AstoriaPreppy

Considered posting on the NCL board, but this is port-specific. Word on the streets is that NCL has a $25 port - Livorno Centrale train station shuttle bus, but it's only offered onboard and they don't like to talk about it. Does anyone have any specifics on if this shuttle is still running as of 2023, and experience using it? We're currently booked on a ship-sponsored "on your own" tour to Florence (mostly as a brainless transfer). However, we're experienced navigating regional trains in Italy if this shuttle would save money/offer more time/flexibility in Florence.

You should check out Princess. A few years ago, they had an entire production of what could best be described as "head scratchers you don't remember from the 40s and 50s." Not like great American songbook stuff, but odd, gimmicky songs. Watching a 20something woman wailing "THREE COINS IN THE FOUN-TAIN!!!" like an Idol contestant at the climax of the show has stuck with me much longer than it should have. The Gem had a licensed production of the Broadway musical Swing! until it was cut several weeks ago for (what I assume were) budgetary/licensing reasons. It was surprisingly good, especially for a show on a Jewel class ship.

Be forewarned that the internet on NCL is not great compared to a lot of the other mass market lines. The Gem is an older ship, and having sailed on it a bunch of times, be prepared for wonky connection issues (even when emailing). If it’s work-specific, extensive, or important stuff, you might want to compose emails in a separate doc you can save. That way you can copy/paste into your email to make sure you don’t lose anything.

Agree totally. The main theater shows on the Celebrity Edge blew anything NCL has done in-house out of the water... the aerialist in the water feature (on a cruise ship!) was astounding. We were also fans of We Will Rock You, as it was perfectly campy as a cruise ship musical.

I'd note that Royal Caribbean is weird in that they often physically close the physical buffet space when it's not serving food? We've seen this leads to queues at certain times, and bunching up at other times. Royal ships tend to have alternative venues (270, Park Cafe, etc) to spread out crowds, but people get fixated on the buffet. I also refuse to accept that anyone is waiting 30 minutes in line for the awful RCCL pizza. Maybe Princess or Carnival pizza (which is 👍), but not Royal pizza 🤣.

We've sailed both ships multiple times. If you've sailed on the "Revolutionized" Millennium (where they gut renovated the staterooms and many of the public areas), the Gem is going to feel very dated. Although the ships are a similar size, the Millennium has a much better layout/design, and feels less crowded than the Gem. The buffet on the Gem is also tiny for the number of passengers trying to use it. Some other thoughts on a TA on the Gem: Unlike the Millennium there is no solarium/inside pool for the general public to use. The pools used to be heated on the Gem sailing out of NY in the winter, but not sure if this is still the case. The Gem inside staterooms are smaller than the Millennium... no sofas or seating areas in the Gem insides. This probably isn't an issue if you're sailing alone. Re: entertainment. We've seen some real stinkers on both lines, but the Gem has a very "bad high school musical" vibe, where at least Celebrity seemed to be spending money on the Millennium shows. I would not go on the Gem expecting anything better than the Millennium, and possibly worse. That said, NCL is a very laid back vibe: shorts in the MDR and specialty dining venues for dinner... it's one of the reasons people like it.

NCL is very casual compared to ever other mass market cruise line... which is why many passengers enjoy sailing them. Only one of the specialty dining venues (Le Bistro) requires "smart casual," and this is generally considered to be a collared shirt (polo or nicer) and no shorts. As others have noted, one of the MDRs also used to be smart casual, but reports vary if this is still the case. You won't be out of place in any restaurant onboard in jeans. Re: internet. NCL is also notorious for having the worst internet of any mass market cruise line. It's a combination of poor internet/satellite, and infrastructure on the ship that hasn't been updated to meet current needs. Additionally, Alaska is also pretty fickle with internet coming from the satellites, since mountains and fjords don't lend themselves to good coverage. I wouldn't suggest getting the upgraded internet on NCL, especially in Alaska. The good news is that if you have an American mobile phone plan (AT&T, Verizon, etc), your phone and data will work flawlessly in most of the major ports. You'll have 5G coverage in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, and 4G many places while sailing the inside passage.

One thing I'd point out (having been on both lines multiple times) is that NCL ships always feel way more crowded than Royal Caribbean ships do. NCL hands a ton of space over to specialty dining, and then gives even more space over to the Haven. Additionally, NCL has a design philosophy of smaller venues: on Royal ships you'll find huge theaters and secondary lounges... NCL's recent ships have eschewed big spaces for intimate venues. That means more queuing up, lines, and crowding for certain spaces. Oddly, we have to pre-plan and book the most stuff in advance when we sail NCL... even though it's "freestyle."

I’d also recommend the Curb app when in a taxi… you can either request a yellow cab using the app, or get into a cab and pair using your phone (so you don’t need to get a card out to pay/tip). One note is that since the pandemic, cabs have gotten oddly pricy when picking up at the airport. A cab from LGA - my apartment 15 minutes away used to cost $16ish with a 20% tip a few years ago. Now this is running around $30 with the airport access fees that have been added on by the city/state in the past several months.

In NYC, Ubers/Lyfts are licensed livery vehicles (plate always starts with a T), so they generally have ample storage space for at least two pieces of luggage. As others have noted, you can just request an XL, or if you’re feeling fancy get a Lux or black car, but a normal vehicle should have space for at least two bags in the trunk. As a resident, I can say that Lyft/Uber essentially price match each other, so the price difference may be negligible. Both companies monitor the other’s pricing in real time so they’re usually within a dollar or two of each other (barring surge pricing fluctuations). What I do recommend is figuring out which of your credit cards or FF/hotel programs offers extra benefits, and use that service if possible. For example, Lyft offers 10x points for some Chase cards, and Delta skymiles for rides to the airport, so there’s additional incentives to use one service over the other.

“Wonderful baked wings” is what most Buffalonians would call an “oxymoron.” 🤣

Yikes and double yikes. I was aware of the 90 minute tender, but not the change from St. Marks to the old cruise pier. I'm also aware that NCL isn't a line that typically does port guides for passengers not on excursions, so I can only imagine the confusion getting off and seeing the monorail instead of the Doge's Palace. I will say that NCL is actually handling this much better than expected (based on our past experience with the line). They've notified us of the change far in advance and are coordinating complimentary bus transfers from Ravena to the bus terminal in Venice. We're arriving in Venice a few nights before the cruise and won't be going back, but I assume a lot of passengers are going to take advantage of the shuttles.

Can you share a bit more about your experience? Very curious to know what happened to get the line to back off the plan so dramatically.

I'm not an electrician, but I don't think cruise ship electrical systems in the cabin are built for high-power need electrical appliances (a Dyson Airwrap, etc)? That may be one of the reasons they tell you not to bring them. I remember reading a review on these boards from a woman who kept on having repeated power issues in her cabin: lights would go out, outlets would stop working, etc. It was only after a few days of tripping fuses, calling maintenance and waiting for a reset that she realized that it was the illicit Dyson blowdryer she was using each morning... she ended up using the horrible cabin one moving forward.

What NCL said they were doing was anchoring in the lagoon, then tendering people into Venice... not docking in Venice, where ships have been prohibited. They tested the tender into Venice once in 2022, then added it to the 2023 sailings... and then haven't attempted it once this season. As a passengers on the 14 August sailing, I'm just glad this got changed prior to boarding, instead of the typical NCL "oh, we had no idea that port we haven't been going to all season wasn't going to be on your itinerary" ridiculousness.

This would be interesting, and very much not what Carnival Corp does. Speaking from experience, the food/bev service is definitely more elevated when you stop at Half Moon Cay on a HAL ship v. Carnival. Higher quality proteins at the buffet, more selection, etc.

Speaking as a fellow New Yorker, I wouldn't suggest anyone from out of town take the subway to Red Hook to board. With bags, you're probably looking at a half hour walk from Smith & 9th to the pier. It's bad enough when you're trying to walk back from IKEA with a blue bag, I can't imagine starting a cruise that way.

I think this was a joke. Infinite Balconies have tested so well with the vast majority of passengers that Royal Caribbean is putting them on the Icon class.

If I'm not mistaken, HAL/Carnival never stop at Half Moon Cay on the same day so they don't mix the brands, and I think the same thing happened with X/Royal at Labadee. I don't see why Coco Cay would be any different.

I'd suggest that Cruise Critic users aren't representative of Celebrity's customer base in any statistically significant way. Celebrity has been an outlier amongst the mass market & premium lines for decades in not having a private island... being able to have a private stop, without needing to travel to a beach, where food (and alcohol if you have a bev package) is included is a no-brainer. It's also important to note that comments on a CC thread aren't actually what most passengers want. So much of what generates engagement on Cruise Critic is pearl-clutching ("you won't believe what I saw *those* people doing"), or weird nostalgia ("I miss the days where the maitre d would flambe your steak table side on the cheese trolly"). People pile on in these threads, but they're not representative of any of the experiences I've had with other passengers onboard a Celebrity ship. It's also why Celebrity execs roll their eyes at CC... they've got tons of internal data that is much more representative of guest experience than anyone griping about the removal of the fry-your-own-steak station in the buffet. If Celebrity is planning stops at Coco Cay, I'd assume they have evidence that shows the majority of guests would welcome this option (despited anecdotal bellyaching from message board users).

Pre-pandemic, Celebrity stopped at Labadee for years. Now that Coco Cay has a pier, this is a no-brainer.

I'd caution that 12 hours in port seems like a lot, but doing both the Vatican and Colosseum in the same day (plus travel time to/from Rome from Civitavecchia) is going to be a lot on your own. If you're going to St. Peter's, I would highly recommend the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel as well. The Museums have an almost incomprehensible amount of western art/history in them, and culminate with the Sistine Chapel at the end of the tour.

We really like the Pantheon Iconic. It's very modern, has some odd design quirks, and a very European vibe. The location can't be beat. It's an Autograph Collection hotel, so Americans should be prepared for a more boutique-style experience than a mainstream Marriott or Westin. You won't get the same gushing "thanks for being a gold member" that you will at the bigger hotels.

Is there some reason you wouldn't just get a taxi/car service to the port? You could get an Uber Black or Lyft Lux for $70 or $80... and a regular Uber for $50.

Was there a reason you skipped the tunnel? You avoid all the BQE traffic, and it dumps you right in Red Hook by the port.