famcruise14 Posted January 30, 2020 #1 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Hi, Apologies if this has already been asked but I do not use these forums often. We are scheduled for the 11 day Caribbean cruise out of New York on the Gem on March 26. Curious if others have done this itinerary if there are recommendations for what to do at each stop. The stops are listed below. Also, we have a forwarding facing penthouse suite. Anyone have any experience with that type of room? Itinerary Day 1 ... New York (Manhattan) Day 2 ... Cruising Day 3 ... Cruising Day 4 ... San Juan Day 5 ... St. Kitts (Port Zante) Day 6 ... St. Lucia Day 7 ... Barbados Day 8 ... Antigua Day 9 ... St. Thomas Day 10 ... Cruising Day 11 ... Cruising Day 12 ... New York Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mking8288 Posted January 30, 2020 #2 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Maybe, say hi to your fellow CC'ers on the Roll Call, looks like they got a good M&G roster going for months; and, they are doing an optional Slot Pull ... LCR being mentioned. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2652439-ncl-gem-march-26-2020/page/8/ We've sailed the Gem a few times only, been to San Juan & St. Thomas - folks on the Roll Call are more up-to-date on who, what & how, etc. Someone mentioned diving. San Juan (look/check your port times, can be limiting) & St. Thomas (beautiful beaches) are easy DIY. Great ship & wonderful crew. Enjoy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare luv2kroooz Posted January 30, 2020 #3 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Just did a similar run on Gem in November only from Boston 13 days. I'll give you a quick word or two about what we did and then you can Google or follow up if it sounds like something of interest. San Juan- didn't stop there St Kitts - island tour purchased right at pier, $1 Carib beers at casino in the port area!! St Lucia - cosol tours Barbados - Carlisle Bay Antigua - took bus to Darkwood Beach St Thomas - stayed onboard, been many times... Magens Bay, Coki Beach, Paradise Point Tram, Island Tour off ship, shopping in Charlotte Amalie, ferry to St John....Lots of DIY options here Check out the ports of call section here in cc for all the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meglet Posted February 2, 2020 #4 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Sailed on the Gem in summer of 2019 in a forward owner's suite, 9004. I think the forward suites are similar in layout to the aft penthouse suites. Your suite has an amazing forward view. Be sure to take advantage of all the perks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted February 2, 2020 #5 Share Posted February 2, 2020 On 1/30/2020 at 6:00 PM, famcruise14 said: Also, we have a forwarding facing penthouse suite. Anyone have any experience with that type of room? These are fabulous suites. Your view is the view from the navigation bridge, right above you. We just did a full transit of the Panama Canal on the Gem in one of these penthouses. This is the view from our balcony as we approached the Gatun Locks in the very early morning: A bonus of these suites is the darkness at night (no lights allowed on the bow), and thus the incredible star-gazing. Be very careful opening and closing the heavy sea door, especially when the ship is underway. Enjoy your cruise! (photo by turtles06) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famcruise14 Posted February 29, 2020 Author #6 Share Posted February 29, 2020 Thanks all !! Really appreciate all the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Named-Tawny Posted February 29, 2020 #7 Share Posted February 29, 2020 On 2/2/2020 at 4:22 PM, Turtles06 said: A bonus of these suites is the darkness at night (no lights allowed on the bow), and thus the incredible star-gazing. Be very careful opening and closing the heavy sea door, especially when the ship is underway. Enjoy your cruise! (photo by turtles06) How strict is that rule? Like, if you're in your cabin, do you need to use blackout curtains if you have lights on? Or is that not bright enough to be problematic for the bridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted February 29, 2020 #8 Share Posted February 29, 2020 27 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said: How strict is that rule? Like, if you're in your cabin, do you need to use blackout curtains if you have lights on? Or is that not bright enough to be problematic for the bridge? If you are in cabins under the bridge, and it's night and your cabin lights are on, you need to pull your curtains. (In fact, the cabin steward will do that during turndown if he/she is there first.) This is no big deal; once it's dark out, you can't see anything through the window anyway. It's a safety issue -- you don't want the cabin lights interfering with the night vision of the folks on the bridge. I've read on here that if you don't pull your curtains, you may well get a reminder phone call from the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztras Posted March 1, 2020 #9 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Just wanted to say that while I've taken a bunch of NCL cruises - this was my favorite itinerary and favorite ship! Super jealous. In Barbados I recommend "Elegance Catamaran" for snorkeling & lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
df5250 Posted March 1, 2020 #10 Share Posted March 1, 2020 I sailed a similar itinerary last March on the Gem out of Boston, and am thinking about booking this cruise as a last minute trip. Here are a few of the things I've done on past trips with similar itineraries. In Antigua I booked a day pass at Beach Limerz. I've done this two years in a row. In St. Lucia I booked a day pass at Bay Gardens. The previous year I did a Land, Sea and Beach adventure. In Barbados, I did a Mount Gay Rum factory tour in the morning and then the afternoon beach break at Carlisle Bay. In St Kitts I did a catamaran sail over to Nevis. In St Thomas I did the Skyride and the champagne catamaran to St John. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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