!) and I folded my husband jeans and t shirts, tried to fit them into the drawers and cabinets but they did not fit, the drawers and shelves are too shallow so I ended up re-folding, practically rolling his shirts and pants. The vanity area is very narrow and if you sitting down to do your make up and someone opens the bathroom door the handle can easily whack you in the back, especially if the ship is being slammed around by high waves, which was the case for the first 4 days of this cruise.

 

Speaking of waves, we hit some high seas on the journey over. This was made so much worse by being at the front of the ship. For comfort we went to the Atrium where we did not feel it nearly as much. I would never choose a front cabin again.

 

The bed can be blocked off by curtains, much like a hospital, but what good is that? The TV faces the bed, so if you want to sleep and your DH wants to watch TV, well he would have to sit in an upright chair. The small loveseat is very uncomfortable and useless, and does not face the TV, plus it is too small to lie down on and has no designated lighting for reading.

I cracked my knee on the first night on the bench at the foot of the bed, because you do not see it when you are coming from the bathroom through the narrow hallway / vanity area. I moved the bench towards the other end of the bed and did not hit it again.

 

Ships lobby: I miss the central glass elevators and the drama of a grand atrium. It has been replaced with a giant screen constantly showing crappy cartoons or wii… ok the first time you see it, it looks cool but it gets old and them what? It would be nice to see a movie or sporting event.

Dining in the Grand Pacific, if you are lucky enough to get the coveted rear window seating you cannot have a normal conversation because the Bowling Alley is directly above your head, no kidding, and you hear bowling balls and pins slamming, woops again on the design.

 

Shows… I only saw one Second city and I loved it. I heard the singer doing a Tammy Wynette “Stand by your Man” and that was my excuse to walk on by… no offense she may have been great, not my cup of tea.

On this cruise “Freestyle” meant “no style”, it was not like you had all these choices of activities, there was nothing TO DO. Unless I wanted to do a puzzle with fellow guests… or Spinning class $$, bingo $$, Art auction $$, beer tasting $$, margarita clinic $$ black jack $$ or slot $$ poker tournament $$.

They make a big deal that this looks like a schedule (gasp!) BUT THERE ARE NO FREE CHOICES WORTH DOING.

 

Food: I loved all the food on the Gem. Especially Tequilas. I am not a particularly fussy eater but I truly enjoyed all of the meals.

I hate to wait in line so when I could not get reservations I either did not eat or my DH went to the buffet for me. (He scoffed a tray from the Blue Lagoon) He loves me and loves to feed me and who am I to take this joy away from him?

I had concierge services but when I called Lisa for dinner at 12 noon on Wednesday for 6pm at Le Bistro or Cagney’s on Thursday, she could not get back to me until late the following day, which made it difficult to make plans.

Also they made us wait 45 minutes at Le Bistro and when we finally were seated most of the restaurant was empty. Which only led me to believe that they were deliberately not seating people early because of the 2 for 1 discount.

 

Casino was a bit too warm (temperature wise) and smoky and they played the same Mary J Blige CD over and over.

 

Service: My room stewards Ronald and Phillippe were great. I got cute towel animals and nightly mints, etc.

 

Butler Made was fine, always friendly and accessible, we only asked for breakfast one day and room service once. But we got plenty of ice and treats and canapés delivered daily along with a ton of junk mail. We got invitations to everything from Art Auctions, Spa Specia,s Captains Party, Latitude Party … etc. We never went to one of them.

 

Concierge Lisa was kept very busy on this cruise, but not by me. I did call her 4 times: twice for dinner reservations and twice she arranged for us to use the Academia Room for a private poker tournament. I only saw her walking swiftly through the Atrium a couple of times or on a deck and she never made eye contact with me, but over the phone she was all smiles. My husband made arrangements through Lisa for flower deliveries and they were huge and gorgeous. I also used her printer one time and that was good.

Music was lacking unless you like string quartets or classical piano. I would prefer a loud sing along or Jimmy Buffet. It was just a bit too hoity toity for moi’. But most of the older guests seemed to really enjoy it.

 

People: We meet the best people on cruises and this one was no exception. We toured Florence with 6 fellow Cruise Critics and Brian and Debbie were just great to arrange this for us.

We toured Rome with an awesome young CC couple Shawn and Mike from New Jersey.

 

Bowling: My husband has become a huge bowling enthusiast. We had never bowled big balls before (being from New England where candlepin is king) But DH really dug it. I broke a nail and I just am not a good bowler.

 

Spa: Pedicure, for the first time, I had a rude, angry attendant scraping away at my feet. She never spoke a word to me except at the end to scold me and say that I need to take better care of my feet and I should have another pedicure before the cruise ends, yeah sure. No thank you.

I over-tipped her thinking she must just be having a really bad day, and then she was all smiles walking me to the elevator, offering me a drink and “ Ma’am, wouldn’t you just prefer to sit and relax while your toes dry..?” A little cash goes a long way. ;)

 

I played poker every night with a multi-lingual group from Germany, Montreal, Russia, Belguim and Israel. It was a blast and after 15 nights, I am a much improved cash player and ended the cruise about $300 to the black. Usually I was the only woman. I would say here that the Casino staff was great but the rake was huge, 10% is a lot with no risk. So because I brought the chip set, we had several private tournaments and even a couple of cash games. The casino offered Casino at Sea card holders free drinks during play a few hours each night, so that was nice, plus an added benefit was: free drinks really loosened up the play, making more money for the house. Very smart play indeed.

 

Ports:

I had never been to any of these ports before and I decided to pre-book NCL Excursions via the NCL website, at all ports EXCEPT Rome and Florence where we hired a driver with other CC members. And I was very glad we pre-booked because every day there was a long line at the Excursion Desk and many tours were sold out.

All Tours met at the Stardust Theater and I thought this process went very smoothly.

 

I got 2 great pieces of advice from the ships excursion coordinator: First: :"Be travelers, NOT tourists", which I liked and secondly: “Lower your expectations”, which was meant as a joke and many took too literally, but was still good advice.

I was very excited to finally get there:

Ports:

Ponta Del Gada Azores, Portugal:

Weather: Perfect, 65-70

Excursion booked through NCL: Fire Lake & Ribiera Grande Level 1, $52 each. 3 ½ hours.

Drove to the lovely picturesque village of Ribiera Grand, guide was great explaining the history of the Azores. Bus ride through mountain scary, steep roads, we were supposed to see a lake but the fog and clouds did not allow it, then off to a pineapple plantation which was just a small series of greenhouses with a little gift shop. I loved it. The town we walked through was quaint and picturesque. An interesting side note, a young man (late 20’s I would guess) looking a bit scruffy, toting a backpack and wearing flip-flops walked up to us in a park where we were just hanging out while the rest of our group was liquor tasting. I walked over to take a photo of the landscaping and my husband gave this “local” a US $2 bill, thinking he was broke… no big deal, my husband does this kind of thing.

Well, that night in the Casino, I’m playing poker and I see this same “scruffy” guy walk by. I had not seen him prior to this day, but whatever, I mention to my DH that he blew it, he gave a fellow passenger a handout, not a homeless Portuguese guy like he thought and we have a good chuckle. How embarrassing really.

Well, we see this same fellow the next morning in the atrium lounging out on a sofa. He was looking a bit bewildered and I just assume he is enchanted and I have a particular respect and empathy for this condition, so I just smile at him and we go on our way… that night he is in the Casino again, waiting for the food at 11pm, he grabs a plate, piles it high and then he is gone.

We later find out that this man is a stowaway, and was caught and sent off in cuffs in Spain.. The rumors fly that he had stolen a wallet in the Azores and got on board… I do not know the details. But many people noticed him and we actually spoke with another CC couple about him while at dinner and they noticed him too. We actually joked that maybe he was not really a passenger …

 

Lisbon, Portugal:

Weather: Perfect, Sunny 70-75

Excursion booked through NCL: Monumental Lisbon Level 1, $55 each: 4 Hours.

We had a lovely guide, a very young woman who sang Fado to us at the end of the tour. It was very touching. As the tour implied we saw a LOT of monuments. I had no expectations of Lisbon and was pleasantly impressed. Lisbon was awesome, so much history and discoveries. More walking up narrow Moorish streets and stairs than I thought a level 2 would have. I felt bad for the many older passengers with walkers and canes. At the end of the tour we got to walk around the city center where my DH was politely offered several times for a variety of controlled substances. We do not partake, but thank you anyway.

 

Cadiz, Spain:

Weather: Perfect, Sunny 70-75

Excursion booked through NCL: White Villages & Countryside $55 each: 5 Hours. Level 2.

This was not a good tour. This should most definitely be a level 3. We had a terrible guide (oh well, it happens) named Victoria, who I think did not speak English. She had a loud, dull, raspy voice and spoke slowly like she was reading the script, one word at a time, no use asking her a question, she did not understand. She constantly chatted in Spanish with the young male driver. We get to the white village, and walk up a very steep long hill where the bus cannot drive. We stop midway to hear her tell us some history but Victoria is the only tour guide without a microphone and speaker and she does not wait for the rest of the bus before beginning her spiel. To top it all off, we get to the top and heart of this charming village only to find more than 95% of it is closed.

I felt very unwelcome. The people who live and work here cannot bother to open their shops and cafés for the hundreds of tourists on a Sunday than they obviously do not want us there. It was awkward to say the least. NCL should know better. If you bought a ticket to Disney and when you got there found it 95% closed, take the hint. NCL should not sell this Excursion on a Sunday.

The tour continues on through what is called a “natural” forest with pine trees planted in exact rows, nothing “natural” about it, but still beautiful. Now because the White Village was mostly closed and we had extra time to kill, we took the beach route. We drove by Trafalgar Beach where some historic battle was waged in the 1800’s but the bus driver has no permission to stop so he slows down to allow folks on the left side of the bus a chance to take a photo. We do stop at a seaside town of sorts, again, mostly closed and the driver parks as far away as possible so that the passengers waste more time walking. A terrible tour indeed. BUT Cadiz was beautiful.

 

Malaga, Spain:

Weather: Perfect, Sunny 73-78

Excursion booked through NCL: Amazing Caves of Nerja $55 each: 4 ½ Hours. Level 2.

Awesome tour guide Juan, spoke perfect English, had the hand held microphone speaker thingy and best of all it was a Monday so everything was open. We stopped at the town of Nerja and a white village with the most excellent “Balcony of Europe” breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, truly charming village. Then off to Nerja where Juan bought tickets, I did the first half of the caves, and the giant stalagmites and such were fantastic but once it got too dark, damp, and I could not see daylight or feel fresh air, I had to bail. I am not complaining, I know my limits, tons of stairs and humidity… I’m just not built for it, but I am very glad I went. We had an awesome lunch at the café with unreal views… wow.

 

Ajaccio, France: (Corsica)

Weather: Perfect, Sunny 70-75

Excursion booked through NCL: Introduction to Ajaccio $65 each: 3 ½ Hours. Level 2.

Lovely tour, everything Napoleon, lots of statues and photo ops. Our tourguide was lame, too quiet, I could not hear her. Lots of walking in Corsica, finally got to spend some Euros. She dumped us in the center which was fine. We caught a quick lunch along the waterfront and shopped. There was a hint of anti-Americanism here. Folks speaking English were not seated as quickly and on the tourist trolley they said the English version of the tour was not working but at the end of the tour, someone hit the wrong button and over the PA “Welcome to Corsica ….” clear as day, in perfect English. Woops.

But I still loved Corsica.

 

Nice, Villefranche, France

Weather: Perfect, Sunny 75

Excursion booked through NCL: Highlights of Monaco & Monte Carlo $78 each: 4 Hours. Level 2

Very nice tour, gorgeous day, tour guide Utta was great. Learned a bit about the Monarchy, very tough walk uphill to the awaiting bus. Monaco is an absolutely gorgeous place. Tons of photo ops, too bad the Monte Carlo Casino was not open. Plus they were getting ready for the Formula One race and installing inconvenient chain link fences everywhere. We walked through an awesome park, the grand church and narrow little lanes and shops. Everything Ferrari. But clean and pristine, looked more like a movie set than an actual neighborhood. We had to wait on the bus almost 30 minutes for our fellow passengers to get back from the American-style Casino (slots) which I thought was inconsiderate. I can understand 10 or 15 minutes but a half hour was too much. AND now that I recall, this type of thing happened often. Only in Lisbon did the driver leave 9 passengers after waiting about 10 minutes.

 

Rome: We had the very best driver Vincent from Rome in Limo. I cannot say enough about Rome only to say I cannot wait to go back there. 9 hours off a cruise ship is a tiny taste of a grand feast and my next vacation will either start or stop in Rome for at least 4 nights. I am so charmed by Italy I am going to learn Italian. We were in Rome on May 1 which was a Holiday so many things were closed. But honestly we just were so busy doing the things that were open, I did even not notice and plus now I have an added excuse to return. What was apparent was the amount of people; it was crowded, like Times Square NYC on New Years Eve X 10.

 

Florence, it was also crowded, we joined fellow CC’s on a tour which included the best Tiramisu Gelato ever, parks, piazzas, squares, David, Duomo, Pisa, etc. Too much to say and if I were an Art buff, then Florence would have been Mecca. It was truly a fantastic and memorable day.

 

I will most definitely cruise the Mediterranean again but unfortunately this will be my last NCL cruise, unless they respond to favorably to my letter. I am only requesting for a partial refund for the very limited use of the Balcony and most importantly I want full disclosure. I want it noted on all TA websites as well as the NCL website that the category AC has limited balcony usage … that’s all. Complete and honest accountability and you know what? IF they had taken the time to let me know this ahead of time, I would never have reason or right to complain.

Well, I warned you it was a long one...

Till next time,

Juried

Go Sox!

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe I missed it looking at your long review but it sounds like you were in the same cabin as I was in January.....10000....if it doesnt ring a bell thats ok...I always tell people to avoid the forward balconies on a TA because of the wind but nobody follows.................

[Ginny, not Hermione]

My DH and I are planning on taking this cruise in April 2009, I loved your review. Every cruise has some good and some "Gosh darn" moments. I just signed up for the board and I'm not sure of how to auto-sign yet. But DH and I have been on 4 NCL cruises, loved them all, signed up for the credit card and saved a bundle on our last trip. I can't wait to book this trip!

[Magna]

My husband and I took the NCL Gem Transatlantic from NYC to Barcelona on April 19, 2008. This was our 19th Cruise.

******************

Juried

 

How are things on the East Coast

Sorry to here of your Bad TA

We are going with a "Wine Cruise" in 2009

Check it out and join us

Mercury - Pacific Northwest 10/12/2009 Vancouver to San Diego

 

Magna

From "Crown Jewels" TA 2006

[juried]

Hello All,

I am very pleased to report that I have received a letter from NCL addressing my complaints and concerns about the category AC on my transatlantic voyage.

The letter informed me that “my comments regarding the various problems with my stateroom and balcony were read with particular concern.” And after a follow up phone conversation, I was assured that this information will be shared with their Reservation Department …. specifically the notation about "Limited Use of the Balcony" and consider how best to inform those passengers booking this stateroom category.

I am not sure if NCL will ever actually have full disclosure, but I am very impressed with the effort as well as a follow up phone call.

I also received future cruise credits, (as a gesture of good will, even though I made it perfectly clear in my letter that this was not the primary objective of my complaint)

so I will be booking my next cruise fairly soon.:)

And you know what? I feel appreciated and listened to and that is important too.

All is well with the world and NCL are the class act I always believed they were.

Go Sox,

Juried

[trock]

Sounds like you had a great TA!

As with anything else a little research on the forward cabins and we learn that on TA they are WINDY!.. But we all learn something new with each cruise we take...

 

As for the shops being closed on Sundays in Spain, I would guess it would be for religious observance and they are not going to open them for tourists.

Again research would have brought this to light, and I am guilty of it also.. First cruise. Sunday.. nothing opened in Bermuda!

 

I am glad NCL addressed your concerns.. Hope you post some photos!:)

[Wasasalad]

We are in the suite 10000 on the GEM. Three days cruising at sea will it be too windy to use the balcony? We usually live on the balcony.

Should we change to a suite at the back of the ship?

 

Maybe I missed it looking at your long review but it sounds like you were in the same cabin as I was in January.....10000....if it doesnt ring a bell thats ok...I always tell people to avoid the forward balconies on a TA because of the wind but nobody follows.................

[sottovoce]

We are in the suite 10000 on the GEM. Three days cruising at sea will it be too windy to use the balcony? We usually live on the balcony.

Should we change to a suite at the back of the ship?

If the ship's moving at 22 knots you'll have the equivalent of a 22 knot wind in your face at all times, even if there is no wind in the area at the time. If there is a natural wind coming into the bow at 10 knots or more you'll be feeling a "moderate gale."

 

Anyone booking a bow balcony on a trans-Atlantic gets no sympathy from me when complaining about wind on that balcony.