Lengthy Gem Review: 1/22/16-2/1/16

My wife and 12-year-old daughter sailed 10 nights on the Norwegian Gem from Jan. 22-Feb. 1. We booked this cruise last February when NCL came out with its promotions, offering either the Ultimate Dining Package, Ultimate Beverage Package, OBC or gratuities paid if you reserved an Oceanview or higher cabin.

We had sailed NCL once before in 2008 on the Pearl and had a great experience, so we decided to choose the Gem out of New York City. We live in New Jersey and thought it would be nice to do a cruise where we could drive to the port instead of flying.

The Gem, by the way, is just like the Pearl in terms of its deck plans, although some upgrades have been made, including the addition of Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse.

For starters, this was my 12th cruise and my wife’s 11th. It was the fifth cruise for our daughter. We are not loyal to any particular line, having cruised on Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess and Carnival. All lines have their pros and cons. We look for a great itinerary and value first before choosing the line.

We were also very fortunate, given the time of our cruise, that we didn’t have to fly this year, as Winter Storm Jonas socked the Northeast the day after we left. Had we booked a cruise out of Florida or elsewhere, we might have missed it due to all the airports being shut down that weekend.

But the storm also made for some interesting sailing the first two days aboard the GEM, as a lot of passengers and some crew members got sick from all the bouncing around. Give the captain credit, he chose a slightly different sailing pattern at the outset to avoid really bad seas, but once he had to turn eastward and into the wind, the ship rocked pretty hard. Our tables and chairs in La Cucina were literally moving back and forth during our dinner the second night onboard.

There were also hundreds of kids on board. Apparently, a certain group of kids had the week off from their private schools and those families, many of them large, chose to cruise. I don’t have any issues with kids, but some of these children were downright disrespectful. And they refused to obey posted rules such as being unsupervised in the hot tubs, running up and down stairs and hallways, touching food in the buffet. I saw one kid dunking his head in the hot tub.

And the parents obviously didn’t care about supervising them.

NCL probably should have had extra security personnel in the pool area for this particular week. We did see some security people on the stairwells toward the end of the cruise.

And while the crew and staff were wonderful, I can’t say the same for some of the passengers. One night while we were waiting for the Magenta Dining Room to open, I saw a woman go up and bang on the door because it was 5:10 and she wanted to eat. The dining room was scheduled to open at 5 p.m.

Another woman in the same dining room was absolutely berating the crew member about the fish offering for the evening. While flounder was on the menu, this woman was demanding to have salmon. “I know you have it! I know you have it!” she uttered.

We also heard a family was removed from the ship in St. Maarten for repeatedly using profanity with crew members. Another person said two kids got in a fight in the Bliss Lounge.

Apparently, some people aboard cruise ships feel entitled because they paid their money for a cruise. Well, so have the remaining 2500 passengers. It doesn’t give people the right to act belligerent toward the staff or break posted rules. My motto is: Treat the Crew like you would want to be treated.

You feel sympathetic for the hard-working crew. They don’t deserve to be treated like that. If there is an issue, do it politely. When I had an issue with my stateroom safe, I called up and complained about the problem and it was resolved.

One item that many will be interested in is the slide now being operational. The crew repaired the issue midway through the cruise, much to the delight of a lot of kids onboard. It’s a bit slow for my taste, but for kids, it’s great and one way to keep them entertained.

We also had an excellent Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, get-together dinner and slot pull. Most of us had been chatting via Cruise Critic for the past 8-9 months and it was great to finally match faces with names, especially Don, Rob and Joe. Jennifer did an excellent job organizing the M&G (more than 50 people showed up!!) through NCL, although the senior officers did not stick around to answer questions. They instead provided cards with their email addresses. I thought that was a bit of a cop-out, as staff on previous cruises stuck around to answer our questions.

We also did a gift exchange (gifts were between $10-$15).

The slot pull was some of the best fun I’ve had on a cruise, even though we didn’t win any big jackpots. We were all cheering and hollering on every pull and it was a great way to meet people.

Now onto the review. I’ll break it down in different parts and if there are any questions, I will be happy to take them via email or through this thread:

EMBARKATION

Given that we had to drive to Manhattan from western New Jersey, I checked several options. Using a car service would have cost nearly $600 and parking at the port was going to run us $400. Then I found Valet Anywhere, which was a godsend. At the time, they were running a holiday special for $149 (paid on site) or $139 (paid in advance). The regular price is $300. One of their valets meets you at the port and takes your vehicle to a nearby garage. The company sends you a text ahead of time to let you know the name of the driver and a code word to ensure he/she is the right individual. Our valet even called us as we neared the port. When we returned 10 days later, we received another text and a location to meet the valet with our car.

I HIGHLY recommend this service. We could not have been happier with the service or the convenience. I know other people parked at nearby garage, but then you have to have someone take you to the port or grab a taxi. With two large suitcases and two carry-ons, plus backpacks, going this route was much simpler and easier for our family.

The line inside the terminal was long (we arrived at 1 p.m.) because there were only four security machines. Once we got through that mess, registering with the NCL folks was quick and painless. We had our cards and were on the ship in about 15-20 minutes. The whole process took about 45 minutes, but that was mainly due to the security line. And our luggage arrived well before dinner, giving us time to unpack and unwind.

STATEROOM

We booked a balcony on Deck 9 (9048) on the Starboard side. The room was about what I expected. Having cruised many times before, I know rooms on ships are small, unless you have a suite. There was ample room for us to store our belongings and we always make sure to bring extra hangars. Our steward also took out the contents from the mini-bar, so we could store our water, Gatorade, sodas and my wife’s medical supplies. We always bring water, soda and Gatorade. Keep in mind, the Ultimate Beverage Package does NOT INCLUDE bottled water. More on that later. The balcony itself was small, but there was ample room for us to put a few belongings outside such as our snorkel gear, water shoes, etc.

One improvement NCL could make is with its TV selections. You get four news channels (FOX, MSNBC, CNBC and BBC) and one sports channel (I24). On other cruises, we’ve gotten ESPN International in our stateroom. But this is just a minor gripe and not a deal-breaker.

DINING

Contrary to what I had previously read about the quality of the food, we found it to be outstanding, both in the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants. We purchased the 5-night Specialty Dining Package, which proved to be a bargain at about $21.85 a dinner (including 18% gratuity). All of the specialty restaurants, except Moderno and Teppanyaki, are now a la carte. Had we not purchased the package, our first trip to Cagneys would have run us $125. Instead it was around $65.

If you plan to eat in specialty restaurants and don’t have a plan included, definitely buy a SDP. There is a minimum of three nights, but it is worth it. Cagneys and Teppanyaki were our two favorites. You can also get a whole lobster (1¼-1½ pounds) and the chefs cut it up to give you the claws and tail. Teppanyaki and Moderno are not a la carte as it is a fixed price. You have several choices at both restaurants.

We also booked our reservations 90 days out when they became available to non-suite guests.

We also enjoyed the two main dining rooms. We never waited to get a table as we tried to avoid the crowds by going to dinner between 5 p.m. and 5:45, and there were plenty of selections for all types of eaters. I am very finicky and I found something every night. NCL also has about five dishes that it serves every night if you don’t like the nightly selections on the right-hand side of the menu.

All of the restaurants have a casual dress code, but you have to wear slacks and a collared shirt (men) in Le Bistro and the Grand Pacific dining rooms. But it also was nice not to have to pack my tux, dress shirts, ties and sport jackets for a cruise, although I don’t mind dressing up for dinner.

The main dining rooms do not have a lobster night, but you can pay extra for a whole lobster or surf and turf. We did have prime rib the last night of the cruise.

The buffet was an absolute madhouse the first day of the cruise given the poor weather. We tried to avoid it during heavy breakfast times and chose to eat in the Grand Pacific Dining Room. One day, the buffet ran out of Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops. Lots of kids!

The dining room was quieter and less chaotic, but it took a little longer to enjoy breakfast. If you want to devote 45 minutes for breakfast without the madness of the buffet, go to the Grand Pacific.

BTW: We never ate in the buffet for dinner.

We also enjoyed O’Sheehans for lunch. My wife loved the chicken pot pie. And the service was excellent in all venues.

I wish the sushi bar opened for lunch. We never made it there, but would have sat there for lunch.

BARS and PUBLIC AREAS

Having the Ultimate Beverage Package was a godsend. Who knows what our bill would have been if we didn’t have it. NCL also no longer prints out receipts so you just hand the bar staff your card and they swipe it. At dinner, they only needed one card for our family. Our daughter had the soda package. Sometimes the bar staff got a little overwhelmed, especially when these areas were crowded. But the wait was never too long for a drink.

My only beef was that a few drinks were not included in the UBP. I love single-malt Highland scotch and the only two Highlands NCL had were under the ultimate premier category and thus over the $15 maximum for the UBP. NCL needs to have a better variety of single-malt scotches. This is one area where Princess definitely trumps NCL.

Arturo, who served the cigar bar all week, was terrific. And I loved meeting people there as well. The room seats 20, and is one of two places on the ship where you can enjoy a stogie; the other is the Bali Hai Bar on Deck 13 above the pool. That’s a nice place on warm days, but when it was cold and windy, it wasn’t ideal.

One suggested improvement: Put TVs in the cigar bar. On the Grand Princess last year, the cigar bar was an actual bar, complete with TVs, tables and chairs and a bar staff in the room.

But these are not deal-breakers.

After all, my wife has never had as many margaritas over a 10-day period as she did on this cruise.

ENTERTAINMENT

Some of the best I’ve seen aboard a ship. The Tenors of Rock and Duo Balskett (cirque de soleil) were just outstanding. The Magika and Second City performances were also very good.

Leo, the nightly guitar player/singer in Magnums was outstanding. One night, he did a tribute to Elton John. Another night, he performed James Taylor songs. NCL scored major points here. There is a reason this area was always mobbed with people at night. People congregate around good entertainment.

We also never had trouble finding a seat in the Stardust Theater, although a few people ignored the rules about kids not sitting in the first two rows. Hint: it was the same group of kids causing problems in other areas of the ship. And there are always the few individuals who have to walk in after the show begins.

ACTIVITIES

A little disappointed here. I love trivia, but it always seemed like the times didn’t match our schedule. And the one day Sports Trivia was on the Freestyle Daily, it was at 1 p.m. the day we were in San Juan. Why not have trivia in the late afternoon around 4 or 5? Or have a session at night?

The staff member running the Family Feud show was terrible. She constantly was screwing up with her computer and just wasn’t very entertaining. Would have liked to have seen more than on Live Jeopardy Show. Deal or No Deal is a waste of money, unless you get picked. Both participants in the session we attended lost out on more money than they walked away with. But at $19.95 a card, it’s not worth it.

We did not attend any of the Bingo sessions.

I also wish they had not removed the bowling alleys from the Bliss Lounge. We enjoyed bowling on the Pearl. But they replaced the alleys with slot machines. Guess NCL makes more money on those. And maybe it was a good thing the alleys were removed in November when the Gem went to drydock. Just think of the damage those kids might have done.

CASINO

The Gem has a nice casino, but you are officially warned: it is smoky inside. I wish they had 25-cent Wheel of Fortune machines (only $1 ones). My wife enjoyed the casino more than me. I preferred to spend more of my free time enjoying cigars in the Corona Lounge, where I met a lot of nice people.

PORTS/EXCURSIONS

The Gem docks in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Tortola (British Virgin Islands). It’s too bad it can’t do the itinerary in reverse. We only stayed in Tortola from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. I wish we had a full day there and a half-day or no days in San Juan.

While Puerto Rico has a lot of nice places, many of them you can’t experience in the short time you’re in port. Plus, we had been there before and had seen the Old City.

In San Juan, we chose to do a Resort for the Day at the Marriott. Being a platinum member, I got points for this trip. It cost us about $150 for the three of us. You get full use of the pool, towels and a $20 voucher to use for lunch/drinks. The hotel also has a nice beach, although the surf was rough the day we were there, and a casino. It is a short taxi ride from the port ($15 each way).

In St. Thomas, we chose NCL’s Catamaran Shipwreck Snorkel tour, mainly because this was a tender port. There were 6 other ships in port that day and for some reason, NCL got the short straw. Our tour was also changed from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. While the catamaran and crew were very nice, the tour itself didn’t deliver what the brochure said. I thought we would also see a shipwreck as well as turtles, coral reefs and other sea life. We never saw the Shipwreck.

The boat was also 20 minutes late getting to the dock and then we had to sail to the other side of the pier to pick up Carnival Sunshine passengers. That added another 45 minutes to the tour. By the time we got out to Buck Island for the snorkeling, we only had about 30 minutes to enjoy scenery. We got back to the port at 4:30 and got one of the last tenders to the ship. Because it was an NCL tour, the ship could not leave without us. My suggestion, go book this excursion privately.

In St. Maarten, we booked a two-beach excursion through Viator (local tour company was Amigo Tours). This was a terrific excursion. We first went to Orient Beach on the French side of the island for two hours. We purchased beach chairs and an umbrella for $10 (two people) and that included two drink tickets.

Then we were off to Maho Beach, the spot where the airplanes land right over your head. I saw an Airbus-340 Air France jet land, which was impressive. The beach was packed because there were 6 ships in port and it’s one of the most popular spots on the island. Plus, the plans mainly land in the afternoon. Eddie, our driver, was terrific, and explained a lot about the history and culture of St. Maarten. I highly recommend this tour.

Given our short time in Tortola, we booked another NCL tour (Virgin Gorda and The Baths). This was one of the best excursions I’ve ever done. It is about a 45-minute ferry ride to the Virgin Gorda. The Baths are spectacular. The rock formations and caves will blow your mind away, and the water was crystal clear.

One point, this excursion is not for everyone. There is a lot of walking and traversing over difficult terrain, especially at The Baths. One guy broke his foot jumping off a ladder, thinking there was soft sand below. NCL rates it as a Level 3 excursion, but I would say it is a Level 4 excursion.

Friends we met aboard went to Jost Van Dyk for the day and said it was equally a great experience. Others went to a beach and had a great time.

Almost everyone I talked to said the stay in Tortola was much too short. I would agree. Hopefully the next time we go to Tortola, we stay a full day.

SPA

I purchased the Thermal Spa Package for $199. While the area is nice and quiet, I certainly wouldn’t buy this again, at least for the full cruise. The pools were shut down the first two days due to rough seas and I didn’t use the spa on port days. It would be nice if NCL offered this perk on a daily basis ahead of time. Maybe I would enjoy the Spa on a bigger ship as well. I know the Breakaway and Escape both have more amenities in their Thermal Spa.

My wife did enjoy a bamboo message as I bought her a $100 Mandara Spa gift certificate for her birthday.

DEBARKATION

Although we had Light Blue tags and supposed to depart the ship at 9:10 a.m., we didn’t get off until around 9:40. Once off, it was a breeze going through customs. We were in our car and on our way back to New Jersey by 10:10.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although there were issues with many of the kids onboard, this was a tremendous vacation. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the Gem. I am not sure I’d do another cruise out of NYC due to the number of sea days. I prefer ports over sea days, and I also like getting on the ship when the temperatures are warm. We couldn’t enjoy many of the amenities until our third sea day. But given the right price and itinerary, I would certainly sail the Gem and/or NCL again.

Feel free to email me with questions at dshefter@usga.org.

The Gem has always been one of my favorite ships and I am happy to know that, for the most part, you had a great cruise on her. One cannot do anything about bad weather or rough seas, and I really dislike when people say they had a bad cruise because of that; remember, a bad day at sea is better than a good day anywhere else! Having lots of kids aboard can be a problem, and I have learned to check US and Canadian school holidays to try and stay clear of that. It is worse when the parents don't supervise the kids, too. Shame on them.

I was glad to hear that the MDR food is still good--I have always been happy to eat there. As a platinum member, I do get comped in Le Bistro, but wonder how that will work now that it is a la carte? Perhaps the $20 voucher will have to be used toward whatever I order. Living in North Jersey, I have plenty of Japanese and American steak houses to choose from, but always head to Le Bistro on board a Norwegian ship.

Again, thank you for an informative review!

Thanks. Enjoy your upcoming cruise. We didn't eat in LeBistro this time, but heard it was good. My daughter loved Teppanyaki. Part of it is the show. But the food is also good.

Then again, I never expect the food to be 5-star dining. Not when they have to cook for 2500-plus passengers.

Hey David, What a great review. I now can see why you write for a living.

Some of the activities that you guys did we didn't do, but everything you mentioned that we took part in, I agree with everything you said. Your comments were spot on.

It was a pleasure to meet you and your family.

What a shame the night of La Cucina dinner. The seas were so rough that it really did put a damper on Christina's birthday and the get together dinner in general.

Great review, fair and honest.

Take Care

Rob

Thanks for the review!

Did the day pass at the Marriott include a room?

Thanks. We enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well as the rest of the regular CC people from the Roll Call.

Send me your email and hopefully we can get together sometime.

I saw Joe last night in the cigar bar. One last stogie before our return to reality.

Thank you for a week written review. We sail the Gem in May and can't wait.

I am appalled by the passengers on this cruise. :mad: My father's side is a non religious sect of this group but I was taught manners and respect. This makes me very :mad: that they had none.

Thanks for the review!

 

Did the day pass at the Marriott include a room?

Nope. Only points!

DH and I were also on the cruise. We were in a 2 Bedroom suite on deck 11. Very enjoyable to stay in. Our only issue was the storm brought broken plates and glassware even with the drawers being taped. We had a wonderful steward who took care of the damages. He said it had occurred all around the ship in the early Saturday morning.

We also thought the entertainment was much better than we have had in the past.

There were many choices for food in the dining rooms. We only did one dinner and one lunch in the MDR since we had the dining package. We enjoyed eating in the specialty restaurants but would have been fine with only the MDR.

The Platinum dinner now includes an appetizer or soup, regular dinner ( no specialty such as the steak for two or the lobster) and dessert. Any extra appetizer you just pay the ala carte price. When dining in the specialty restaurants with a dining package, you are given a receipt for all items and then zeroed out on the bottom.

E also felt the desserts were better than we ever had on NCL. We discussed that with the Food and Beverage Manager. NCL is trying to do better with food.

Although the crew did not stay around after our Cruise a Critic meeting, we found them easy to talk to when we found them walking around. Since the ship was in some turmoil due to the storm it was understandable they had their jobs to see to. In fact Sonia called me to talk over a concern I had written and dropped off in her mailbox.

I enjoyed the Cuisine Walk and Tour in San Juan. It gave a great history of the town and a yummy meal afterwards.

We did Bernards tour in San Marten. That was stupendous.

We also took the internet package. We bought the 250 minutes. We asked for a discount for booking the first night and our Latitudes discount. We added 50 minutes. That was enough for the week.

Trivia was every day at 9 AM and also at 5:15PM. We played each day when we were able. We met many new people that we teamed up with.

Thanks. We enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well as the rest of the regular CC people from the Roll Call.

 

Send me your email and hopefully we can get together sometime.

 

I saw Joe last night in the cigar bar. One last stogie before our return to reality.

I will send you an email and hopefully we can get together and possibly a little reunion of the so called Big Boys.

Sometimes I feel like I didn't enjoy as much as I should have. After a few days you start feeling like it's normal to be on a cruise or any other vacation. We humans are such creatures of habit. We do adapt rather quickly to good or bad.

Rob

The Gem has always been one of my favorite ships and I am happy to know that, for the most part, you had a great cruise on her. One cannot do anything about bad weather or rough seas, and I really dislike when people say they had a bad cruise because of that; remember, a bad day at sea is better than a good day anywhere else! Having lots of kids aboard can be a problem, and I have learned to check US and Canadian school holidays to try and stay clear of that. It is worse when the parents don't supervise the kids, too. Shame on them.

 

I was glad to hear that the MDR food is still good--I have always been happy to eat there. As a platinum member, I do get comped in Le Bistro, but wonder how that will work now that it is a la carte? Perhaps the $20 voucher will have to be used toward whatever I order. Living in North Jersey, I have plenty of Japanese and American steak houses to choose from, but always head to Le Bistro on board a Norwegian ship.

 

Again, thank you for an informative review!

I posted what you get for Platinum in my reply above.

Thank you for a terrific review. Looking forward to seeing the recent dry dock renovations. Sorry about the rough waters and rudeness, those are out of anyone's control, but still puts a damper on a vacation. We are on the 3/2 Gem 10 day, and Tortola is a full day stop, but we only have a half day in St. Thomas.

Sorry that you experienced some poor behavior by some of the passengers. When booking a cruise in January I always check to see what particular week some schools will be on break. So sad....

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Hey David....

Great Review!!

I will add on as did Rob and Freddie....all my fellow CC Roll Call friends.

To begin, we went on the cruise with my daughter, her husband and my two grandsons (age 5 and 8) with a balcony cabin and also my 23 year old daughter who had her own balcony cabin. My wife and I had an Aft-Facing Penthouse Suite which was fantastic.

As a Platinum NCL cruiser and living in Long Island, I always try to sail out of the NYC area.

It sure beats flying. :)

NCL is my favorite cruise line although we have been on others having cruised on most of the cruise lines except Princess. I love the the freestyle cruising, not having to get dressed up for dinner, having the different specialty restaurants and the type of passengers you love to cruise with except for the obnoxious group and their bratty and rowdy kids we had to deal with on this cruise.

That being said, my CC group were fantastic and overshadowed the idiots that were on our cruise.

I had the greatest neighbors I ever had with Rob and Karen. Rob was so fantastic with my grandsons and made them feel so special.

We frequently saw others on our Roll Call on the ship and in ports (Joe, Jenn, David, Maryann, Alex, Freddie and others throughout the cruise).

Chatting on the roll call before the cruise and then meeting these people onboard makes a cruise that much more special.

Our group had two slot pulls, a Get Together Dinner and a Gift Exchange....this added to the overall enjoyment of the cruise.

This cruise had everything.

A huge storm that the Captain commented was the worst storm he had ever encountered on a cruise ship. As Dave mentioned, 50% of the crew were sick and about 60-70% of the passengers were sick sometime during the two days we were in the storm. I believe the front of the ship had it worse than the Aft. My wife and I felt know ill effects (in fact, we enjoyed the excitement of the rough seas) however, mu daughter, son-in-law and grandsons were sick during the first two days.

From the third day on we had great weather, even the last day at sea before arriving in NYC was warm and enjoyable with very smooth sailing.

BTW, we also had snow on the decks embarkation night and that added to the different experiences we had on this cruise.

We had the UBP and the UDP and both were great.

I did not experience any difficulty getting my drinks at any of the bars.

We also had a pleasant surprise with the new slide opening which was not operational since the GEM went through dry dock in November. You have to be over 6 to use the slide and they do have a list! Small children can go down the slide with their parents.

Entertainment:

I went to most of the shows and all were great with my two favorites being Magika and

Duo Blaskett.

The crew was fantastic and you would never know that they were having all the difficulty from those unruly passengers that invaded our GEM. Hopefully, in the future, this group will be banned from NCL ships as Carnival did.

My daughter (23) and her crew almost came to fisticuffs when they saw these people treating our crew so badly.

I had a few encounters with one of their brats stepping on my foot and not even an apology and pushing on and off the elevator.

Ports:

Puerto Rico:

Went to a very nice beach in Puerto Rico (Pamela's) for a Day Pass that included 8 drinks, lunch, beach chairs and umbrellas and use of a beautiful beach for $45 / person

St. Thomas:

Coral Aquarium Excursion..my grandkids loved it.

St. Maarten:

Divi Beach...recommended by my buddy Rob.

Wonderful day! :)

Tortola:

We did the Beach Excursion....disappointing and not as nice as the other beaches we visited.

Overall: A great cruise with great roll call people, crew and fun on the NCL GEM. :)

I would be pleased to answer questions on these boards or e-mail me at:

DONG70279@aol.com

Don

Hey David....

 

Great Review!!

I will add on as did Rob and Freddie....all my fellow CC Roll Call friends.

 

To begin, we went on the cruise with my daughter, her husband and my two grandsons (age 5 and 8) with a balcony cabin and also my 23 year old daughter who had her own balcony cabin. My wife and I had an Aft-Facing Penthouse Suite which was fantastic.

 

As a Platinum NCL cruiser and living in Long Island, I always try to sail out of the NYC area.

It sure beats flying. :)

NCL is my favorite cruise line although we have been on others having cruised on most of the cruise lines except Princess. I love the the freestyle cruising, not having to get dressed up for dinner, having the different specialty restaurants and the type of passengers you love to cruise with except for the obnoxious group and their bratty and rowdy kids we had to deal with on this cruise.

 

That being said, my CC group were fantastic and overshadowed the idiots that were on our cruise.

I had the greatest neighbors I ever had with Rob and Karen. Rob was so fantastic with my grandsons and made them feel so special.

We frequently saw others on our Roll Call on the ship and in ports (Joe, Jenn, David, Maryann, Alex, Freddie and others throughout the cruise).

Chatting on the roll call before the cruise and then meeting these people onboard makes a cruise that much more special.

Our group had two slot pulls, a Get Together Dinner and a Gift Exchange....this added to the overall enjoyment of the cruise.

 

This cruise had everything.

A huge storm that the Captain commented was the worst storm he had ever encountered on a cruise ship. As Dave mentioned, 50% of the crew were sick and about 60-70% of the passengers were sick sometime during the two days we were in the storm. I believe the front of the ship had it worse than the Aft. My wife and I felt know ill effects (in fact, we enjoyed the excitement of the rough seas) however, mu daughter, son-in-law and grandsons were sick during the first two days.

From the third day on we had great weather, even the last day at sea before arriving in NYC was warm and enjoyable with very smooth sailing.

BTW, we also had snow on the decks embarkation night and that added to the different experiences we had on this cruise.

 

We had the UBP and the UDP and both were great.

I did not experience any difficulty getting my drinks at any of the bars.

 

We also had a pleasant surprise with the new slide opening which was not operational since the GEM went through dry dock in November. You have to be over 6 to use the slide and they do have a list! Small children can go down the slide with their parents.

 

Entertainment:

I went to most of the shows and all were great with my two favorites being Magika and

Duo Blaskett.

 

The crew was fantastic and you would never know that they were having all the difficulty from those unruly passengers that invaded our GEM. Hopefully, in the future, this group will be banned from NCL ships as Carnival did.

My daughter (23) and her crew almost came to fisticuffs when they saw these people treating our crew so badly.

I had a few encounters with one of their brats stepping on my foot and not even an apology and pushing on and off the elevator.

 

Ports:

Puerto Rico:

Went to a very nice beach in Puerto Rico (Pamela's) for a Day Pass that included 8 drinks, lunch, beach chairs and umbrellas and use of a beautiful beach for $45 / person

 

St. Thomas:

Coral Aquarium Excursion..my grandkids loved it.

 

St. Maarten:

Divi Beach...recommended by my buddy Rob.

Wonderful day! :)

 

Tortola:

We did the Beach Excursion....disappointing and not as nice as the other beaches we visited.

 

Overall: A great cruise with great roll call people, crew and fun on the NCL GEM. :)

 

I would be pleased to answer questions on these boards or e-mail me at:

DONG70279@aol.com

 

Don

We are on this cruise next week and glad you enjoyed Pamelas. We booked it and was concerned I did not see many reviews :)

Thank you both for your great reviews. BTW- that problem group cruises every year the last 2 weeks in January!!

We are on this cruise next week and glad you enjoyed Pamelas. We booked it and was concerned I did not see many reviews :)

Thank you both for your great reviews. BTW- that problem group cruises every year the last 2 weeks in January!!

We were at Pamela's also and had a great time. Be prepared for a stiff breeze all day, though.

Mike

We were at Pamela's also and had a great time. Be prepared for a stiff breeze all day, though.

 

Mike

Breeze will keep the mosquitos away. Hoping for big waves!!!

Wow very surprised there were so many kids on your sailing.. We were on the Gem 01/12-01/22 (week before you) and I could probably count the total amount of kids on the entire ship on my fingers and toes. What school(s) had vacation?

Excellent review! Reading your review mirrored a lot of my last experience on the Gem. She's a great ship.

One improvement NCL could make is with its TV selections. You get four news channels (FOX, MSNBC, CNBC and BBC) and one sports channel (I24). On other cruises, we’ve gotten ESPN International in our stateroom. But this is just a minor gripe and not a deal-breaker.

Were these live stations or were they on a pre-recorded loop? Do they have kids' channels? They used to show Nickelodeon shows on a loop, but I assume that's gone. Then again, I was on the Gem prior to the latest upgrades.

One question: If you DON'T do an excursion in Tortola, is there anything there near the port to do?

Wow very surprised there were so many kids on your sailing.. We were on the Gem 01/12-01/22 (week before you) and I could probably count the total amount of kids on the entire ship on my fingers and toes. What school(s) had vacation?

It was Yeshiva week so if that tells you anything !

its a Jewish Holiday .......I hate to think that

people would act this way.....sad

It was Yeshiva week so if that tells you anything !

its a Jewish Holiday .......I hate to think that

people would act this way.....sad

OOHHHH Gotcha! All I have to say is I'm really glad I booked the week before! Thanks for the info.

Hi and thanks for your review. A fan of the Gem here as well, and will be back onboard soon too.

Where is this Pamela's place someone mentioned and how far a ride from OSJ port? Is it in the Condado area where the lines of hotels are? We went ziplining last time in San Juan but I'm up for something else.

Hey OTG Mom -- haven't seen you in ages!!

Does Pamelas in San Juan have a web site?

Hi and thanks for your review. A fan of the Gem here as well, and will be back onboard soon too.

 

Where is this Pamela's place someone mentioned and how far a ride from OSJ port? Is it in the Condado area where the lines of hotels are? We went ziplining last time in San Juan but I'm up for something else.

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It is about a 15-20 minute ride from the port. We paid $20 for a taxi for 7 of us.

Here is the information on Pamela's Package:

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This is the beach packages that we offer:

 

Beach Club Access between 9am & 6pm including Beach chairs & Umbrellas the use of facilities including Bathrooms & Showers and Luggage storage for the day is available. 6 Tropical Drinks with domestic Brands and local Beer- (Wine not included). Delicious Meal Options (to be consumed at Pamela’s Restaurant, menu is attach) Kids toys are available. 1/3 of the total is necessary as a deposit. Free Wi-Fi.

 

Please note: Transport is not included but taxi's are readily available at the cruise ship port and we can get you one to go back. Only one free child, 3 years and under, per adult. Use of Pool is for Numero 1 Guest House reserved guest only.

 

*Adults: 18 YRS and up (up to 6 beverage) $40

 

*Teenagers: 12-17 YRS (up to non- alcoholic Beverage) $22

 

*Children: 4-11 YRS (up to 3 non-alcoholic beverages) $12

 

If you have any other question or if you are ready to reserve please let us know.

 

Always at your service,

Andrea

 

787-726-5010 ext. #2

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Note: Andrea is now on maternity leave.

 

Here is their website:

http://www.numero1guesthouse.com/tropical-cuisine

 

Don

Glad that overall you enjoyed the cruise and enjoyed your review.

Keith