goldmom

That's so weird. We were on the Gem last week and also skipped Bermuda and got a credit on our account. It wasn't much, like $33 for the 2 of us. Just odd that they don't always give a credit. We had to take it as a cash refund.

PS The $33 was for the 2 of us.

We were on the week before you and also skipped Bermuda. They gave us back something like $33, it just showed up in our account. You either need to spend it onboard or get a cash refund the last day. The Concierge can take care of the cash refund, saves you from having to wait in line at guest services. For some reason they can't put it on your credit card. Enjoy!

We usually cruise NCL, but are considering the YC on Meraviglia. I have a question about elevators. Is there a dedicated elevator within the YC complex or only stairs? If you're unable to go up stairs, do you need to go out to the main elevators in order to access a different level of the YC. The deck plans are a bit confusing as there is something in the YC that looks like an elevator but isn't labeled as "lift". Thanks for any help!

I appreciate the sacrifices you're willing to make in the name of research! And thank you to everyone else for the replies about the elevator. It really eases my mind!

Don't remember if you're in the Haven or not this trip, but if you are could you please verify if the elevator goes to all 3 levels of the Haven 17,18,and 19. DH hasn't seen the sundeck in awhile as the ships we've been on recently only had stairs. Wishing you a great cruise and that all the pre-cruise things go off without a hitch! Thanks

I hear you. They punished you for asking for something "special" LOL! Luckily we had great service both times.

I usually make reservation but that's just me. At least with a reservation once you get to the front of the line you'll be seated. Without a reservation you wait in the line and then many times get a buzzer and wait some more. That being said, it seems that as the cruise goes on the line pretty much disappears. We found that the first night in the dining rooms are often a zoo and try to do a specialty the first night. But, if you don't mind the possible wait and want to be more flexible then you absolutely do not need a reservation. Enjoy!

I agree about the two side rooms, especially with the bars on the sides on the entrance. My DH and I both said we felt like we were in jail or eating at the children's table! Lol! This is always a pet peeve of mine. I make the reservations as soon as they are available pre-cruise. And yet everytime we go to Le Bistro, we are seated at the worst table available. This last cruise we were going to Le Bistro a second night and spoke to both the Maitre D and the concierge to request a window table for our second night. No luck with the window, but at least we made it into the main area.

My DH enjoyed some aperol spritz's and even though they do have some sugar they didn't seem to raise his numbers much. PS- I enjoyed them too!

And Laszlo- Thank you again for the amazing video. Very professional looking! Great job!

Thanks everyone for the replies. I appreciate the information!

Is there a particular reason, or just personal preference?

Thank you! Much appreciated. Now the decision is harder, LOL!

I'm starting to look around for our next cruise and I'm looking at either the Joy or the Escape. In looking at the deck plans for the Escape, it appears that the only way to get from one level of the Haven to the other is to walk up (or down) a flight of stairs. Is this correct? DH can't do stairs so if this is the case, then my decision becomes very easy as the Joy shows an elevator in the Haven complex. Thanks for any help!

One other question. Are you getting twice a day service in this class of suites? Thanks!

A question regarding the suite snacks. We were just off the Gem. We noticed on this last trip that we did not get the variety or amount of snacks as in past trips. Not that we needed all the food, but we used to get a "gift" from an officer and then some other plate of food also. This last time, we received one "gift" snack each day but nothing else and they seemed to rotate between the same 4 snacks. Just curious if this is new policy or if we just had a lackluster butler. Would appreciate it if you'd keep us up to date on the snack situation. Although there's probably less waste with only bringing one snack. The only one we ate was the cheese and crackers. Enjoy your cruise!

Just off the Gem and wishing you a wonderful cruise. The terminal was a bit of a zoo around 9:30ish and we were late getting off. Hope that doesn't effect your check in and boarding time too much. We had a really nice cruise and weather was pretty good, just some bumpy seas the first night. Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for all this great information. And yes, I forgot that the Latitude minutes are now gone.

DH was planning to upgrade on day 2. Is he not allowed to use any of his minutes then on day one? We have the FAS minutes and latitude minutes.

Agree, the dropping off is easy. It's the pick up that is hard. We've tried several times to get picked up in the terminal at the same place as the drop off. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. DH gets the wheelchair assist and we get a porter for luggage. They have taken us upstairs by elevator to wait for our kids to pick us up. There have been a few times where the officers wouldn't let the kids in to pick us up and another time the road got closed for a bike race (that was awful!). At that point we had to then get ourselves and our luggage across the street without the help of a wheelchair or porter. Not fun! And, even if you opt to go across the street to start with it can be difficult as the NCL employee said they are not allowed to cross the street with the wheelchair. Our next trip, we're going to try again to get picked up in front of the terminal and see how it goes. I wish they would be more consistent and actually have the procedure spelled out for mobility challenged passengers.

Thank you so much for doing this. The Gem is one of my favorite ships and we'll be on her soon. Your review will help me get through the next week or so while waiting for my turn. Thanks again. Looking forward to more!

Really strange. Hopefully you'll get it all worked out and have a great cruise. Good luck!

If you are leaving this Saturday, then it's normal for the cruise docs to disappear or be unavailable 48 hours before sailing. They always tell you to print them out before the 48 hour mark prior to sailing.

If you booked through CAS, then I would call CAS first. They may be able to offer you a better price for the upgrade. Just price it out yourself first and decide what you are willing to pay for an upgrade. I've often been pleasantly surprised with what I've been offered, but other times it's not such a great deal. You never know until you try. Good luck!