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Another 1/16/2008 Gem Review, you gotta love "IT"!!

Tomct

By Tomct,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Tomct

Tomct

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Following are my (lengthy) thoughts on our recent cruise aboard the Norwegian Gem, sailing from New York City to the Southern Caribbean, with stops at the ports of St. Thomas, Antigua, Barbados, St. Maarten, and Tortola:

 

Embarkation/Debarkation:

 

We drove from our home in Connecticut to New York, arriving around 11:30 am. All went smoothly, dropped off my wife with our luggage, parked the car directly along side the beautiful Gem, and returned to find luggage checked, and we headed for the security line. Each individual was given a number like at the deli counter, and we were given #10 (I believe the upper grade cabins/VIP’s were assigned numbers below 6). We went through the Latitudes line, though I don’t think there was much of a difference at that time. Check in was efficient, we posed for the standard “boarding” photo, and took a seat in the nicely refurbished waiting area. Hot chocolate and orange juice was available (no coffee?) along with some sliced cakes including what looked like pound cake. At approx.1:00 pm, following a few time updates, we were told boarding would begin in about 10 min., when I the first number called was 6 (after the VIP groups). In a mere few minutes we were on our way up the gangway. One Freestyle 2.0 feature is the glass of champagne which is offered to you once you step onto Deck 7, though they were refilling the supply when we arrived. We got ours after we dropped off our carry ons, and walked past the gangway on our way to the Grand Pacific for lunch. It was there we met our first familiar face, the lovely Laura Borut, Maitre’ D at Cagney’s. Laura gave us the perfect welcome, and of course we could not refuse her invitation to dine in Cagney’s that evening at the time of our choice. I can’t imagine a more professional Maitre’ D on land or at sea!!

 

Debarkation was a different story, but NCL was not to blame. Though we were among the first to leave the ship, around 9:30 am, we could not locate one of our bags. We informed the Gem’s Concierge, Claudio, that one bag was missing, and he advised us that they usually show up, and that we could either leave and it would be sent to us, or we could stick around to see what happens. Because we had souvenirs in that bag for our grandkids, and we preferred to be on the scene to oversee what might be happening, we opted to remain. Claudio noted the “lonely” bag next to ours belonged to someone who had just left. That gave us hope they might find one of their bags missing, and that they also had ours. To make a long story short, the guy made it home to Middletown, NJ, realized what happened, called my cell phone which was written on my bag tag, and informed me he was the “idiot” with my bag. It was then 10:45 am, and with the drive back, traffic from passengers leaving and boarding two ships, etc., we did not leave the pier until around 12:30 pm, roughly 3 hours delayed. The staff at the pier could not have been more helpful and supportive, including NCL staff stationed at the pier, stevedores, and especially support staff from Cruise Link, Ltd., who it appears are there to assist passengers arriving and departing the ships. One very important lesson to note: Though NCL provides an area on your luggage tags for “Home Phone”, you should also consider including your cell phone. It surely saved us further grief, and got the bag back to us much sooner that it would have been otherwise, and importantly, allowed us to meet up with our grandkids that day with souvenirs in hand!!

 

The Ship:

 

I’m no architectural or artistic guru, but really enjoyed the Gem, and it’s bright and cheerful colors. We’ve been on the Star, Dawn and Jewel prior to this, and of the changes we’ve seen, the addition of bowling may top the list. It allowed for an activity we could enjoy by ourselves, with friends, and with a group of CC’ers (aka Gem Patrol) that gathered on our 2nd sea day. Next I would say is the “Great Outdoor”, Deck 12, Aft, where you can enjoy a meal and the outdoors, most anytime during the day, weather permitting. The short buffet offerings there change during the day, and there is always a nice variety. Music is also available in the afternoon, as I especially enjoyed the “Oom Pah Pah” Band while I enjoyed some brats, sauerkraut, and German potato salad. One late afternoon I had a hard time not spoiling my dinner, as the temptation to fill myself with the fish and chips and the freshly prepared fried chicken was difficult. It happened to be the time they were switching over from lunch to dinner, and you had the “Best of Both Worlds” as High School Musical fans might sing. Note you can pick up the food offerings from the Great Outdoors, but opt to sit in either La Cucina or the Garden Café. The GC area has been significantly upgraded from past “buffet” dining areas, and provides more of a restaurant atmosphere, morning, noon and especially at night. Other new favorites include the additional pool, the huge TV screen in the atrium, which was often hooked up to a Wii System, the champagne greeting, the Bliss Lounge (incl. pop corn), the new games in Spinnakers, the redesign of the upper level of Stardust, and some but not all the funky chairs about the ship. I still hope that maybe the new ships will have a hot tub location like they had on the Dawn, topside forward in the sunning area, a little quieter and more peaceful most of the time, away from the hustle and bustle surrounding the pool(s). I thought the new round chairs took up too much space and of course the “chair hogs” had a field day with them. I also preferred the tiered levels of the Dawn, as I would like to think a combination of all such features would be possible.

 

The Staff:

 

Let’s start at the top with Captain Mikael Hilden. Of course he’s the one mainly responsible for getting us to the S. Caribbean and back safely, and not responsible for the rough seas we experienced on our return home. He does deserve high praise for not only being the most visible captain that we have seen, but who others much more experienced than us have seen. He spent a considerable amount of time making rounds about the ship, especially the restaurants. He not only made regular visits to the Garden Café, but we saw him dining in Blue Lagoon the night we gathered in Tequila to watch the NFL league championships. I was fortunate to experience some quality time speaking with him one quiet afternoon, and he was sincerely interested in learning about how CC’ers interacted with each other, before, during, and after the cruise. He confirmed how much NCL values our opinions. At his “Behind the Scenes” presentation in Stardust, Capt. Hilden also displayed his great sense of humor and pleasant personality.

 

The MVP is the Hotel Director, and how fortunate were we to have Klaus Lugmaier as our HD!! Most will agree he is the best NCL has to offer, and they have some great ones. It’s hard to imagine anyone being any better, as he works hard to make sure we enjoy the best cruise possible, and his staff does the same. We’re among those who have planned cruises around his schedule, but am concerned that his recent promotion might make it more difficult. We’re confident, however, that his counterparts have the same goals and objectives in mind, and with a management supporting cast of the likes of Sean W, Jose Contreras, Prem Kainikkara, etc., we are confident we will always be in good hands with NCL. Cruise Director Matt Baker was superb!

 

Dining:

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience, Cagney’s being our favorite. We prefer an early dinner, and an early show, allowing us to then pick and choose from the many other activities available (I read the FreeStyle Daily faithfully each evening, highlighting those of interest). We started off the cruise with lunch in the Grand Pacific, where Ms Borut happened to be that afternoon. As the Maitre’ D of Cagney’s, she advised us of the daily happy hour that would be available in the Specialty restaurants for our cruise, 2/1 pricing, an added bonus for us. Laura is so special, we opted for Cagney 3 times and Le Bistro once, instead of our normal 2 and 2. We were not disappointed, as I was able to enjoy their Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, and an outstanding Veal Chop. The appetizers were all good, tough to choose from, as was their sides and desserts. We also enjoyed their outstanding breakfast menu most mornings, a great way to start the day if you are eligible to do so. We never did get to the luncheons, as we were always ashore on port days, and opted for quicker alternatives like the Bali Hai and Great Outdoors on sea days. We did enjoy two breakfasts in the Grand Pacific, one in the Garden Café, and one room service when our schedule was tight. Le Bistro is always a great experience, as we especially enjoy their trademark menu items like escargot, mushroom soup in a bread bowl, onion soup, and the famed Chocolate Fondue. We also enjoyed two great meals at La Cucina, one of which was our “Gem Patrol” dinner, and one each at Tequila and Blue Lagoon.

 

(Special staff kudo’s)

 

Cabin Stewards: Cherry and Francesco are two of the best we have ever had, our cabin spotless, and every need anticipated. Cherry appeared to be most accountable for our cabin, but the two of them made a great team. We made sure we started off each day with their friendly “good morning” greetings!! One afternoon we accidentally shattered a glass, and had to call the number listed on the card. We were disappointed that it was Cherry’s off duty phone, and she insisted on coming to our cabin immediately to clean it up. We told her we were going out and there was no need to rush, as we know how hard they work and sincerely appreciate the great job they do. She was also concerned with the possibility of tracking the glass outside of our cabin.

 

Wait staff: Wayan Sanon and Santini Ketut, Alexandra Walasek and Melbin Ecaluir, as well as Oksana and Puta Ragus in Cagney’s. You basically can’t go wrong there, as the trusty Matre’ D Laura makes sure of that. Also Daniela Trata in Le Bistro and Grand Pacific, Alice Macovei in La Cucino, Melania (Matre‘ D), Rima, and Manish in Tequila, Reynaldo and Lucilyn in Grand Pacific, and Zorina who helped Armando with the Martini Clinic

 

Since we appreciate and acknowledge great service no matter where it comes from, I would also like to recognize two “behind the scene” guys who we met on the Gem. Brett Freake from Canada, works in the Excursion area, and not only does his job well in that position, but took the time while off duty one evening at Bliss, to explain some of his functions and to elaborate on a couple of specific on shore activities. He aalso sked for feedback on my wife’s “Dolphin Encounter”, and we later complied with his request with a glowing review. Jack Borden, a Broadcast Technician from Philadelphia, also took some of his personal time in Bliss, to explain a bit about his job. It was prior to the double header football playoff game day which did involve some technical difficulty connecting the ship to the satellite while switching from one game to the other. He was very pleasant to speak with, though I wish I was able to connect with him after the game.

 

The entire cast from the ship’s production company were also accessible to speak with at Bliss. Special recognition goes to a couple of dancers, Cherry and Richard, who spent quality time with us, sharing their experiences and future plans with us. Cherry is a beautiful and personable young lady from Scotland, while Richard is not only a talented dancer from Texas, but a four year national champion cheerleader from the Univ. of Louisville.

 

Ship Activities:

 

Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was a great success, with special thanks and appreciation to Roll Callers Virginia, Barbara, Monica and Kim for their support in making it such a success. As others have so described in detail, the NCL Gem management team clearly cares deeply about our well being on board, and make sure they attend our gatherings to make it happen. From Capt. Hilden, the incomparable Klaus Lugmair, and his entire team, they insist on hearing about any problems you may have and that you give them the chance to correct them. For us, it’s is comforting to know, but as usual, did not need to call them into action. It does make it nice to see them throughout the cruise, as they continually check to make sure we are having a great time.

 

Bowling was a unique on board activity for us. Since “Gem Patrol” bowling outing was scheduled for the 2nd sea day, we decided to cheat a bit, and try out the alleys the night before. It’s been over 20 years since we bowled ten pins, as we have been limited to occasional duck pins with the grandkids. It helped as we seemed to improve with each game. We had to cancel our last outing due to the high seas, but had it not been for my wife‘s stomach, it may have been “exciting.

 

The Gem’s production cast (http://www.garymusick.com) performed three times in Stardust, and each show was excellent. As talented and entertaining these young singers and dancers were, they were not quite as good as their Jean Ann Ryan counterparts. The group is working together for the first time, and some of them came from JAR, so I’m sure they will be even better in the future. We also enjoyed a couple of performances by comedian, David Naster, as well as performances of 2ns City. There are endless other entertainment venues around the ship for your listening and occasional sing along pleasure.

 

With thanks to Food & Beverage Mgr. Sean Wurmhoeringer, Bar Mgr. Jose Contreras, and the outstanding bartender from the Martini Bar, Armando, we had a special “Gem Patrol Martini Clinic” at Star Bar. We had nearly 30 attendees, and a very nice time enjoying the drinks and the company of our new friends.

 

I didn’t spend too much time in the casino, but did enjoy some pretty good results for the short time I was there and wanted to keep it that way. The new Bliss Lounge is an interesting venue for enjoying a few drinks, music, and dancing, though the planned activities seemed spotty at least for the age group of this cruise. They had a couple of “shadow dancing” nights, a toga party, and white ice night where drinks were available in a cup lined with ice. Bliss seemed to be the place for CD staff and the production cast to hang out, whether on their own time or on duty. Some senior staff also made regular appearances. Each side of the lounge had two bowling alleys, but they were not busy at night, and never seemed to present any kind of a distraction. I think this lounge will be a great place for the younger crowd to not only enjoy the themed parties, but the funky chairs and private seating areas that present a unique atmosphere.

 

We are not into Trivia or Bingo, so did not take those events seriously, and though we normally take in a few game shows, such viewing on this cruise was limited to seeing a few moments here and there on TV. I must also put in a plug for Bob Ince, who presented a series of Financial Planning lectures, including “Where there’s a Will there’s a Way”. He surely knows his stuff.

 

Port Activities: (Note all our port arrivals were in accordance with the ship’s published itinerary)

 

St. Thomas - We left the ship and followed signs through the shopping area at the pier, where we boarded an open air taxi to Magen’s Bay Beach, $8 pp one way, plus $4 pp to enter the beach area. The partly cloudy skies likely accounted for light attendance, and those clouds increased as time went on. A lovely American waitress on the beach delivered our cocktails, I enjoyed my Bushwacker, a local favorite. After 2+ hours of sun and clouds, a couple showers and more sun, we decided we had enough, and headed back to port. It was a beautiful spot to enjoy a beach day, and the water was the warmest we found on our cruise. Facilities included a small gift shop, bar, snack bar, and old but clean rest rooms.

 

We next took the cable car ride to nearby Paradise Point, overlooking the port. There is a nice bar and restaurant at the top, where I enjoyed an even tastier “Bushwacker”. Back at the bottom, I purchased some liquor from Cohen’s, finding it hard to resist the prices. Some items were a few dollars higher than 3 years ago, but significantly lower than at home.

 

Antigua - A small group of CC’ers had made prior arrangements with Antigua Premier Tours, http://www.antiguapremiertours.com, to take us the Pineapple Beach Resort. Neither Owner/Driver Carl or PBR required advance payment, and we enjoyed a very nice day at the beach, with access to the all inclusive resort and amenities via the purchase of a Day Pass. For those interested in that beautiful beach area, there is an adjacent public beach located next to the resort. We enjoyed the open bar and lunch buffet, as well as some time in the beautiful water, until the intermittent clouds and showers chased us in and out of shelter until Carl returned at the prearranged time.

 

Barbados - We previously enjoyed a Pub Crawl around Barbados, and our favorite stop was “the Boatyard”. It is located near the pier, and a $5 pp cab ride. The Boatyard charged an entrance fee of $15 pp, including a beer or cocktail, two lounge chairs, an umbrella, and a taxi ride back to the ship. The facilities included the use of trampolines in the water, an iceberg climb & slide, a rope swing, showers, changing room, rest rooms, volleyball, etc. They offered a decent menu, reasonable prices, and of course had a gift shop. The bar is “local friendly”, live music later in the day, and special “bar games”. Free shots poured directly into your mouth were available prior to the bikini contest, won by a young Gem passenger ($50 bar tab). It was a beautiful day, a great beach, and a fun atmosphere. Also, if you just wanted to enjoy that beach area, public access was available nearby.

 

St. Maarten - Since we have been to Orient Beach on the French side, we decided to stay close to town and enjoy the beach and beautiful day to the max by avoiding the taxi ride across the island. It was a great decision, as we spent a relaxing day, chairs and umbrellas available, as well as a host of food and beverage options a moments walk away along the boardwalk, as well as an outstanding view of the harbor, ocean, and cruise ships in view. Prior to our return to the ship via water taxi, we did a little shopping downtown.

 

Tortola - What may have been my wife’s highlight, was the NCL excursion to “Dolphin Discovery”. Having had double knee replacement surgery, she passed on the Dolphin Swim, opting for the Dolphin Encounter. She was glad with that decision, as it appeared that her group had much more interaction with the dolphins than those taking the swim. She had the opportunity to play with them, touch, kiss, toss things, etc. while it seemed the swim group spent much of their time watching others take their “swim” It was an exciting day for her while I enjoyed my time taking pictures to cherish the moment.

 

Summary:

 

Another great Norwegian cruise, with many memorable moments. We are not only thankful for the outstanding service, food, accommodations and entertainment provided by NCL staff, but for having the opportunity to share the experience with so many CC’ers we will forever call friends. It seemed wherever we turned we saw them, and spent much time sharing activities together. We normally cruise with family and friends, so this was a unique experience for us. It was common to see our CC friends out and about together, but not always with the same people. We did that as well, sharing breakfast, lunch, dinner, bowling, the pool, shows and drinks with many of them, but rarely the same mix. We left the ship feeling we would like to cruise again with all the same folks, recognizing this will not likely ever happen. To them we say “thanks for the memories”, and “please stay in touch”!!

 

Feel free to ask questions, though since it's been so long since our last trip, we will be away in Florida with the grandkids for school vacation week, beginning Saturday, 2/16.

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LEDIDAK

LEDIDAK

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Hi Tom and Sue,

Just checked out your photos. Terrific shots. I thought only Virginia took pictures of the food. Another reason why we think you two are so terrific. It is snowing out and freezing and I have my fireplace going and a nice Manhattan chilling. Enjoy Florida.

Pat

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Cubechick

Cubechick

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Tom, love the review and the pics!

 

I had forgotten about the "theme" lunches at the Great Outdoors. The German Brunch and the Irish lunch were fantastic, weren't they?

 

We had a great time sailing with the Gem Patrol. Your review really made me miss all of you and the Gem!

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snorklinbarb

snorklinbarb

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Hi Tom,

 

It seems our CC group The Gem Patrol was all over the ship doing different activities, eating different food in a variety of places. So far everyone seems to have come back glowing with such long reviews to fit it all in!

 

Loved reading about how you and Sue spent your cruise other than the sad story about having your luggage swiped. What a drag.:(

 

Dinner at Tequila's the night of the Playoffs and dinner in the extension was such a treat for all of us. Nice to have met both of you.

 

Are you thinking about that Jade Feb. 5th trip that Dolphins has booked? If we do anything, it might very well be that one. Would be fun to get a whole group together.

 

And I love both names - Herb's "Jaded Gems" and your "Sexy Alligators." BTW, it seems I'm one of the few Gem Patrol who never tried one of Armando's exotic - and much debated - concoctions.

 

Can't wait to take a look at more pictures. The first batch I saw was great!

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griffcass

griffcass

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Hi Tomct,

 

Loved your review and especially your pictures!! It seems we were at all the same events but never actually met. I was one of the group of women for 'Anne's 50th birthday Party' from Canada. I have got to ask, what kind of camera do you have? Your pictures area really great!à

 

Miss our Gem!!

 

Colleen

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Tomct

Tomct

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Hi Tomct,

 

Loved your review and especially your pictures!! It seems we were at all the same events but never actually met. I was one of the group of women for 'Anne's 50th birthday Party' from Canada. I have got to ask, what kind of camera do you have? Your pictures area really great!à

 

Miss our Gem!!

 

Colleen

 

Hi Colleen:

 

My camera is a Fuji "FinePix" S700, 7.1 mp, and have had it for less than a year. I do enjoy it, and it wasn't that expensive, WalMart I think.

 

I am very disappointed we never got to meet you and your group, other than the "mingle" at Le Bistro. With the advance "reviews" I read about your group and your various "interests", I was looking forward to it and was sure I'd meet up with you along the way. It was shortly after we got home that it dawned on me that I had missed that whole opportunity, as I'm sure you guys were lots of fun and had a great time.

 

It was an amazing group of people, and as I said in my review, I wish we could cruise with everyontel again. Fortunately we live near some of our "new friends", and are confident we will meet up with them again, on land and/or at sea.

 

Barb and I met here on the board a few years back, after she noted we grew up in the same town in Connecticut. We were from different parts of town, different age groups, and she moved away at an early age. But we tried to meet a couple of times when she was in the area, but didn't pull it off. It finally happened, and we surely enjoyed some quality time together on the Gem. I know many cruise fans look forward to meeting new people on board, but since we are accustomed to cruising with family, we normally just do our own thing. This cruise was so different, as we knew it would be going in, got to know a little about each other through the board, and had such a great time. We were still able to enjoy all the same things we look forward to on our cruises, and at the same time, enjoyed the company of so many nice people from the board along the way.

 

I hope you keep an eye on the board to keep track of the "Gem Patrol", as it sure looks like there will be "reunions" happening in the near future. I'd guess that maybe your group could find another reason to celebrate something special on a cruise, and who knows, maybe we'll cross paths again.

 

Again, I'm sorry about the missed opportunity, and it annoys me when I think about it. I hope someone in your group will post some pictures, so we can at least share some of your experiences via photos.

 

Best regards,

 

Tom

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Tomct

Tomct

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Hi Tom' date='

 

It seems our CC group The Gem Patrol was all over the ship doing different activities, eating different food in a variety of places. So far everyone seems to have come back glowing with such long reviews to fit it all in!

 

Loved reading about how you and Sue spent your cruise other than the sad story about having your luggage swiped. What a drag.:(

 

Dinner at Tequila's the night of the Playoffs and dinner in the extension was such a treat for all of us. Nice to have met both of you.

 

Are you thinking about that Jade Feb. 5th trip that Dolphins has booked? If we do anything, it might very well be that one. Would be fun to get a whole group together.

 

And I love both names - Herb's "Jaded Gems" and your "Sexy Alligators." BTW, it seems I'm one of the few Gem Patrol who never tried one of Armando's exotic - and much debated - concoctions.

 

Can't wait to take a look at more pictures. The first batch I saw was great![/quote']

 

Hi Barb:

 

I put up more pictures, but not sure how much more time I can spend on them before our trip to Florida. I quickly took these from the ones I put into an album, and "someday" will likely go through the rest to see what might be of "public interest". I'll problem make a 2nd file for them.

 

Due to the length of my review, I did not address the special dinner we had in the Grand Pacific "extension". That evening will likely rank right up there with our most enjoyable events at sea!! I'm still craving for that potato salad, though did a pretty good job trying to recreate the cucumber salad. I think it will soon become a family favorite, and it's a bit healthier than most.

 

As for the Jade trip, I wish we could go on all the cruises I've seen various "Gem Patrollers" mention. Of the four grandkids Sue expects to be watching next year, we've gotten tentative approval of alternative arrangements for two of them. So far she hasn't discussed the possibility with the pregnant mom of twins, but hopefully that can be worked out. Actually her own mom is an avid cruise fan, with a lengthy background of cruises all over the world, on many cruise lines. She may even have one planned at that time already.

 

Pat: I usually take food pictures to make those at home jealous. Plus, a picture is worth a thousand words, and it takes many thousands of words to describe the food available to us on the Gem. Keep us posted on your surgery plans, we surely hope it works out well for you. Maybe you can bowl with us next time!! Actually I am serious about planning a "bowling" event sometime in the future, probably letting Virginia determine her "home turf". I know she'll take us to the cleaners on solid footing, but it would be fun to see you all again.

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