Back from the Gem Med-May 11-May 18

[VIPcruzer]

Our Background: A group of 5 consisting of my mother (50's), my boyfriend and myself (late 20's) and my brother and sister who are in their early 20's. None of us have ever cruised before but we all travel 3 or 4 times a year visiting mainly warm destinations (and escaping the cold Canadian winters).

 

Pre-cruise: Our cruise departed Barcelona on May 11th and we didn't want to worry about flight delays so we left Calgary on May 9th. We flew with British Airways from Calgary to Heathrow and then flew to Barcelona with Iberia. We didn't arrive at our hotel until 11pm May 10th due to some flight delays and lost luggage. We stayed at the Olivia Plaza hotel in Placa Catalunya at both the beginning and end of our trip. This hotel was very modern, clean and comfortable and had the best possible location for heading out to the lively Las Ramblas area. We stayed out exploring and visiting restaurants until 2am that night. We didn't have to be onboard until the late afternoon on May 11th, so we woke up early and headed to the Las Ramblas. We had some of the best pizza we have ever eaten at a restaurant called Nuria at the tip of Las Ramblas. We really enjoyed the markets and cafes and were sad to have to head over to the ship (but still excited of course!).

 

Embarkation: When we arrived at the port we were shocked at the size of the Gem. Never having been on a cruise before, we knew the ship would be large, but were still overwhelmed at how big she was. We dropped out bags off with the porters/bellboys around 2:30 or 3:00 and then went to look for the Garden Villa line to check in. At this point, the regular check in lines did not look to be that long either. I had some read some stories about 2 or 3 hour waits in line, but this did not seem to be the case. The Garden Villa and Owner Suite line was at the end of the terminal and we were the last of these guests to arrive, so had no wait. The check in took all of 5 minutes before we were whisked to the "VIP lounge" to meet our concierge, Claudio, and to receive our keys. Claudio very quickly made us feel comfortable and introduced us to Putu, our amazingly competent butler. After a 10 minute introduction to the GV perks by Claudio, Putu took us on a quick tour of the Gem's common areas (where all guests recieved a glass or two of sparkling wine) and then we finally reached our suite. The Garden Villa was exactly what I thought it would be, and was the perfect suite to accommodate a family of 5. The bedrooms were all large enough for their minimal use (we barely slept at all this trip), and the living room, dining room, balconies and sundecks were fantastic. The private hot tub was great, and definitely well used. We don't typically use public pools and hot tubs, so this was a great perk for us. The suite has both an indoor and outdoor dining area (which we used for almost every meal). When we arrived there were a couple of bottles of Champagne chilling on ice, bottles of still and mineral water, and every type of soda. When we asked Putu about our complimentary 6 bottles of liquor, he informed us that this service had been cancelled and only those guests who inquired about it would be receiving this perk, so I am glad I asked. The bottles were in our room by the next morning. I had asked the ship coordinator previously for a blender to be in our room (to make some fun drinks) and it was also there when we arrived. About an hour after arriving on the ship, Claudio tracked down my Aunt and cousin who were also travelling with us, but staying in an outside cabin on a lower floor. They spent most of their time in our room unless they were sleeping. We went and looked at their room and it was TINY. I would have been claustrophobic in a room that small, and don't know if I would be able to cruise in such a small room.

 

That night we were all a little tired and jet lagged, so we had Putu bring us dinner from Cagneys and Le Bistro. The ability to order dinner from any restaurant (and more than 1 at a time) was the best perk of the GV. With 5 (and many times 7) people, we often did not all want the same type of food, and this way there was no fighting. As well, with such a port intensive cruise, it was nice to be able to stay in the room in casual clothes (or even pj's) and enjoy a nice meal. That night we explored the ship a little bit, but spent most of the evening chatting around the dining table in our room. BF and I woke up at around 3 am confused, jet lagged and hungry, so we ventured over to Blue Lagoon for a late night snack.

 

Day 2: This was our only Day at Sea and the weather (from what I can remember in my completely jet lagged state) was miserable, but we were able to keep ourselves entertained with some onboard activities. We didn't feel like eating the Cagneys breakfast that morning, so we ran down to the buffet to grab some croissants and yoghurt and brought it up to the Courtyard Pool area to eat it there. This was an area that my BF and I used alot on the trip. Due to the rainy weather we had, they kept the glass roof closed and the room was nice and warm and a great place to wind down in the afternoon with a book or eat a quiet breakfast. We all napped a bit in the afternoon and then went to Blue Lagoon for lunch. That evening we ate dinner at Tequila which is the tex mex restaurant, and one of the few free "specialty" restaurants on the ship. We actually enjoyed the food, as we don't have too many Tex-Mex restaurants in Calgary and do not eat it often. The spring rolls were great (we ordered them as appies to our room a few other nights) and I really thought the presentation of the Il Popo I ordered was fantastic. We were in too much of a rush to eat dessert as we were on our way to the show, so the waiter had 4 orders of Churros and 3 orders of the Chocolate cream puffs sent up to the room at 11:30 that night. The show that evening was dancing and singing from around the world. It was not that great, I actually fell asleep, and after that we didn't see any more of the shows on the ship.

 

Day 3: Valetta, Malta. I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this port. We did not do an excursion, instead picked up the bus right at the port for I believe 1 Euro each (round trip). The bus took us directly to the city centre. The buildings in Malta were all very beautiful and varied. The 80ish year old gentleman driving our bus was quite a character and told us some the history of the country on our way, which was a charming addition to our ride. There are many shops, cafe's and restaurants lining a cobblestone main street going down the centre of Valetta. We shopped and explored for a few hours, grabbed some lunch at an outdoor cafe and ate some gelato (real gelato is a treat that is hard to find in our part of Canada so we indulged almost every day). The weather was beautiful and hot this day so we went back to ship at around 1:30 and spent the rest of the day enjoying girly $12.00 drinks on the private sundeck for Courtyard and GV guests. We had Putu bring us wings from Blue Lagoon around 3:30 for sailaway. That evening BF and I had a romantic dinner for 2 at Le Bistro, and had the best dinner of the entire cruise. I had the short ribs, goat cheese tart, and chocolate fondue. He had some sort of sea food appie, chicken and creme brulee. We drank a couple bottles of wine with dinner (which made for a nice hangover in Sorrento the next day). The service in Le Bistro that evening was absolutely perfect. Afterwards we went to the Spinaker which was packed. We couldn't find a table so went to Bliss afterwards, which was dead. We had a couple of drinks and then went back to the room and went to bed.

 

Day 4-Sorrento and Pompeii. We had an excursion set up for this day and had to be in the theatre by 8:30. Thanks to some late sleeping family members, we almost missed the bus, but made it just in time. We took the Flavors of Sorrento and Pompeii tour. Sorrento seemed quite small, and an hour of free time was enough to visit the shops here. Afterwards we were taken for lunch at an organic lemon and olive farm. The food was not great, but it was a great experience anyways. By the time we arrived at Pompeii we were a little tired and the weather was a bit drizzly. I would have rather explored on our own as we had quite a few slow-movers in the group and only were able to visit a few sites. On the way back to ship we had to stop at a Cameo factory, which is apparently a rule for all tour busses in the area. We waited on the bus as we were just wanting to get back to the ship by this point. We all took naps when we got back on the ship and then ordered dinner from the main dining room, Tequila and I believe Cagneys. This was the only night we ate food from the main dining room (Duck and Beef Wellington), the rest of the time the menus did not appeal to us. The food was great and we enjoyed sitting around the TV watching a movie while we ate (we were completely exhausted).

 

Day 5- Rome. We did the Rome on your Own tour. Again we had to be up early for the bus, and this was starting to feel more like a school trip then a vacation. Putu had breakfast waiting for us in our room by 7, which was fantastic. The waffles and eggs benedict seemed to be popular, but I stuck with croissants and yoghurt. We were all a little grumpy and tired on the bus and were hoping to sleep for the hour plus drive, but our "tour guide" (we did the Rome on your Own Tour and did not expect a guide) really liked to hear herself talk and spoke the ENTIRE drive. Most of what she said was useless, and I never want to hear the word "Civitaveccia" again, she said it ever 10 seconds! (This was repeated for the drive home) Rome was great to see, but I would not go back again. It is so busy with tourists I felt like I was in Disneyland at times, which ruined it a bit. I think we also went to Rome with too high expectations, never a good idea on vacation. At 8:30 that night 5 of us went to LeBistro again, but this experience was the complete opposite from the night my BF and I went. 2 hours into dinner we still had only received our appetizers and half our group left (it was 10:30) without even receiving their mains. We had all ordered the short rib and filet cooked rare, they all arrived more than well done. Disappointing, but this can happen at home too. Just more upsetting when you only have a few nights left. We complained (which we hate doing) and had the meal charges removed.

 

Day 6 Villefrance/Nice-Sea Sickness finally hit me. I had been lucky for most of the trip, but being prone to motion sickness, I couldn't escape it the whole trip. I slept for the day and did not get off the ship. I heard that this port was fantastic from the rest of my family and am going to try and get back there. Putu served BF and I (he stayed to keep my company) breakfast in the courtyard, which I think ended up being our favorite spot on the ship. For lunch we tried the buffet, but again we couldn't find anything that we liked. We couldn't eat the Cagneys lunch that day (due to my food allergies to shellfish/nuts) so we again went to Blue Lagoon. The food was consistent with what it had been, but we were starting to get sick of it by the end of the cruise (although I am craving their hot wings right now). That evening the 7 of us had dinner at Cagneys compliments of the HD (I believe). Our meals were all wonderful (I had the Veal Chop). The desserts were only ok, Le Bistro's desserts are far better....mmmm fondue. We were using the VIP disembarkation the next morning so we organized our bags after dinner. Half of us had our bags ready to go with the porter that night and sent them off, while the rest didn't get them packed until 9 the next morning.

 

Day 7-Back in Barcelona. Putu brought us our final breakfast that morning, which was perfect as usual. We were all sad to leave, and I think my mother seriously tried to get Putu to come home with us. Such tough jobs the NCL staff have, 10 months straight without a day off seems impossible to me. They are all such hardwokers. At 9:45 the porters brought down our luggage and we met Claudio at the gangway. He brought us to where 2 hired vans were waiting to bring us to our hotel. This way of disembarking seems to be one of the best perks we received (apart from Putu). The whole morning seemed quite chaotic for the rest of the passengers.

 

We spent another couple days in Barcelona which were fantastic, and then suffered through 18 hours of travelling back to Calgary. All in all, it was a great vacation, and the Garden Villa was definitely worth it for us. I am not sure that cruising is my favorite way to vacation, but I think I will try it again, maybe next time with an itinerary that is more relaxing and less port-intensive than Europe.

 

Cheers!

[hrfs]

Thanks for your review. I'll be on the same cruise in September, always good to hear others opinions and get a heads up. What about Livorno? Did you go to Florence? It's on my itinerary, was it on yours?

[chrisbd1]

We did a similar itinerary on the Jewel, with Sicily instead of Malta. European cruises are definitely exhausting. That's where freestyle dining is best experienced-no rushing to make it back for dinner.

 

hrfs-We did Livorno/Florence. Florence became my favorite city. It's smaller and less "crowded" than Rome. Architecturally, it is really amazing.

[VIPcruzer]

Thanks for your review. I'll be on the same cruise in September, always good to hear others opinions and get a heads up. What about Livorno? Did you go to Florence? It's on my itinerary, was it on yours?

Hmmm...Yes we did go to Florence...we went to Florence and Pisa...somehow it dissapeared from my review? Let me go find it....

F

[Whippets]

Thank you for your review. I will be on the Gem in November with the same ports. Did you stay at the same hotel post cruise? How difficult was getting through Barcelona airport on your return flight?

 

Again, thanks.

[Travel Nymph]

hrfs.........

 

We are also going on the Gem in Sept. 14th thru the 21st.

 

You?

[VIPcruzer]

Day 6 was actually spent in Florence. I took a break after writing about Rome, and forgot I hadn't written about Florence yet. This is my 2nd try and writing the review, yesterday my laptop froze when I tried to submit it :eek:

 

Day 6 Florence/Livorno: We took the Exclusive Florence and Pisa tour at Claudios reccomendation. Although I wasn't looking forward to the Pisa part, it was actually kind of exciting to the typical tourist picture, holding up the tour of Pisa. This excursion was for max 15 people, which meant travelling via a large van, which was quite comfortable for the 1 1/2 hour (2 hours on the way back due to traffic) drive. Florence was beautiful. The jewellery shops on the Ponte Vecchio were fabulous and the Duomo at the Cathedral d'Florence was amazing. We went to 1 museum (not the one with Michealangelos David) and it was the worst part of the entire trip. 1 1/2 hours looking at different painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The supposed perk of this excursion is not having to wait 3 hours in line to get into the museum, I say skip it completely. The city of Florence itself has much more to offer. Lunch was included in the tour but was pretty much inedible. Pasta with frozen veggies and meat that looked like airline food. We are a family of Italians and are very picky about food, except for my BF who will eat anything. He ate his plate of food and mine. We waited until free time and had an excellent lunch at a cafe by the Ponte Vecchio (my BF still managed to find room to eat more, amazing). The drive back to Florence took a VERY long time as traffic was terrible. We were also delayed a bit because we were ripped off by a shop in the main square right before we left, and it took 90 minutes of us blockading the door to the shop before the owner would finally reverse the charges on our credit card. (143 Euros instead of 30). Between us telling every customer who tried to enter that the shop was owned by thieves and my aunt and our awesome tour guide Serena screaming at them in Italian, they finally reversed the purchase. Thankfully the rest of our tour group were great and were patient while we fixed everything.

[VIPcruzer]

Thank you for your review. I will be on the Gem in November with the same ports. Did you stay at the same hotel post cruise? How difficult was getting through Barcelona airport on your return flight?

 

Again, thanks.

 

We stayed at the Hotel Olivia Plaza at the end as well. We loved it.The location was perfect and the rooms were comfortable.

 

Our flight left at 11:30 Monday. We had a cab pick us up at around 9:15. It took about 45 minutes to get to the airport because traffic was so backed up. Once we arrived at the terminal it took us another 15-20 minutes to find the British Airways counter (go left when you enter). We had checked in online previously and just used the kiosk to print off our tickets. There was only 1 group ahead of us for bag drop off. We then walked right through security (maybe about 3-5 minutes) and had enough time to grab a prosciutto sandwich and espresso before they called our flight.

[marlin1518]

Day 4-Sorrento and Pompeii. We had an excursion set up for this day and had to be in the theatre by 8:30. Thanks to some late sleeping family members, we almost missed the bus, but made it just in time. We took the Flavors of Sorrento and Pompeii tour. Sorrento seemed quite small, and an hour of free time was enough to visit the shops here. Afterwards we were taken for lunch at an organic lemon and olive farm. The food was not great, but it was a great experience anyways

What was served ?? And what was wrong with it ?? We are taking the same excursion.

[Ms belp]

Thank you for your review. I will be on the Gem in November with the same ports. Did you stay at the same hotel post cruise? How difficult was getting through Barcelona airport on your return flight?

 

Again, thanks.

 

Other than Orlando with all the kids, Barcelona is my least favorite airport, very disorganized in 2006.

[doglover3]

VIPcruzer, we will also be be sailing on the Gem come July. Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the Rome On Your Own tour, especially since we are signed up for the same tour. Hopefully our expectations are not toooo high and we have planned a fairly relaxing day. We have heard differing reports about where the bus drops off and picks up. Can you provide any clarification or details? Thanks.

[hrfs]

hrfs.........

 

We are also going on the Gem in Sept. 14th thru the 21st.

 

You?

 

We will be on the Gem the week before you. Coming home on the 14th. I live in Spokane so we will probably pass each other at the airport. Email me when you get back (hrfs@comcast.net) and maybe we can meet and compare notes.

[scubacindy]

VIP Cruiser,

Were You in LeBistro the night of after Rome or Florence?? My husband and I went there the night after Florence, before our stop in Villefranche. Service was slow, but our dinner was awesome. We had the Romance package, husband declined the singing and cake at the end of dinner. We had the Chaeatubrand on the menu for the extra $10, which was excellent. Dh still doesn't think they should tack another charge on top of the charge, but agreed it to be the best dinner we had all week. The desserts were the best there as well. I had the Creme Brulee and it was 100 x's better than what I had in the Grand Pacific.

 

Cindy

[Travel Nymph]

I am sending you an email.

 

Joy

[VIPcruzer]

Day 4-Sorrento and Pompeii. We had an excursion set up for this day and had to be in the theatre by 8:30. Thanks to some late sleeping family members, we almost missed the bus, but made it just in time. We took the Flavors of Sorrento and Pompeii tour. Sorrento seemed quite small, and an hour of free time was enough to visit the shops here. Afterwards we were taken for lunch at an organic lemon and olive farm. The food was not great, but it was a great experience anyways

 

What was served ?? And what was wrong with it ?? We are taking the same excursion.

 

Antipasto plate: homemade cheese (which was neat but flavourless), salami, and bread with an olive tapenade

 

Pata: Overcooked penne in a tomato sauce with ricotta. Unsalted and virtually flavourless.

 

Homemade lemon cake: I loved the cake but the rest of my family wasn't thrilled...lucky me, I got to have a second slice!

 

The food was really underwhelming, but it was still such a great experience (I had never been to a farm previously).

[VIPcruzer]

VIP Cruiser,

Were You in LeBistro the night of after Rome or Florence??

....

 

To be honest, I can't remember now. A lot of the days blended together. I am pretty sure it was Florence. I did find out after the dinner that it was the night that all the staff did a show in the Stardust Theatre. I thought that might have been the cause since we had 45 minutes between the appetizer being served and a waiter coming to our table to check on us and the restaurant seemed to have no staff anywhere. That evening was disappointing because I had raved to everyone about how fantastic dinner had been 2 days previously. It was like we went to a different restaurant entirely.

 

I agree that the Creme brulee at Le Bistro was fantastic. I wish we had risked it and tried dessert again the second evening, but by that point we were a little grouchy.

[marlin1518]

Antipasto plate: homemade cheese (which was neat but flavourless), salami, and bread with an olive tapenade

 

Pata: Overcooked penne in a tomato sauce with ricotta. Unsalted and virtually flavourless.

 

Homemade lemon cake: I loved the cake but the rest of my family wasn't thrilled...lucky me, I got to have a second slice!

 

The food was really underwhelming, but it was still such a great experience (I had never been to a farm previously).

 

 

Thanks for the reply !! Really glad you had a good time. Can't wait until it's my turn !!

[VIPcruzer]

VIPcruzer, we will also be be sailing on the Gem come July. Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the Rome On Your Own tour, especially since we are signed up for the same tour. Hopefully our expectations are not toooo high and we have planned a fairly relaxing day. We have heard differing reports about where the bus drops off and picks up. Can you provide any clarification or details? Thanks.

 

We were dropped a block away from the Coliseum, right buy a few cafes and a soccer field. I have a hard time with direction if I can't see the rockies *grin* but I would guess it was East of the Coliseum.

 

The problem wasn't so much with the excursion, more with Rome itself. It just felt to commercialized and touristy, and didn't match the vision I had. When I was standing at the Trevi Fountain, it was reminiscent of a visit to the Bellagio in Vegas, covered with screaming tourists taking pictures. Rome is definitely something to see in life, but doesn't require a second visit. If I was to go again though (or redo what we did while we were there), I would try and get over to view the Sistene Chapel and maybe do the HOHO bus.

[VIPcruzer]

Thanks for the reply !! Really glad you had a good time. Can't wait until it's my turn !!

 

I am sure you will have a great time! I hope you get some gorgeous weather. If you have time at the end of your trip, spend some time at the beach in Barcelona. :)

[FLbeachbaby]

Well I too have selected the Flavors of Sorrento and now am wondering if it was a good idea?? I wanted to see the olive groves etc. Did anyone say what tour they were wowed by there?

 

How about the rome on your own-we're on that one too-what time did you have to be back?

 

We selected the Jeep safari in Malta but you said the town is kind of cool-do you think you missed anything by just bumming around?

 

 

Now i'm really confused : )

[VIPcruzer]

Well I too have selected the Flavors of Sorrento and now am wondering if it was a good idea?? I wanted to see the olive groves etc. Did anyone say what tour they were wowed by there?

 

How about the rome on your own-we're on that one too-what time did you have to be back?

 

We selected the Jeep safari in Malta but you said the town is kind of cool-do you think you missed anything by just bumming around?

 

 

Now i'm really confused : )

 

Flavors of Sorrento: Was actually a nice tour. Just the food at the farm was only ok, but the rest of the experience there was great. The Cameo factory stop occurs on every tour (apparently it is a requirement by the Naples government). We chose this tour because alot of people in our group wouldn't have been able to handle the twists and turns of the tour along the Amalfi Coast.

 

Rome on your own: To be honest, I can't remember what time we had to be back but I think it was either 3 or 4 that we met back at the bus.

 

Malta: IMO you don't need to do an excursion in Malta. The best part about it is the cafe's, shops and the architecture of the old buildings. Just walking around and eating gelato, drinking espresso, chatting with the locals was a great way for us to experience it. It is very easy and inexpensive to get to the downtown from the port and from there you can hit the shopping area, visit a museum, or walk down to the sea. It depends how you like to visit a city I guess. I would rather sit on a patio and drink espresso, watching and experiencing the locals and the culture than visit a museum or make perfume. It depends what kind of experience you are looking to get out of your vacation.

 

Cruising in Europe can get exhausting if you try and cram everything in. It will not feel like a vacation if you try and see every site in the 5 hours you are in a city for. It is great way to briefly see a city, so that when you have more time to spend in Europe you know where you want to visit. I think it is important to keep in mind that you are on vacation.

 

I didn't get off the ship in Villefranche for a variety of reasons, and it was still one of the best days on the trip. I sampled all of the activities on the boat which I had missed out on while we were in the other ports. We played soccer on the sports court, visited the public pool area for the first time (got sunburned) and explored parts of the ship we hadn't seen.

[FLbeachbaby]

Thanks VIP, between all the pick pocket warnings and plans to get ready I am in a tizzy ! We are actually very laid back folks so all this planning for all the ports is exhausting. The problem is we go to a different place around the world every year. So this might be it for the Med. I will keep my Flavor and maybe cancel my Jeep Malta. I have been waiting for some good advice for those of you just coming back. Thanks, you sound like you have the same taste as we do. Bon Voyage-off to get the boy and the man in gear-nothing like packing at the last minute.

[doglover3]

We were dropped a block away from the Coliseum, right buy a few cafes and a soccer field. I have a hard time with direction if I can't see the rockies *grin* but I would guess it was East of the Coliseum.

 

The problem wasn't so much with the excursion, more with Rome itself. It just felt to commercialized and touristy, and didn't match the vision I had. When I was standing at the Trevi Fountain, it was reminiscent of a visit to the Bellagio in Vegas, covered with screaming tourists taking pictures. Rome is definitely something to see in life, but doesn't require a second visit. If I was to go again though (or redo what we did while we were there), I would try and get over to view the Sistene Chapel and maybe do the HOHO bus.

 

Thanks VIPcruzer. We're not really city people, but hope to get at least a taste of what makes Rome so interesting to so many. With the likelihood of hot weather in July, I'm sure we'll set a relaxing pace and see what we can. I think the Sistine Chapel (through the Vatican Museum) will have too long a wait for us, but we do hope to see St. Peter's Basilica. Maybe we'll skip the Trevi Fountain though.;)