mking8288

Just checking up on Gem's live shipcam - seeing large waves ,probably 18' to 21' on average, may higher at times and white caps, pretty large sea swells. As noted above, cruisemapper have the GEM tracking almost on a southeast heading, pointing toward Charleston/Jacksonville to basically sail around the big Atlantic storm, before turning north at some point tomorrow as the system pull further east away from land & coastal. That's good, smart & safe navigation up on the bridge - expect things to be worsen somewhat in the next 16 to 24 hours (sorry, reading the predictive charts on Windy App.) Our last time on the Gem was Dec. 2019 just before the Covid shutdown and satellite WiFi wasn't too bad, slow as expected but usable - actually comparatively better to the "performance" onboard these days with some of the newest & bigger NCL ships in the fleet ... if only they bring on Starlink, a win-win for all. Uploading the forecast track ... Monday morning's arrival, sunny & breezy, morning temp about 35 degree with a high of 45, not bad for mid January. It's possible that you are beginning (already ??) to feel gale and/or strong gale force cross wind, coming diagonally across the bow & starboard side. Ship's navigational channel (11) gives very useful real-time info as it happen, unlike the newer mega ships. BTW, do you know about & get a chance to visit the ship's Bridge Viewing Room - it's usually open, dust to dawn, on sea days, to visit, Deck 11 Fwd Port side, unless they choose to close it for operational & safety reasons - it's real cool, we always stop in there to see the Mermaid, Robbie. Just curious as to the fleet-wide MDR Lunch Menu, which hasn't been exactly exciting for us in 2022 - not sure if they changed out & substituted things again at the beginning of 2023. If you manage to take a screenshot & upload (post-cruise is fine) ... it will be much appreciated b/c we will be eating off that a few times soon on upcoming sea days, just trying to figure out our options and/or split among O'Sheehan's & maybe with paid SD that's open, TIA.

@OttawaJohn and also to @wally4ever Thank you for the review & comments, we're on the Joy twice in 2022 and surely can identify with many of the comments & feedback. WiFi was bad and documented in our Semi-Live report with benchmarked #'s - thankfully, our upgraded basic limited didn't really cost us & DW was happy she can go to her iPad most of the time ... once I'm disconnected, the priciest among all the mass lines while the slowest. Fell in love with the Fwd Observation Lounge & also in the Haven O.L. - same view out front, really - save a bundle, LOL. Cruise pier/terminal check-in and boarding issues, not unique to San Pedro and New York, NCL tossed the bucks to shore-based, outsourced contractors but they still wear the NCL-branded ID tags and can't entirely evade their obligations & making ongoing efforts to address some of the issues ... well, up to a certain point, labor & CBP staffing issues on land among matters they can't directly engage it. "The soap and shampoo were really bad. We heard others complaining about it as well. Just seemed very low quality " these points raised, by itself, aren't deal breakers but suggest trending that's been commented upon here on CC lately with regards to NCL (and, other lines also put measures in place to trim costs) The bottle dispened body wash, shampoo & hand wash isn't anything new - even Haven are switching over to wall dispensing (haha, well to the new Sail & Sustain) ... same as when we checked into our Marriott studio & suite these days, except they aren't using Johnson & Johnson, yet. Others have also "reported" - to each her/his own as some are indifferent - of similar feedback and lead one to suspect, lower quality products are being substituted, as we didn't noticed any difference last September onboard the Joy. Things do happened, often quickly & without notice, hoping that most will not feel & smell the difference ... a few of us do pay attention to details. Will just pack more items ourselves to bring along, 2 or 3 travel sized bottle products of our own choice isn't difficult as we aren't flying (sailing next weekend) ... perhaps, TSA will move faster to get rid of those silly 3-1-1 rules, as other countries are done with it, using newer & better technologies to mitigate "threats". Our balcony on Deck 15 Mid/Aft near the elevator was quiet, didn't feel vibrations when ship ran at full speed but we heard others on the lower decks, AFT balconies with noise issues - not much we can do with the design ... avoid booking those cabins next time. Thanks for sharing & the time writing to post here. Much obliged and Cheers.

On our upcoming 12 nights, it stated in MyNCL account that Dining packages can be purchased and added onboard on Day 1 and 2 only. YMMV. Go to the Restaurant Reservation Desk and ask nicely about it, perhaps call the Restaurant Manager & identify yourself as being with Cruise critic, and see if s)he can help in making an exception. Newly raised prices at some of the price fixed SD revenue are pretty ... Good luck & do share with us if you are successful. Happy cruising with the remaining 8 days ahead. Cheers

Not an NCL / at sea internet legend by any means, NCL crew members stationed strategically, especially near the elevators & stairs by the gangways on embarkation day ... making best efforts to direct all boarding passengers to take the elevators up to the buffet, going as far back as year 2000 when we started cruising on the Norwegian Sea. We knew better then, just politely smile and thank them for the suggestions, and we just disappear from their sights & proceed to the MDR - on the Sea, Dawn, Crown, Jewel, POA and Gem days ... very easy with a straight path on Deck 7. Free storage for carry-on bags was usually offered & available then, port side, unlike these days while staterooms were being readied. Back then, the Haven concept wasn't even conceived, let alone came to NCL. With the Dawn, it was also easy to announced that one is heading to the Blue Lagoon - continue & round the corner ahead, is the stairs down to the MDR for a quiet sit-down embarkation lunch with full table service. Know it all newbies on CC ... LOL

@EllieinNJ Hi, again ... since last September's M&G onboard the Joy. Think POSITIVE - wasn't that an excellent cruise to New England & Canada, we lucked out & just missed the storm that roared across days later, affecting the subsequent sailing. We are going to bring the Getaway safely home & disembark as you get ready to embark ... Happy & Healthy belated New Year 2023. Regards & Best Wishes.

Oh, we missed the old classics like Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals on stage at the Stardust Theater, old days when Jean Ann Ryan Productions ran them - then, to cut costs ... NCL Productions came around & took over, and wasn't too popular initially but "Fountains" was fun & entertaining then with the CD on stage in a leading role ... and some of the crew talent shows weren't bad. Maybe, Frankie & Harry Company is going to re-train among the more talented crew members to become the next wave of onboard entertainers ... keeping in line with Sail & Sustain by digitizing those stage sets with 3D virtual ones. /s Just not going to walk into a semi packed theater to watch a movie while some folks are heard coughing & sneezing, etc. etc. Could do that safely from the privacy & relative safety of one's suite and stateroom, studios to balconies, it really doesn't matter - and Room Service specials at 50% off ... a winner ?? Gotta have a sense of humor these days.

It's easier for some than others. I have a dual monitor setup with my desktop PC - one in usual landscape mode, widescreen format and the other swing 90 degree (sideway) or portrait mode (as if you are looking at a full letter size page, word processing mode) - you then do a PrintScreen command (PC & Chromebook) - paste into a graphics app, edit, trim & save as a graphics file (most commonly, as *.JPG format) Once that's ready, it's easy to "insert" into email and sent or submit, no attachements and/or you can still include the SH statement and request form together as well. Done & wait for the acknowledgement. Let's just hope that NCLH isn't going to temporary suspend this valuable giveaway benefits, despite its "enhanced" restrictive use onboard.

Beautiful and stunning pictures & photography !! Thank you for sharing. Freestyle Dailies are tremendously helpful, giving us heads up in what to expect and adjusting plans.

If you enjoy surfing, watch it up high on Spinnaker Lounge, Deck 13 Fwd ... We're in an OV, Deck 4 Fwd a week after Sandy in 2012 on the Gem, blasted our way thru a NorEaster - 30 to 40 ft. waves & strong gale diagonal across the bow for 15 hours leaving NY, unforgettable giant submarine porthole view of raging sea. Tomorrow, not looking pretty heading in but ... trust the bridge & ship captain. Should be able to plot & cut a path thru, probably quite rocky for a few hours and stay indoors, outside decks closed for safety 🛟 Recently, it was reported that another cruiseline's ship captain (think it was Carnival) ordered stewards to lock down & secured all the balcony doors while sailing thru the Golf of Mexico ahead of forecast ... that's pretty rare.

OP - rest assured, you can easily walk across 12th Avenue at W. 48th Street (it's a wide avenue, traffic-signal controlled with a pedestrian safety island in the middle for folks that are slower to get across) to access Pier 88 and Pier 90 via street level, choice of giant elevator and/or escalators when ship(s) is there, as it is a secured area & mainly locked when cruise ship isn't expected. Here are some pix of what it looked like, done for our upcoming roll call's purposes - post #187 has the street views that you are looking for.

Over at Carnival, one of the ships embarking an hour earlier (today) than scheduled, probably due to revised/updated weather forecast.

If you are on a 2 device package, you are only limited to using any 2 devices at the same time - you can register as MANY devices as you carry & wish. i.e. On an upgraded 1 device plan, it's usually my primary Android, my backup iPhone and another Android dual-sim, plus either the laptop or Chromebook, and iPad mini. You will see the newest device signing in with a pop-up alert that another device is connected, and continuing with disconnect the other device in order to go "live" ... (thus, signing your account out of the other device that "was" logged in)

Bermuda's public fast ferry runs year-round, it is on their WINTER schedule and services are limited, and especially on weekends & island holidays, always check ahead. NCL's fast ferry to St. George's ("Spirit of ") that docked across from NCL ship whenever it's there, run on its own special schedule that align with ship's sailing time. The last ferry for the day usually returns at 5 pm (or 1 pm if the ship sail at 3 p.m. with all abroad by 2:30 p.m.) "Current" schedule always posted on the deck & when in doubt, ask the ferry crew. Our friends were there in Bermuda last month for a scheduled 5 days cruise out of NY and took advantage of the free NCL ferry, show your Guest Key Card to board. Just be advised that some shops are closed for the winter season while others are open with winter schedule in place. Check & sync your watch and smartphone's clock, the Pier Runner's Club membership is free but very expensive if the ship sail without you & disembark your belongings and luggage on the pier with the port agent.

Pull out more photos from DW's SS Galaxy - just to illustrate ... and, that's the Grilled Fisherman's Platter - a la carte priced now at $45 + 20%, of course, few pay "full" price & dine with the package, except, some do ... We are going to use these to compare, later this month onboard - stay tuned for it.

@evanskl4 One thing I forget to "Evan" & you should know this - please check, review & confirm your newest NCL confirmation with the Amenities, seeing that both of you are Latitudes members already - if you upgraded to the SP, you are getting at least triple points (2 points with the current promo and 1 extra point for the suite, that's per night) For the November cruise, I'm not 100% certain but since it is more than 6 months out, should be another extra point as in "quad points per night" or 4 points times X number of nights (i.e. 4 x 7 = 28 points, nice one) Other friends of ours that we met thru CC several years ago just recently booked something similar, they got the triple points promo & used 2 CruiseNext certs (holiday/new year specials, since expired) that they didn't know were extended for a year - able to use 3 deposits to book an AFT balcony for a very nice price ... they are currently on Royal's AOS somewhere but it was still good & they are excited. Check & decode those Latitude codes. Enjoy that extra space & perhaps we'll hear from you after your return from Bermuda ... Ron was the GM both in May & Sept - has a great team under him, no matter what category you are booked, they try to please - within confines of what they can do. With the extra money spent and saved over Haven, you can do a lot to pamper that cruise week to enjoy the extra space. It's about the same size as the Marriott suites that we often stay in and everyone is going to have her/his personal space ... even with one housekeeping service daily ahead. Regards & best wishes ahead for happy cruising ... until our next Semi-Live, somewhere ... soon.

Hmmm, is that the regular line, one booked on NCL shorex (priorities) or free for all ?? Curious minds like to know what time was the ship cleared by local officials and pax started down the gangway onto the pier, assumed facial recognition used to speed the exodus.

Nice pictures, great job updating. Now, cellular 4G and 5G where supported. Enjoy San Juan. Not bad, just minutes behind, gangway ready & cleared to go ashore yet 😎

Disappointed as I'm sure, at least they are issuing non-refundable OBC for the short cruise. Brace for choppy seas, waves & strong (near gale force) wind, and a choppy ride, especially on the way back in, that's in the maritime forecast. Make the best out of it. Cheers !!

Tracking the Getaway on marinetraffic - looks like she's about 65 to 70 km or just under 40 nm from San Juan at 2 p.m local time, she's running 21 knots but still calculated to be a bit behind scheduled 4 pm arrival ?? Knowing that satellite WiFi is slow & sluggish, no need to comment until later on - as our scheduled time on the next sailing has already been cut by 1 hour, leaving at 9:30 pm 😧 Meanwhile, feedbacks from the MDR everyday Lunch menu at sea, and the evening Dinner menus "downstairs" as to changes ... are they doing daily Chef's Specials. Again, no rush from any of the "contributors" riding on Laszlo's Live Report. Enjoy San Juan & Cheers !!!

Bidding typically opens up (used to) at 90 days, lately ... some reported it's a little further out and sometimes, you'll need to use the "upgrade" option on the NCL App to check for it. Haven bids are mad crazy high these days and now with the extra "live bidding" option sometimes tossed in, I'll save that $6,000 and book another cruise instead. Thanksgiving cruises almost certain to be sold out this Fall, so the odds of a steal on bidding, if offered at all - probably odds aren't favorable. We had the option to bid for all the Haven suite last May, ship sailed around 60% capacity (or less ??) only and bid prices were too bad, things began changing with our Sept Joy cruise to Canada/NE - 2 of us just book a balcony. The only thing missing is really a good size balcony (and, it is "slightly" bigger than those on the BA and GA or Escape) ... if you got it with a good price with the current promotion (Triple Up ?? that ran briefly) just count the days & enjoy, it is super spacious by NCL standard, cleverly designed and tons of closet space. Bring some decorations from home & you can really bring it alive. With the money saved over Haven, you can get flower basket, chocolate & goodies from "catering" and live it up. Ideal for up to 5 although it can sleep 6 - the 2nd. or smaller bedroom has enough space to fit a rollaway bed, and with that - leave the LR sofabed in place for sitting (although, not sure if the steward or "room attendant" can and will be able to do it ... just a thought for you. Glad that the Semi-Live continued to help.

It brews, IMHO, a weak 5 to 6 oz. cup of joe ... like mine strong & need to use 2 pods together. Sometimes, it's semi-hiding in the back corner of the closet's top shelf, along with 2 cups, minus the set-up.

@cruiseny4life It's a good thing I finished my morning cup of Joe already or else ... that's among the first change DW noticed a few days after a cruise. I "regret" to share a secret with you, there is no cure for missing the rolling seas and the remedy is to just move and do the next cruise, sooner the better - think you are set to go again soon. I was going to edit my last post here, that @JIMESOPUS is probably using NCL Air with either 1 or maybe 2 day deviation, leave the GA next Friday & use the $50 shorex credit to do the direct airport transfer, relax & fly to NOLA (that hang around in NYC, which he can do easily year-round) being that it's winter (already it's rather nice & warm here, wearing shorts inside our townhouse) - as that take the stress of flying these days ... and perhaps, go check out Bourbon Street before boarding on the 22nd. How's that for "detective" work in guessing his scheme 😉 And, GA's WiFi remains unreliable and inconsistent - apparently.

@uneamie NCL's iCafe will happily sell 30, 60 and 100 minutes of extra airtime as add-on to you, especially toward the latter part of any cruise, promotion calling it their disembarkation special. It was priced something like $1 /min for the smallest plan, 75 cents /min for the larger 60 or 100 minutes - don't quote me on the exact amount they are charging these days ... probably someone else will have the current / latest costs. After Feb. 1st. - I will know the $$ amount after getting back from the GA. And, you can use any available non-refundable OBC to pay for it. For voice & text, WiFi calling - it's plentiful if you run low - of course, on sea days and toward the end of the cruise, satellite WiFi internet is the worst onboard b/c about 1/3 to 1/2 of the ship are making plans, reconfirming limo pickup, getting flights online check-in & seat assignments, saying hi to their pet-sitting services, etc. - expect it to be even slower & sluggish ... at least until NCL decide to switch & roll out Starlink (now used on the Breakaway only)

Gooood morning, beautiful pictures uploaded and looks like a nearly perfect trip southbound on the Atlantic with calm seas. Continued to follow along 😃 @Joesantos CD is Alvin Olivia, info also in the Freestyle Daily. We first met him as ACD on the Breakaway in 2014 and earned his CD promotion later, he's friendly & outgoing and fun. Perhaps Tiara was just relieving and Alvin just came back from vacation as the regular 😎

@cruiseny4life He (Jim) as OP, is currently on the GA, sailing with Laszlo & others and ran the Roll Call, M&G ... but not doing a Live Report, just posting as needed. He is then hopping over to the BA that sail on 1/22 out of NOLA, not going back home up the Hudson ... staying somewhere between 1/20 after disembarking GA before embarking the BA. I think, that is his plan - just starting his real Live Report focused on the BA 2 weeks early, LOL. Keep us CC "addicts" busy following the trails, read & post, and comments, etc.