Norwegian Gem Questions

[famcruise14]

Hi,

 

Apologies if this has already been asked but I do not use these forums often.   We are scheduled for the 11 day Caribbean cruise out of New York on the Gem on March 26.  Curious if others have done this itinerary if there are recommendations for what to do at each stop.  The stops are listed below.  Also, we have a forwarding facing penthouse suite.  Anyone have any experience with that type of room?

 

Itinerary

• Day 1 ...
  New York (Manhattan)
• Day 2 ...
  Cruising
• Day 3 ...
  Cruising
• Day 4 ...
  San Juan
• Day 5 ...
  St. Kitts (Port Zante)
• Day 6 ...
  St. Lucia
• Day 7 ...
  Barbados
• Day 8 ...
  Antigua
• Day 9 ...
  St. Thomas
• Day 10 ...
  Cruising
• Day 11 ...
  Cruising
• Day 12 ...
  New York

 

[mking8288]

Maybe, say hi to your fellow CC'ers on the Roll Call, looks like they got a good M&G roster going for months; and, they are doing an optional Slot Pull ... LCR being mentioned.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2652439-ncl-gem-march-26-2020/page/8/

 

We've sailed the Gem a few times only, been to San Juan & St. Thomas - folks on the Roll Call are more up-to-date on who, what & how, etc.  Someone mentioned diving.  San Juan (look/check your port times, can be limiting) & St. Thomas (beautiful beaches) are easy DIY.  Great ship & wonderful crew.  

 

Enjoy ! 

 

[luv2kroooz]

Just did a similar run on Gem in November only from Boston 13 days. I'll give you a quick word or two about what we did and then you can Google or follow up if it sounds like something of interest.

 

San Juan- didn't stop there

St Kitts - island tour purchased right at pier, $1 Carib beers at casino in the port area!!

St Lucia - cosol tours

Barbados - Carlisle Bay

Antigua - took bus to Darkwood Beach

St Thomas - stayed onboard, been many times... Magens Bay, Coki Beach, Paradise Point Tram, Island Tour off ship, shopping in Charlotte Amalie, ferry to St John....Lots of DIY options here

 

Check out the ports of call section here in cc for all the details.

 

[meglet]

Sailed on the Gem in summer of 2019 in a forward owner's suite, 9004.  I think the forward suites are similar in layout to the aft penthouse suites.  Your suite has an amazing forward view.  Be sure to take advantage of all the perks!

 

[Turtles06]

On 1/30/2020 at 6:00 PM, famcruise14 said:

Also, we have a forwarding facing penthouse suite.  Anyone have any experience with that type of room?

 

These are fabulous suites.  Your view is the view from the navigation bridge, right above you.  We just did a full transit of the Panama Canal on the Gem in one of these penthouses.  This is the view from our balcony as we approached the Gatun Locks in the very early morning:

 

 

A bonus of these suites is the darkness at night (no lights allowed on the bow), and thus the incredible star-gazing.   Be very careful opening and closing the heavy sea door, especially when the ship is underway.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

(photo by turtles06)

[famcruise14]

Thanks all !!  Really appreciate all the info. 

[Named-Tawny]

On 2/2/2020 at 4:22 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

 

A bonus of these suites is the darkness at night (no lights allowed on the bow), and thus the incredible star-gazing.   Be very careful opening and closing the heavy sea door, especially when the ship is underway.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

How strict is that rule?  Like, if you're in your cabin, do you need to use blackout curtains if you have lights on?  Or is that not bright enough to be problematic for the bridge?

[Turtles06]

27 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

 

How strict is that rule?  Like, if you're in your cabin, do you need to use blackout curtains if you have lights on?  Or is that not bright enough to be problematic for the bridge?

 

If you are in cabins under the bridge, and it's night and your cabin lights are on, you need to pull your curtains.  (In fact, the cabin steward will do that during turndown if he/she is there first.)   This is no big deal; once it's dark out, you can't see anything through the window anyway. 

 

It's a safety issue -- you don't want the cabin lights interfering with the night vision of the folks on the bridge. I've read on here that if you don't pull your curtains, you may well get a reminder phone call from the bridge.

[Ztras]

Just wanted to say that while I've taken a bunch of NCL cruises - this was my favorite itinerary and favorite ship!  Super jealous.

 

In Barbados I recommend "Elegance Catamaran" for snorkeling & lunch.

[df5250]

I sailed a similar itinerary last March on the Gem out of Boston, and am thinking about booking this cruise as a last minute trip. Here are a few of the things I've done on past trips with similar itineraries. 

In Antigua I booked a day pass at Beach Limerz. I've done this two years in a row. 

In St. Lucia I booked a day pass at Bay Gardens. The previous year I did a Land, Sea and Beach adventure.

In Barbados, I did a Mount Gay Rum factory tour in the morning and then the afternoon beach break at Carlisle Bay.

In St Kitts I did a catamaran sail over to Nevis.

In St Thomas I did the Skyride and the champagne catamaran to St John. 

Enjoy your cruise!