Secrets of the Norwegian Gem

[NJsharon]

Oh 9 & 12, well that makes a huge difference. Impressionable age, able to understand lyrics & see how people are bumping & grinding. Totally acceptable then. :rolleyes:

 

My girls are 9yrs old & no, would not advise taking kids to the adult white hot party.

 

There is, as I stated, a family white hot party. Lots of fun for all ages. :)

 

Guess it is just different parenting styles though, as I said. My girls are not allowed to listen to any videos with cursing & we definitely do not curse around them either.

[OceanBlue123]

Re: White Hot Party

 

One of the best things about cruising is the opportunity to try different things without a big commitment. I can choose to sit and listen, or simply walk through, the lounge with the piano player (or guitar player depending on timing). I can browse the buffet before deciding if I want to head to the MDR. I can go to a juggling show in the theater and stay or walk out any time. When was the last time you took the time and effort to see a juggler on land?

 

It is also like this with the parties. It costs nothing to walk in and check them out. If the music or participants are too raunchy for your taste then just walk out. I think the only mistake would be avoiding an event based on someone else's opinion. If it is that big a deal, just have an adult walk through before bringing in the kids. Of course, if NCL states "adults only" for an event that is another matter. For example, do not bring your kids to the Quest game show, nor to the Second City late night performance. And definitely avoid Bliss after 11pm unless you want your little ones to finally understand what those couches and beds in there are really for. :D

 

I doubt the kids will see or hear anything worse at the White Hot party than they will when hanging out by the pool near the rowdy teenagers. Just my opinion, of course.

[OnceAMarineAlwaysAMarine]

Ah yes, the GEM. We are dedicated NCL cruisers, love the cruise line, lattitude members Silver going onto Gold (next cruise). Of all the ships we have been on with NCL, GEM seems to have a special place in our hearts. Not sure why, we have done the Jewel & Breakaway as well (multiple times), but for some reason, when we got back onto the GEM this year, we just felt right at home. I think it just felt to be the right size without being too overcrowded.

 

Excellent points made so far. Morning breakfasts are overcrowded in the buffet restaurant, much nicer to take your tray across the hall to Cucina, more quiet, more chances to find seating.

 

When our neighbours joined us on this year's cruise, all we could talk about was to get ready to see the Fountains show. Make sure you do not miss it, and film it too !! Hilarious !!

 

One more thing that was not mentioned. NCL is known for their White Party, where everyone dresses in white, and dances the night away. We took our son, our neighbours took their daughters. For sure you won't find many kids at this party, but if you have kids and they are into dancing, try it out. We lasted about 2 hours which was awesome. Most popular party on the ship.

I believe the Breakaway calls it the Glow Party now, with glow sticks and things like that.

 

You will need to plan your meals according to show times at the theater. We always liked to eat around 6:00 - 6:30 and then catch the 9:00 show. There are always 2 shows, one at 7:00 and a repeat at 9:00.

 

I believe if you go outside on the 7th deck, there is a walking track. Even though there are chairs and shuffle board out there, you can actually walk around the entire ship. It even shows how many "laps" to complete a mile. We used to go for a few rounds to walk off our big buffet lunches, not jogging, as there is a dedicated jogging track, but a fast walk.

 

If you have kids, pay attention to the arts & crafts stuff, as NCL is associated with Nickelodeon. So they have family activities like color your own Dora or SpongeBob shirt, make your own scrapbook, etc

 

There are 4 bowling lanes in one of the smaller teen dance clubs, that's fun too.

 

Oh, one more thing, the most popular restaurant by far on the ship is Teppinyaki. Seating is limited, so you will want to book this in advance online (yes you can book all of your restaurants and excurions online before getting on the ship). I always book my favorite restaurants in advance, and while you can book most of them on the ship, it is always tougher to find space at Teppinyaki due to the 4 cooking surfaces which seats about 12 people each.

 

Oh, one more thing again, they have the most amazing BBQ pit next to the pool. They usually do this when at sea during warmer days (if leaving out of NY). The tastiest chicken and rice, and just the smell of it all next to the pool is amazing.

 

Enjoy your trip, you won't be disappointed, great ship !!

 

Thank you. This is very helpful information. I have primarily sailed on Royal Caribbean and I am looking forward to my first NCL experience.

[NJsharon]

Oh, another tip. If you plan on attending the final bingo game, where they raffle off a free cruise.... get there early if you want a seat!

 

It was held in the Spinnaker & there were several people sitting on the dance floor area, in the aisles, and standing at the back, as there were no more seats available.

 

If I went to that again, I would arrive for the previous activity in the Spinnaker, if time allows. So we would have a decent seat.

 

Oh & kids can play bingo with you. But they cannot buy the cards or obviously cash in the winnings (as you have to go to the casino to get your winnings).

[neilsak]

Just remembered something else, I am laughing just thinking about it. Read the Daily Planner the night before, and highlight (with a yellow highlighter of course), the events that interest you. This helps you plan your day better, but without stressing, if you can make it somewhere then great, if you miss it, oh well.

 

One of those events during our last cruise (GEM) was a Master Chef, Iron Chef type event held in their big dance club called Spinnaker. We went there thinking it would be some serious cooking show. Turned out to be just as funny as that Fountains show. It was their headliner comedian, the ship's captain, and the extremely funny entertainment director, all supervised by the ship's head chef. The goal was for them to make their own version of a black forest cake. OMG was it hilarious, I cried and LOL. The entertainment director had a bottle of vodka or rum next to him, and told us he was building a volcano black forest, and built it up like a volcano, with a hole in the center, and kept pouring alcohol into the center of the cake. Add more whip cream, add another layer of cake, build up more whip cream, pour in more alcohol. There was so much alcohol poured into this cake, that the comedian asked if it was normal that his cake was leaking all over the floor.

 

When they finished, the comedian and captain's cake looked presentable, even though they did funny things with it while making it, but the ED's cake was a sight to see, and worst than that, you could smell the alcohol way out into the crowd.

 

But the best part was when the show was over, you can go and take pictures with them, and they were actually cutting the cakes and offering it up to the crowd. I kid you not, the longest line-up was for the ED's cake, I was sick just looking at it and smelling it, but I guess when you love your alcohol, anything goes.

 

My point here, try not to miss events that seem like a waste of time, they can be the best part of your cruise !! Daily Planner !!

 

Neil

Edited April 9, 2015 by neilsak

[neilsak]

Re: White Hot Party

Don't want to beat a dead horse, to each their own really, our kids loved it and we will go back to it next year with them, grinding or not. But seriously, it's not that bad. OceanBlue123 said it best, you walk thru, you try it out, you don't like it you leave. It is their signature party on the ship, 3/4 of the ship is at this party, so something to be seen for sure. And while there is no sign outside that says "Kid Friendly", there is no sign outside, nor in the Daily Planner, that says "Adults Only", which means kids are allowed. NCL is very good for putting that sort of warning next to adult only events, which we do avoid with the kids (believe it or not).

 

Side note, we did not stay there until 3AM. We lasted until midnight or slightly after, and I would say maybe 1-2 songs tops had some lyrics that were questionable.

 

Our neighbours that were with us, the mom is a school teacher in elementary school, she would have been the first person to say let's leave, and she totally enjoyed it with her girls.

 

Here is a video from this year to give the OP an idea of what it looks like, and this video was taken on the GEM 2015 !!

 

Edited April 9, 2015 by neilsak

[NJsharon]

Get your facts straight, the regular White Hot Party is meant to be an ADULT ONLY event. Again, that is why they have a Family White Hot Party. How hard is that to understand?

 

Oh wait, let me get my daily, where it says "Adults Only" as maybe you skimmed over that printed on the front page?

 

I am also an elementary school teacher and there is no way I would let my 9 year old girls near the adult white hot party. Take them to the Family White Hot Party instead. Lots of fun for all ages!

 

[abbyar]

Way to kill a thread pp. Seriously, why do you care?

 

Moving along ... our first visit to the Gem will be this May - staying in a mini suite. I've heard mixed reviews as to if minis have a curtain divider. Do some? all?

[NJsharon]

Me? I care because I was setting facts straight as a poster was recommending taking the kids to the Adult white hot party!

 

I wanted to reiterate that this is meant to be for adults only & really is not a fun event aimed at kids. The Family White Hot Party is lots of fun though!

 

Anyway, yes, mini-suites do have a curtain divider. Just got off on Monday from Mini-Suite on Deck 11. Great cabin! Lots of storage space too!

 

Only minor complaint was the pull-out bed (the sofa-bed) was very hard. My girls didn't complain at all about it. But me & hubby took a turn on it & wow, it was like solid wood, with hardly any padding! LOL

 

So the extra bed is probably fine for kids under 11yrs, but anyone older, may want to ask for additional quilts to lay on?!

[Cynthia1271]

Just remembered something else, I am laughing just thinking about it. Read the Daily Planner the night before, and highlight (with a yellow highlighter of course), the events that interest you. This helps you plan your day better, but without stressing, if you can make it somewhere then great, if you miss it, oh well.

 

One of those events during our last cruise (GEM) was a Master Chef, Iron Chef type event held in their big dance club called Spinnaker. We went there thinking it would be some serious cooking show. Turned out to be just as funny as that Fountains show. It was their headliner comedian, the ship's captain, and the extremely funny entertainment director, all supervised by the ship's head chef. The goal was for them to make their own version of a black forest cake. OMG was it hilarious, I cried and LOL. The entertainment director had a bottle of vodka or rum next to him, and told us he was building a volcano black forest, and built it up like a volcano, with a hole in the center, and kept pouring alcohol into the center of the cake. Add more whip cream, add another layer of cake, build up more whip cream, pour in more alcohol. There was so much alcohol poured into this cake, that the comedian asked if it was normal that his cake was leaking all over the floor.

 

When they finished, the comedian and captain's cake looked presentable, even though they did funny things with it while making it, but the ED's cake was a sight to see, and worst than that, you could smell the alcohol way out into the crowd.

 

But the best part was when the show was over, you can go and take pictures with them, and they were actually cutting the cakes and offering it up to the crowd. I kid you not, the longest line-up was for the ED's cake, I was sick just looking at it and smelling it, but I guess when you love your alcohol, anything goes.

 

My point here, try not to miss events that seem like a waste of time, they can be the best part of your cruise !! Daily Planner !!

 

Neil

 

 

This sounds hilarious!!!! Thanks for sharing!

[Cynthia1271]

Way to kill a thread pp. Seriously, why do you care?

 

Moving along ... our first visit to the Gem will be this May - staying in a mini suite. I've heard mixed reviews as to if minis have a curtain divider. Do some? all?

 

 

I am not sure, but I did read that someone brought magnetic hooks and a shower curtain to make a make-shift privacy curtain....

[neilsak]

abbyar:

 

To answer your question about the curtain, yes the GEM has a long red velour type curtain that separates the living room area from the bedroom. We assumed that same curtain would be there on the Breakaway but it was not, only on the GEM and I think JEWEL as well (in the Mini-suites). One of the reasons we keep booking the Mini-Suite, that curtain was important for us (wife & I) to get a bit of that privacy feel, but I don't want to get into why, else we might have another few pages of romance protocol comments when traveling with kids.

 

As for the pull-out, it was not plush like the main bed, but it was comfy enough to have a good night's sleep, I know because I slept there most nights while the wife slept with my son (after sneaking back from behind said curtains).

 

to the OP, I am a Gold Lattitude member as of next cruise, traveled on the Jewel, Gem and Breakaway (always cruised out of NY hence why only those 3 ships), on the Escape next, and have been to the White/Glow Party every single time with the family. Not once did I see a Daily Planner that said Adult Only for that party, not once (I guess double check yours to be sure). Too bad I don't have copies of the Daily Planner myself, but who keeps that stuff right.

 

Was thinking of posting a pic of my son with the Entertainment Director at the party, but changed my mind. I guess 1 ship decided otherwise (no kids). Been to the family White Party, meh, boring for my son (and wife), great for 2-6 year olds though, all running around in a circle on the dance floor, not much of a party.

 

But don't take my word for it, here is a small snip from the NCL pages:

http://answers.ncl.com/answers/4066/category/GETAWAY/norwegian-getaway-questions-answers/questions.htm?expandquestion=1868062

 

Is there an age minimum for the white hot party?

asked 10 months ago by Anonymous on Norwegian Getaway

 

2 answers

Answers

 

answer 1

 

Our signature All White Hot Party is open everyone all ages.

 

answered 9 months ago by NCLSTAFF85 - MIAMI

 

answer 2

 

The white hot party is open to all ages, my kids had a blast, get there before it starts and the staff will put neon washable paint on the kids faces. Also glow sticks. So much fun!

[Andy&Mary]

I have been looking at The Haven Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (eg, 10004) on Gem. I have seen pictures and multiple videos that show the curtain between the bedroom and the living area. Is there a sliding door there too? Trying to see if someone watching TV in one room would disturb someone in the other room. Thanks for the help!

Mary

[mrdrdoso]

On the last afternoon at sea there was a crew talent show in the theatre. This was fun to watch. At the end of the show the Cruise Director's staff performed Fountains. If you have never seen Fountains performed live you simply must make it a priority to be there. This is a performance, like that of the Magician, that is best seen from the center of the front row. Remember, these things are always best the very first time you see it, so do yourself a favor and do not ask anyone about the show beforehand, other than to confirm the time of its performance.

 

Fountains is a must and we see it everytime:D

[goldmom]

I have been looking at The Haven Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (eg, 10004) on Gem. I have seen pictures and multiple videos that show the curtain between the bedroom and the living area. Is there a sliding door there too? Trying to see if someone watching TV in one room would disturb someone in the other room. Thanks for the help!

Mary

 

No sliding door, just the curtain. You can hear the TV from the living room in the bedroom, but the curtain does muffle it. We stayed in this suite for the first time last January and immediately booked it again for next year. Love it!

[neilsak]

Since we are on the topic of nice rooms (Haven), thought I would throw out this question to you guys. We absolutely have to take the MA category (Mid Ship) as the wife and her family can get queezy (even with sea sickness pill) if our rooms are located anywhere else.

 

Since there are Mini-Suites mid-ship, it all works out. Walking back to our room one night, we noticed a gap between doors on the 11th deck, and when we came upon the open door with attendant cleaning it, we were surprised that the room looked different to our Mini-Suite. The attendant told us that it was much bigger room, I believe double the size, hence the wall and gap between doors in the hall.

 

My understanding was that the fancier more expensive "suites" were front or back only. So what was this room that is double in space then ?? It was on our way to our mid-ship room, so not sure the exact location of it, but it was not complete front or back, and was in between other mini-suite rooms.

 

What is the name of this type of room, and what does it offer more than a mini-suite? This was on the GEM, not sure if this type of room also exists on the Breakaway class as well.

 

Thanks

[bassclarinetgrl]

Going on the Gem in June. We do not have the UPD but we want to try a couple of the specialty restaurants. Do I need to book them in advance or will there be some reservations available on embarkation?

[NJsharon]

Going on the Gem in June. We do not have the UPD but we want to try a couple of the specialty restaurants. Do I need to book them in advance or will there be some reservations available on embarkation?

 

You can book after embarking. Teppanyaki tends to book up the quickest, followed by Le Bistro. But no need to book in advance of the sailing. Have fun!

[Big Al B.]

Going on the Gem in June. We do not have the UPD but we want to try a couple of the specialty restaurants. Do I need to book them in advance or will there be some reservations available on embarkation?

 

You might want to try the online route. With the UPD plan, I am imagining a lot of reservations have already been made.

[SandyAtSea]

Since there are Mini-Suites mid-ship, it all works out. Walking back to our room one night, we noticed a gap between doors on the 11th deck, and when we came upon the open door with attendant cleaning it, we were surprised that the room looked different to our Mini-Suite. The attendant told us that it was much bigger room, I believe double the size, hence the wall and gap between doors in the hall.

 

My understanding was that the fancier more expensive "suites" were front or back only. So what was this room that is double in space then ?? It was on our way to our mid-ship room, so not sure the exact location of it, but it was not complete front or back, and was in between other mini-suite rooms.

 

What is the name of this type of room, and what does it offer more than a mini-suite? This was on the GEM, not sure if this type of room also exists on the Breakaway class as well.

 

Thanks

 

I don't think there are any handicapped mini-suites but if you were on deck 11 a bit forward of midship, there are some 2 BR family suites interspersed among the regular mini-suites.

[neilsak]

SandyAtSea:

 

That is exactly what I thought I saw, or what I thought the attendant told me. But since it was squeezed in with the mini-suites, and not at the far ends labeled as Haven, I questioned what type of room this was. Is it a 2BR Mini-Suite or a 2BR Haven mini-suite??

 

I guess I should ask the agent when I book my next cruise (this weekend). I am very curious because somewhere along the way, my young son will grow up to be a teen, and for privacy reasons, thought it would be cool to land a room like that (if it really does exist), without having to go full blown Haven level.

 

Anyone else know about this 2BR suite, located in between mini-suites? I saw this one on our 11th floor. There was a solid wall at some point, which ran the length of this bigger room, the door spacing was different.

 

Curious how much more a room like that would cost ??

 

Thanks

Neil

[jjikids]

We booked the 2 BR suite category SC. The cost was $600 more than the SF we had originally booked. We switched when they added prepaid gratuities. We figured for a 10 day cruise it would be nice to have two bathrooms. They sleep six but we are only two and will use the extra room for storage. Getting four perks made it for us.

[mrdrdoso]

I forgot which MD room is open for lunch at embarkation? Have no plans to cram into the buffet with 2000 of my closest friends for the next week. we did that our first sailing and never again. TY in advance

[SandyAtSea]

SandyAtSea:

 

That is exactly what I thought I saw, or what I thought the attendant told me. But since it was squeezed in with the mini-suites, and not at the far ends labeled as Haven, I questioned what type of room this was. Is it a 2BR Mini-Suite or a 2BR Haven mini-suite??

 

I guess I should ask the agent when I book my next cruise (this weekend). I am very curious because somewhere along the way, my young son will grow up to be a teen, and for privacy reasons, thought it would be cool to land a room like that (if it really does exist), without having to go full blown Haven level.

 

Anyone else know about this 2BR suite, located in between mini-suites? I saw this one on our 11th floor. There was a solid wall at some point, which ran the length of this bigger room, the door spacing was different.

 

Curious how much more a room like that would cost ??

 

Thanks

Neil

 

There are ten of these suites - five on each side on deck 11. Just looking at the cruise we are booked on next year, we are paying $1300 pp for a mini-suite and these suites are about $2900 pp. They are not Haven suites, have all the other suite perks though. Prices could be vastly different on another cruise, I was just comparing the prices on our particular cruise to get a sense of the difference. If you look on the NCL website you can find a picture and floor plan of this category (SC). Maybe someone else will post one?

[neilsak]

SandyAtSea:

 

Thanks, I actually found the details of that suite on the NCL site, never knew it existed, always thought it was Mini-Suite and then Haven. Once I found the details of that suite, the first thing my wife asked was where is it located (she recalled it was not right next to our Mid Ship room), and that killed it for us right there, irrelevant of price. We travel with her parents and aunt, and always take 3 Mini-Suite rooms. All 3 of those rooms have to be Mid Ship, no matter what the price is. For some reason they all seem to have the same blood type, and get queezy if staying front or back. They do take the sea sickness pill once boarding, and it works wonders, you could not tell at all, and for the most part, they are fine on calmer days. But even the look outside seeing the horizon moving would be unsettling for them.

 

So because of that, we always have to pay a small premium ($30 pp I think) to get Mid Ship rooms. But like I explained to my wife, somewhere along the way, our 9 yr old son will become a teen, and privacy (and his solid sleeping habits) will disappear quickly. So having a 2 BR setup will be something to consider down the road.

 

So nice to know this room exists. I read in a previous post in this thread that someone paid +$600 pp for this type of suite, so seeing your prices made me gasp ($1300=>$2900), +$1600pp X 2 plus kids, wow !! That is one heck of a premium to get free booze and dining etc. Not sure I would want to part with that kind of coin, especially since the Mini Suite is really nice.

 

Thanks for the info !!