NCL Gem to Greek Isles = Heaven

[Mooder]

We just returned last night and can't believe how well everything went. I hope to write up a full review today, but in the meantime, I have to say this is a wonderful itinerary. We already knew we loved the Gem and she didn't disappoint. Being a pretty port-intensive itinerary, our only disappointment would be that we didn't spend much time on the ship and we turned in early most nights.

 

And we are indebted, as always, to CC for enhancing our cruise. We had never shared tours with people we met on roll call before and didn't know how that would go. But with no exception, we met the most wonderful people and our new friends all added greatly to our experiences!! :)

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions.

[OceanDreaming2]

I want to hear all about it! We're on the last Greek Isles cruise of the season. What tours did you take? How was the ship? (Lots of negativity lately. :confused:) Lots of questions, but I'll let you rest up a bit so you can write your review.

 

Thanks!!! :)

[JohnIreland]

What was the entertainment like ?

 

Who is the CD ?

[Eloise4Ever]

Delighted to hear you had a such a great time Mooder. Will be on this cruise in October and am very interested to hear good feedback as up to now the reviews haven't been so good. Really looking forward to reading your review :)

[Mooder]

Negativity about the Gem? We had a great experience. Perhaps rather than one long review, I'll do this in segments. I'm sure I will ramble since I am still whirling from our experience, but I'll try to keep it to one major topic at a time.

 

Our cabin was a BA aft, 10168. We love the large balcony, had 2 loungers, 2 chairs and 2 tables! We enjoyed the bathrobes, but didn't use the coffee maker. It was a great location to enjoy the views of the wonderful ports on this cruise. Our cabin steward was the best we have had in all our cruises. Nitia (I hope I am spelling it correctly) was incredibly friendly and cheerful. We saw him every day in the hallway but his timing was perfect. He always had our cabin in perfect condition during the times we were away. We never had an empty ice bucket, never in need of a bath or pool towel, etc. - he was on top of every detail!

 

We had ordered a bar set up of Prosecco so we could enjoy mimosas each morning. (Orange juice by room service was our alarm clock. :) ) Our TA had sent us chocolate covered strawberries and truffles and the cruise consultant had sent us a fruit basket with more Prosecco (I believe because we are platinum) so we had a wonderful set up for sailaway!

 

The laundry deal was on Wednesday and we took advantage of the free deal for Platinum cruisers. New to me was that because of my gold status (my sister is actually the platinum one), I also had the opportunity to have the laundry deal at a discount. I didn't realize that was a gold perk.

 

More to come...

[Mooder]

What was the entertainment like ?

 

Who is the CD ?

 

The CD is Brett. He was fine. I'd say he is on the low key side. I appreciated that the bingo announcments were kept to a minimum, though I think they made up for it by having an overwhelming number of announcements for the art auctions. But they appeared to be popular so I guess it was warranted.

 

The entertainmment was mixed for me. As I said, we didn't have a lot of time to spend on the ship, but we attended a few shows and we always like the live entertainers around the ship. Catherine and Claudio were in the Champagne bar a lot and we really enjoyed them. Also, on the one sea day, we really enjoyed the band at the pool - Harmony & Rhythm.

 

For shows, we saw the acrobats on the first night and they were good. We did not enjoy the magician. The 70's tribute show was good, not great. The best show was World Beat. Even though we had seen it before, it was spectacular - the most impressive and polished of them all. That was also the night the crew gave their farewell and I always enjoy that. We missed Colorz but friends said we didn't miss much. The last show was an Italian singer - okay, but I wouldn't have minded missing him. So, bottom line, I'd say the best entertainment was around the ship.

 

The shows were never very crowded, especially the first night when they only had one show so I expected it to be packed. Overall, I would say the guests on this cruise were not big participants - even though the ship was quite full, nothing was EVER crowded anywhere. We kept wonderign where everyone was! :confused: And whehter the difference was because it is a bit more of a European crowd (though U.S is still the largest population on board). But no complaints - it made for a good experience. (Our first martini clinic was almost cancelled for low participation but Maurice, the bartender, went ahead and we had a good time and met some wonderful people. More on the clinics later.)

[Mooder]

The ports. What a great itinerary. I have dreamed for years of seeing the Greek Isles. So much so that I feared this trip could never live up to my expectations. I needn't have worried.

 

Venice is beautiful and truly unique. We flew in the day before and took the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma. This was very simple, only cost 3 Euros and only took about 20 minutes. We checked into our hotel a few steps from Piazzale Roma and enjoyed walking around on our own and visiting the Basilica. Booking entry to the Basilica in advance is definitely worthwhile. We walked right in while everyone else waited on a long line. The only difficulty is knowing where to enter. The door just to the left (as you face the Basilica) of the door the regular line enters has a small scanner. You scan the reservation you print from the internet and enter there.

 

My only true complaint with NCL was the lack of information on reaching the ship from Venice. Despite lots of research, it was unclear whether there would be a free shuttle from Piazzale Roma. So, we played it by ear, planning to take the 6/ bus if there was no shuttle. Well, there is, but the bus is not marked (as the other cruiselines' shuttles are). But if you wait by the other tour busses, it will come. Saturday morning the Piazzale was chaos, full of cruise passengers unsure what to do, but the rumor mill told us it would come and a little waiting paid off. We also spoke with a number of people who walked with no problem. We had feared there being steps to contend with with our luggage, but we were told there were none. The shuttle bus drops you off at a building where the luggage is left and then you walk over to the ship terminal building. We arrived around 2:00 and went through security and check in in no time at all. And once on board the cabins were ready.

 

Sailing out of Venice is like a dream. I can only compare it to cruising out of NYC, past the Statue of Liberty - everyone agreed it was like a picture.

 

When we returned to Venice the following Saturday, we had booked a personal waking tour. You will see that we booked a lot of tours on this criuse. We considered this a once in a life time trip and wanted to be sure to get the most out of every port possible. Our guide met us at the ship, we took a taxi to Piazzale Roma, and left our luggage there and continued on with the tour. Unfortunately, this was the ONLY day we had rain which certainly hindered our tour, but it was still great. St. Mark's was flooded. (Note that if it is flooded, the pre-booked entry discussed above is not available as that entrance is closed.) Our guide took us to Ca' Rezzonico and then to St. Mark's. She was an art historian and greatly enhanced our understanding of the museum and the history of Venice. At the end of the tour, she recommended a wonderful taverna for lunch not far from S. Mark's. A casual, homey, NOT touristy place, where the gondoliers eat. Apparently, one or two of the local hotels recommend it too because it was packed (although it is so tiny, it doesn't take much to pack it :)). The food and service were truly memorable. After lunch we took the Vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma and then a taxi to our hotel near the airport.

 

Split, Croatia is next...

[LoisGriffin1]

Enjoying your review so far. Thanks for posting

[knitlady037]

Enjoying your review. I have two questions if you don't mind. Did you happen to peek at the verandah of the Suites next to you? We are sailing the Gem in one of them and was wondering about the size and if the wind was less back there. We are sailing out of NY in the winter and hope we can use the balcony after the first day at sea. Also I know you didn't use the coffee maker, but did you notice if they have different flavors of coffee. Thanks for any info.

[Eloise4Ever]

I know you didn't use the coffee maker, but did you notice if they have different flavors of coffee.

 

Knitlady - I remembered seeing some threads on suite coffeemakers very recently, these might be of some help to you:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1197984&highlight=coffee

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1193745&highlight=coffee

[Mooder]

Enjoying your review. I have two questions if you don't mind. Did you happen to peek at the verandah of the Suites next to you? We are sailing the Gem in one of them and was wondering about the size and if the wind was less back there. We are sailing out of NY in the winter and hope we can use the balcony after the first day at sea. Also I know you didn't use the coffee maker, but did you notice if they have different flavors of coffee. Thanks for any info.

 

The balcony immediately to the side of us, belonging to the suite, was very large. We never experienced much wind back there - much less than elsewhere on the ship - it is very protected. I'm sorry, I never looked at the coffee options.

[LoisGriffin1]

How well did tendering work?

[knitlady037]

Thanks to you both for the info!

[Mooder]

How well did tendering work?

 

Overall, really well. There is always a little confusion onboard, with people not understanding where to wait. But that passed quickly as the process moved quickly and smoothly. My opinion is that it works best when the tenders are small so they fill up and move on quickly so long as there are plenty of them. My worst tender experience ever was a few cruises ago in a large tender - we got on early and then sat forever in the very hot tender while they filled it up - not pleasant. Anyway, that didn't happen here. They had plenty of small to medium size tenders and it went really quickly. Disclaimer - we had priority tender tickets so we never had to wait on line for tickets so I can only comment on the tendering itself, not the ticketing process except to say that they were always distributed the morning of the port and it was done in the art gallery. Santorini had its own tenders and the operation went really well. In Mykonos I think it was actually better to be tendered than docked. The RCI ship there at the same time was docked, but then they were further from town and had to take a shuttle bus or a long walk. Our tenders dropped us right in the center of things. Another pleasant surprise was that the ship was always cleared in minutes. For each of our private tours, I had allowed an hour from the time we were scheduled to arrive, but that was never necessary. The ship was always cleared and we were disembarking immediately.

[Mooder]

We didn't know what to expect in Split, but were pleasantly surprised. It is a lovely seaside city/town with architecture ranging from ancient to very modern, all beautifully mingled. We didn't pre-book anything, but planned to take the walking tour of Diocletian's Palace. The tender dropped us off literally in a parking lot with a stone staircase down to the water. Finding the palace was not as simple as I had read, perhaps because our ship dropped us off in a different place along the port area - I'm not sure. But within a few minutes of walking and asking directions once, we found it and immediately found the tour guides. The palace is fascinating and, again, a mixture of old and new since the city has been developing literally on top of it for centuries. After the tour, we walked about on our own, had lunch at a sidewalk cafe in the town square and then walked the lovely waterfront. One thing to note, we had read that shops would take Euros, but none of the places we visited did. At lunch, we used a credit card, but for a gelatto stop and to buy a few small souvenirs, we got Kunas from an ATM that was conveniently located. Everyone spoke English so no challenge there. It was clearly a tourist town with visitors from all over. If I were to go again, I might have planned a tour after the walking tour -there was time and it would be nice to see more of this fascinating place - we really never strayed more than a few blocks from the waterfront. But it was a beautiful, educational, relaxing day.

[jmvda]

thanks Mooder for the informations you are giving us

 

:D

 

keep it coming

[ROCruiser]

Thank you so much for the review. After so many bad reviews we are getting a little nervous. Regarding Split, how much did the walking tour of the palace cost? Can we just join the tour there?

Let's go back to embarkation, was there a Latitude line?

Thank you again!

[RLBlack]

Thanks so much for taking the time with this review- I have lots of questions- but two - are on my mind right now-

 

1. Laundry- did you send both whites and darks in same bag? And then they separated them? Also-did it come back folded- or shirts and pants on hangers? Did it appear to you that all items were washed in hot water- and dryed on hot? or care instructions were followed?

 

2. Getting from Venice to ship- - Piazzale Roma bus- did it have a NCL or Gem sign- or did you just ask when a bus showed up to see if it was yours? How early did you get to the Piazzale? and where did you wait.

 

Thanks so much-

[OceanDreaming2]

Negativity about the Gem? ..

 

Yes, sad to say. The last 5-6 reviews on the Gem are all negative to some degree. Be sure you post your opionions in the review section.

 

Sounds as though you had a fantastic time! Can't wait to read more.

[Mooder]

Thank you so much for the review. After so many bad reviews we are getting a little nervous. Regarding Split, how much did the walking tour of the palace cost? Can we just join the tour there?

Let's go back to embarkation, was there a Latitude line?

Thank you again!

 

The walking tour of the palace was 10 euros. We had read it would be 11. The salesperson said they were giving a deal because of the sihps being in port, but I don't know whether that is true or if it is because there are different companies offering the tour. No need to book ahead. In the inner square of the palace, you will see the posters for the tour. We didn't even reach it when we were approached by the salesperson roaming the square. We paid her and then when the time came, within 5 minutes, we were walked outside of the palace to meet our guide. A little weird - finding our way in only to be walked out of the maze, but that's how they do it. The guide was excellent. The tour lasts about an hour.

 

I believe there was a Latitude line, but I don't have a specific memory of it. We used the Platinum/Gold/Suite line, but it didn't matter and I didn't pay much attention since there were no lines when we arrived - everyone simply walked through.

[DMH15]

Angie-

 

It does sound absolutely heavenly! My last cruise was in an aft cabin and I just adored it. I can just imagine it right now. As wonderful as the balcony is during the day, I found it magical at night. It was mesmerizing.

 

Love hearing about some of your ports that I will have to add to my "wish list".

[Mooder]

Thanks so much for taking the time with this review- I have lots of questions- but two - are on my mind right now-

 

1. Laundry- did you send both whites and darks in same bag? And then they separated them? Also-did it come back folded- or shirts and pants on hangers? Did it appear to you that all items were washed in hot water- and dryed on hot? or care instructions were followed?

 

2. Getting from Venice to ship- - Piazzale Roma bus- did it have a NCL or Gem sign- or did you just ask when a bus showed up to see if it was yours? How early did you get to the Piazzale? and where did you wait.

 

Thanks so much-

 

No problem, ask away. I loooooooooooooved this cruise and will answer whatever I can.

 

1. We put a mixture of lights, darks and delicates in the bag. All came back together, nicely folded in a basket, except the delicates were in a separate bag. I have no idea how they washed, but everything came back just fine, including 100% which was not shrunk so I believe they are pretty careful.

 

2. The bus had no sign indicating it was for NCl or Gem, unfortunately. This is a real source of confusion. One of the men we met during all the milling around in the piazza had taken the shuttle earlier in the a.m. as he was in the middle of the back to back cruise, so he assured us it would come and then he recognized the bus when it pulled up. He ran over to the unmarked bus, asked the driver and confirmed it was for the NCL Gem. Many marked busses had come through before this one (Costa, RCL, etc). So my advice would be to ask the driver of any bus that does not have sign. The corner of Piazzale Roma where the busses come is the corner closest to the bridges over to Venice proper. In that corner, the tour group busses park as well. So look for the private busses as opposed to the city busses that fill the rest of the piazza. This is also the side of the piazza where there is a string of souvenir stands. The man at one of the souvenir stands was very helpful when we asked - more so than the people at the bus information desk. So if all else fails, ask one of the souvenir hawkers where the cruise busses pick up.

[LOWTYD]

I am loving reading your mini reviews. Easy to digest and I try to picture in my mind what you saw. It sounds lovely so far. Glad you had such a wonderful time on your Birthday Dream Cruise!:)

[Mooder]

Yes, sad to say. The last 5-6 reviews on the Gem are all negative to some degree. Be sure you post your opionions in the review section.

 

Sounds as though you had a fantastic time! Can't wait to read more.

 

I'll have to read some to find out what the complaints could be. Everyone I met was having a wonderful time. This wasn't the best entertainment I've seen in terms of the production shows, but we did NOT take this cruise for the shows. The food and crew are great and the ship is beautiful. That and the wonderful ports are all we need.

 

I was just reminded to mention the mojitos. Not sure if anyone else will care as much as we did, but mojitos are our favorite cocktail and they were being featured at every sailaway. That meant that the bars almost always had fresh mint which is usually the obstacle to getting mojitos. Another great discovery were the pitchers of Sangria. Not sure if this is new, but it was new to us. You could buy a pitcher for $26 and we got 6 good sized glasses out of that. It was a great way to enjoy the Great Outdoors, lingering with a pitcher, enjoying the passing scene, without having to flag down a waiter for a refill. A good deal and a pleasure! It was often being offered in the Garden Cafe and/or on the pool deck, but if not, you can always get it at the Tequila bar on deck 8.

[Mooder]

Angie-

 

It does sound absolutely heavenly! My last cruise was in an aft cabin and I just adored it. I can just imagine it right now. As wonderful as the balcony is during the day, I found it magical at night. It was mesmerizing.

 

Love hearing about some of your ports that I will have to add to my "wish list".

 

Glad you are enjoying it. I'm Kathy, but Angie is one cc'er I don't mind being confused with. ;)