NCL Gem repairs

We are traveling with 28 passengers.

 

 

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Did anyone get bumped up to the Haven? :')

That sounds amazing 28 people on that ship !!!! Please tell us more........

Is the casino open?

What rooms did they give you?

Is there entertainment ?

Safe travels and enjoy the few days on the ship!!! Its like having a private cruise.

We are traveling with 28 passengers.

 

 

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Are you medically exempted from flying? how did you get to stay? I wanted to stay and they told me not an option, i didn't make a big stink about it.

Safe trip home and thanks for keeping us posted.

Would totally like to hear what life was like with only 28 passengers.

I would guess only one place is serving food - maybe Cagneys? Or the smaller free dining room along with lots of crew eating there as well?

I doubt the casino is open. Would be my guess that only a couple of folks would be even be casino people.

Activities? Can not be much if any.

Would totally like to hear what life was like with only 28 passengers.

 

 

 

I would guess only one place is serving food - maybe Cagneys? Or the smaller free dining room along with lots of crew eating there as well?

 

 

 

I doubt the casino is open. Would be my guess that only a couple of folks would be even be casino people.

 

 

 

Activities? Can not be much if any.

Best entertainment would be the crew party [emoji12]

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Surely, crews are kept busy working but fairly at ease. Wow, crew to passenger ratio is unbelievable and they can almost prepare meals on a cook to order basis.

Well, she's been non-stop doing between 21 and 22 knots heading north, east of Barbudos ... looking good for that home run to NY.

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We are traveling with 28 passengers.

 

 

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How’s everything on the boat? She hasn’t checked in on the satellite in almost 10 hours.

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How’s everything on the boat? She hasn’t checked in on the satellite in almost 10 hours.

 

 

 

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Nav channel shows us passing Cuba at 21.9 knots. Traveled 556 Nmiles with 1271 to go.

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Nav channel shows us passing Cuba at 21.9 knots. Traveled 556 Nmiles with 1271 to go.

 

 

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Nav channel shows us passing Cuba at 21.9 knots. Traveled 556 Nmiles with 1271 to go.

 

 

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Thanks man

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Copy of post from Cruise cut short Gem Oct, 31, 2017

And then there were only 28…

Many have asked questions and/or voiced their opinions regarding NCL and passengers on the Oct 31, 2017 cruise on the Gem. Many have shared their personal “evacuation” stories. This post will not attempt to defend anyone’s actions, how people responded or how NCL handled the situation (mostly), but hopefully, you will find my experience interesting and maybe useful to some.

We frequently (once or twice a year) take round trip cruises out of New York area ports. Because I do not fly, we drive from Indiana and park at the pier or at a hotel offering parking and shuttle transfers to and from the port. Yes, I understand and assume the risk that I may be “stranded” in a foreign port due to circumstances that I may not be able to control. However, I also know that in this case, the cruise line (NCL Gem in this case) would eventually need to return to her homeport.

The group currently returning to NYC on the Gem is a mix of folks with health conditions that restrict their ability to fly (recent stroke, extreme claustrophobia, wheelchair bound, inner ear conditions, etc.), although I do not know everyone’s story or how they came to be returning with me.

When it was announced that the cruise would be altered and that planes had been chartered to “repatriate” everyone, I notified guest services that I would not be able to fly. They appeared to be creating a list of passengers that were sharing this same information. However, when the information was distributed at about 6pm on 11/9/17, we were assigned to the third flight on 11/10/17. I will say that the notification did not contain any information regarding meals during transport and/or what would occur once folks arrived in the Newark airport. It only had flight information, time of departure from the ship, time to attend immigration and where you could eat breakfast which began at 1am in the morning.

I once again informed the ship that I would not be on the flight and inquired what the plan was to return those not flying. We were informed that there was no plan as of yet. We continued to check every few hours regarding the plan and were eventually told that a “Care team” from Miami was enroute to Barbados.

Once the care team arrived, those that stated they would not be taking one of the chartered flights were taken to a conference room where we waited to be interviewed by a member of the care team. Here we were informed that if we did not fly, it would at best be 7-10 days before we could get back to the US, not a surprise to me, but some folks opted to take one of the remaining charter flights. Those remaining were not asked to provide any type of “proof” that they could not fly, although many did.

Those that remained were told NCL had secured ten cabins on a Holland America ship scheduled to be in Barbados on Monday (11/13/17). This ship would arrive in Miami, FL on 11/19/17. NCL would then transfer passengers to Amtrak’s overnight train to NYC or pay for a rental car if passengers wanted to drive themselves. These ten rooms were quickly taken, leaving about 30 additional passengers. Due to the hurricanes and port changes, there were no US based cruise ships calling on Barbados in the next week, leaving few options for those that didn’t get passage on HAL. NCL missed an opportunity to move passengers to a sister ship as we crossed paths with both the Regent Navigator and Oceania Insignia. When we ported with these vessels, NCL knew they had a problem with the Gem as they had already notified the Nov 11th sailing passengers that their sailing would be cancelled. However, they waited about 36 additional hours before notifying the current Gem passengers.

Late on 11/10/17 we were called to a meeting and informed that those remaining would be moved to a hotel on 11/12/17. This included those leaving on the HAL ship and the remaining few who were taking a commercial flight home. Passengers not taking either of these options would then re-board the Gem once she was fixed and sail directly back to NYC. We were told that since the ship was being taken out of service to complete the repairs, they were unable to have passengers on board and that, even though we were re-boarding, to take all our possessions with us.

They arranged transportation to various hotels based on arranged travel plans and individual passenger needs. Those flying out headed to the airport, the HAL passengers went to the Radisson for one night, a couple of passengers that needed ADA compliant accommodations went to two different hotels and the remaining 25 were bused to an all-inclusive beach resort. It is my understanding that NCL had great difficulty securing rooms for that number of passengers on such short notice due to a Rum and Food festival, but were able to keep the majority of passengers together for a four-night “shore excursion”. Although not the highest quality resort, it had a pool and a gorgeous sandy beach and, important to me, free internet as I work for a company that provides remote services; as long as I have internet, I can work.

The Miami care team left the island the day we left the Gem. No plan was provided regarding when we would re-board, but we were told we would hear through the hotel what the plan was. The tentative plan was to depart on Friday 11/17; we would re-board the Gem either late on Thursday or early Friday. It is important to note that the resort was fully booked for Thursday, so re-boarding Thursday seemed most likely.

One area of improvement for NCL would be communication and I think this, overall, was the primary reason for the high level of anxiety that settled over the ship. I would think that although a rare occurrence, most corporations have disaster plans that include pre-drafted communication plans. Not only did corporate NCL not communicate well with passengers, it did not communicate with the staff on board the Gem. As passengers asked questions, the staff had no choice but to reply they simply did not know.

The most significant issue for the remaining passengers appeared to be medications. I always travel with extra of my needed medications, along with a fairly complete over-the-counter pharmacy. Many needing critical medications did not come prepared for an additional 1-2 weeks away from home. They spent most of the time off the ship attempting to obtain needed medications from a local pharmacy which proved to be a multiple step process. There were also issues related to the cost of medications since Barbados does not file insurance claims with US based insurance companies (again, no surprise) and the ensuing discussions that NCL should pay for the needed meds. Some meds were not available in Barbados or not stocked at the local pharmacy. Some passengers did not get their needed medications until after re-boarding the ship.

More to come . . .life back on board the Gem.

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https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=54579993

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Copy of post from Cruise cut short Gem Oct, 31, 2017

And then there were only 28…

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Thank you for writing this "debriefing" to share while 27 others and you are coming home to NY, and, you still have to get to your vehicle and a long drive back to Indiana.

Important lessons about taking/bringing along extra days (week's worth+) of personal medications too.

Gem is making good progress, at that speed, under 60 hours to reach NY - could make it back as early as late Monday, evening ... should be good for early Tuesday disembarkation, a day before the Thanksgiving holiday transportation rush.

Weather-wise, cloudy & 40's now, going to be a little chilly next week, seasonally normal. A mini tropical storm system coming thru NY area tonight into tomorrow, some rain & wind, clearing out Sunday evening ... might find seas to be a little choppy, that's about it.

Enjoy that peace & quiet onboard.

Nav channel shows us passing Cuba at 21.9 knots. Traveled 556 Nmiles with 1271 to go.

 

 

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Gem still hasn't updated her satellite position...frustrating while trying to track her course. Thanks for all the updates, they've been good reading. Cheers!

Gem still hasn't updated her satellite position...frustrating while trying to track her course. Thanks for all the updates, they've been good reading. Cheers!

Not sure why we are not updating. Nav channel says we have traveled 695 Nmiles with 1133 to go. Speed down to 20.5 knots probably because we just passed through a squall. Seas have since calmed.

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Not sure why we are not updating. Nav channel says we have traveled 695 Nmiles with 1133 to go. Speed down to 20.5 knots probably because we just passed through a squall. Seas have since calmed.

 

 

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Thanks for updating. Sounds positive. Are you on the Gem now? If so we would love to hear about the trip home. It must be so strange with so few passengers. Safe and speedy trip home to all on the Gem:cool:

Thanks for updating. Sounds positive. Are you on the Gem now? If so we would love to hear about the trip home. It must be so strange with so few passengers. Safe and speedy trip home to all on the Gem:cool:

Yes, I am on the Gem now....see post #62 above.

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... Nav channel says we have traveled 695 Nmiles with 1133 to go. Speed down to 20.5 knots ... Seas have since calmed.

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Gem's AIS radar data are getting tracked, just not being reported out from satellite sources unless one has the premium subscription plan.

Are you sailing between Cuba & Bahamas across the Caribbean or on a more northerly & direct course heading ? Regardless, ship is making very good time to cut the distance to bring everyone back. There is radar coverage around Bahamas but further north, it's out of range since it is line of sight. We can usually track NCL ships once it's off the Carolinas, unless it's way off in the Atlantic.

You might run into chops & gale force wind sometime tomorrow into Monday, rest of today should be ok. Always thankful when someone on a cruise vacation take time to post & share. Much obliged. Have a wonderful afternoon, high tea time.

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Gem's AIS radar data are getting tracked, just not being reported out from satellite sources unless one has the premium subscription plan.

 

Are you sailing between Cuba & Bahamas across the Caribbean or on a more northerly & direct course heading ? Regardless, ship is making very good time to cut the distance to bring everyone back. There is radar coverage around Bahamas but further north, it's out of range since it is line of sight. We can usually track NCL ships once it's off the Carolinas, unless it's way off in the Atlantic.

 

You might run into chops & gale force wind sometime tomorrow into Monday, rest of today should be ok. Always thankful when someone on a cruise vacation take time to post & share. Much obliged. Have a wonderful afternoon, high tea time.

 

 

 

 

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I believe we are going east of Bahamas, giving us the most direct route to NYC. Appreciate the weather update...I'm not prone to sea sickness, but can't say the same for some my follow travelers. Sunday and Monday may be a little uncomfortable for a few...especially around Cape Hatteras. Personally, I'm hanging out, streaming the Butler Bulldog basketball game, enjoying a glass of wine. Thanks for the well wishes.

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Not sure why we are not updating. Nav channel says we have traveled 695 Nmiles with 1133 to go. Speed down to 20.5 knots probably because we just passed through a squall. Seas have since calmed.

 

 

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Curious to hear reports on the trip back with so few passengers aboard. Rooms offered, food, etc.

Curious to hear reports on the trip back with so few passengers aboard. Rooms offered, food, etc.

See post #62 above...will provide a second post regarding the trip home before we get to New York.

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The least they could do would be to upgrade everyone into The Haven....;)

The Gem is currently doing 21.7 knots and more than half way to NYC. Traveled 1033 Nmiles with 790 to go.

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Thanks for keeping us updated! It sounds like they fixed her and she'll be back in time for the 11/21 cruise! We will all be so thankful this Thanksgiving! :hearteyes:

The Gem is currently doing 21.7 knots and more than half way to NYC. Traveled 1033 Nmiles with 790 to go.

 

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Thanks for keeping us updated! It sounds like they fixed her and she'll be back in time for the 11/21 cruise! We will all be so thankful this Thanksgiving! :hearteyes: