NCL Gem review (2/8/22)

[natefish95]

Good afternoon people of Cruise Critic! I'm sitting at LGA airport after having spent a weekend in NYC after getting off the Gem on Friday 2/18. Since i have some time now, I'm going to put down a few thoughts about my cruise. As you can see from my signature, this was my fourth cruise since the restart, but my first back on NCL. I'll compare NCL to Carnival and Royal when I think about, but I'm going to avoid overdoing the comparisons. 

 

Who is this guy?

Hi, I'm Nate 🙂 I live in Arlington, Virginia, love to cruise, and just enjoy being on the water. I always travel solo, so NCL is usually my preferred line. Last year I started dabbling with Royal, but no one does solo cruising quite like NCL. 

 

Booking

Now NCL reallllllllllllly tried my patience during the pandemic y'all. My birthday cruise in April 2020 was cancelled obviously. No big deal. These things happened. I waited to book and when NCL announced they were restarting with the Gem in Punta Cana, I jumped on that for September 2021. Since cruises were starting to open up, I also booked the Jewel from San Diego to Panama. Now let me tell you, when these were cancelled the same week, I was SAD. I got the nice 10% discount for a future cruise, but you can only have one in your account. Oh you had multiple cancellations? Too bad. Sucks for you. I didn't agree with the way NCL did this, but hopefully this should all be behind us now. I rebooked on the Jewel from NYC to Panama (Im going to get to Panama dangit!). Welp, cancelled too. At this point I was cranky with NCL. I liked the idea of cruising out of New York, so I decided to book the Gem on a 10 day Eastern Caribbean. By this point, the Gem was back in service sailing from Miami and I was confident this time the ship would actually sail and NCL wouldn't do my dirty again. This is why I have trust issues. 

 

I booked an interior on Deck 9 with all the Free at Sea promos thrown in (beverage package, dining package, wifi package, shore excursion credits). I decided to upgrade the wifi package for about $150 or so? I also prebooked a 6 liter water bottle package and a thermal suite pass. I bid on an upgrade to a balcony and not surpassingly, got it since the ship was so empty. I think every single bid was accepted for this sailing. I was moved to forward balcony 10044. 

[natefish95]

Flying to NYC

To keep it short, I flew up to NYC (Laguardia) on Tuesday the 8th. Yes, I flew in the day of. *Gasp* I live in DC and there are multiple flights every hour, so even if my flight was messed up, I was confident i could find a flight that works. My flight was scheduled for 7am, but was delayed until 7:50. No big deal. They emailed the night before, so now I could sleep in 30 more minutes. I was flying First, so my checked bag was free. I also had some vodka and orange juice on the flight up. Hey, I'm on vacation! 

 

No issues at the airport. Got my bag, walked to the Uber pickup area, and next thing I knew a giant 10 passenger Mercedes van rolled up. Okay...it's just me, so this is a bit excessive, but it's priced as a regular uber...I arrived to Pier 88 almost exactly at 10:00am, which is perfect because that's when my check-in time was. 

 

Check-In process

Since this was my fourth recent cruise, I was familiar with doing a 'rona test before the cruise. Since NCL (at this time) was doing a test at the pier, it was nice to have one less thing to worry about, but I was fully prepared for the check-in process to be a hassle. (I did do a PCR test the Saturday before the cruise just to be on the safe side. 

 

At the pier, I gave my suitcase to a porter and walked over to Pier 90, for the 'rona test. When i walked in they checked my vaccination card and also handed me a paper with the changed itinerary. Some more advanced noticed would have been preferred, but I'm just happy to be here.

 

Original Itinerary

Day at Sea

Day at Sea

Puerto Plata

St. Thomas

St. Maarten

Tortola

Grand Turk

Day at Sea

Day at Sea

 

New Itinerary

Day at Sea

Day at Sea

(late arrival) San Juan

St. Maarten

Antigua

Tortola

Puerto Plata

Day at Sea

Day at Sea

 

Spoiler: Puerto Plata was cancelled, which became a sea day

 

Anyways, back to checking in, after checking the vax card, they directed me to the COVID testing area. Gave me the paperwork, the lady did a quick swabby swab of my nostril, and went to the waiting area. 5-10 minutes later, I got the (negative) results and was directed back over to Pier 88 to do the actual check-in process.

 

The woman checking me in, bless her heart, was about 118 years old and was struggled with the iPad. It took some time, but I'm not in any rush since boarding isn't until 11:30-12ish.

 

We ended up boarding between 11:30 and 12! Let vacation begin!

[natefish95]

//intermission for a rant//

 

Before continuing, I have to do a quick rant. I was told explicitly to be prepared for changes and to be flexible. That's just how things are right now. If you can't be flexible, don't cruise. Simple as that. I get that you're looking forward to some ports, but if you're that attached to a place, get on a plane and fly there. When you go complain at guest services, on social media, and to anyone that will listen that you're mad something changed, you look trashy and tacky. Our itinerary was changed, Puerto Plata was cancelled and we got back to NYC Thursday night instead of Friday morning. I overheard people DEMANDING to be compensated for Puerto Plata for fees and the extra taxes that will be charged on drinks while docked in NYC. I just get so annoyed by how entitled some people can be. Taxes on drinks are maybe a dollar a drink. You can spend $2,000+ on a 10 day cruise, but suddenly a few dollars in taxes is too much for you? If this is you, get over yourself. Thankfully, this was only a small minority of people and most everyone was just happy to be on vacation.

 

Had to get that off my chest. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. 

[goldmom]

Thank you for the review.  Looking forward to more.  We will hopefully be on the Gem soon so really enjoying your review.  Safe travels home!

[natefish95]

wwOkay, we back. Been catching up errands and laundry today. I went chronologically for embarkation, but for the rest I'm just going to make it topical because chronological is too time consuming, I'll abandon this review by Day 4, and all the sea days were not very eventful...

 

Ports (and Sea Days(

To briefly talk about sea days, I think there were a wide variety of activities and I didn't feel "bored" or like the schedule was empty, which is how i felt on Jewel OTS (I'm sure a lot of crew were in quarantine, so they get a pass). There were trivias, language classes, sudoku challenges, drink tastings, and all the typical shopping stuff you always see (who goes to these...?) On sea day mornings, they had progressive trivia at 9:00am, which is nice for those who wake up early (that ain't me). 

 

Most of my time on sea days were spent reading in the thermal spa or napping on the heated loungers. A thermal suite pass is a must! On the Gem (and all other Jewel class ships), the middle area is coed with a hot tub, medium sized pool with jets, heated lounge chairs, padded lounge chairs, and flavored, waters, and tea. On the men's side (and probably the women's) there is a sauna, steam room, showers, single person hot tub, padded loungers, and lockers. Really enjoyed this! For 10 days it was $199 per person. 

 

San Juan

We were scheduled to be in port from about 4:00pm-11:00pm. I didn't see any excursions I wanted to do, so I literally only went to Walgreens to get some things I forget. This was also the first time getting shore leave for most of the crew, so there were a ton of crew in Walgreens too. Really glad they've finally gotten their shore time back!

 

St. Maarten

If you've read any of my other reviews (which is doubtful, I understand), you would know that I usually go to Orient Beach and this time was no different. We got in a bit late and I was probably off the ship by 11ish. The weather wasn't looking that great, so I hustled to a taxi. It rained off and on during the 20 minute trip, but it was mostly clear by the time we made it to Orient. The driver asked if I wanted the clothing side or the clothing optional side. I of course said the latter and he dropped me off right in frotn of the Perch Bar Lite. If you go alone, the taxi is $25 one way. In this part of Orient Beach, Chairs are $7 for the day and umbrellas are $6. 

 

If you've never been to a clothing optional beach, highly recommend! Everyone is seriously so nice. I'm pretty introverted, but always find super nice people to talk to. Further down the beach are the "ruins" of Club Orient and the villas. It's really interesting to walk around the destroyed villa and explore, but also sad they haven't been able to rebuild yet. Definitely recommend wearing flip flops because there are some spikey ball things around that really hurt when you step on them. At there bar, beers are $3 and the food looks really good, but I have yet to try it. They do happy hour from 1:30-2:30 where it's 2 for 1 and beers are 2 for 5. 

 

Antigua

I have always wanted to go to Antigua and wish I had more time to plan something for this port. I didn't really like any of the excursions and didn't want to do another beach day, so I decided to just walk around the city a bit. I'll do an excursion next time... A lot of things were closed and there just was not much going on and there were also some unsavory characters walking around, so I poked around the port shops, but got back onboard soon after.

 

Tortola

Now I was really looking forward to Tortola and had a blast! I booked an excursion through the ship (that $50 credit definitely encouraged me to take a ship excursion tbh) called "Virgin Gorda and the Baths (this was not the one that included a snorkel part). We had to meet on the pier at the ungawdly hour of 6:45am. I don't even wake up that early for work, but I will for the Baths I guess. 

 

From the pier we took about a 30 minute boat ride over to Virgin Gorda and then boarded two open air safari type buses to the baths. When we got there our guide gave us some vague directions and pointed to the entrance, so a group of about 10 of us set off. We were in the first bus, but someone told me that the guide from the second bus waited for everyone at the top and then actually led a guided tour. Part of me knows I missed some things along the way, but that group also took much longer to go through the Baths since they had to wait for everyone. 

 

The hike down was not that bad in my opinion. There were a couple parts were you had to step carefully, but I think it was very doable. We had some older people in our group who did just fine. If you have bad knees or are mobility challenged, this isn't for you. So our group of 10ish set off down the paths and took an unplanned detour to Devils Bay Beach. It's a really nice beach with soft fluffy sand. After we found that, we backtracked and finally found the "entrance" to the Baths. 

 

In the Baths itself you are climbing over boulders, going through tight passages, walking through ankle deep water, and going down to narrow sets of wooden stairs. I'm not particularly athletic (my quads are killer thanks to Peloton though, not gonna lie) and I'm only 5'5", so I did not find this particularly difficult. I don't think I even got out of breath. It was really fun to feel like a kid again and go exploring. 

 

At the end of the Baths, you end up at another beach that has a small bar, bathrooms, and vendors for t-shirts and other tchotchkes. Since the group I was in went through quicker, we had over an hour at this beach to swim and lay out. I swam for a while and the water was SO CLEAR. It was beautiful and I wish I had an underwater camera. When the larger group came around, they had about 30 minutes at the beach, so I'm glad I had more time there. The walk back up was about 10 minutes and also not too taxing in my opinion. At the very top we got a free rum punch and boarded the buses back to the ferry for the ride back to Tortola. Overall a really good excursion and I'm glad I did it!

 

Puerto Plata

RIP...I did have a ship excursion booked here, which was just a city tour. Next time! Early in the cruise, I did read a book called "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez about four sisters who were part of the resistance against the dictator Trujillo. Good book if you're into that sort of story--it even mentions Puerto Plata many times. 

[RBrowny]

Would love to know what the food was like, and if you enjoyed it! Hope you had an amazing time!

[natefish95]

Food

Now this is when I'll compare NCL to other lines. Overall, I thought the food was very good. As with any cruise, there are going to be hits and there are going to be misses. In the buffet, I was really glad it was back to serve yourself. I don't mind the crew serving me (like on Royal), but it definitely took longer. Just easier to wash your hands and serve yourself to me.

 

Buffet (breakfast)

I rarely eat breakfast, but I came up here a few times to for coffee and a few small bites. A few days they had some ladies walking around singing and giving coffee refills, which was really cute and my grumpy-non-morning-person self actually smile before noon. Food was varied and the bacon was nice and crispy, just the way I like it. The fresh fruit was also really tasty. Out back in the Great Outdoors, they have a smaller buffet that is also open a little bit later if you missed breakfast but need something to hold you over until lunch starts at 11:30. It was better than Carnival and better than Adventure OTS in my recent experiences. (Nothing beats Blue Iguana burritos on Carnival though)

 

Buffet (lunch)

When I didn't want O'sheehans, I would obviously come to the buffet. Food was really varied and they had some nice pre-made salads as well as an area to make your own. I remember NCL having really good Asian selections, but did not see any. There was an Indian section that was decent. Overall, it pretty good, but I prefer O'Sheehans. Better than Carnival and Adventure OTS, but not better than Jewel OTS. 

 

Buffet (dinner)

I only ate here once, so can't really give it a fair rating, but it was just okay. Nothing blew me away and a few things just were not cup of tea (looking at you conch fritters). There are other better options for dinner on the ship. Don't miss the fresh scooped ice cream though, which they also have during lunch.

 

Orchid Garden

Continuing on the free food train, I had dinner in Orchid Garden one time, which is the free pan-Asian restaurant onboard. The service was incredibly fast! I got pan fried dumplings to start, which were good. I've eaten a lot of dumplings, so I'm admittedly a tough critic. For the main I got pork I think? It wasn't the best, but I ate it. Just need more seasoning and spice. I've had better dinners on other ships, but still not bad!

 

O'Sheehans

Now O'Sheehans is one of my favorite things about sailing on NCL. I just love having somewhere I can go 24/7 to get some good "pub food". I had the nachos multiple times and loved it each time. They changed up the recipe (I think?) from what I remember and have chili con carne instead of ground beef. Still really good! I think the fish and chips is better than the fish sandwich (don't forget to ask for vinegar). The chicken salad sandwich and reuben were really good! I don't know what they do with their Reuben, but it's one of the best I've ever had. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the spinach and artichoke dip, which was watery and and lacking artichokes. I also highly recommend the passion fruit cocktail if you like fruity tropical drinks. 

 

MDR

I only ate here for dinner, but I do believe it is open for breakfast and lunch (on sea days). I would walk down about 6:00pm and had no issues getting a table for one. Plenty of open tables! On this sailing, only the Grand Pacific dining room was open. Not enough guests to also need Magenta open. One quick note, on the Freestyle Daily, it says pants are required in Grand Pacific, but this was not enforced, likely since it's the only MDR open. I would wear shorts and nice brown flip flops most nights and never had any issues (ironically, the only time a crew member commented on something was the hostess in O'Sheehans telling me to take my hat off...this only happened once and I definitely saw her again. Just funny since O'Sheehans is like the most casual place on board outside of the buffet. 

 

Anyways, I had a few different wait staffs and they were all amazing. Service was super fast . For the most part, the food was really good. Things really run together, but I remember the steak medallions being really good night 1 as was the bruschetta, which is offered every night. Desserts have always been a weak point for NCL, and this was no exception. Most nights I would just do chocolate ice cream. Give me a nice chocolate cake, key lime pie, or lemon tart. Carnival and Royal both have better desserts, but overall the NCL MDR experience is better than Carnival and Adventure OTS (but not as good as Jewel OTS). 

 

Semi-related, I wish the NCL app showed you the MDR menu each night. Royal does this, which makes scheduling speciality dinners so much easier. If you can see the menu on night 4 isn't that good, do speciality then. 

[natefish95]

Food (continued)

Now moving onto the non-complimentary food...

 

Sushi

I checked out the sushi bar one night and was literally the only person there the whole time. I'll be honest, I was a bit worried about going to a sushi bar that isn't frequently visited with so few passengers and wondered how long stuff might have been sitting around. Didn't get sick afterwards, so all was good! (we'll talk about Cagney's later y'all...) I got the crispy salmon roll and some type of tuna roll with cream cheese in it. Both rolls were pretty large and about 8 pieces. It was by far the best sushi I've ever had on a ship! It was just so tasty and fresh. I ordered a la carte, so I'm not sure what's included with the UDP, but I hiiiiiiighly recommend the sushi on the Gem. 

 

Le Bistro

I've always really enjoyed Le Bistro, and I definitely still enjoyed it, but was not a big fan of some of the menu changes (notably, they no longer have the profiteroles which were my absolute favorite NCL dessert!). Anyways, I started off with the beef tartare, which was excellent and the french onion soup, which was good. For my main I had the dover sole, which was good too. I don't even remember what I got for dessert because nothing really stood out. (Forgot to mention that one night in the MDR they had chocolate eclairs that were sooooo good!) I'll be Platinum on my next cruise and for the platinum dinner I'll probably do Cagney's over Le Bistro honestly.

 

Teppanyaki 

On Valentine's Day, I took myself on a date to Teppanyaki. Was seated with two lovely ladies from the UK and a mom, her daughter and niece. Why go on a date with one woman when you go on a date with 5? Teppanyaki is probably my favorite and I'll continue to do it on each cruise I do. As always the chef was really entertaining and talented. For starters, everyone got a salad and miso soup. Salad was really good. Miso was meh-so. The chef then cooked the rice, which was really good. For my main I got the steak and shrimp combo. Steak was cooked perfectly and the shrimps were really big and juicy. One person at our table did the option with scallop. The chef cooked a lot of scallops and gave everyone else the extras. Really delicious and I might get that option next time. We had a vegetarian at our table and her meal was THREE slabs of tofu over cooked veggies. It was a massive amount of food. If you're a veggie, you will not leave hungry. For dessert, I got the green tea cake, which was just okay, but at this point I was stuffed and just wanted to lay flat on my bed. 

 

Cagney's

Oh Cagney's...for some weird reason, they seemed very understaffed for a half-filled restaurant. Oh well, I had a book to read, so didn't mind. For my starters I did the crab cake ($5 upcharge even with the dining package, which I don't get since it's the same price as all the other starters...?). I live in Virginia, so I know good crab being so close to Maryland, and this was just not that good. Someone I talked to later also didn't like it, so definitely don't recommend. I also got the wedge salad, which was good (how could you go wrong with blue cheese and bacon on anything???).

 

For the main event, I got the filet mignon. I was originally going to do the mini because I thought I'd have too much food and didn't want to be wasteful, but the waiter said it's a reallllly tiny portion (4oz maybe?) and to just get the normal 8oz. Glad he suggested it because it was the perfect size and cooked perfectly as well. I got the peppercorn sauce on the side, which was also delicious. A good steak can speak for itself, and this one certainly could, but a little extra flavor never hurt. For my sides I got the parmesan fries and the zucchini. I wanted another carb, but I could hear my mom saying "you need to eat a vegetable". Neither were that great and I'll try something different next time. 

 

Now at this point in time, I was full and was starting to get that feeling where I need an exit...something wasn't sitting right with me and I'm going to just blame the crab cake because I didn't like it and seafood is a common culprit. I ate half the raspberry creme brulee (really good though) and rushed out of there. Spent the rest of the night in my cabin. Damn that crab cake. 

 

I'm still going to Cagney's in the future, but now I know what to avoid, which will hopefully lead to a better experience. It's a steakhouse and the steak was delicious, which is probably the most important thing. 

[natefish95]

Cabin

As I said at the beginning, I was upgraded to balcony 10044, which is just back a bit from the forward elevators. Perfect location because it's close to the elevators and there are cabins above and below. The cabin was nice and kept up very well (Royal and Carnival cabins just look dated and worn. NCL always looks nice and modern regardless of how old the ship is). Tons of closet space and drawers. Bathroom was a bit tight, but the shower was a really good size and bigger than the ones you'll find on Carnival of Royal. There were sadly no USB outlets by the bed, but I'm hoping they'll make this addition when the ship goes into drydock at the end of this year. The balcony was a good size with a small table and two chairs. Bigger than Carnival, but probably about the same size as Royal. Overall really happy with this cabin. 

[natefish95]

Misc. 

I think I've covered just about everything, but if you have any questions, please ask away!

 

Solo Meetuos

I love that NCL actually cares about their solo travelers. The fact they set aside a staff member to host a solo meetup each night speaks volumes. Carnival and Royal will just slap it on the plan of events for any bar, but it's not hosted and usually not well attended because it's usually at a bad time or at a time when the bar is really crowded. On this Cruise Michael S was our solo host and he was soooo nice. This is his very first contract with NCL and has been on the ship less than 2 months, but he's great. One night it was somebody's birthday and they ordered a cake. He arranged for it to be served and we also had champagne to celebrate. On our last night he also organized a solo dinner for anyone interested. These meetups just make it so much easier to meet people onboard. 

 

Bars

Given how few people were onboard, it was so easy to find a seat at any bar. Every bartender was so talented and so quick. Special shoutout to Renzo and the other guys at the martini bar! 

 

I just realized I haven't talked about the entertainment, so that will be the next post! 

[natefish95]

Entertainment

Okay, I think this is the last thing I was missing, but I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting. 

 

On this sailing, the singers and dancers were so good! They did 2 or 3 shows I think? One was Blazing Boots, which is always my favorite since I love country music. On the last night they did a 70's themed show, which was good too. Not my taste of music, but entertaining. 

 

Separately, there was a singer named Angelique that was really good too! I missed her first show, but her second show was great. She can SANG Y'ALL!

 

There was a magic/comedy due named Brent and Sarah onboard as well. I don't really care for magic, but they were really funny. Their first show was good and I missed their second show.

 

We also had the Chernov brothers onboard from Ukraine (y'all watching the news right now...?). They did a bunch of different stuff with dancing, acrobatics, and some comedy skits. Really really good! 

 

Our comedian onboard was Andrew Kennedy. I think he might have done a show the first night that I missed, but I went to this adult comedy show the last night. Now let me tell you, it was the most inappropriate comedy show I've ever seen and I loved every minute of it. He does really funny impressions and voices. 

 

[natefish95]

Pretty sure that wraps it all up, so let me know if you have any questions!

 

For anyone who cares, I spent the weekend in NYC afterwards and definitely recommend the SpringHill Suites in Chelsea on W 28th. Very new hotel and incredible views of the city especially if you're on a higher floor (I was on 34). Did the 9/11 museum Friday afternoon, which should not be missed. Lunch in Eataly nearby. On Saturday I walked by the mothership (aka Peloton studios), walked the High Line, lunch in Chelsea Market at Cappone's, walked around Central Park, dinner at Burger&Lobster by Bryant park (biggest oysters I've ever seen!), and finally tickets to Hamilton. 30,000+ steps in 2 days!

[natefish95]

One thing I did just think of that I wanted to mention was the Captains Q&A. Our captain for this sailing was Kim Karlsson from Finland. He did a Q&A on one of the last sea days and it was hilarious. He was very open and candid, but also really funny when people asked some crazy questions. A lady asked "Do we really sail through the Bermuda triangle?" He exhaled and said, "...yup...think we've been doing a pretty good job so far..." Another lady asked something along the lines of if they check the bottom for damage every day. His response was that they don't, but they'll know if they hit something. He also had a funny story about a stowaway coming onboard in Azores years ago. He left the ship on the 18th, but will be back in a few months I think. Really funny guy!

 

He also announced that not a single guest had tested positive for COVID onboard. At the pier 2 people tested positive and were denied boarding. Onboard no one had asked for a test, so you can't test positive if no one is tested haha. The fact that no one was showing symptoms and needed to test is still a great sign though! There were some crew members that embarked in NYC on the 8th and tested positive while in quarantine, but they've been in quarantine since coming onboard, so didn't affect anyone else. 

[AKR2011]

Thanks for the nice review. I love The Gem and sailing out of NYC is always a fun adventure, especially in the winter. Happy to hear that no one had Covid too. I'm really hoping that we are making a turn for the better ❤⚓

[TSUmom]

Thank you for the review.  We were on the Gem in October and had a great time!  I was just happy to be able to cruise again.  We were lucky to win an upgrade to a DOS 15000 so that really made this cruise even better.  

[RBrowny]

Wow, I am impressed. Thank you for sharing this with us all. It seems the food is above what I initially expected, so I am really happy to see this. You have covered absolutely everything, and it's brilliant that you have done so much. I am looking forward to the 24/7 bar, I think that will serve a purpose when hungry in the evenings. 

 

I was meaning to ask, do you think the dress code might change for evening meal in the MDR? I really only wear jeans, smart shoes and a t-shirt. Will this be acceptable, or not?

[bones774]

hi nate, you said you booked an inside and was upgraded to balcony,  how did that come about? was it bid upgrade, upgrade fairy, pier upgrade?

thanks for all

[natefish95]

10 hours ago, RBrowny said:

Wow, I am impressed. Thank you for sharing this with us all. It seems the food is above what I initially expected, so I am really happy to see this. You have covered absolutely everything, and it's brilliant that you have done so much. I am looking forward to the 24/7 bar, I think that will serve a purpose when hungry in the evenings. 

 

I was meaning to ask, do you think the dress code might change for evening meal in the MDR? I really only wear jeans, smart shoes and a t-shirt. Will this be acceptable, or not?

Thank you! I think jeans, shoes, and a t shirt would definitely be acceptable now and in the future. You will see people way more casual than that. Pants are also required in Le Bistro and Cagney's but it's not so strict that it would restrict jeans. 

[natefish95]

10 minutes ago, bones774 said:

hi nate, you said you booked an inside and was upgraded to balcony,  how did that come about? was it bid upgrade, upgrade fairy, pier upgrade?

thanks for all

It was through the Upgrade Advantage program. Pretty much everyone received an email inviting people to bid on an upgrade. I think the minimum bid to go from interior to balcony was ~$100 per person? here's the FAQ https://www.ncl.com/fr/en/content/upgrade-advantage-faq

 

If you're in a "Sailaway" rate cabin, I don't think it's eligible to upgrade. 

[bones774]

I just read the FAQ's, so as a solo you had to pay as double occupancy,  if I read it right? 

thanks

[RBrowny]

30 minutes ago, natefish95 said:

Thank you! I think jeans, shoes, and a t shirt would definitely be acceptable now and in the future. You will see people way more casual than that. Pants are also required in Le Bistro and Cagney's but it's not so strict that it would restrict jeans. 

I think we would be choosing the teppanyaki in any case, but probably wearing a polo.
 

the thing is, I don’t wear cheap clothes like cheap shop clothes. It’s more designer but it’s never shirts, I do wear a polo so maybe that’s more suitable.

 

Obviously I don’t want to be the only person wearing a tshirt if it’s like that, or be rejected. 

[natefish95]

3 minutes ago, RBrowny said:

I think we would be choosing the teppanyaki in any case, but probably wearing a polo.
 

the thing is, I don’t wear cheap clothes like cheap shop clothes. It’s more designer but it’s never shirts, I do wear a polo so maybe that’s more suitable.

 

Obviously I don’t want to be the only person wearing a tshirt if it’s like that, or be rejected. 

Don't stress. You'll see a wide variety of everything. Some nights in the MDR I would wear khaki shorts, nice brown flip flops, and a Polo Ralph Lauren t-shirt. Wear what you feel comfortable in! That's the beauty of freestyle cruising. 

[RBrowny]

5 minutes ago, natefish95 said:

Don't stress. You'll see a wide variety of everything. Some nights in the MDR I would wear khaki shorts, nice brown flip flops, and a Polo Ralph Lauren t-shirt. Wear what you feel comfortable in! That's the beauty of freestyle cruising. 

Thank you again! You’ve definitely put me at a lot more ease now! Now I’m all excited, but it’s still another 200 days to go haha!

[UKstages]

thanks for a thoughtful, comprehensive and really well written review.

 

this was my favorite bit: "miso was meh-so."

 

i'm on the gem in april and you've given me  a few things to look forward to.

 

and just for the record, i was also burned by cagney's crab cake on the breakaway in december. i know there are diehard fans, but i'm not among them. regardless of the ship, i find the service at cagney's lackluster and the food hit or miss, bordering on mediocre.

[bones774]

hi nate, what latitudes level are you? 

did they offer dinner with officers?  mixology experience? wines around the world? behind the scenes? cocktail party? 

thanks

Edited February 23, 2022 by bones774