Reporting Semi-Live from NCL Gem 5-23-15

[vicocala]

Thank you for taking all of us along on your cruise! It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to our cruise next week. I'm glad you made is safely home and may the Lord bless and keep you until you cruise again!

[Offwego2015]

Thank You Seadog67 it was enjoyable following you on your vacation.

[seadog67]

Thanks again for sharing your trip Seadog! Very enjoyable and informative. The Gem is a fine ship. Looking forward to your Bermuda run on the Breakaway, that may be our next cruise!

 

Doug

 

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Many thanks for a wonderful virtual vacation! Can't wait to join you on the Breakaway in August! ;)

 

Thanks guys! Bermuda is my favorite cruise destination, and I cannot wait to go!

 

Thanks again!

[seadog67]

Thank you for taking all of us along on your cruise! It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to our cruise next week. I'm glad you made is safely home and may the Lord bless and keep you until you cruise again!

 

Thank you vicocala! Amen and thank you we can never have enough blessings.

 

Thank You Seadog67 it was enjoyable following you on your vacation.

 

Awesome offwego! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for checking in!

[monkeybone]

Going to miss my leisurely breakfasts after today, instead of a quick coffee from wawa during the workweek :(

 

 

 

 

 

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Fantastic review!

 

I love the coffee at Wawa. But it won't help for the post cruise blues :)

[Pamster]

Thanks Nycruzzer and pamster! Have a great time NY.

 

It is a great feeling pamster paying for a cruise with winnings [emoji3] as you know it is not usually like that lol

 

 

 

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Sure isn't - winning on a cruise is especially unusual. Did have big winnings at the Mirage in Vegas once. But, other than those two, it's been contributions all the way. LOL

 

Looks like you had a great cruise. thanks for sharing it with us. Have never been on the Gem, but have sailed on the Pearl a couple of times. Next is the Jewel to Mexico this fall. Really, really enjoyed your cruise report.

[seadog67]

Fantastic review!

 

I love the coffee at Wawa. But it won't help for the post cruise blues :)

 

Thanks monkeybone! Yeah those pcb's are setting in now, unpacking, wash, grocery shopping, looking at the lawn which needs cutting... yeah I miss it already... LOL

[jaja]

Yeah those pcb's are setting in now, unpacking, wash, grocery shopping, looking at the lawn which needs cutting... yeah I miss it already... LOL

 

SO sorry...I know how bad the first few days are ....:eek:

[seadog67]

SO sorry...I know how bad the first few days are ....:eek:

 

Thanks jaja! It passes quick enough though :) hope you have a great trip yourself.

 

Looking through some of my photos this morning I noticed one that I do not remember uploading and thought was interesting from the BSTour, the passenger count and breakdown for this cruise so here it is.

[RACRLS]

Seadog,

I am a late-comer to your review but I enjoyed reading it. I was up late last night reading all 30 pages. I (we) have been going through Post Cruise Depression ourselves as we returned from Bermuda on the Dawn on the 22nd of May (to Boston).

We have cruised on the Gem and have been thinking we wanted to try her again so your review has taken a big step toward focusing our thoughts.

I do have a question though. All of our cruises from New York have involved travel to the pier by bus from MA. There have been a few near bad experiences with this transport and we are considering driving and parking at the pier on our next New York cruise. Is the entry to the pier, and the check-in at the parking, straight forward or is there something I might need to know in advance? Do we need to stop and off-load our checked bags before we enter the parking location? In your initial post you mentioned a cost of $210 which works out to $30/day. Did I read that correctly?

Sorry, I did say one question didn't I.

[peg013]

Seadog,

I am a late-comer to your review but I enjoyed reading it. I was up late last night reading all 30 pages. I (we) have been going through Post Cruise Depression ourselves as we returned from Bermuda on the Dawn on the 22nd of May (to Boston).

We have cruised on the Gem and have been thinking we wanted to try her again so your review has taken a big step toward focusing our thoughts.

I do have a question though. All of our cruises from New York have involved travel to the pier by bus from MA. There have been a few near bad experiences with this transport and we are considering driving and parking at the pier on our next New York cruise. Is the entry to the pier, and the check-in at the parking, straight forward or is there something I might need to know in advance? Do we need to stop and off-load our checked bags before we enter the parking location? In your initial post you mentioned a cost of $210 which works out to $30/day. Did I read that correctly?

Sorry, I did say one question didn't I.

 

As far as the $210 for parking - there is currently a coupon for 25% off the parking which is $40 a day. So a 7 night cruise that would normally be $280 is reduced to $210 with the coupon. The coupon is available here: http://www.nycruise.com/content/uploads/2015/04/MCT_parking2015_B-Gem-to-October-2015.pdf

[seadog67]

Seadog,

I am a late-comer to your review but I enjoyed reading it. I was up late last night reading all 30 pages. I (we) have been going through Post Cruise Depression ourselves as we returned from Bermuda on the Dawn on the 22nd of May (to Boston).

We have cruised on the Gem and have been thinking we wanted to try her again so your review has taken a big step toward focusing our thoughts.

I do have a question though. All of our cruises from New York have involved travel to the pier by bus from MA. There have been a few near bad experiences with this transport and we are considering driving and parking at the pier on our next New York cruise. Is the entry to the pier, and the check-in at the parking, straight forward or is there something I might need to know in advance? Do we need to stop and off-load our checked bags before we enter the parking location? In your initial post you mentioned a cost of $210 which works out to $30/day. Did I read that correctly?

Sorry, I did say one question didn't I.

 

Awesome RACRLS! Glad you liked it! Driving to the terminal is pretty straight forward, and the cost this last trip was $210 for the week. You may be able to drop off your luggage at the bottom level but you then have to exit the terminal and get back on 12th avenue and go back around and enter the parking ramp again then go to the roof to park.

 

What we do is ride up to parking level, pay then drop the wife off near the elevator with our luggage and I go further down to park. This trip I was almost at the end of the roof level parking. Then you take the elevator to the ground floor, check you luggage then take the elevators up to the second floor to check in. This sounds like a hassle but it is really not.

 

I would suggest arriving before 11 as we arrived about 10:30 and the parking level was filling up, and I assume they would make you then park down one pier at the next roof top parking and have to walk back. But all in all I have never had an issue with parking and or checking in at the pier.

 

Have a great time however you plan to arrive and thanks again for checking in on the report!

[seadog67]

As far as the $210 for parking - there is currently a coupon for 25% off the parking which is $40 a day. So a 7 night cruise that would normally be $280 is reduced to $210 with the coupon. The coupon is available here: http://www.nycruise.com/content/uploads/2015/04/MCT_parking2015_B-Gem-to-October-2015.pdf

 

You know, we did not have any coupon, and when we paid, I had 280 prepared for parking and when the lady said 210 I though I was really mistaken at the 280 and my wife blamed it on the sometimers I suffer from. Not glad that I was correct in the 280 initially and sorry if I misled anyone to the true future cost.

 

It was a nice deal the lady must have given us as I was unaware of the coupon.

 

Thanks for the clarification Peg!

[chipandsteph]

What a wonderful review! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! My husband, son, and I will be boarding the Gem on June 27th for our first cruise with Norwegian. We have always cruised with Carnival. I am now looking forward to this one more than ever!

[seadog67]

What a wonderful review! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! My husband, son, and I will be boarding the Gem on June 27th for our first cruise with Norwegian. We have always cruised with Carnival. I am now looking forward to this one more than ever!

 

Great chipandsteph! Hope you have an awesome time on NCL. Thanks for checking in!

[gbanshee]

Thank you SOOOO much! It was a great report.

 

Did you by chance get Le Bistro menu pictures? <she asks quietly>

[seadog67]

Thank you SOOOO much! It was a great report.

 

Did you by chance get Le Bistro menu pictures? <she asks quietly>

 

Awesome gbanshee, glad you enjoyed it. Sheepishly, I did not, but meant to several times as I was right there multiple times listening to the piano man :(

 

At least my sometimers tells me I did not, when I get home tonight I will look through my photos to verify I did not.

 

Sorry but glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!

[rupert5]

Lol mking that unsold cabins cracked me up! Have three pups heading home to get and receive our crazy welcome home with slobbering kisses included [emoji3] except our beagle who stays mad at us for a day or so lol.

 

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long time lurker, first time commenter (thanks for such a great review--headed on the gem in december!)

 

beagles are really good at holding grudges....having two of them, i know this verrrrrry well lol.

[longislandcruise]

Thanks again for a great helpful review seadog67

 

Dennis:)

[Sizzlechest]

Excellent review. BTW, do you remember what the disembarkation times were? I need to plan a car service pickup.

[seadog67]

long time lurker, first time commenter (thanks for such a great review--headed on the gem in december!)

 

 

 

beagles are really good at holding grudges....having two of them, i know this verrrrrry well lol.

 

 

Thats great rupert, I am glad you enjoyed it and hope you have a great time!

 

As to my beagle, he is famously stubborn but being our first I love him to death!

 

 

By the way that is his seat and his only lol.

 

 

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[seadog67]

Thanks again for a great helpful review seadog67

 

 

 

Dennis:)

 

 

Thanks longislandcruise! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

 

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[seadog67]

Excellent review. BTW, do you remember what the disembarkation times were? I need to plan a car service pickup.

 

 

Thanks Sizzlechest! Here are the colors and approx disembark times:

 

 

 

 

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[Sizzlechest]

Perfect! Danke!!!

[cindasilk]

Wanted to save my applause til the end, so ditto KyleClark's post. ^^^

 

Will be on the Gem a week from Sunday, headed in a different direction (Canada). Thank you so much for sharing your vacation and the Gem with us! So much useful info in this thread.

 

We are headed to Canada with you!!! 4 days and counting!! so excited!!