Live from the Gem...

[ncldawn]

[quote name='uneamie']Day 3.....Sea is much calmer today....very rough past two days. And, as you know we lost our San Juan port due to the Gem's Azipod problems. Apparently they had a rough "transatlantic" repositioning to NYC and it took it's toll on the ship. That said, they can't stop the ship till it reaches St Thomas so they can fix the problem....because if they stopped at San Juan they would not be able to go any further and I guess the ship cannot be fixed in San Juan...do not have the parts to fix it there. We will be in St Thomas 4 hours longer due to all this. I may not have all the details totally correct but you get the picture.

This caused them to rearrange our itinerary.....switched St Martin with Antiqua because St Martin is closer to St Thomas and quicker to get to due to the delay.

Finally got our "outside" excursions cancelled. Took most of my morning trying to contact a company whose contact number was disconnected...or so they say. Finally got a hold of them via email....and at this point, I am crossing fingers that we will actually get a refund of our deposit. Guess this is another good reason "not to book" outside excursions.

Now that all that is settled I hope I can relax and enjoy the rest of our trip. This had me all fluster last evening and all this morning till I got things straightened out and rebooked our excursion for St Martin with NCL.

For those who asked about "Le Bistro's" new price and new menu.....yes it cost more ($25) and yes there is a new menu. To each his own....we were not impressed with the service or the food this time around. Our last experience of "Le Bistro" on the Dawn was fabulous! We ate there many many times and thought the entire experience was well worth it. This time on the Gem was very different. 5 different wait staff attended to our table... and that is how they waited on all the tables. You never knew who was responsible for your meal. On the dawn we had one fabulous waiter who was on the ball.

For a speciality restaurant we expected much better service and quality of food. My husband ordered "breast of duck"....had he known that it was going to be served "on the bone" huge bone he would not have bothered with it...there was no mention of a bone. He is not into bones...and who'd expect one in such a fine restaurant. I got the feeling that the chef cared more about the "presentation" of the food then pleasing the customer.

I ordered the "extra cost" lobster which was all of a 6 oz small tale that was cut up in chunks, spread out on the plate and covered in a white sauce. Taste was not all that bad, but it was not worth paying extra for it....I was expecting a regular lobster tail with drawn butter. I guess I should have asked more about it before I ordered it...or sent it back but it was taking sooo long between each course that I was afraid we'd be there all night. That said, I asked for drawn butter and it never came. We also order appetizers that never came...they brought our dinner and we told them they forgot our escargo and seared scallop appetizers...."Oh sorry" was all that was said. I guess they thought since we got soup and salad we had enough.
I did enjoy my "Carmel flan" dessert....but, I'd advise you not to order the "chocolate flour less cake" unless you bring a "chain saw" with you...ha ha! I rate "Le Bistro" on Dawn with a 10+....."Le BIstro" on the Gem....I'd say about a 5.

Tonight is Asian Fusion....I have a feeling this one will be much better. I heard others speak well of it.

So far the MDR food is good to very good...in fact my husband liked the MDR food better than Le Bistro...hmm.

Tonight is Karaoke Idol night...should be a hoot

Get back with you all perhaps tomorrow....heading out on a "kayak and beach" excursion in St Thomas.[/quote]




THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR SPENDING A COUPLE OF YOUR COSTLY MINUTES ON THIS! Very much appreciate by all, I'm sure.



Did you get compensated for missing the stop?


To tell you the truth, I would rather have 4 more hours in St. Thomas!

[welove2cruise232]

Thanks so much for the update uneamie! Sorry to hear about the change to your itinerary, and know what a hassle it can be to cancel "on your own" excursions. I hope you'll post again and let us know how they did with the repairs.

[ShaggyLadyMisty]

[quote name='uneamie']Howdy all...

Coming to you live from the "rocking and a rolling" Gem....yikes I am losing my balance..ha ha! Any hoo...everything went extremely well so far. Embarkation in NYC was a breeze. I am sitting in our cabin "forward" mini with my laptop using the wireless connection. Not nearly as slow as everyone talks about. It's great!

Well...I will get back tomorrow with a bit more live from the Gem[/QUOTE]

I am bringing my laptop. Does it cost anything to use the wireless connection?

[johnql]

[quote name='ShaggyLadyMisty']I am bringing my laptop. Does it cost anything to use the wireless connection?[/quote]
Yes, exact same rates as using the computers in the Internet Cafe. The advantage of using your laptop is that you can compose an email first, log on, send the message, then log off. You will use fewer minutes overall with your own laptop vs. the ship's computer.

Here's a link to NCL's internet access rates:

[url]http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=InternetCafe[/url]

[time2cruise1]

[quote name='ShaggyLadyMisty']I am bringing my laptop. Does it cost anything to use the wireless connection?[/quote]

:D:D:D:D Just a little. Somewhere between $.40 and $.75 per minute depending on the plan you purchase onboard. :eek:

[url]http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=InternetCafe[/url]

[settingsail1]

Thank you so much for posting. We truly appreciate it. I hope the remainder of your cruise is a pleasant one.

We are also sailing 1/13/2010.

Happy Sailing
Maria

[cruzndiz]

Someone mentioned the convenience of bringing a laptop for composing e-mails off line......this is true, but you can do that with one of their computers as well. The real benefit of bringing the laptop with you is the convenience of being able to do all your computing from the comfort of your own cabin ;)

[starboard59]

[quote name='cruzndiz']Someone mentioned the convenience of bringing a laptop for composing e-mails off line......this is true, but you can do that with one of their computers as well. The real benefit of bringing the laptop with you is the convenience of being able to do all your computing from the comfort of your own cabin ;)[/quote]


I had checked with NCL and they said if you bought a pkg deal you could use thier laptop in the cabin as well. If you've experienced differen let me know.
thanks

[jp2001]

[quote name='starboard59']I had checked with NCL and they said if you bought a pkg deal you could use thier laptop in the cabin as well. If you've experienced differen let me know.
thanks[/QUOTE]

They rent laptops? I could be interested. How much is it (on top of the internet minutes?)

[newyorkerturk]

I have just received an e-mail from my TA after I asked the current condition of the ship and itinerary.
She said that the ship is now being fixed at St. Thomas port, and they will head to St. Maarten tomorrow then back to NYC.
SHe said our Jan 13 cruise seems on schedule but she also told me to follow the announcements after I think about cancelling my cruise. (I told her that I don't want to get on board and suffer from itinerary changes and engine problems)
So I guess that would mean that they only would be stopping at two ports St Thomas and St Maarten before coming back to NYC. If so that would be ridiculous and I don't want to believe in such a thing.It would be a waste of my money.

[Frenchsnowhite]

This is really sad.......sad situation.......a group of friends are on that sailing as we speak........I bet they will never sail with NCL again:cool:.

Hope your upcoming cruise won't be like this one:o

[NYcruzzer]

[quote name='newyorkerturk']I have just received an e-mail from my TA after I asked the current condition of the ship and itinerary.
She said that the ship is now being fixed at St. Thomas port, and they will head to St. Maarten tomorrow then back to NYC.
SHe said our Jan 13 cruise seems on schedule but she also told me to follow the announcements after I think about cancelling my cruise. (I told her that I don't want to get on board and suffer from itinerary changes and engine problems)
So I guess that would mean that they only would be stopping at two ports St Thomas and St Maarten before coming back to NYC. If so that would be ridiculous and I don't want to believe in such a thing.It would be a waste of my money.[/QUOTE]

If the ship is being repaired in St. Thomas why would they need to return 1.5 days early ? I wonder if my 2/3 sailing will be affected. I hope all passangers currently on the GEM have a safe return to NYC..

[newyorkerturk]

[quote name='Frenchsnowhite']This is really sad.......sad situation.......a group of friends are on that sailing as we speak........I bet they will never sail with NCL again:cool:.

Hope your upcoming cruise won't be like this one:o[/quote]

I hope so, and I hope all those on the GEM have a safe trip back home. If this would happen to me, I wouldn't stop crying all the way back because of nervousness. lol..

This would be my first time - ever cruise and this would be our honeymoon cruise at the same time, and in my life all I wanted so badly is to be on a cruise to Caribbean:(

[cruzship21]

Is it true that the NCL Gem is on a ten day cruise and now with the problem they
are experiencing they are only stopping in St. Thomas and St. Marteen and then
heading back to NYC???? That would be terrible. I am not blaming NCL it's not their
fault but I wouldn't want to be on that cruise. You wait all this time to go away
and they only go to two ports and then head back to cold weather the rest of the way
back. I feel sorry for all on the GEM right now. I would think then the next sailing won't
go out then. How could it go back if they are sailing back tomorrow slowly that means
it's not fix and they can't fix it while sailing. Very strange. Waiting for updates.
I hope people don't blame NCL as this is something that can't be help things happen.
I alway sail in the winter (going in Feb) and look forward to going to all the ports and
being in hot sunny weather and they no sooner get there and they are turning around
and heading back. Sad very Sad.

Dave

[Frenchsnowhite]

You know Dave these things happens, but it's NCL's job to provide ships that are well maintened............don't think the people in that cruise paid for what they are getting right now:(

When you take your car for a long ride, don't you make sure it's all in order??? I think it's the same thing with cruising ships:rolleyes:

But that's only my opinion:rolleyes:;)

[Ms. X]

My brother is on the Gem and spoke with my folks this morning after their arrival in St Thomas. They are staying in St Thomas until 10:00 tonight so they can work on the problem and then off to their other scheduled stops. He did not say anything about heading back after St Maarten - I'm sure he would have mentioned that if it had been announced...

[ddakrt]

[quote name='Frenchsnowhite']You know Dave these things happens, but it's NCL's job to provide ships that are well maintened............don't think the people in that cruise paid for what they are getting right now:(

When you take your car for a long ride, don't you make sure it's all in order??? I think it's the same thing with cruising ships:rolleyes:

But that's only my opinion:rolleyes:;)[/quote]
I'm positive the Gem is very well maintained, being NCL's newest and all. If you have a car costing $500 million that you use EVERYDAY of the year, you'd tend to maintain it I think. ;)

Sometimes things happen, the Azipods are not exactly known for their reliability.

[Seanote]

[quote name='ddakrt']I' the Azipods are not exactly known for their reliability.[/quote]

That is why the Epic is being built without Azipods.

[msg12188]

[quote name='Frenchsnowhite']You know Dave these things happens, but it's NCL's job to provide ships that are well maintened............don't think the people in that cruise paid for what they are getting right now:(

When you take your car for a long ride, don't you make sure it's all in order??? I think it's the same thing with cruising ships:rolleyes:

But that's only my opinion:rolleyes:;)[/quote]

I wouldn't fault NCL here. Haven't you ever had your car serviced & then something goes wrong? There are often unforeseen circumstances that happen.

I've been at sea during a hurricane & the majority of the passengers were ill. I didn't blame it on the cruise line!

I myself would be concerned if I were onboard & probably devastated that 3 of my ports were cancelled but these things happen. Better that they are safe.

There are 13 of us traveling on the GEM next month & we are obviously concerned as to whether ports or our entire sailing will be cancelled. We have been advised by NCL at this point that they will keep us posted via email & phone.

[ddakrt]

[quote name='msg12188']
I myself would be concerned if I were onboard & probably devastated that 3 of my ports were cancelled but these things happen. Better that they are safe.
[/quote]
Don't say that just yet. We don't know what the itinerary changes will be aside from San Juan already canceled and that they're staying 4 hours longer at St. Thomas.

Someone will read you post about "canceling 3 ports" and take it and speak it to others as fact. Next thing we know there will be crazy [U][B]rumours[/B][/U] that NCL is scraping the Gem at Alang next month because they can't fix the pod(s)! :eek:

[ddakrt]

[quote name='Seanote']That is why the Epic is being built without Azipods.[/quote]

I would assume that is the reason ya.

[Frenchsnowhite]

[quote name='msg12188'] There are often unforeseen circumstances that happen.

I've been at sea during a hurricane & the majority of the passengers were ill. I didn't blame it on the cruise line!

quote]

This is a situation that no one can control I have to agree with you:rolleyes:

[Cubechick]

[quote name='Ms. X']My brother is on the Gem and spoke with my folks this morning after their arrival in St Thomas. They are staying in St Thomas until 10:00 tonight so they can work on the problem and then off to their other scheduled stops. He did not say anything about heading back after St Maarten - I'm sure he would have mentioned that if it had been announced...[/quote]

Thank you for your reports! I think the only info that we can remotely rely upon right now are the reports from those in the thick of things on the ship. You're giving me hope that we'll leave as scheduled next Wednesday! :)

[rzdj96]

Things happen and we all must keep open minded to that fact. I'm sure NCL is doing everything possible to rectify the situation they're in. Look at the Dawns situation when it went dead in the water a few weeks back. I feel that the passengers were properly compensated for by NCL.

The only thing that would bother me is if the GEM wasn't repaired properly and NCL decided to reschedule the ports for the next cruises, without offering the opportunity for passengers to either cancel or reschedule prior to sailing. We love cruising but we also enjoy the ports we're visiting. I mean, unless it's a transatlantic or something, I don't believe too many folks would book a 10 day cruise to no-where (not enough folks to fill a ship anyway).

Once the GEM returns on the 13th, the current problem becomes moot. If the GEM leaves on the 13th with the same known difficulties, then I'd say it becomes NCL's responsibility to notify those passengers prior to the sailings that things aren't as you planned (and offer alternatives). IMHO

[spirit rev]

NCL is planning on the Gem being in NYC on the 13th. Up on the Epic threads is a report the next Epic announcement will be made on the Gem on the 13th.

I'll be on that cruise and anticipate a great time.