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NCL Gem Review 4/28 to Orlando and Bahamas (pics)

graphicguy

By graphicguy,
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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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Significant only if you've been to Paradise Island docked via ship. Whenever a tour guide, or taxi driver, or any entre into or out of the island, things begin and/or end at the tall, yellow tower....

 

28104386508_4e4f8092b7_k.jpgIMG_0245 by D J, on Flickr

 

A note about shopping.....once you venture out into the "downtown" area from this tower, you'll find ALL the requisite shops.....Diamonds International, Tanzanite International (who knew Tanzanite needed its own store), Pandora, etc. Plenty of souvenir shops, too.

 

If you've been to one Caribbean/Bahamas tourist shopping area, you've seen them all. Only the locale changes.

 

I've been asked if you get some "deals" at these sorts of shops. Deal? I dunno. Seems to me they are all priced about the same. I know just enough about jewelry and precious stones to know what I don't know. Yeah, you'll save a little in tax, and if you only pay retail at home, you'll save a bit.

 

But, what you give up is the ability to return something that breaks, or something that might be counterfeit (although I doubt a place like Diamonds International has counterfeit goods, some of the smaller shops might).

 

Bottom line, regardless of the "guarantee" they give you, once you sail away, you're not going to be able to hit up the mall to return something that's not quite right.

 

If you want a memento of the trip, or see something you can't find anywhere else (really?), then go for it. Don't expect to get much of a "deal", though.

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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Frankly, with "only" two ports made on a 7 day cruise, with one of them being Canaveral and the other being Paradise Island, there isn't much more to show from the ports. That's not a bad thing. We spent a lot of time on the water. That's a good thing in it's own right.

 

As such, I'll post some pics that are miscellaneous and sum up my thoughts of the NCL GEM.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

I pretty much adhere to the "no photos-no videos" admonishments when seeing the ship's shows. So, I really don't have any pics of the main shows. They were good. One, the BIG BAND themed show was excellent. Coming from someone who isn't a Big Band aficionado, that's saying something. The Comedienne was good, too.

 

But, for the most part, I spent the vast majority of my time seeing/listening to the entertainment in the Atrium or by Magnums. I stayed away from the pool bands, as those areas were usually crowded.

 

41256807994_58861c8e53_k.jpgIMG_0281 by D J, on Flickr

 

Spent quite a bit of time at the Spinnaker Lounge. It was never crowded when I was there, which I could never understand. It gave a great, wide open view of the cruise.

 

28104374188_10d1f34460_k.jpgIMG_0262 by D J, on Flickr

 

41930950212_ea2c1e5d65_k.jpgIMG_0263 by D J, on Flickr

 

41256826064_d2f503c687_k.jpgIMG_0273 by D J, on Flickr

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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At the outset, I said it was a great cruise. Going through all of the pics and posting here makes me remember it even more fondly.

 

The food (excepting Orchids restaurant, which does need some serious help, and quickly) ranged from very good (Garden Cafe Buffet) to exceptional (Cagneys, which served a surf and turf that matched the best I've had in places like Ruth's Cris).

 

The service was probably better than any I've had on other cruise lines. Everyone smiled. Everyone greeted me when they saw many (many did it by remembering my name, which was great). Not one request was denied and always handled promptly and cheerfully.

 

There were no lines to speak of. There was no shoulder to shoulder bumping into each other (like I had on the Allure of the Seas).

 

The bed was comfy.

 

The ship was extraordinarily well cared for and spotless.

 

Certainly the people, the crew, entertainers, wait staff, cabin steward, concierge, butler, and most of all, the wonderful new friends I made with fellow CC members....all of it made for a great time.

 

As I said, the Gem was the smallest ship I've sailed in a while. It gave me the chance to interface more with people and crew. I liked that. I came to the conclusion I'm not a rock climbing person. Nor am I a "hang out at the pool and do nothing" kind of person, either.

 

So, maybe this is the ideal size ship for me. Still, seeing the Bliss, the curiosity is killing me. I want to be on it, racing cars, playing laser tag.

 

There is no "right size" cruise ship for me. They all have their pluses and minuses. I found a new love in the GEM. I think I'll sail her again.

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bluesea777

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There is no "right size" cruise ship for me. They all have their pluses and minuses. I found a new love in the GEM. I think I'll sail her again.

 

I dare you to try the Spirit - the oldest and smallest. We have been on all NCL ships except for Sky, Jewel (going in Nov this year) and of course the Bliss. We liked them but we do not have a favourite ship - each ship has its own pros and cons.

 

We went on the Spirit last month on a port intensive cruise and we loved the Spirit, so we have booked on her again for another port intensive cruise in Aug 2019. Just the right size ship for these kind of cruises.

 

We prefer to be on bigger ships for cruises with many sea days as the ship is the destination, like the TAs.

 

P.S. great review and photos!

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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I dare you to try the Spirit - the oldest and smallest. We have been on all NCL ships except for Sky, Jewel (going in Nov this year) and of course the Bliss. We liked them but we do not have a favourite ship - each ship has its own pros and cons.

 

We went on the Spirit last month on a port intensive cruise and we loved the Spirit, so we have booked on her again for another port intensive cruise in Aug 2019. Just the right size ship for these kind of cruises.

 

We prefer to be on bigger ships for cruises with many sea days as the ship is the destination, like the TAs.

 

P.S. great review and photos!

Thanks....glad you liked it.

 

The GEM has really realigned my thinking about ships, their age and size.

 

I used to be one who wanted all the latest/greatest ship features at my disposal. That meant sailing the largest ships in a cruise line’s fleet.

 

The GEM showed me that NCL does an excellent job of keeping their older ships in great shape. And, they offer something the larger ships don’t. That is, a less hectic sailing experience.

 

There were a few passengers who seemed to be on edge whenever I ran into them (none of them CC members, BTW). Nothing seemed to please them. I never understand that. You’re on a ship, with a staff that’s willing to cater to any reasonable want, and you’re upset?

 

No matter.....the vast, vast majority of the passengers and crew were wonderful.

 

I saw that more on the GEM than any of the mega ships I’ve sailed.

 

I think I’m going to look at different itineraries this next go round like Alaska and the Panama Canal. Those usually involve older and smaller ships.

 

That said, I am quite curious about the BLISS, as I’ve read a couple of the travel logs regarding her maiden voyage and like them.

 

Makes sense to look at smaller ships for port intensive itineraries and the mega ships for lots of sea days. That said, we were at sea 4 out of 7 days on the GEM, and I still wasn’t able to do everything on board that I wanted to do.

 

 

Thanks for the recommendations! Greatly appreciated!

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Lucinarei

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Great review! We did this itinerary on the Gem two summers back and it was a great trip- loved every minute! Your pictures brought back all those memories- thanks!

 

I'd also recommend the Spirit- she is fantastic! I find I like the smaller ships best, although I haven't been on the bigger ones yet. But that's about to change as we just booked the Breakaway for summer '19. I know it'll be great (it's a cruise!), but I wonder if I'll be overwhelmed. But there's no way to know unless I go! :)

 

PS: I feel for your Delta woes- I just went to Iceland last month and they delayed my flight from Boston to JFK so much that I wouldn't have made my connection. I ended up just hopping on a train out of Providence to Penn Station and connecting to JFK from there. I made it, but it was a harrowing few hours until I walked into JFK. I did get a whopping $35 refund for my unused BOS-JFK portion, though, so thanks, Delta. :o

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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Delta forgot about customer service a long time ago. I stay away from them these days as much as I can....even being a Milion Miler.

 

Thanks for the recommendation of the Spirit. You’re the 2nd person who has recommended I sail her. That peaks my curiosity, too.

 

I like the Breakaway a lot. I’ve sailed her twice. It’s my very favorite Mega-ship....and I’ve sailed some really nice ones. She has a different vibe than the GEM. Lots more on board to keep you busy. But, you’ll note it’s not as intimate as the GEM or the Spirit.

 

Glad you liked the review and happy to bring back fond memories.

 

 

 

Great review! We did this itinerary on the Gem two summers back and it was a great trip- loved every minute! Your pictures brought back all those memories- thanks!

 

I'd also recommend the Spirit- she is fantastic! I find I like the smaller ships best, although I haven't been on the bigger ones yet. But that's about to change as we just booked the Breakaway for summer '19. I know it'll be great (it's a cruise!), but I wonder if I'll be overwhelmed. But there's no way to know unless I go! :)

 

PS: I feel for your Delta woes- I just went to Iceland last month and they delayed my flight from Boston to JFK so much that I wouldn't have made my connection. I ended up just hopping on a train out of Providence to Penn Station and connecting to JFK from there. I made it, but it was a harrowing few hours until I walked into JFK. I did get a whopping $35 refund for my unused BOS-JFK portion, though, so thanks, Delta. :o

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