gem help

[mlogan177]

what are people thoughts about the gem

[juried]

Personally I love the Gem, second only to the Dawn.

Sure the layout can be a bit confusing but once you work it out, it's fine.

We are sailing on the Gem for the fourth time on 1/27/2013.

I love the fact that we can drive to NYC and not have to fly to Florida.

I love the food and the public spaces and because of the layout it never really feels crowded except perhaps at the buffet.

It has a bowling alley!

But the cruise has a lot to do with what you put into it.

My favorite cruises include my family.

Enjoy.

Juried

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

what are people thoughts about the gem

 

Given how broad your question is, you may have faster and better results by using the forum search tool using "gem" as the keyword. As you drill down to more specific questions you can change your keywords accordingly or come back here and ask then.

[curzmavin]

I also have a question.. For those of you who have cruised on the Gem out of NY. Is it rough leaving out of NY in May. We want to take our dd and family on a cruise and leaving out of NY is much more economical being there would be no air fare involved.

Also how is the food on the main dinning room and buffet.

We have been on the Pearl and loved it but that was a few years ago and as we talk to people there has been negative comments. As we are paying for 4 extra people we may not frequent the restaurants that have a fee as often.

Sorry to jump your pst but I thought you may have info.

Thanks

[trish1c]

From NJ, the Gem is very convenient.

I think the Bahamas itinerary is boring. If you sail in winter, understand you may hit rough seas up & down the coast.

The colors / decor throughout the ship can be very loud / garish.

Overall she's a nice ship & it's a good value.

[johnsak123]

I have sailed on the Gem 3 times and the Jewel once out of NY. I love them both but I think I prefer the Gem since I like to bowl.

Every time i ate in teh MDR the food was really good. Of course food is a matter of taste and just because I like it doesnt mean someone else will. For instance I did not like Teppenyaki but most do.

I dont think you can go wrong with any NCL cruise so ENJOY!!

[dutchess43]

The ocean is the ocean you can experience rough or calm seas no matter what the month no way to predict.

[buzz2400]

just got back from the 1/9/13 sailing. I was very disappointed with this cruise. I have sailed many times on rc and carnival. this was the first time on ncl. I am the type that I will order a bunch of food at dinner. This cruise I had trouble even finding something I would eat. I am not a fussy eater. I eat anything as long as there are no mushrooms. the buffet (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) had really no variety. Basically all the same food every day. At dinner in the two restaurants, they had the same food (fish, steak, spaghetti, chicken) every night and then different varieties of these same food groups. also I found the waiters not to personable. I am used to a waiter coming up to the table and telling me their name. Not on this cruise. Also very slow service. I think they do this so that you would spend the money and go to the paid restaurants.

 

the entertainment was ok but the activities were terrible. the last two days, they started to have a lot of things to do. If you are into trivia, the trivia is very hard. We are just average people and had very hard time getting at least five right. Also were very upset that they had a hypnotist adult show and there was no seats in the spinnaker lounge. Many people ended up leaving because of this.

 

I also found that when you asked any crew member a question, they didn't have an answer.

 

I personally will never cruise with ncl again. I also want to point out that I heard many people say the same things about this cruise.

[mlogan177]

ive cruise on the jewel before and loved it

[mommyto2girls]

just got back from the 1/9/13 sailing. I was very disappointed with this cruise. I have sailed many times on rc and carnival. this was the first time on ncl. I am the type that I will order a bunch of food at dinner. This cruise I had trouble even finding something I would eat. I am not a fussy eater. I eat anything as long as there are no mushrooms. the buffet (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) had really no variety. Basically all the same food every day. At dinner in the two restaurants, they had the same food (fish, steak, spaghetti, chicken) every night and then different varieties of these same food groups. also I found the waiters not to personable. I am used to a waiter coming up to the table and telling me their name. Not on this cruise. Also very slow service. I think they do this so that you would spend the money and go to the paid restaurants.

 

the entertainment was ok but the activities were terrible. the last two days, they started to have a lot of things to do. If you are into trivia, the trivia is very hard. We are just average people and had very hard time getting at least five right. Also were very upset that they had a hypnotist adult show and there was no seats in the spinnaker lounge. Many people ended up leaving because of this.

 

I also found that when you asked any crew member a question, they didn't have an answer.

 

I personally will never cruise with ncl again. I also want to point out that I heard many people say the same things about this cruise.

 

 

I guess this is why they say opinions are like "noses" (polite version) everyone has one. We were on the same cruise and we are doing it again in March. One of the main reasons we cruise NCL and especially the Gem is the amazing crew. We do eat in the special restaurants but we find that a big oerk for the variety. There is always a good show and of course the Casin. As for the food it is very subjective, I have always said if I cruised for the food I would never cruise at all, but there is always a nice variety of things and I have never known anyone to go hungry on cruise.

We had about 60 people at our meet and greet and I believe they all had a great time and would do it again. I think the reason there was a bulk of activity the last 2 days was because it was so cold and nasty coming back.

The Gem is a true Jewel. I personally would never sail with Carnival again I thought the food and service was the worst among all cruise lines. Different strokes ..you will never know until you try.

[bob brown]

The ocean is the ocean you can experience rough or calm seas no matter what the month no way to predict.

Absolutely.

But May is generally a good time to cruise, as winter storms are over, and the tropical storm season has not begun....

[Alegeeter]

just got back from the 1/9/13 sailing. I was very disappointed with this cruise. I have sailed many times on rc and carnival. this was the first time on ncl. I am the type that I will order a bunch of food at dinner. This cruise I had trouble even finding something I would eat. I am not a fussy eater. I eat anything as long as there are no mushrooms. the buffet (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) had really no variety. Basically all the same food every day. At dinner in the two restaurants, they had the same food (fish, steak, spaghetti, chicken) every night and then different varieties of these same food groups. also I found the waiters not to personable. I am used to a waiter coming up to the table and telling me their name. Not on this cruise. Also very slow service. I think they do this so that you would spend the money and go to the paid restaurants.

 

the entertainment was ok but the activities were terrible. the last two days, they started to have a lot of things to do. If you are into trivia, the trivia is very hard. We are just average people and had very hard time getting at least five right. Also were very upset that they had a hypnotist adult show and there was no seats in the spinnaker lounge. Many people ended up leaving because of this.

 

I also found that when you asked any crew member a question, they didn't have an answer.

 

I personally will never cruise with ncl again. I also want to point out that I heard many people say the same things about this cruise.

 

i just returned as well from the 1/9 sailing and couldn't disagree more. I thought the food was good to very good and occasionally excellent (that's without eating at any specialty restaurant). Activities and entertainment were of a large variety and were very good. The Cruise Director and crew were fantastic.

 

This just goes to show, to the OP, you'll hear a million different opinions about NCL overall as well as just the gem. If the itinerary interests you and the sailing is convenient, try it out!

[mlogan177]

how are the seas in nov

[booklady26]

just got back from the 1/9/13 sailing. I was very disappointed with this cruise. I have sailed many times on rc and carnival. this was the first time on ncl. I am the type that I will order a bunch of food at dinner. This cruise I had trouble even finding something I would eat. I am not a fussy eater. I eat anything as long as there are no mushrooms. the buffet (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) had really no variety. Basically all the same food every day. At dinner in the two restaurants, they had the same food (fish, steak, spaghetti, chicken) every night and then different varieties of these same food groups. also I found the waiters not to personable. I am used to a waiter coming up to the table and telling me their name. Not on this cruise. Also very slow service. I think they do this so that you would spend the money and go to the paid restaurants.

 

the entertainment was ok but the activities were terrible. the last two days, they started to have a lot of things to do. If you are into trivia, the trivia is very hard. We are just average people and had very hard time getting at least five right. Also were very upset that they had a hypnotist adult show and there was no seats in the spinnaker lounge. Many people ended up leaving because of this.

 

I also found that when you asked any crew member a question, they didn't have an answer.

 

I personally will never cruise with ncl again. I also want to point out that I heard many people say the same things about this cruise.

 

 

Okay. I understand that everyone has a different opinion and different expectations. But was this the same cruise I just took?

 

As for the buffets, let's take breakfast first. Sure the food was the same everyday. But I couldn't think of anything that you could want that wasn't there. Eggs (scrambled and benedict), pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, ham. Waffle and omelette stations where you could also get fried eggs made to order. Lox and herring. Bagels and cream cheese. All kinds of breads & rolls. Hot and cold cereals. Fresh fuit including pineapple which was delicious. Even Asian stir fried veggies and fried rice.

 

Lunch had a nice salad bar and a made to order salad of the day, as well as 3 or 4 different prepared cold salads such as cole slaw, pasta salad, bean salad, etc. 3 hot soups. Made to order pasta station. There were usually 4 or 5 hot entrees that changed daily. 3 or 4 hot vegetables. A casserole dish such as shepherds pie or baked ziti. Asian stir fry station had 1 meat dish, one veg dish and fried and white rice. There were also 2 vegetarian Indian dishes (personally I found these to be lacking in flavor).

 

We didn't have dinne in the Garden Cafe so I can't comment on that.

 

 

When the OP said the MDR's had the same food every night (chicken, fish, steak and spaghetti), were they only looking at the "classic menu" which some cruise lines call the "always available" menu. In addition to that there were the Chef's Specialties which included about 6 starters (appy, soup & salad), 4 entrees and 3 desserts which were different every night. The only thing that was served twice during the cruise was prime rib and we just HAD to suffer thorugh it both times!!!

 

Our servers also always introduced themselves by name.

 

We did eat in the specialty restaurants 4 times and, oddly enough, that was the only time we experienced somewhat slow service.

 

The OP also didn't think there were many activities except for the last 2 days. These days were preceded by 4 consecutive port days when there are normally very few activities. We take part in very few of the activities. After 50 cruises, they have lost their allure for us. But I always make a point of looking at what's available. There was a full slate every sea day of your typical cruise ship activities. Perhaps the OP just didn't like what was available, but I don't think it's fair to say that nothing was offered.

 

Entertainment? We went to the shows most nights and enjoyed them very much. Man From Mars was probably the best. The comedian was just ok in my opinion, but CD Paul Scally did a pretty funny adult stand up comedy show that included some very sarcastic observations of stereotypical cruise ship passengers.

 

I don't like hypnotists, so we didn't see that show. But if the OP said there were no seats available, I have to ask what time they got there. We always arrive at least 15 minutes prior to any show time, even if it's in the main showroom.

 

I found the crew to be very friendly and helpful in general. What question did the OP ask and who did they ask it of? I personally witnessed the internet cafe manager being asked a question about the gift shops. Someone else asked the future cruise consultant about what to do in Samana. I think some passengers must think evey crew member knows the answer to every question. If you try asking the right person your question, you usually get an answer.

 

I look forward to my next NCL cruise with the future cruise credit I purchased on board.

[Treatingmyself]

Okay. I understand that everyone has a different opinion and different expectations. But was this the same cruise I just took?

 

As for the buffets, let's take breakfast first. Sure the food was the same everyday. But I couldn't think of anything that you could want that wasn't there. Eggs (scrambled and benedict), pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, ham. Waffle and omelette stations where you could also get fried eggs made to order. Lox and herring. Bagels and cream cheese. All kinds of breads & rolls. Hot and cold cereals. Fresh fuit including pineapple which was delicious. Even Asian stir fried veggies and fried rice.

 

Lunch had a nice salad bar and a made to order salad of the day, as well as 3 or 4 different prepared cold salads such as cole slaw, pasta salad, bean salad, etc. 3 hot soups. Made to order pasta station. There were usually 4 or 5 hot entrees that changed daily. 3 or 4 hot vegetables. A casserole dish such as shepherds pie or baked ziti. Asian stir fry station had 1 meat dish, one veg dish and fried and white rice. There were also 2 vegetarian Indian dishes (personally I found these to be lacking in flavor).

 

We didn't have dinne in the Garden Cafe so I can't comment on that.

 

 

When the OP said the MDR's had the same food every night (chicken, fish, steak and spaghetti), were they only looking at the "classic menu" which some cruise lines call the "always available" menu. In addition to that there were the Chef's Specialties which included about 6 starters (appy, soup & salad), 4 entrees and 3 desserts which were different every night. The only thing that was served twice during the cruise was prime rib and we just HAD to suffer thorugh it both times!!!

 

Our servers also always introduced themselves by name.

 

We did eat in the specialty restaurants 4 times and, oddly enough, that was the only time we experienced somewhat slow service.

 

The OP also didn't think there were many activities except for the last 2 days. These days were preceded by 4 consecutive port days when there are normally very few activities. We take part in very few of the activities. After 50 cruises, they have lost their allure for us. But I always make a point of looking at what's available. There was a full slate every sea day of your typical cruise ship activities. Perhaps the OP just didn't like what was available, but I don't think it's fair to say that nothing was offered.

 

Entertainment? We went to the shows most nights and enjoyed them very much. Man From Mars was probably the best. The comedian was just ok in my opinion, but CD Paul Scally did a pretty funny adult stand up comedy show that included some very sarcastic observations of stereotypical cruise ship passengers.

 

I don't like hypnotists, so we didn't see that show. But if the OP said there were no seats available, I have to ask what time they got there. We always arrive at least 15 minutes prior to any show time, even if it's in the main showroom.

 

I found the crew to be very friendly and helpful in general. What question did the OP ask and who did they ask it of? I personally witnessed the internet cafe manager being asked a question about the gift shops. Someone else asked the future cruise consultant about what to do in Samana. I think some passengers must think evey crew member knows the answer to every question. If you try asking the right person your question, you usually get an answer.

 

I look forward to my next NCL cruise with the future cruise credit I purchased on board.

 

 

You said it! My gang was on this cruise to. We thought the crew to be very attentive. At our meet and greet all the head officers made it a point to say "please do not wait until after the cruise to air a complaint, tell us on the cruise so we have a chance to correct the problem ". They were always accessible even eager to please ( shout out to Steve Knott ). I also bought the cruise credit and look forward to my next ncl cruise. Did not see you on the roll call or at the m&g...maybe next time.

[curzmavin]

Thank you everyone. We are at this point going to book this cruise. Just want to get the best bang for our buck. I know everyone has there own idea of what a good cruise is but when I heard the food was horrible and the rough seas I was a little concerned.

If you have any tips or dos and don'ts about the Gem please leave your thoughts good or bad, most of us just love reading anything we can get.

My thanks to you all for taking the time to answer my questions I reall appreciate your input!!!

[Alegeeter]

The 7:00pm show tended to be less crowded (so it had better seating options than the later 9:00pm show). Depending on when you like to eat, I would recommend going to the early show and catching dinner afterwards!

[www3traveler]

what are people thoughts about the gem

In early November, the weather might be your only issue. I love The Gem. She is very nicely laid out- easy to find where you are going. A cruise is what YOU make it, not someone else. If you are in need of a special diet requirements (Kosher, Gluten Free, a food allergy), let Norwegian know in advance and they will try to accommodate you. You should have a wonderful time.

[lenquixote66]

We are cruising on a NCL ship for the first time and it will be on the Gem . We love that it leaves from NY .

[camz]

just got back from the 1/9/13 sailing. I was very disappointed with this cruise. I have sailed many times on rc and carnival. this was the first time on ncl. I am the type that I will order a bunch of food at dinner. This cruise I had trouble even finding something I would eat. I am not a fussy eater. I eat anything as long as there are no mushrooms. the buffet (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) had really no variety. Basically all the same food every day. At dinner in the two restaurants, they had the same food (fish, steak, spaghetti, chicken) every night and then different varieties of these same food groups. also I found the waiters not to personable. I am used to a waiter coming up to the table and telling me their name. Not on this cruise. Also very slow service. I think they do this so that you would spend the money and go to the paid restaurants.

 

Ok, don't mean to be negative here, but in all honesty, if you can't find something good to eat on an NCL ship then there is a problem. If you get a meal you don't like, then order something else or go to another venue. With freestyle the options are endless so I don't undersand why some passengers get so upset about this subject. On another note, a cruise is so much more than FOOD! Why is it always about the food? The food should not be anyones entire reason for existence while on a cruise. Just saying......... :D