LegallyBlonder

Have you tried https://www.cruisedeckplans.com ? They generally have several photos of every category cabin, so there may be a shot similar to what you're looking for.

We have a mid ship Balcony on the Gem. Does anyone have any pictures of the couch turned into a bed?

 

Thank you

Danielle

 

 

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Waiting as well.

NCL if you are reading this and haven't fully mapped out the Gem's itinerary. The 10 day you did in 2016 that went to San Juan, STT, St Martin and Tortola, that started the Thursday before President's Day and ended on the following Sunday, was great.

This is pretty much exactly what they ended up doing. Yey!

So sad to learn this! I haven't been on CC for a year or so, but decided to search for CTN prices on ncl.com today and was surprised to see only one listed, so came on here to search the topic. Totally bummed!

Hello everyone!

 

 

 

Just wondering if there is any feedback or opinion of Karabi, the current concierge on Dawn?

 

Sailing in less than 2 weeks..can't wait! !

We sailed in the GV on 6/20 and we found Karabi to be absolutely fantastic. On our last trip in a GV, we had relied far more on our butler to make our wishes come true than our concierge (though we thought that concierge was very good as well), but this time, the Concierge did a lot of arranging for us. She made dinner reservations for our larger group of 15 virtually every night. Additionally, she arranged every detail of a private BBQ in our courtyard on my step-fathers birthday- it was amazing from start to finish. She also arranged a photo session in our suite so that we could have group portraits taken there instead of in the atrium, etc. In all instances, she got us the times and dates that we asked for with no problems. She also had Teppanaki open for our group for lunch on a sea day- incredible! If you have a wish, I'm confident Karabi can grant it. Happy Sailing!

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Thanks to all for your help! We have decided on the Star, mostly because the dates and itinerary works best with our existing timeshare. I also think we prefer the huge garden area and the 2 masters. However, for now, we had to book the OS, because my brother has not committed yet. :(. We plan to upgrade to the GV when he does, if it's available.

I think you made the right choice, particularly since you will appreciate the two masters since it is two couples going. We are just off the Dawn 14500 and the outside area is truly spectacular. I do agree with above poster that we had a slight preference for Gem's GV common interior space, but otherwise found the Dawn's GV to be superior. The only time I think the Haven adds to the GV experience is if you are sailing from the Northeast in the winter months and can utilize the Haven facility on cold days. That was the case on our Gem GV experience. We did not miss the Haven on our recent Dawn GV since it was summertime. Enjoy!

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Lobster is the first night. I do not know why everyone says it is gone. Chocolate buffet is the second to last night starting 9:45

 

I was on last week so I am confident

 

 

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It's because Gem has not moved to the new menus yet, but it will be fleet wide by the end of the year. On Dawn last week, new menus were in effect: lobster only at buffet on 2nd night and no formal chocolate buffet- hotel director gave us the info on the change over at our Meet n Greet. So, enjoy it while you still can- it's on it's way out!

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Hi everyone,

 

I am in the middle of getting a well detailed review together; however, I wanted to start a thread to answer any questions relating to:

 

an OS deluxe suite, the shows, the food,the butler, ect

 

 

 

Lisa

Yey! Welcome Home! We leave next Friday and will be sailing in a GV, so I'm sure your experiences will be relevant for us!

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The new concierge on the Dawn is a she. She is married to the chief security officer so will be staying with the ship for 2-3 years. Only time she won't be there is for her scheduled vacations.

Thanks for the info! Is she a new concierge entirely (as in, her first time as a concierge)?

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You would think they would put any luggage collected before boarding that has a PRIORITY tag in a separate bin and loaded together, not mixed with all of the other luggage. Maybe they do but it still gets unloaded together. :confused:

This is what I would have thought- would certainly make sense. But, based on our last GV experience, it does seem like it's more lumped in with the crowd.

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We were on the same cruise. We loved our SE forward Penthouse 10000. We ate at the specialties most nights and the buffet one night, the day we left Bermuda. I liked what I had in the Buffet the night I was there. No crowd and the food was decent and hot. We showed up too just after it opened, so that may have something to do with it.

 

The concierge (John D'souza) we had was awesome, very helpful and just a nice guy. I imagine other NCL concierges are probably similar. If not sorry. Our sailing was his last before his 7 week break, he then heads to the Jewel for 4 months. Those folks will be lucky in my opinion. Just so you know, the concierge is the butlers boss. If we would have had any problems with our butler, John would have righted it. He is that kind of guy. We did not have any problems though. Akhmad was great and very attentive. He and John made a great team.

 

Also I would like to know what SJ was booked in this review? We have one booked for next may.

Oh, bummer about John leaving- thanks for the update. I'm sure you're right though that most are great. You don't happen to know who is taking over?

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Thanks for taking the time to review- we leave next Friday with our three small children. We've had similar issues with the luggage in the past, so we did learn the hard way to over-pack our carry-ons. Regardless of how prepared you are though, I find it disappointing when I don't have my choice of dinner outfits, etc bc luggage hasn't arrived. I also would have thought that they would prioritize suite luggage.

Glad to hear your butler was good. I don't suppose she also handled the Garden Villas? That's where we will be, so assuming we will have someone different. A few others from recent sailings have been happy with the current concierge, so I'm encouraged by that as well.

Thanks for heads-up on buffet- we will stick to specialties for the most part. Looking forward to the rest of your review!

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Sad, but that's why everyone tells you not to ride those bikes anymore.

 

5th death this year or basically once a month

 

 

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Thank you for this stat- going to share with family and friends considering scooters on our Dawn cruise next month.

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OMG, thank you SO much to you and mrsgreenacres- I'm sooooo excited!!

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So cute! Good luck!

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When should a person switch their cell phone to airplane mode? If you are in port will it go through normal land based cell towers or dose it go through the ships communication system?

In port at US ports, it will typically go

through the land based network. You will lose it at some point after sail away, and your phone should tell you by either saying "roaming" or listing a different carrier than your normal on the top of the screen. When I notice that change, I switch to airplane mode.

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We did the haven spa suite on the breakaway to Bermuda our if NYC - just brilliant. The spa suites give haven, concierge and butler access and are half the price of the haven itself

Wow, I didn't know that! What does it not include?

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With those ages (very similar to my three little ones), I would say the "extra" features on Breakaway would actually be LESS important, because they are probably too young to take advantage of the ropes course, or giant water slides that begin and end on different decks. The kids club on Gem is very nice, and I did not notice a terrible difference when I looked at the kid's club on breakaway, except that it is larger and can thus accommodate more children, as dictated by the mere size of Breakaway.

I'm sure you would find the suites on Gem to be more economical than Breakaway, and I do absolutely recommend suites for young families that can afford them. The perk of embarking and disembarking without crazy waits in confined places are reason enough for me to spring for it with young children. Additionally, your butler will be able to provide in-room snacks (and even meals) for your little ones. That is, of course, not to mention the extra space. Our next cruise will be the Dawn to Bermuda, and we chose it over Breakaway despite living close to the NYC pier, for reasons similar to the ones I listed above.

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We made this decision recently with regard to our upcoming Dawn cruise in June. Despite living on Long Island, we decided on the Dawn Garden Villa, for just about the same amount that two of the lowest level suite on Breakaway would have cost us. We enjoyed the Breakaway for a weekend cruise this winter, but found it extremely crowded (we had nice weather, so many people were outside despite the fact that it was winter) and didn't feel that there was actually *that* much more to do in comparison to other ships. The one exception is if you or your travel companions are really into ropes courses or mega water slides.

We absolutely adore NCL's suite life, so if switching to Dawn makes that possible for you, I would absolutely go for it.

With regards to Gem, I would do her if it were one of the longer itineraries (we did her 9-day, and I also hear wonderful things about her 12 day), but I would NOT do the Bahamas run. Bermuda will improve the quality of your cruise a million fold over that Bahamas itinerary on any ship.

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I know its 558 days until we sail, but we are so excited. We booked the Garden Villa to celebrate 2 big birthdays...My sister is turning 60 next Sept and my husband will be turning 70 while we are on-board. Can't wait to enjoy 7 wonderful days in our private villa! Any suggestions on what we should not miss, please let me know!

Congrats! You are going to LOVE it! We had our first GV on Gem in January of 2013, and will be in Dawn's next month. One thing we did request last time, was that a photographer come to the room on a night we dresses up and have formal pics taken there, with the GV as the "backdrop", rather than the fake ones in the public areas. That was the BEST thing we did- I have those photos hanging all over our house!

I was also recently tipped off that they will put together a private BBQ for lunch or dinner in your outdoor space if you request. We plan to do this for my Dad's BD next month.

Just a couple of tips, and will let you know if I come across anymore this time- have a GREAT time!

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I will be on the 2nd cruise to Bermuda this season, May 16. I will post and answer any questions for you when we get back....We cruised the same week last year.

Thank you in advance- we are sailing 6/20, so I'm super interested to hear about his season's voyages as well!

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rvsullivan -- "I'm not sure which port you are talking about"

 

My husband and I only sail out of New York and book suites. The Suites escort waiting at the entry takes us to the front of the security line, and after we complete security, we are taken to the first check-in line and then to our Concierge station to be escorted on by one of the butlers (not necessarily the one assigned to our suite.)

 

What I have noticed is that the entry suite escort is the same person assigned for Platinum/Gold VIP boarding. In New York we are escorted to the front of security and immediately to check-in. Sometimes there is a "Suites/Gold/Platinum entry sign, and sometimes not -- but there is always a separate entry for VIP guests to be taken to the front of security and check-in.

 

We have not sailed NCL's new BIG ships, so I can only say this procedure is true in New York for the Dawn, Gem and Jewel, each of which we have sailed many times :)

This is interesting to me- we did not have this experience in Gem's Garden Villa leaving from NYC last January. Despite making it clear to staff that we were suite guests, we were told to join the general security line. We were then directed to suite check-in. Everyone we spoke to in suites on that voyage had the same experience. I guess it varies based on the busyness of the port that day? or luck! By the way, I am not complaining about that embarkation in the least- it was quick and easy despite using the general security line, and disembarkation was a dream.

I think part of the reason is because Garden Villas are designed to accommodate special events (weddings, or even just cocktail parties) so it makes sense to have that available for those occasions. I also think it is just part of the opulent decor. It did go largely unused during our last stay in the GV (and most likely our next in June as well), but I certainly wasn't annoyed by the 5 sq.ft. out of 5,000 that it took up-LOL!

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I would say all but Ocean Blue. We've had our very small children in all the specialty restaurants on other ships (Breakaway was just us- no kids) and it has always worked out quite well. Obviously a child's temperament can change based on factors such as tiredness, but you will be able to judge that from day to day. Our strategy is always to eat around 6pm, which is their normal dinner time. We have never had any of our children cause any type of disruption, and certainly not run rampant (or ramp-id hahaha)

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Have fun. When you get back, can you report on the condition of the GV?

For sure! We are getting very excited. We were in Gem's GV last January, and heard that this one is even more outrageous!

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Good question and interesting responses- thanks!

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