Cattie

Would these areas be the same for the Gem? Will be sailing in April. Also, do you have to stand by the ashtrays or can you sit and relax with a cocktail?

On the Gem this past Feb it's deck 7 promenade, we stood by the railing and sat in chairs, no one said anything. Deck 13 both sides of the bar, we had quite the gathering every morning! Also the casino, we used this a few times due to high waves and outside venues were closed, also upset a few people.

We cruised on the Gem 1/30. We've always been the same way "I can't cruise without a balcony" TBH we barely used it. Since we're smokers, we spent a lot of time up on deck 13 at the bar that's smoking. We even decided on booking an Family suite on the repo Oct 2016 that doesn't have a balcony. As long as I can see outside we're fine, and it's just a short walk to the pool if we want fresh air.

It's all personal preference. I like to be outside, but for our 14 day repo, we have a ton of ports so I figure the suite perks out weigh the balcony, especially if we want to get off super early at any port.

They were on the Gem 2 weeks ago. By day 3 my husband started adding cracky cracky, bleedy bleedy since his hands where so dry!! You would have thought I didn't bring a full size bottle of lotion on with me!

The coffee was BAD! So bad, we ended up getting latte's every morning in the atrium!

We went down early the first morning to get coffee and the whole Java cafe was full of broken glass. There was also perfume and makeup all over the floor in the atrium shop.

My aunt and uncle where in an ocean view on deck 4, hopefully they got some picks of the waves against the window.

Everyone I spoke to in the crew said it was worse the first day then the last. I'm not so sure!

Just off Gem yesterday, no IConcierge.

I ordered the bday package for my mom on our upcoming cruise, it doesn't show on her edocs, but it does show on the vacation summary of her account. Good thing she doesn't go on there and had printed her edocs before I purchased it =)

My DH and I were married in Bermuda in 2009. 3 weeks after we arrived home we had a blessing at our church and a reception for all our friends and family that couldn't cruise with us (we also had another cake and did our dances we didn't do on the cruise)

We were on RCCL out of Bayonne, NJ. It was a 5 day cruise, we had 2 days in Bermuda so I arranged our wedding the evening of the first day (6pm). Had cake and champagne on the beach then we headed back to the ship and treated everyone to the Italian restaurant. We had 18 guests not including ourselves. It ran us around $5000 (Way cheaper then it would have been at home)

I didn't go through the cruise ship, we had a wedding planner on the island that handled everything. The resort we used was called 9 Beaches. It was everything I wanted.

Cattie,

Thank you for your details as this is what I need to hear so we can move forward. I was thinking the same schedule - wedding at 4-5PM, followed by cake & champagne toast, dinner back on the ship (I was hoping to hold it on formal night at dinner but my daughter wants something private). I have a hard time, as I mentioned, paying for dinner and drinks in a private venue when we already have paid for dinner & drinks).

I will check out the private restaurant and prices.

Thank you again,

J

We actually used my mom's RCL CC points for OBC and paid that way. Didn't cost us a penny =) We kept using her CC to pay off peoples cruises then pay down the bill. Took about a month to do it, but we managed to get enough OBC for dinner and massages for us, my mom and MOH the day before the wedding.

Cattie, You wedding sounds very romantic and lovely.

 

Mind if I ask what is your Avatar? It interests me. :)

 

I wouldn't have done it any other way! And it's a Spanish soccer team Real Madrid. We're big fans in this house =)

I was married in Bermuda while in port on Explorer of the Seas. We had our ceremony at a resort the first day in port (we were in Bermuda for 2 days). We did dinner after the ceremony on the beach back on the ship at the Italian restaurant. As soon as we got on board we ran to the restaurant and made our reservations for 20 people. Depending on how many people are attending you might have to book out the whole thing, I'm not sure on the price. We did cake and champagne after our pics on the beach/ceremony. Then treated the deck party as our reception. We also had a reception for the family that didn't travel with us at home 3 weeks later with a church blessing ceremony.

How did you do the tour on your own? We're in PR in Feb and really want to go but NCL isn't offering a tour, so we're a little hesitant to do this on our own.

So my best friend who is cruising with me in Jan on the Gem LOVES Sponge Bob. She's 27, would it be odd if I treated her to the breakfast since she's an adult, or should I take my chances of her being able to do pics with him at another point?

We have only seen the fire doors closed once on NCL and have always been able to drop stuff off. I suggest having someone from the party slip off and try that and if the doors are closed, as a room steward and tell them what you want to do. I can't imagine they wouldn't let you decorate right quick.

 

We had them do the decorating for my son while we were in port one day. He was soooo surprised!

JMHAM, did you preorder it or do it while on the ship? My mom is turning 60 on our trip and I want to have her room decorated while we're in port but I don't want it showing on her edocs.

Every night when I get home from work I wash my face with the Oil of Olay face wash cloths (dry ones) to take my make up off and scub my face. I work in a casino and had problems breaking out from the dirt and smoke and using these cloths when I get home helped a ton to get all the funk off my face from the day.

Aveeno foaming cleanser in the shower, jojoba oil as a moisturizer and oil of olay cloths in the evening has worked wonders on my skin. I still get minor pimples but no where near as bad now. It's my swear by ritual.

You shouldn't have a problem. When I did my name change passport app after I was married our marriage license has both sets of parents on it (We where married in Bermuda) and has my FIL's middle name as our last name didn't have a problem at all.

I fill a small 2oz bottle from my big bottle of Woolite from home. I hate packing 20 bathing suits, so I pack 2 maybe 3 then rinse them out during the week to 10 day cruise we're on. And it always works well if my husband decides to spill something on his shirt at dinner. I tend to get him the polo shirts that are the quick dry material or moisture quick I think it's called (same material as a soccer jersey) keeps him cooler in warm climates but still looks nice.

I will have to pack a few bigger ziplocs this time, never thought of that!

You can just walk up to a table after the point is established and place your bet on the Pass line and take odds. It's the Don't Pass where you can't place a bet after the point is established.

Yes you can play the pass after the point is established, it's called a "put" bet. You however cannot remove the pass line bet once the point has been established.

 

This from a former craps dealer in Vegas...myself. ;)

I know Vegas is very different from AC where I've worked and now Maryland, but we don't let them come down on the pass after a point is established. We treat it as a place bet. I can't remember how it was on ships I've been on, since it's stuck in my head of not coming down late so I've never tried.

After reading this thread I did some research on the Black Cherry Concentrate. I have horrible feet, to the point the Dr wants to do surgery. I suffer from plantar fasciitis. In reading, I saw they are a good anti inflammatory. Well low and be hold, they work for my feet!! It's only been a few days and I can tell a HUGE difference. I'm taking 2 pills twice a day for now until I build it up in my system. My feet aren't 100%, but I say a good 70% difference. I no longer crawl to the bathroom first thing in the am, I just hobble a little. Today I walked all day at the Flower Show, and to and from the train, and here I am not wanting to cry.

THANK YOU! To whoever on this thread suggested these for swelling and making me look more into it. (I do also suffer from swelling on cruises and hope this helps on my 12 day coming up!)

I wish I would have known I could not use the unity sand I had brought in port (Bermuda)

 

I had a sand ceremony in Bermuda, no one said a word to me about it. The part that made me mad was the stupid a$$ that ran in through the xray scanner laid it down after my mother told them to keep it standing up!

- Relax, it's not going to be 100% perfect, just roll with the small things.

- Family is going to drive you bonkers. It's like there job apparently. My FIL blew our room phone up the day after our wedding. We finally unplugged it =)

-Assign a person who will be going to the ceremony before you to handle certain things with the wedding planner. Thank god for my Aunt. She made sure the bubbles, cake stuff, glasses, ipod and dock all made it to the site before me. Went over everything with my coordinator. It was so much easier.

I never had problems breaking out in high school, once I hit my late 20's I started breaking out and now I have it under control to an extent (I still get one or 2 occasionally)

What I do is in the shower I use the CVS version of Aveeno Clear Complexion foaming face wash. I don't use a moisturizer anymore. I use Jojoba oil. You put a drop or 2 in the palm of your hand and rub your hands together, use your fingers since there's less on them to rub it into your face. Jojoba oil actually tricks your face into thinking it produced enough oil for the day. Also it is very light so it doesn't clog your pores, it actually flushes them out. When I get home from work, I wash my face with one of the cloths with a make up remover in them and put the jojoba oil on again.

This has helped me sooo much. Last year I was breaking out so bad my chin was raw and bleeding.

Haha I love the pic of you guys giving the "ring finger" I've never saw that before way to cute!! That is so much like my hubby and I to do something like that, I wish I woulda knew about it before our wedding!!