Wanted: Reviews from Gem cruisers who just returned!

[dels]

For me the shows were so so. A couple of good ones. Considering half the passengers were lattitudes, you can imagine it gets a little boring seeing the same show that you did 12 months ago, so I skipped several of them. The Second city , which I never liked, but my DS did, even he said they didn't have "heart". The magician was at best weak. The Cat's Pyjama's I enjoyed. The first show with the dancers and singers I liked alot the one from "around the world. I am not a fan of 70's music, but the second show by them was also done well. The farewell show, well, it really should be changed every six months, because that was word for word, action for action the same as 12 months ago. ( the spitting water falls thing...which from a medical point of view, I dont agree with, even with eyes closed, I dont believe in water from your mouth going onto other people and am not sure it is fair to ask staff to do this, but that is the nurse in me)

 

BUT if you never went on the cruise you would like many of them.

 

The juggling show, is the last with Fredini, even though I saw the same show, it was so good, I could see it again. The Quest game was almost the same, as they are on all cruise lines, and DS and GF really had fun with that. Dont flame me but I miss the singers in the atrium, I am not a fan of the large screene, the internet area is there and you get a huge headache trying to do something on the net with the football game blasting in your ear, I hope they pay the internet guy pay hazzard for all that noise clanging in his ears. The internet area was supposed to origionally be where the art stuff is now, it should be moved there or to the library, ( which is beautiful) but certainly some where less cramped and more quiet. Yes many bring lap tops and there is wifi , but you still need to go there some times or want to use their computer for what ever reason, it can be so loud there you just cannot do anything. Art Gallery, well, I wont participate in them, and its wasting space ( Thats just my opinion) . Maybe they thought by putting it there more people would use it? I dont know, it sure didnt entice me.

 

Specialty places to eat, dont know about reservations, I only ate at one pay per use , that was Cagneys ( OK but not a second time) and we ate twice at the Mexican place and once at the Italian plae and we liked both.

 

Hair Dryer was fine for my hair, but not for DS's GF who has a much thicker longer wavy hair. She also found the cord on it to short and stiff. I have shorter very fine hair so it was fine.

 

Cabins are great. The insides are a little small now, compared to Spirit and DAWN, but they do have ALOT of space to put things away and they make use of all the space. The Balconys are great, and they have alot of storage space as well. The handicapped Balcony, some of them have a large pole as you come in, which is some type of support beam. A wheelchair could get passed it, just seems odd. The showers in inside and handicapped are excellent, the water is hot and come out full blast. Plenty of towels and things like that, if you need more it is quickly brought. I noted the water tasted veery good on board.

 

Have a great day

[dongordon]

Anyone have a mini-suite on the recent Gem cruises?

Was concierge service available for restaurant reservations?

 

Don

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

Thanks Becky and Jane!

 

I was wondering which cabin you had too Jane. We are in 10668 on the 2/16!:)

 

Also, do you remember if there were any specials for early or late dining in the specialties?

 

Maryfrei, please post how you liked cabin 10668, we have it in November. It looks like it has a large balcony. Have a great cruise!

[NorthernNeighbour]

I believe I read the 'muster drill' was at 4 PM before you sailed out of NY harbor.

 

Was the drill held indoors and with the passengers seated?

 

Hope so, since my wife has trouble standing for long periods of time.

 

Also, did anyone wait later to dis-embark. If so, were the lines shorter then?

[sjbdtz]

I'm just curious as to why you would limit your question to those who have "JUST" returned.

 

None of the questions were sailing-specific.

 

Couldn't you ensure a better breadth of response by asking anyone who'd sailed the Gem, at all?

 

 

I'm sure there's a reason....but I can't figure it out....

[NorthernNeighbour]

I'm just curious as to why you would limit your question to those who have "JUST" returned.

 

None of the questions were sailing-specific.

 

Couldn't you ensure a better breadth of response by asking anyone who'd sailed the Gem, at all?

 

 

I'm sure there's a reason....but I can't figure it out....

 

 

Since the GEM is a new ship, the information from those just returning rather than those on the first few cruises (which are always a shake-down period for a new ship) are probably a better indication of what to expect.

 

I certainly would not be guided by the experience of anyone on an 'inaugural cruise' or the first few cruises thereafter. The ship could either dramatically improve or de-grade from there.

[NSAHO79]

Hi there,

 

I have already posted a review through the "review" section and it should be posted in a few days. I guess I was not cut out to be a cruiser since for the total cost it was not value for money in my opinion. The ship is just beautiful and the staff were all great. My review has all the details.

Thanks,

Chris:confused:

[sjbdtz]

Since the GEM is a new ship, the information from those just returning rather than those on the first few cruises (which are always a shake-down period for a new ship) are probably a better indication of what to expect.

 

I certainly would not be guided by the experience of anyone on an 'inaugural cruise' or the first few cruises thereafter. The ship could either dramatically improve or de-grade from there.

 

 

i agree conceptually, but as you & I were both on the ship in January.... do you not think we'd be just as qualified to advise the OP where the good places to tan might be?

 

I was just wondering what the OP's motives (known only to the OP) might have been.

[Maryfrei]

Maryfrei' date=' please post how you liked cabin 10668, we have it in November. It looks like it has a large balcony. Have a great cruise![/quote']

 

I already know I loved it!:p

 

Seriously though, I will definitely let you know how wonderful it was!

[dongordon]

i agree conceptually, but as you & I were both on the ship in January.... do you not think we'd be just as qualified to advise the OP where the good places to tan might be?

 

I was just wondering what the OP's motives (known only to the OP) might have been.

 

When I posted the thread, the Gem had just returned from another cruise and I was simply looking for their comments on the ship, since I had already received information on the previous Gem cruises. Because there are only three more cruises before we sail, the more information and opinions, the better. There are frequently many diverse opinions about ships and because the Gem is new, one likes to hear as many opinions as possible.

I did not mean to offend any of the previous Gem cruisers....I cerainly value their opinions as well.

 

Thank you all for the wonderful information and taking the time to answer our questions. I find that the more you know about the ship.....avoiding pitfalls and taking advantage of the positives makes for a more enjoyable cruising experience.

 

Don

[nyflush]

Well Said Don I agree :)

[Giorgi-one]

I was also on the 1/5/08 Gem Cruise - my 6th NCL cruise and 20th cruise overall. As you will see I do tend to be critical.

 

Overall cruise - Very good. We are looking forward to Med Cruise on the Jade in May.

 

Itinerary - Great

 

Weather - Great. A little choppy the last two days in the Atlantic, but I have seen much worse in the Caribbean.

 

NYC Terminal and Embarkation - Move the ship to Philadelphia. Terminal has one lane for traffic where terminals in Fort Lauderdale and Miami have about 12 lanes. Everyone has to enter thru the same elevator. NCL BAD - Absolutely, positively never schedule a ship to return at 10 AM and leave the same day. I had to stay with my baggage in the cold until they moved it into the gated area.

 

Overall Ship - Very nice ship. Get rid of the big screen in the Atrium (always crowded) and send the colored taco ceiling back to Carnival.

 

Service - Fantastic all over the ship.

 

Buffet Food - Worst selection and quality I have encountered on any ship and any school cafeteria. Luckily, I do not eat at buffets. Embarassing compared to Celebrity, Princess or NCL. Almost as bad as RCCL. Except for a different broth and carving station meat, the menu never changed.

 

Room Service food - See buffet food above. And we had the special Suite menu. We could not eat the food except for cereal and juice at breakfast.

 

Main Dining Room food - I pretty much agree with Becky here. Soups, appetizers and salads were good. Entrees were good but there were about five nights I could not find anything I like - so we tried the alternative restaurants. Deserts were not much - we usually went with the sherbert or ice cream

 

Cagney's Steakhoue - Good, but not great. Definitely not Ruth Chris or Chicago Prime.

 

Le Bistro - Fantastic - We went two nights. Loved the escargot, mushroom and onion soups. Had Duck one night and filet other night. We are going on the Jade in May and may eat at LeBistro on most nights.

 

Chinese - Got a 2 for 1 after 8:30 PM. Just walked in - no reservation. Very good in my opinion.

 

Mexican - No charge - just walked in - no reservation. Spciy but good.

 

Stateroom - We had an AE Penthouse on Deck 9. Fantastic deal for the price. Do not waste your money on a minisuite since the AE penthouse is usually just a few hundered more if you book real early. Only negative was location of vanity between closet and bathroom - traffic jam.

 

Breakfast and Lunch at Cagneys - This is for Suite guests only. Very nice but you do miss the buffet (See above). I thought that lunch was much better than breakfast.

 

Coffee - Not a decent cup to be found on the ship. And they always try to serve it with milk. We had to ask for half n half, would have preferred cream which is necessary to make syrup coffee palatable.

 

Conciege - Claudio was the best!

 

Entertainment - Two shows at 7:30PM and 9:30 PM. Very difficult to make late show if you eat after 8 PM (obviously if you dine late you would not be interested in the 7:30 PM show). We did make some shows. I cannot remember all the names but the comedian and juggler were fantastic, doo wop group was very good. We saw two production shows which were good but nowhere near what NCl used to do a few years back. But then again, all cruise lines are cutting back on entertainment.

 

As Becky said - great value for the money.

[Giorgi-one]

I would love to hear more about the aft cabins on the Gem when you return. We are in an aft on deck 11 in April. If you can post any pictures, that woudl be great. have a wonderful trip!

 

I believe Deck 11 aft cabins are minisuties not AE Penthouse. Not a big difference in size but you do not get suite amenities with the minituise. No Claudio and no Cagneys for Breakfast and Lunch.

[QuickieGlenn]

I was also on the 1/5/08 Gem Cruise - my 6th NCL cruise and 20th cruise overall. As you will see I do tend to be critical.

 

Overall cruise - Very good. We are looking forward to Med Cruise on the Jade in May.

 

Itinerary - Great

 

Weather - Great. A little choppy the last two days in the Atlantic, but I have seen much worse in the Caribbean.

 

NYC Terminal and Embarkation - Move the ship to Philadelphia. Terminal has one lane for traffic where terminals in Fort Lauderdale and Miami have about 12 lanes. Everyone has to enter thru the same elevator. NCL BAD - Absolutely, positively never schedule a ship to return at 10 AM and leave the same day. I had to stay with my baggage in the cold until they moved it into the gated area.

 

Overall Ship - Very nice ship. Get rid of the big screen in the Atrium (always crowded) and send the colored taco ceiling back to Carnival.

 

Service - Fantastic all over the ship.

 

Buffet Food - Worst selection and quality I have encountered on any ship and any school cafeteria. Luckily, I do not eat at buffets. Embarassing compared to Celebrity, Princess or NCL. Almost as bad as RCCL. Except for a different broth and carving station meat, the menu never changed.

 

Room Service food - See buffet food above. And we had the special Suite menu. We could not eat the food except for cereal and juice at breakfast.

 

Main Dining Room food - I pretty much agree with Becky here. Soups, appetizers and salads were good. Entrees were good but there were about five nights I could not find anything I like - so we tried the alternative restaurants. Deserts were not much - we usually went with the sherbert or ice cream

 

Cagney's Steakhoue - Good, but not great. Definitely not Ruth Chris or Chicago Prime.

 

Le Bistro - Fantastic - We went two nights. Loved the escargot, mushroom and onion soups. Had Duck one night and filet other night. We are going on the Jade in May and may eat at LeBistro on most nights.

 

Chinese - Got a 2 for 1 after 8:30 PM. Just walked in - no reservation. Very good in my opinion.

 

Mexican - No charge - just walked in - no reservation. Spciy but good.

 

Stateroom - We had an AE Penthouse on Deck 9. Fantastic deal for the price. Do not waste your money on a minisuite since the AE penthouse is usually just a few hundered more if you book real early. Only negative was location of vanity between closet and bathroom - traffic jam.

 

Breakfast and Lunch at Cagneys - This is for Suite guests only. Very nice but you do miss the buffet (See above). I thought that lunch was much better than breakfast.

 

Coffee - Not a decent cup to be found on the ship. And they always try to serve it with milk. We had to ask for half n half, would have preferred cream which is necessary to make syrup coffee palatable.

 

Conciege - Claudio was the best!

 

Entertainment - Two shows at 7:30PM and 9:30 PM. Very difficult to make late show if you eat after 8 PM (obviously if you dine late you would not be interested in the 7:30 PM show). We did make some shows. I cannot remember all the names but the comedian and juggler were fantastic, doo wop group was very good. We saw two production shows which were good but nowhere near what NCl used to do a few years back. But then again, all cruise lines are cutting back on entertainment.

 

As Becky said - great value for the money.

 

 

You say you would not eat at the buffet but you criticize it on the Gem and you compare it to NCL..hello NCL is the GEM

 

Have a great day

[dongordon]

Giorgi,

 

Thanks for your objective review.

 

Like you, I am not a buffet person, only as a quick fix for a "hunger moment" or late snack, so I am not fussy about the food. How late is it open?

 

I agree, Cagney's is good, but not great as compared to the other steak restaurants you mentioned. Both on the Spirit and the Dawn, we enjoyed the dinners very much. I loved their side dishes and desserts and thought it worth the extra bucks for one night while cruising.

 

Call me crazy, but I kind of like when the ship is rockin' in choppy waters...reminds me that I am on a cruise! It also rocks me to sleep.

 

You are right about the coffee. I have never had a real good cup of coffee on NCL. I wish they had cream as well (good point). I usually order double expressos with my meals...like my java strong. My wife orders both a coffee and an expresso and places the expresso in her coffee. We drink Starbucks at home and we are into bold coffee..

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Don

[Giorgi-one]

You say you would not eat at the buffet but you criticize it on the Gem and you compare it to NCL..hello NCL is the GEM

 

Have a great day

 

That was a mistype. I meant HAL. I saw the error but decided not to resened the whole memo. Hello!

[dongordon]

That was a mistype. I meant HAL. I saw the error but decided not to resened the whole memo. Hello!

 

Giorgi,

 

I knew it was a "typo" ......one usually knows the cruise line they are on.

 

Could you tell me how late the buffet is open?

 

I wish NCL had "fresh" pizza and salad at night. That was the one thing I really liked about Carnival....probably the best thing about Carnival! The pizza delivered by room service leaves a lot to be desired. That being said, "boxed pizza" never tastes as good as pizza fresh out of the oven.

 

Don

[Giorgi-one]

Giorgi,

 

I knew it was a "typo" ......one usually knows the cruise line they are on.

 

Could you tell me how late the buffet is open?

 

I wish NCL had "fresh" pizza and salad at night. That was the one thing I really liked about Carnival....probably the best thing about Carnival! The pizza delivered by room service leaves a lot to be desired. That being said, "boxed pizza" never tastes as good as pizza fresh out of the oven.

 

Don

 

I believe the Garden Buffet closes around 11 PM. However, there is another restaurant, Blue Lagoon on Deck 8, which is open 24 hours per day. We had breakfast there one morning and it was very nice - also empty.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention in my review was the price of drinks. I believe the drink of the day was $8 + 15% tip which totals out to $9.20 each. The fruit smoothie was $9 + 15% tip which totals out at $10.35 each. If you and your wife have one of each every day for 11 days - Grand Total of $430.10. Good thing mortgage rates are dropping.

[cruise4kicks]

One other thing I forgot to mention in my review was the price of drinks. I believe the drink of the day was $8 + 15% tip which totals out to $9.20 each. The fruit smoothie was $9 + 15% tip which totals out at $10.35 each. If you and your wife have one of each every day for 11 days - Grand Total of $430.10. Good thing mortgage rates are dropping.

Here's a cost-savings tip ;) : Ask for the drink of the day in a regular glass, not the plastic souvenir cup -- it knocks a couple of bucks off the cost. :cool:

[TwocruisersfromMA]

It was a fun cruise.The service was excellent.The buffet area was badly designed.There are no trays and it is was very difficult to find a chair as you are trying to juggle your plate with your beverage walking along the very long top deck trying to avoid other passengers.I thought the variety of the food was excellent. Loved their freshly made pizza and all their breads.Great selection of icecream and desserts.

 

We enjoyed the production shows.We thought Matt the cruise director was funny and very efficient.

 

The casino had the best selection of penny and two cent machines I have ever seen on a cruise.

 

The ship is extremely colorful .We had an inside cabin that was very adequate.Very poor selection of movies available .The movies were outdated such as Batman,Superman,Cold Mountain,Pretty Woman ,etc They did have Fox and CNN.

 

We did express checkout.We left the ship at 8:45 and walked across the street and got a taxi in a few minutes.Very easy!

 

If you have any questions,just ask.

[jaja]

Thanks for the info!

We have an inside cabin for first time (9579)--anthing you can tell us would be great!! :D There are only 2 of us...but as always..I bring too much stuff!! :rolleyes: And you say they have Fox?? That is great!

 

It was a fun cruise.The service was excellent.The buffet area was badly designed.There are no trays and it is was very difficult to find a chair as you are trying to juggle your plate with your beverage walking along the very long top deck trying to avoid other passengers.I thought the variety of the food was excellent. Loved their freshly made pizza and all their breads.Great selection of icecream and desserts.

 

We enjoyed the production shows.We thought Matt the cruise director was funny and very efficient.

 

The casino had the best selection of penny and two cent machines I have ever seen on a cruise.

 

The ship is extremely colorful .We had an inside cabin that was very adequate.Very poor selection of movies available .The movies were outdated such as Batman,Superman,Cold Mountain,Pretty Woman ,etc They did have Fox and CNN.

 

We did express checkout.We left the ship at 8:45 and walked across the street and got a taxi in a few minutes.Very easy!

 

If you have any questions,just ask.

[TwocruisersfromMA]

Hi

Sorry to confuse you.It was just Fox news!

[jaja]

No confusion...was hoping it was Fox news....I do prefer that to CNN!!!

any more info on inside cabin...??

thanks

jaja

[suegllnt]

Hi Don! We are sailing on the Gem 2/16 also! Can't wait! This is our first cruise. Hope we have good weather, cuz that can make or break a vacation. Take Care!

 

Sue

 

Becky and Spirit Rev,

 

Thanks so much for answering my questions.

 

We will be cruising on the 7-day (wish we had your lengthy cruise) on February 16th and you anwered some important questions.

 

Our roll call is setting up a "Meet and Greet"....did you have one on your cruise? If so, what officers were there?

 

The shows in previous reviews were not given high ratings....did you feel the same?

 

Don

[TwocruisersfromMA]

Hi

 

We were on the 9th deck.The room had one closet -4 shelves and 4 drawers.The bed was comfortable.Great hairdryer.We have been in smaller rooms.

 

Drinks are very expensive.A martini will cost $11.00 and mix drinks cost $9.00.A soda was $2.00.

 

I liked the earlier show time of 7:30.You still had a good portion of the night left over to enjoy the ship.I thought the production shows were good.I always needed a sweater.I thought the room was on the chilly side.

 

The buffet is just too crazy. Breakfast & lunch are ok but I would suggest going to the dining room for dinner.

eveerything was good.You will enjoy the ship.It is very colorful .