Here's my GEM 4/12-4/19 review

[LOWTYD]

We drove to Pier 88 in New York and dropped off our luggage with a porter and my husband went to park the car. We ran into several of our fellow Roll Call members as we were festooned in leis, beads and pirate bandanas. After a short wait, we were directed in a line for Gold & Platinum members for check in. We could see the huge Gems on the side of the ship and I kept stating to my family 'Look at those GEMS!" I had waited 1 year for this cruise and it was good eye candy to look at while waiting to board! We waited in a holding area with some snacks for us but I think the hotdog guy was making out better than the free banana bread. The last cruise was a little late coming in so we had to wait a while longer to board. (about 1:00pm). They called out number (7) and off we went.

 

We were greeted with a flute of bubbly when we boarded and as soon as we walked into the Atrium my son and daughter (both adults) heard the WII music go on and immediately asked."Can we play" So for the first 20 minutes aboard the ship was playing bowling on the ginormous screen in the Atrium. It is a colorful ship! There is a huge amethyst on the ceiling in Atrium and all the rugs and artwork are just...colorful! We were able to put of carry-on's in our room right away and our Room Steward, Mario, was nothing but accommodating. We had a Happy Birthday package for my DIL set up and it was ready when stopped by and that was a nice surpirse for her. The cake was huge and lasted all week! (Delicious too!) Our room was clean and there was enough room for four adults. My son said the fold out bed was ok to sleep on but a little hard. If you find the bed too hard , ask for an eggcrate to put on top. They said they didn't need one so that was that.

 

We ate at the buffet and sat in the Great Outdoors. This was pretty much our favorite place to go for breakfast. It's roomy, outside and just a nicer place to be than inside. The action stations at the buffet were good and although I heard impatient passengers say..."Oh, the line is too long. I'll find something else" It really was not a long wait. The pasta was made fresh,the meat carved to your specifications and the omletts were made to your liking. It's not like you couldn't wait an extra minute or two for your turn but some people just don't get it. We also ate at the outside venues by the pool. The Topsider made a great grilled chicken sandwich and fresh burgers. These are made to order so you have to wait a few minutes but they beat the burgers that are sitting under the warming lights at the buffet. We at the the Grand Pacific one night which I thought was good and once at the Magenta for the Seafood medley, which was also very good. We did Teppanyaki one night and had the filet mignon and shrimp which was very good and our last night we did a family dinner at Le Bistro which was also very good. We had the Chateaubriand for two (extra $10 each), my son had the duck, my DIL the Salmon and my DH the tenderloin and braised rib combo. (ok, i forgot what it was called) We all enjoyed the chocolate fondue for dessert. My DS and DIL also dined at Tequila's on night and enjoyed the food there.

 

Moving on, Everyone complains about not enough chairs around the pool and doing the math, there is no way you can get 2300 people around the same pool! We chose chairs on the second level and were very happy with them. A few steps away from the stairs going down to the pool area, a few steps away from the Topsiders and a few more steps away from the bathroom near the Spinnaker lounge. We never had a problem and those who get up late shouldn't expect a bunch of empty chairs waiting for them at 1 pm. There was some chair saving going on and on the last sailaway out of Freeport it was virtually impossible to find an empty spot. Our group ended up on the Freestyle deck until the wind got the best of us and by then there were more chairs avail below. Having the adult only pool was a definite plus as well as adult only hottubs. The kids had their own!

 

Ports of Call: Port Canaveral. I took the Ron Jon surfing lesson with my DS and niece. It was soooo much fun and I don't know why we didn't have more people sign up but I recommend it (more for the younger crowd who are more limber)if it is something you always wanted to try. It was on my bucket list and and actually got up twice to the standing positing!!! The two Ron Jon instructors were great. It was $89 for 3 hours (included travel and about 1/2 hour classroom time). My son now wants a surfboard! We also saw a rocket launch go off at NASA.

 

Great Stirrup Cay: Missed it due to high surf. Got an extra day at Nassau. There we went to the Atlantis Dig around 6:00 pm and just walked through. Strolled back onto the ship about 4:00am after playing in the casino. Our America's Cup excursion was cancelled due the high wind and surf so that was a bit of a disappointment but life goes on. We went to the beach but it was a little cloudy and windy (Yes, this was a very windy vacation) so we went back to the ship and hung out by the pool. Freeport, my DH, DIL and DS too the Jeep safari which too up the whole time. It's a 5 hour excursion and you get a jeep and go all over the island, lunch is included. They had a ball. We went to Lucaya to the beach..where it was cloudy and windy.... Did a little shopping the straw market and back to the ship by 2:30. Freeport is a little scary to pull into but once you get away from the port and oil tanks, it gets better. It's just a very short stay.

 

Entertainment: The ships entertainment was good as far as shows go. I am not a big show person but did attend a couple. My DS and DIL went to World Beat, which they enjoyed. I saw the second show with comedian Ross Bennett. I was amused. The Gem cast did "Get Down Tonight" which was a 1970's songs with flashy customs and dancing. I missed Second City on this cruise but did see them on the Spirit last year and their Scriptless show is pretty good. I went to COLORZ which was all about..you guess it. Songs that have to do with colors. It was ok. They brought on the cruise staff for a cheesy thank you and goodbye at the end but at least they recognized a lot of the staff and not just the officers. The piano players, guitar players (I must mention RJ RED who sang "I've got a fast car" by Tracy Chapman and sounded just like her!) and the pool band were all good. We did miss the oompa music at the Great Outdoors which we thought would be fun. They advertised it for Sunday, and our Meet & Greet they said Friday but I heard they did it Wednesday:confused: . We went to two martini tastings (thank goodness I was not the designated driver) We did try Armondo's Sexy Alligator. Very pretty, tasty and packs a wallop! We went to the Lattitude party but they still don't give out pins. Always a nice time to mingle with other guest. Now best for last. QUEST. If you have never played this and are not easily offended, play this game. It was done on the last night at 10:45, adults only. Nuff said!

The cruise staff was wonderful. We met some of the offers at our Meet and Greet and were told to see them if there was anything amiss. Prem, the hotel director and always visible and was the food and beverage officer. Julie the cruise director always had a smile and was very peppy! I don't know when these people sleep!

The Casino: I thought the casino was small and didn't like the chairs. They were too big and everyone kept bumping then as they went by. I think everyone new it was their fault. We would just say "damn chair!" I think they can throw in a few more penny or $.02 cent slots as they have become more popular. It was hard to get a seat at them. I did have a few good nights but alas, the house always wins!

The Bars: The Bliss has the bowling alley which my DH, DS and BIL used. It's a freaky place to be if you are over 40 and it's 1:00am! The Spinnaker is a fun place and has some wicked cool seating...and it's very colorful. The Star bar was nice quiet place to have a cocktail. This is located near Cagney's. Other than the Martini tasting at the martini bar, I really didn't frequent them at night. I usually had my beer brought to me on deck and at night really didn't drink much, I tried to make the day last longer!

 

 

Fitness Center & Spa: MY DH did the $75 a week for the Spa Center. He loved the warming chairs and therapeutic pool. He used it a lot but sometimes complained the chairs were hard to get. He also had a hot stone massage which was good. We gave my DIL a spa gift certificate and she did a head, neck and foot massage which she totally enjoyed. My DH and DIL used the fitness center for the treadmills and had no complaints.

Disembarkation was a breeze. After the carryoff passengers went first, our yellow tags were called next. The only surpirse was that you had to go down either steps or escalators to get the ground level and some people were having trouble navigating their carryoffs and themselves. Our luggage was easy to find based on the sign color (and witty saying) that matched your luggage tag. We were in our car at 11:15 and home at 12:30. When all is said and done, I would travel the GEM again, but would have preferred the original itinerary of Key West. She is a beautiful ship and so full of color you can't help but feel good. I met a lot of great folks from our Roll Call as well as others and had a blast

[angeljt]

Thanks, nice review, Sandy! Glad to hear you had a great time. I can't believe we're all back home again. I guess we'll just have to start planning another cruise. :D

Jackie

[BeachBumMama]

We waited in a holding area with some snacks for us but I think the hotdog guy was making out better than the free banana bread.

There was actually a hotdog guy?:D After all the talk on the hotdog thread I know you must have chuckled when you saw him. I chuckled reading there was one there.

 

Great reveiw. Sounds like you had a good time and like you, I'm sure, I can't believe you've already gone and come back. Welcome home even though I know you don't want to be here.:( Glad you had a nice time.:)

[Maryfrei]

Thanks for the review Sandy, glad you had a blast! I also wish they had kept Key West!:)

[LOWTYD]

There was actually a hotdog guy?:D After all the talk on the hotdog thread I know you must have chuckled when you saw him. I chuckled reading there was one there.

 

Great reveiw. Sounds like you had a good time and like you, I'm sure, I can't believe you've already gone and come back. Welcome home even though I know you don't want to be here.:( Glad you had a nice time.:)

 

They are Ball Park Franks on the ship and, yes, I thought of the hotdog thread as soon as I saw the hotdog cart!