parkslopegal

We just recently got off Gem. I am asthmatic. There was the smell of cigarettes and cigars in many areas of the ship including our balcony. We went to the library one sea day, looking for some quiet time and had to leave because of the smell of cigarettes and the library is next to the spa/fitness center! The sun deck smelled of smoke as did Magnums Champagne Bar where we liked listen to music. Our clothes even smelled of smoke on some night. It’s a problem. 

4, 6 or 8 bottles and you can choose 3 levels of wine from less expensive to more. We chose the Connisseur level, the most expensive. 

9 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

Before NCL started bundling the beverage package promo with its prices, we always did the Viva Vino package.   Before our last NCL cruise, I tried to find the VV package on NCL's website and couldn't find it.  I called NCL and was told it wasn't offered.  Didn't see it offered once onboard.  Where did you find the VV package?

I found out about it through reading the CC boards and asked my TA. Its a big secret for some reason. Anyway, I got it on the Gem. If you want to see the wine selections offered, just look through the boards. I can’t remember where I saw the menu. Good luck!

We did find the Viva Vino package when we boarded. They directed us to the Orchid Garden Restaurant and one of the sommeliers took great care of us. We got 8 bottles for $216. They gave us 8 tickets with the names of the wines we selected and any time we wanted a bottle, we just gave a waiter or bartender a ticket and they promptly got it for us, opened it and gave us glasses. We could drink it anywhere on the ship. The wines were ok, not great but we thought it was a good deal as we only drink wine usually. 

We just got back. We left the ship, walked right outside the gate of the port, and there were a lot of taxi vans. You tell them you want to go to Atlantis and they put you in a van with 8 people. It’s $4 per person and it takes about 10 minutes to get to Atlantis. They drop you in front of the Coral Towers. We bought our day passes on line directly from Atlantis. They were $69 per person. When we arrived, we went to the Atlantis Discoveries area, got on the pre-purchase line and picked up our wristbands and they gave us a map and a tote bag. We walked through the aquarium (stingrays, turtles, fish) and headed toward the beach. On the way, we found several towel huts and picked up our towels. It’s a pretty long walk to the beach and I recommend you use the restroom at the Coral before going to the beach because its a long walk from be beach to any restroom. They are doing a bit of construction so some of the usual facilities are closed off. When we arrived at the beach, it was gorgeous. There were attendants right at the entrance and we got our chairs with overhead shades. There were several attendants who came around to offer drinks in coconuts. They were $15 each and were very strong. We hit it in time for a 2 for one special! The beach is really nice with the typical blue and green Caribbean views but the water was rough. There were people swimming but I was afraid to. My husband picked up lunch for us at the seashell restaurant. We had 2 giant salads that were pretty good but it is very expensive. You can bring your own food if you prefer to. After the beach, we were able to rinse off at showers right by the beach entrance. The only criticism I had was that the signage is poor and it took us a long time to find our way back to the Coral but a nice staff member escorted us when we got lost. We got a cab van easily right outside of the Coral and headed back to the cruise port.  We enjoyed the day very much. 

Ship - Gem

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9588

Stateroom Category - BA

Starboard or Port side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? - yes

Balcony view - unobstructed 

Balcony size - normal

Was wind a problem? - some nights the wind caused the balcony door to whistle and creak

Any specific problems with this cabin?  - the toilet clogged on the first and last day. The plumber came right away and drained it from the outside. We had little hot water on the last day but I think that was a ship wide issue.  A bit dark at night and needs another side table by the bed. The toilet is ridiculously tight. I’m small and could barely fit. It’s nice to have a shower with a sliding door but no need for a door by the toilet too.

Any other comments? - good location close to elevator/stairs but not close enough to be bothersome. Very clean, bed pretty comfortable. 

Since we’re on the topic of wine, are there corkscrews in the cabins or should we bring our own, if they are even allowed?

Awesome! Thank you for sending the menu. 

Thank you. I asked my travel agent and she thinks they have it but it might not be available on every cruise. Hopefully, it’s on our Gem cruise on 10/27!! 🤞🤞

Well, that stinks. Thanks for the reply. 

Does anyone know if the Viva Vino wine packages are still being sold on embarkation day? This is our first time on NCL and we are trying to get the most economical deal on wine. We plan to bring a few bottles with us and know we will have to pay corkage but we saw some posts about Viva Vino and are interested. Help, please!! 

Azamara sometimes leaves from San Juan.

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We found the bed to be very comfortable. The pillows are large and fluffy. I asked for one more and found that to be perfect. The sheets are nice and cool too.

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We upgraded and did NOT receive additional OBC. Read my post “OBC screw up”

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Just got back. All good. Really nice place.

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Just got back. We had an over the water cabana but saw others on the beach that were occupied. They all looked good. Great beach area. Wear water shoes for the rocks.

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Just got off Quest and will write a longer review next week but I need to get this off my chest now. We had a $200 OBC and we upgraded to a CC suite. When we embarked, we received a letter from LCV informing us that we had $300 OBC. I thought, well how nice, we got an extra $100 for upgrading to the suite at a cost of $398. So, we changed one of our excursions and I booked a spa appointment to use the credits. On the second to the last day of the cruise, right before my spa treatment, I noticed the message light on our phone was blinking so I retrieved the message. It was the purser’s office apologizing for an error and that our OBC was only $200. I was not happy so I sent my husband down to the office to discuss. They said they left the message 3 days before and refused to credit us. My husband explained that we had already spent the $300 but they didn’t budge. Granted, I didn’t see the message but perhaps a letter under our door would have been more obvious? And, since it was the ship’s error, I really feel like they should have eaten the cost. We are loyal customers and never complain but this pissed me off. A bunch of travel agents on our cruise were shocked to hear this. Really bad business. Even though it was only $100, I still feel it was wrong.

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Checked today and it was updated. Thanks again.

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Thanks for your reply. I hope they update the cabin number in MyAzamara.

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We just took advantage of the LCV upgrade and are moving from a veranda cabin to a club continent suite. We had already completed and printed our Xpress Pass with the old cabin number. Our TA has sent us the new cruise documents reflecting the change but will we be able to see the change in MyAzamara with the ability to reprint the Pass with the new suite number or do we just wait until we arrive at the embarkation port to deal with this? Cruise is in 6 days.

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Yes and karaoke there as well.

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White wine supposedly takes out red wine stains--so just drink some red wine, spill it, follow with a white wine chaser, spill it on the red wine stains and you're golden!

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And just to add more color (pun intended), they do a great barbecue and buffet and provide entertainment with lots of folks dancing. It's really fun!

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22 on Azamara!!☀️☀️

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Thanks all for providing some comfort. Appreciate the suggestions!

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