Gem

[seahorse]

My DH and I sailed Nov. 16 of this year and I have been thinking long and hard about giving my opinions. Have sailed NCL for many years in regular cabins as well as suites, never on the Gem.

 

Our last 2 cruises have been on Celebrity and Carnival. The Gem was a big disappointment:( First of all it was not in good repair and the soft goods were shabby...shabby....shabby.

 

We were "upgraded" to a mini. I researched the location and nowhere does it indicate that there would be kids and joggers and loud shouting of people playing deck games above our location until 11p plus all day. It did not make for quiet moon watching on our balcony:rolleyes: I did complain, it never stopped. Cabin 11954.

 

There was a very inexperienced crew onboard. The exception was our room steward, Wilfred was fantastic and very hard working.

 

The food staff was a joke in the main dining rooms and buffet.....to giving us wrong food to not being able to open a bottle of wine. Pick-up at the tables was poor and slow, messy tables everywhere.

 

We did like the food overall. Bistro was great as always.

 

I really believe the Noro outbreak was due in part to the inexperience of the staff as well as the "party" cruise before ours. Kids were putting their hands in the food at the buffet and the servers did nothing (sometimes it was not only the kids:eek:) I worked in food service and if that happens you take the food away.

That's it for now........

[kcwingwalker]

My DH and I sailed Nov. 16 of this year and I have been thinking long and hard about giving my opinions. Have sailed NCL for many years in regular cabins as well as suites, never on the Gem.

 

Our last 2 cruises have been on Celebrity and Carnival. The Gem was a big disappointment:( First of all it was not in good repair and the soft goods were shabby...shabby....shabby.

 

We were "upgraded" to a mini. I researched the location and nowhere does it indicate that there would be kids and joggers and loud shouting of people playing deck games above our location until 11p plus all day. It did not make for quiet moon watching on our balcony:rolleyes: I did complain, it never stopped. Cabin 11954.

 

There was a very inexperienced crew onboard. The exception was our room steward, Wilfred was fantastic and very hard working.

 

The food staff was a joke in the main dining rooms and buffet.....to giving us wrong food to not being able to open a bottle of wine. Pick-up at the tables was poor and slow, messy tables everywhere.

 

We did like the food overall. Bistro was great as always.

 

I really believe the Noro outbreak was due in part to the inexperience of the staff as well as the "party" cruise before ours. Kids were putting their hands in the food at the buffet and the servers did nothing (sometimes it was not only the kids:eek:) I worked in food service and if that happens you take the food away.

That's it for now........

 

Sorry that you did not enjoy the Gem. Appreciate your fair and balanced thoughts about your cruise.

[seahorse]

Sorry that you did not enjoy the Gem. Appreciate your fair and balanced thoughts about your cruise.

Our cabin was 11594:o I recommend not booking in this area.

[mommyto2girls]

We were on the same cruise. Everything is opinion, we thought the ship was in very good shape, doing it again in January. As for the Noro, that shows up in a matter of 8 hours so not sure how you concluded it was from the one night ctn. The Ships doctor and Hotel director seem to think it was brought on in St. Maarten, 29,000 people in port in a day is a cruise health nightmare for any ship.

 

As for the room if you were upgraded you should have done a little research as to the location before accepting. We always pick our room never leave things to chance. I thought the crew was wonderful and put much more blame on the passengers who feel the need to not follow proper hygiene. Sorry you did not enjoy it, I will never go back on a Carnival ship and celebrity has had more Noro's than any other crusie line in the past 5 years if you check the CDC site.

 

I guess different strokes applies to cruising.

Edited December 6, 2013 by mommyto2girls

[pixiedustdawn]

Sorry, you had a bad experience. I happen to love the Gem and have actually stayed in the mini suites in that area without any problems. (noise) I usually only book when the kids are out of school too.

 

[seahorse]

We were on the same cruise. Everything is opinion, we thought the ship was in very good shape, doing it again in January. As for the Noro, that shows up in a matter of 8 hours so not sure how you concluded it was from the one night ctn. The Ships doctor and Hotel director seem to think it was brought on in St. Maarten, 29,000 people in port in a day is a cruise health nightmare for any ship.

 

As for the room if you were upgraded you should have done a little research as to the location before accepting. We always pick our room never leave things to chance. I thought the crew was wonderful and put much more blame on the passengers who feel the need to not follow proper hygiene. Sorry you did not enjoy it, I will never go back on a Carnival ship and celebrity has had more Noro's than any other crusie line in the past 5 years if you check the CDC site.

 

I guess different strokes applies to cruising.

If you re-read my post you will see I did research:p The ship is a mess...torn seats in the buffet.....outside chairs falling apart.....rust all over....springs sprung on the seats in every venue... I could go on and on.

 

I do not look with rose colored glasses. This is my profession and I have to see what my clients experience and former clients hated the ship.

 

The crew was inexperienced and a lot of them admitted it. The experienced crew are going to the Getaway and are on the Breakaway.

 

I have been on more cruises then you will ever experience, my strokes are very broad and I like most things about every line.

 

It does not matter to me which line has the most Noro.....that is just silly. It matters to me how it is dealt with.

 

I am not an NCL Cheerleader nor am I a hater. I am telling it like it was....no opinion, the truth. Those minis should not be under the childrens area! Oh btw( this will go over big:rolleyes:) I heard many comments that the unsupervised children were ruining the cruise for them. I also heard many say that they that they would never sail NCL again.

[mommyto2girls]

If you re-read my post you will see I did research:p The ship is a mess...torn seats in the buffet.....outside chairs falling apart.....rust all over....springs sprung on the seats in every venue... I could go on and on.

 

I do not look with rose colored glasses. This is my profession and I have to see what my clients experience and former clients hated the ship.

 

The crew was inexperienced and a lot of them admitted it. The experienced crew are going to the Getaway and are on the Breakaway.

 

I have been on more cruises then you will ever experience, my strokes are very broad and I like most things about every line.

 

It does not matter to me which line has the most Noro.....that is just silly. It matters to me how it is dealt with.

 

I am not an NCL Cheerleader nor am I a hater. I am telling it like it was....no opinion, the truth. Those minis should not be under the childrens area! Oh btw( this will go over big:rolleyes:) I heard many comments that the unsupervised children were ruining the cruise for them. I also heard many say that they that they would never sail NCL again.

 

Okay so you are very special and I am just an average cruiser. You have no idea how many cruises I have been on nor what I do for a living. I was in my usual Haven 2 bedroom suite, there was no rust anywhere I went, no springs popping out of seats. I saw no unsupervised children anywhere, I have no rose colored glasses, I am not a cheerleader for NCL. I have an opinion I am entitled to regardless of how broad your strokes may be. I have never heard of anyone complaint about the location of the mini suites.

The Noro was dealt with quickly and swiftly and even though there were new trainees on the ship they were working 24/7 to make everyone as comfortable as possible. Only complaint I heard all week was about the last sea day back when the ship was really rocking.

 

I am sure that you will point your clients in the right on direction based on your opinion. Not sure how you could be " telling it like it was not an opinion" that would mean you are stating a fact. I have been all over the world an have been cruising for more than 45 years (some lines that don't even exist anymore) don't be so presumptuous.

Again I say different strokes, opinions are like well you know everyone has one.

[puddles99]

Hello! Like mommyto2girls, I was on the Gem with you.

 

We did notice some issues (I sat on a couch in Spinnaker that wasn't sturdy, I was appalled by the behavior of some guests - not crew - at the buffet and elsewhere, and we clearly had a waiter-in-training one night in Magenta). The Hotel Director, Jenny, told us at the CC Meet & Greet that a large number of trainees were aboard - and I definitely saw that. But with all that said, I didn't see any major repair needs, springs coming out of any seats, or the other issues you mention. And if my kids happened to annoy you, I sincerely apologize. With that said, we had a great cruise and I would happily sail the Gem again. So like mommyto2girls said, different strokes . . .

[barb-ottawa]

Sailed on the Gem in April and again in October and I have to agree that there were some issues. The ice cream machine in the Great Outdoors was broken in April and still broken in October. The toaster in the Great Outdoors was in the same poor condition in October as it was in April - broken knobs, etc. We had a couple of instances in the MDR where we couldn't make ourselves understood to the waiter - he was having considerable difficulty with English. Also in the MDR, we had to wait several times to be seated for dinner, even though it was early and not busy, because there were only "sharing tables" available. In all our previous NCL cruises, we have never encountered this before. There were other changes we noticed, like no more happy hour at Maltings, higher beer prices, increased ticket sales prior to shows, more pressure to buy Paradise Lotto tickets in the casino. We will still sail NCL, but these changes are disappointing.

[DMH15]

Okay so you are very special and I am just an average cruiser. You have no idea how many cruises I have been on nor what I do for a living. I was in my usual Haven 2 bedroom suite, there was no rust anywhere I went, no springs popping out of seats. I saw no unsupervised children anywhere, I have no rose colored glasses, I am not a cheerleader for NCL. I have an opinion I am entitled to regardless of how broad your strokes may be. I have never heard of anyone complaint about the location of the mini suites.

The Noro was dealt with quickly and swiftly and even though there were new trainees on the ship they were working 24/7 to make everyone as comfortable as possible. Only complaint I heard all week was about the last sea day back when the ship was really rocking.

 

I am sure that you will point your clients in the right on direction based on your opinion. Not sure how you could be " telling it like it was not an opinion" that would mean you are stating a fact. I have been all over the world an have been cruising for more than 45 years (some lines that don't even exist anymore) don't be so presumptuous.

Again I say different strokes, opinions are like well you know everyone has one.

 

You rock !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[DMH15]

I have to laugh whenever anyone ever complains about rust. It's a boat. It's in water 24/7. Rust, OMG!!! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[sparks1093]

At least the crew will be experienced by the time that I sail on the Gem:). (And isn't the Gem going in for a dry dock soon?)

[Rhea58]

I sailed in an inside cabin on the Gem in Feb & late Sept and did not find anything major to carp about save for the slow waiters in the Grand Pacific.

Found both cabin stewards & HD's to be very amenable.

 

Food is subjective so won't discuss that.

 

Did think the xeroxed copies of the ship's layout to be too flimsy

& cheesy on the Oct cruise.

[che5904]

This thread just made my morning, it's hilarious.

 

I don't pay much attention to reviews prior to sailing, but when I get back, just for fun I will look at reviews from the sailing I was on.

 

I usually come away thinking, were we even on the same ship? :D :D

 

My take on this dispute:

 

The OP appears to have went with the express purpose c/w microscope to be aware of any potential issues that they may have if they recommended this cruise to their customers.

 

Others appear to have the mindset of the average cruisers. That if it doesn't directly put a damper on my well deserved vacation, who cares whether they cleared off the dishes on the table beside me. And if the inexperienced staff didn't throw hot soup on my lap, we're good to go, they will learn but at least they were trying.

 

The one thing I will say is OP, sorry, but cruises can't control all of the actions of passengers. Unsupervised children are everywhere in todays world.

[che5904]

Whenever I go anywhere I always have my clients in mind:)

 

Of course you do. We are in our own business and even if we are on vacation, that is the mind set you are used to dealing with 24/7. So I am glad you did not take offense to my post, as it wasn't meant to offend. I was just trying to explain that people may be looking at different things when they are on vacation.

 

If I sat in a seat that the springs were broken, I'd say to myself "oops guess they better fix that, I'd get up and move". It would never occur to me to come back and express that as an issue. But we are looking at things from different directions.

 

And I agree that some of things you have expressed are indeed fact (I really don't think you made them up). But I'd have to put a pretty good wager that there is not a ship (with the exception of maybe the brand new builds), that don't have seats with broken springs. a torn seat or 2, broken lounges or rust.

Edited December 6, 2013 by che5904

[seahorse]

Of course you do. We are in our own business and even if we are on vacation, that is the mind set you are used to dealing with 24/7. So I am glad you did not take offense to my post, as it wasn't meant to offend. I was just trying to explain that people may be looking at different things when they are on vacation.

 

If I sat in a seat that the springs were broken, I'd say to myself "oops guess they better fix that, I'd get up and move". It would never occur to me to come back and express that as an issue. But we are looking at things from different directions.

 

And I agree that some of things you have expressed are indeed fact (I really don't think you made them up). But I'd have to put a pretty good wager that there is not a ship (with the exception of maybe the brand new builds), that don't have seats with broken springs. a torn seat or 2, broken lounges or rust.

True but not to the extent of the Gem. I have sailed on very, very old ships that were very well maintained. Some of them have since sunk:eek::D

 

In case of an emergency a.k.a. the Concordia I really would like a more experienced crew on board. Our waiter got flustered and was running around like a lost soul when he could not open our wine.

[Laszlo]

The crew was inexperienced and a lot of them admitted it. The experienced crew are going to the Getaway and are on the Breakaway.

 

Good review and I'm glad to see you were up front about everything with some facts to back it. I will take you to task on one thing, and that is the experience of the crew. I think blaming crew members for being inexperienced is unfair. Everyone needs to start training someplace / sometime. Sometimes you have a cruise with lots of trainees and sometimes you don't. Our crew on the Dawn was excellent but very short handed because a lot were sent home to help find family and friends in the Philippines

Edited December 6, 2013 by Laszlo

[johnsak123]

I have sailed on NCL many many times and the cruise I took our of nyc in December 2012 was just off. You can tell there was a feeling with the staff that they were either new or very very inexperienced. It wasn't for all of the staff but you definitely would have noticed if you sailed NCL before.

Please people don't fight on the site

Everyone is entitled to their opinion no matter how wrong it is HEHEHEHEHE

[Travel R]

We are considering sailing on Gem next year, a diversion from our string of RCL cruises over the last few years,and most of it has to do with the small window of time we will have next year for vacation. It is good to hear the good and the bad about this ship, so a thank you to everyone for their opinions. Although I take all reviews with a grain of salt, if enough people mention the same issue consistently in their reviews, I do start to think that their may be some truth in it. These opinions also give me things to think about such as should we cruise next year or take a land vacation.

[kylenyc]

We are considering sailing on Gem next year, a diversion from our string of RCL cruises over the last few years,and most of it has to do with the small window of time we will have next year for vacation. It is good to hear the good and the bad about this ship, so a thank you to everyone for their opinions. Although I take all reviews with a grain of salt, if enough people mention the same issue consistently in their reviews, I do start to think that their may be some truth in it. These opinions also give me things to think about such as should we cruise next year or take a land vacation.

How you have a great time with Gem and NCL. However, it seems the squeaky wheel gets the grease. ;)

[seahorse]

To end this.

 

Our cabin is under the jogging track......loud deck games that are played with iron disks that went on from early morning to late at night...I guess that I DIDN`T squeak enough;) there is no dance floor.

 

I will reiterate that the food was very good the cabin service was outstanding......I loved the Platinum perks:D

 

I bought a FCC and the department sent us a nice bottle of wine and chocolate strawberries

Bistro was great...food and service. We ate at GP once and it was very good.

 

The food at the buffet was sometimes better than the DR.

 

I have booked the Breakaway with my FCC. I still love NCL.

 

I had another cruise booked on the Gem before this one that was changed from a 9 night to a 12 for the same price....but I may cancel.