moonieelf

Which ship? The Jewel didn't seem to have them this past April.

The Dawn. They had cards to collect signatures you needed to carry with you, but at the end of the week we got our prizes.

I won a coffee mug and a deck of cards playing pub trivia on my cruise in October.

Same here regarding Blue Lagoon on the Dawn however it wasn't bad when we last went on the Gem...I personally preferred the buffet for breakfast and Moderato was pretty good for dinner...

It's an O'Sheehans on the Gem now. They'll be killing Blue Lagoon on the Dawn when she goes into Dry Dock.

I had nothing but bad experiences at the Blue Lagoon. I'd avoid it if I was taking the Dawn on my next cruise. Most days we ate breakfast either at the Venetian (the larger MDR) or the Garden Cafe.

(for the clothes we need for our 5:30 dinner reservation)

 

Don't worry about dressy clothes on the first night of the cruise - this is the

most cruise casual time of the voyage.

This since your penguin tux and Dior ballroom gown are still packed away

somewhere in the ships hold waiting to be delivered to your stateroom !

So this is the time to flaunt you nose at the maître-D and the Dining Room

Dress Code - live it up - but don't make a Las Vegas strip show out of it ! LOL !

We're celebrating a birthday on Embarkation day, so we're going to Cagney's. If we were going to the MDR, it wouldn't matter much. My dress isn't overly flashy (and cotton, so I can steam any wrinkles out in the shower) and I think my friend's dress is the same.

I'll be on the Gem in two weeks too. We plan on packing one carry on back pack (for the clothes we need for our 5:30 dinner reservation) which shouldn't be an issue.

Have you taken a peek at the roll call?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2141477

Do cash, or credit, not debit. They'll want $300 for the seven day cruise if you do cash. You can do more than that, but not less.

The Gem is a little bigger than the Dawn, not much but a little. We were sailing with a party of four and we only had one night when we ate in a MDR (NCL's night out) where we had a wait. They gave us a voucher for a free drink while we waited for our table.

My friends raved about the rack of lamb in the MDR, I didn't try it but they were talking about it for DAYS after. Actually, they're still talking about it, and it's been nine months since we had our cruise. I liked the Spaghetti Bolanigase. The roasted chicken was good too. And I had a souffle one night for desert and it was divine.

If you purchase the UBP onboard, it will be tied to a specific room card and it doesn't have to go to everyone in the room.

Yes, coffee, please!

This was the standard "souvenir" cup from the last cruise I was on. It's plastic, and that bottom piece comes off. If you buy the soda package, you get one with a lid and a straw.

I love what you've shown us so far. And I'm a little jealous that you actually got to Bermuda! We went on a cruise towards the end of the season (so, hurricane season) and the week we booked was the week Hurricane Gonzolo hit the island. We ended up in the in Nassau and GSC so I'm not complaining, but we'll get there eventually.

There are people with bad attitudes everywhere, no escaping that. But it's a lot easier to deal with that when I'm at sea with a delicious frozen drink! ;)

This! A million times this!

I'd like to believe that there are no bad cruises (though I've only been on one so don't shoot me here) just people with bad attitudes on cruises.

When I was on the Dawn last October I felt under dressed on NCL's Night Out. A lot of people were in the MDR and in the atrium dressed to the nines. From my understanding, I guess it varies from cruise to cruise. I did buy a fancier dress than I had last time for it, but I didn't spend a lot of money on it, so it is what it is.

The Dawn is about to go into Dry Dock.. Some of these dated issues might be fixed there.

The last time I went to GSC they called the general boarding for all guests at about 10:15, we went down at 11, after a relaxing breakfast, and we didn't have to wait for a tender. I'm going back next month, and have a 10:30 shore excursion booked, so I'll get the priority tendering. You just have to book ANYTHING on GSC to get priority now. So, an umbrella, scuba gear, or a float will get you priority as well.

My roommate and I had an epic chess battle on the Dawn last October.

Yes, that's exactly where we were staying...in Dorchester. The bowling alley was across the street and down and it was open 24 hours. We had planned on going there to bowl that night, but Kendra said the place was completely full (the lanes) and the rest of the building was packed. I know she researched it before we left and we were there on a Thursday night and they have a $4 Thursday night bowl special so that's why it was so crowded.

Yeah. That happens a lot. I live not far from there, and when I do go down there it's late at night, like 2-3 in the morning. Or, I call ahead and see what the wait is on a lane. There's a smaller alley closer to my house that I love, but there's something about Boston Bowl that is just amazing.

It looks like you were staying in Dorchester, close to the Naponset Bridge. There's a 24 hour bowling alley not to far from there. Next time you're in town you should check it out. It's mostly candle pin, which is a regional favorite, but they do offer ten pin as well. Great arcade there too.

The pier in Boston is basically in the middle of nowhere. Yes, it's in the city, but there's not a lot near there. It's about a 10-15 minute bus ride to get into the down town area. There is a waiting area before you board the boat (think of it as the same as a waiting area in the airport), so it's not like you'll be waiting in the line the whole time. That, and once you do get on the ship, your vacation starts. My friend and I are going on a cruise out of New York and we're doing basically the same thing. Getting to the pier super early (between 9:30 and 10) and then starting to party as soon as we get on the ship.

30 Days!

Yes.

 

My understanding is eDocs are not available for GTYs until the cabin assignment has been made.

Would that be why I can't pre-pay my service charges too?