Live from the Gem - March 10-21, 2023 NY to Bermuda to Caribbean to NY

[Seas2mountains]

Last night we enjoyed listening to Nathaniel and Tania. Sea Shakers were on a break. There were not many entertainment options last night so the ones that were offered were all very packed. I hope they can offer more than just movies in the theater as this crowd seems to like live music like we do. 

[Seas2mountains]

[PistolPete13]

Thank you for all the photos!

Out of curiosity, how much in port fees was refunded for missing Bermuda?

[Seas2mountains]

Good morning from St Thomas. After a great night of sleep, we got up a little earlier than usual to see the island surroundings and enjoy the sunshine and warm air. 
 

Our docking seemed to disturb morning yoga going on one of the super yachts. 

[Seas2mountains]

5 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Thank you for all the photos!

Out of curiosity, how much in port fees was refunded for missing Bermuda?

We need to follow-up we we don’t see any credits on the onboard account so far. Maybe they will refund it to our credit card? 

[Seas2mountains]

Here are some Haven/Suite breakfast at Moderno photos. 
 

Coffee is served from a French Press   
 

I love all the veggies in the omelettes. 

[PistolPete13]

9 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

We need to follow-up we we don’t see any credits on the onboard account so far. Maybe they will refund it to our credit card? 

For my sailing it didn't show up until the day of when were supposed to be in port.  Not sure when that is for your sailing...

[Seas2mountains]

Photos from St Thomas in the cruise port area. 

[www3traveler]

Have you run across either Paquito or Dhurv yet?

[goldmom]

2 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We need to follow-up we we don’t see any credits on the onboard account so far. Maybe they will refund it to our credit card? 

We were on the week before you and also skipped Bermuda.  They gave us back something like $33, it just showed up in our account.  You either need to spend it onboard or get a cash refund the last day.  The Concierge can take care of the cash refund, saves you from having to wait in line at guest services.  For some reason they can't put it on your credit card.

Enjoy!

[goldmom]

5 minutes ago, goldmom said:

We were on the week before you and also skipped Bermuda.  They gave us back something like $33, it just showed up in our account.  You either need to spend it onboard or get a cash refund the last day.  The Concierge can take care of the cash refund, saves you from having to wait in line at guest services.  For some reason they can't put it on your credit card.

Enjoy!

PS The $33 was for the 2 of us.

[bedfordmom]

2 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We need to follow-up we we don’t see any credits on the onboard account so far. Maybe they will refund it to our credit card? 

It went straight to our onboard account when we missed DR last week

[Seas2mountains]

3 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Have you run across either Paquito or Dhurv yet?

I have not. As soon as I do, I will say Hi from you. 

[Seas2mountains]

Here are photos from the buffet at Great Outdoors. 

[Seas2mountains]

For the first two days, we had a delay in getting served drinks in bars. We do tip the bar servers. Once they learned who we are, we have had no delays getting served at Spinnakers, Magnums or the Atrium. Now a server is confirming our drink order within 1-2 minutes of our arrival. We do have a slight wait at bars with no servers but it has been minimal.  I have observed more people give cash tips for drinks on this cruise compared to other cruises but it is still a small minority. 

[Seas2mountains]

5 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

The new le Bistro decor is so bland and boring. And calling that scallop thing an appetizer is generous. That's barely a canape. 

I will not order this item in the future. 
 

I actually like the new decor colors but think I’m in the minority who do like it. 

[Seas2mountains]

We had perfect 80 degree mostly sunny weather in St Thomas.  We had a slight delay leaving at the 5pm departure time.  Someone on a ship social media site for our sailing date said another person was taken off the ship by ambulance after 5pm. 
 

We are having a wonderful cruise so far and do highly recommend NCL and especially the Gem. I’m not aware of them running out of any beer or alcohol so far. Yes, there are some minor differences but the crew have made the cruise another great experience. 
 

Off to Tortola for a short stop tomorrow. 

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We need to follow-up we we don’t see any credits on the onboard account so far. Maybe they will refund it to our credit card? 

They don’t refund to credit cards from the ship.
 

The Gem skipped Bermuda (due to weather) on our cruise in late January. No refund of port fees. (Nothing I lost sleep over.) 

[goldmom]

14 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

They don’t refund to credit cards from the ship.
 

The Gem skipped Bermuda (due to weather) on our cruise in late January. No refund of port fees. (Nothing I lost sleep over.) 

That's so weird.  We were on the Gem last week and also skipped Bermuda and got a credit on our account.  It wasn't much, like $33 for the 2 of us.  Just odd that they don't always give a credit.  We had to take it as a cash refund.

[bedfordmom]

15 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We had perfect 80 degree mostly sunny weather in St Thomas.  We had a slight delay leaving at the 5pm departure time.  Someone on a ship social media site for our sailing date said another person was taken off the ship by ambulance after 5pm. 
 

We are having a wonderful cruise so far and do highly recommend NCL and especially the Gem. I’m not aware of them running out of any beer or alcohol so far. Yes, there are some minor differences but the crew have made the cruise another great experience. 
 

Off to Tortola for a short stop tomorrow. 

Thoroughly enjoying your review. What did you do in St Thomas?

[Seas2mountains]

We have been to St Thomas in the past and love Coki beach. Sometime I do want to check out Coral World and may do so when we bring our kids and granddaughter on a future cruise. 
 

This cruise for us is about low stress and relaxation. Our day in St Thomas was like our other days. Breakfast in Moderno around 8am or before followed by a long walk off the ship in the area. Back on the ship before 10am to get “our usual” iced teas at Starbucks followed by morning trivia where we typically lose by 2-4 points against the winners. Next, it’s time to go in the hydrotherapy pool, whirlpool and heated lounge chairs in the spa.  After that, we shower and go to lunch followed by a drink at Great Outdoors and relax in our suite or take a nap. We may go to a common area before dinner and then go to dinner.  We knew the Caribbean is a peak travel time in March for the number of cruise ships in port and may venture out when traveling at these ports when there are fewer ships in port. The 6000+ Carnival ships have really added to the congestion in these ports. 

We had a nice dinner in La Cucina last night. 
 

Husband had Antipasti appetizer and I had arugula with lemon oil. He had a meat lover pizza and I had pork scallopini with some yummy spinach. All food was tasty and came out hot. 
 

A photo of the pilot boat picking up the pilot is shown at the end. 
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

After dinner, we enjoyed one set by the Sea Shakers in Spinnaker before they were going to perform in the theater. Next, we went to karaoke in my favorite lounge, Bliss Lounge. There were some talented guests who were brave to risk singing but the number of singers were very few so we waited and listened to recorded music between singers.
 

One guy got up to sing Copa Cabana but decided he wanted the audience to sing more than he did. When the audience did not participate as much as he expected, he started to rant and blame the audience for being too old and probably from Titanic era, or being too tired and needing to wake up or not being drunk enough and the bartenders needed to serve more. He seemed miserable and angry and should not have decided to sing if he was that upset. I think we were all stunned by his behavior and wondered how drunk he was that no one clapped or cheered when he finally left the stage after singing about half of the song. 
 

We finished the night at Magnum’s where Nathaniel was playing. We asked our butler to take the full day off from delivering snacks as we were failing to keep up with eating all he was bringing. 
 

We had excellent service and tasty food/drinks in all restaurants and lounges this day. 

[Seas2mountains]

St Patrick’s Day at Tortola

[Seas2mountains]

Another person from the Gem was transported this morning by ambulance. 
 

Tortola photos taken from the ship. 
 

The water was an amazing shade of lighter blue. 

[Seas2mountains]

Starbucks menu