Tips and secrets for the gem

anybody got any?

thanks

sharkman

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Get a balcony room if you can afford it, they are the best :) so hard to go back to a window room now. We bought take out styrofoam boxes from the dollar store, husband would go to the buffet get cheese and drinks and we'd have a small sail away party.

Spinnaker lounge is great if you don't have a balcony room, get a drink and head up there when sailing away from the islands.

The great outdoors is my favorite spot, it's basically and outdoor buffet at the back of the regular buffet on the end of the ship :) Also good for sail away.

The buffet in general was really great last year :( put on so much weight lol

The gym has a steam room if you don't get the thermal suite pass.

The thermal suite on the Gem I think I might prefer better because there are separate steam and sauna rooms for men and women in the locker rooms, thus giving you a chance at more quiet / privacy. We're going on the breakaway in 12 days and the thermal suite is co-ed. Whyyyy??? So I'm expecting it to be less relaxing due to more people. But I usually go late at night or early morning, maybe it will be okay?

The buffet at the pool is great too.

If you have kids the kiddie pool area is actually enclosed in glass and the water is heated so your kids can hang out in there if it's super windy or still cold, depending on the time of year. We would bring food in there and have lunch with our son on the little picnic table!

The live bands are great. Pool side or in the atrium or in the spinnaker lounge. One night was a big band era, glen miller style, they were great live.

We did the martini tasting one day and it was a lot of fun. Small cover charge.

I would not get a facial or spa services again, it turns into a product pitch at the end and you have to say, no thank you I do not want to buy anything. I hate that lol

O'Sheehan's my husband really enjoys. It's usually not too crowded.

Oh and I think room service for breakfast in the morning is still free! Just put the sign on your door early as possible for the next day. It's continental breakfast only, but still exciting to wake up to!

Enjoy your trip! We're going to be missing the Gem / Jewel so hard in the next couple of days. The things that made the Gem unique aren't present on the Breakaway, oh well :)

Check out Leo, guitar player from the Philippines, best bar act I've seen on any ship.

anybody got any?

 

 

thanks

sharkman

If you have a regular cabin, and you want to avoid the crowds when you board, head to the Grand Pacific dining room. It is open for lunch on embarkation day, and it is the most civilized and relaxing place to have lunch on the ship during that time. (The employees will try to direct you - and everyone else - to the buffet - ignore them...LOL)

We usually have our carry-on bags with us, and we are able to actually sit down and have a relaxing meal and our first drink until our cabin is really. If you try to maneuver your carry-on bags anywhere else, you will get frustrated.

we always eat in teh MDR for lunch on embarkation day. so much better than the buffet. Usually by the time we finish, rooms are nearly ready.

as for carryons, we just bring a small bag with our paperwork, money, valuable . luggage comes to the rooms usually before Muster - no point hauling around a wheely bag.

Check out Leo, guitar player from the Philippines, best bar act I've seen on any ship.

I second this. Leo is fantastic. We stalked him wherever he went.

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Find Henrique in the pool area during the day and the martini bar at night. Great server. Never had an empty drink.

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we always eat in teh MDR for lunch on embarkation day. so much better than the buffet. Usually by the time we finish, rooms are nearly ready.

 

as for carryons, we just bring a small bag with our paperwork, money, valuable . luggage comes to the rooms usually before Muster - no point hauling around a wheely bag.

I used to just carry a small bag with my important papers and other valuables (camera, etc), and put everything else in my big suitcase to check.

Two cruises ago, my big suitcase didn't show up until WAY after dinner. (My partner's suitcase arrived around 4:00PM.) I had no change of clothing, evening shoes, cosmetics, etc. Plus, I was petrified that they had somehow lost my bag and I would have NOTHING for the 9 day cruise.

Since then, I pack a small (wheelie) carryon with a couple changes of clothes, cosmetics, shoes, swimsuit - the very basics.... just in case!!!

Following, please.

Look for bartender Agus. He's been on epic for many years and moving to Gem. Fantastic guy. Also the barman at maltings been on gem years, excellent service.

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I used to just carry a small bag with my important papers and other valuables (camera, etc), and put everything else in my big suitcase to check.

 

Two cruises ago, my big suitcase didn't show up until WAY after dinner. (My partner's suitcase arrived around 4:00PM.) I had no change of clothing, evening shoes, cosmetics, etc. Plus, I was petrified that they had somehow lost my bag and I would have NOTHING for the 9 day cruise.

 

Since then, I pack a small (wheelie) carryon with a couple changes of clothes, cosmetics, shoes, swimsuit - the very basics.... just in case!!!

because we often fly to port (where im REALLY paranoid about a lost bag) we usually pack a few items in each other's suitcases. that way if one is lost, we have a few things we can get by with.

Does the Gem have a mojito bar? A mojito bar is mentioned on some web pages, but not on others

Get a balcony room if you can afford it, they are the best :) so hard to go back to a window room now. We bought take out styrofoam boxes from the dollar store, husband would go to the buffet get cheese and drinks and we'd have a small sail away party.

 

Spinnaker lounge is great if you don't have a balcony room, get a drink and head up there when sailing away from the islands.

 

The great outdoors is my favorite spot, it's basically and outdoor buffet at the back of the regular buffet on the end of the ship :) Also good for sail away.

 

The buffet in general was really great last year :( put on so much weight lol

 

The gym has a steam room if you don't get the thermal suite pass.

 

The thermal suite on the Gem I think I might prefer better because there are separate steam and sauna rooms for men and women in the locker rooms, thus giving you a chance at more quiet / privacy. We're going on the breakaway in 12 days and the thermal suite is co-ed. Whyyyy??? So I'm expecting it to be less relaxing due to more people. But I usually go late at night or early morning, maybe it will be okay?

 

The buffet at the pool is great too.

 

If you have kids the kiddie pool area is actually enclosed in glass and the water is heated so your kids can hang out in there if it's super windy or still cold, depending on the time of year. We would bring food in there and have lunch with our son on the little picnic table!

 

The live bands are great. Pool side or in the atrium or in the spinnaker lounge. One night was a big band era, glen miller style, they were great live.

 

We did the martini tasting one day and it was a lot of fun. Small cover charge.

 

I would not get a facial or spa services again, it turns into a product pitch at the end and you have to say, no thank you I do not want to buy anything. I hate that lol

 

O'Sheehan's my husband really enjoys. It's usually not too crowded.

 

Oh and I think room service for breakfast in the morning is still free! Just put the sign on your door early as possible for the next day. It's continental breakfast only, but still exciting to wake up to!

 

Enjoy your trip! We're going to be missing the Gem / Jewel so hard in the next couple of days. The things that made the Gem unique aren't present on the Breakaway, oh well :)

Thanks so much for the insights..

sharkman

Is the steam room on the Gem free or do you need to buy a spa pass?

because we often fly to port (where im REALLY paranoid about a lost bag) we usually pack a few items in each other's suitcases. that way if one is lost, we have a few things we can get by with.

That is an EXCELLENT idea - thank you!

The Spinnaker lounge at the front of the ship has wrap around windows. So, there is a great view anywhere in the lounge.

Even though the lounge is normally used at night for activities with the bar open, the facility is open 24/7. During the daytime, it is relatively quiet and you can read while sitting on a couch or chair. For rainy days, this is a nice way to spend some time. Nice for catching an early morning sunrise from inside the ship too.

For the sail away, it's a nice place to go if you prefer not be outside.

There is also a photo kiosk at the inside of the entrance of the Spinnaker near the Chapel room. It usually is not used so much during the day, so you can send a photo of yourself by email to friends during the cruise for free....just to let them be even more jealous of your cruise!!! It's free and pretty simple to send a quick email message with a photo to friends or family.

I'm new to The Gem and to NCL.

Does the Gem have a shower in the gym.?

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Is anyone on this thread cruising the Gem on April 29? There doesn't seem to be much activity on the roll call

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Is anyone on this thread cruising the Gem on April 29? There doesn't seem to be much activity on the roll call

 

 

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Our roll call for March 19th is also very slow. I am hoping it picks up soon. You still have plenty of time for things to pick up for your April sailing.

Speaking of roll calls - a tip for the Gem is making sure you get to the meet and greet. It's a great way to meet other people, find dining companions, find people to share taxis for shore excursions and tours, and meet some of the ship's officers.

Definitely take advantage when the hotel director gives you her name. If you have any issues that can't be solved by your cabin steward, then you really should contact the hotel director to have your issue corrected.

It's really amazing how many people will have an issue, and instead of trying to get it fixed right then and there - they deal with it for the entire cruise and then come here to complain about it.

As far as I am concerned - the only complaints that we should make on here are the ones that cannot or would not be corrected while on board. We should all make an effort to give the ships officers/crew the chance to correct any problems or fix any issues.

Does the Gem have a mojito bar? A mojito bar is mentioned on some web pages' date=' but not on others[/quote']

 

 

Yes, the Mojito Bar is inside of Moderno's Restaurant. Just walk in and sit at the bar, we had a really nice bartender when we went.

1. Yes, eating lunch at the MDR restaurant, usually the Grand Pacific, is the best bet for Embarkation Day, but remember it closes at 2 pm. So, get on the ship at 12 noon, which the edoc states is the earliest time to get on the ship, and proceed directly there. If you don't, then you are stuck with the Poolside Buffet where 98 percent of the passengers go to. Not fun, eating with 2,000 passengers at the same time. Also, 1 pm is when the big bulk of passengers try to get on the ship. Not fun then either.

2. Bring thermal coffee cups so you can get coffee from the buffet or your coffee maker to drink around the ship.

3. If you are in a balcony or oceanview cabin, you get a small coffee maker.

Norwegian supplies terrible tasting coffee packets with them and do, bring your own bag of coffee and small coffee filters. You will probably make better tasting coffee than is served at the Buffet or MDR restaurants.

4. Bring a yellow highlighter pen to make out desired events on your daily bulletin.

5. Bring duct tape which is always useful.

6. Bring an extension cord that holds several outlets. Not many outlets in your cabin, maybe one in your bathroom and one in your bedside cabin.

7. Make reservations at the Speciality Restaurants online before you cruise. You will be surprised that desired dining times are booked before you set foot on the ship.

8. The best times to listen to music is the nightly piano singer at the Champagne Bar. Nothing like sipping Champagne and listening to songs that made you fall in love. The nightly Norwegian Dancers and Singers are pretty good too and should not be missed.

Gem has outdoor barbecue by the pool which is really good. The buffet has crepes for dinner until around 9-9:30 we used to get some if we had early dinner with no deserts. The great outdoor is fabulous , try to get a spot if you can. The "la cucina" restaurant provides extra sitting for the buffet breakfast and usually empty. It's at the back next to buffet where the rear elevators are. There is a tiny sigh for it it will also lead to great outdoors.

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The Great Outdoors was my favorite place on the ship. We had an inside room, so I needed somewhere quiet to relax and read. Even when there was no food (in between times), it was beautiful and serene back there. Great views! We're sailing on the Dawn next month, and I'm so bummed they don't have a similar area!

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