pmoniz

We will be cruising to San Juan in March. The ship will be there from 4-10. Any suggestions on what we can do??

I will! I have a friend who has used him numerous times. Has always been happy. When are you going?

 

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We are cruising March 8th on the Gem

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I haven't used him before, but plan to in December.

 

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Perfect! Maybe you can let me know how it went when you return?? Thanks!

I was on the Gem in June. Saw Blazing Boots in the main theatre and it was highly entertaining. Even my partner, who doesn't like country music, really enjoyed the dancing.

 

Throughout the ship there was also excellent live entertainment at the bars, lounges, and in the atrium. There was a French lounge singer accompanied by a man on guitar and one on upright bass, called Sunset Trio... they were great! There was a band composed of three guys and a girl who did a Beatles tribute and did other rock/pop music that we caught whenever we could. There was a female singer playing acoustic guitar who was really really good. And there was a guy playing piano and singing Frank Sinatra-style music who I only caught once, but was excellent.

Woo hoo!! That's good to know that there was plenty of music to go listen to around the ship. Hopefully it stays that way until March! ;p Question, did they play in open areas of the ship or in a closed room? I find that when it's in an open area of the ship they stop playing around 10ish! Would be nice to listen to music and dance later than that beside the night club!

But BEWARE, LOTS of added taxes on hotels, so advertised rates and what you actually pay can be quite different. A few hotels even have "resort" fees which they call "urban hotel" fees.

Thank you! I never go by advertised rates.

Has anyone used Sonny Liston Tours lately? We went on a tour years ago with his wife Gigi and loved it!! It was a blast. Wondering if anyone has been recently?

OK - now I'm understanding the big picture better.

Your hotel date appears to be Mar 7, 2019, which is a Thursday. That's a business travel night, so rooms will be more expensive.

 

 

What bed size do you need if you're putting 4 people in a room? Two queen beds can be harder to come by. For your date the LaQuinta on W 32nd St is offering 2 Queens for $190 plus tax (even less with a senior or AAA discount). I tried this hotel precruise last Jan based on our NYC posters recommendation and was very happy with it and would definitely stay there again. Free breakfast, free internet, and modern upscale decor. It's in a great location near NY Penn Station, Herald Square (Macy's), subways, and the Empire State and about a $15 cab ride to the port. It's a short walk up Broadway to the Times Square area.

 

 

By comparison, the Comfort Inn near the port for your date is $220 plus tax for 2 double beds.

 

 

The problem with staying close enough to the port to walk is that there's really not much to do in the neighborhoods that far west in Manhattan. Staying in the 12th Ave area puts you at least four long avenues from Times Square.

Thank you sooo much for this information! I've looked into Fairfield Inn that Ano mentioned. It's a good deal @ $250 a night for 2 queen beds with AAA discount.

I'm not too concerned about being close to Time Square or other attractions. By the time we get into NYC it'll probably be late on Thursday night.

I'm going to look into LaQuinta now! Thanks again!

Do you have a travel agent? Are you seriously looking for rooms for 20+ people? Where are you all coming from? How much are you actually willing to pay for a hotel for 2 people?

 

One of the major pieces of advice that we give for sailing from the NY cruiseports is to NOT book transportation without considering the hotel and other transportation costs as well.

No need for a travel agent! I've planned at least 5 group cruises myself with no issues.

LOL no I am not looking for rooms for 20+ people. When I find one we are going to stay in I pass the info to the others they can book it or they don't! Their choice. I just gather info and pass it along! We usually put 4 people in a room and pay whatever - it depends where we're cruising from and how close we want to be to the port. In this case I'd like to be close so we can just walk or uber or taxi over to the port.

What is your exact date and number of people? What is your hotel budget? How are you getting to NYC from MA? Bus, train, or fly?

We aren't cruising until March 8th! Right now we have 27 people booked (whether they all go or not is to be determined!) Not sure if they all will be staying overnight, but the majority will. Budget...well, it's NYC I'm sure they aren't cheap! Don't want to spend $400 a night however! Our thoughts right now for transportation are possibly bus or train.

The Gem is my home ship. Sailed her many times. Posters have been pretty accurate. A couple comments:

1. Bridge viewing room on deck 11, port side, very cool.

2. Great outdoors aft, deck 12, great meeting place, nice for breakfast and quite hangout later in day in warm weather.

3. Deck 7, full wrap around walking or jogging deck.

4. Deck 13 bar, also nice warm weather hang out.

5. Deck 6 cigar lounge , great indoor smoking for the smoking crowd.

6. Deck 6, Bistro, great food, more intimate than larger ships.

7. The Grand Pacific is a really nice dinning venue. Great for lunch on the first day.

8. My wife loved the all week spa deal.

9. Deck 7 aft, Bliss, new design, very nice, good seating.

10. Cagneys on deck 13, great food, felt more intimate than the larger ships.

Overall, less crowds than Escape. Also, less people .

Going back in March for Gem cruise number 6.

Great info!! Thank you so much! We're sailing in March as well! The 8th!! Can't wait!

Or even get a hotel within walking distance of the port, if you are able-bodied. That is our usual plan. Suitcases up and down curbs are the main annoyance.

If you don't mind me asking, what hotel do you usually stay at?

I am organizing a pub crawl/poker run for our group. I'm hoping to find custom playing cards to give to everyone as a souvenir. Does anyone have a good source for this?

I bought some from eBay NCL playing cards and a few other items for a trivia and bingo game we played on our bus ride to the port. Try eBay!

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Most of the OP's post are on the NCL boards or similar topics, so I would say Manhattan

Yep, Manhattan! Thanks for the info mking8288

good point on the cake...and we dont really need it as my fiance isnt into dessert.

i think ill just get some stuff from the party store and hopefully get it into my suitcase undetected!

That's a good idea!! Just do it yourself or even bring the stuff and ask your room steward to put them up for you - give him a nice tip and you won't have to worry about it! Have a great cruise!

I don't know of any hotels in the NYC area that offer shuttles to the port (I'm assuming Manhattan) you can ask the concierge at your hotel to order you a car service upon check in for an agreed time. Taxi's are iffy, due to traffic. Traffic stops, meter keeps running. Car service...one agreed price

Great idea. Thank you! I'll look into a car service

Does anyone know of any hotels that offer a shuttle to the cruise port in NYC?

A couple of family members purchased this for my husband and I on our cruise on the Dawn in May for our 30th anniversary. It was a nice surprise to walk in to the room all decorated. We also had a cake as well. The only thing with the cake they wouldn't put it somewhere so we could have it at dinner the next night and it doesn't fit in the fridge in your room. So unless you eat it that day or the next I wouldn't get the cake! I'm not sure of the cost so I can't tell you if it's worth it or not. But it was a nice surprise!

We’ve been on the Gem several times, and are booked on her in October. One of the best in the fleet, she is easy to navigate. Just got off the Escape in April...waaaay too large. Food was disappointing.

Awesome!!! Good to hear!! I’m not a fan of the mega ships either.

Thanks for sharing all!!

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Are the doors on the Gem magnetic?? I think they are louvered from what I could tell in some pics??

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We returned from the Gem a couple weeks ago, like Jamie says "it was cold".

We loved it. Casino was a nice size for a ship that size. Loved Swing. We got thermal spa passes and the spa was great.

Don't miss the signature crepes every night for dessert in the buffet.

Only drawback was the line for the main dining room for meals. But they give you those buzzers that light up when your table is ready and we just went and had a pre dinner cocktail. Never waited more that 15-20 minutes for dinner. And loved the Grand Pacifica over Magenta dining room hands down.

Lots of great entertainment.

My only issue is I had the worst cabin steward ever in over 100 cruises.

Everything else was great!!!

Thank you for sharing!! I LOVE crepes and will make sure I don’t miss that!!!

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I was just on the Gem for the first time earlier this month. My only previous cruise experience was on the Escape in February, so it was hard not to directly compare the two.

 

Pros:

- Fantastic live music every day in various areas of the ship

- The "bar area" with Maltings/Shakers/Magnum's was a great place to get specialty drinks and hang out to listen to live music

 

 

Most excited about this!!! I hope it's the same in March. We found on the Dawn after a certain time there was really no other music besides Bliss Lounge - which wasn't the greatest!

JamieLogical - thank you so much for your opinion!! It kind of sounds like the Dawn (which we were just on in May). I prefer the smaller ships over the mega, but the layout of the Dawn was annoying with only being able to get to certain areas !!

Vince_g - We were originally going on the March 18th cruise but switched to the 8th because of work conflicts with a few people in the group! We enjoyed the Bamboo restaurant on Dawn so I'm excited about trying the Orchid Garden on the Gem!

I had credit card size deck plans made for everyone last cruise! Maybe I'll do that again!

Thank you all for your thoughts! Keep them coming!

Just booked a group cruise on the Gem for March 2019! What can you seasoned Gem cruisers tell us about the ship?? Hard to navigate, good hang out spots, adult section, etc.??

We just booked a cruise for March 2019 with a group on NCL Gem. Does anyone know of a tour company that we could hire for a pub crawl or should we just do this on our own? We'll be there 4-10 p.m.

We just went on a cruise to Bermuda May 25-June 1 and the weather was amazing! 80 degrees when we left Boston and 80s in Bermuda. Water temp was a little chilly but we all went in!! Have a great time!