NCL Gem Review - Detailed!

[im4clowns]

overall great review. we have never been on a NCL ship before but I saw the Gem in port Canaveral today when DH took me over to the port for lunch for my bday....it was nice seeing the Gem in port on a monday.....might have to look at doing a cruise on NCL..

[ussenterprise]

I am enjoying your GEM review very much, we were on March 5-12 sailing, as well with a TON of college kids. We had our 2 teenagers in tow but on the cusp of that great college age!! I'm enjoyng hearing another persons' experiences & views & how different activities change a whole cruise. We packed our shore excursions up, but "next time" (yes my DH used THAT phrase as well), we'll take it easy & enjoy the empty ship a bit more as well as explore on our own!! Looking forward to hearing the rest.

 

It didn't seem like there were a lot of college kids, but there were a lot of grade school aged kids running wild. I'm guessing the parents figured it was NCL's job to babysit??

[ussenterprise]

We were on the Gem Apr 2-9 as well. We'd been on the Pearl about 2 years ago. Since we live in NYC, this was a good chance for a convenient trip.

Overall it was as expected, though way too many kids on board for my tastes. Don't kids ever go to school anymore?

 

 

POSITIVES:

Boarding was quick and easy.

Nothing better than sailing south and feeling the warm weather building by the day.

Excitement of watching the Coast Guard helicopter in to medi-vac a passenger we were told had way too much to drink and they could not stabilize on board.

Food at the specialty restaurants was generally quite good, and room service breakfast on the balcony is wonderful!

Rooms are well-designed and cleverly full of storage in a small space.

Cabin steward was very good and friendly.

Spa was a welcome respite of calm and peace.

Nassau Paradise Island- lovely day-trip to Atlantis to see the amazing marine exhibits.

 

NEGATIVES:

Crowded!!!!

Buffet crowds- competitive eating as one pushes through the throngs to get a waffle is a bit too much for a relaxation vacation.

Gym was often very crowded- every treadmill taken for example. And the machines are a bit dated- time for a refresh!

Internet- VERY slow and of course expensive. Never got wi-fi to work.

TV- too limited... Celebrity was like 20 channels... come on NCL get with it!

Too many people especially kids. Chairs by pool always hogged by 8am. Service was somewhat spotty- an icewater jug in the spa that never got refilled, a simple request for a drink at a bar that was nearly empty taking 2 or 3 tries, 3 reminders before my ginger ale got delivered... you get the picture. Seemed like some of the staff were just not very sharp or attentive, and one was downright hostile.

The GSC day-stop was a waste of time. Tenders rocking in the rough sea and then no lounge chairs available.

Smoking stench was awful in the casino. I used to smoke but this was absurd. Celebrity has done away with most indoor smoking- what is NCL waiting for? And with the ship in cool weather for part of the time, all the smokers were puffing away inside.

Entertainment- the salute to the 70s dance show was so tacky it was kitch, but since it wasn't meant to be kitch it was just bad. And the piano player in the lobby was awful as well and you had to hear him torture the ivories from 3 different restaurants nearby.

 

OVERALL:

I know NCL is appealing to a mass-market, and I'm not expecting to be treated like royalty for $1500 for two people for a week, but it seems like this ship can comfortably handle the 2,400 it's built for, not 3,000. Once it becomes this crowded, everyone gets tense and that is not good for a vacation. And while the GEM is not very old, it is in need of at least partial refurb to keep up with the newer vessels out there.

 

Agree about the smoke in the casino - I couldn't stay long. Also agree about the buffet especially the first morning when we were all cooped up inside. As I said in the review, we probably hit it at peak time and should have gotten out a bit earlier and hit the Grand Pacific, but it's a lesson learned. By panio player, do you mean Randy? We thought he was fantastic.

[ussenterprise]

Thursday began as all the others had and we figured this would be the last day to take advantage of balcony weather. I enjoy sea days because there's no pressure to be up and off the ship for an excursion. We took our time and enjoyed breakfast in the last of the warmth as we headed back to NYC.

 

Showers and Grand Pacific breakfast were followed by strolls through the shops, which were promising "the best deals of the cruise." After not finding anything I couldn't live without in the shops, I headed up on deck to enjoy more of the last of the warm weather. The pools, hot tubs and deck chairs were packed with people as a D.J. entertained with a variety of music.

 

The Second City group was having a workshop on improv that I wanted to attend, so I hit Blue Lagoon for some wings - which aren't bad - and headed to the seminar by Magnums. It was quite a popular and they had us do several excercizes designed to get us to think on our feet. I actually got to work with Desiree, on of the Second City performers. She was quite funny and we quickly developed a good working chemistry. If you enjoy comedy, I recommend this workshop.

 

After the workshop, I headed to the casino to catch up with DW so I could hear all about the crew show and also make sure she didn't gamble our house away. She said a couple of the crew were quite talented, but overall, it was nothing to write home about. The DIL's were busy playing Blackjack, so DW and I headed to Magnums to relax with a couple drinks till dinner.

 

We had reservations with La Cucina and ended up wishing we had chosen another night. La Cucina is quite small and there were two very large, very loud groups of college kids. I realize this is not NCL's fault, but we certainly were glad when they finally left. I had the chicken parm over spaghetti, which was quite good. Tira Misu for dessert was not the best I've ever had, but satisfied the sweet tooth after the acidic marainara sauce. DW and DFIL had steak, which they both agreed was quite good. DMIL had tortellini, which I noticed was the same thing she had gotten in the MDR's a couple times. $10 for MDR food?? Service here was great, except the maitre d' was kind of creepy. Oh well, no biggie.

 

After dinner, DW wanted to excercize her pipes at the Bliss Lounge's karoke night. DW is classically trained and had the lounge mezmerized with a Sarah McLachlan tune. After hanging out listening to karoke, it was time to hear Randy, who once again, had the crowd into it. 12:30 came all too quickly and it was time to retire to bed with one more day at sea to look forward to.

 

Pics from sea day #2:

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1764.jpg

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1812.jpg

[ussenterprise]

The phone rang at the usual 7:30 with Colin telling me that although DW had placed the room service order on the door, she did not specify a time. Not to worry, breakfast was ready if we were. We tipped him a bit extra for his foresight and I opened the balcony door to check the temp. Needless to say, we settled for pre-breakfast in bed and, fearing a repeat of the buffet madness from the first day, a relaxing Grand Pacific breakfast with a table right in back by the windows.

 

DW and I had signed up for the Behind the Scenes Ship Tour. I have always wanted to see the inner workings of a cruise ship and at $55/person, DW and I jumped at the opportunity. The tour began in the Magenta at 10:30 with a lovely young girl named Ieva who was giving the tour solo for the first time. We started in the galley and met the head chef. We learned that there are seperate rooms for everything, meat, poultry, vegtables etc. to help prevent cross contamination. There are even color coded cutting boards. We then spoke to a provisions officer

who explained how they prep the menus (which rotate weekly) and how they purchase the food. Provisioning used to take place in NYC, but is now done in Port Canaveral to help reduce workload on the crew as they try to turn the ship around for the next group. A brief stop with one of the ship engineers and we learned how they dispose of waste and recycle. 23,000 pounds of recycled material was offloaded at Port Canaveral on our cruise!! We then headed to the laundry area to see that operation. Some of the machines they have are pretty cool. A quick run through a portion of the crew area and on to the backstage of the Stardust where one of the performers showed us around and explained how they do things. I found it interesting that they can alter the coreography if the seas are too rough or even cancel the show.

 

The final stop is the bridge where we got to meet the captian, Rodger Gustavsen. He seemed happy to have us on the bridge and showed us all around, explaining all the controls and how they maneuver this giant ship. He was happy to answer all our questions. One interesting story he had was that on the cruise a couple weeks prior, they got a fishing net and line tangeld in one of the two azipods and had to get from Nassau to NYC on only one and they made it on time, no problem. I found this puzzling with all the news of the Dawn missing ports due to engine issues, but they are two different ships so maybe operate differently.

 

Ieva dropped us off at deck 12 forward and announced she would be working the Guest Services desk that night and we should stop by if we were out and about. It was about lunch time, so DW and I grabbed the DIL's and headed to the buffet, which was not as crowded as I thought it would be. After lunch, it was time to start packing up, one of the more depressing chores of any cruise. After packing, DW and her parents decided to try their luck at the Blackjack tournament and I headed to the Stardust to check out Nadeen and her hypnosis seminar. She explaiined how hypnosis works and what the benefits are. She hypnotized several more audience members, this time helping them with personal issues such as weight loss and trouble sleeping. The seminar lasts about 90 minutes and is interesting to watch IMO. By the way, DW and DFIL made it to the final rounds of the Blackjack tourney, but didn't cash in.

 

Dinner came around soon enough and we had reservations in the Grand Pacific. I couldn't find anything that looked appetizing, so settled for the tortellini that DMIL paid $10 for the night before. Nothing looked good as far as entertainment, so we hit The Bliss Lounge for karoke once more before heading over to Magnums and Randy. The mood was somber as everyone realized the cruise was over and Randy did his best to cheer everyone up. We closed Magnums again and turned in after chatting with Randy for a bit and stopping by the Guest Services desk to say goodbye to Ieva. NYC was waiting for us and we had to get an early start the next day.

 

Pics from the ship tour and misc:

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1777.jpg

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1782.jpg

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1792.jpg

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1823.jpg

 

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac216/slgaunky/Cruise%2011/IMG_1831.jpg

[ussenterprise]

Debark: We opted for freestyle debarkation, which means you can carry your own luggage and leave whenever you want. We left our luggage in our rooms and headed to Grand Pacific for one last breakfast. The menu was cut down, but we all found something to eat while we listened to Sinan announce luggage tag colors. After breakfast, we returned to our cabins to gather our things. One last look around to make sure we didn't forget anything and we headed off the ship, a look of disdain on our faces. We walked right off the ship, went through customs and grabbed a taxi to LAG. Probably the easiest debark I've had aside from our 2010 cruise.

 

Thoughts/observations:

 

The people working the port at NYC seem to have their collective act together. Embark and debark were both a breeze.

 

The crew were all very nice and friendly toward us. There were always people cleaning, vaccuming etc. and they would always acknowledge us. Actually, I have never interacted with crew as much as I did on this cruise. Many of the entertainment staff would come sing along with Randy or stop and talk to us, making sure we were enjoying ourselves. There was a bit of a language barrier at times, but in the end, we got what we needed.

 

I really enjoyed Kennedy Space Center Up Close and felt it was worth the extra money for the "up close" part, especially since there was a shuttle on the pad. GSC was a fun day on the beach for us sun starved Chicagoans. Nassau was ok, but if we go back, I may just enjoy an uncrowded day on the boat.

 

Cabins were a bit smaller than I am used to, but we made due. I do have to agree with some posters here and say that there was a bit more nickel and diming going on than on my other cruises. For example, one morning at breakfast, they tried to sell us a brunch (I believe it was to be held on Wednesday) for $15/person. Limited seating, one day only etc. We declined the offer and within 5 minutes, another person was at our table offering the same thing. Another night, they wanted to sell us an exclusive dinner featuring "all the best choices from all the premium restaurants" which we also declined. The food overall was probably not as good as say Carnivals, but I never went hungry and could find something whenever I wanted it.

 

Bottom line, we all had a good cruise. We did agree that the next cruise will be out of FL or if NYC, later in the year when it's not so cold. The DIL's were not impressed with freestyle dining, but agreed they would certainly consider NCL for future cruises. Freestlye is fine with me, but will be sure to make reservations in the future. I would have no problem recommending NCL to anyone.

 

Feel free to ask any questions. If you're booked on NCL, have a great time. If you're considering NCL, I say go for it! Thanks for all your comments!!

[JohnGaltny]

Thanks again Enterprise. We're on the GEM in 3 weeks so your review has been really useful.:D

[sjnyc323]

Great review. thanks for sharing it.

[BahamaMama247]

Great info and love the pictures! Thanks :)

[mtb242]

A long standing tradition on our cruises is what we've come to call "pre-breakfast" which consists of room service bringing such staples as coffee and dainsh. Right on time at 7:30 a.m., we received a call from Colin in room service alerting us that our food was on the way.

 

Just curious how you worked this room service out... Can you pre-order AM room service similar to how some hotels do it? Mark off what you want on a card and place it on your door? Or, do you have to call when you wake up and place the order?

[ussenterprise]

Just curious how you worked this room service out... Can you pre-order AM room service similar to how some hotels do it? Mark off what you want on a card and place it on your door? Or, do you have to call when you wake up and place the order?

 

You can either call them or fill out a card and leave it on your door. Using the card is more convenient IMO. Just make sure you tell them how much you want. So for example, if you and your spouse are both having coffee, put "2" by the coffee section. There's a card in your room to start, but then room service will bring more with your orders.

[lalapodip]

Thanks for your very entertaining and thorough review (love your user name, too :)) - we leave on Saturday on the Gem, so your comments and tips are especially helpful (plus reading it gave me another excuse to postpone packing, haha).

 

I was excited about the NASA UP CLOSE excursions BEFORE I read your review, and now I am REALLY excited! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm!! Is it too corny to say, live long and prosper? ;)

 

Thanks AGAIN!

[gabbie83]

leaving on the gem next saturday and your review was very helpful

thank you !

[mtb242]

You can either call them or fill out a card and leave it on your door. Using the card is more convenient IMO. Just make sure you tell them how much you want. So for example, if you and your spouse are both having coffee, put "2" by the coffee section. There's a card in your room to start, but then room service will bring more with your orders.

 

Perfect! Now I don't have to leave my husband sleeping. I can get my coffee and a snack while he snoozes and enjoy some quiet time on the balcony (our 1st) hopefully. Thanks for the info.

[ussenterprise]

Thanks for your very entertaining and thorough review (love your user name, too :)) - we leave on Saturday on the Gem, so your comments and tips are especially helpful (plus reading it gave me another excuse to postpone packing, haha).

 

I was excited about the NASA UP CLOSE excursions BEFORE I read your review, and now I am REALLY excited! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm!! Is it too corny to say, live long and prosper? ;)

 

Thanks AGAIN!

 

Laura, not at all corny! You're the first one to catch on that the username is related to Star Trek and not the aircraft carrier - lol! You will love NASA Up Close esp. since Endeavor is on the pad. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and you will be able to get off the bus for pics. Make sure you get on a tour bus right away and don't hang around the visitor center too long. Let us know how it goes - live long and prosper :)

[NYGoose82]

What a great and super informative review, thank you for responding to my thread and telling me about your awesome review :):)

[PCLMassachusetts]

Enterprise,

 

That review was fantastic. We are staying overnight at a hotel in NJ before our April, 15 2012 cruise and I was just curious if you know what time you can start getting on the ship? You mentioned that you got there at about 1100 but then went to the museum next door. If you wanted to could have got on the ship that early?

 

Thanks again for the review. And thanks for the reply to my post looking for a photo of my future cabins.

[ussenterprise]

Thanks for your comments, PCL. No, you can't get on that early, they start boarding about the ship about 12. They give you a boarding number and you sit in a waiting area till they call it. We always arrive and check in early, to us it's worth avoiding the lines. Happy to assist, let me know if you have any more questions.