Norwegian Gem skipping Bermuda, arriving NYC 2 days early

[UKstages]

both those locations are for tourists.

 

nothing wrong with that, of course. but if you want the real junior's experience, and your ship is in port for a day or longer, hop on the subway and head to brooklyn. they've been doing the cheesecake thang for nearly 75 years at the same location.

[ferretktf]

Just a little update on the Wedding party.

 

they are still getting married tomorrow…at 10am onboard (presumably by the Captain)

 

so they will still arrive in NYC as husband and wife 🥰

[tjc78]

10 hours ago, UKstages said:

both those locations are for tourists.

 

nothing wrong with that, of course. but if you want the real junior's experience, and your ship is in port for a day or longer, hop on the subway and head to brooklyn. they've been doing the cheesecake thang for nearly 75 years at the same location.

The cheesecakes are actually made down the turnpike in Burlington NJ 

[EllieinNJ]

Last winter I wanted a cheap short cruise so we booked the Getaway to Bermuda in February.  People said the temp should be in the 70's so warm enough to walk around or take a bus somewhere.

 

Needless to say we didn't get to Bermuda.  Instead we had a five day cruise to nowhere (although it did stop in Nassau one night from 9:30pm to 2am.)  I'm sure not many got off.

 

NCL was pretty generous with reparations.  We got $250 OBC per cabin and then a 10% FCC which expires this coming February.  This was also a very young crowd and many first time cruisers.  On the last sea day I was talking to some 20 somethings and mentioned the OBC.  They all thought it would be money they were getting back by mail. 

[mking8288]

Good Sunday morning & safe, happy holiday wishes to all. Gem is currently closing in, about 4 to 5 hours from the VZ Bridge, will see whether she's doing to dock at Pier 88 or drop anchor off the busy Bay channel near Staten Island as a floating hotel ... did that recently ourselves on our shortened Getaway NE-Canada cruise in mid September due to weather. 

 

Better safe than getting tossed in 30 to 40 ft. waves & strong gale force wind and rough sea state with swell, etc. 

 

 

 

@EllieinNJ Hi Ellie, booked & sailing soon ?  We got nothing plan till mid April, going to hibernate over the winter.  Ready for this Nor-Easter, be safe & well. 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, tjc78 said:

The cheesecakes are actually made down the turnpike in Burlington NJ 

And they're not nearly as good as they were years ago.  Too much of a sour/tangy aftertaste on the tongue for my tastebuds.

It's not uncommon for a good New Jersey diner to have better cheesecake than Junior's current product. 

 

[Homosassa]

12 hours ago, ferretktf said:

Just a little update on the Wedding party.

 

they are still getting married tomorrow…at 10am onboard (presumably by the Captain)

 

so they will still arrive in NYC as husband and wife 🥰

The only US  cruise line  whose captain can perform a legally recognized marriage is Princess.

 

Princess ships are registered in Bermuda who grants the legal authority to the ships' captains.

 

Unless there is someone on board ship who does have that legal authority, it will be just a for show wedding and and another legally recognized wedding will need to be performed on shore.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

The only US  cruise line  whose captain can perform a legally recognized marriage is Princess.

 

Princess ships are registered in Bermuda who grants the legal authority to the ships' captains.

 

Unless there is someone on board ship who does have that legal authority, it will be just a for show wedding and and another legally recognized wedding will need to be performed on shore.

Captains of ships registered in the Bahamas, which includes NCL ships other than POA, have been able to perform wedding ceremonies for more than a decade:

https://www.bahamasmaritime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IN020-Marriage-on-board-Bahamian-Ships.pdf

[9tee2Sea]

The couple that is getting married onboard will sure have a great story to tell.  At least their closest friends/family members are with them.  They may be able to re-coup some of the expenses if they have travel insurance ( not sure, but I think it would cover missed ports, and expenses associated with missing that port).

[cruiser2015]

23 hours ago, macewank said:

Yeah GSC and Bermuda are not the same at all.

 

Pro tip for people thinking of sailing to Bermuda though:

 

It's a Spring/Summer/Fall destination. If you book it in the winter months (Dec-Feb) you're probably not going to make it there. 

Funny thing, I didn't even think Bermuda was a port stop from about November through February or March.

Perhaps I just never noticed, or maybe this was scheduling from the "old days".

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Good Sunday morning & safe, happy holiday wishes to all. Gem is currently closing in, about 4 to 5 hours from the VZ Bridge, will see whether she's doing to dock at Pier 88 or drop anchor off the busy Bay channel near Staten Island as a floating hotel ... did that recently ourselves on our shortened Getaway NE-Canada cruise in mid September due to weather. 

 

Better safe than getting tossed in 30 to 40 ft. waves & strong gale force wind and rough sea state with swell, etc. 

 

 

 

@EllieinNJ Hi Ellie, booked & sailing soon ?  We got nothing plan till mid April, going to hibernate over the winter.  Ready for this Nor-Easter, be safe & well. 

A floating hotel - from which you cannot leave.

More like a sea day with the engines hut down.

[dexddd]

Definitely noticed they are going to Bermuda many more months than in the past.  My guess just a larger fleet than the past.  Only so many places to go.

 

Next year shows trips all months except Sept. and Dec.

[luckyinpa]

4 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Last winter I wanted a cheap short cruise so we booked the Getaway to Bermuda in February.  People said the temp should be in the 70's so warm enough to walk around or take a bus somewhere.

 

Needless to say we didn't get to Bermuda.  Instead we had a five day cruise to nowhere (although it did stop in Nassau one night from 9:30pm to 2am.)  I'm sure not many got off.

 

NCL was pretty generous with reparations.  We got $250 OBC per cabin and then a 10% FCC which expires this coming February.  This was also a very young crowd and many first time cruisers.  On the last sea day I was talking to some 20 somethings and mentioned the OBC.  They all thought it would be money they were getting back by mail. 

 

we circled bermuda for days on BA a few years ago in october. finally got in 3rd day and squeezed in a trip to the caves. but heck of a 2nd cruise for my girlfriend. just 2 weeks before we were on oasis as her first cruise and she liked it so much we booked BA while on oasis. so just 7 days between cruises and i was delighted. but the winds made it impossible to dock the first 2 days. we would get 2x a day announcements that 'we are trying' but then they failed..we got non refundable OBC but had nothing to spend it on. id go up to the front desk, if can use it for X...they said no..then Y..nope. finally i said what about booze? they said yes and we walked off with i think 6 bottles or more.

 

trying with MSC this spring. hope we get there, but will be happy in YC no matter what.

 

last year princess missed 3 ports on a canada cruise and gave us 35 percent FCC but we never used it.

[luckyinpa]

5 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Last winter I wanted a cheap short cruise so we booked the Getaway to Bermuda in February.  People said the temp should be in the 70's so warm enough to walk around or take a bus somewhere.

 

Needless to say we didn't get to Bermuda.  Instead we had a five day cruise to nowhere (although it did stop in Nassau one night from 9:30pm to 2am.)  I'm sure not many got off.

 

NCL was pretty generous with reparations.  We got $250 OBC per cabin and then a 10% FCC which expires this coming February.  This was also a very young crowd and many first time cruisers.  On the last sea day I was talking to some 20 somethings and mentioned the OBC.  They all thought it would be money they were getting back by mail. 

 

i forgot about my other reason to follow up. we did a cheap getaway cruise during march after covid because a 2BR haven was 2100PP which it never will be again of course. but it did stink that there was no roof oven haven but thats why it was so cheap!  combined with bad weather we got what we paid for 🙂

[NicoJ113]

NCL has been pushing the boundaries of the traditional Bermuda season for several years. We did a 5 night trip to Bermuda on the Gem from NYC in December 2021. Weather was great and seas were fine. Wasn’t as hot as it is in the summer but we were still in shorts and tshirts during the day and did a beautiful sunset catamaran sail at night. 
 

Obviously it’s riskier to travel there this time of year weather wise but it IS possible!

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

Definitely noticed they are going to Bermuda many more months than in the past.  My guess just a larger fleet than the past.  Only so many places to go.

 

Next year shows trips all months except Sept. and Dec.

Sounds like port roulette to me.

🙄

No matter how cheap they make it, it's not worth the gamble - unless you're willing to settle for a cruise to nowhere.

Evidenced by some posts already on this thread.

[EllieinNJ]

4 hours ago, dexddd said:

Definitely noticed they are going to Bermuda many more months than in the past.  My guess just a larger fleet than the past.  Only so many places to go.

 

Next year shows trips all months except Sept. and Dec.

We are about to book the Prima for next December.  Guess what the last stop is?

  

[Homosassa]

On 12/16/2023 at 12:46 PM, macewank said:

 

 

Pro tip for people thinking of sailing to Bermuda though:

 

It's a Spring/Summer/Fall destination. If you book it in the winter months (Dec-Feb) you're probably not going to make it there. 

An FYI for those who don't know: Bermuda is smack dab in the middle of Hurricane Alley.  This means in hurricane season Bermuda may not be  ground zero for a hurricane, but the effects (wind, waves) will make docking problematic or cause problems for the ships attempting to reach Bermuda or cause them to depart early to reach their home port.

 

On the other hand, there is not usually the storm systems in the Atlantic in the area of Bermuda during the winter months which will cause problems.

 

Bermuda is a very popular destination in the winter months (especially for those from cold climates). While the ocean temperatures may be too chilly for many to swim and on the cool side for sun bathing, the temperatures are otherwise good for sightseeing or the above water activity of fishing.

 

It isn't surprising that NCL is expanding into cruises in the winter months.

[Laszlo]

9 hours ago, Homosassa said:

The only US  cruise line  whose captain can perform a legally recognized marriage is Princess.

 

Princess ships are registered in Bermuda who grants the legal authority to the ships' captains.

 

Unless there is someone on board ship who does have that legal authority, it will be just a for show wedding and and another legally recognized wedding will need to be performed on shore.

Getting ordained to be a marriage officiant with the ULC is very easy, took me about 5 minutes Lol

[Asawi]

7 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

A floating hotel - from which you cannot leave.

More like a sea day with the engines hut down.

Except we are free to get off and on the ship as we please! Was out in NY a few hours today and will be out there again tomorrow. There are also excursions, but I'm not doing any of those 

[macewank]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

An FYI for those who don't know: Bermuda is smack dab in the middle of Hurricane Alley.  This means in hurricane season Bermuda may not be  ground zero for a hurricane, but the effects (wind, waves) will make docking problematic or cause problems for the ships attempting to reach Bermuda or cause them to depart early to reach their home port.

 

On the other hand, there is not usually the storm systems in the Atlantic in the area of Bermuda during the winter months which will cause problems.

 

Bermuda is a very popular destination in the winter months (especially for those from cold climates). While the ocean temperatures may be too chilly for many to swim and on the cool side for sun bathing, the temperatures are otherwise good for sightseeing or the above water activity of fishing.

 

It isn't surprising that NCL is expanding into cruises in the winter months.

 

What's interesting about the decision, though, is how infrequently they make it. Here's 2023's schedule. If it's crossed out, the stop was canceled:

 

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

[ferretktf]

Wedding Update 

 

The Captain was legally able to officiate.... But he wanted $1000 😕 (probably plus 20% service charge) 

 

Fortunately there was an ordained minister onboard the passengers who carried out the service. 

 

Sadly, cruise Director Isha interrupted the ceremony mid way through with her loud 5 minute rundown of the days programme 

 

In short, very poor performance by NCL,, rescued by the good nature of the couple getting married... They were still absolutely made up that their wedding went ahead against the odds 

Edited December 18, 2023 by ferretktf

[cruiser2015]

5 hours ago, Asawi said:

Except we are free to get off and on the ship as we please! Was out in NY a few hours today and will be out there again tomorrow. There are also excursions, but I'm not doing any of those 

I'm pleased to hear that this worked out for you.

My comment was prompted by the post indicating that instead of docking, the ship might anchor off of Staten Island. Hence, being trapped at sea (at bay, actually, LOL)..

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Blessed to sail NCL and also Bermuda for decades. I personally would not and never have sailed to Bermuda during the late summer to late spring but many do. I also would not fly to Bermuda until late May to late August. That said I hope the newlyweds have many years of a happy and healthy marriage.

[kitkat343]

12 hours ago, macewank said:

 

What's interesting about the decision, though, is how infrequently they make it. Here's 2023's schedule. If it's crossed out, the stop was canceled:

 

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

That's very helpful information.  

 

To the OP, if you are docked in Manhattan, you are pretty close to Dim Sum Palace and the Gotham West Market if you are looking for food options. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by kitkat343