Norwegian Gem- INFO!

[HoneyHoney123]

Hey all

I will be going on the Norwegian Gem for my honeymoon, and it will be my first time!! So i'm very excited, i just had a few questions, hopefully you guys can help me!

 

1. How do you choose between the suites? I love the perks of the having the access to the courtyard with the pool and hot tub! But my fiance thinks that those suites i.e. owner's suite and coutyard villa will be too big for us! And he wants to go with the romace suite, unfortunately this suite doesnot have access to the courtyard!! So i dont know what to do, are the owners suite and courtyard villa too big for 2 people? And is the courtyard worth it? :confused:

 

2. How much money should you bring to be comfortable for ashore excursions?

 

3. Any advise on the ashore excursions? Should i go with the ship's plan or on my own? I would rather do my own thing, but i'm not sure it's the right thing for us since we have never been to that part of Europe! My itinerary will be: Barcelona, Valletta, Naples/Pompeii, Civitavecchia (rome), Livorno, Villefranche ands finally Barcelona. Anyone did those places?

 

Sorry for all those LONG questions!:p

 

Hope you guys can help me

Thanks

SLG

[beachchick]

Hey all

I will be going on the Norwegian Gem for my honeymoon, and it will be my first time!! So i'm very excited, i just had a few questions, hopefully you guys can help me!

 

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll have a lovely time.

 

1. How do you choose between the suites? I love the perks of the having the access to the courtyard with the pool and hot tub! But my fiance thinks that those suites i.e. owner's suite and coutyard villa will be too big for us! And he wants to go with the romace suite, unfortunately this suite doesnot have access to the courtyard!! So i dont know what to do, are the owners suite and courtyard villa too big for 2 people? And is the courtyard worth it? :confused:

 

There are two A4 Courtyard Villas. These have only one bedroom and are not too big by any means. They're a nice size, but hardly "too big" for a couple. Even the A3s aren't too huge because the second bedroom is small and the other areas are identical to the A4s. My DH and I stayed in an A4 on the Jade (when she was the Pride of Hawaii). The bathrooms are wonderful; the dining area is nice; the living room is smallish, but functional (don't care much for the style of furniture though because it's not terribly comfortable). The private balcony of the A4 is tiny (the smallest we've ever had--and our only other balconies have been on the regular balcony cabins we usually book), but the Courtyard and Courtyard Sundeck make up for that. I don't think the A4s are that much larger than the ADs (probably less than 100 sq ft), but the ADs have really great balconies. OTOH, the ADs have no Courtyard access, which we really loved. Talk about getting away from it all. The "ship within a ship" atmosphere is not just hype. It really is wonderful. The Owner's Suites (AA) are not on the Courtyard deck, so you do have to "go up" there; this is not a big deal, IMO. (You may already know that, but thought I'd make sure.) I think the AAs are about 800 sq ft (including balcony), which is pretty sizable to us. However, we wouldn't think that it was "too" much, especially if we had been in one for our honeymoon (many years ago). The Deluxe Owner's Suites (A2) are elegant, very large (I think about 1200 sq ft including balcony; that's large to us), and have a wonderful view. Of course, you do have to climb the stairs from deck 14 to deck 15, but that's fine--just burns off more of those vacation calories.

 

I guess the question of "too big" for two people boils down to how much room you and your fiance consider to be "normal" and what your expectations are. It's obviously a very personal decision, but for a honeymoon and if it's within your budget, I urge you to consider an A4 or A3 Courtyard Villa for sure and to think seriously about an AA or even an A2 Owner's Suite. If we had the bucks, we would go for the AA or the A2 (with the A2 having the edge for both location and view).

2. How much money should you bring to be comfortable for ashore excursions?

 

That depends entirely on what you want to do. Can you give us some idea of activities or excursions you might be considering.

 

3. Any advise on the ashore excursions? Should i go with the ship's plan or on my own? I would rather do my own thing, but i'm not sure it's the right thing for us since we have never been to that part of Europe! My itinerary will be: Barcelona, Valletta, Naples/Pompeii, Civitavecchia (rome), Livorno, Villefranche ands finally Barcelona. Anyone did those places?

 

Can't help you here, but you'll probably get better answers from those "in the know" if you give them an idea of what activities you enjoy, how active you are, whether you are looking for "budget" or "luxury" (or something in between), and so forth. (As an aside, the fact that we've never been somewhere or to a certain part of the world has never stopped us from going out on our own. The places you list wouldn't give us a moment's pause; we'd be out there exploring and not on ship excursions.)

 

Sorry for all those LONG questions!:p

 

No worries.

 

Hope you guys can help me

Thanks

SLG

 

beachchick

[HoneyHoney123]

Thanks for the info beachchick!

 

I think my fiance does not think we will be spending much time in the rooms, and that's the reason he just wanted a simple one! But now at least i can tell him that the courtyard and sundeck is worth it!

I'm serisously considering the owner's suite, does it have a hottub on the balcony? I thought i saw that somewhere! Although the Courtyard villas seem to be nice as well!

 

I was reading the other reviews, and i'm not so much museum person! So i'm guessing i'll be in the markets, local restaurants, and will probably be looking for local artists! I'm definetely thinking of taking private tours (after reading some other reviews), so that i have control of what i visit.

I'm not quite sure how much everything costs there!

 

Anyway thanks again for the info beachchick! I really appreciate it! Now let's hope someone has visited those places, and can give me an idea of what musuem, churches i MUST visit! Cause i'm definetely not doing all of them lol :rolleyes:

 

Thanks

SLG

[watchdiva]

We've stayed in an A3 on the Pearl, AD on the Dawn and have another AD booked on the Pearl for next year. Courtyard is fantastic - it's private, we love the hot tub and steam room, eating dinner in the Courtyard under the stars.........but we also loved our AD. You cannot imagine how HUGE the balcony is (two full-size padded loungers, small side table and room to spare) and on our cruise to Bermuda this year, we spent the majority of our time right on our own balcony. The AD's are located AFT and we spent hours laying out and watching the view of the wake (at night, the moonlight turned the wake to liquid silver)......

 

Both suites were fantastic BUT for the thousands of dollars difference between an AD and an A4, we opted again for the AD (comes with all of the perks of the CY suites minus the courtyard access).

 

Only you can decide which you prefer - on a port intensive cruise, how much time would you really be spending in the courtyard? Whichever you choose - have a great cruise and an even better married life:) .

[Duncan28]

I loved the romance suite but I have not stayed in the courtyard villas so I can't compare them. The villas do look great.

 

Since this is your honeymoon, look into one of the romance packages. We got the basic one - NCL does a really nice job with it. You get dinner at Le Bistro, bottle of house red or white with the dinner, and a few other perks. They have other packages that include the spa too.

[CeleBrat]

CONGRATS on your upcoming wedding...and honeymoon. The GEM is a great ship, and the itinerary is amazing but tiring, Lots to do and see. We recently returned from the very same trip ---see the review here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1#post15674355

 

ENJOY!--CeleBrat

[HoneyHoney123]

Thanks all so much for al your well wishes! I'm definetely going to choose between the courtyard villa and the owner's suite! I really think i will enjoy the tranquility of the courtyard, and as you guys said, since its our honeymoon we can spurge a lil bit :p ! Well i think so anyway lol

 

Yes Celebrat i read your review, i loved all your pictures and all the details you gave.. I actually decided to go on the private tours after reading your review! So thanks for all the info, it really helped!

 

Although i wanna know what else is there to do apart from the musuems and churches! I know its rome and ancient but there must still be other stuff to do right!?! I want to visit only the ones that you just can not miss! But wouldn't mind tasting some good food, and doing a bit of shopping too! So could anyone advise me on which are the important landmarks to visit? And anyone know places where you can find nice markets or shops?

[MSH2007]

Thanks all so much for al your well wishes! I'm definetely going to choose between the courtyard villa and the owner's suite! I really think i will enjoy the tranquility of the courtyard, and as you guys said, since its our honeymoon we can spurge a lil bit :p ! Well i think so anyway lol

 

Yes Celebrat i read your review, i loved all your pictures and all the details you gave.. I actually decided to go on the private tours after reading your review! So thanks for all the info, it really helped!

 

Although i wanna know what else is there to do apart from the musuems and churches! I know its rome and ancient but there must still be other stuff to do right!?! I want to visit only the ones that you just can not miss! But wouldn't mind tasting some good food, and doing a bit of shopping too! So could anyone advise me on which are the important landmarks to visit? And anyone know places where you can find nice markets or shops?

Good morning and Congratulations to you - as I celebrate my 22nd wedding anniversary this morning, my husband has gone to play in a softball tourney and I will be joining friends shortly for a local festival - I offer this advice...go for the best for your honeymoon! You will only have ONE first honeymoon and hopefully you will have only ONE Honeymoon ever! It may seem expensive at times and you might wonder why you spent so much - but, you will never forget this trip. I giggle now when I think of how frugal we were on our Hawaiian honeymoon!

 

I did part of your trip last year - Barcelona, Cannes & Monaco, Livorno, Rome, Naples. Barcelona was fabulous - tapas bars and sangria along Las Ramblas and lots of shops. The street performers are fabulous! The line was long at La Sagrada Familia so if you want to see inside - get there early! We bought a book about Gaudi when we arrived in Barcelona and saw the outside of his buildings. But - next time, I will go on the tour! We took a train to Monte Carlo. It was good but a bit nerve wracking as the train broke down on the return and we fretted about missing the ship. But - it was running in no time and we were OK. We spent the whole day touring the Princess Grace exhibit so I have little to report. I heard there is a hefty fee to get into the casino... you might want to check it out. In Livorno we found a driver to take us to Pisa. I think I recall he put together a little contingent to reduce the cost for each of us. The only thing fun is watching people try to take "the picture". Rome ... shopping is fun - especially in the smaller shops. We went in to get a much needed belt and the owner had my friend decked out in a whole new outfit before we left! Skirt, shirt, purse, shoes, and the belt for 375 euros. Rome had so many interesting little finds as you walk the streets and encounter the piazzas and realize you have stumbled on to a famous statue or fountain. The Church of the Chains with Michaelangelo's Moses, the coins in Trevi fountain and Piazza Navona were highlights. I'm still not sure about the spanish steps... Naples: we were advised numerous times not to go into the city due to crime. And we didn't. We left the ship, walked out to the terminal and found a driver to take us to Positano. The drive along the Almafi Coast was tremendous, but the destination was absolutely incredible and doesn't have the crowds of Capri. The small street is lined with dress shops filled with the most exquisite lace. If you decide to go, take along a little lock with your names on it and have the driver stop at the bridge where you can attach your lock meaning "I love you everyday" and throw the key into the river. Pompei was okay - but somedays ruins are ruins are ruins! We travel a little differently ... trains, buses, drivers, etc. It gives you a little more time to sit, have a nice meal, a beverage or two, shop. But sometimes it is good to plan to "catch up" with a ship tour. For example, to go on the Vatican tour with the group so as not to miss anything and explore the rest of Rome alone, or on a private tour. You two are lucky...I can see you now sipping champagne in the courtyard or on the balcony of the owner's suite!!

[DMH15]

Congrats!!! This is your honeymoon... go for it! Absolutely. You will rememeber it always. Don't cut corners if you don't have to. In the long run you will be glad you splurged!

 

Naples: The birthplace of pizza YUM and nearby Amalfi: Lemoncello LOVED IT! Can't ask for anything more. I did the Amalfi coast and Pompeii excursion and loved it. The Amalfi Coast drive was breathtaking.

 

Rome: We spurged and took the exclusive Rome tour which meant we were in a van as opposed to a tour bus and had the fancier lunch. It was pricy but I would do it all over again exactly the same.

 

On both had wonderful guides who kept everything together and protected us from pickpockets. Watch out for the kids, they are quick little scamps.

 

I have not stayed in the CV but had friends who did and I visited them in their cabin and toured the courtyard. I loved it. You should definately go for it. I found their balcony small (but who needs a large one with the villa courtyard) it's nice just to open the balcony door. I did find the couch in the living area small and uncomfortable though. You will LOVE the bathroom. You can lie in the tub and look out ath the sea.

 

IMO the perks for any suite and epecially the high-end ones can be wonderful. Please come back after and post a review.

[runnerandme]

I was on GEM in April , NYC to Barcelona. We were in a Courtyard Villa. (there were four of us). The room and courtyard areas are amazing. Friends were in an AA owners suite at the front of the ship. WHen it was too windy or when at sea and they could not use their front facing balcony, they had the side balcony to use. They loved the room and came to the courtyard almost everyday for lunch and to use the area. We met a couple in the deluxe owners suite and their balcony had a private hot tub, I do not know how visible they were to the pool deck though. I loved the cappucino machine. We would go out in the morning and get juice, fruit, etc. right in the courtyard, in our robes. We had dinner served in our room several times from the specialty restaurants and from the main dining room. I would not hesitate to book the courtyard area again. (if vacation funds allow). The couple in the AA said it was not a problem walking to the courtyard, and they loved the room. I would not want to be that forward, I get seasick.

Happy Honeymoon

[Cosmopolitan]

Our daughter and her husband toured Italy, on their own, last summer on their honeymoon....they loved it. They worked up their own itinerary, hotels, etc., and want to go back.

 

As far as AA/CV...we would take the AA in a heartbeat! Front balcony (which CV does not have) GREAT view when entering/departing ports and no wind on your very large side balconies - which have 2 lounge chairs w/table and a table and chairs for dining for 4.

You may have any/every meal on any of your balconies served by your butler at whatever time you wish.

 

CV....when are you travelling? If it is at the time when school children or college crowd are on vacation....the CV pool may be overrun with same.

 

We've cruised several times in an AA and never found the amenities of the CV (which we were entitled to) appealing.

 

You may also want to consider that you are on a port intensive cruise...not much time in your suite.

AD and AE also have the benefits of the concierge/butler and you can save alot of money.

 

Good Luck with your decision and Best Wishes on your upcoming marriage:)

[HoneyHoney123]

I must say reading all your post is making me so so excited about this trip :) . And making me want to splurge even more! Hmmm dunno if my fiance will be excited about that lol... Omg the Deluxe Owner's suite has a PRIVATE HOT TUB on the balcony!!!! How cool is that? I guess if you have a room like that, then you might never leave the room...lol... Both courtyard and owner's suite seem really awesome.. But i'm leaning more towrad the Owner's suite.. :p

 

MSH2007: Congratulations on your 22nd anniversary! Wow thanks for all the info about the shopping! Definitely going to find a hotel on Las Ramblas.. Seems to be my kind of place! So i guess its better walking than taking taxis to places? Is it easy to take the buses and trains? Or do u have to be an experienced traveller ? Can you imagine me drinking champagne in my hot tub on the balcony lol.. that's even more awesome!

 

DMH15: Yes will definetely tell you all about it, and maybe i can help others going on their honeymoon too! :p

 

runnerandme: Thanks for confirming that there was a hottub on the balcony.. And making me want the DELUXE now! lol

 

Cosmopolitan: Yes that's what my fiance has been saying too.. Save money on the suite and spend it on shopping. He thinks we will be spending more time outside of the room.. I see his point but i mean its our honeymoon! I mean private hottub is pretty awesome.. Like after walking a whole day, right? :cool: And we are travelling next May.. Is that a good time?

 

Again thanks for all the support and wishes guys!

Tc

HoneyHoney

[knuts1]

We did this cruise in June this year and it was wonderful. I will suggest doing the excursions through the ship because if you are late getting back the ship needs to wait for you and the trip in Rome alone is a 45 min drive each way. We had a Mini af and it was large enough but did not have the court yard access but we did not spend much time on the ship and even less time in our room as there is not much sea time on this cruise. Be sure and bring a digital camera with lots of memory as the worst thing I heard in Rome is half way through the day I heard someone say that they only had 6 pictures left so they needed to conserve. Here are our pix if you are interested

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll309/knuts1/

the folders are on the left side for each port

Have a great Cuise.

[MSH2007]

I must say reading all your post is making me so so excited about this trip :) . And making me want to splurge even more! Hmmm dunno if my fiance will be excited about that lol... Omg the Deluxe Owner's suite has a PRIVATE HOT TUB on the balcony!!!! How cool is that? I guess if you have a room like that, then you might never leave the room...lol... Both courtyard and owner's suite seem really awesome.. But i'm leaning more towrad the Owner's suite.. :p

 

MSH2007: Congratulations on your 22nd anniversary! Wow thanks for all the info about the shopping! Definitely going to find a hotel on Las Ramblas.. Seems to be my kind of place! So i guess its better walking than taking taxis to places? Is it easy to take the buses and trains? Or do u have to be an experienced traveller ? Can you imagine me drinking champagne in my hot tub on the balcony lol.. that's even more awesome!

 

DMH15: Yes will definetely tell you all about it, and maybe i can help others going on their honeymoon too! :p

 

runnerandme: Thanks for confirming that there was a hottub on the balcony.. And making me want the DELUXE now! lol

 

Cosmopolitan: Yes that's what my fiance has been saying too.. Save money on the suite and spend it on shopping. He thinks we will be spending more time outside of the room.. I see his point but i mean its our honeymoon! I mean private hottub is pretty awesome.. Like after walking a whole day, right? :cool: And we are travelling next May.. Is that a good time?

 

Again thanks for all the support and wishes guys!

Tc

HoneyHoney

 

Cosmo and Honey ... your guys are right. You won't be spending alot of time in your room. The ports are far from the sights. Also when it comes to spending ... with the dollar being worth .70 cents it is sometimes sad to shop! So maybe save some money on the hot tub...and buy a precious something, or splurge on food and drink. knuts1 is correct too ... the ship tours will get you back on time. In Venice a couple was late getting back ... they kept paging them asking for them to contact the desk to no avail. Finally we had to sail. The port escort boat suddenly veered away from us at a high speed. Next thing you know, it pulled very close to the side and the couple was climbing up the rope ladder to get on board. I don't know if I could have done it! Walking is my passion, you really feel the city and see so much. But you have to be able to read a map (usually in another language) and have a good sense of direction! I guess maybe you need to be an "experienced" traveller to take the trains and buses...or just a little crazy! The crew is always good for tips too...I like to talk to the bartenders to get ideas for the next day. They know the inside scoop since they are getting on and off at these ports all the time. For a hotel on Las Ramblas check out RITZ ROGER DE LLURIA HOTEL. I didn't stay there - but it looked so pretty.

[traveladdicted]

Hello!

 

Has anyone stayed in the AF category mini-suites? Are they much more exciting than a regular balcony cabin?

 

Thanks!!

Leah

[beachchick]

traveladdicted: No, they really aren't much more exciting than a regular balcony. You do get a bathtub instead of just a shower and the cabin and balcony are a bit larger, but that's pretty much it. There are no perks in the mini-suites that you wouldn't also get in a regular balcony cabin. However, if the fares are really close (less than $100 more per person for the mini), we'd book the mini. Otherwise, a regular balcony cabin is just fine for us.

 

beachchick

[garycarla]

What to do.

 

When we were in Rome, we took a PRIVATE tour. It was the tour guide and the two of us. Yep, it cost close to $500 for the day. We did not do a car and took bus and subway so we could see more. It was WAY MORE than we ever paid for a tour but it was well worth it. We saw lots and learned so much.

 

As to the big suite, I assume you have looked at the prices. It will cost you a ton of money. A regular balcony will be great if you need to spread your money out. No idea what your budget is. The fact that you are considering this means that the "Romance Package" is no big deal. You would save $20-$30, but after spending a few thousand extra dollars for the suite, who cares?

[bobbyprez]

We are going 11/9/08 on the Gem. When are you going?

 

Best wishes for a happy marriage...i married my high school sweetheart...33 years and counting.

 

Bobbyprez

Kathi

[Cary T]

My wife and I just returned from the Sept. 21st sailing of the Gem from Barcelona. We got a last minute upsell to an A-4 CV and decided to go for it (we were celebrating our 25th anniversary). We normally go for outside cabin and had never had even a balcony before and the CV and all the perks that come with it were more than worth it! This is a very port intensive cruise but it is really nice to come back to some snacks in your room and a window seat at every meal(thanks to Lisa the concierge).

As for excursions, the best NCL excursion I've ever been on was the Pisa and a Taste of Tuscany. We had lunch with wines in an intimate atmosphere (38 NCL cruisers) right in the wine cellar of a vineyard in the Tuscan countryside.