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Norwegian Gem Extended Hurricane Sandy Cruise Review with Photos!

YankeeFan4Ever

By YankeeFan4Ever,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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YankeeFan4Ever

YankeeFan4Ever

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Great pics YANKEEFAN!!!

 

Getting excited, as we are taking this cruise for the first time in a couple weeks -- hopefully without the added excitement of a hurricane! LOL :D

 

Thanks for sharing your adventure!

 

Don't worry about it, you're well out of hurricane season!

 

I can guarantee that you'll love this cruise! The Gem is a great ship with a great staff!

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

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cherylroslyn

cherylroslyn

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I am sure we were snapping pictures and waving....afterall Gemm was secial to me becuase I had just sailed her 7 months earlier......

 

 

alos, seeing your photo of Star leaving St. Thomas.....my very good friend was on that ship as well......

 

 

Only people who sailed that week would understand the uncertainty and fear that we all suffered from.......

 

 

and for people like me, who lost a lot becauseof the storm it is even more eery.......

 

 

I wish I could just roll back the clock..........

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YankeeFan4Ever

YankeeFan4Ever

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I am sure we were snapping pictures and waving....afterall Gemm was secial to me becuase I had just sailed her 7 months earlier......

 

 

alos, seeing your photo of Star leaving St. Thomas.....my very good friend was on that ship as well......

 

 

Only people who sailed that week would understand the uncertainty and fear that we all suffered from.......

 

 

and for people like me, who lost a lot becauseof the storm it is even more eery.......

 

 

I wish I could just roll back the clock..........

 

It was definitely a strange situation.

 

I'm truly sorry you were affected by Sandy. Hopefully everyone who's lives were turned upside down will be able to recover quickly.

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NayRN

NayRN

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Great review so far! I'll be sailing on the Gem from NYC in August! Can't wait to read more of your review! It's making the long wait for my cruise seem a little bit closer.......

 

Oh, and Go Detroit Tigers!!!;)

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YankeeFan4Ever

YankeeFan4Ever

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Days 7-10

Stranded at Sea Part 1

We left St-Thomas at full speed to make our way back to New York ahead of the storm. The first day at sea was fairly nice weather wise but the seas definitely picked up in the evening as we got closer to hurricane Sandy.

Captain Gustavsen kept us well informed at all times and told us the plan was to get ahead of the storm by heading straight up towards Bermuda, then turning west towards New York to arrive well ahead of Sandy a day earlier than our scheduled arrival date of October 29th. He also mentioned that this decision had been made by himself after consulting with Norwegian’s corporate offices in Miami, who were closely monitoring the situation.

Seas starting to get rough

2vkgdc1.jpg

 

On day 7, (October 27th) the weather started to turn. It was getting really windy and the boat was rocking and rolling. Captain Gustavsen announced that the weather would be getting worse overnight with swells of 20 to 25 feet!!! He assured passengers that the ship was designed to handle much worse conditions and that we were all very safe aboard the Gem. You could definitely feel the tension aboard the ship, people were getting nervous and it showed.

My wife and I weren’t worried at this point and we were actually enjoying the motion, having doubled up on our Bonine tablets, which was good since the weather was getting heavier by the hour. Waves were now topping the 30 foot mark! :eek:

On the morning of October 28th, we were informed by the Captain that the New York Port Authority had closed down the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in anticipation of the coming storm. This basically meant that they were refusing to let us in, even though Sandy wasn’t scheduled to make landfall for at least another day.

Edited by YankeeFan4Ever
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YankeeFan4Ever

YankeeFan4Ever

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Something I forgot to add in the last post:

 

Here is a photo that shows our approximate position in relation to Sandy on October 27th. The black dot is the centre of the storm, and the red dot is the Norwegian Gem. We are north of Bermuda, about to make the turn towards New York, indicated by the blue dot.

 

301n3ex.jpg

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YankeeFan4Ever

YankeeFan4Ever

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On the afternoon of the 28th, Captain Gustavsen decided on a new course of action. Since hurricane Sandy was predicted to make landfall just south of New York City, we would be heading north towards Nantucket Island and stay out at sea to ride out her arrival.

 

The weather was still rough and people were starting to get a little stir crazy.

 

Rough seas

 

sg6cqo.jpg

 

nfocgi.jpg

 

I’ve also uploaded 2 youtube videos of the sea conditions on October 28th if anyone’s interested. I think they’re worth a look. :eek:

 

 

 

 

Coming up: The seas increase to 40-50 feet!

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emcee207

emcee207

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Yes, with the exception of the Yankees propaganda (;)) this is, so far, one of the most interesting reviews I have read. And the pics are great!

 

What is a nice guy from Canada like you doing rooting for the Evil Empire????:D

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