Norwegian Gem Extended Hurricane Sandy Cruise Review with Photos!

[readytogo2]

Wow, thank you for the kind words! :)

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise on the Gem!

 

You're very welcome and thank you!

[YankeeFan4Ever]

What a GREAT review!!! I really enjoyed it immensely. You are one classy guy. Not too many people would have added that additional 4 day DSC. They have a hard time paying the regular DSC. Never did understand that.

 

Again, thanks for a GREAT review.;)

 

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! :)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

My daughter and I were on this cruise also. Reading your review brought back lots of fine memories. We stayed on board till the end and were glad we did. As you said many time, the captain and crew were fantastic. I rank this cruise as one my favorite....

 

Thanks for reading my review!

 

My wife and I also think this was one of our favorite cruises! :)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Awesome review and fantastic pictures, I may look into getting a new camera after seeing all of you pictures!!

 

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! :)

 

I would strongly recommend any of the new Nikon Coolpix cameras, they're really easy to use and take good photos!

[CruisinMaterial]

I'm not sure you'll want to let us in because next time we come for a visit, we'll be dressed head-to-toe in FULL Yankees regalia!!! :p

 

Now that's taking life into your own hands! The Boston fans can get a wee bit crazy, especially when they have had a few too many libations!! :eek::p

[scaaty]

Landfall

 

Important note

 

I’d like to emphasize that throughout all this, the crew of the Gem did a fantastic job.

 

Captain Gustavsen did a great job of keeping us informed with twice daily updates on Hurricane Sandy and the sea conditions we’d be facing. He and Cruise Director Sinan even put together a video showing our progress towards New York in relation to the path of the storm.

 

The Captain seemed to be out and about a lot during this cruise and I even spoke to him briefly in the atrium as we enjoyed our morning coffees. I shook his hand and thanked him for his decision to leave early and head to New York ahead of the storm. He told me that some people were upset with him, but the majority seemed to echo my feelings.

 

The entire restaurant, hotel and entertainment staff did a fantastic job of feeding us delicious meals, keeping our rooms spotless and entertaining us. There was always live music, trivia, shows and activities to help keep morale up. Our cruise director Sinan was, in 1 word: AMAZING.

 

I can’t say enough positive things regarding the entire staff of the Norwegian Gem, they kept us safe, fed and entertained throughout the entire ordeal and deserve a big kudos from everyone who was onboard.

 

I was also on this cruise and I agree with you 110% regarding the way the staff took care of us. In my mind they are the best of the best!!!

 

I will also always remember Sinan's morning greeting of "welcome to day 88 on the ark" :D

[Fydlstyx]

 

 

You are right. Your wife is very pretty. :) I am loving her clothes and would like to know where she shops!

 

Sherry

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Now that's taking life into your own hands! The Boston fans can get a wee bit crazy, especially when they have had a few too many libations!! :eek::p

 

 

LOL...Have you ever seen what happens to Red Sox fans at Yankee Stadium??!!! :eek:

[emcee207]

LOL...Have you ever seen what happens to Red Sox fans at Yankee Stadium??!!! :eek:

 

 

LOL, both places are over the top, been there and done that. These days I watch from home; with HD TV you can see more and won't get thrown up on!;)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

I was also on this cruise and I agree with you 110% regarding the way the staff took care of us. In my mind they are the best of the best!!!

 

I will also always remember Sinan's morning greeting of "welcome to day 88 on the ark" :D

 

I remember him saying that...it was hilarious! :D

[BritChickBN1]

Great review!

 

We were on the Jewel cruise that left NYC an hour before they closed the port. The seas were indeed incredibly rough. We had wine glasses falling off the shelves and toiletries flying around the bathroom. We even tilted so far over a few times that we were sliding out of bed. Needless to say I didn't sleep a wink! :o

 

Happy cruising!

[YankeeFan4Ever]

You are right. Your wife is very pretty. :) I am loving her clothes and would like to know where she shops!

 

Sherry

 

Thanks! I'm not too sure where she shops...:confused: But she seems to have good taste!

[New York Nana]

Great review! Makes me want to try NCL from NY! We were 'parked' in Boston on the Carribean Princess and saw the Gem come into port and all the people getting off. We were given the same options, but chose to stay put. We left before you, but you arrived back into NY before us (?!) The Brooklyn Terminal was basically destroyed (along with about 200 cars parked there - ours included.) We docked at the Manhattan terminal instead. I've attached a couple of pictures I took of lower Manhattan that morning between 6 and 7 am. It was very eery. The whole harbor was so QUIET!

[themerle]

Thanks for sharing your review! Did you eat any of your meals in the speciality restaurants? How was the food in the main dining rooms? A lot of our friends who have sailed on Norweign have said that they didn't enjoy the food in the main dining. They said they only ate in the speciality restaurants. I would like to get your opinion. Thanks!

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Great review!

 

We were on the Jewel cruise that left NYC an hour before they closed the port. The seas were indeed incredibly rough. We had wine glasses falling off the shelves and toiletries flying around the bathroom. We even tilted so far over a few times that we were sliding out of bed. Needless to say I didn't sleep a wink! :o

 

Happy cruising!

 

Sounds like you had it even worse than us...luckily we didn't slide out of bed. :eek:

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Great review! Makes me want to try NCL from NY! We were 'parked' in Boston on the Carribean Princess and saw the Gem come into port and all the people getting off. We were given the same options, but chose to stay put. We left before you, but you arrived back into NY before us (?!) The Brooklyn Terminal was basically destroyed (along with about 200 cars parked there - ours included.) We docked at the Manhattan terminal instead. I've attached a couple of pictures I took of lower Manhattan that morning between 6 and 7 am. It was very eery. The whole harbor was so QUIET!

 

 

Thank you so much for posting the pics! That's exactly what we saw as we sailed into New York Harbor...eerie indeed.

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Thanks for sharing your review! Did you eat any of your meals in the speciality restaurants? How was the food in the main dining rooms? A lot of our friends who have sailed on Norweign have said that they didn't enjoy the food in the main dining. They said they only ate in the speciality restaurants. I would like to get your opinion. Thanks!

 

 

Glad you enjoyed the review! :)

 

Overall, we thought the food in the main dining room was great! There were only 1 or 2 dishes that we ordered and didn't really care for. Some dishes however, like the braised lamb shank and the mushroom risotto were outstanding!

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Did you eat any of your meals in the speciality restaurants?

 

Sorry, I forgot to answer your first question! :p

 

No, we did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants because my wife has a very strict diet (no gluten, no dairy) and we figured it would be to difficult for the chefs to change their menus to accommodate her.

 

I hope this helps! :)

[NCLcruiserGem]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! What a great review! We (9 of us) are on the Gem on March 13th. I'v made sure that they have all read the review and looked at your pictures. We have 4 balcony cabins in a row on deck 10. I also hope we have the same CD that you had. You and your wife went above and beyond in your generosity to the staff and in sharing with us. Happy cruising! I've been on the Miracle twice and loved it!

 

I'll be on that cruise too! :D can't wait.

[lyndhurst]

Thank you so much for a fantastic review. I enjoyed reading it so much and the photos were great. I, too, will be on the Gem leaving on 13th March.

[1stimecruiser]

Thank you for a great and entertaining review. We sail on the Gem in September and are looking forward to great food and entertainment.

[dmwalker613]

Wow loved the review and pics. You and your wife are class acts! One thing I learned from this is to never book a cruise in hurricane season. I know something like your cruise rarely happens, but it does occasionally. I would have been truly freaking out with those high waves. We just got back from a Bahamas cruise with the smoothest water ever. Thanks again for the review! Your future children will be lucky to have you as parents!

[kimashton]

Yankees fan here.

 

So glad you are safe. Just thinking about those high seas make me nausous but I get motion sickness. Glad you have a great time even with those circumstances.

[coffeecat]

Great review! i can not believe the waves were 40-50 ft...we had 20 or 30ft waves once and that was more than enough excitement for me.

 

Reinstating the service charges...now that is class.

 

Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing.

 

Coffeecat

[tweetylori]

LOVED your review...LOVED you and your wife...thank you so much for sharing your story and your pics and videos.

 

You are the kind of folks I would love to find myself paired with at a dinner table on a cruise. Hope that happens. In the meantime, thanks again for sharing and for being such a kind, positive person!