Gem and Pearl

[Topdog52]

Is the suites on the Gem and Pearl worth $1100 more than a Club Balcony Suite. I am curios as what you will get extra on these ships. They seem to be great ships so I am tying to see if it is worth the extra money.

[don't-use-real-name]

Basically you have the Concierge and Butler at your beck and call -

Better higher pecking order priority than the Club Balcony Suite for dining - room service

getting on and off the ship (pre-boarding & tendering) and on some ships theater seating.

 

The type of suite (OS & DOS) and location (Haven & Garden Villa) will make an even greater

degree of Customer (guest) service experience.

Even the $1100+ smaller suites are impressive over the former Mini-Suites now renamed

Club suites still nothing more than a Deluxe balcony now with a bottle of bubbly.

 

Consider whether you are going to spend a great deal of time in your stateroom and on

ship to use the services of the Butler and Concierge for that $1100+ ?   

[Topdog52]

Thank You. We spend little time in our room and if the CBS are close in size the savings for the 2 of us is $2200 which I think I will donate to the casino. LOL 

[valleyvillage]

The main thing for us is not the room itself but the perk of Suite Breakfast and Lunch venues for Suite Guests. We just love the quiet, the food, the service. For us it is worth the extra cost. YMMV!

[Turtles06]

We love the Gem and her sister Jewel-class ships, and have sailed a number of times in both aft- and forward-facing Penthouse Suites, and enjoyed them very much.  Not only for the amount of interior space and the larger balconies, but also for the reasons stated above -- the various perks of sailing in a suite on NCL.

 

Also, we'd never consider a "Club Balcony Suite" (formerly called mini-suites) on those ships primarily because of their location on Deck 11, under the noisy and potentially noisy areas of Deck 12.   If you want to save money, you might consider a regular balcony cabin, especially if you really don't spend time in your cabin.  In fact, the bathrooms in the balcony cabins have the plus of a regular shower, rather than the tub/shower combo of the CBS.  (Those tub/shower combos are also in the Penthouse Suites, one of their very few negatives.)  The tub is very narrow (I think the tub is really meant for kids) and the tub wall is extremely high, which can pose problems for short folks and anyone with knee or mobility issues trying to take a shower, especially when the ship is feeling the motion of the ocean. 

 

Our last cruise before the pandemic was on the Gem -- a ship we really love -- 20 nights from NY to San Fran via the Panama Canal.  We were in forward-facing Penthouse 10000, directly under the bridge.  It was a fabulous stateroom.  Here are a couple of photos:

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Our last cruise before the pandemic was on the Gem -- a ship we really love

You just had to remind us of that...

 

Right about now Ellie and I would be starting to prepare for our planned 81 day winter 2021 cruise on the Gem. No Panama Canal for the Gem this year but it still would have been far better than sitting at home during the cold New Jersey winter.

 

Hope you're doing well.

 

[Turtles06]

28 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

You just had to remind us of that...

 

Right about now Ellie and I would be starting to prepare for our planned 81 day winter 2021 cruise on the Gem. No Panama Canal for the Gem this year but it still would have been far better than sitting at home during the cold New Jersey winter.

 

Hope you're doing well.

 

 

So far so good, hope you both are doing well too!

 

That cruise last January seems like forever ago.  I'm glad it was such a terrific trip.  

 

Stay safe (and warm)!

 

 

[Turtles06]

@Host Carolyn Thanks for correcting the OP's typo in the thread title!  (Peal to Pearl.  😊)

[njhorseman]

25 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

So far so good, hope you both are doing well too!

 

That cruise last January seems like forever ago.  I'm glad it was such a terrific trip.  

 

Stay safe (and warm)!

 

 

We're fine. Just fighting a never-ending case of "COVID fatigue."

[njhorseman]

25 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

@Host Carolyn Thanks for correcting the OP's typo in the thread title!  (Peal to Pearl.  😊)

I liked "Gem and Peal". Before I actually read the thread it I was hoping it was about a new British pub. 😉