pookel

We made it to GSC today! No problems. Came over on the first tender and going back to the ship around 2:20. Lovely weather, beautiful sand, free drinks, buffet was passable. The sun is brutal so bring plenty of sunscreen. If you stay still in the water you'll see some fish. Not crowded at all - we didn't have trouble even getting chairs in the shade. The Zipline was pretty impressive looking but we didn't try it. Saw the Wonder of the Seas next door at Coco Cay plus a smaller Royal Caribbean ship I couldn't identify. They have a hot air balloon over there! Props to the skinny blond girl in the hula hoop contest who could have kept going forever and they had to cut her off - she was amazing. Sorry if this is a bit muddled, I've been swimming all day and I've never been this tired *ever*. Note if you have a cane or mobility issues that loose sand is hard to walk in. We saw some other folks with canes that had end caps made for soft surfaces, with the four rubber pieces instead of just one - that looked like it would work better than my husband's basic cane.

Photo dump! So sorry I'm not very organized about labeling things or taking pics of menus every day. Image files should have timestamps & locations though at least! The image with all the desserts is from the Grand Pacific last night. Slot machines are in the Bliss - I'd heard somewhere that someone thought they were removed during dry dock but they are definitely still there.

Port day in Nassau today so not much to report from the ship. We had a late lunch at the Bahamian Cookin' Kitchen in Nassau & bought some souvenirs. Back on the ship now where they're doing a Caribbean night at the buffet & also have prime rib. I didn't try it but my husband said it was good. Last night was the "Divos and Divas" show at the Stardust, which was really just the B12 band playing some hit songs by Tina Turner, Lionel Richie and others, but they're very good and we had fun. I can't remember if I reported on Blazing Boots a couple nights ago, but it was also a well done production. It's really just about 45 minutes of country music song and dance numbers, but they're very talented & it's a fun show. Weather is perfect and seas have been calm, and we've heard nothing about GSC tomorrow being canceled, so fingers crossed we'll actually make it there. I have internet through Google Fi in Nassau, so I'll do a photo dump next.

Link doesn't work for me sorry

I think you should be OK as long as you're flexible & check the Freestyle Daily for what's scheduled there. Still haven't managed to get a pic but it's a small room - maybe 20' by 15'? I would say no more than 20-25 people could fit comfortably.

I was in a light blouse & capris and was still a bit warm, but I'm from North Dakota. Locals were complaining of the cold. I'd guess it was about 65-70F?

Lol I'm seasick not pregnant, I'm 45 and menopausal Although when I embarked the lady at the port screwed up her question and asked me "do you expect to be pregnant by the end of the cruise?" And I said "I sure hope not"

PS People kept telling me that cruise ships are kept cold, bring a sweater etc. That has not been the case for me. I've been so hot I'm actually sweating most of the time Ive been in the interior areas of the ship. I have to keep going outside to cool off.

Norwegian Gem trip report Day four - at sea We are having a low-key sea day today after staying up late last night doing karaoke in the Bliss lounge. We had dinner at the Garden Cafe last night and it was fine but nothing special. I was feeling a bit queasy and headachy all day so was not very excited about dinner. I tried an aperol spritz from the Great Outdoors and it was frankly disgusting- I think it was made correctly and it must just be an acquired taste. I'm sorry I can't answer any questions about Bermuda as we're long gone from there - we were only in port for about 6 hours yesterday. It was just enough time to do the caves/aquarium/zoo tour and then grab a hotdog & buy a rum cake from vendors at the pier before getting back on the ship. We did room service breakfast this morning and it was buffet quality food - perfectly acceptable but not restaurant-quality. A nice way to start the day. Walked through the pool area to get to the spa & stopped to give a couple ducks to two little girls who were there with their dad and grandma. Weather has been warm but windy, and the hot tubs have been full but only a few people getting in the pools. Lots of people out sunning poolside though. Lunch was O'Sheehans and the food was amazing despite a series of hilarious mishaps with my friend's nachos - first they omitted the cheese sauce and meat, then they brought a replacement but it included sour cream when she'd asked for no sour cream. The third version was correct though. I felt bad for the servers as they looked pretty busy. Nothing else to report yet - no itinerary changes, calm seas and lovely weather. Oh, and I did try to take a pic of the game room but it's quite small & there was a painting event going on, so I will have to check back later.

So sorry, I was not at the ferry or looking for bus maps - I got straight off the ship and followed my group to the tour bus people with signs for my excursion. I will ask around for this stuff in case another passenger was paying more attention.

Just did the Crystal Caves & aquarium tour in Bermuda, where I have unlimited cell service (thanks Google Fi). Lovely tour, though caves were a bit smaller than I had hoped. Bus driver is basically doing a tour of the island as we drive from/to the caves. My restless leg syndrome is killing me rn & I'd appreciate if anyone has any idea what could be affecting it , - travel? Stress? Alcohol?

I'm on day 3 of a 9 day cruise, my first, and I'm having a blast - except for one thing. My RLS is so awful I can't get any sleep, and I'm so tired all the time I'm on medication for it but it's not helping much Any ideas/tips?

Well, I see lights in the distance and my phone just got a bunch of sms messages, so I guess we're approaching Bermuda.

Thanks for all the advice to wear the running shoes - I've been mostly wearing those and my feet are grateful. (Just ending day 2 of a 9 day cruise).

PS the whisky tasting was a $24 charge.

Yes, they let us play in o'sheehans but it was 2 pm and not crowded. I'm sorry I can't tell you how long it took after we left port - maybe 15 min to see lady liberty and another 15 to go under the bridge? The whisky tasting was at Maltings but we didn't get to participate. We showed up a minute late and it was already full - they only had room for 12 and it was full. So, I'd recommend to go early. One minor piece of info in case anyone is curious: there's a regular "LGBTQIA" gathering but we noticed it seems to be all gay men in the group. Maybe that varies by ship but it might be harder for other demographics to make friends. I haven't yet found the game room but will keep you updated!

Yes, thank you for the tip! It's mostly unusable but if I'm on a specific page (like this one) and just refresh, sometimes that works. The menus don't load if I'm trying to go into the main site.

I posted yesterday on a different site about embarkation experiences but I'll sum it up here - we arrived around 12:30, everything was a smooth & simple process, people were all very friendly and helpful, and we were hanging out at the Great Outdoors by a little after 1:00. Fixed a minor issue with my room card at Guest Services with no wait, and again everyone is very friendly. NCL is using some kind of organic material straws which work better than paper, and I didn't feel a need to get out my steel straws, but fyi Starbucks is still using paper straws and those suck. Drinks have been made quickly & well (not that I'm not a picky drinker though) if a bit weak. If your goal is to get hammered, you'll want to stick with hard liquor and avoid the mixed drinks. We had dinner at Orchid Garden, where I don't want to say the service was slow exactly - waiters were very attentive and replaced drinks and took plates away as soon as needed, but it did take a long time for our food to arrive. The restaurant was pretty full so i would guess the kitchen was backed up. Food at the free venues comes in fairly small portions. I don't mind because I like to try a variety of things, but it could be hard to fill up if you order just one entree. I learned already to order a couple appetizers plus the main course plus dessert, all at once when the server first arrives. That way you won't have to order again later if it's not enough food. Someone told me we have 1800 passengers, which would mean about 75% capacity, but I have no idea if that's accurate. It doesn't feel crowded though. Not a lot of kids - a few littles/babies and some teenagers, but not many. Plenty of people in my age group (45) and up, fewer in the younger generations. Very diverse crowd with multiple different languages spoken in passenger areas, though I haven't met anyone who didn't also speak English. Karaoke in the Spinnaker last night was small but a blast - a crew people singing were really good to the point that they must be formally trained. The rest were enthusiastic amateurs but we all had fun! Shout out to Luz who did three songs including Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and to a lady whose name I didn't catch, but who did a note-perfect rendition of 'My Guy' to serenade her husband. On to today. First full day on board the Gem - a sea day. My motion sickness is manageable with meds but I can definitely feel the ship rocking. Last night it was soothing and helped me sleep, but when trying to walk today, it made feel drunk or high. Other more experienced passengers commented that these are rough seas, which was reassuring - I was afraid this was considered normal. Breakfast at the buffet this morning was fine - lots of options from healthy (fresh fruit and yogurt) to less healthy (omelet stations, scrambled eggs, tons of bacon). Food wasn't piping hot but that's to be expected of a buffet. I noticed they seemed to be trying to appeal to a wide variety of palates - when I was getting oatmeal I saw they also had grits, cream of wheat, congee, and something that might have been tapioca pudding but I didn't see the label. Plenty of vegetarian options but also plenty of bacon & sausage. Cruise Critics meet and greet was at 10:00 and we met most of the staff - I'm not good with names but did take a photo of them and of the cards with their names. We chatted a bit with the cruise director, Yanique, who is from Jamaica and was very friendly. We caught part of trivia in the atrium and then stuck around for Scattergories, which was fun. Then we had lunch in the Grand Pacific, which was excellent - I had Italian wedding soup, Caesar salad, hummus with pita bread, and chicken Milanese for main. Everything was delicious & the servers were very attentive (actually a bit too attentive - I had just turned down a fourth glass of prosecco when a different server brought me one without asking). Yes, I have the drink package so no charges for that. Met up with a group of board gamers at O-Sheehans, then back to our room to chill, where we found the room was clean & they'd left us a little plate of treats (I think this is a perk of the club balcony mini-suites). We have a door magnet with our names & a magnetic whiteboard people have been writing silly messages on & those were not moved or disturbed. I had a shower last night in the infamous shower/tub combo and had no issues, but I can see how it might be difficult for someone with mobility issues in their knees. (I measured and the rim of the tub is 22" off the floor.) Also, I remember someone somewhere asking if the tub/shower combos have a safety rail to hold onto - mine does, at least. There is a safety rail in the toilet cubicle too. The room is just wonderful - plenty of deep drawers and one large lighted closet. The couch is not super comfortable (too firm for my tastes) but no real problems with it. Two US outlets and one Euro outlet above the desk. Magnetic hooks work on main wall and ceiling but not where there's wood paneling. Currently sitting on the balcony in a sundress enjoying the cool breeze while I write this up. If my internet is working well I will add some photos too. (Internet has been fine so far, but I only have the 150 minute basic FAS package so I'm limiting myself to 15 minutes a day.) Next up is a whisky tasting and then our specialty dinner at Le Bistro. Tomorrow is Bermuda. Hope to update you fine folks again soon!

I'm almost regretting my upgrade to deck 11 balcony club mini-suite from deck 5 oceanview .... I would love to see the waves up close like that!

I asked this on Facebook, someone on board asked the pool attendant, and the answer was YES the pool is heated. I'm guessing people don't think it's heated because it's not kept "warm" but just at a reasonable swimming temperature.

My husband said "embrace the dorkiness" lol

Thank you!! As far as I know, I don't have plantar fascitis, but I am 45 and I do have extreme flat feet and overpronation, and I'm prone to shin splints if I walk too much in a single day. So you're right, I should visit an orthopedist. My usual practice is just to wear nothing but Clarks, Brooks, and a couple other brands I trust with good arch support (it's also hard to find brands as I wear a 9.5 wide, and the wide width is not optional!). But custom inserts do sound like a good idea instead of limiting myself to a couple of brands.

I did a little research after posting and it does seem that some farmers have developed methods that are less cruel (essentially allowing geese to gorge themselves voluntarily) so it may be possible to get ethical foie gras at some restaurants. I would expect a cruiseline to just get the cheapest mass-market/factory-farmed stuff, though.

Thanks for the head's up ... foie gras is one of the very few foods I don't eat for ethical reasons. Unless someone's come up with a more humane way to produce it, because the traditional method just seems cruel.

So, I'm bringing 3-4 cute dresses and (to make packing easier) my outfits are mostly coordinated in black and white - no jeans/sweats. (Everything is comfy, it's just not like gym/casual type clothes.) For background, I'm overweight and have flat feet and get severe foot pain if I overextend myself or wear the wrong shoes. My shoe options are - - cute black sandals that are fine for a couple hours but I can't walk all day in them. - an older/not as nice pair of white sandals that I can walk for most of the day in, but after a long day of walking my feet might start to hurt. - black velvet Converse-style sneakers that I can walk most of the day in, but might get shin splits after a long day of walking - a gray pair of Brooks running shoes that I can absolutely walk all day in, but will look kind of dorky with most of my clothes - new white Keds which are fine but untested for long days of walking, also slightly dorky What would you do? Bring them all and figure it out on the ship? Or recommendations for which of these would work better? One other option is I could go out and buy the same running shoes but in black (they're in stock in my size at a local store, I checked - and these shoes worked great for me on day 1 so I'm not too worried about breaking them in). But, it's still running shoes so still kind of dorky with a dress. Thoughts? ETA my cruise leaves on Monday