Please tell me it's gonna' be good

[tammymacb]

OK. I'm on the verge of making a huuuuuge decision. And I'm a bit nervous. I'm planning a Mediterranean cruise for 2010. It'll be me, DH, and DD 13.

 

We had planned on sailing the Disney Magic. Total price for an inside Cat 11 = $8700. :eek:

We've cruised. CCL( new ships ), NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, and DCL.

Of all the cruises we've taken, the ONLY cruise I really didn't like was NCL. :( However, we sailed the Majesty ( got it really cheap ) out of Charleston ( where we live ) in January. ( it was cold and the weather was cruddy ) Honestly, for what we as a family need in a trip. Majesty was not the type of ship we needed to be on.

 

Now, I'm looking at the Med. Someone suggested the Gem. Said it's a great ship with a great kids club. I priced it. For my family of 3 in a mini suite, the price is less than $3500. Amazing price difference.

 

Now, obviously I know I can't compare the Gem and the Majesty. I'd be comparing apples to prunes..:p But, I'm still a bit nervous about booking NCL again.

 

I'd love some info on the new ships. The dining. The kids club.

 

I'd also like some info regarding the mini suites ( as compared to the top balcony room ) I'm also assuming that booking a mini suite will pretty much leave us left out of most of the "suite benefits".

 

Any and all info would be greatly appreciated. I'd really like to have some direction as to who we sail with. Med 2010, here I come.

[welove2cruise232]

The Gem is the newest ship in NCL's fleet -- the BEST of the best! Beautiful ship, very nice staterooms -- minisuites have plenty of storage and nice bathroom; nice kids pool with slide (though can't speak to the kids club or activities). No, you can't compare the Gem to the Majesty -- two VERY different ships. But with the three of you, I think you'll be more than comfortable in a minisuite (231 SF vs 167 for a standard balcony, with the added advantage of a tub/shower), and the itinerary is wonderful! Plus so port intensive you'll spend a lot of time off the ship, and with freestyle, no need to RUSH back for dinner!

 

Dining is wonderful! Two main dining rooms, buffet and Blue Lagoon for your free restaurants; pay restaurants are awesome, especially LeBistro, Cagney's, Orchid Garden, Tequila and LaCucina -- there MAY be 2 for 1 nights, so be sure to take advantage of those.

[CanadianTwosome]

I've never been on the Gem, but I have been on the Dream, and I think they're similar - at least in that they're both older and were build before the implementation of Freestyle. Since then we've been on the Star and the Pearl, and there is definitely a difference. The Dream had only Le Bistro and la Trattoria for specialties, with only one main dining room. There were less public areas and the ones they had were smaller. The Kid's Crew had some great staff, but their amenities were practically nonexistent compared to what was built into the Star and the Pearl.

 

So... as far as I'm concerned, all you really need to think about is whether you want to give Freestyle another go. With a $5000 price difference, you could choose to eat at a specialty restaurant every night and still not make a dent on your savings. I am in no way saying that you'd have to - or even want to - but I know that for us, the specialties we enjoy (Cagney's, Teppanyaki and the main Asian restaurant), eating at them is a nice part of the NCL experience that we look forward to. :)

 

I don't know when you're planning on travelling, or whether it would be high or low season, but for us, we never cruise during peak times, and as a result, we've never experienced any waits for meals. Having to wait to enter a dining room is probably the most common complaint regarding Freestyle dining, and I think that more than anything else it depends on how many passengers there are. It's just logical that the more people competing for space, the longer the waits will be. You may have experienced this on the Majesty, since there would have been fewer choices. We've always just figured that if we ever encountered a wait, though, at least we get to do our waiting on a cruise ship - or better yet, on the deck of a cruise ship with fresh air and NO SNOW (since we always cruise in winter :)). On the newer ships like the Gem, it's my understanding that if there is a wait, they give you a beeper so you don't have to stand there bored and uncomfortable.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps. NCL works really well for our family - the freedom to choose when and where and with whom we dine is just perfect for us. That doesn't mean it will be perfect for you, of course, but we're really laid back, and not ever having to rush to dinner or wait to eat if we're hungry definitely works for us. I have to admit, too, that for a $5000 saving, there really would be no choice to be made for us. Just think - with that 'extra' $5k, if you don't like it, you'll be able to afford to do something that will help you get over the experience! :p

[deepnite10]

of course it gonna be GOOD :D ..worst day at sea is better than

the best day on land..

[sottovoce]

I've never been on the Gem, but I have been on the Dream, and I think they're similar - at least in that they're both older and were build before the implementation of Freestyle.

From the second part of that sentence, I think you mean you've never been on Majesty.

[NoPiratesPlease]

Yeah, the Dream is nothing like the Gem. The Dream is unique. It was stretched (weirdly) and has the flip-over smoke stack. The Dream doesn't compare to the Dawn-Class (Dawn and Star) or the Jewel-Class.

 

The Gem is the newest of the Jewel-Class--Jewel, Jade, Pearl and Gem.

 

We prefer the Jewel and Jade (the older 2) to the Pearl and Gem (the newer 2). But you should have a great time. The Jade does the Med in summer time as well. I think the Jewel does as well.The Pearl does Alaska. We've been on all 4.

 

Now that the Gem is the flagship it gets the pick of staff and crew. We had issues with the Jade staff over the Xmas holidays, especially the restaurants. Other staff were marvelous.

[MedwardBound]

We prefer the Jewel and Jade (the older 2) to the Pearl and Gem (the newer 2).

 

No Pirates, just curious about why you prefer the Jade?

 

And OP, my family sailed with Disney on its very first Med cruise in 2007. This summer, we will be on the Jade (the British Isles).

 

We LOVED our Disney cruise and do not regret it, even though we could have done a similar cruise for less money. Factors for us were that the kids had been on the Magic before (several times) and we knew they would feel comfortable on the ship. Which was important for us because it was the kids first time traveling in Europe, and we thought that with all of the newness of the countries we would be visitng it would be nice to have the familiar to come back to each night.

 

In some ways, deciding on the Jade was easy for us because Disney is not an option this summer for anything close to the itinerary we want. We picked the Jade almost entirely based on itinerary and timing. I am excited to try a different cruise line and see if the Disney extras are worth the money. We actually have paid a deposit on a Disney Med cruise for 2010--if the Jade turns out to be a good fit, we will think about changing that reservation and keeping the difference!

[NoPiratesPlease]

My wife and I love ballroom dancing and the Jewel and Jade have a big mid-ships dance floor on Deck 7. They usually have a combo playing the dance standards. However, on the Pearl and Gem they put the Galleria there, and aft, where the store is on the two older ships, they put the bowling alleys and Bliss--where the dance floor is strictly disco.

 

Also, in the Atrium, despite the HUGE improvement, they carpeted the whole thing so the New Years party has no dance floor either.

 

They also messed up how they do the villas on the new ships, so they could cram in two Deluxe Owners Suites. The Jewel has the Concierge lounge, and the Gem only one DOS.

 

And the PRICES on the Gem and Pearl for the Concierge-level suites! OUT of this world! I wonder if NCL knows something I don't, or if they've gone loopy.

[Leafpeeper]

We just got off the Gem a couple weeks ago and loved it. We had sailed NCL Pearl a year ago so we knew we were sailing on a similar ship.

 

NCL is replacing its older ships like Majesty so you can't compare an old ship to a new ship anymore than you could compare a luxury car to a subcompact.

 

We cruise on lots of different cruiselines and love things about each one. What is great about NCL is the choice of so many lovely restaurants for an inexpensive fee. Our Gem cruise offered 2 for 1 prices dining between 5:30pm and 7:30pm each night. That meant we only paid $5pp for the $10 specialty restaurants. Our favorite is always the Asian restaurant on NCL. We love the food and the ambiance and can't believe it was only $5each.

 

LeBistro is our favorite NCL restaurant and well worth $15pp without a 2 for 1 rate. We've paid double that on other cruiselines for specialty restaurants that didn't have the great food and romantic atmosphere of LeBistro.

 

Our favorite spot on GEM is the Great Outdoors buffet area and bar on the back of the ship behind the buffet on deck 12. It is a wonderful spot for sunbathing and reading but also great if you want shade in the afternoon. It is a wonderful bar area for a late night cocktail. Best of all, there is a buffet at the Great Outdoors every night at 9:30pm for people who want something late at night after everything else is closed--except the 24 hour Blue Lagoon of course.

 

We do cruise alot and we both agree that the GEM has the best singers and bands afloat. My DD and SIL pointed out they were the same groups we loved on NCL Dawn sailing from NY. We cruise from lots of different ports but these are definetely the best performers we've seen. The Caribbean Vibes are fantastic no matter what kind of music they perform. Modul Magic is a Phillipino band that sound just as good as any American band's music they are performing. They are incredible. We never miss a show.

 

We could never sail on just one cruiseline like so many people do or we would be bored stiff. We love variety and enjoy NCL. I do wish they had an indoor solarium pool like RCL's Radiance ships when sailing from NY in winter and I do love the outdoor movie theater on Princess ships but NCL GEM is a beautiful ship and has so many things we love. I definetely recommend it. We love it.

[sottovoce]

We had issues with the Jade staff over the Xmas holidays, especially the restaurants. Other staff were marvelous.

Wonder what changed from December 12, when we left Jade's superb staff, and "the Xmas holidays." I suspect nothing to do with the staff.

[CruisinEurope]

OK. I'm on the verge of making a huuuuuge decision. And I'm a bit nervous. I'm planning a Mediterranean cruise for 2010. It'll be me, DH, and DD 13..

 

Hello!

 

Which route are you looking at?

 

We're taking the Greek ISles out of Venice on the GEm in April '10.

 

We're just off the Jade - and the Gem is a sister ship to her.

 

The one big difference though, is that the Gem has the Bliss nightclub/bowling alley and the Jade doesn't. Also the Gem has the rock climbing wall and the Jade doesn't.

 

So right there are 2 more things that your DD will have on the Gem that we didn't have on the Jade.

 

I am REALLY looking forward to trying out the Gem - we were HAPPY with the Jade, but I think that the Gem is going to be one notch above.

[CanadianTwosome]

From the second part of that sentence, I think you mean you've never been on Majesty.

 

Actually, I got that completely convoluted... I did mean to say the Gem, since it's the ship the OP is considering, but then I meant to compare the Majesty to the Dream... so it wasn't so much that I mixed up the ships as that I excluded one... oops! Hopefully the intended information was less confused! :p

[sjbdtz]

Actually, I got that completely convoluted... I did mean to say the Gem, since it's the ship the OP is considering, but then I meant to compare the Majesty to the Dream... so it wasn't so much that I mixed up the ships as that I excluded one... oops! Hopefully the intended information was less confused! :p

 

 

Right...so you've never been on the Gem. But you've been on the Dream which, like the Majesty is older. The Gem is newer (in fact currently the newest ship).

 

We've sailed on her twice and she's an excellent ship with a fantastically friendly crew.

 

Your DD is at an age where the culture gained from a Med cruise will equip her with a world-view for life and that's an excellent thing to do.... SO.... will you like NCL? Hard to say because I'm not clear what you didn't like on the Majesty....

 

But Freestyle works at its BEST when you're on a port-intensive itinerary and Europe definately qualifies as that.

 

I'm not sure about Kids Club, but what i've read in the past is that NCL supposedly has one of the best. However at 13, I'm wondering if she'd instead be in the Teens Club than the kids club.. (not sure, really).

 

 

If the notion of Freestyle dining isn't what put you off the Majesty, then you'll love the Gem...and frankly even if it IS....the Gem does it so much better.....or so I'm led to believe..you see, I've never sailed on the Majesty.... or the Dream, for that matter! ;)

[mylesf]

I have been on both Disney and the Gem. For the price difference I would go with the Gem. Put the money toward shore excursions. As far as the difference between the paying more for a mini-suite vs the balcony. On most cruises I would recommend paying more for the mini-suite, with the exception of this cruise. As others have pointed out, this is very port intensive. If you plan on taking shore excursions, in most ports, they are very long days. Most people, after spending the entire day off the ship, just come back to shower, get a bit to eat and turn it in because they are up again the next day doing the same routine. You will still have those that go hard at both ends but of all the destinations that I have cruised this is the one that people are more or just as interested in the educational experience than something like a caribbean cruise. The passenger mix is different and it is noticable, not in a negative way. Hope this helps. What a great opporunity for your DD!

[NYcruzzer]

OK. I'm on the verge of making a huuuuuge decision. And I'm a bit nervous. I'm planning a Mediterranean cruise for 2010. It'll be me, DH, and DD 13.

 

We had planned on sailing the Disney Magic. Total price for an inside Cat 11 = $8700. :eek:

 

Wow. At those prices you would think shares of Disney would be higher than $18.52

How can they justify that high a fare ?

[chrisbd1]

How can they justify that high a fare ?

 

People are willing to pay for the Disney experience.

[LadyShiva]

I have cruised the Disney ships 4 times. After cruising on the Magic 7 day after dry dock, I canceled my next Magic (2009 double dip) cruise. I've booked a E. Caribbean on the Pearl instead.

 

The areas for the passengers were not refreshed in the dry dock, and Magic looks its age. The stabilizers getting repaired was wonderful, but the flickering lights in Lumiere's, all the wear and tear in the cabins, and the lack of supervision in the Oceaneer's Club for the price they wanted made it a quick (though painful) decision.

 

Don't feel bad about walking away from the Disney ships. There's a bunch of us doing that right now.

[Havana Daydreamer]

I've only cruised RC before. I can't compare NCL's ships, but know I would never cruise them again. Went on Dawn 1/31/09, had worse service than a McDonald's drive thru. The worst thing was no one in customer care seemed to care about our complaints! I haven't sailed Disney, but can't imagine service is worse than NCL. I guess it depends how important service is to you.......

[Greymeowsr]

Just got back from NCL Jewel and had a great time. We are low maintenance cruisers and would have a good time on any ship I think. Of course there were minor irritants, but overall we had a great cruise.

[chrisbd1]

I've only cruised RC before. I can't compare NCL's ships, but know I would never cruise them again. Went on Dawn 1/31/09, had worse service than a McDonald's drive thru. The worst thing was no one in customer care seemed to care about our complaints! I haven't sailed Disney, but can't imagine service is worse than NCL. I guess it depends how important service is to you.......

 

Wow, service is important to me and I haven't had a complaint about it on ANY NCL ship.

[NoPiratesPlease]

Wonder what changed from December 12, when we left Jade's superb staff, and "the Xmas holidays." I suspect nothing to do with the staff.

 

Good question. We had been on her in August and the staff was just superb, the usual service we've come to expect in 22 cruises on NCL alone. But over the Xmas holiday service in the restaurants was ungodly slow, simple drink orders seemed like advanced rocket science. Even the cabin stewards and the butler were far below the usual standards.

 

There were exceptions: Service in the Italian restaurant was superb every time we ate there. Other than that, one waitress in Cagney's (whom we've seen on a few cruises before), and bar waiter in the deck 7 dance bar ("Medusa"??) were all excellent, but that wasn't what it usually is--the norm. Ruthie, the Concierge, busted her tail to try help get it better--there's no better Concierge on NCL and that's saying a LOT because there are many fine ones.

 

I don't really know WHAT had happened, just that it did.

[MedwardBound]

I've only cruised RC before. I can't compare NCL's ships, but know I would never cruise them again. Went on Dawn 1/31/09, had worse service than a McDonald's drive thru. The worst thing was no one in customer care seemed to care about our complaints! I haven't sailed Disney, but can't imagine service is worse than NCL. I guess it depends how important service is to you.......

 

In what way was the service lacking? We will be on the Jade this summer, for a very port-intensive cruise, so I anticipate that we will mostly be on the ship just for sleeping and eating--and not requiring a lot of service. Still, it would be useful to know what specific problems with service people have encountered.

[CruisinEurope]

In what way was the service lacking? We will be on the Jade this summer, for a very port-intensive cruise, so I anticipate that we will mostly be on the ship just for sleeping and eating--and not requiring a lot of service. Still, it would be useful to know what specific problems with service people have encountered.

 

I am just off the Jade (not the Dawn as the poster in your question was) and we didn't hit ANY customer service snags.

 

I think that it's unfair to compare ships against each other in things like customer service, etc. as they are NOT the same people working on both ships - so you're really not able to extrapolate that just because one ship may be having issues right now - all ships in the fleet are. It just doesn't work that way.

 

I'd love to know what - specific - CS issues the poster had - AND - more importantly - what they did WHILE on the ship to have them rectified.

 

Our family cruise on the Jade was very nice. It was very port intensive (though, we did have a bunch of great sea days - making for a very enjoyable/relaxing cruise).

 

The service staff ALWAYS had smiles on, always were friendly, and seemed to really care about our experience.

 

At TIMES the waitstaff in the main dining rooms seemed hurried and not able to stop and chat with us. The service in the one specialty restaurant that we tried was much better - more personable and less hurried (though, to be fair, we were one of 4 tables in that entire place vs. a nearly full MDR).

 

I HIGHLY recommend that you put about $300 in an earmarked "piggy bank" and use that to eat at the Specialty restaurants whenever you can. I think the dining experience in those restaurants is well worth it (though, again, I'm not bashing on the MDRs, just saying that if you have the funds available, it's a great option to have).

 

My review of our cruise is in my signature - hopefully it will shed some light on the Jade for you.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[hightownCO]

Tammy, when are you looking at sailing?

 

I've never done NCL before but have done Carnival, Disney and Princess with Princess being our line of choice (teenage daughter and I). I haven't been interested in NCL at all untill I found the Jade's iten which included Egypt. Plus the sail date was good as far as the amount of school daughter would miss and the price excellent. So went ahead and booked it but reading these boards obsessively to learn what I could about NCL and Jade.

 

I've been very reassured in terms of Jade and recent passenger's experience.

 

Also, at 12, DD was very bored on Disney ship and she's loved Princess for the teen program. She knows this trip in the Med is about the ports not the ship but still, I don't think either of us would want a 12 day dose of a Disney ship. (Not to be negative about Disney it was great for a short cruise and we're diehard park fans)

[*Wink*]

 

Now, obviously I know I can't compare the Gem and the Majesty. I'd be comparing apples to prunes..:p But, I'm still a bit nervous about booking NCL again.

 

Apples to prunes? You know, many people on this board are very, very fond of Majesty. Just b/c you don't like the ship doesn't mean she's not wonderful to someone else.