Back From The Gem 9/26 - 10/3 - Canada/NE

I just got off the Gem yesterday. Had a great vacation with my best friend of 61 years (we have been bff's since we were toddlers).

This was Nancy's first cruise and I have been on several. I have not cruised the same line twice. I have cruised Carnival, HAL, Princess and Disney. There are a couple more, but they were so long ago that they don't really count.

The crew on the Gem was great. Always cheerful and eager to help. I was very impressed with the positive attitude of everyone I encountered on the Gem.

We had a mini-suite (Cabin #11584). I was very pleased with the cabin. It was a good size and had lots of storage. Bathroom was fine, except the tub is very deep and could be difficult to manage if you have any mobility problems.

We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants, so I can't comment on them. We had dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining Room four times and once in the Orchid Garden, Magenta and the buffet (the last night). We thought the food was very good. Honestly, we have no real complaints about the food, except that the desserts are lacking (didn't stop us from eating them, though :-))

We didn't see all of the shows, but we went to Pure Variety and Get Down Tonight and were very impressed with the production cast. They have some very talented singers in the group. We also went to the Second City show, but I fell asleep and Nancy didn't care for it at all. It seems like this was the wrong crowd for that show.

I think the Gem is a nice ship, but the public places felt crowded and "tight" most of the time. I know it is going into dry dock soon and I can see why. Some of the furniture seems "tired". I think the Spinnaker Lounge could be fabulous if they changed the furniture, especially around the perimeter where they have chaise lounges and backless benches. Useless on a ship full of older people. I just think the Spinnaker Lounge has lots of potential with the right set up.

I loved having the Ultimate Beverage Package. Very nice not to be faced with a bar bill at the end of th cruise. Love that!

All in all, we had a great trip and made lots of memories.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to try and answer.

Thanks for the update! And I agree with everything you said...about the Gem. ;)

We didn't see all of the shows, but we went to Pure Variety and Get Down Tonight and were very impressed with the production cast. They have some very talented singers in the group. We also went to the Second City show, but I fell asleep and Nancy didn't care for it at all. It seems like this was the wrong crowd for that show.

We tried them on two past cruises, and they are simply awful. I haven't run into anyone personally on board who thought Second City was funny on any cruise we have been on (I'm sure there are some who enjoy it, but I suspect these comedians can't be funny without the blue material they can't use on a cruise ship).

I think the Gem is a nice ship, but the public places felt crowded and "tight" most of the time. I know it is going into dry dock soon and I can see why. Some of the furniture seems "tired". I think the Spinnaker Lounge could be fabulous if they changed the furniture, especially around the perimeter where they have chaise lounges and backless benches. Useless on a ship full of older people. I just think the Spinnaker Lounge has lots of potential with the right set up.

We were on the same cruise. This cruise trended much older than any other NCL cruise we have been on. We saw many, many more older people and very few young couples or even people in their 40's. I'll bet the average age was well over 65 on this one. The "oldest married" couples on board had been married over 60 years (where usually you might get a 50+ year anniversary couple or two .... there were three or four couples married more than 60 years). I think we counted four children total, and they were on board with families with their great grandparents.

Did you get a chance to see the Bliss Lounge? We thought it looked like a cheap Nevada brothel, with the four poster beds, etc.

We really liked the music on board. Did you get a chance to see the Celtic trio, The Cynthia MacLeod Trio? They were usually playing in the lounge area right below Teppanaki and outside of Le Bristro most nights.

Thanks for the update! And I agree with everything you said...about the Gem. ;)

My DH and I were on this same cruise. It was very nice and low key cruise. We ate mostly at the specialty dining rooms as this was one of our perks for this cruise, but thought the food in the MDR was served just as well and good too. I must admit I was amused by one cranky lady that made a scene at O'Sheehan's on the first sea day at lunch. She was upset that it took more than 5 minutes to cook her food, it should have been ready when she sat down :eek:

In Halifax the ship paged for 4 persons to make sure they were on board and they were. As they were paging for these 4; a lady standing next to me informed me that two passengers missed the ship in St. Johns Bay. The latecomers were in fact on the gangway that had already been pulled away from the ship and they missed the ship by minutes. I asked Security and they indeed said "yes that two passengers missed the boat in St. John's." The ship repeatedly told everyone verbally and with signs on the gangway to stay on ships time and to be back at 2:30. I don't know if they made their way to Halifax to rejoin the cruise or made it on the Pilot boat. Things happen, accidents, medical issues and time issues so I hope that they made it back to the ship.

I met a lot of fun people, found lots of things to do on board. There was something for everybody to do. I feel entertainment for the big show is a bit dated and to me feels like an "Up with People" production despite incredibly talented crew, others loved it so I guess that is what matters. I loved the crew talent show, the contemporary dance solo by Kevin was impressive. The Fountains show was great and funny as usual. I do wish they had a true Comedian on board this trip instead of the Second City Troupe.

I had a great time and can't wait for the next cruise vacation.

My DH and I were on this same cruise. It was very nice and low key cruise. We ate mostly at the specialty dining rooms as this was one of our perks for this cruise, but thought the food in the MDR was served just as well and good too. I must admit I was amused by one cranky lady that made a scene at O'Sheehan's on the first sea day at lunch. She was upset that it took more than 5 minutes to cook her food, it should have been ready when she sat down :eek:

In Halifax the ship paged for 4 persons to make sure they were on board and they were. As they were paging for these 4; a lady standing next to me informed me that two passengers missed the ship in St. Johns Bay. The latecomers were in fact on the gangway that had already been pulled away from the ship and they missed the ship by minutes. I asked Security and they indeed said "yes that two passengers missed the boat in St. John's." The ship repeatedly told everyone verbally and with signs on the gangway to stay on ships time and to be back at 2:30. I don't know if they made their way to Halifax to rejoin the cruise or made it on the Pilot boat. Things happen, accidents, medical issues and time issues so I hope that they made it back to the ship.

I met a lot of fun people, found lots of things to do on board. There was something for everybody to do. I feel entertainment for the big show is a bit dated and to me feels like an "Up with People" production despite incredibly talented crew, others loved it so I guess that is what matters. I loved the crew talent show, the contemporary dance solo by Kevin was impressive. The Fountains show was great and funny as usual. I do wish they had a true Comedian on board this trip instead of the Second City Troupe.

I had a great time and can't wait for the next cruise vacation.

Didn't the Gem call at Saint John AFTER Halifax? :confused: Or, did the itinerary change?

Didn't the Gem call at Saint John AFTER Halifax? :confused: Or, did the itinerary change?

We were in Saint John on Monday and Halifax on Tuesday.

My DH and I were on this same cruise. It was very nice and low key cruise. We ate mostly at the specialty dining rooms as this was one of our perks for this cruise, but thought the food in the MDR was served just as well and good too. I must admit I was amused by one cranky lady that made a scene at O'Sheehan's on the first sea day at lunch. She was upset that it took more than 5 minutes to cook her food, it should have been ready when she sat down :eek:

In Halifax the ship paged for 4 persons to make sure they were on board and they were. As they were paging for these 4; a lady standing next to me informed me that two passengers missed the ship in St. Johns Bay. The latecomers were in fact on the gangway that had already been pulled away from the ship and they missed the ship by minutes. I asked Security and they indeed said "yes that two passengers missed the boat in St. John's." The ship repeatedly told everyone verbally and with signs on the gangway to stay on ships time and to be back at 2:30. I don't know if they made their way to Halifax to rejoin the cruise or made it on the Pilot boat. Things happen, accidents, medical issues and time issues so I hope that they made it back to the ship.

I met a lot of fun people, found lots of things to do on board. There was something for everybody to do. I feel entertainment for the big show is a bit dated and to me feels like an "Up with People" production despite incredibly talented crew, others loved it so I guess that is what matters. I loved the crew talent show, the contemporary dance solo by Kevin was impressive. The Fountains show was great and funny as usual. I do wish they had a true Comedian on board this trip instead of the Second City Troupe.

I had a great time and can't wait for the next cruise vacation.

I didn't know that two people had missed the ship in Saint John. Very interesting.

We, too, met a lot of nice people. We enjoyed that very much.

I didn't know that two people had missed the ship in Saint John. Very interesting.

 

We, too, met a lot of nice people. We enjoyed that very much.

I wouldn't have known about it except for the lady that mentioned to me. She stated that they paged the names for a long time and eventually the pages dropped to 2 names. I didn't hear the pages on the ship. When security was clearing in Halifax I asked security if there were 2 passengers that missed the ship in St. John, and they said yes. I asked if they made it back to the ship and they didn't know or wouldn't say. I think that passengers missing the ship may happen a little more often than we can estimate. I think that for privacy reasons they don't make it known that passengers were left behind. I wouldn't have known except for the lady that saw the event and said something to me.

What was the weather like? Were the seas rough?

What was the weather like? Were the seas rough?

We had very nice weather until Portland on Wednesday -- it was pouring and there was flooding. All shore excursions were canceled. Bar Harbor was better on Thursday. It was cloudy and cool, but no rain. Seas were very rough on Friday. We were rocking and rolling all day and evening. It was cold and very windy.

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

Great review...can you tell me was your ship sold out...Did you tender anywhere else but Newport...How is the tendering handled, I had read that the tendering at Newport was terrible

I just got off the Gem yesterday. Had a great vacation with my best friend of 61 years (we have been bff's since we were toddlers).

 

This was Nancy's first cruise and I have been on several. I have not cruised the same line twice. I have cruised Carnival, HAL, Princess and Disney. There are a couple more, but they were so long ago that they don't really count.

 

The crew on the Gem was great. Always cheerful and eager to help. I was very impressed with the positive attitude of everyone I encountered on the Gem.

 

We had a mini-suite (Cabin #11584). I was very pleased with the cabin. It was a good size and had lots of storage. Bathroom was fine, except the tub is very deep and could be difficult to manage if you have any mobility problems.

 

We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants, so I can't comment on them. We had dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining Room four times and once in the Orchid Garden, Magenta and the buffet (the last night). We thought the food was very good. Honestly, we have no real complaints about the food, except that the desserts are lacking (didn't stop us from eating them, though :-))

 

We didn't see all of the shows, but we went to Pure Variety and Get Down Tonight and were very impressed with the production cast. They have some very talented singers in the group. We also went to the Second City show, but I fell asleep and Nancy didn't care for it at all. It seems like this was the wrong crowd for that show.

 

I think the Gem is a nice ship, but the public places felt crowded and "tight" most of the time. I know it is going into dry dock soon and I can see why. Some of the furniture seems "tired". I think the Spinnaker Lounge could be fabulous if they changed the furniture, especially around the perimeter where they have chaise lounges and backless benches. Useless on a ship full of older people. I just think the Spinnaker Lounge has lots of potential with the right set up.

 

I loved having the Ultimate Beverage Package. Very nice not to be faced with a bar bill at the end of th cruise. Love that!

 

All in all, we had a great trip and made lots of memories.

 

If you have any questions, I would be happy to try and answer.

We haven't been on the Gem but have the Jewel and Pearl which are sister ships to the Gem. Glad you had a nice time: we may do NE and Canada next year. We have done it before on Princess, but prefer NCL. And yes, we are looking forward to our Jewel cruise in less than two weeks with no bar bill.

BTW: Second City can be very hit or miss. We saw it a couple times in Vegas and a couple of times on NCL ships. Sometimes we have laughed our heads off, other times it has been so/so or plain stupid

I think the Spinnaker Lounge could be fabulous if they changed the furniture, especially around the perimeter where they have chaise lounges and backless benches. Useless on a ship full of older people. I just think the Spinnaker Lounge has lots of potential with the right set up.

Nice review. I agree with this, being of the old folk demographic, but it's important to note the Gem sails lots of places, with a diverse group of passengers who probably love those loungers. I'd probably like them, too, if only I could get in and out of them;) Canada/New England cruises tend to skew older, in my experience.

I'm interested in the Gem's upcoming dry-dock. Have the date(s) been announced? I'm trying to decide on this cruise for next October.

I like an older crowd. It's fun to be 52 and feel like the kid onboard :)

We just returned last week from the New England/Canada cruise on the Dawn. I think we were the youngest on the ship at 61 and 63. Very well behaved and polite crowd but omg they moved slow!

Great review...can you tell me was your ship sold out...Did you tender anywhere else but Newport...How is the tendering handled, I had read that the tendering at Newport was terrible

I believe this cruise was sold out. We did not stop in Newport. Our itinerary was Saint John, Halifax, Portland and Bar Harbor. We only tendered in Bar Harbor and it went pretty well. The seas were rough, so it was a little tricky for some of the older folks to get on the tender, but it was fine.

The only time I felt like things were completely unorganized was when we got to Portland after being in Canada. Every person on board had to present their proof of citizenship to an immigration officer. Chaos. We got a seat in Magnum's and sat there until we could see the end of the line. Then, we got up and got in line. We were sitting there a LONG time, but it was much easier than standing. Since all of the shore excursions had been canceled because of the weather, we weren't in any kind of hurry. We didn't leave the ship until 4:00 p.m. due to the heavy rain.

The only time I felt like things were completely unorganized was when we got to Portland after being in Canada. Every person on board had to present their proof of citizenship to an immigration officer. Chaos. We got a seat in Magnum's and sat there until we could see the end of the line. Then, we got up and got in line. We were sitting there a LONG time, but it was much easier than standing. Since all of the shore excursions had been canceled because of the weather, we weren't in any kind of hurry. We didn't leave the ship until 4:00 p.m. due to the heavy rain.

The Immigration thing was a mess. The lines long and poor communication had many decks to be lined up at 12:30 to clear, thus clogging the hallways and creating a long wait.

I was told that leaving the US, entering Canada; then mid cruise reentering the US in Portland we had to clear immigration.

I think NCL could have done this better by calling one deck at a time to help reduce the wait. I heeded the recommendation/pages to go get lunch and by the time I was done eating I just walked through immigration.

The only time I felt like things were completely unorganized was when we got to Portland after being in Canada. Every person on board had to present their proof of citizenship to an immigration officer. Chaos. We got a seat in Magnum's and sat there until we could see the end of the line. Then, we got up and got in line. We were sitting there a LONG time, but it was much easier than standing. Since all of the shore excursions had been canceled because of the weather, we weren't in any kind of hurry. We didn't leave the ship until 4:00 p.m. due to the heavy rain.

The Immigration thing was a mess. The lines long and poor communication had many decks to be lined up at 12:30 to clear, thus clogging the hallways and creating a long wait.

I was told that leaving the US, entering Canada; then mid cruise reentering the US in Portland we had to clear immigration.

I think NCL could have done this better by calling one deck at a time to help reduce the wait. I heeded the recommendation/pages to go get lunch and by the time I was done eating I just walked through immigration.

Yes, it really was a mess. There has to be a better way.

I will say that my fiancé and I both felt very young on this cruise too! We were watching the boarding at Saint John and the couple arrived just as the gangway was being lifted. It was only up by a foot but rules are rules. We were grateful for free bowling so we can say we bowled on the Gem since those are going away during dry dock. This was an incredibly memorable cruise and I enjoyed meeting so many fellow CC members! The only thing I wish different would be the availability of fresh raw vegetables and decreasing the amount of salt used in their entrees. I truly felt for the crew when we were in Portland...everything was messed up with the storm and flooding and canceled excursions on top of immigration delays due to those same flooded roads. But even through that chaos, the crew remained calm and supportive AND smiling!

When we had to go through immigration coming into Bar Harbor from Saint John it was a mess! We had a 8:15 meet time for an excursion in Bar Harbor. We had to get up that morning at 6:15 to get ready, eat and get through immigration in time for our excursion meeting time. Nobody listens to instructions so people were trying to break in the excursion lines they had arranged. They looked at our passport and we got a red sticker! With the early excursion we were actually the first tender from the ship. It's just not well organized.