Richpontone

You might try the free app, Yelp to find the best tasting pizza nearest to your location, as well as all other types of cuisine.

For the best budget Italian food, excluding pizza, try Becco.

For 25 bucks for dinner, you get a great tasting salad, great bread, and unlimited amounts of three different pastas. Great service, close to Broadway plays and musicals, and a great list of budget bottles of red, white and sparkling wines.

You must make dinner reservations a day before and through Open Table, as Becco's website based reservation system is terrible. 

11:25 am flight from LaGuardia is cutting it too close.

Got off from the Norwegian Dawn, a 2400 passenger ship, on a self assist on Saturday, November 9th, and left the Manhattan Terminal by 10:30 am.

Believe me, Norwegian was starting priority disembarkation at 9 am but the first passengers were not allowed off the ship until 9:30 am.

Very, very disorganized disembarkation and with only 4 TSA counter persons, the lines were very large and moved very slowly. Apparently, TSA did not want to put more of their staff on to expedite the disembarkation.

The Bliss has 4200 passengers and so, you will move out even slower.

I would give 45 minutes to ride from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to LGA.

As you must check in through airport TSA about 2 hours before a domestic flight, I believe you will miss your flight.

Maybe a later flight will give you some quality time to visit NYC

As said before, download the Carmel app.

Am a native NYCer and have been using them for years and have never been disappointed.

You set the time and date and location, and they are there at your location five 

minutes before. They will call you when they are there. 

You can select type of car or SUV and type of payment.

Their drivers surpass the quality found in Uber.

If you get off at Penn Station, and go to the 8th Avenue taxi curbside stand, please be aware that sometimes an individual will rush up to you, and say that he can get a cab for you, but you must pre-pay him with 50 dollars.

Once gotten, he will do the 100 yard dash in five seconds and you will never catch him.

Unfortunately, there is no cop nor city official to guard against this.

I have seen this happen.

Always, extend your hand out to gain your own cab.

This is better than walking 14 street blocks north and 4 city blocks west to get to the ship terminal and costs less than 15 bucks. 

Been on the Dawn several years ago. Ditto for bringing your own 110 volt extension cord with several outlets. You can request your own coffee maker. I would suggest you bring a bag of your favorite ground coffee as the coffee that is served free is a bit weak although you can buy stronger coffee and espresso drinks at their coffee bar.

I would suggest bringing a couple of thermal insulated containers for bringing your own coffee around the ship or ship filtered water on excursion trips.

Dawn is a nice ship, small enough for me with 1,800 plus passengers as opposed to the new mega ships with 3,000 passengers. A little more intimate.

For meals, I prefer the sit down meals with waiter service in the Main Dining room located at the back of the ship. Go there at beginning of meal time to prevent waiting for a table, and make sure you time your meals so that you have enough time time to gain good seats for the main evening entertainment shows located at the front of the ship.

Dawn is a bit older than the new mega ship as it was built in the 1990s.

Just found your post today and so, my reply is a bit delayed.

Download the Carmel app and use it to book your car service from LGA.

You get a very experienced driver, you select the type of car or SUV and the time of your pickup. You can pay in cash or credit card.

If not, you can pick up a cab at the designated curb side  of LGA, the cabs come quite often and it takes about 45 minutes depending on traffic.

Taking mass transportation from LGA to the port terminal is a bit iffy as you will have to walk at least four city blocks from the subway stop to the terminal, not recommended.if you have luggage.

I thought Norwegian cabins have an electric hair dryer in the bathrooms. No hair curler though.

As for electric extension cords, i did ask for and got one from my cabin steward on my last cruise on the Gem.

Interesting.

In the old tier, the Plantium got a free bottle of Sparkling Wine in their cabin.

Not anymore

1. Yes, eating lunch at the MDR restaurant, usually the Grand Pacific, is the best bet for Embarkation Day, but remember it closes at 2 pm. So, get on the ship at 12 noon, which the edoc states is the earliest time to get on the ship, and proceed directly there. If you don't, then you are stuck with the Poolside Buffet where 98 percent of the passengers go to. Not fun, eating with 2,000 passengers at the same time. Also, 1 pm is when the big bulk of passengers try to get on the ship. Not fun then either.

2. Bring thermal coffee cups so you can get coffee from the buffet or your coffee maker to drink around the ship.

3. If you are in a balcony or oceanview cabin, you get a small coffee maker.

Norwegian supplies terrible tasting coffee packets with them and do, bring your own bag of coffee and small coffee filters. You will probably make better tasting coffee than is served at the Buffet or MDR restaurants.

4. Bring a yellow highlighter pen to make out desired events on your daily bulletin.

5. Bring duct tape which is always useful.

6. Bring an extension cord that holds several outlets. Not many outlets in your cabin, maybe one in your bathroom and one in your bedside cabin.

7. Make reservations at the Speciality Restaurants online before you cruise. You will be surprised that desired dining times are booked before you set foot on the ship.

8. The best times to listen to music is the nightly piano singer at the Champagne Bar. Nothing like sipping Champagne and listening to songs that made you fall in love. The nightly Norwegian Dancers and Singers are pretty good too and should not be missed.

On the Jewel class Norwegian ships Maybe the same works on the Mega Ships..

The Buffet always has Indian food, although not the best in quality.

Also at the Breakfast Buffet there are eggs and made to order omelets, cold and hot cereals and fruit. I love their own variety of Museli.

At lunch, for the Buffet,there are a great deal of salad options.

At Lunch, and at Dinner, the Buffet has Pizza slices and made to order pasta dishes, where you select the ingredients.

I think there is some Asian food for the Buffet.

There is also a Speciality Restaurant that does Sushi, and Chinese and other Japanese dishes.

I like eating at La Cucina, as there are plenty of Italian vegetarian options.

I never ate at Moderno, or LeBistro as Vegetarian options are quite limited.

At the MDR restaurants, where you are served, there are always Vegetarian Appetizers snd entrees at Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

For all waitered Restaurants, it is always important to have clear communications with your server. So many think, Vegetarian meals mean Fish.

Hope that helps.

I never had a problem with my cruising with Norwegian for the past 13 years.

Sorry, never did cruise on the Mega Ships, they are just too big and impersonal.

Our cruise last week said 10 am but they changed it mid-cruise to 8am. They say 10 just in case the seas are bad and they cant cruise at the speed they need to arrive on time. That's what was explained to us.

In the past eight years. 10 am is when the Cruise Director gives the last call to leave the ship. Some passengers, maybe a hundred, want to stay on the ship until the last moment for whatever reason.

I am taking my third Gem cruise from NYC this February 27th.

1. Go to your Roll Call CC Meet and Greet usually held on the first Sea Day of your cruise.

2. Get the Name and phone extension of your Cruise's Hotel Director at this meeting.

3. Establish a personal relationship with your Cabin Steward. If you have a cabin complaint, go to him or her first.

4. If you don't get resolution of your problem, with him or her, immediately, call the Hotel Director. You will definitely get an immediate solution. Identify yourself as a member of Cruise Critics.

5. Never go to the front desk except if you have a problem with your bill.

6. Remember Norwegian is a budget cruise line and so the food that is served is really not better than cafeteria food. If you want better then go to a luxury cruise line which charges double what you are paying at Norwegian.

7. Go to sit down restaurants where you are served. Food may not be better than the buffet but being served and you having meaningful conversations with your loved ones will definitely improve your dining experience.

8. Be courteous and polite to others and don't run or rush through the passageways, as there are many other passengers who can not run or walk as fast as you. Your cruise experience will be more pleasant.

The Magenta or Grand Pacific??

but it could change.

And disembarkation starts at 8 or 8:30 am. First disembarkation is when you leave the ship handling all your luggage. A lot of passengers use this method.

Remember you will need an additional hour getting through customs and then you have to cross 12th Avenue in front of the ship's terminal to get to the taxi stand. Allow an additional ten minutes for that and another ten to get in line with dozens of other passengers to get a cab.

10 am is usually the final call for all remaining passengers to leave the ship.

Some passengers like to stay at the end to eat breakfast there and sit around waiting for everyone else to leave the ship.

My edoc states a 12 noon embarkation and that is the time that I am getting on the ship. There is usually a ton of passengers crowding onto the ship from 1 pm on.

I am going straight to the MDR restaurant and have a nice leisurely waitered lunch there. Only about fifty or so passengers eat there. You can spend as much time in a restaurant that seats hundreds.

The MDR usually closes for lunch at 2 pm, and those passengers who miss that have to go to the buffet at the pool, where 95 percent of the passengers line up for frankfurters and hamburgers. Not much fun, when you have a thousand passengers or more lining up for lunch at the same time. Not much fun running around to find a table and chairs where there are few empty ones to find..

Good luck.

Not if you log in as a different person on the cruise and make the dining reservation under their name!

and made another with the customer service rep.

As I could not get an online list of my dinner reservations, I had the rep. email me that list. There is no other way to do it, pre-cruise.

If you wait for the cruise, you may have to reserve for a much later, and more undesirable dinner reservation time at an alternate restaurant as the earlier times get filled up quite quickly, pre-cruise.

That happened to me today for my Feb. 27th cruise on you know what ship.

Heya, I have the perfect post for this which should help you.. 8 things I wish I knew before cruising with NCL: http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/04/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-cruising-with-ncl/

 

Have a fabulous time! I think everything should be on there. The Gem is an older ship so I believe you don't have to book the shows on there in the same way as you on one of the larger ships :)

 

 

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Show up 15 minutes before the shows and you can get your choice of seats.

The Gem is an older ship, more than 12 years old, but I believe it was refitted in 2015.

I love the Gem, been on it twice, and it is always clean and well maintained.

Norwegian is a budget cruise line but their staff and crew are always motivated to please you. Alert to Foodies, this cruise line is not going to serve you haute cuisine. If you want that, go to the higher priced cruise lines that will charge you twice the fare.

and the Statute of Liberty, which are not to be missed sights, get a table at the bar at the end of the ship. I believe it is bar on the 12th deck.

Get a drink and behold the sights. You can get great camera and video shots.

Most, probably, 95 percent of the passengers will be standing in crowds at the front of the ship.

Also, your Edocs state that boarding is at 12 noon. Get there at that time and get a waitered lunch in one of the Main dining restaurants. That lunch closes usually at 2 pm. Most again that 95 percent of the passengers will do the buffet at pool side.Crowded lines and hamburgers and frankfurters are the usual there which does not provide for a nice, relaxed lunch time experience.

Especially, the Gem. I cruised in it twice and will do again on February 27th.

It is not too big or too small. It is just right.

I will not cruise on any ship that is larger. You just get lost in the crowds of passengers.

The Meet and Greet should on the morning of the first Sea Day.

As an interracial couple, we have not had much luck in meeting other couples at the FOD gatherings.

I have done this cruise before, so if you need any answers, just ask.

I have done 8 cruises on Norwegian and one on the Gem. Love Norwegian and this ship.

See you at the FOD meeting.

Thank you, thank you! We will be on the Dec. 21 sailing. Jayne Curry is not to be missed. I hope she'll be on the holiday sailing, but, it would not surprise me if she is home with the her husband. Like you, I most enjoy the live music. I hope we are as fortunate to have the same bands. ETA: I just checked her FB page, and it seems she will be leaving the Constellation on Dec. 21.

The best comedian on board, and Al Deschame left everyone laughing in their chairs.

I was pissed about the scheduling of Elyria. It was supposed to be on the first night but the ship was rocking from the high seas and I can hack that. But they had seven other smooth sailing nights to do it but they left it for 11 pm on the last night. With my having to get up at 6 am to make the Express Dembarkation for an early flight, I was not going to stay up that late.

Listening to the bands at the smaller lounges while sipping prosecco was the best intimate experience.

In the Ninth floor computer lounge on the Constellation and both were miserable on my cruise, although I did see people using their own laptops around the ship and seem to be having no problem.

I would suggest bringing your own laptop and not a tablet, as you have more computing chip power and that might help getting connected faster.

It usually took me ten minutes or more each day just getting connected to my Aol mail account.

The funny thing at St. Croix, I bought a two dollar cold beer at a small liquor store, got free wifi, which took me less than a minute to get access to my emails. In fact, half the customers there were ship's crew members using the wifi to make international phone calls to their countries.

Where did your cruise go? Just curious.

Sailed from Fort Lauderdale, with two days sea time to St. Bart's, then to St. Maarten, then to St. Croix, San Juan, Puerto, Laberdee, Haiti, and back to Fort Lauderdale, making a nine day cruise