Gem Review - 3/8/08 Sailing - Very Long!

Bottom Line

 

Background

 

My friend Linda and I are in our 50s. This was my 8th NCL cruise (15th overall), Linda's 7th NCL cruise (13th overall). We booked the GEM primarily because she's a new ship and sails out of NYC, which is very convenient for us since we both live locally. I booked the cruise through my NCL Personal Cruise Consultant, Mike Karch.

 

Embarkation

 

We arrived at the pier around 11:15 am. The process was easy and efficient. I like how they have front-loaded all of the check-in process. First, we dropped off our bags at curbside. The porter was taking our bags before we even realized it ($5 tip for 3 bags). We proceeded through the security checkpoint, which is pretty much identical to those at airports – we walked through a metal detector and carry-ons went through an x-ray machine. Minutes later, we were at a counter, establishing our onboard accounts with credit cards, having our photos taken for the ship’s security database (used at ports when you disembark and reboard the ship), getting our key cards (used for shipboard purchases and as room keys), and getting issued a slip of paper with an embarkation number. Be sure to submit your Advanced Registration form (either online or through the mail) but print out a copy and take it with you at check-in just in case your data isn’t entered into their system properly. Next came the embarkation photo, after which we were seated in the waiting area. There was hot chocolate and orange juice available in addition to a couple types of sheet cake. After waiting about 30 minutes, embarkation began. We were onboard a little after noon.

 

At the end of the gangway, upon entering the atrium, we each received a complimentary glass of champagne. We were also given slips of paper indicating that our cabins wouldn’t be ready until approximately 2 pm (no surprise). We headed to the Grand Pacific main dining room for lunch. Despite the staff trying to steer us to the buffet (after all, they can’t accommodate all the passengers in the Grand Pacific), quite a few passengers made their way to the Grand Pacific.

 

There were also sample drinks being offered at some of the bars and food samplings at some of the specialty restaurants. I can’t confirm that this took place at all bars and all restaurants.

 

It should be noted that this sailing had quite a few spring breakers onboard, probably nothing like the current sailing (3/15-22) but still a noticeable number. I applaud them for their good behavior. Based on what I saw and heard from fellow passengers, there were only a few minor incidents but probably nothing beyond what is typical for any given sailing. I was also impressed by their overall enthusiasm (e.g., using the hot tubs and even dipping into the pool on a chilly sailaway afternoon) and unbridled passion in games like The Quest. It all served to liven up the cruise experience without stepping out of bounds.

 

Stateroom

 

An announcement was made over the PA right around 2 that the cabins were ready. We were booked in 11566, a portside AF mini-suite. We were very pleased with the location and accommodations – spacious, plenty of storage drawers, roomy closet with lots of hangers, spacious balcony, coffeemaker, a safe that was eye-level, a desk with two chairs, a roomy sofa that could be made into another bed if needed, a flat-screen tv, a small coffee table, a curtain that could be drawn to separate the tv/sofa area from the beds, a bathroom with a full tub, and a mini-fridge that was stocked but still had enough room for a couple of six-packs of soda that we had carried on. We were originally intending to have the steward empty the fridge but we decided that it really wasn’t necessary.

 

The two beds had been prepared as a single bed. We asked the steward to separate the beds and it was done later in the afternoon. We also requested an extra towel to be supplied throughout the cruise – no problem there either. Two bathrobes were hanging in the closet and two beach towels were laid out on the bed.

 

The bathroom was partitioned into three sections. On one side was the toilet, separated from the rest of the bathroom by a sliding door. In the middle was the sink area with several small shelves on the wall, probably adequate for most people’s toiletries. A liquid soap dispenser is also on the wall. There are also a couple shelves under the sink. The tub is very deep, so getting in and out of the tub may not be as easy as at home. There’s a clothesline above the tub and the tub has a 3-part sliding door, not a curtain (Linda loved this feature). The tub’s water controls might be a little tricky to some: instead of a cold water knob and a hot water knob, there is just a single water knob (on the left). The water knob controls the water pressure. The temperature of the water is controlled by a knob on the right. There’s a demarcation on the right knob that indicates 38°C (pretty hot).

 

Our steward was courteous and professional throughout the cruise. He also made quite a few towel animals for us – not something that makes or breaks a cruise for us but a fun surprise. We were so happy with our steward that we gave him an additional tip on top of the automatic gratuity.

 

Muster Drill

 

No longer referred to as a muster drill (perhaps the terminology was confusing?), the “Guest Life Boat Drill” was held at 3:30pm, right before sailaway. Our muster station was indoors in Orchid Garden.

 

Bon Voyage Gifts

 

I had ordered the Shrimper’s Delight to be delivered to our cabin on Wednesday. Much to my surprise (and a bit of dismay), the gift was already in the cabin on embarkation day. Linda had ordered a casino gift for me ($100 in chips/tokens) but there was no sign of it. She had expected a letter/certificate waiting in the cabin that she could present to me as a surprise. She had to iron it out with the Casino Cashier and I eventually did receive the $100 but the surprise was ruined. The mishandling of these two items didn’t ruin our cruise but it was mildly disappointing. The shrimp still tasted great and I did get the casino gift. However, neither went as planned.

 

Latitudes

 

The Latitudes party was held on the first sea day in Spinnaker Lounge. The officers were introduced and the Captain welcomed us aboard with a few brief remarks. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served and there was a raffle for several prizes.

 

As Gold Latitudes members (neither of us actually qualifies but two years ago, we both purchased Freestyle Cruise Rewards onboard our Dawn cruise and, at the time, the purchase included an upgrade in Latitudes status), we were also invited to the VIP Latitudes party for Platinum and Gold members. Unfortunately, the VIP party was held on the same day as the regular Latitudes party and conflicted with dinner and other activities that we wanted to attend, so we ended up skipping the VIP party.

 

Whatever happened to Latitudes pins for each ship? In the past, we’ve always received a pin for each ship and it’s always been waiting for us in the cabin on embarkation day. As far as I know, no pins were given out on the Gem. Not a big deal, but it’s always been a nice memento of each ship sailed.

 

CC Meet & Greet

 

On our first sea day, Cruise Critic members met in Le Bistro for our M&G. Thanks again to SeaShark for putting in all the time and effort to organize the M&G. It was fun to meet all those who attended. We later had the pleasure of playing trivia with several other members (hi to Carol, Colleen and Jen). I was impressed by the number of staff members and officers who attended the M&G, including the Captain himself. Refreshments were provided.

 

TV

 

The cabin tv has several channels devoted to the ship (Bow Cam, Activities, Safety, Restaurants, Navigation Channel) in addition to CNN, Fox News, Cartoon Network, TNT, a couple ESPNs, Turner Classic Movies, and a couple music stations.

 

Now that the newer ships no longer have a dedicated cinema (like they have on the Dawn and Star), I’ve become accustomed to having a couple movie channels available on the cabin tv. Well, no longer! I have to say I was very disappointed to discover that the tv now offers pay-per-view for movies ($6 for an old movie; $12 for a relatively new movie). Yes, I know I’m not on a cruise to stay cooped up in my cabin watching movies, but watching a little tv while unwinding before bed is something I enjoy. A movie suits me perfectly in that regard. I even filled out a comment card and submitted it to Reception indicating my displeasure that there were no movie channels (except for TCM).

 

The tv also has an interactive function for viewing and booking port excursions. Perhaps booking restaurant reservations will be next.

 

Dining

 

We had meals in almost all of the specialty restaurants. Here’s the current fee schedule:

 

Cagney’s - $25

La Cucina - $10

Le Bistro - $20

Orchid Garden - $15

Sushi Bar - $20

Tequila – no charge

Teppanyaki - $25

 

They offered 2-for-1 deals for reservations at 9 pm or later. We took advantage of the 2-for-1 on several nights since it fit our schedule and we don’t mind eating late. We had absolutely no problem getting reservations to any of the restaurants. We booked some of them at the reservations desk that is set up right outside Magenta. Others we booked over the phone. Linda booked Orchid in the Garden Café when she went to breakfast. I know that many people don’t like the idea of paying a surcharge for dining on a cruise ship and I can understand that viewpoint. Also, no one was happy that the surcharges just went up (I believe the week before my sailing). But my approach is that I price the cruise and then add an extra $100 for dining surcharges. If I still feel that the price is a good deal, I book the cruise. To me, even with the higher surcharges, the specialty restaurants are worth it. If you can take advantage of the 2-for-1 deals, they’re practically a steal.

 

We were disappointed that we weren’t able to obtain copies of the entire week’s dinner menus for the main dining rooms in order to strategize our dining plans for the week. We asked at the main reception desk in the atrium but they weren’t available (as they have been on my previous NCL cruises).

 

We ate dinner at all of the above except for the Sushi Bar. We enjoyed all of the food that we ordered but were disappointed that filet mignon was no longer on Le Bistro’s menu. However, you can order the Short Ribs and Filet combination, which was very good. The Chocolate Fondue is back in Le Bistro and was scrumptious. I was also mildly disappointed that La Cucina doesn’t serve lasagna, but the Veal Marsala that I had was very good. Overall, the service throughout was good to excellent. The only problem we encountered was in Cagney’s. A wine list was never offered and we eventually flagged down someone walking by (not our waiter) and told him that we wanted to order wine. Unfortunately, our request was never relayed to our waiter. We did speak to a supervisor, who immediately spoke to the wait staff. She was very apologetic and told us that the wine list should have been offered soon after we had been seated.

 

Teppanyaki now offers 4 seatings (5, 6:30, 8 and 9:30). I understand the reasoning for increasing the seatings from 3 to 4 since the venue has such limited seating capacity (4 tables of 8 per seating). Unfortunately, this means that the meal really has to be completed in about 1-1/4 hours in order for the grill to be cleaned and the venue properly prepared for the next seating. Based on my experience, the meal really can’t be completed in that timeframe. This results in the 3 later seatings running a few minutes late, with each one starting a little bit later. On most nights, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 9:30 seating doesn’t actually get seated until 9:45.

 

As far as the meal itself in Teppanyaki, it’s still quite good. I had the Land and Sea combination (filet mignon and shrimp). Very tasty. Linda ordered the filet mignon and wanted hers to be prepared rare. Somehow, the order was miscommunicated because the chef prepared all of the filet mignon medium. Linda still enjoyed the meal but would have enjoyed it much more if the meat had been prepared to her liking.

 

For those who are interested, Teppanyaki also serves a breakfast that is advertised in the Daily as “Teppanyaki Breakfast Feast”, served from 7:30-10:30am. For $15, you get unlimited Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas in addition to steak and eggs prepared grill-side, with freshly-grilled tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms and onions on the side. I didn’t partake since I don’t think I could take full advantage of the unlimited drinks that early in the morning.

 

Orchid Garden was excellent. We had never tried the Asian restaurants on the Dawn, Star or Spirit until our second Dawn cruise back in July 2006. We’re sorry that we waited so long because the Asian restaurant has become one of our favorites. We’re both surprised that the Asian restaurants never seem to be in high demand. We ordered four different appetizers and they were all excellent. Linda had the Beef with Broccoli and I had the Szechuan Beef. Both entrees were very good. I had the Banana Pancakes w/ Coconut Ice Cream for dessert and Linda had the Pineapple Souffle. Both were very tasty.

 

Tequila was very good. Excellent white sangria (not free).

 

I still enjoy the food that is served in the Blue Lagoon, which, along with Tequila, is located on the 8th deck overlooking the atrium. The Buffalo Wings, burgers, fried rice, potato skins, fish & chips and chili are all good. However, I do not like how the Gem’s Blue Lagoon is set up. Physically, it appears to be part of Tequila, separated only by a low railing. Also, during off-peak hours, you have to enter on the Tequila side to be seated by the hostess there. Then, the hostess shows you to your table by leading you through a semi-circle through Tequila’s seating area. They really need to post a hostess on the Blue Lagoon side. Furthermore, during busy periods, the Blue Lagoon seems to be overwhelmed and the service suffers. I also miss the layout of the Dawn/Star/Spirit Blue Lagoons, which allow a bit of self-service since you can walk through and pick up some dessert (usually cake or cookies), coffee, or cartons of milk from a refrigerator that is accessible to passengers. None of that is feasible in the Gem’s Blue Lagoon.

 

We dined only once in the main dining rooms – the Grand Pacific on Thursday night when lobster was served. Actually, the entrée was called Seafood Extravaganza because it was composed of a lobster tail, shrimp, crabmeat, scallops, and calamari. We had signed up for the Murder Mystery Dinner and that’s when it was held. No complaints about the food or the service in the Grand Pacific.

 

The Garden Café buffet was very good. I love the action stations. Linda especially loved the action stations at breakfast because she gets to skip waiting in a long cafeteria-type line for items that she never eats. The freshly prepared omelets at breakfast were great. The buffet lunch was also good. There was a wide selection in the salad/vegetables area and all of the prepared food that I had was hot and fresh. Not having trays wasn’t a big deal to me but I could see it being a problem for someone who’s getting more than one meal at a time (e.g., younger children). I did, however, see the staff offering assistance to anyone who clearly needed help carrying their food to a table.

 

It was great having the cappuccino/espresso machine available in the Garden Café.

 

I liked the seating in the Garden Café as far as comfort goes, but when it’s busy it’s definitely not that easy to find an empty table. The layout also makes it a little difficult to wend your way through the seating area as you try to find a table.

 

I enjoyed the Great Outdoors. There’s a more limited selection than the main buffet in the Garden Café, but I enjoyed what I ate there and it’s a nice aft location for sitting outside and enjoying the ocean air.

 

Hard ice cream was served daily in the Garden Café, with 4 to 6 different flavors available. The soft ice cream machine served vanilla, chocolate, or chocolate-vanilla swirl.

 

Nice touch – there are coffee and orange juice dispensers set up in the Library and the new Latitudes Lounge in addition to a tray of cookies. The same may be offered in the Game Room, but I’m not sure.

 

Late-night snacks are still served in the casino around 11:30 pm, although I found it odd that it’s never listed in the Freestyle Daily.

 

Activities

 

Chances are you won’t be bored on the Gem. The ship offers most of what you would expect on a cruise ship and probably much more – bingo, port and shopping talks, art auctions, excursion briefings, portrait sittings, poolside parties, spa treatments, casino gambling (in addition to slot, blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments), internet café, Latitudes party for repeat cruisers, VIP Latitudes party for Gold and Platinum members, onboard shopping, yoga, tennis, trivia sessions, rock climbing wall, bowling, shuffleboard, sushi demo, lectures, fitness classes, wine/martini/margarita tastings, game room, Wii on the giant screen in the atrium, darts, karaoke, golf putting competition, ping pong, basketball, country line dancing, toga party, disco dancing, beach volleyball on GSC, towel folding demo, aerobics, and an ice carving demo. There were also meetings for Friends of Bill W. and Friends of Dorothy. I’m sure I missed some other activities, so be sure to peruse your Freestyle Daily thoroughly.

 

For those who are interested in more active participation or simply enjoy watching your fellow passengers have fun, you can sign up for the Murder Mystery Dinner; or check out the Newlywed Not So Newlywed Game; the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament; Majority Rules; the Karaoke Idol competition; or The Quest.

 

The sign-up for the Murder Mystery Dinner occurred on the first sea day and there’s a maximum of 60 participants (divided into groups of 6). Double-check your Daily for the time and place. The dinner itself occurred on Thursday night in the Grand Pacific, although I believe they also use Magenta if enough people sign up. Linda and I participated and it was a lot of fun. We joined a group of four college women who were traveling together. I had done the MMD on the Spirit two years ago and enjoyed it. Luckily for me, the Gem uses a different script from the one we had on the Spirit.

 

The Quest is a very funny, adult audience-participation show conducted in the Spinnaker Lounge. Get there early if you want a good seat. It’s very popular, raucous and potentially offensive. No kids allowed. My only complaint is that, with the popularity of the show, it’s clear that some of the participants already know what’s going to happen and come prepared, giving them a huge edge over newbies.

 

Shows

 

There was a show every night in the Stardust. On embarkation night, there was a Welcome Aboard Show – your typical greeting hosted by the Cruise Director, Julie Valeriote. There were mini-performances by several of the musicians who would be performing throughout the cruise in various venues, as well as a short stand-up bit by comedian Ross Bennett.

 

There were three production shows in the Stardust Theater – World Beat, Get Down Tonight, and Colorz. I enjoyed them for the most part. I thought the singers and dancers were enthusiastic and talented, with several standouts. World Beat consists of songs focusing on different regions of the world. Get Down Tonight is a compilation of oldies from the 70’s. Colorz is a hodgepodge of songs thematically picked by color. This show was probably the weakest in terms of coherence since the theme resulted in songs being selected that didn’t share much in common other than a color in the lyric or title.

 

Second City put on two shows – one in the Stardust and one in the Spinnaker Lounge. The first one in the Stardust is more scripted with a bit of improvisation thrown in. The second one is scriptless and relies heavily on audience input. I enjoyed both shows.

 

Two other shows were presented in the Stardust – a magic act by Duck Cameron and a full show by the comedian, Ross Bennett. Duck Cameron’s act was okay. I enjoy magic acts, but I found Duck Cameron to be fairly predictable and trite. I also didn’t feel he exuded much charisma; his rapport with the audience was lacking. In comparison, I have seen Shawn Farquhar perform on two previous NCL cruises and thoroughly enjoyed him. Shawn Farquhar clearly enjoyed his work, loved interacting with the audience, and was much more personable.

 

Ross Bennett’s full show was very funny. His comedic style is mostly self-deprecating and he works it well. He’s also very good at parrying with the audience.

 

On the last day, the crew puts on the International Crew Show, which is very good. The staff members who perform are quite good, especially considering they are amateurs. Without giving too much away, the finale is hilarious and not to be missed. It’s even funny for those who have seen it before.

 

Music in the Lounges

 

There were numerous musical acts performing throughout the ship. My favorite was Taylor Kundolph, a singer/pianist who performed in Magnums most every night. He’s very talented and is great with the audience, frequently taking requests and often playfully bantering with audience members.

 

Modal Magic performed in various venues. I’ve seen them on previous NCL cruises and enjoy their singing.

 

Casino/Gambling

The ventilation system in the casino is poor, surprising to me since the ship is new. It’s impossible to avoid the smell of cigarette smoke. It’s definitely better in the casinos on the Dawn and Spirit (my most recent NCL cruises). With NCL cutting down on smoking areas on the ship, it’s possible that some cruisers go to the casino to smoke and don’t even care about gambling.

 

The casino offers what you would expect: table games (blackjack, mini baccarat, craps, roulette, three-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em) and slots (pennies on up), including video poker. There’s also that game which seems to be incredibly popular for a reason that eludes me – you drop your quarters/tokens in, trying to cause the machine to push a prize into the prize chute.

 

There are a couple tables at poolside, I assume for blackjack. We never saw them actually used but we didn’t go out of our way to check.

 

There are also two gambling machines up in Spinnaker Lounge – a blackjack machine and a roulette machine. The advantage of the blackjack machine is that it has a $5 minimum (compared to $10 in the real casino) and the roulette machine has a 25-cent minimum on the inside (vs. $1 in the casino). Another big positive is that there’s no smoking.

 

Free drinks – I played almost exclusively at the $25 blackjack tables. While playing there, all my drinks were comped by the pit boss. I don’t know if this is policy or whether it depends on the pit boss. It’s definitely not advertised but it was nice to receive drinks there all week long without having to pay.

 

Shore Excursions

 

We had booked three shore excursions online on NCL’s web site – the Caravan Safari of Black Point Trail in Port Canaveral, Discover Atlantis & Harbor Cruise in Nassau, and Seaworld Explorer Semi-submarine in Freeport. When we arrived in our cabin, we found the tickets for the latter two excursions waiting for us on our beds. However, the tickets for the Caravan Safari were nowhere to be found. We went down to the Shore Excursions Desk in the atrium to find out what happened. We were told that the excursion had been cancelled because of the Space Shuttle launch. Apparently, the excursion involves, in part, visiting an area that is off limits whenever a launch is scheduled. We were not really upset that the excursion was cancelled, but a slip of paper alongside the other excursion tickets explaining the cancellation would have been nice. No biggie. We ended up booking Wildlife Encounter – A Pontoon Boat Cruise.

 

If you haven’t booked anything prior to the cruise, you can now do so interactively via your cabin tv. They have brief descriptions available of each excursion and you can actually purchase them using your remote.

 

The Wildlife Encounter boat cruise on the Banana River was fun. We saw lots of different birds (storks, great blue herons, cormorants), several manatees (very elusive; don’t expect to see much beyond air bubbles and perhaps a nose and set of eyes), and lots of different plant life. No gators or dolphins, although another group reported seeing a dolphin.

 

Discover Atlantis & Harbor Cruise was okay. The Harbor Cruise portion is very much an overstatement of what you’re actually getting. You board a boat that shuttles you to the Atlantis and, along the way, a guide points out 5 or 6 landmarks. Getting to the boat, boarding and riding the boat, disembarking the boat, and then walking several blocks to the Atlantis all takes 40 minutes or so – compared to a 10-minute cab ride that would take you to the front door. That said, the tour of Atlantis, the Dig and the Aquarium was fun. Our guide was fairly informative and personable. Watching them feed the manta rays was a highlight.

 

The Seaworld Explorer Semi-submarine was decent. We explored a coral reef and saw a variety of fish (sergeant majors, a barracuda, others with names I don’t remember). A diver attracts a lot of attention and activity by feeding the fish.

 

The stop at Great Stirrup Cay was a short one for Linda and me. We took a tender over to the island, walked off the tender, walked 20 feet over to the other tender that was boarding for the return to the ship, and left. We’ve both been to GSC multiple times and only wanted to get a few shots of the ship from the tender.

 

The Ship

 

I liked the décor of the ship. Yes, it’s gaudy and eye-popping at times but, to me, it’s fun. Some have described it as bordello chic, especially some of the furniture in Bliss Lounge or Spinnaker or even the main atrium. The color scheme appears to run the gamut of all things psychodelic. If your preference is understated elegance, the Gem might not be your cup of tea. My personal favorite is the Spirit but I thought the Gem was a fun change of pace.

 

Service

Our steward was excellent. The staff at main reception was courteous and attentive. However, the main reception desk needs an organized queue of some sort. Our dealings with the Shore Excursion Desk, the Casino Services staff and the Internet Café manager were fine. The dealers in the casino were professional but, for the most part, not particularly friendly.

 

The wait staff throughout the ship was eager to please. Smiles were commonplace. Other than our one problem in Cagney’s (noted above), the wait staff provided excellent service. Even in the Cagney’s case, it was just an oversight, not a case of someone being rude or discourteous. Also, the pacing in the restaurants was just about perfect – not rushed but not slow. Again, as noted above, the only exception would probably be Teppanyaki, which completes a seating faster than it used to in order to accommodate four seatings per night. I still didn’t feel rushed but it was noticeably faster than the past.

 

Conclusion

 

I would absolutely sail on the Gem again and would recommend her to friends and family. Of course, there’s always the caveat – if you’re someone who loves traditional cruising with fixed dining times, assigned tables, and assigned tablemates, it might not be for you. But, for me, Freestyle is still the way to go.

 

If there are any questions, feel free to ask away. I hope I can answer them. Also, check out my photos in the link below. I’m sorry I didn’t take more pictures onboard. Somehow, the week just zipped by and I never got around to it.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnql2006/NorwegianGemCruise3808Sailing

Great review and pics!

Leaving on the Gem on 3/29. Thanks for such a detailed review!!! I really enjoyed it.

Re: Banana Pancakes w/ Coconut Ice Cream

 

That was a fabulous conclusion to a great meal for us at the Orchid Garden!! Delicious!

Johnql, excellent detailed review! Thank you for taking the time to write and post it. I liked the pictures too. I see more charms have been added to the It-Mermaid.

 

What is the new Latitudes Lounge?

Coka

Johnql, excellent detailed review! Thank you for taking the time to write and post it. I liked the pictures too. I see more charms have been added to the It-Mermaid.

 

What is the new Latitudes Lounge?

Coka

The Latitudes Lounge is on Deck 12 right inside the pool area, on the same corridor as the Game Room and Library. It's a room that holds maybe 15-20 comfortable chairs with small tables. It's a nice, quiet area where you can read in peace or simply relax. The walls are decorated with historic photos of bygone cruise ships (e.g., Queen Elizabeth) along with framed menus of gala dinners from decades ago indicating that upwards of a dozen courses used to be served. Very interesting stuff!

Thanks Johnql, that sounds very interesting and very relaxing.

Coka

Johnql = Thanks for the posting & review. My family doesn't go until December, but this review makes me realize I've made the right choice (again) w/ NCL. My family is easy going & not expecting people to fall all over us to serve us. But this over all review shows me I really can be excited even though I have to wait so long for my trip.

terrific review John!! It was nice to meet you and Linda on the cruise :)

 

I still think you two should have participated with us at the Quest ;)

 

I looked through your photos - you got a pic of Jim, myself and the boys on the tender! LOL

 

I am glad to hear that you and Linda enjoyed your week :)

 

Sheila

terrific review John!! It was nice to meet you and Linda on the cruise :)

 

I still think you two should have participated with us at the Quest ;)

 

I looked through your photos - you got a pic of Jim, myself and the boys on the tender! LOL

 

I am glad to hear that you and Linda enjoyed your week :)

 

Sheila

 

Thanks, Sheila. It was nice to have met you. I enjoyed your review, too. Glad you and yours had a good cruise.

A very nice , comprehensive report...what 2.0 upgrades did you find? The pics were really nice..thanks for taking the time to inform us what we are in for on our 4/12 sailing...susan

A very nice , comprehensive report...what 2.0 upgrades did you find? The pics were really nice..thanks for taking the time to inform us what we are in for on our 4/12 sailing...susan

Two that come immediately to mind were: welcome aboard champagne and samplings at the specialty restaurants.