Semi-Live limited Gem Dec 13, 2019 NY-Florida overnight, GSC & Nassau

[dexddd]

Looks like you made it.  Ship still by island.

[mking8288]

55 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Looks like you made it.  Ship still by island.

 

Enjoying the quiet settings here in Cagney's over lunch while overlooking the 2 private islands. Yes, Gem made it to GSC.

 

We overnighted in PC, Disney Springs & Orlando for an easy dinner, shopping & drive around a bit in Cocoa. Back to ship & watch SpaceX launch after Moderno.

 

 

[mking8288]

Tender tickets #20 to 24 called by 1 pm, noon local time, then it's open tender.

 

More pix from Deck 13 across toward GSC. Pix #1 - multi-antennas tower on middle left of picture.

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Exclusive lunch treat at Cagney's ... with a special shout-out, on CC, to Gian Z. the Concierge onboard the Gem. Thank you. 🤓

 

[mking8288]

Tech tricks n tips ... 

Our Google Fi roaming signals from BTC is best on Band 5, 850 Mhz as 3.5G/HSPA on a dual SIM global smartphone on a EU rom.  Reasonable & acceptable data speed.

 

T-Mobile gets 2.5G Edge roaming and much slower on Band 8, 900 Mhz on Motorola Moto X4 ... manually switch to 3G get H speed on Band 5 instead, better.  Less than 1.5 mile to the cell tower on GSC.

 

Ship's satellite signals stay active & WiFi usable on the ship. DW is a very happy camper with unlimited access till we disembark on Saturday, $55 well spent to upgrade for 6 days worth of access - against non-refundable OBC.

[mking8288]

Look, how uncrowded the Garden Cafe is, afternoon snacks served in AFT Great Outdoors 

 

A small section reserved & marked for those w accessible needs.  "A" 👍 for efforts

 

Small crowds beginning to come back onboard the ship.

[cruiservictor]

I am enjoying your reporting very much this week, as usual.  I am curious as to the apparent time difference between the ship and GSC.  The Bahamas are in the same time zone as NY, currently Eastern Standard Time, so the time in GSC (and Nassau tomorrow) should be the same as ship time (EST).  Were you told there is a difference currently?

[GA Dave]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Exclusive lunch treat at Cagney's ... with a special shout-out, on CC, to Gian Z. the Concierge onboard the Gem. Thank you. 🤓

 

That grilled asparagus and prosciutto looks amazing!  😛

[mking8288]

That grilled asparagus and prosciutto looks amazing!  [emoji14]

Yes, indeed ... tasty & very good. Comparable to B & F class at FL 290.
Thanks for following along.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[mking8288]

I am curious as to the apparent time difference between the ship and GSC.  The Bahamas are in the same time zone as NY, currently Eastern Standard Time, so the time in GSC (and Nassau tomorrow) should be the same as ship time (EST).  Were you told there is a difference currently?

Good point, not told or otherwise asked to change the clock. But, the digital displayed time in the elevators apparently showing a 1 hour difference, more than 1 or 2 guests noticed & commented about it ... just hope nobody followed & set their own time with it. Smartphone configured itself, showing the correct time and as you noted, both Bahamas & East Coast on the same time zone.



Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[mking8288]

Last tender was 5 pm ... All abroad !

Sunset is/was 5:23 pm.  The Norway isn't done unloading the last ? batch of cruisers.

 

More goodies.  Where are we going for dinner, open to all options.  Coalfish tonight, not for me ... I will pass on that.

[Phemmett]

On 12/15/2019 at 12:36 AM, mking8288 said:

Good evening, just done something that I just usually don't do, upgrade to unlimited WiFi for just $55 with $125 credited for the 250 minutes, good for remaining 6+ days. No streaming, but will be able to do quite a bit. Now, I can seriously fire up the notebook PC when DW isn't online.

More Q&A, live late night sessions ... I think is doable. Going to be great to run benchmark & go VoIP, FB Messenger worked just fine using our Platinum/+ free minutes Friday & Saturday - all used up.

Here's the screenshot, there is also a multi-device discount for unlimited plans, not getting that.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 

Where did you see the upgrade package, 

when you logged into your free 250 minutes to upgrade ? Also what do you use to log off? www.logoff.com?? I read somewhere. 

[mking8288]

Latest map/guide to GSC 

we didn't go ashore, but plenty of reports by others lately of what's happening, i.e. exclusive Haven & Cabanas, Clam Shells, etc.

 

Everyone including crews should be back, still anchored but likely sailing at any moment for the short distance to Nassau, arriving in the morning ... after a few figure 8 loops.

 

 

6:25 pm, Norwegian Bliss passing us ahead, portside to starboard, leaving Nassau & bound for NY homeport.

Edited December 17, 2019 by mking8288

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

More goodies.  Where are we going for dinner, open to all options.  Coalfish tonight, not for me ... I will pass on that.

My wife actually tried the coalfish last week. Turns out it couldn't have been coalfish because the flesh was white. Coalfish is called coalfish because it has dark flesh. She said it was OK...neither bad nor great. In all likelihood they were using coalfish's close relative, pollock. Some of the names NCL uses for its fish are fanciful at best, although for the life of me i don't understand why you would want to use  the word coalfish if it wasn't. Coalfish isn't exactly, well-known or popular...in fact it's virtually unknown in the US, and the name is very unappetizing.

Edited December 18, 2019 by njhorseman

[Turtles06]

25 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Coalfish isn't exactly, well-known or popular...in fact it's virtually unknown in the US, and the name is very unappetizing.

 

Indeed, I’d never heard of it, and when I first saw it in the OP’s post, I thought it was some sort of typo that he hadn’t caught before posting. 🤣

[mking8288]

 

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

... .never heard of it, and ... thought it was some sort of typo ... 

 

I eat a variety of fish & seafood - even catfish when done right ... still remember tuna steak on NCL, grouper, flounder, sea brass, and this week with plenty of salmon variety, red snapper & white fish fillet. Had to lookup coalfish to see what the heck it is.  

 

We ended up at Orchid Garden & had to wait about 15 or 20 minutes, was told 45 to 1 hour till I flashed my card. Meanwhile, Magenta MDR wasn't busy & had no lines at 7:35 when we walked by.  NY cruisers must be fond of Asian dining 😆🙊🙄 to stand & wait.

 

Compared to the last time on the Gem and this Spring on the Dawn, DW and I agreed it has improved & edible, service was friendly & prompt, good enough to not recommend against it.  A bit heavy handed on MSG, those allergic should be mindful. 

 

While deciding on what to order, Code Alpha called on Deck 11 Fwd, one of the suites ... 2nd time this week. Shore-based medical care is close by if medevac is needed. 

 

We've sailed about 30 nm from GSC only with 50 nm to go, doing under 7 knots - outside temp about 77 F and calm seas & wind. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Here's tomorrow's MDR menu.

 

Buffet had a Latin themed night, a Caribbean night, but they definitely could use an Asian night with their substantial presence onboard. OSH no longer doing prime ribs specials, unless we missed notices about it, nor lamb or BBQ ribs specials, unlike the past.  IMHO, executive chefs need to get creative & not offer French onion soup on 2 or more nights with a 8 days cruise, as an example. 

 

Or, bring some of O'Sheahan's and Orchid Garden's starter options into the lunch & dinner choices for varieties & rotations ... and not repeat chicken pho or chicken noodles soup, I just can't imagine repeating it for 10+ nights on those longer sailings at sea, IMHO of course.

Edited December 18, 2019 by mking8288

[Turtles06]

6 hours ago, mking8288 said:

We ended up at Orchid Garden & had to wait about 15 or 20 minutes, was told 45 to 1 hour till I flashed my card. Meanwhile, Magenta MDR wasn't busy & had no lines at 7:35 when we walked by.  NY cruisers must be fond of Asian dining 😆🙊🙄 to stand & wait.

 

Compared to the last time on the Gem and this Spring on the Dawn, DW and I agreed it has improved & edible, service was friendly & prompt, good enough to not recommend against it.  A bit heavy handed on MSG, those allergic should be mindful.

I remember when NCL switched Orchid Garden from being a for-pay specialty venue to “free.”   We’ve tried it on every cruise, and, except for a few apps here and there, never thought it was worth the price even as a freebie. I’m happy to hear you think it’s improved. I’m blown away by those lines, though! 

[shof515]

8 hours ago, mking8288 said:

We ended up at Orchid Garden & had to wait about 15 or 20 minutes, was told 45 to 1 hour till I flashed my card. Meanwhile, Magenta MDR wasn't busy & had no lines at 7:35 when we walked by.  NY cruisers must be fond of Asian dining 😆🙊🙄 to stand & wait.

 

56 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

I remember when NCL switched Orchid Garden from being a for-pay specialty venue to “free.”   We’ve tried it on every cruise, and, except for a few apps here and there, never thought it was worth the price even as a freebie. I’m happy to hear you think it’s improved. I’m blown away by those lines, though! 

 

 

Last month on my Norwegian Dawn November 2 cruise, the Asian dinning was always packed. lines everyday. The one time i went when i was able to get a table with little wait, the service was horrible and very slow. it almost took a full 2 hours. Very very long wait between servings of food, you always have to keep asking them to bring out what you order

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

I eat a variety of fish & seafood - even catfish when done right ... still remember tuna steak on NCL, grouper, flounder, sea brass, and this week with plenty of salmon variety, red snapper & white fish fillet. Had to lookup coalfish to see what the heck it is.  

 

We ended up at Orchid Garden & had to wait about 15 or 20 minutes, was told 45 to 1 hour till I flashed my card. Meanwhile, Magenta MDR wasn't busy & had no lines at 7:35 when we walked by.  NY cruisers must be fond of Asian dining 😆🙊🙄 to stand & wait.

 

Compared to the last time on the Gem and this Spring on the Dawn, DW and I agreed it has improved & edible, service was friendly & prompt, good enough to not recommend against it.  A bit heavy handed on MSG, those allergic should be mindful. 

We've avoided Orchid Garden for a long time, but if the food has improved we may try it again for the first time in years. 

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

Buffet had a Latin themed night, a Caribbean night, but they definitely could use an Asian night with their substantial presence onboard. OSH no longer doing prime ribs specials, unless we missed notices about it, nor lamb or BBQ ribs specials, unlike the past.  IMHO, executive chefs need to get creative & not offer French onion soup on 2 or more nights with a 8 days cruise, as an example. 

At least on longer cruises they do have an Asian night in the buffet. My problem with the themed nights is that it's difficult to identify how almost all the offerings fit in with the theme. My "favorite" is "Greek and Persian" night .  A few crumbles of feta cheese at the salad bar and baklava for dessert makes it Greek I guess, but what is "Persian" on the buffet is a mystery to me.

 

It was confirmed at our M&G that there's no longer a prime rib night at O'Sheehan's, or at any included dining venue for that matter. Prime rib is only offered in Cagney's. 

[mking8288]

 
... Dawn ... November 2 cruise, the Asian dinning was always packed. lines everyday ... service was horrible and very slow ...

OG's food is better than what we had in the Dawn in May, and one has to make reservations onboard. Soup base or broth was what DW called soy sauced water. Pan-fried pot stickers last night was crispy and served hot, not warm. It's not 3.5 stars quality (top being 5) but acceptable for a meal on a cruise ship.

OTOH, she does not think highly of Cagney's & we only did it for a change of revenue and tired of LeBistro ... doing my tiny part of being a critic.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[Phemmett]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

At least on longer cruises they do have an Asian night in the buffet. My problem with the themed nights is that it's difficult to identify how almost all the offerings fit in with the theme. My "favorite" is "Greek and Persian" night .  A few crumbles of feta cheese at the salad bar and baklava for dessert makes it Greek I guess, but what is "Persian" on the buffet is a mystery to me.

 

It was confirmed at our M&G that there's no longer a prime rib night at O'Sheehan's, or at any included dining venue for that matter. Prime rib is only offered in Cagney's. 

Bummer about Prime Rib. I know it was the last evening of our cruise in Hawaii it was on the main dinner menu. 

[mking8288]

 

4 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

... happy to hear you think it’s improved. I’m blown away by those lines, though! 

Well, since you & others are doing longer cruises on ships like the Gem, I would say consider OG as basic comfort food. There is just 3 or 4 entree dishes like orange beef and chicken on the menu, the shrimps are gone & not even the upcharged items.

As for my lines, food opinions are always personal & highly subjective. But I tried to be fair, honest, reasonable & not overly demanding ...

Staying onboard at Nassau today, we are just as happy to eat breakfast at OSH, quiet & not busy, promptly serving our orders hot.




Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 

Edited December 18, 2019 by mking8288

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

As for my lines, food opinions are always personal & highly subjective. But I tried to be fair, honest, reasonable & not overly demanding ...

I was referring to the waiting lines to get in! 😁 I think you have been very fair, I agree that food is totally subjective!  
 

I hope you enjoyed your ship day on Nassau.