barb-ottawa

The sideways cabins are mid-ship insides on the jewel class ships - I believe the category is IB. We have always stayed on deck 9 - actually cabin 9623 - on the Gem, Pearl and Jewel. It's a perfect location, close to the elevators and the staircase for a quick jaunt down to the Blue Lagoon on 8 for our coffee in the morning to take outside on Deck 7. The size of the cabin is probably the same, square footage wise, but it is laid out differently so it appears bigger - especially the bathroom.

As another cruiser from Ottawa, would like to add my two cents re the inside vs oceanview vs balcony cabin. We have completed eight NCL cruises on the jewel class ships. Our first two cruises were in a balcony cabin and while we found the balcony enjoyable, we also were subjected to problems from our balcony neighbours - mothers screaming at their children with the balcony door open, loud drinkers/smokers enjoying their balcony late into the night, balcony doors left open and the TV turned up so the occupants (and everyone else) could hear it while on the balcony. So on our third cruise, we opted for an inside cabin - and a "sideways" one at that - we have never looked back. We find the inside cabins to be exceptionally quiet and with no view, we spend less time in the cabin and enjoy the ship more. The "sideways" cabin was a great find because the bathroom is bigger and less constricting (especially when sitting on the throne). Our last cruise in March, we were upgraded to an oceanview and we didn't like it as well as our inside, sideways cabin.

We've cruised often during NHL playoffs and have never been able to see a game on TV. Had to follow the scores on the ticker-tape at the bottom of the screen on ESPN.

Cruised last year during playoffs and there were NO games shown. Had to follow the games on the running "ticker tape" at the bottom of the screen on the sports channel.

Have never sailed out of Boston before but have read that the cruise port is only 10 minutes from the airport. Is a 10:20 am flight do-able? Thanks.

Fire and Ice is a fantastic duo. They never fail to get the crowd going, crew dancing and everyone having a great time. Their Motown set is fantastic as is her Tina Turner set. Enjoy!

Wow. Yes, walky-talkies work on the ship. My husband and I use them occasionally to let each other know where we are on the ship (we are both 60's curmudgeons). I'd apologize if they bothered anyone, but I can't imagine they were any more bothersome than your kids screaming on the balcony or running around the dining room or you shouting back and forth while I am trying to nap on the deck chair. Sheesh.

Sailed on the Gem in April and again in October and I have to agree that there were some issues. The ice cream machine in the Great Outdoors was broken in April and still broken in October. The toaster in the Great Outdoors was in the same poor condition in October as it was in April - broken knobs, etc. We had a couple of instances in the MDR where we couldn't make ourselves understood to the waiter - he was having considerable difficulty with English. Also in the MDR, we had to wait several times to be seated for dinner, even though it was early and not busy, because there were only "sharing tables" available. In all our previous NCL cruises, we have never encountered this before. There were other changes we noticed, like no more happy hour at Maltings, higher beer prices, increased ticket sales prior to shows, more pressure to buy Paradise Lotto tickets in the casino. We will still sail NCL, but these changes are disappointing.

The absolute best show on my 8 NCL cruises was Oh What a Night - tribute to the Four Seasons. In fact, I found them much better than Jersey Boys!

I guess that's a "no"? Anyone have any information for me?

We have only sailed on the jewel class ships and have avoided the larger ships, but are contemplating the Epic. We prefer the inside "sideways" cabins. Is there an equivalent "sideways" cabin on the Epic or are they all the same configuration? Have looked at some you-tube videos on the Epic inside cabins and am not thrilled with the layout, especially the chopped-up bathroom area. Am hoping that there is another configuration available for an inside cabin. Thanks!

Recently on the Gem, we were told to be out of our rooms by 8-8:30. We prefer to do easy walk-off with our own luggage and didn't want to drag our luggage to breakfast so we asked our room steward if we could leave our luggage in the room and come back for it after breakfast - about 9. There was no problem doing this. Then we hung around on the 6th floor near Maltings while they called all the luggage colors. We had a late flight so we were in no rush to get off the ship. When you do the easy walk off with your own luggage, you can leave the ship whenever you want (obviously not later than the last color call).

My husband and I love comedy shows, but we can't classify the Second City troupe as the least bit funny. Well we actually laughed a bit the first time we saw them, but on two subsequent cruises we left shows because the skits were repeated. We particularly enjoyed Jeff Harms on the Gem in April but were very disappointed to hear the same jokes at his show in October on the Gem. Surely we are not the only repeat cruisers??

My husband and I have sailed NCL 8 times and have avoided the "super" ships because of the number of passengers. You mentioned that the entertainment was good - was it difficult to get into the shows and other entertainment venues every night? On sea days, were you able to find some quiet deck places to read or just relax? Thanks.

As Canadian citizens, we have never had anything but out passports checked at immigration in both Miami and New York. Off the Gem last month in NY we were certainly made to feel like unwelcome. Waited in a separate line for almost 2 hours to clear customs as we watched the entire ship clear of US citizens. And we were only asked for passports and customs forms, so it wasn't because of new security procedures. First time this happened and it was a disappointing end to our cruise.

After two bad experiences with balcony staterooms (noisy neighbors), we decided to go with an inside cabin and chose a sideways cabin. We LOVED it. As mentioned above, there is no hallway as you enter, so the cabin appears bigger and you are not in each other's way if one has to use the bathroom and the other is trying to get into the closet. The bathroom is most definitely bigger in this configuration. We always look for a sideways inside cabin when we cruise.

We've sailed out of New York on NCL three times and I'm sure we've had breakfast in the MDR on disembarkation day. And we are usually off the ship following breakfast and with our own luggage to meet our ride at 10 a.m.

How much time does it take to get from the Boston airport to the cruise port? I am assuming all lines go from the same port - we would be going with NCL. Thanks.

Does this shuttle make several trips back and forth to the beach/pier or do you have to stay at the beach for several hours?

Question regarding room service. Does it cost extra? Should you tip even though you are going the $10/day route? Thanks.