Are you excited about the Gem and the Mediterranean?

[mickeysgal]

By the way, Clint and I decided that it would be nice for you to do a little light cleaning for us on the yacht while we roll around in the rocks or fly down the coast. :D

 

MG,

 

Make sure you read my message a few posts back. :D

 

Daring - You mean the first one that I quoted? No problem! Would love to. Vacumning is my specialty. I have a visual of you and Clint rolling in these rocks...lol. If Clint won't roll in the rocks, (you know how fussy those stars can be), please take a picture for me of just you with those rocks. I'll send you my email address so we can share the fun ones that are too crazy to post here. I can't believe you like those rocks...lol

 

Rumor has it that the yacht with the two helicoptors belonged to a right hand man of Bill Gates. My DH knew the name but I can't remember.

 

Mississippi - we bought a future cruise credit as well. Which itineraries are you looking at? Let's all beat the cruise blues and schedule another one together.

[1greencar]

Now I have the bug to go back. Yes, I'm looking at itineraries, but we need that money tree to grow.

 

Yes, and when you discover the seeds required for a money tree, please consider sharing ... (the info, not the seeds)...:p

[1greencar]

[quote=Mississippi1;

 

Sorry I've been MIA lately. Life has a way of getting in the way sometimes - I still haven't had the time to completely unpack! :eek:

 

I don't consider it 'not unpacked yet', I think of it as being all packed for the next trip!:p

[Why Knot Me]

WOW, MG is doing a great job in getting information to everyone here. I'm slow to getting on the computer as there's been so much to get caught up on. It probably would help if I could shorten my posts.... just my account of the train trip from airport to hotel was way long. I'll try to shorten and get info posted soon.

[Why Knot Me]

Ok...let's continue with the Restaurants:

 

We ate at the Latin Restaurant with Why Knot Me and her DH. We had a great time with them...laughing, sharing dinner and wine. This had a $10 pp cover charge. I liked it, not sure if I'd return as there are other places to try.

 

I would agree with the food assessment here. Food was okay, noise level from the trivia game being played on the big screen was a distraction but the company with MG and her DH was great. I had lobster tacos. It was okay, but I know other people rave about them. I was expecting something not so creamy. Yet, I was having a bit of not feeling so well that day so it might have been that too. I would not rush to go back there again. If there was no cover, I might consider it.

 

Blue Lagoon - stopped here for a quick bite after our day in Malta. Had the fish and chips and tomato soup. Very happy with the food. No complaints. DH had the wings and he said he had better.

 

I had the fish and chips which I liked alot. Also had the wings which I loved. DH had .... ummmm can't remember.

 

The Latin Restaurant and the Blue Lagoon overlook the atrium and the big screen. Sort of odd layout as any noise from the level below drifted into the restaurants. Often they were doing a trivia contest and it was noisy.

 

Cagneys - Ate there the first night. I had crab cakes, lobster bisque (which was sort of a beefy flavor), and the filet. DH had the t-bone. Strangest t-bone I ever saw since it was cut so thin. I enjoyed the meal however the cover charge is now $25pp. The Cagney fries were as good as everyone said they were.

 

Ate at Cagneys many times for breakfast and lunch. As MG mentioned, it is a suite perk. Breakfast was always delicious. We never had french press coffee and now realize they have it, but you have to ask :(. Other cruises, french press was automatic. Never tried the steak and eggs and I had promised myself I would. I did have french toast, pancakes, eggs benedict and an omelette of course not in one seating! The potatoes are very good. Lunch was bit of disappointment to us. Usually, the lunch menu varies each day. This time it was a set menu and just okay. We loved the Bruschetta and carrot cake. We did not care for the sliders, but they're HUGE. Chicken was good although a bit dry one day, and perfect another. In the Courtyard Villa area, you have the option of ordering from Cagney's for lunch or breakfast and have it served in the Courtyard. We did this once for lunch and enjoyed the different setting of eating in our bathing suits after a refreshing swim. Then, nothing better than finishing lunch and lounging in the chaises poolside.

Ate here once for dinner and LOVED it. The shrimp cocktail is to die for (and it's on the lunch menu too). Service was delightful and if we had another night, we would have gone back.

 

Le Bistro - Loved this restaurant. Went there twice - once for our 25th anniversary dinner and once with our friends Myrna and Warren. Both times I had the same thing...french onion soup and the filet. For our anniversary package they had a cake which they encouraged us to have sent back to our room and just order multiple desserts. We had the creme brulee and the chocolate fondue. Our waiter insisted on us trying both, so we did. $15 pp cover charge and worth it.

 

For the first time ever, we were disappointed in Le Bistro. Typically, we dine there twice per cruise, but not this time. Service was quite off and it deteriorated quickly when 5 officers arrived to treat a staff member to dinner. Our waitstaff seemed more interested in serving them than us. Their table was adjacent to us. We had the Cote de Boef (spelling?) and while I understand there should be some fat running thru, our piece was huge chunks of fat. This was our anniversary dinner and the waiters offered to deliver our cake to our room so that we could have chocolate fondue and creme brulee. Cake never arrived to our room and coffee never came with the fondue. Long gaps between courses, extremely slow wine service too. While it was our anniversary, the evening was not ruined as we were in the company of one another, celebrating 25 years and on a cruise in the Med. In the end, we just decided there was no need to go back. Oh, plus I think we've been converted to the belief that either Le Bistro or Cagney's could be designated as adults only. There was a family at Le Bistro that was a distraction/disruption that after a while becomes annoying.

 

Teppanyaki - $25 pp cover charge and in my opinion, not so worth it. I had the shogun - steak and chicken. The steak was not filet level, some lesser cut of beef and very very chewy. DH had scallops and filet and liked it. We both decided it wasn't a place we'd return to.

 

Didn't go here.

 

Buffet - Happy Happy! Loved this guy. You can hear him all the way to the elevators and you couldn't help but smile. This place seemed to be always packed and we tried to avoid it if at all possible. You can certainly find something to eat - it wasn't bad, it wasn't over the top good. Somewhere in between. The decor was very pretty, NCL did a great job of clearing tables quickly, you found a table with a little effort, and the tables and floors were clean.

 

Ate here once for a quick breakfast and had an omelette. Ate once for lunch and enjoyed it. The Gem's buffet setup is superior to other ships in my opinion.

We were also here for the Chocoholic Buffet. Our Concierge arranged for us to enter early which was very nice. We brought a few items back to our balcony to enjoy. They have changed the chocolate they use to dip fruit and I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous type but everything else was very good. And, there's nothing better than enjoying these wonderful treats on your balcony while star gazing. I wished I could remember what things we enjoyed but it was all very delicious.

 

The Great Outdoors - Loved it out here. We never made it for breakfast but we did like to end our day here. About 11pm or so, we'd grab a finger sandwich and a drink and watch the stars.

 

Grand Pacific - Ate here twice. Excellent company made for an excellent dinner. We ate once with Why Knot Me and her DH. I don't think we could have laughed any more than we did. Thank you for the wonderful evening. The second time we ate there was the last night of the cruise. We got together with our entire Naples tour group for one big family dinner. There was 8 of us and they made us feel like family. Lots of food, and lets just say, LOTS of wine. I think we closed the place.

 

The food quality was fine - not sure why it gets the complaints it gets. The service was top notch as well. I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again. The decor was very, very sophisticated.

 

Ate here twice too. Yes, we laughed until the tears were rolling. Enjoyed both meals and this restaurant for a main dining room is superior in design compared to other ships we've been on. Really, really liked the decor here and service was very good.

 

Cagneys for Breakfast - Loved this suite perk. Perfect service and excellent food. Real eggs, tender filets, pancakes, crisp bacon, french press coffee and delicious country potatoes. Ah...life is real good in those suites. We made sure we ate there as much as possible. Even if we had only a 1/2 hour before having to meet our tour group, we ate there. Magically they had cooked, made to order breakfasts in mere minutes giving us ample time to relax and eat.

 

We also ate at the Italian place twice... La Cucina I think is the name. Sorry if I'm wrong as I might be confusing names with other ships. First time there, service and food was exceptional. I mean really, really good. Interesting enough the chef was making rounds at tables and we told him how much we were enjoying our meal. We talked with him for quite a while. At the end, he told us that if we come back he would cook a special shrimp appetizer for us and that we were to let him know when we came back. At the same time, he slipped us a Style card. We completed it and returned a few night later. When we asked to talk with him as he told us we should, he came to our table and acted very strange, like he had no idea what we were talking about. We felt a bit deceived... like there was motive in that Style card. Just don't know, but it was a very weird experience. The service that night was very off too. Between the two waiters, neither of them knew who was doing what... trying to take our orders multiple times, wine and drink orders twice, duplicating every effort between them.

 

There you have it...the restaurants as we experienced them.

 

Hope this helps.

 

See above red highlights. Thanks for the template MG, it helped for me to fill in our experiences and hope that it helps everyone for their planning.

[Mississippi1]

 

Mississippi - we bought a future cruise credit as well. Which itineraries are you looking at? Let's all beat the cruise blues and schedule another one together.

 

What a great idea! :D There's a 12-day Eastern Med, with dates scheduled already in April 2011, with a sea day every other day. My ONLY complaint with this cruise we just took was that there was not enough "down time," and I would have really enjoyed lounging around the pool between ports. There's also a 7-day Adriatic, Greece & Turkey, and a 7-day Greek Isles, but no 2011 dates yet. Don't know if we can swing this again next year, lol. Those all look good to me! So....what are you looking at? ;)

 

I don't consider it 'not unpacked yet', I think of it as being all packed for the next trip!:p

 

LOL, 1greencar! I like the way you think!

[mickeysgal]

Why Knot Me - I didn't know that you went back to La Cucina. Sorry you didn't have a better experience. Was that on your last night? That is awful strange though that the chef acted like that. You were so happy with your dinner there that it's a shame the memory had to be tainted like that.

[mickeysgal]

Continuing on with my general impression of my staterooms.

 

Or, better known as: Did NCL rise to the challenge of having enough hangers for all the crap that I brought with?

 

Our room was aft-facing, an AE suite. LOVED, loved, loved it. I want the bed, I want the pillows, I want the hairdryer, and I want the coffee machine.

 

The room was large with curtains that they would pull at night around the bed. We didn't like the curtains pulled around the bed and would push them back every night. Watching and listening to the wake with a cup of that delicious yet strong coffee, was one of our favorite things to do. The view was perfect. We didn't have to go up on top deck to see us pull into Malta, we did it from our balcony since we had a perfect side to side view. The shower was lovely, very good water pressure.

 

The closet did rise the to challenge and I was able to hang my clothes. Most hangers I had to double...ok, triple the clothes on them. :eek: (Stop laughing Why Knot Me;)). DH was allowed something like 2 hangers total. Poor guy. He didn't care. Never again will I bring that much stuff. :rolleyes:

 

The room had robes and the largest towels I've every seen in my life. They were so large that it was almost impossible to use. It was like using a child's blanket to dry off with. Very thick and luxurious. Loved the Elemis products.

 

Our balcony had two chairs and a table plus a lounge chair. It was a bit difficult to get to the lounge chair as you had to move a chair out of the way. The depth of the balcony wasn't great, but the length was wonderful. At least twice I took a nap on that lounge chair. Wish I was there now.

 

Would definitely sail in this room again - we really enjoyed the aft location. It's not a must-have, but we'd try real hard to get one in the future.

[mickeysgal]

For those getting ready for their trips, just wanted to mention to take a warm jacket for the plane. I swear I had to defrost once we got off in Barcelona. I had a jacket that I was wearing, but had another jacket in my carryon. It was more of a sweatshirt material and even with that, and a blanket, I froze the whole flight.

 

Another interesting thing that happened. We stayed at the Hotel Montecarlo on Las Ramblas. Couldn't have been happier with this hotel. I had requested a room overlooking Las Ramblas and although they couldn't guarantee it, they took the request into consideration and we got one! Well, be careful what you wish for. Saturday night, Las Ramblas was swarming, literally swarming, with police. Large Brinks style vehicles with little windows the police were peering out of. You couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Certainly they can't be that vigilant about patrolling for pickpockets, could they? ;) Well, come to find out Barcelona had a soccer win that put them into the championship. Well, let me tell you, Barcelona likes to party. The streets were closed down by the police and the crowds gatherered and gathered. Right outside our hotel was were the police line started. We had to convince a police officer to let us through the barricade to get to our hotel's door which was a mere 10feet away. Chanting, cheering, fireworks, all night long. Right out our window. About 3am the police were now in their riot gear...masks, clubs, and shields. Police lights on our ceiling all night long and we were 5 stores up. About 4am the police put their sirens on full blast and start driving their cars down the street pushing back the crowds. Very exciting. Couldn't get a wink of sleep, but so what, we were in the middle of a historical moment. We bought a paper the next day to keep as a momento.

[hat776]

I read mickeysgirl's report on Barcelona celebrating all night - because they qualified for the final of the European Championship Cup.

Well, they actually won the final so we can only imagine what celebrations there were that night. I'm sure even the Police were celebrating because they are all fanatical about football/soccer

[Why Knot Me]

Why Knot Me - I didn't know that you went back to La Cucina. Sorry you didn't have a better experience. Was that on your last night? That is awful strange though that the chef acted like that. You were so happy with your dinner there that it's a shame the memory had to be tainted like that.

 

Yes, it was the last night. It was very, very strange. We have talked about it several times and wondered what the whole deal was about. When Charles came to our table, the whole thing was terribly uncomfortable too.

 

Slightly tainted for a last night dinner, yeah maybe a bit, but we just don't sweat the small stuff and the food was still extremely good. You know us, we're pretty easy going kind of people. I always try to see the good side of things and heck, I was just grateful to be on a cruise to begin with. Right now, I'd give anything to be right back in that same restaurant or any other of them. Yet, if I could do it all over... we'd be sitting at Cagney's on the last night.

[1greencar]

For those getting ready for their trips, just wanted to mention to take a warm jacket for the plane. I swear I had to defrost once we got off in Barcelona. I had a jacket that I was wearing, but had another jacket in my carryon. It was more of a sweatshirt material and even with that, and a blanket, I froze the whole flight.

 

WOW, I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF HAVING THIS INFORMATION SO I CAN BE PREPARED. THANK YOU!

 

We bought a paper the next day to keep as a momento.

 

GREAT IDEA:cool:

[JunPOA]

hey there all,

1st trip to Med celebrating 30th anniversary - yeah !!

Thought I would find an attentive actively reseraching audience here.:)

We are on the Gem for OCT 4th '09 - flying form Baltimore-Washington area, and even Philly is an option. This has probaly been asked on either the Fligghts board or somewhere on this board - so please be patient, for those whpo have already researched or done this cruise..what is the earliest time that is safest to book our return flight form Barcelona to East Coast please.

We are on the Roll Call - so I can also ask my question over there if you advise so.

Many Thanks !

 

leah, RN

[Jason_C]

hey there all,

1st trip to Med celebrating 30th anniversary - yeah !!

Thought I would find an attentive actively reseraching audience here.:)

We are on the Gem for OCT 4th '09 - flying form Baltimore-Washington area, and even Philly is an option. This has probaly been asked on either the Fligghts board or somewhere on this board - so please be patient, for those whpo have already researched or done this cruise..what is the earliest time that is safest to book our return flight form Barcelona to East Coast please.

We are on the Roll Call - so I can also ask my question over there if you advise so.

Many Thanks !

 

leah, RN

 

 

From what I've gathered, debarkation is no later than 10:00AM local time in Barcelona. You're going to want to pad that a bit and add in enough time to get a taxi or shuttle to the airport from the port (20-30 minutes). Personally, I wouldn't plan to be at the airport before noon, so flights before 1:00PM should be out of the question.

 

(We're flying out of Dulles, live north of Baltimore -- tickets were much cheaper with American Airlines via Dulles to Madrid than prices I found for BWI or even Philly flights, when we booked a couple weeks ago)

 

the good thing about flying back from Europe is that you still get back home at a reasonable time. Our flight out of Madrid (we're flying from Barcelona to Madrid earlier in the day on the Monday after the end of the cruise) isn't until 4:35pm (Spain time) and we arrive in DC at 7:20pm (EST). It's pretty nice. So you don't have to worry too much about timing for the flight home, as long as you don't book flights for before 1:00pm Barcelona time.

 

I hope that helped, if it wasn't too confusing.

[daring]

For those getting ready for their trips, just wanted to mention to take a warm jacket for the plane. I swear I had to defrost once we got off in Barcelona. I had a jacket that I was wearing, but had another jacket in my carryon. It was more of a sweatshirt material and even with that, and a blanket, I froze the whole flight.

 

Thanks for this tip; I hate to be cold.

 

hey there all,

1st trip to Med celebrating 30th anniversary - yeah !!

Thought I would find an attentive actively reseraching audience here.:)

We are on the Gem for OCT 4th '09 - flying form Baltimore-Washington area, and even Philly is an option. This has probaly been asked on either the Fligghts board or somewhere on this board - so please be patient, for those whpo have already researched or done this cruise..what is the earliest time that is safest to book our return flight form Barcelona to East Coast please.

We are on the Roll Call - so I can also ask my question over there if you advise so.

Many Thanks !

 

leah, RN

 

To be safe, I was told not to schedule a return flight before 12N. However, I have heard a few people say they had flights home as early as 10AM. I think I would have a panic attack trying to get off the ship that early, from one RN to another.

[Lollygil]

Thanks for all the tips..keeping a log!

What nights were the Lobster nights? I hate to book a specialty and miss the Lobster!

[mickeysgal]

From what I've gathered, debarkation is no later than 10:00AM local time in Barcelona. You're going to want to pad that a bit and add in enough time to get a taxi or shuttle to the airport from the port (20-30 minutes). Personally, I wouldn't plan to be at the airport before noon, so flights before 1:00PM should be out of the question.

 

No, I think maybe that you should not schedule a flight earlier than 10am. Debarkation will definitely occur prior to 10am in order to prepare the ship for the next cruise.

 

For our Gem cruise, we were told that the earliest NCL themselves would be scheduling flights would be 10am. So if that was good enough for them, it was good enough for me. Our flight was 10am on the dot. We walked off the ship about 7:15, no lines, caught a cab no problem, made it through check-in relatively quick time, and had time for a coffee, shop browsing, and a talk with Why Knot Me and her DH before having to board.

[mickeysgal]

Daring - You're getting real close. When are you leaving? I want to make sure I say Bon Voyage. :):)

[mickeysgal]

What a great idea! :D There's a 12-day Eastern Med, with dates scheduled already in April 2011, with a sea day every other day. My ONLY complaint with this cruise we just took was that there was not enough "down time," and I would have really enjoyed lounging around the pool between ports. There's also a 7-day Adriatic, Greece & Turkey, and a 7-day Greek Isles, but no 2011 dates yet. Don't know if we can swing this again next year, lol. Those all look good to me! So....what are you looking at? ;)

 

To be quite honest, there is an itinerary out there right now...a 12 day that has caught my eye. But it's not on NCL... :(

[JunPOA]

Thanks for this tip; I hate to be cold.

 

 

 

To be safe, I was told not to schedule a return flight before 12N. However, I have heard a few people say they had flights home as early as 10AM. I think I would have a panic attack trying to get off the ship that early, from one RN to another.

To Daring & Jason thhanks so much for the advice Iwas sort of thinking sometime close to 1pm would be safe - DH is evn a greater worry wart than I so I would hate to induce an attack of SVT in him worrying that we'll miss our flight.:rolleyes:

 

Jason - I am in Reisterstown near Hunt Valley what community are you in if I might ask?

 

What sailing are you on? We are on the OCT 4th - but we are coming from a SEPT 26th SB Odyssey starting in Athens ending in Venice - so we need to fly from Venince to Barcelona & stay over one night. I am pricing air tonight as I type - heard Tuesday nights are best prices. So far best is US Air $600 (of RT is cheaper than OW even tough we only need OW:cool: there's a thread on the flights board on this topic) , the Balto-Athens is killing us so far - just not cheap - running 700 and up - add that on to the Barcelone - Balto. + Venice Barcelone so its getting steep.

Thanks again all - wil be didligently researching board daily - what can I say ?:cool:

Leah RN

[daring]

Daring - You're getting real close. When are you leaving? I want to make sure I say Bon Voyage. :):)

 

Cool!!!!

I leave Saturday morning. I'm not sure if I will have time to come on line Saturday morning or not. Depends on how organized we are. My son graduates tomorrow, so then we can let loose and pack. In case I haven't told you, this is a surprise for him. I'll try to do my usual 9PM Friday night visit.

[mickeysgal]

Cool!!!!

 

I leave Saturday morning. I'm not sure if I will have time to come on line Saturday morning or not. Depends on how organized we are. My son graduates tomorrow, so then we can let loose and pack. In case I haven't told you, this is a surprise for him. I'll try to do my usual 9PM Friday night visit.

 

No way - I didn't know this!! Wow - how special is that! I want to see a picture of him when you tell him. How in the world have you been keeping your excitement secret from him?

 

Ok - everyone take note. Friday night bon voyage party for daring!! Daring started this thread - our Gem journey - and now it's her turn. Let's give her a good send off.

[Jason_C]

To Daring & Jason thhanks so much for the advice Iwas sort of thinking sometime close to 1pm would be safe - DH is evn a greater worry wart than I so I would hate to induce an attack of SVT in him worrying that we'll miss our flight.:rolleyes:

 

Jason - I am in Reisterstown near Hunt Valley what community are you in if I might ask?

 

What sailing are you on? We are on the OCT 4th - but we are coming from a SEPT 26th SB Odyssey starting in Athens ending in Venice - so we need to fly from Venince to Barcelona & stay over one night. I am pricing air tonight as I type - heard Tuesday nights are best prices. So far best is US Air $600 (of RT is cheaper than OW even tough we only need OW:cool: there's a thread on the flights board on this topic) , the Balto-Athens is killing us so far - just not cheap - running 700 and up - add that on to the Barcelone - Balto. + Venice Barcelone so its getting steep.

Thanks again all - wil be didligently researching board daily - what can I say ?:cool:

Leah RN

 

 

I live in Monkton, used to live in Cockeysville and Towson, so we're pretty much right down the street from each other.

 

We're sailing July 26th, flying into Barca July 25th around noon, but leaving the States via DC on the 24th around 10:00pm (the overnight flight was cheapest, and we wanted to have a day in Barca before the cruise).

[richstan]

Daring!

 

I wanted to be sure to pop in and wish you a safe and happy trip!

 

I have my memories, but you are about to take the trip of a lifetime and make your own memories!!

 

Have the best time ever!

 

Rich

[jerseygirl53]

Cool!!!!

 

I leave Saturday morning. I'm not sure if I will have time to come on line Saturday morning or not. Depends on how organized we are. My son graduates tomorrow, so then we can let loose and pack. In case I haven't told you, this is a surprise for him. I'll try to do my usual 9PM Friday night visit.

Enjoy tonight. How have you kept this a surprise? We will see you onboard Sunday in our cc blue. If not we'll see you at the meet and greet on Mon. Have a safe flight.