'GEM' - Just Returned Home!

I have just returned home from an excellent 11-Day Caribbean Cruise onboard the beautiful 'GEM"! I enjoyed the cruise very much from embarkation to disembarkation; accommodation, dining, entertainment, staff, etc. EXCEPT for one thing!

Since I enjoyed walking on the 'Promenade'; Deck 7; in two daily one hour blocks; morning & afternoon; it was an 'adventure' to find enough room to 'bypass' the two back-to-back Shuffleboard Courts, located midship on the Starboard Side, (without risking getting struck in the foot/feet with Shuffleboard Discs from the cruisers playing Shuffleboard!!!

What an ABSOLUTLEY STUPID location to have placed two Shuffleboard Courts, with active/dedicated walkers (attempting) to bypass this (congested) area!!!

There was also (another) Shuffleboard Court located on Deck 13, Port Side, (to bypass as well)!!!

I was unaware that Suffleboard was such an amusement for some cruisers! :rolleyes:

Welcome home. I've sailed ships with two shuffleboard courts so don't think this is totally unique.

Keith

Welcome home. I've sailed ships with two shuffleboard courts so don't think this is totally unique.

 

Keith

Keith. so have I, but it is 'unique' to me to have 'experienced' TWO Shuffleboard Courts located, in the middle of the (high) traffic 'Promenade' Deck, which doesn't make sense to me! It is a walking 'experience' that I will avoid in any future cruises! ;)

We also enjoy walking the promenade deck. On our cruises we really didn't see the shuffleboard court being used much, so never really thought about it's placement (I guess it could be considered odd). On our cruises the challenge was that they would keep closing one side or the other for washing so we had to keep popping in and out from the inside corridors.

Glad you enjoyed the rest of your cruise. If that was your only comment then I'm guessing you had a great time!

We will be on the Gem shortly and as of now there are very few shore excursions being offered. Did you happen to notice if there was a good amount of shore excursions offered in each port? Thank you.

Keith. so have I, but it is 'unique' to me to have 'experienced' TWO Shuffleboard Courts located, in the middle of the (high) traffic 'Promenade' Deck, which doesn't make sense to me! It is a walking 'experience' that I will avoid in any future cruises! ;)

Yes, good point. I hadn't thought about that.

Keith

Or you can use the track on the top deck which was designed for this very purpose for walkers/runners. The Promenade deck was not designed to facilitate individuals who decide to use this deck as their workout facility. If you so choose to walk the Promenade deck, then understand this area serves multiple purposes and you may come across others enjoying those other uses.

Now if you were walking the track and someone were to place a lounger in the middle of the track surface, then I believe you would have an argument; but to be upset of individuals using a shuffleboard court, who's placement is very common on cruise ships, is unfortunate.

Welcome home, glad that you had a great time ... and with a critique on what you feel is odd - which, frankly, isn't all that unusual. The promenade deck isn't designed nor intended to be a walk & jog path, and, even if so - some sharing & respect for other's use of the space are expected, IMHO. It's seldom busy ... just like the ping pong tables on the ship, unless our SIL/BIL & friends are there, then - be careful with their flying elbows & wrists with the paddles.

How was the food, the crew and the ports - did you checkout the Spinmaker Lounge & the Bridge Viewing Room on a sea day ? Did you visit the library - internet cafe, and noticed how busy & crowded it was; or the card room next door - then, maybe you would appreciate the relative peace, quiet & tranquility of the lifeboat deck ... and, the handful of chairs/loungers (it's sometimes stacked & secured, not always out & available to use ... thankfully, never saw the hogs claiming it)

Could you tell us who the Cruise Director is on the Gem? And was there a varied amount of activities provided during the 11 days? I'm hoping it's a different CD since our last Gem voyage.

When we were last on the Gem in September, we found the activities lacking, although the staff was always friendly, that was the first time I found myself "bored" during a cruise. The dailies were double spaced, and most "activities" were "guess the price of the painting" or "sale on watches in the boutique" which is a poor excuse for an activity and for a cruise director. The dailies are an important factor in our upcoming cruise, especially since we will have 6 sea days.

Any info you have will be very helpful. Thank you!!

Very odd that some posters say the Promenade Deck was not design for walking. Isn't promenading and walking basically the same thing?

Very odd that some posters say the Promenade Deck was not design for walking. Isn't promenading and walking basically the same thing?

Well, pretty much. Although I think of a promenade as more of a stroll than walking/running for exercise. In that case it wouldn't matter if there were other things along the area such as ping pong, shuffleboard, giant chess and chairs to sit in to look at the sea. It would be more of an outdoor venue for strolling with other things to do or look at rather than a running track.

We also enjoy walking the promenade deck. On our cruises we really didn't see the shuffleboard court being used much, so never really thought about it's placement (I guess it could be considered odd). On our cruises the challenge was that they would keep closing one side or the other for washing so we had to keep popping in and out from the inside corridors.

 

Glad you enjoyed the rest of your cruise. If that was your only comment then I'm guessing you had a great time!

 

We will be on the Gem shortly and as of now there are very few shore excursions being offered. Did you happen to notice if there was a good amount of shore excursions offered in each port? Thank you.

I'm on the 12/12 cruise and I just saw 50 excursions finally!

Could you tell us who the Cruise Director is on the Gem? And was there a varied amount of activities provided during the 11 days? I'm hoping it's a different CD since our last Gem voyage.

When we were last on the Gem in September, we found the activities lacking, although the staff was always friendly, that was the first time I found myself "bored" during a cruise. The dailies were double spaced, and most "activities" were "guess the price of the painting" or "sale on watches in the boutique" which is a poor excuse for an activity and for a cruise director. The dailies are an important factor in our upcoming cruise, especially since we will have 6 sea days.

Any info you have will be very helpful. Thank you!!

i was on the 11day before this one (11/21/2017 sailing).

cd = mark "Whitesmoke"

and yes, i also noticed the LACK of activities immediately!

besides the all the stupid sales pitch activities, there was also lots of Nintendo Wii activities. great for kids but not me.

and yes, i was also bored at times. :(

I'm on the 12/12 cruise and I just saw 50 excursions finally!

Thanks for the info, that's really good to hear! I'll keep my fingers crossed.

i was on the 11day before this one (11/21/2017 sailing).

cd = mark "Whitesmoke"

 

and yes, i also noticed the LACK of activities immediately!

besides the all the stupid sales pitch activities, there was also lots of Nintendo Wii activities. great for kids but not me.

and yes, i was also bored at times. :(

Is Mark "Whitesmoke" the same as Mark from Connecticut who wears a black and white Mustache tuxedo jacket at times? Because he was the lackluster CD on our Sept. sailing. :(

Glad you loved it.

I have just returned home from an excellent 11-Day Caribbean Cruise onboard the beautiful 'GEM"! I enjoyed the cruise very much from embarkation to disembarkation; accommodation, dining, entertainment, staff, etc. EXCEPT for one thing!

Since I enjoyed walking on the 'Promenade'; Deck 7; in two daily one hour blocks; morning & afternoon; it was an 'adventure' to find enough room to 'bypass' the two back-to-back Shuffleboard Courts, located midship on the Starboard Side, (without risking getting struck in the foot/feet with Shuffleboard Discs from the cruisers playing Shuffleboard!!!

What an ABSOLUTLEY STUPID location to have placed two Shuffleboard Courts, with active/dedicated walkers (attempting) to bypass this (congested) area!!!

There was also (another) Shuffleboard Court located on Deck 13, Port Side, (to bypass as well)!!!

I was unaware that Suffleboard was such an amusement for some cruisers! :rolleyes:

Why didn't you just use the jogging/ walking track on the top deck? the Shuffleboard on Deck 13 is over to site not in the way of the jogging path

Marion

Why didn't you just use the jogging/ walking track on the top deck? the Shuffleboard on Deck 13 is over to site not in the way of the jogging path

Marion

Well, I can't speak for the OP, but I also prefer to walk on the Promenade. For one thing it is covered so no worries about too much sun or getting wet if it's raining. Also it seems as if a lot of people will move their lounge chairs into the jogging track. We found that we were constantly having to squeeze around the lounge chairs which made it more of an obstacle course. LOL! Although that was only around the pool area, the rest of it around the back of the ship was usually fine.

We were on the Gem recently, and it does have some poor design features. There is only one way to go forward from the Atrium, and with the Atrium bar on one side and the spa ladies on either side of the doorway, it becomes a bottleneck.. Also, the last day of our 11/21 cruise featured a clearance sale of the shops, primarily in the Orchid Garden. The checkout table was located on the narrow bridge/walkway into the restaurant. Unfortunately, the arrangement meant that someone in a scooter completely blocked the exit for the entire time it took to hand write a receipt. Lines and crowds are to be expected, but this situation really felt unsafe.

Otherwise, the cruise was great!