Gem cruise-January 29-February 7, 2014

[Educators2]

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

Susan

 

 

We’ve just returned from our cruise on the Norwegian Gem—our fifth time on that ship and our fifth winter sailing out of New York. We were lucky to have fairly quiet seas and our second to last sea day was warm—a bonus day to be outside soaking up some sun before returning to a blast of frigid air. We did some new things, enjoyed our Platinum perks for the first time on a nine-day cruise and that combined for a special experience. I’ll go through the highlights first, then offer some suggestions for improvement.

 

MEET AND GREET- If you’re new to cruising or have never joined your cruise Roll Call, attending the Meet and Greet on the first sea day is a great start for your vacation. I’ve attended many Meet and Greets but this was the first time that I was the host, a position I inherited after a cruise buddy had to cancel. It was wonderful working with Ana from the Miami office and Claudia, the Group Service Coordinator on the Gem. By the sailing date we had 90+ people sign up and at least 65 to 70 turned out. I decided to use my teacher-training skills to encourage as many as possible to introduce themselves after the officers had left after saying a few words. I think that the personal introductions added more depth to the meeting and let everyone match screen names to faces. Immediately following the gathering, we had a small group who signed up for the “cabin crawl.” In this instance, smaller was better since we got to see the Garden Villa, thanks to V. and Matt, and the Jade Suite, thanks to R.J. and Marsha. What a treat. My house could fit in the Garden Villa and the Jade Suite had incredible charm. We also saw a prized aft balcony and ended up in our own mid-ship balcony. I did have some chocolate strawberries and Godiva chocolates to share, thanks to our Platinum status, and the room had no movement—a plus on a winter cruise, but getting to see those suites in person was incredible. The members of the Roll Call participated that afternoon in a Slot Pull, masterfully organized by Barbara with assistance from Steve. I won’t go into detail, but for me, seeing so much money go into a slot machine with so little payout, was an eye-opener. Later in the cruise, Claudia arranged for bridge tours. Captain Nordberg was so informative and gave us much information about the safety features of the Gem and its advanced technology during our one hour visit.

PLATINUM PERKS- Platinum status provided us with quite a lot. We had free laundry on both days when laundry specials were offered. Everything came back folded and pressed and presented in a wicker basket a day later. We also had two complimentary dinners at Le Bistro with our choice of wines from a vast list (I can’t tell good wine from the cheap stuff) and a bottle of bubbly in our cabin. The best perk though was the Behind the Scenes Tour hosted by George Kassis, the Cruise Consultant. Just like a good tour guide makes for a great excursion, he did a fabulous job escorting us through the galleys, provisions area, crew lounge, laundry, theater and bridge viewing room. I was most impressed with the stage manager of the Stardust Theater. She was very knowledgeable and clearly loved her job.

DINING- I know that food is subjective and dependent on what you choose to eat and the attentiveness of your server. I love to cook and found all meals very good to excellent. We always told the wait staff that we wanted to make the 7 p.m. show and found that all but once, the service was excellent. The surf and turf on the first night in the main dining room was delicious as was the appetizer of lime shrimp on fingerling potato salad. We loved our dinners at Le Bistro and had a complimentary dinner and wine at La Cucina as part of a booking promotion. With our on-board credit, we also enjoyed dinners at Orchid Garden and Cagney’s (superb). With two days left on the cruise, we felt that we had more meat and rich food that in many moons and opted for light dinners at the buffet. The selections at the buffet were varied and quite good. There is a crepe station at the buffet right next to the delicious warm cobblers. Yum.

 

ENTERTAINMENT-There is a lot to do at night. The production shows are fun, and one, Pure Variety, is new. The stage manager told us that most shows run for five years but that parts of long-running shows change based on audience appeal. Celia and Julian, the aerial duo, are amazing and also do an informative afternoon Q & A. Leo, the guitarist, did a great tribute to the Beatles, James Taylor, and Elton John (on different nights). There was always something to do at night. Maybe I’m showing my age, but many of the audience participation games that I always attended in the past were held at 10 p.m. or later and I couldn’t stay awake.

 

CABIN-We were in a mid-ship balcony, Room 9104, which was a great choice. The balcony was shielded from the wind and was a great place to soak up the sun. Hermano, our room steward, was on his first contract, as was many of the staff. He was so personable, made wonderful towel animals every night, and was always in the hall asking about our day and eager to do a good job. That was so nice to see.

 

SOME SUGGESTIONS-

 

DAYTIME ACTIVITIES- There was a time when there were so many activities that I didn’t know which one to choose. Not so, this time. I love Trivia (hi to Jenny and Terry) and commend Samantha for doing a great job with Progressive Trivia. There were also trivia games every morning at around 9 a.m. There were good Q & As hosted by the stage manager with the Gem singers and dancers and also with the aerial team. I was lucky to have the Meet and Greet activities and Behind the Scenes Tour. There was a new “cake making competition” but if you’re a serious cook, it was very silly. Most of the activities were sales pitches such as Emeralds & Watches Presentation, Back Pain Relief, Arthritis Pain Solutions, and numerous Martini Tastings for a fee. For families, and we last cruised with our children and grandchildren, the Nickelodeon activities and other family-oriented circus or cupcake workshops are very enjoyable, but this cruise only had 120 children, mostly pre-school or early-elementary. I think NCL should hire some guest lecturers or schedule workshops that offer personal enrichment. Other lines have computer classes, digital photography, jewelry making, etc.

 

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS: I know that the Gem is scheduled for dry dock in November 2014. However, some tabletops in the Great Outdoor eating area are cracked and should be fixed. Also, many treads on the floor as you enter the Garden Café are coming up creating a tripping hazard especially if you are wearing flip-flops.

CAUTIONARY NOTES: Reading your folio is a bit of a challenge if you have on-board credit. Although you are made aware that on-board credit cannot be used for tips, the daily service charge ($12 per day per person) is deducted from your non-refundable credit every day. To Norwegian’s credit this time, I received a letter on the 7th day stating that I had $118 in on-board credit that had to be used. I knew I had a reservation at Cagney’s and took home some souvenirs to make sure that I spent all the money. Also, if you park at the pier, do not count on finding your car cleared of snow to be included in the $40 per day fee. We had a brush and de-icer but still needed to hire someone to shovel us out.

 

All in all, we had a great time and can’t wait to cruise again.

[jaja]

thanks for the review..! We were on the Gem in the fall..and will be sailing her again maybe next year!!!

Edited February 11, 2014 by jaja

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for your thoughtful review!

Glad you had a good cruise.

I watched your sailaway on the webcam.

Happy Cruising!

 

 

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[johnsak123]

Was on the Gem 1/1

the seas were rough both going and coming but had a great time

George was great

I really enjoyed the behind the scene tour and my friends were chuckling at how much I enjoyed it. I thought it was fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes so to speak

Would have been a perfect trip if I would have won some money in the casino but if that's the only thing wrong with a trip then I am happy.

Not as happy if I would have won lol

Cheers!!

Edited February 11, 2014 by johnsak123

[margincall]

Thanks for the review-we will be on the gem on 12-1,i think it is the second cruise after the drydock

[Carnac767]

Great review, Susan. Glad you and Ira had a good time. Sorry we weren't able to make it. Hope to cruise with you again soon.

[Educators2]

Thanks, Jack. We picked a great time to escape the cold, but this winter, anytime was a good choice!

[hbooden]

We are booked in dec in a mid ship balcony do you mind if I ask you a couple of room questions? ;)

 

I have heard many complaints about balcony size...is it fine? I mean to sit out on its comfy?

 

And having never been on a cruise the bathrooms look really small lol how is it on the gem? ;)

 

 

 

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[Li'lImp]

Another room question, if you will. Did you get much noise from the elevators/stairs near your room?

[DinaS]

Thanks so much for that review! We'll be going on March 17th, and are really looking forward to it. We also have a mid-ship balcony on deck 9!

 

Have you, or will you be posting about the ports and what you did at each place? We have been on the Gem before, but never to the Caribbean, and so were interested in reading about what folks did in each port.

 

We plan on just walking around in San Juan, since it's only a few hours and at a strange time. If there are any places you would recommend there within walking distance from the ship - we'd love to know about it. Perhaps some local (not touristy) places for a drink, or something unique.

 

For the other three ports, if you want to share your experience, beaches you prefer, or anything else - good or bad - please do.

 

Thanks so much for posting your review!

 

Dina and Ed

[Educators2]

Our balcony was great. We had the two chairs and it was fine. Lounge chairs do not fit. You hear no noise at all from elevators or stairs. The bathroom is quite large for a cruise ship. We never had problems with shower which has a door, not a flimsy curtain.

 

We just walk around the ports. Maybe others can post about beaches. Join your Roll Call for that information. There is a free trolley in San Juan. The fort is interesting. The Bacardi tour is great but you may be too late arriving.

 

You will have a great time.

[destaw7182]

Thanks for your review. I was particularly interested since this one left out of NYC, so duly noting what you stated about parking and snow.

[Educators2]

This is the second time we had a problem returning home to NY after a snowstorm. The last time, the pier wasn't even plowed carefully and the pathways were full of ice. This isn't NCL's fault but at such a high per day price, I expect better. I read that the cars at Bayonne were cleared of snow.

[mrrobby]

HI Susan, We have gone out of Bayonne 4 times in the winter and we put a shovel in the back of our SUV. We had to shovel our car out 3 different times there. Just didn't want you to think it's any better there. At least it wasn't for us. It is only $19 per day as of a couple of years ago. We took a car service from NJ to the NCL Gem to avoid that hefty $40 per day charge. Nice review.

 

Take Care

Rob

[margincall]

nice to hear that the showers have a door

we were on ncl sun in alaska last year and it was a curtain

[travelingsister]

My sister and I were on the same cruise. We had a great time. It was our first time on the Gem but have traveled with NCL at least 6 other times. Just want to say thank you again for arranging the Meet and Greet. Also want to give a shout out to Debbi who arranged the beach trip in St. Maarten. It was a great day!

[hbooden]

Thanks for the response:) we are so excited to go!!!

 

 

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[jdvmd]

Lovely review! Thanks for sharing!

[scordovi]

By any chance do you have the dailies?

[DinaS]

By any chance do you have the dailies?

 

Someone posted the Gem dailies on another thread - here's the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=41177159&postcount=49

[cpcanuck]

Thanks for the great review! I am eagerly reading everything about the Gem at the moment - trying hard not to get too excited as my cruise will not happen until next year.

 

In the meantime, I read and dream! Thanks for your insights and reflections on your experience. Much appreciated!

[gelo7]

Thanks, for sharing your thoughts.

[schwaja3]

Thanks for a great review. Did they have the Chef's Table on this cruise? If so, which day was it?

 

Jack

[Travel R]

Thank you for your review - after deciding to not cruise this year, we may wind up cruising on the Gem this June (the Sat to Sat sailings out of NY work perfect with our schedule).

 

I will have more questions for you after I do some more research on the ship. I found two "All Things Gem" threads from 2008 and 2011 respectively - so hopefully they will answer some of my questions (or may cause more).

 

Thanks again!