Gem in JULY to Bahamas - inexperienced cruiser - questions help?!

Good Afternoon,

I am hoping that the fine folks of this forum can assist. I've searched for many hours and received a number of tips, which I am grateful, but I do have lingering concerns and would appreciate if anyone can offer clarification.

Passport/Document Issues

• One forum poster mentioned that passports are collected at embarkation (this was on a trip to Canada). Does this happen, should I expect it?
  
• At Port stops - like the Stirrup Cay - how do you handle bringing cash, cruise card, credit cards, etc ashore and protecting them while you frolic in the surf/windsurf/parasail etc.? Are there lockers? Do you carry them with you in water proof bags? Any tips/suggestions?
  

Dining -

• The Dining Pass (looking at the 3 day). I assume that the cost of a meal at the Brazilian Steak house, having a flat fee, will be covered. How does it work with the a la carte pricing at Cagneys Steak, the French, or Italian place? Does it cover one entree a person regardless of price? (I think I saw a thread on this, so I'll recheck the forum).
  

WiFi

• Want the 250 minute package ... can you make WiFi calls (VOIP) voice over internet protocol over the WiFi with this (or any package)? I am not interested in streaming or web browsing so much as making WiFi calls
  

Items to Bring

• Should we bring Beach towels or expect that the Ship and the Stirrup Cay will have some to use? Based on the answer, we may bring more than 1 beach towel, so trying to get a handle on that as well.
  
• Would it be useful to have a tupperware to raid the buffet and bring some snacks back to your room? Or a travel coffee mug to get your morning joe and walk around?
  

Thanks so much for reading and any and all replies!

-Nathan

Nathan, welcome to Cruise Critic!

I will answer the questions that I can.

We've cruised to the Bahamas several times; never had passports collected by the ship. (This can happen for some European ports.)

For the beach -- no lockers. I take little in the way of valuables. I put my sea pass card, a credit card, and a little bit of cash in a waterproof neck pouch. We've had good luck with the one made by Dry Pack called Dry Pak DP-44W "Alligator Waterproof Wallet." Amazon sells it for $7.99, but I've seen it higher. There are certainly competitors, but you get the idea. [The plastic "waterproof" neck thing sold by Cruise Critic leaks!]

Also, I have a small waterproof camera. That goes into the water with me, secured to my wrist with a floatable loop made just for this purpose. Can't recall the manufacturer, but should be easy to find on line if you need anything like this.

No need to bring your own beach towels, NCL will provide them. Ask your cabin steward if you need more. Make sure to bring them back to the ship!

If you want to bring some food back from the buffet to your cabin, I would suggest putting it on a plate and then turning another plate over on top of it. That works well for me. (In all our years of cruising, I've never seen anyone filling their own food containers at the buffet, and I'm not even sure the cruise line would allow it.)

We love the Gem. Enjoy your cruise!

Your dining credit will cover one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert at the a la carte restaurants. Some people report that they are able to order additional apps/desserts. Others say they have been charged for them. YMMV according to what server you get.

Absolutely bring the thermal mug, it's great for taking your coffee to-go from breakfast (or lunch, or whatever.)

Turtles06 - Thanks so very much, Alligator Waterproof Wallet and its ilk will be researched and purchased. I feel nervous having to cart all the important information into the water with me, but I will just have to be careful. Beach towels is also a great thing to hear... saves some packing room and holding nasty towels in the cabin for a week (or the $ to wash 'em). And I was aware of the optics of shoveling food into a tupperware, but I worry about pitching over in the hallway with a plate of food... and I can envision days where I will want to avoid crowds before I've had to time to have coffee and get food in me... maybe just suck it up and do room service breakfast on those days.

trivimp - thank you as well. I read everything I could and saw no mention of the apps/desert at the a la carte places. This really bugged me, so I appreciate very much having it cleared up.

Has anyone tried WiFi calling? I bought the 250 plan and will adjust as ncessary on board, but simply looking to manage expectations. My wife has little ones with their father that week, and we dont want to be too out of touch. (Yeah, we're partying without them, don't judge!)

Turtles06 - Thanks so very much, Alligator Waterproof Wallet and its ilk will be researched and purchased. I feel nervous having to cart all the important information into the water with me, but I will just have to be careful.

You're quite welcome. One other thought -- as a female, I don't have experience with this, but do you have an option of swim trunks with a zippered pocket or any sort of secure pocket? Just throwing that out there . . .

You're quite welcome. One other thought -- as a female, I don't have experience with this, but do you have an option of swim trunks with a zippered pocket or any sort of secure pocket? Just throwing that out there . . .

My current trunks don't have a pocket, I don't think... but I'll be shopping a bit this weekend. I bought the alligator wallet on Amazon this afternoon with the plan to find a way to really secure it during swim times. But, factor in a couple of tropical drinks, and the best laid plans might go astray.

Still very glad to know what I am working with (no lockers) so I can lay all my plans, so I thank you again!

Just a FYI - GSC can be skipped due to various weather conditions and it does happen.

My current trunks don't have a pocket, I don't think... but I'll be shopping a bit this weekend. I bought the alligator wallet on Amazon this afternoon with the plan to find a way to really secure it during swim times.

Overall, I think men have it easier when it comes to clothing, but in this instance, that waterproof wallet goes around my neck and then is held pretty securely in the top of my swim suit. ;p

Good luck with your planning!

Just a FYI - GSC can be skipped due to various weather conditions and it does happen.

Thanks, I have been reading a TON and I have seen this. I will keep my fingers crossed.

New question: Is it advisable to disembark in Nassau WITH your passport? Or should you just bring cash and credit and cruise card?

Re: optics of raiding the buffet. It's a lot more subtle if you load up a plate with snack-y food, take it back to your table, and then discreetly transfer it to the tupperware you've taken from your beach bag sitting under your chair. Just sayin'.

Just a FYI - GSC can be skipped due to various weather conditions and it does happen.

Yes, this is true. It happened to us in March on the Breakaway but we docked in Nassau at 1pm and did an overnight there. I thought this was great and enabled us to hit the casino in Atlantis late that afternoon and spent the next day at an all-inclusive.

I was sorry we missed GSC and we are cruising again in a couple of weeks. If this should happen again, I won't be upset:)

Thanks, I have been reading a TON and I have seen this. I will keep my fingers crossed.

 

New question: Is it advisable to disembark in Nassau WITH your passport? Or should you just bring cash and credit and cruise card?

Don't need to bring your passport but you need a photo ID to get back onto the ship. Some folks may carry their passports off the ship but in all of our cruises, we have never done so.

Our most recent Gem run was this May and AFAIK, the WiFi system as deployed is good, not exceptional nor fast, but quite usable & speedy enough for non-streaming applications. Thus, short answer for doing your own VoiP or WiFi calling is that, it will work & you can use those 250 minutes for it.

Make sure you know and/or learn, and familiar with, how to sign in and sign OUT or log off the WiFi system, as that's done with an UID and your own password ... which you can share & use on different registered devices. Disable & turn off background updates, uploads & keep the radio on Airplane Mode - if you don't know, check with your cellular provider as they have online tutorial & demo's to explain how that's done.

You only need a decent 3G speed connection to do video calling, audio calling is fine on a slower 2G/Edge connection - and, the ship's satellite WiFi system is "fast" enough to support it - you do NOT need to upgrade to the faster or unlimited premium plan if you only plan to use some minutes. Besides, if you run out - you can always buy more airtime, pricey ... but, my motto is always - in case of emergencies, it is priceless. Always plan ahead to know my options for Plan C, not just Plan B, to mitigate against unexpected surprises.

Facetime, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Hangouts, Duo, Google Voice, Skype, and Ooma all worked fine when I used them onboard ... my SIL/BIL are fans of WeChat due to their friends (and, they said it worked too)

If your carrier & device support WiFi calling, just check to make sure it's not billed as int'l calling with a per minute rate ... even when abroad, most of our calls to the USA were free or otherwise just 20 cents a minute, to as low as 2 cents a minute.

GSC has cellular (for us, we "roamed" free on DigiCel) and ship's WiFi (relayed, somehow ... maybe they beamed via microwave antennas)

Ship's inTRAnet side of the WiFi system is free to stay connected without requiring a log-in and has good coverage, bow to stern ... the inTERnet side needs to be logged in/out each time; and, a usage meter will show your remaining minutes/airtime.

iCafe manager's desk in Deck 7 MID, portside near the Gallery/Art Studio - and printed guides/latest info available free as handout, or speak & ask for help if you aren't sure.

WOW, mking8288

That response takes the cake. I am going to print it for onboard reference, if only to make sure I turn off all the background nonsense on my cell.

Thanks so much.