Live from the Gem - March 10-21, 2023 NY to Bermuda to Caribbean to NY

[Seas2mountains]

We are just a few days away from an 11 night cruise on the Gem leaving from and returning to NYC. It will be our first time on the Gem but we’ve been on the sister ships of the Jewel x 4, Jade, and Pearl. We booked this in mid-January when prices were very reasonable for a mini-suite.  We really wanted a suite but the prices for the few remaining suites were too high even a week ago or so as prices never really dropped. 
 

We are thrilled to report that the upgrade fairy hit this morning and we are blessed with a 2 bedroom non-Haven suite. That means we have the awesome spacious bathroom with windows in the shower and bathtub plus the separate living area. We do like breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s or Moderno with the same breakfast and lunch menus used in the Haven. We have a thermal spa pass so we won’t be too disappointed about not having access to the Haven pool and hot tub. We loved our Haven experience on the Getaway in September. 
 

This is the first cruise we are able to use the new NCL military discount of 10% off. DH is an Air Force retiree and I’m an Army veteran. We do have all three of our sons on active duty (one is Army, one is Navy and one is Air Force).  One daughter supports new Air Force pilots so we are truly a military family grateful for the new discount as one son and his fiancée will join us on an NCL cruise in May.  
 

Here is the itinerary. Will we make it to Bermuda? The cruise before ours will not due to wind and sea conditions. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Seas2mountains]

As mentioned, the Gem cruise before ours will be skipping Bermuda according to an update on a social media site made by someone who said they were on the Gem now. They also reported that they ran out of Bud and Bud Light. I agree with another poster who suggested if you are going to run out of beer on a cruise ship, Bud and Bud Light are the least impactful choices. 😂

 

Here is what the Windy.com app shows now for the area around Bermuda. It looks like weather forecasts predict strong winds and waves for the rest of the week. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Seas2mountains

[YVRteacher]

Have a wonderful cruise! The Gem is a favourite ship of mine.  Congrats on the upgrade!

[Turtles06]

That’s a nice itinerary — have a great cruise! We love the Gem, we were just on her for 23 days B2B Panama Canal cruises.  The service in Cagney’s— dinner as well as the suite-only meals — was fabulous. And Leo the Concierge is excellent. 

[Seas2mountains]

7 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

That’s a nice itinerary — have a great cruise! We love the Gem, we were just on her for 23 days B2B Panama Canal cruises.  The service in Cagney’s— dinner as well as the suite-only meals — was fabulous. And Leo the Concierge is excellent. 

Thank you! I enjoyed reading your excellent review and viewing the photos! Looks like you had a wonderful cruise. 

[Seas2mountains]

We can see the Gem is making her way back to NYC with the Getaway nearby. Both arrive in NYC on Friday. The Gem is skipping Bermuda due to weather and the Getaway was supposed to be at Dominican Republic today. Looks like they are headed up the coast with strong headwinds over the next few days. 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Seas2mountains

[cruiseny4life]

I don't typically say "thank you for your service" as it strikes me as trite. In your case, truly, thank you to you and your entire family! That is a proud family legacy to carry on (yes, I'm one of the 93ish% of Americans that didn't serve). So, thank you.

 

I'm excited to hear all about your adventure to Bermuda (I'm sending out those positive atmospheric vibes so you get there)🤡!  Also, I'm glad to hear you received a non-Haven upgrade! The two bedroom suite sounds fantastic for your crew. Back in April and September I remember the most popular drink at the Haven bar was Bud Light. There would have been quite the mutiny if they had run out of Bud Light, so here's to hoping your drink(s) of choice remains plentiful and refreshing for the entirety of your cruise! 

 

I'm going to firmly park myself here to enjoy your cruise until mine gets here. I see you have more self control in starting your live only a couple days before cruising...unlike me who has to start more than two weeks before. Ahh, I need to control myself better! 

[AnnaDarel]

I'm hopping on the Gem on the 31st so I'm eager to follow your story!

[cruzinmama2]

I am following along as we are on the day you get back, also in a non Haven suite. Cannot wait for it, so in the meantime I am going to live vicariously through you!

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[AKR2011]

I'm looking for to following agree and echo @cruiseny4life. Thank you for all of your family's service. Safe travels! ❤️⚓️

[Seas2mountains]

On 3/7/2023 at 7:07 AM, cruiseny4life said:

I don't typically say "thank you for your service" as it strikes me as trite. In your case, truly, thank you to you and your entire family! That is a proud family legacy to carry on (yes, I'm one of the 93ish% of Americans that didn't serve). So, thank you.

 

I'm excited to hear all about your adventure to Bermuda (I'm sending out those positive atmospheric vibes so you get there)🤡!  Also, I'm glad to hear you received a non-Haven upgrade! The two bedroom suite sounds fantastic for your crew. Back in April and September I remember the most popular drink at the Haven bar was Bud Light. There would have been quite the mutiny if they had run out of Bud Light, so here's to hoping your drink(s) of choice remains plentiful and refreshing for the entirety of your cruise! 

 

I'm going to firmly park myself here to enjoy your cruise until mine gets here. I see you have more self control in starting your live only a couple days before cruising...unlike me who has to start more than two weeks before. Ahh, I need to control myself better! 

Thank you! I appreciate it. 

 

It sounds like Bermuda isn't happening based on weather reports and rumors being reported on social media from tour providers in Bermuda.  Where we are going instead of Bermuda is a mystery and some are calling NCL reps and getting different results.

 

You are right that there are plenty of people who do like Bud Light. It sounds like the cruise before ours got restocked at some point.

 

It has been really busy for me even though DH and I have not worked at our day jobs at all this week. I will be enjoying your review, too! 

[Seas2mountains]

We are in New York!  The past few days have been a little busy with the typical packing, throwing out food in the refrigerator, watering all plants, cleaning up the house and visiting with relatives who were in town this week.

 

DH and I also had a last minute trip to Florida from Saturday - Tuesday since we both have time off from our full-time jobs for 2.5 weeks beginning with this work week. It was really nice to get to the warmer weather in Florida and hang out by the pool all day those past few days.  We were a little bummed about the cooler weather in NY but knew that was likely, too.

 

I do also have a small business and had to work a few hours on Tuesday night  but most of that is remote.  I do always have to get the internet package on the cruises to stay connected with the business but this week won't be too bad as we will be closed for most of those days.

 

The alarm went off at 3:45am this morning as we picked an early flight.  All was uneventful with good weather in both locations..  I'll post photos of our lunch and hotel info.

 

It looks like we will be able to walk from our hotel to the pier. 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Seas2mountains

[Seas2mountains]

We are staying at Ink 48 in Hell’s Kitchen which is super close to the pier. 
 

It took about 45 minutes in mid-day traffic to get here by taxi from LGA and about $80+ with tip.   
 

Check out the super expensive hotel mini bar prices.  Yikes. 
 

When we returned to the hotel after lunch, we walked past a family with their Getaway tagged luggage. 
 

The pier area will be busy with the Gem and Getaway both here tomorrow. 
 

Photos of our room. 

[Seas2mountains]

My husband and I love real NY pizza so that was a must find for lunch.  We enjoyed Sal’s pizza 

 

https://www.newyorksalspizzamenu.com/?utm_source=gbp#about

 

It is really small inside but we were lucky to have two seats to eat inside of the four total bar type of chairs in the eat in area.  The cashier/server was very kind and friendly. The pizza was exactly as we hoped - hot and delicious. We would return and do recommend it. 
 

Slice 1 - Pepperoni 

Slice 2 - Chicken and broccoli 

 

[Seas2mountains]

As we have a nephew who works and lives in the area, we were happy we could meet him for dinner. He lives near the pier so we selected the hotel for this cruise to be closer to him while being closer to the pier. We met at his favorite restaurant, 44 and X Hell’s Kitchen. 
 

https://www.44andx.com
 

As we were so engrossed with hearing all about our nephew’s work and personal life in NYC plus a little gossip about our families (Lol), I was so frustrated that I didn’t get a photo of us with our nephew.  But I did remember to get photos of our dinner which were excellent. 
 

Dinner 1 - Short ribs

Dinner 2 - Salmon 

Dinner 3 - Lemon Sole 

 

Food and service were excellent. Our water glasses were constantly refilled with lemon water. The food was really good. We would return. The prices were much higher than we pay in our hometown but this is NYC and we are on vacation. 

 

Here are links to Trip Advisor review:
 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d425603-Reviews-44_X-New_York_City_New_York.html

 

 

[Seas2mountains]

This hotel, Ink 48, really tries to rip off the hotel guest. 
 

For a small fee of $8, you too can be the proud owner of one 16.9 ounce bottle of Kirkland purified Water (aka Costco).  Not even fancy Spring water. But the 40 pack in NYC retails for $29. 
 

We can’t wait to get on the ship to use the FAS+ package. 
 

If you are wondering what the $40 “Intimacy Kit” contains, see the photo below. 
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

 

 

 

[bluesea777]

Sorry to say, but you will be skipping Bermuda, according to the updated Bermuda cruise schedule. Weather related. Gale warning in effect on and off from Wednesday until Sunday evening. 
 

http://www.marops.bm/Documents/Shipping_schedules/2023 Cruise Ship Schedule.pdf
 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by bluesea777

[cruiseny4life]

Sorry to hear you will not be heading to Bermuda, though you probably had an idea this would happen. Instead, you'll have another sea day and a few extra hours in Puerto Rico, arriving at Puerto Rico at 7 AM after three sea days in a row. Personally, I'd be ok with the sea days, but understand you may not feel the same way. 

 

Thank you for photos of some yummy NY slices! They look great. I'll have to try it out since it's such a close skip away from the pier. 

 

Ink48, I like the hotel. It's right in the center of Hell's Kitchen so makes for an interesting wander late at night. I, too, was stunned by those mini bar prices and the pleasure kit. We didn't purchase anything from there. I'm thinking Ink48 is hoping the party people will not care at all about the price when they stumble in. I do like Ink48. The price is alright, it's so close to the pier, and the employees were all very polite when I was there. If I weren't cruising, I think I'd stay in a different hotel, but it's good for a cruise.

 

And, I'm going to have to try 44andX! That menu looks great. For me, the prices aren't much more than I see here in Central NY, but there's definitely some Manhattanflation going on there. And, I'm glad you had a nice time with your nephew! Great way to get started on your vacation! 

 

I hope embarkation goes well today and you had a nice, yummy breakfast close by the hotel. If you are looking for a nice baked treat, try out Sullivan St. Bakery. Just walk half a block down 47th and you'll be there! 

[dtaylor0]

[styles27]

5 minutes ago, dtaylor0 said:

Wow not exactly comforting considering we’re on an all Bermuda itinerary from Boston in a few weeks. 

[latebloomer56]

34 minutes ago, styles27 said:

Wow not exactly comforting considering we’re on an all Bermuda itinerary from Boston in a few weeks. 

So are we hope they don't tell us Bar Harbor and Norfolk my boys are finally excited to be going back to Bermuda cancelled twice before.

[vacation44]

On 3/6/2023 at 9:44 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We are just a few days away from an 11 night cruise on the Gem leaving from and returning to NYC. It will be our first time on the Gem but we’ve been on the sister ships of the Jewel x 4, Jade, and Pearl. We booked this in mid-January when prices were very reasonable for a mini-suite.  We really wanted a suite but the prices for the few remaining suites were too high even a week ago or so as prices never really dropped. 
 

We are thrilled to report that the upgrade fairy hit this morning and we are blessed with a 2 bedroom non-Haven suite. That means we have the awesome spacious bathroom with windows in the shower and bathtub plus the separate living area. We do like breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s or Moderno with the same breakfast and lunch menus used in the Haven. We have a thermal spa pass so we won’t be too disappointed about not having access to the Haven pool and hot tub. We loved our Haven experience on the Getaway in September. 
 

This is the first cruise we are able to use the new NCL military discount of 10% off. DH is an Air Force retiree and I’m an Army veteran. We do have all three of our sons on active duty (one is Army, one is Navy and one is Air Force).  One daughter supports new Air Force pilots so we are truly a military family grateful for the new discount as one son and his fiancée will join us on an NCL cruise in May.  
 

Here is the itinerary. Will we make it to Bermuda? The cruise before ours will not due to wind and sea conditions. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Will be following along and have a wonderful cruise!

[goldmom]

Just off the Gem and wishing you a wonderful cruise.  The terminal was a bit of a zoo around 9:30ish and we were late getting off.  Hope that doesn't effect your check in and boarding time too much.

 

We had a really nice cruise and weather was pretty good, just some bumpy seas the first night.

 

Enjoy!

[AKR2011]

On 3/9/2023 at 9:16 PM, Seas2mountains said:

 

 

 

BUT the Pelligrino is the same price as the Kirkland. That cracks me up 😆