4/11-4/18 NCL Gem disappointed VERY LONG

[extremez]

Just got back from our 2nd sailing with NCL aboard the Gem. Our first sailing was aboard the Spirit last year for our honeymoon. We liked it so much we came back for more, except this time wasn't as nice.

 

4/11 - First disappointment was while waiting in line to make reservations, we overheard the folks in front of us make reservations for several specialty restaurants for the entire week. Something that isn't allowed. Well, when it was our turn we didn't get that special treatment. Went to Magenta for dinner. Food was great but the staff seemed confused and wandering around like it was their first day on the job.

 

4/12 - Sea day. Lattitudes party was fun. We made a deposit on our 3rd cruise. We got the spa package for the week. I got talked into overpriced spa and detox products that will hopefully work. Ate dinner at La Cuccina. Food was great but the service was slow. Last year they were picking up your empty plate and setting down the next plate. I had to leave the table early before I could get dessert to make my spa appointment and then ended up missing that nights show.

 

4/13 - Port Canaveral. Airboat and pontoon boat dolphin and manatee encounter was pretty fun. Cagneys for dinner. Good food but my strip steak was fattier than a normal strip steak.

 

4/14 - Great Stirrup Cay. Parasailing was cancelled due to wind. I'm glad we were on the 1st tender over so we could actually get some chairs. 3 other guests of ours weren't as lucky. They finally made it over on the 4th or 5th tender almost 2 hours later. It took several hours to get everyone over to the island. WAY TOO CROWDED!!! Terrible tendering. Snorkeling was the highlight of the day. Buffet for dinner.

 

4/15 - Nassau. See & Sea. Nice underwater viewing of fish and coral. Then a trip through the beautiful (not) city of Nassau. A bus tour through the poverty areas. At least we got to walk the streets for a few hours and get Starbucks and new Del Sol shirts.

 

Dinner - We arrived at Tappenyaki at 8:00 to find our reservation was mysterioulsy cancelled. Turns out a group with the same last name had called to cancel and they didn't confirm the room number and we ended up getting bumped. So to make us feel better, they offered us the Orchid Garden and a Friday reservation for Teppanyaki. So 2 sets of cover charges for their screw up. I flipped and after voicing my frustration they offered to get us right into the Grand Pacific. Great dinner with awesome service and a free drink for the mistake and apologees from the restaurant manager. Too bad I had to be a jerk to get the best treatment of the entire week.

 

4/16 - Freeport. Another wonderful scenic city tour. WOW. Let me say that again WOW!!! We did the Beaches and Caves. Unless you're a diver the "caves" are a joke. A spiral set of stairs down to a pool of water to look at some bats. And another "cave" with a platform to look around at a pool of water. The beach portion was nice though with a couple dolphins swimming around within 20 ft or so and some rays swimming around the shore. Dinner was room service and Blue Lagoon.

 

4/17 - Sea Day. Spent some time at the spa(the spa pool was drained, maybe because of the waves) Relaxed all day. Dinner was Tappenyaki. Food was good but the show was weak. We get much more entertainment at our local Habachi restaurant for the same price. IMHO not worth the $25 per person cover charge.

 

Housekepping didn't earn their $36 daily fee. They didn't clean the bathroom once. It was the same old seal and bunny towel creations as last year.

 

For a ship less than a year in service it wasn't in that great of shape. At least our balcony room wasn't. The balcony door trim was falling out. I fixed that. The door wouldn't shut and lock without using the child safety latch. That woke us up in the middle of the night slamming open and closed. The TV was crap flashing green all through the nightly news.

 

We didn't care for the seating layout of the Theatre. Some spots it was difficult to see the entire stage. The shows were good. We love watching the Second City. Jane L Powell was the singing act and she was very good. Typical dancing crew barely clothed and Bob the magician with the usual tricks.

 

We hated the atrium of the Gem. With the Spirit you walked in and looked all the way to the top level with the elevators and mirrored walls. The Gem, you walked in and saw a ceiling with fake purple crystals sticking out. We couldn't really catch our bearings on this ship.

 

We were a little upset that there is only 5 restaurants without cover charge. Not much of a choice between burgers, buffet, a few decent plates or waiting for the main dining rooms.

 

Do you have to sit outside all day or wait till the night to get a photo taken? Last year it seemed like every corner you turned they were taking a picture.

 

No arts and crafts activities or technical seminars.

 

As Lattitudes members all we recieved was a couple pins, express boarding which was slightly shorter than the regular line and $50 off our tickets. Not exactly incentive to come back.

 

For almost $9,000 for 2 adults and a child, we don't feel that the Gem was worth this amount of money.

 

I'm a little weary of using this deposit with this line. I do know that it won't be spent on the Gem again.

 

On a positive note the crew and staff are always friendly whenever you see them.

 

Happy Happy!, Smiley Smiley!

[sottovoce]

Maryfrei thought the same cruise was "amazing."

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=970432

 

Maybe she was allowed to make dinner reservations for the entire week. That, of course, would make all the difference.

[suzyed]

Wow! So sorry your cruise was not what you were expecting...especially with what you paid.

 

The only issue I might make a comment on is about the couple making dinner reservations for the whole week...if you are in a suite you can do that, but we did it through our concierge. Were you in a suite? (It seems like you should have been for the price you paid)

 

Hopefully your next cruise will be more satisfactory. ;)

[extremez]

This is just our experience and I'm sure alot of people had a great time. Everything was fine until the Teppanyaki event. I can let lots of things slide but the fact the lady was trying to get us for 2 cover charges and wouldn't help in the Teppanyaki situation made me pretty upset as we were looking forward to that restaurant.

 

I joined this site about a month or so ago to read up on the Gem and experiences and was just sharing mine.

[NYY]

I have a question about your dinner reservation cancellation on 4/15.

 

Now, if there was another group with the same last name that cancelled their reservation, and they cancelled yours instead, wouldn't there reservation still be open? Couldn't they give you their table, since they clearly weren't coming by for a bite to eat?

[pixiedustdawn]

I am just off the Gem today also. I am sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

 

Wow!! $9,000 for a balcony cabin? Were you in a suite? That seems like an awful lot to spend on anything other then a suite.

 

Most people I ran into were making their reservations the last minute without a problem. I do believe if you are in a suite you can make dining reservations for the entire week.

 

Hope you enjoyed some of the cruise, especially since you paid an extremely high amount.

 

Loved the Happy Happy guy!!

 

[njhorseman]

Sorry the cruise wasn't up to your expectations.

 

A few questions and observations:

 

(1) You weren't able to make reservations for the whole week for specialty restaurants, but you say you paid $9,000 for the week, which would have put you in a suite and would have entitled you to priority reservations for the week. In fact the concierge would have made the reservations for you so you wouldn't have had to stand in line either.

 

(2) The $36 service charge ($12 per day each for 3 people) does not just go to the cabin stewards. The dining room wait staff is also paid out of that pool. Of course that's no excuse for the bathroom not being properly cleaned. Did you report that problem to housekeeping management?

 

(3) What cruise ship has more than 5 no extra charge restaurants? I find it hard to believe that could be a legitimate complaint. Apparently it wasn't when you cruised on NCL last time.

 

(4) Did you report the broken balcony latch to guest services? They do send up a mechanic to repair broken items if you bother to report them.

 

(5) We were on the Gem last month and had to fight off the photograhers. They were also taking portraits almost every night in the atrium area. I can't imagine why you had trouble finding them.

 

(6) You mentioned missing dessert one night because you had to get to your spa appointment...then you say you missed the show too. Maybe you just scheduled your spa appointment too close to show time?

[extremez]

I have a question about your dinner reservation cancellation on 4/15.

 

Now, if there was another group with the same last name that cancelled their reservation, and they cancelled yours instead, wouldn't there reservation still be open? Couldn't they give you their table, since they clearly weren't coming by for a bite to eat?

 

That's what I thought also. The lady at the restaurant desk even showed me the first name of the other party and I tried to tell her that name wasn't associated with us at all other than the coincidence that we had reservations at the same restaurant. But if I understood her correctly she was stating that she had cancelled what she thought was the same reservation. Like a duplicate reservation.

 

Pixiedustdaw- the total of $9,000 is based off 3 balcony tickets at roughly $4,500 plus excursions for all 3 of us, cover charges for specialty restaurants for 5 people, 2 family members in another stateroom, spa packages, drinks, deposit, gifts, etc... it all adds up in the end :)

 

 

 

The Freestyle Daily states that specialty restaurant reservations can only be made for the same day or next day before dinner time with nothing stating that suites have more rights.

 

For instance say my wife and I were on our 27th cruise with NCL (which one couple was) and we were staying in an inside stateroom. Why should a 1st time suite sailer have more rights over me since I've put more money in your pocket?

[njhorseman]

 

the total of $9,000 is based off 3 balcony tickets at roughly $4,500 plus excursions for all 3 of us, cover charges for specialty restaurants for 5 people, 2 family members in another stateroom, spa packages, drinks, deposit, gifts, etc... it all adds up in the end :)

 

Sorry to ask about this again, but a third person in the cabin pays a fraction of fare that the first two pasengers pay, so I'm having trouble coming up with how a balcony cabin shared by three could cost $4,500. (by the way, you didn't mention in your original post that you were including the cost of another cabin in your $9,000)

[njhorseman]

 

 

 

The Freestyle Daily states that specialty restaurant reservations can only be made for the same day or next day before dinner time with nothing stating that suites have more rights.

 

For instance say my wife and I were on our 27th cruise with NCL (which one couple was) and we were staying in an inside stateroom. Why should a 1st time suite sailer have more rights over me since I've put more money in your pocket?

 

Someone with 27 cruises would be a Platinum Latitudes member and would have at least a 72 hour advanced reservation window...not the whole cruise like the suites...but a significant advantage over most other cruisers.

 

By the way...a family in a top suite might be spending as much money as the cumulative total of 27 cruises in an inside cabin. ;)

[extremez]

Sorry the cruise wasn't up to your expectations.

 

A few questions and observations:

 

(1) You weren't able to make reservations for the whole week for specialty restaurants, but you say you paid $9,000 for the week, which would have put you in a suite and would have entitled you to priority reservations for the week. In fact the concierge would have made the reservations for you so you wouldn't have had to stand in line either.

 

the $9,000 isn't just the rooms. It's the price of everything

 

(2) The $36 service charge ($12 per day each for 3 people) does not just go to the cabin stewards. The dining room wait staff is also paid out of that pool. Of course that's no excuse for the bathroom not being properly cleaned. Did you report that problem to housekeeping management?

 

Not to sound like a smartass but the minimum 18% for the bartender that walks 5 ft in one direction and back, pops a top off a beer and hands it to me is ridiculous.

 

(3) What cruise ship has more than 5 no extra charge restaurants? I find it hard to believe that could be a legitimate complaint. Apparently it wasn't when you cruised on NCL last time.

 

Last year there were either more free places or less specialty restaurants on the Spirit. Times must have changed since they now charge for La Trattoria.

 

(4) Did you report the broken balcony latch to guest services? They do send up a mechanic to repair broken items if you bother to report them.

 

No, we assumed it was the norm to latch it that way until the day of the rougher waves when it was discovered that our relatives nextdoor had a normal working latch.

 

(5) We were on the Gem last month and had to fight off the photograhers. They were also taking portraits almost every night in the atrium area. I can't imagine why you had trouble finding them.

 

We didn't go to any of the portrait sessions because we were looking for more informal pictures around the deck or in the more casual restaurants.

 

(6) You mentioned missing dessert one night because you had to get to your spa appointment...then you say you missed the show too. Maybe you just scheduled your spa appointment too close to show time?

 

No actually the appointment was only supposed to last 45 minutes. It ended up being twice as long.

[extremez]

Sorry to ask about this again, but a third person in the cabin pays a fraction of fare that the first two pasengers pay, so I'm having trouble coming up with how a balcony cabin shared by three could cost $4,500. (by the way, you didn't mention in your original post that you were including the cost of another cabin in your $9,000)

 

our 2 balcony tickets were roughly $1,600 each plus $1,100 for the 3rd adds up to $4,300 plus taxes and gov fees equals about $4,500.

 

I didn't pay for the other cabin. Just ours excursions, meals, gifts, drinks, etc...

[njhorseman]

 

 

 

Not to sound like a smartass but the minimum 18% for the bartender that walks 5 ft in one direction and back, pops a top off a beer and hands it to me is ridiculous.

 

 

Not to sound like a smartass, but what does the tip for the bartenders/bar waiters have to do with anything? You complained about $36 per day going to the cabin stewards, but that money doesn't just go to them, it also pays for the dining room staff. The bartenders and bar waiters are not part of that pool at all, so there is a separate 15% (not 18%) that is added to the price of drinks. If you go to a bar when you're home, don't you tip the bartender or waiter?

[mactrio]

Maryfrei thought the same cruise was "amazing."

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=970432

 

Maybe she was allowed to make dinner reservations for the entire week. That, of course, would make all the difference.

 

It's amazing how people on the same cruise have such different experiences. The OP had a few legitimate complaints; the others I; IMO wouldn't have let bother me....but different strokes for different folks.

[njhorseman]

our 2 balcony tickets were roughly $1,600 each plus $1,100 for the 3rd adds up to $4,300 plus taxes and gov fees equals about $4,500.

 

I didn't pay for the other cabin. Just ours excursions, meals, gifts, drinks, etc...

 

 

$1,100 for the third person, who as I recall is a child?

 

Now you say you didn't pay for the otherr cabin, when in another answer you said :

 

"Pixiedustdaw- the total of $9,000 is based off 3 balcony tickets at roughly $4,500 plus excursions for all 3 of us, cover charges for specialty restaurants for 5 people, 2 family members in another stateroom, spa packages, drinks, deposit, gifts, etc... it all adds up in the end"

 

So two adults and a child in a balcony cost $9,000? Even counting in everything else that sounds a bit far fetched.

[mactrio]

We sailed the Spirit in Feb; 2 adults & 1 child (9 yrs) balcony room 10160 and the total for our cruise with parking for 1 week, cruise fare, excursions, tips, port fees, taxes, photo package, drinks, dining & souvenirs was.....$3109.38 so depending on what types of excursions, how much they drank, casino, dining etc....it could add up.

[njhorseman]

We sailed the Spirit in Feb; 2 adults & 1 child (9 yrs) balcony room 10160 and the total for our cruise with parking for 1 week, cruise fare, excursions, tips, port fees, taxes, photo package, drinks, dining & souvineers was.....$3109.38 so depending on what types of excursions, how much they drank, casino, dining etc....it could add up.

 

You just spent a bit over $3K, including the extras. You really think you can find a way to spend another $6K? I was just on the same cruise they were...even took the same excursions in Port Canaveral. Believe me, they aren't expensive enough to account for a $6K difference. The photo package was all of $89. If you had 5 people eating in the specialty restaurants on 5 nights, you're talking $500 total at most. Did they spend $5,000 on liquor?

[Don Haynes]

Usually the more fat of a steak is a sign of a better choice of beef. The more fat the better, but you don't have to eat the fat.

 

You could have called in the reservations and not have waited in line to make reservations, or could have came back later when the line vanished. Why does everyone feel they have to join the cattle lines? Didn't you learn from your last cruise to avoid the cattle lines by waiting half an hour?

[mactrio]

You just spent a bit over $3K, including the extras. You really think you can find a way to spend another $6K? I was just on the same cruise they were...even took the same excursions in Port Canaveral. Believe me, they aren't expensive enough to account for a $6K difference. The photo package was all of $89. If you had 5 people eating in the specialty restaurants on 5 nights, you're talking $500 total at most. Did they spend $5,000 on liquor?

 

 

I was referring to the post where he said $4500; not the $9000 post.

I was on a 7 day to Costa Maya, Cozumel, Belize & Guatemala and we did an excursion in each port and I bought 2 pieces of jewelry and my hubby bought tequila & vodka to bring back home.

[njhorseman]

I was referring to the post where he said $4500; not the $9000 post.

I was on a 7 day to Costa Maya, Cozumel, Belize & Guatemala and we did an excursion in each port and I bought 2 pieces of jewelry and my hubby bought tequila & vodka to bring back home.

 

Yes, but they attributed the $4,500 to just the fare and taxes, including $1,100 fare for the child, then spent $4,500 on the extras.

 

You spent $3,100 on the whole ball of wax, including the extras.

[mactrio]

Yeah, I caught that. I don't see how they spent $9,000 on one cabin. :confused:

[Elde]

Usually the more fat of a steak is a sign of a better choice of beef. The more fat the better, but you don't have to eat the fat.

 

Depends on where the fat is... If it is distributed throughout the muscle, that's marbling and means a better grade of beef. (Though excess marbling can lead to an inedible steak.) If it's between the muscles, excess fat means a poorer grade of beef. If it's around the edges of the steak, that's poor trimming - and means someone is padding the weight of the steak with fat, regardless of the grade.

[beachchick]

Hello. What a shame that you didn't enjoy your cruise. I have some questions (and comments).

 

Just got back from our 2nd sailing with NCL aboard the Gem. Our first sailing was aboard the Spirit last year for our honeymoon. We liked it so much we came back for more, except this time wasn't as nice.

 

4/11 - First disappointment was while waiting in line to make reservations, we overheard the folks in front of us make reservations for several specialty restaurants for the entire week. Something that isn't allowed. Well, when it was our turn we didn't get that special treatment. Went to Magenta for dinner. Food was great but the staff seemed confused and wandering around like it was their first day on the job.

 

This has been addressed, but it was almost certainly suite pax or high-level Latitudes members. What a shame that the service was lousy in the dining room that night. Yours is not the first comment about that, but I know it can happen on any ship.

 

4/12 - Sea day. Lattitudes party was fun. We made a deposit on our 3rd cruise. We got the spa package for the week. I got talked into overpriced spa and detox products that will hopefully work. Ate dinner at La Cuccina. Food was great but the service was slow. Last year they were picking up your empty plate and setting down the next plate. I had to leave the table early before I could get dessert to make my spa appointment and then ended up missing that nights show.

 

Sounds like service was an issue throughout the ship. That's not good to hear.

 

4/13 - Port Canaveral. Airboat and pontoon boat dolphin and manatee encounter was pretty fun. Cagneys for dinner. Good food but my strip steak was fattier than a normal strip steak.

 

I'm glad I stick with the filet mignon or rib-eyes because it doesn't sound as if there is consistent quality on the strip steaks. OTOH, I don't know whether a strip steak is one that is usually fattier than others. Was it marbling or excess fat and gristle?

 

4/14 - Great Stirrup Cay. Parasailing was cancelled due to wind. I'm glad we were on the 1st tender over so we could actually get some chairs. 3 other guests of ours weren't as lucky. They finally made it over on the 4th or 5th tender almost 2 hours later. It took several hours to get everyone over to the island. WAY TOO CROWDED!!! Terrible tendering. Snorkeling was the highlight of the day. Buffet for dinner.

 

Was the tendering terrible because of the weather or due to crew/cruise line issues? I don't like hearing that it took so long to disembark everyone. That is a problem if the delays were caused by the cruise line that day, IMO. But if the delay was due to weather or water conditions, what exactly could the cruise line do about it?

 

4/15 - Nassau. See & Sea. Nice underwater viewing of fish and coral. Then a trip through the beautiful (not) city of Nassau. A bus tour through the poverty areas. At least we got to walk the streets for a few hours and get Starbucks and new Del Sol shirts.

 

We do not care for Nassau either. We'd rather stay onboard and treat the port stop as a "sea day." I'm glad the underwater viewing was good.

 

Dinner - We arrived at Tappenyaki at 8:00 to find our reservation was mysterioulsy cancelled. Turns out a group with the same last name had called to cancel and they didn't confirm the room number and we ended up getting bumped. So to make us feel better, they offered us the Orchid Garden and a Friday reservation for Teppanyaki. So 2 sets of cover charges for their screw up. I flipped and after voicing my frustration they offered to get us right into the Grand Pacific. Great dinner with awesome service and a free drink for the mistake and apologees from the restaurant manager. Too bad I had to be a jerk to get the best treatment of the entire week.

 

That is terrible. You'd think that they would confirm which reservation was supposed to be cancelled. Sorry you had to make a fuss to get it resolved.

 

4/16 - Freeport. Another wonderful scenic city tour. WOW. Let me say that again WOW!!! We did the Beaches and Caves. Unless you're a diver the "caves" are a joke. A spiral set of stairs down to a pool of water to look at some bats. And another "cave" with a platform to look around at a pool of water. The beach portion was nice though with a couple dolphins swimming around within 20 ft or so and some rays swimming around the shore. Dinner was room service and Blue Lagoon.

 

4/17 - Sea Day. Spent some time at the spa(the spa pool was drained, maybe because of the waves) Relaxed all day. Dinner was Tappenyaki. Food was good but the show was weak. We get much more entertainment at our local Habachi restaurant for the same price. IMHO not worth the $25 per person cover charge.

 

Yeah, we haven't done Teppanyaki because we fear the that "show" won't be as terrific as the restaurants at home. Many people enjoy it though, so I'm glad the option is there for them.

 

Housekepping didn't earn their $36 daily fee. They didn't clean the bathroom once. It was the same old seal and bunny towel creations as last year.

 

I know there's no excuse for it, but did you complain while you were onboard? It stinks that you would have to do that just to get decent treatment, but we would have called the housekeeping supervisor right away. I actually don't expect there to be different/new towel animals; after the first few cruises, it becomes pretty routine. As others have noted, the $12/person/day fee covers more than just the housekeeping crew.

 

For a ship less than a year in service it wasn't in that great of shape. At least our balcony room wasn't. The balcony door trim was falling out. I fixed that. The door wouldn't shut and lock without using the child safety latch. That woke us up in the middle of the night slamming open and closed. The TV was crap flashing green all through the nightly news.

 

Were the ocean conditions rough that night? Was the TV like that the whole time? That would stink. We would definitely have called about the door latch. I really don't like the thought of you having to call for so many issues because that takes away from just being able to enjoy the cruise and the cruise experience. It would get tiresome and frustrating.

Small note: The Gem has actually been in service for 1-1/2 years. I'm not surprised that there is some sign of "age" considering that more than 2000 cruise on her year in and year out. Still, basic maintenance like balcony door trim and latches should have been addressed.

 

We didn't care for the seating layout of the Theatre. Some spots it was difficult to see the entire stage. The shows were good. We love watching the Second City. Jane L Powell was the singing act and she was very good. Typical dancing crew barely clothed and Bob the magician with the usual tricks.

 

We don't particularly care for the theater layout on that class of ship either. I'm glad the shows were good though.

 

We hated the atrium of the Gem. With the Spirit you walked in and looked all the way to the top level with the elevators and mirrored walls. The Gem, you walked in and saw a ceiling with fake purple crystals sticking out. We couldn't really catch our bearings on this ship.

 

We're used to the Radiance- and Voyager-class RCI ships, so I have to agree about the atrium design. We didn't "hate" it, but realized how much we love the soaring Centrums and multi-level Promenades on RCI. We've not been on Spirit, but it sounds like we would like the design of her atrium. Good to know.

 

We were a little upset that there is only 5 restaurants without cover charge. Not much of a choice between burgers, buffet, a few decent plates or waiting for the main dining rooms.

 

Honestly, that's as many as you're going to get on any other line. I know it's disappointing after your last cruise because NCL started charging for all Italian and Mexican venues some time last year. But the truth is that dining rooms, buffet, room service, diner or similar, and grill are pretty much the standard included options on most of the mass-market lines.

 

Do you have to sit outside all day or wait till the night to get a photo taken? Last year it seemed like every corner you turned they were taking a picture.

 

I've got to tell you that we'd be thrilled not to have the photographers "in our faces" all the time. But I'm sorry that you didn't have more options. That's unusual in our experience.

 

No arts and crafts activities or technical seminars.

 

Some cruises don't have technical seminars, but I'm surprised (and disappointed) to hear there weren't any arts and crafts activities. They're not our cup of tea, but my mother loves them and looks forward to them on her cruises. I know they're usually wildly popular. I wonder if this is another cutback?

 

As Lattitudes members all we recieved was a couple pins, express boarding which was slightly shorter than the regular line and $50 off our tickets. Not exactly incentive to come back.

 

To be honest, we don't book our cruises based on things like this. I don't consider what you describe as not being incentive though. It's a neutral issue for us. And $50 is $50.

 

For almost $9,000 for 2 adults and a child, we don't feel that the Gem was worth this amount of money.

 

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and to "vote with your wallet" on future cruises. But a number of the expenses you include here were optional purchases (spa passes, spa treatments, ship excursions, shopping/gifts, etc.). You didn't have to make those purchases and they are not part of the basic cruise costs. You chose to spend that money. You also list "deposit" as part of that $9000. Is that the deposit for your next cruise?? If so, it should not be included in the costs that "add up" for this cruise. You also mention specialty restaurant costs for five people, but you have written that the $9000 was for just the three of you. How much of the $9000 was money spent on others?

 

I'm a little weary of using this deposit with this line. I do know that it won't be spent on the Gem again.

 

Why on earth did you make a deposit for the future cruise then? I think you would probably be better served by choosing Spirit, Dawn, or Star over any of the Gem-class ships.

 

On a positive note the crew and staff are always friendly whenever you see them.

 

That's good to hear. I'm also glad that you seemed to enjoy many parts of your cruise overall. It's a shame that you had multiple issues to deal with though.

 

Happy Happy!, Smiley Smiley!

<snip>

 

The Freestyle Daily states that specialty restaurant reservations can only be made for the same day or next day before dinner time with nothing stating that suites have more rights.

 

For instance say my wife and I were on our 27th cruise with NCL (which one couple was) and we were staying in an inside stateroom. Why should a 1st time suite sailer have more rights over me since I've put more money in your pocket?

 

So the Freestyle Daily didn't include information on restaurant reservations for suites. I'm sorry, but so what? Why should the cruise line be expected to list all the suite perks in the Freestyle Daily? As for "why" suite cruisers (first time or otherwise) should have more "rights over" you, there's a very simple answer: They have paid for a suite and perks that come with it; NCL has decided that one of those perks is being able to book dining reservations for the entire cruise whenever they want. Does it also upset you that they have the Cagney's breakfast and lunch perk? How about the bottle of bubbly in the suite and the VIP cocktail party? VIP tender tix, disembarkation, etc.? Butler and concierge service?

 

I'm sorry but this complaint is pretty petty, IMO. If you want the suite perks, then book a suite. If you are offended that suite pax get perks other pax don't, then don't book with a cruise line that offers perks to their suite pax.

 

Hope your future cruises are better.

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

ARGH! I tried to edit my post above, but got caught in the interminable "twilight zone" after the board's nightly housekeeping mode. I got the 25 minute freeze up and missed the editing window. In fact, it took 10 darn minutes for this post to actually post! (Anyone else notice the late night difficulties?)

 

 

Hello. What a shame that you didn't enjoy your cruise. I have some questions (and comments).

 

<snip>

 

The Freestyle Daily states that specialty restaurant reservations can only be made for the same day or next day before dinner time with nothing stating that suites have more rights.

 

For instance say my wife and I were on our 27th cruise with NCL (which one couple was) and we were staying in an inside stateroom. Why should a 1st time suite sailer have more rights over me since I've put more money in your pocket?

 

So the Freestyle Daily didn't include information on restaurant reservations for suites. I'm sorry, but so what? Why should the cruise line be expected to list all the suite perks in the Freestyle Daily? As for "why" suite cruisers (first time or otherwise) should have more "rights over" you, there's a very simple answer: They have paid for a suite and perks that come with it; NCL has decided that one of those perks is being able to book dining reservations for the entire cruise whenever they want. Does it also upset you that they have the Cagney's breakfast and lunch perk? How about the bottle of bubbly in the suite and the VIP cocktail party? VIP tender tix, disembarkation, etc.? Butler and concierge service?

 

I'm sorry but this complaint is pretty petty, IMO. If you want the suite perks, then book a suite. If you are offended that suite pax get perks other pax don't, then don't book with a cruise line that offers perks to their suite pax.

 

Hope your future cruises are better.

 

beachchick

[beau4]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise - I know we all build up such high expectations and can be very disappointed when things don't go as planned.

 

I have been on the Gem twice and loved both cruises. I do agree with the problem of the balcony doors not staying latched. Ours were broken and would swing open with the rolling of the ship. The "solution" was to give us a stick to wedge into the latch - both years - same shim type stick. You would think they would have fixed these - I did write it in the comment card as well as on the post cruise survey. While an annoyance we had a wonderful time and are booked again for next year.

 

Hope your next trip meets all expectations.