Live from Gem 3/30

[shanefm3]

Another dead port. I really feel for these businesses, they must be hurting so bad . I’m still not going to pay $3 for a can of coke though 🤷

[shanefm3]

Just had dinner in La Cucina , it was my platinum free dinner . This was a forgettable experience , I had to wait 15 mins as I had no certificate with me to present to receptionist. A GS lady brought up one and I was seated . I do feel they treat you a little different if you are using a certificate rather than a La carte dining . Obviously there is more money in it for the servers 🤷. I had soup and pollo cacciatore and dessert   . It was served within 10 minutes. Please ask your server to slow down service or you’ll find yourself done lickety split . It took me longer to get dressed than to dine 🤷. Have a look 

[Bonobochick]

6 hours ago, shanefm3 said:

Took the early morning excursion to the beach . $55 but have a $50 excursion credit so basically a free trip . Be aware though that upon arrival , if you want a chair set up , you’ll need to cough up $25 for the two hour privilege to do so . 

 

Thanks for the pics. I had originally picked this excursion on my 3/10 Gem cruise but ended up switching to Jost van Dyke again. Now I know loungers aren't included on the Tortola beach excursion.

 

Antigua wasn't quite as dead during my cruise as it looks on yours but it was definitely still quiet (I'd also been there in last December on the Escape but it was busier with the holidays and a bigger ship). St. Maarten was where I noticed the biggest change. Front Street used to be crowded and lively but it was pretty empty with Back Street basically a ghost town. I did the same beach excursion as you near Maho and that beach is nice and spacious but I agree the food at the nearby restaurant that is included was underwhelming. 

[JGmf]

3 hours ago, shanefm3 said:

Just had dinner in La Cucina , it was my platinum free dinner . This was a forgettable experience , I had to wait 15 mins as I had no certificate with me to present to receptionist. A GS lady brought up one and I was seated . I do feel they treat you a little different if you are using a certificate rather than a La carte dining . Obviously there is more money in it for the servers

 

Odd that when I was on the Gem in December, I didn't get my platinum certificate in my room.  Same thing when at the hostess stand at La Cucina.  The hostess, though, quickly handled it.  She didn't blink and said she'd take care of it and send us in.

 

On the matter of "more money for the servers", I'm not clear what you mean.  I'm assuming that we are all the same to them with respect we all get a check at the end, most of the time it's zero b/c of "Free at Sea" or platinum, and I would think most of us provide some type of gratuity regardless of our net cost.  I could be wrong though.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

If you ever don’t receive your latitudes free dinner and laundry coupons, just go to the Cruise Next desk and they will give it to you.

[shanefm3]

21 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

If you ever don’t receive your latitudes free dinner and laundry coupons, just go to the Cruise Next desk and they will give it to you.

I have spent everyday going to the guest services to check on my suitcase search . Not getting the platinum card just added to the annoyance . I understand some lapses when the ship is full but at 50% capacity, when they’ve been hemorrhaging money for almost two years , they should be more on their toes 🤷

[shanefm3]

Morning breakfast at an empty buffet . Only two other people in the entire line at 810am. Dining room pretty quiet . One could get used to it 😁

[shanefm3]

Things you don’t normally see at 8am on a ship 

[shanefm3]

Dinner tonight at Cagneys , it was a little more relaxed than other venues and the meal spaced out a little longer between courses .

[juju2454]

On 4/4/2022 at 12:26 PM, shanefm3 said:

Just a quick observation at the buffet . It’s one of my main pet peeves onboard and always makes my blood boil . Why do people feel the need to just cut in and grab food out with their hands and eat it right at the station . I’ve seen it often on this cruise , enough to make me type a comment . If you do this , please stop 🛑 

My pet peeve too, or they walk along eating off their plates and getting more again with their hands,  I had one lady stand eating the dried apricots, then I had yet another walk by our table and leave her dirty used tea cup with bag on our table and just stroll away.   People are gross.

[JGmf]

16 hours ago, juju2454 said:

My pet peeve too, or they walk along eating off their plates and getting more again with their hands,  I had one lady stand eating the dried apricots,

 

Eeewww.  [Sigh].  I like buffets, but it's frustrating to see such behavior....as if people will fall over and die from malnutrition if they don't wait, um, maybe1 minute to sit at their table and THEN start eating. 

 

 

[Laszlo]

Did you ever find your luggage?

[lilbrownie95]

I've been wondering if he found his luggage. I hope he's enjoying his cruise!!

[shanefm3]

So , Last night onboard and the end of another cruise . They never found my suitcase and I spent way too much time at the GS desk trying to track it down . The staff were helpful and I never was rude or aggravated towards them , they didn’t lose my case . My only gripe would be that not one manager came to speak to me , despite numerous requests for one . Today , I received an apology letter. That was it 

 

I still had a wonderful time , I try not to let things annoy me . Was it perfect ?, far from it . As the cruise went on, I became a little disappointed with the food in most locations . It was just meh !!. I paid $200 for the spa pass and it too fell below standards by the 6-7th day . No water or tea was put out and you had to ask for a glass of water . The mens area was not kept clean with towels strewn everywhere along with bar drinks . It just fell short a little . I mostly used the sauna and wasn’t too perturbed by the rest. 
 

I had three different cabin stewards in 10 days . I’m wondering if there was a small outbreak onboard ?. My cabin had some issues which i discussed earlier , broken tv, broken safe and a hanging vent from the ceiling . Again , minor issues but should’ve been corrected earlier . The hanging vent was never addressed despite showing each steward 🤷

 

I traveled solo and enjoyed the break . I travel with the family in July with an intended trip on NCL from Miami . Has it changed my mind ?, not a 100% but I may just price an alternative. When you are spending 10k or more , I’d expect a more polished ship, especially when they don’t travel as much as i do . The little things to me may be more troublesome to them . I’ll certainly follow CC for some reviews prior to pulling the trigger.

 

My main takeaway from this trip is that luckily it was only half full , they could not have handled a full ship with this crew .

 

Id be glad to answer any questions . Scheduled arrival is 10am but we are right off NJ now . Walk off looks around 830-9

 

[poohdreaming]

1 hour ago, shanefm3 said:

So , Last night onboard and the end of another cruise . They never found my suitcase and I spent way too much time at the GS desk trying to track it down . The staff were helpful and I never was rude or aggravated towards them , they didn’t lose my case . My only gripe would be that not one manager came to speak to me , despite numerous requests for one . Today , I received an apology letter. That was it 

 

I still had a wonderful time , I try not to let things annoy me . Was it perfect ?, far from it . As the cruise went on, I became a little disappointed with the food in most locations . It was just meh !!. I paid $200 for the spa pass and it too fell below standards by the 6-7th day . No water or tea was put out and you had to ask for a glass of water . The mens area was not kept clean with towels strewn everywhere along with bar drinks . It just fell short a little . I mostly used the sauna and wasn’t too perturbed by the rest. 
 

I had three different cabin stewards in 10 days . I’m wondering if there was a small outbreak onboard ?. My cabin had some issues which i discussed earlier , broken tv, broken safe and a hanging vent from the ceiling . Again , minor issues but should’ve been corrected earlier . The hanging vent was never addressed despite showing each steward 🤷

 

I traveled solo and enjoyed the break . I travel with the family in July with an intended trip on NCL from Miami . Has it changed my mind ?, not a 100% but I may just price an alternative. When you are spending 10k or more , I’d expect a more polished ship, especially when they don’t travel as much as i do . The little things to me may be more troublesome to them . I’ll certainly follow CC for some reviews prior to pulling the trigger.

 

My main takeaway from this trip is that luckily it was only half full , they could not have handled a full ship with this crew .

 

Id be glad to answer any questions . Scheduled arrival is 10am but we are right off NJ now . Walk off looks around 830-9

 

 

Did you put a lock on this lost suitcase? Purchased insurance?

Glad that you still had a wonderful time even though NCL lost your suitcase and you had to visit the GS desk throughout your cruise.

 

What cabin / stateroom you had?

And 10K on a cruise - are you in Haven?

Some cruisers said newer cruise ships might worth it, not so much on older cruise ships.

 

[shanefm3]

16 minutes ago, poohdreaming said:

 

Did you put a lock on this lost suitcase? Purchased insurance?

Glad that you still had a wonderful time even though NCL lost your suitcase and you had to visit the GS desk throughout your cruise.

 

What cabin / stateroom you had?

And 10K on a cruise - are you in Haven?

Some cruisers said newer cruise ships might worth it, not so much on older cruise ships.

 

Locked and insured !!

 

The 10k trip is in July with the family , 4 adults , two spa balcony suites and flights and I’m sure much more on boarding spending than my solo trip 😁

[www3traveler]

41 minutes ago, shanefm3 said:

Locked and insured !!

 

The 10k trip is in July with the family , 4 adults , two spa balcony suites and flights and I’m sure much more on boarding spending than my solo trip 😁

Before you leave tomorrow, I would check with the Port people.  They may have your luggage.  It might not have gotten on the ship at all.  Would not be the first time that has ever happened.

[juju2454]

18 hours ago, shanefm3 said:

Locked and insured !!

 

The 10k trip is in July with the family , 4 adults , two spa balcony suites and flights and I’m sure much more on boarding spending than my solo trip 😁

I can relate with the whole family thing, We go in December for 11 days over xmas and NYE.  Total is around $16,000.  all said and done.  but we did an Xmas cruise a few years back( different line) and we all had such a great time,  relaxing, no cooking,  ship decorated lovely, am hoping it goes that way again!!

Sorry about your suitcase,  and thank goodness you have it insured!!  Hopefully the claim goes smoothly for you too.  

[IrieBajan54]

I was on the same cruise and because I prefer the Jewel Class ships things went pretty much as expected. I had a balcony on Deck 8 Forward. Never met the cabin steward but he did the job twice a day. Didn't have to ask him for anything. Both Grand Pacific and Magenta were as noisy as usual during dinner at 6:30 p.m. Four good Latitudes meals at Cagney's and Moderno which were accomplished by sharing with another Latitudes solo.

 

I was one of the first off the ship this morning. There was no face recognition for immigration. The officers were lined up and just did a visual of passports. Mine ask if I had any alcohol. Answer: no! Then, he said have a good day!

 

An ambulance pulled up to take away some unfortunate cruiser. But a least that individual got back to NYC.

 

It's unfortunate OP never got the missing luggage. I got a flyer in my cabin asking if I saw it. Kinda weird when flyers like that show up. How many people would keep a piece of luggage in their cabin and not ask the cabin steward to removed it pronto?

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

I am so bummed the suitcase never showed up. And more than a little disappointed in the Gem. 

[Laszlo]

Was your suitcase at the port?

[shanefm3]

On 4/11/2022 at 7:13 AM, Laszlo said:

Was your suitcase at the port?

No, It was next to impossible to find anyone who knew where to direct me. I have no faith it will show up now. I've called NCL and also begun my claim process thru the purchased insurance. Lets see how they are to deal with !!

[njhorseman]

34 minutes ago, shanefm3 said:

No, It was next to impossible to find anyone who knew where to direct me. I have no faith it will show up now. I've called NCL and also begun my claim process thru the purchased insurance. Lets see how they are to deal with !!

If you haven't already, try calling Ports America, the cruise terminal operator. Their baggage information number is  (212) 641-4477 . If that number doesn't work their main number is (212) 641-4440 

[Laszlo]

4 hours ago, shanefm3 said:

No, It was next to impossible to find anyone who knew where to direct me. I have no faith it will show up now. I've called NCL and also begun my claim process thru the purchased insurance. Lets see how they are to deal with !!

Sorry to hear that