JIMESOPUS

Gem has sailed past Bermuda and is expected to be in the NY harbor sometime tomorrow.

Shore power/pollution in NYC, the article is about 10 months old https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/11469-new-york-brooklyn-cruise-terminal-shore-power-design

Already did that and loved it, we have booked the Yacht Club interior for 1/25.

@shof515 Did you notice that there are no sailings for January 2026 ( 1/4/26 thru 2/14/26 ) for the BA?

https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-reveals-new-fall-and-winter-202526-sailings?fbclid=IwAR2TeuMhhNs5DTJX7Tp6XmF2h2yA4q8LDkgVfjFhY0l1EBgSzEoFZOM6YDU For those who sail out of NYC on NCL in the winter months .. Fuhgeddaboudit, yeah I got caught up with Devito mania. NYC for us is an easy 2hr ride down the river, the cost to park at the pier will give you sticker shock but super convenient. It used to be at times several ships deployed in the winter months, 10 / 12 day itineraries ( even had several coast-to-coast cruises on the Gem before Covid ). Other changes include the Escape to NOLA and the Viva going to Texas.

Woke up today and it's snowing, a gentle reminder that we are no longer on a ship or in a warm climate. Final thoughts about the Viva Said it before if you hated the Prima design then you would hate the Viva. There aren't enough changes to change your mind. But they are built for warmer weather. Speedway Bar closed for the 21 days that we were aboard, don't have a clue why, great location and view of the Vibe Beach ( maybe that's why it's closed ). Soot in the Aft seating area on deck #8 is still there, got some strange looks from other PAX when we grabbed beach towels and placed them over the seats before sitting down ( fool us once ... ). Should also mention broken furniture, almost everywhere. Watched a guy almost get hurt when he sat down in a lounger and fell out onto the deck with a glass in hand. Too many things were rusty or broken, almost all the Venetian blinds in Hudson had broken strings, and our light switch for the balcony was broken ( never on ) while our neighbors stayed on all the time ( same problem). The paint crew stopped by and patched up the rusty spots on our balcony, almost every weld had some level of rust. I posted a picture of terribly visible welds, I used to be in the trade and would have been slapped in the head if I left something like that. ( I know machines made up most of the welds but, there has to be some pride in workmanship ) Too much wasted space on deck #8, I believe they could have done a better job in utilizing the entire deck to enhance the passenger experience. Photo Gallery, Gift shops, and other revenue-generating venues should be down on deck #7, while more restaurants and bars on deck #8 would enhance deck #8 and the Oceanwalk ( just my opinion ). Outdoor art gallery, on an NCL ship? We would sail Viva and her sister again, but the itinerary would be the reason and not the ship. Again, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all Jim

I remember Francis ( has he gotten worse? ), spent time at Metropolitan to pay homage to the Cowboy and never heard any music there but that was 10 or more cruises ago and I have lost track of a lot of things ( I do remember Colorado Ken at Penrose with Masti ).

@mking8288 The Local TV area was supposed to be a spot for music, but plans got changed. This information came from an officer at our Dinner with Officers on the Prima, last year's TA from Southampton. A question was raised why was there no music at the Metropolitan and only at Penrose, he replied noise was a factor there and plans for music at the Local were scrapped because of congestion ( traffic ). There is a spot for musicians at the Metropolitan on the Viva. Wondering if the Foosball table is still there in the alley in the Local? They now have several old school gaming consoles on the Viva in that same alley

Kevin Fagan, MC of Press Your Luck, Beetlejuice, and his show at the Pourhouse and the Theater. GH010151.MP4

A couple of short clips from the cast of The Pourhouse, yes that light was bright, almost the entire time GH010112.MP4 GH010113.MP4

Excellent entertainment aboard, cast from Icons and Beetlejuice had several shows in Syds. The first couple of photos show the couch positioning and the increase in occupancy according to NCL.

Onda, this was our first visit. We went there more times than Cagneys for the Filet. I had pizza, short ribs, and ravioli this night. Desert will always be butterscotch budino

Our first meal on the Viva at Cagneys

After a very hectic couple of days ( Alexa went on vacation too and renamed almost everything in the device list ) of getting the house in order, Christmas shopping, and decorating I'm finally going thru the camera and GoPro. We took over 800 pictures while enjoying the Viva and like I said before needed more memory for the Pro. Here are some of the pictures, hopefully in order. From Rome to Miami

@mking8288 Thanks again for a great review, really don't know how you have the time to help the CC community with all the info while enjoying your cruise ( guess I must spend more time chasing down that elusive pistachio martini ). Have a Happy Holiday and a Merry Christmas Jim

Just off the Viva, we completed a B2B, on the first cruise, the area around the two infinity pools was quiet, and the pools were almost empty with no chair hogs in sight. On the second cruise forget about it. We observed folks placing their stuff on chairs before 6 AM, with both pools packed by 10 AM. Jim

found this picture on the web, if you want to modify the order tap the box under the item order ( orange circle with the word For ), a popup keyboard will appear and you type away what you want to change. Want extra chips with your Chili no problem, no Bun on that sandwich, how about extra salad dressing

Did you know you can modify your order? When I'm there a night I'll order ribs from Q with no sides, bacon-wrapped chicken from the Roterssie then order several sides from other places. The only downside is some items get there faster than others. If you don't know how to do it then ask your server, I held classes on the Viva. I'll try to find a picture of a single-item order and highlight the box you click on.

Wish I had the GoPro available, has to be the best " Prom " night. This is for those who wonder what Syd's would be in the main theater. The Sound was much better live, the camera filtered out all the background noise MVI_6033.MP4

I thought I saw you at prom night on the Viva

The Local which had two machines with premixed Mudslides and something else, had to go up to the Observation lounge and get a fresh frozen drink. In fact, the Waves bar had that same machine. I should have made a Mudslide taste tour.

@mking8288 Windy is forecasting a rough ride for the next 24 hours unless she turns east. Looks like your wingman has veered off to the right.

Well back to reality, downloaded over 700 photos this morning ( still not sure what time it is ). Wish I had brought more memory for the GoPro, ran out of space by day 6. So the Viva and Prima are almost identical twins, don't think any other ships in the other classes are more identical. They did free up more seating in the Food Hall and claim to have more room in Syd's by moving the couches around and eliminating one of them. The lady in the mural behind your bed was gone, at least in our cabin ( still don't understand why that upset some PAX ), and a slight change in the color scheme. They did add a butterfly wall as you walked past the Metropolitan Bar so you could touch ( don't have to touch but most did ) the mural and make them fly but I can see that as a source of noro as many PAX still don't wash your hands after going to the bathroom. So if you hated the Prima, you will hate the Viva. But in the right climate, you can really enjoy the ship. I still don't understand why the bars on the Star ( our October cruise ) were 1000% better than the Viva, we could get almost anything you wanted on the Star but on the Viva, they were very limited. We had to get creative, no Pistactio martini but if you asked for a shot of Irish cream, Blue Curacao, and Amaretto over the rocks they made it. The bartenders were great but very limited in what they could make. Maybe that's why the Cowboy wasn't there. We will venture on the Aqua and hope to see more physical improvements for the folks in steerage, they already announced the two-story Haven cabins but that would eat our cruise budget for the next 4 years. I got dibs on the next Godfather, Aquaman. Dinner with officers was great both times but having the Staff Captain and the General Manager at the same time was like hitting the Lotto This was for us a trip of a lifetime, all the places that we went to. Walking on roads that were constructed over 2000 years ago, hell some roads in NYS don't last 10 years. We have so many do-overs that I guess we will have to do it again. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holidays (Merry Christmas ), Jim and Carol 58 days to go till our next cruise, did someone say slow down?

The Prom, will wrap this up in a few days, staying in southern FLA for awhile before heading north.

Winding down, Euros and pounds put on account, nice contribution from the casino also helps. Hero cards turned in. Not sure how we originally packed but the suitcases are already filled and there is stuff still in the closet. Busy day in the Channel and even passed a lighthouse. Service dog made a visit to cruise next desk.