Fleece-style Cruising on the Gem

[mbisson]

I prefer RCL to any other line as well. My favorite commercial is the one where the tablemate describes her surgery and points to his food to show how large her gallstones were.:eek:

 

That's the one I referred to above--I laugh every time I see it

 

As to where to stay, it depends on your budget (downtown hotels run anywhere from a bit under $200.00 per night plus tax for two (for the standard properties) to upwards of $1K per night (for the 4+ star type hotels and the best rooms). If you can give me an idea of what you want to spend, I'm sure I could come up with a few suggestions for you.

 

How long will you be here? If you are here for just one day, then you need to be certain to see Pike Place Market, perhaps the Space Needle if you are into 600' tall buildings that sway in the wind but offer a great view, the Underground Tour is good, you will want to take in the waterfront and perhaps have some seafood at any one of the great restaurants there. That can make a reasonably full day in and of itself. If you are going to be here longer, then there are plenty of more things I could suggest.

 

All good advice :D ! I'd also check hotwire. We recently flew out of SeaTac and needed a room for a night b4 & after our flights. Got the Holiday Inn for $55 and the Doubletree for $59 (really nice hotels but not great locations for visitors. Maybe a better location will come up-nothing to lose by trying)

[bluesea777]

I wish the OP happy cruisin' the next time .... on the Staten Island Ferry.

 

Wonder if we'll see the OP again, ever?

[mbisson]

Wonder if we'll see the OP again, ever?

 

 

I've checked a few times since this thread started and have seen that the OP has been logged in but not posting. Probably just checking to see the results of their rant and laughing that they got the result they wanted in this thread.

[alwayssingin]

I wish the OP happy cruisin' the next time .... on the Staten Island Ferry.

 

Please don't wish that! :eek: We'll be using the Staten Island Ferry a lot in Septebmer! :p

[jazz392]

Hi I agree with u. I'll see u on the Gem 04-05-07. I know we will have an awesome, because we will not be breaking any rules. I'm so excited are u?

[angeljt]

Hi I agree with u. I'll see u on the Gem 04-05-07. I know we will have an awesome, because we will not be breaking any rules. I'm so excited are u?

 

We have a roll call for April 5th for the Gem if you're interested, and also a Meet & Greet the first sea day.

 

This is the link to the roll call...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=595557&page=11

[snake114]

Funny how the OP thought he was beating the system and making his disgust known by removing the auto-tip, and then making some tips individually. If the OP had done any research on this, he would have known that those crew members he DID tip would have to return the money into the tip "pool" anyway!!!

[Got2Cruise]

Funny how the OP thought he was beating the system and making his disgust known by removing the auto-tip, and then making some tips individually. If the OP had done any research on this, he would have known that those crew members he DID tip would have to return the money into the tip "pool" anyway!!!

 

Seriously, is this true? We don't take away the automatic tips, but we like to tip our cabin steward extra cash. Do you mean he can't keep this money?

[johnql]

Seriously, is this true? We don't take away the automatic tips, but we like to tip our cabin steward extra cash. Do you mean he can't keep this money?

 

As long as you keep the auto-tips in place, your steward can keep any additional tip.

[iheartbda]

If you look at Ides of March's history, he is exclusively a Holland America cruiser. No wonder he didn't like his treatment.... he wasn't bowed down to like he expects to be. Ides is just more proof of what my parents say about HAL cruisers and why they won't cruise that line anymore. (that and the fact that they feel that the HAL crowd is to old for them.... my parents are 78...)

 

Unless I read one of his posts somewhere else incorrectly, it looks like he's done with HAL also. Wonder which line will be next?:p

[Seago2]

I've checked a few times since this thread started and have seen that the OP has been logged in but not posting. Probably just checking to see the results of their rant and laughing that they got the result they wanted in this thread.

 

That is exactly why I hide myself!

 

MichellP- you will have a lot of fun on HAL. I guess it is a smidge stuffier than NCL but you won't notice the difference after 24 hours.

 

OP: Among all of the objectionable things you said, the most striking to me was that people who had booze taken to the "naughty room" and confiscated actually went back at the end of the cruise to retrieve it and fought over it??!! Like, "Hey! this is my water bottle filled with a mysterious brown substance! Let GO!" What was your thought? "Honey, sorry to leave our great balcony with our free cocktails (the best kind), but I've got to go get our half-filled bottle back from these fleecemongers! If for some reason I don't make it back right away, or we don't get the bottle back, remember to steal a few towels. That will show em!"

 

Also, what were you thinking each time you reboarded?? "Honey, fill this plastic bottle with rum and just walk on, looking straight ahead. They may have confiscated our booze before, but this time we're going to pull it off- as is our right. GOOD JOB!"

 

If I had my booze confiscated I would have slept with one eye open the entire trip, certain that I was going to be put off at the next port. It IS a bad way to start a vacation- so why on Earth would anybody do it AGAIN, on the same trip?

[mbisson]

That is exactly why I hide myself!

 

 

You would think someone making a post such as the OP did would hide.

[Seago2]

You would think someone making a post such as the OP did would hide.

 

Seriously. I got nailed a few years back on the Carnival board- I had meekly signed on to read some kind of fallout from some debate and I got jumped on and accused of having nothing better to do but be on CC (of course... weren't THEY on CC, too??). After that I went into hide mode.

[jmcdon7230]

I knew the answer would be in there somewhere.....Ides is/was a LAWYER!

 

From a HAL thread:

August 22nd, 2007, 12:14 AM

Ides of March vbmenu_register("postmenu_11321137", true);

 

 

 

 

 

".....and I left my senior partnership with a major law firm...."

 

Hmmmm....the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.

[WinterSky]

We were on the Gem for the March 8 sailing as well. We had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. On the last morning when we were at the Reception Desk finalizing our cash account, there was a short middle-aged man with an obviously embarrassed wife ranting about the service charge and demanding that it be removed. He was loud and appeared to be 'under the influence'. We felt very sorry for his wife.

 

My husband and I were quite happy to pay the service charges on our account. NCL staff on the GEM were so great that we had offered additional cash gratuities throughout the cruise for what we felt was excellent service.

 

All I can say is... pitiful behavior, pitiful post, from a pitiful person!

[Seago2]

I knew the answer would be in there somewhere.....Ides is/was a LAWYER!

 

From a HAL thread:

August 22nd, 2007, 12:14 AM

Ides of March vbmenu_register("postmenu_11321137", true);

 

 

 

 

 

".....and I left my senior partnership with a major law firm...."

 

Hmmmm....the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.

 

 

Be nice!

[Seago2]

Didn't someone post something about some pictures the OP had up? Did that get deleted? Someone said he recognized him from the dining room. Just wondering where the pictures went.

[jmcdon7230]

Pictures:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/IdesOfMarch15

[WinterSky]

there was a short middle-aged man with an obviously embarrassed wife ranting about the service charge and demanding that it be removed. He was loud and appeared to be 'under the influence'. We felt very sorry for his wife.

 

wrong guy....

[sun~]

Didn't someone post something about some pictures the OP had up? Did that get deleted? Someone said he recognized him from the dining room. Just wondering where the pictures went.

 

The pictures were part of another post, not this one. Yep, it was definitely the same person I saw in Cagney's. He was absolutely disgusting. I have never seen anyone with such awful table manners. Blech blech blech.... makes me queasy just thinking about watching this person.

 

Sheila

[cargoagent]

I knew the answer would be in there somewhere.....Ides is/was a LAWYER!

 

From a HAL thread:

August 22nd, 2007, 12:14 AM

Ides of March vbmenu_register("postmenu_11321137", true);

 

 

 

 

 

".....and I left my senior partnership with a major law firm...."

 

Hmmmm....the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.

 

Worse still, a lawyer from Ottawa!!!!! probably a gov't lawyer to boot!!

 

:D

[Kingmaker_inc]

Worse still, a lawyer from Ottawa!!!!! probably a gov't lawyer to boot!!

 

:D

 

 

As amusing as it is to insult Ides, it is not amusing or appropriate to insult entire professions or groups of people.

 

Why counter one offensive post with another?

[ItsBob]

Just returned from the March 8 sailing of the Gem to Cocoa Beach and the Bahamas.

 

NCL is the McDonalds of cruise lines INHO. No class. Cheap and you get what you pay for.

 

The Gem is brand new and sparkling if a little gaudy for my taste. It reflects the new style of cruising which is crowded. The boat is 1000 feet long for 2300 pax. Pack in more sheep for the shearing. Our BA balcony cabin felt so small you couldn’t turn around without getting in your own way.

 

On boarding which went smoothly, we went to the Garden Café for lunch. Pandemonium. No trays are provided during the entire cruise so each meal requires numerous trips from table to buffet for coffee, desert, etc. No trays to wash for NCL. Seating was impossible with the crowds so you balanced a plate in the jostling crowd. Food was good but the same all 7 days so it got boring.

 

Proceeding to the cabin we were greeted by two notices that our bags had been impounded as each contained an “intoxicating beverage”. Great way to start a vacation. Had to pick them up from a small room at the back of the casino at 5 pm and of course there was a delay in their arriving no doubt to allow more slot time for the herd. After wasting an hour, they impounded a half filled bottle of Irish in one of my bags but I grabbed my second unsearched bag on leaving so we salvaged a full liter of Scotch .

 

We got to retrieve all confiscated liquor at 4 pm on the last day of the cruise and they showed up at 4:20 after numerous heated calls from the pissed off waiting pax.. Even then the booze was unsorted in three large plastic wheeled bins and as they unloaded in a haphazard manner, many taped on labels fell off the bags and bottles causing greater confusion, delay and frayed tempers. I rooted around and found mine which I left with without checking out with “Dumb and Dumber” who were ineffectually running the show. For the balance of the cruise we brought our rum and other local delicacies on in plastic water bottles without problem. At $16 for two drinks at their bars, we went self serve as much as possible. It’s not the actual money I resent as much as felling that you are constantly being taken advantage of. I didn’t pay to be a captive sucker.

 

Dinner at the Teppanyaki was very good, the only meal of that caliber the whole week.

 

The Texas Hold’em tourney was another lesson in exploitation. The buy in was $60 for 1000 chips but with unlimited re-buys in the first hour. One fellow re-bought twice. At the end of the hour you could buy 5000 chips for another $60 which almost everyone did except me. I went with the 4500 I had and was quickly wiped out by the heavy blinds as I waited for some decent cards. Clearly a tactical error not to top up but I had committed $60 for the day which meant I really had little chance and had wasted my initial investment. NCL skimmed 25% off the top so they tailored the rules to maximize profits.

They had less than half the players on the last day tourney as most like me were put off.

 

At Cocoa Beach they parked us in an industrial sewer and then charged $15 per head for the 5 minute shuttle to town where they dropped us at the Ron Jon big box where they received kick backs no doubt.

 

At Nassau, I went on the America Cup boat NZ 12 for the “race” with NZ 10 which unfortunately was in for repairs. We had a great sail and it was a thrill to helm such a thoroughbred but the boat owners felt bad we didn’t get what we paid for and offered half priced coupons on future races which didn’t do us much good, especially as they were charging half the NCL tariff. My wife took the $39 city tour which she said was a rip as they went but a few blocks from the pier and were taken to schlocky venues such as the pirate museum. NCL dosn’t give you an overview map of the port area in advance as does HAL, but only shopping maps with their “approved” vendors. If one had access to such a map, you would know if a tour is necessary or not. No refunds from NCL for complainers so we were glad we didn’t bother as we had decided to vote with out feet wrt future outings with them. Do Nassau on your own.

 

Freeport now Lucaya requires a $5 pp cab ride from the industrial port into town which for the 10 plus miles is worth it although a free shuttle would be appropriate if they can’t place you near the advertised destination. At least deserving cabbies got the fares this time. Where is Sterns when you need them?

 

Signed up for the murder mystery dinner at the Pacific Lounge and had the tasteless lobster and beef Wellington. Same mystery as ever year by all accounts so repeaters were disappointed. Good meal at the Oriental (Fajitas) which broke the food boredom and their tapas are good but you have to buy drinks..

 

The last night we went to Cagney’s for $25 pp. Another rip off. A chewy $6 T-bone for $25. Give this place a pass.

 

The balance of the cruise was a barrage of bingo, tacky art, and sales give away and raffle promotions which were hard to avoid but we tried. The crew was essentially all Indonesian so the service was prompt and excellent. As a protest against NCL’s booze policy we cancelled on of the $10 per day “service charges” but not wishing to punish innocent parties, gave a like amount to those who served us directly.

 

The sun was warm and the seas calm so with a balcony, plentiful ice, contraband booze which tastes sooo much better and good books we had an enjoyable cruise notwithstanding NCL. Not nearly in the same league as HAL or Celebrity but unfortunately the latter don’t sail from NYC when we need them. From now on we will suffer the longer flights to get a better return on our vacation time investment.

 

So adios NCL. As long its not me, I hope you keep packing them in and wringing them dry until cruising is banned as an being too environmentally costly for the pursuit of hedonism.

 

Ides.

 

 

With all this bitching and griping I assume you paid >$10,000 for an inside cabin on a 5 day cruise and expected to be treated like royalty??

 

And complaining because you got CAUGHT trying to sneak liquor on board.. puhlease..

 

We were on the Jade for 13 days, six days straight at sea, and had absolutely NO complaints. The service was exceptional, the food was great (even on the 6th day at sea when I expected everything to not be at it's freshest).

 

We relaxed, we met a lot of great people, got to see some parts of the world I've never been to, and had a great time.. but it never fails, we ALWAYS seemed to get the one elevator passenger that just had to bitch about every little thing. The coffee is too strong.. I'm tired of the breakfast buffet, and the "made to order" eggs and omelets.. and this from someone that probabably eats cold cereal every morning when they are at home.

 

 

ANd the small stuff we just let slide off our backs, NOTHING was going to ruin our perfect vacation.

[Ciclista]

You know, I normally don't reply to anything nor do I post because I can't stand the cheer leaders on any board! However I just want to say I have the same impression of NCL and I have a very simple way I deal with it. I don't sail with them any more! After the last cruise with them where a multitude of issues arose where I told my bh that I wouldn't want to come between this cruise line and a buck! For all those who want my credentials yeh yeh Princess Elite/ NCL Latitudes etc. enough said . Bottom line I resonated with your post, keep telling it like it is and just ignore the cheer leaders! I do!!

[mbisson]

Considering your previous post to this board started:

 

"We just returned from a great trip down to the Mexican Riviera on the NCL Star. The cruise was great and I can't say enough positive comments about the hospitatlity of the NCL staff."

 

I'm confused. Yes, you had problems on an excursion but I don't know how that would support the statements the OP made about NCL (Especially those about how he removed the auto tips) Oh well, enjoy your future cruises.