First time NCL cruiser on Gem

[pltraveler]

We have previously cruised on several other lines including Celebrity, HAL and Carnival. This is our first time on NCL and will be taking a 10 day cruise on the Gem. Any tips or recommendations?

[Son of a son of a ...]

Reserve dinners and shows as soon as possible.

[Eleteace]

Heya, I have the perfect post for this which should help you.. 8 things I wish I knew before cruising with NCL: http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/04/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-cruising-with-ncl/

 

Have a fabulous time! I think everything should be on there. The Gem is an older ship so I believe you don't have to book the shows on there in the same way as you on one of the larger ships :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Turtles06]

Reserve dinners and shows as soon as possible.

 

There are no shows that can be reserved on the Jewel class ships, including the Gem. And no need to make reservations for the MDRs. The specialty venues are booking up more in advance now, though, because so many people have the SDP (specialty dining package).

[ilsh75]

We just came back from gem 10 day from nyc. For show come 10 before to get a pick of a seat but we always been able to find a place to seat the balconies always had space unless you late then it's just harder to see what's free. The specialty we had no problem they seemed to had space every time we went . I would pre reserve if it's free or you have SDP. Otherwise do it when you get on. We were able to book le bistro on the day before last for 7pm on 5 night no problem. The only place that we had problem getting was orchid garden. It free and it's like Chinese place. If you want to try it book it on the first day.

Disembarkation in San Juan was horrible if you just want to walk around wait a little bit to get the masses out. We wanted to get to El Moro so we stand in line for 30 min.

[Richpontone]

Heya, I have the perfect post for this which should help you.. 8 things I wish I knew before cruising with NCL: http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/04/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-cruising-with-ncl/

 

Have a fabulous time! I think everything should be on there. The Gem is an older ship so I believe you don't have to book the shows on there in the same way as you on one of the larger ships :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Show up 15 minutes before the shows and you can get your choice of seats.

The Gem is an older ship, more than 12 years old, but I believe it was refitted in 2015.

I love the Gem, been on it twice, and it is always clean and well maintained.

 

Norwegian is a budget cruise line but their staff and crew are always motivated to please you. Alert to Foodies, this cruise line is not going to serve you haute cuisine. If you want that, go to the higher priced cruise lines that will charge you twice the fare.

[fshagan]

Eleteace has a good blog post that was linked; you can ignore the bit about reserving the broadway-style shows as previously mentioned. The smaller Jewel class ships like the Gem don't have those shows. Instead, you get the musical / variety type of shows you see on every cruise in the main theater each night, and it's first come first seated for two shows per night. The entertainment is pretty good on NCL.

 

NCL also has a fair amount of free live entertainment in lounges throughout the ship, from piano to folk trios, etc. I know some lines have almost done away with live music, but it can be found on any evening on NCL.

 

Like Celebrity, NCL doesn't have any formal nights. NCL typically has one or two "dress up or not" nights where a small percentage of people dress to the nines and get pictures with the captain in the atrium, or pose for family pictures, but for the most part NCL is casual all the time. And no one cares what you are wearing, so if you wear jeans on "dress up or not" night no one even notices.

 

All dining is "any time". I think Celebrity calls it "Select Dining" but from what I've heard NCL handles the concept better than anyone else. Dining is similar to what you have at a restaurant on land; you go when you want, and eat at a table for just your party, whether that's just two of you or ten of you. If they can't seat you right away you get a pager. We have never had to wait more than 15 minutes.

 

You will most likely have different servers each night. The GEM has two main dining rooms, one aft and one midship. It also has a "pub style" place called O'Sheehans that is also included in your fare, and it is 24/7 for things like chicken wings, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. O'Sheehans often has a "dinner special" and people like the Prime Rib they serve. And there's the buffet, of course.

 

Dinner can take a long time with NCL. You are not rushed in any way, and its easy to think the service is particularly slow if you are used the assembly line way that assigned dining has on other lines. Because everyone arrives at a different time, you can be seated next to a table finishing up, with another table mid-meal on the other side. We have had dinners take 2 hours before when we weren't paying attention. It is something to keep in mind if you want to catch the 8:30 show and walk into the main dining room at 7:30 .... tell the wait person that you need to be out for the 8:30 show and they will accommodate you.

 

On sea days, the GEM may have a poolside barbecue for lunch. Chicken, ribs, grilled corn, a rice dish, etc. are barbecued and it is really quite good. There is also a pool side grill with pizza, burgers and hot dogs that is open during lunch and the afternoons. This place is sometimes closed so it may only be on sea days.

 

The buffet has self-serve soft ice cream (vanilla, chocolate and mixed) and, during certain hours in the afternoon, hand scooped ice cream with additional flavors.

 

You will have a blast! We loved the GEM when we were on her!

[pltraveler]

Thanks to all for their advice. So excited about our cruise!!

[clean1owner]

We have previously cruised on several other lines including Celebrity, HAL and Carnival. This is our first time on NCL and will be taking a 10 day cruise on the Gem. Any tips or recommendations?

 

 

We recently did an 8 night San Juan to New York cruise aboard the Gem. Here is a link to my review. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2434293

[fraidknot]

My wife and I will be on the Gem in the 28th and it has been a long while since we last traveled with NCL so this post and Eleteace's blog post are so extreamly helpful! Thanks all!

 

One thing that must have changed... room service isn't free anymore? Dang! Our balcony breakfast tradition may be in jeopardy.

[mugtech]

Thanks to all for their advice. So excited about our cruise!!

 

If you get a chance, check out singer/guitarist Leo from the Philippines. He does an excellent one man version of Steely Dan's Do It Again. A wide variety of great music..

[earlbird]

If you get a chance, check out singer/guitarist Leo from the Philippines. He does an excellent one man version of Steely Dan's Do It Again. A wide variety of great music..

 

Leo is excellent!!! I hope that he will be on our upcoming cruise.

This will be our sixth time on the Gem in the last three years, and we always look forward to hearing Leo.

[mjkacmom]

My wife and I will be on the Gem in the 28th and it has been a long while since we last traveled with NCL so this post and Eleteace's blog post are so extreamly helpful! Thanks all!

 

One thing that must have changed... room service isn't free anymore? Dang! Our balcony breakfast tradition may be in jeopardy.

 

You can still get a continental breakfast for free. The room service menu has improved a lot - you can now get a hot breakfast delivered.

[UPNYGuy]

Gem was built in 2007, so it is only 9 years old. And it was recently refurbished. The public spaces look great. IMHO, a good first choice to try Norwegian.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[luvs2beachit]

My wife and I will be on the Gem in the 28th and it has been a long while since we last traveled with NCL so this post and Eleteace's blog post are so extreamly helpful! Thanks all!

 

One thing that must have changed... room service isn't free anymore? Dang! Our balcony breakfast tradition may be in jeopardy.

 

Your balcony tradition may NOT be in jeopardy depending on what your breakfast requirements are. NCL still offers a FREE limited continental breakfast on it's room service menu. Coffee, tea, juice, toast, muffins,cold cereal and a few other things I can't remember at the moment. We order coffee and juice every morning then sit out on our balcony enjoying the views until we are ready to haul ourselves out to our real breakfast in the DR or buffet! Leaving on the Gem on the 18th and am counting the minutes!:cool:

Edited January 7, 2017 by luvs2beachit

[fraidknot]

Your balcony tradition may NOT be in jeopardy depending on what your breakfast requirements are. NCL still offers a FREE limited continental breakfast on it's room service menu. Coffee, tea, juice, toast, muffins,cold cereal and a few other things I can't remember at the moment. We order coffee and juice every morning then sit out on our balcony enjoying the views until we are ready to haul ourselves out to our real breakfast in the DR or buffet! Leaving on the Gem on the 18th and am counting the minutes!:cool:

 

Thanks for the clarification!

[Ricandkathy]

Yes, here is a tip.

Upon boarding the Gem, make your way to the Grand Pacific [main dining room] for a sit-down lunch at this uncrowded, complimentary dining room. The poached salmon is very good.

[Valen9]

One thing that must have changed... room service isn't free anymore? Dang! Our balcony breakfast tradition may be in jeopardy.

 

Room service is still free for the kind of continental breakfast stuff they were offering before, but during "breakfast" hours only. If you pay, they will bring you a wider selection of cooked foods for breakfast. Or a wider selection of other foods at any time of day.

 

I'm really conflicted about this change. I don't like added fees, but I had largely stopped ordering room service because the food was so disappointing. For my upcoming cruise on Breakaway I picked the free gratuities perk -- so maybe I can talk myself into paying a delivery fee on some days when I want to lounge around and enjoy my balcony.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Valen9

[CruiserBill1026]

We have previously cruised on several other lines including Celebrity, HAL and Carnival. This is our first time on NCL and will be taking a 10 day cruise on the Gem. Any tips or recommendations?

Hi,

Have been on the Gem twice before. Once in a minisuite & a penthouse suite. Going again on April 18th. Love the Gem. Not as big as the Anthem or Breakaway class. But who wants to be with 5000 other cruisers? You'll love it.

Bon Voyage,

CruiserBill1026

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G360AZ using Forums mobile app

[boopsahoy]

If you get a chance, check out singer/guitarist Leo from the Philippines. He does an excellent one man version of Steely Dan's Do It Again. A wide variety of great music..

 

Leo is great. Have you heard his Sultans of Swing? Boy he sure can play guitar! We love him.:)

[mugtech]

Leo is great. Have you heard his Sultans of Swing? Boy he sure can play guitar! We love him.:)

Yes I have. Last May he did an excellent 45 minute set of all Beatles:D

[clean1owner]

Yes, here is a tip.

Upon boarding the Gem, make your way to the Grand Pacific [main dining room] for a sit-down lunch at this uncrowded, complimentary dining room. The poached salmon is very good.

 

 

 

But they don't start serving until 12:30. So if you are an early boarder, you will have to kill some time until you can eat lunch.