Gem 7 days from Barcelona - random questions

[olechka]

Hello

 

We are thinking of booking 7 days cruise from Barcelona on the GEM.

 

- Do you think it's worth waiting for price to go down, cruise is May 24th

 

- Food in the main dining room - is it really that bad that you want to eat at the specialty restaurants? On Holland and Celebrity the food in the main dining room is so good you'd be crazy to eat anywhere else. Why do you eat at specialty restaurants, are there not enough choices?

 

- at 2 stops: Valleta and Cannes are only in port until 3pm, has anyone been on this cruise and did you feel that was way too short

 

Thank you!

[European_CruiseGirl]

Hi! Of course no one can tell for sure if the prices will go down (or perhaps the cruiseline could if they would... :D) but we were supposed to take that exact cruise (moved our cruise to September) and I've been checking the prices for this cruise also for a while now (call me a masochist :p). The prices (at least for Penthouse and Courtyard Villa categories) have already gone significantly down from what they were in late January. The final payment is due in a couple of weeks so perhaps (???) you could wait until that and see what happens. However IMO the prices are really decent already now so if you are determined to take the cruise why not book now and keep checking for those prices and call your TA and ask them to adjust the prices if they drop before final payment? That's what we have done with our September cruise. When we booked our AB Penthouse cabin (for four people) the total price was $7600 with $600 OBC. We noticed that the price went down and called our TA --> the new price was $7050 with $600 OBC. We noticed that the prices had gone down again so called again our TA --> the new price is at the moment $5950 with $250 OBC.

 

We will sure be checking those prices again and again up until our final payment day. :)

[Duba]

Hi we did this cruise last June and had a great time. The time in Villefrance for Cannes is short, do you plan on doing an excursion on your own?? Nice is to the west of Villefrance and can be reached by both bus and train in about 20 minutes. Cannes & Monaco are to the east and I think about 30 minutes away by train. I took the train to Monaco at approx 10am, I had just enough time to find and do the 'tourist train' which is not hop on hop off, and get the train back to Villefrance. There is an earlier train before 9am which would have been better. In Valleta, we took the local bus from the port for 1euro and walked around ourselves. Local taxi's were offering trips inland for around 15euro per person for a 1.1/2 hour trip.

 

We found the main restaurant fine - the lack of trays did throw us the first day but we soon worked out a system to get our food from the various 'stations' without too much hassle. I did check out the menu in the specialist restaurants a few times but nothing tempted me to spend 20euro per person.

 

Let me know if I can help you with any other questions. Regards Duba.

[calmac]

We found the main restaurant fine - the lack of trays did throw us the first day but we soon worked out a system to get our food from the various 'stations' without too much hassle. I did check out the menu in the specialist restaurants a few times but nothing tempted me to spend 20euro per person.

 

Let me know if I can help you with any other questions. Regards Duba.

 

What you are referring to as the "main restaurant" is in fact the buffet (no trays but does have action stations). There are two main dining rooms - the larger of the two (Grand Pacific) is all the way aft on deck 6 and the other (Magenta) is also on deck 6. We enjoy visiting the specialty restaurants while on a cruise NOT because the food in the main dining rooms is not good enough but because we enjoy the different styles of restaurants and sampling the different varieties of food on offer.

[pieshops]

we are planning on doing this cruise in november.

 

the only thing holding us back is the airfare.

 

the airfare for 4 is more then the cruise price.

 

do you think the air may come down, we do have a wahile before final payment .

[SallyUK]

I'm going on the same cruise but a week or so later. With regard to Cannes, do check whether the Grand Prix in Monaco will affect your tour. It is on the 24th May and you won't be able to get anywhere near Monaco on that day. I think you will be arriving a few days after, but as it is a street circuit, it does take a while to put the course in place and take it down again and you may still be affected. If you like Formula One, it is fun walking the circuit, but if not and the coaches can't get in, it may be worth steering clear.

 

As others have said, Nice is easy to get to and I think the trains run about every half hour. The train system in France is great, reliable and easy to use. Cannes itself is also pleasant enough to walk around if you don't want to go further.

 

I don't know about Malta, but looking forward to going there. The ships tours aren't too expensive there and we'll probably take one just to maximise our time.

[feefour]

Hello

 

We are thinking of booking 7 days cruise from Barcelona on the GEM.

 

- Do you think it's worth waiting for price to go down, cruise is May 24th

 

- Food in the main dining room - is it really that bad that you want to eat at the specialty restaurants? On Holland and Celebrity the food in the main dining room is so good you'd be crazy to eat anywhere else. Why do you eat at specialty restaurants, are there not enough choices?

 

- at 2 stops: Valleta and Cannes are only in port until 3pm, has anyone been on this cruise and did you feel that was way too short

 

Thank you!

 

We always wait until final payment day to make that payment. As one poster said, keep checking the prices as they will go down. I would definitely book it, but put only the minimum deposit.

 

In Malta we took a local bus to town and then took an open top tour. There was plenty of time to do this and we got to see the entire island as well as visit a glass factory.

 

We didn't stop in Cannes, but in Villefranche with the same time constraint. We still had time to take the train to Nice, walk around, have lunch, go to the beach. It's actually kind of nice to have an "easy" day after the port intensive days in Italy.

 

We did eat in the main dining room once. I didn't find it any better or worse than any other cruise line I've been on (RCCL, X, HAL, Princess and Carnival), but then I'm not a huge proponent of cruise food to begin with.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy this cruise. We LOVED it!

[Mississippi1]

I am taking this cruise May 10. I booked my flights just this week, after having watched them closely since November. The prices are now starting to come down. While choosing my seats in the reservation process, I noticed the planes are almost empty, which, IMO, says the prices will probably come down a little more. But, I'm booked, so I won't be looking any more, don't want to make myself queasy when I see the money I didn't save, lol.

 

We got a terrific price on the May 10 sailing, it's lower than any of the other dates, including November, so I'm happy with that. $1200 per person for a mini-suite (with an online TA) and $400 OBC. Again, it will probably come down after final payment date (which is coming up SOON), but I won't be checking after that. I was a little concerened about the 2 short days in Malta and Villefranche, but the overall price was so good, that I'll just have to make do! I hope to have enough time to see both Nice and Eze, but I'll do either and be more than happy. :)

 

Food.....hmmmm....I KNOW it's subjective. I've looked at picture after picture of menus and food from the MDR, and frankly, I'm not salivating! However, there's an "always available" sirloin in the MDR every night, the buffet (and I've never hear any negatives regarding NCL's buffet), and with $400 OBC, I can even try one or two of the surcharge restaurants without feeling guilty. Of course, sailing during "shoulder season", I can also hope for 2-for-1's in the surcharge restaurants to further my saviings. Whatever happens, I'm sure I won't go hungry, and even expect to find a few selections that are so yummy that I'll wonder what I was ever worried about in the first place!

 

Actually, I had the same questions as you prior to booking. I had originally booked an almost-the-same itinerary with RCCL, then learned I was going to be a first-time grandma at about the same time as that sailing, so I cancelled and rebooked this one with NCL. After tons of research and many, many hours right here on this board, I am sure that I will not be disappointed. Honestly, I think Freestyle is going to much more "my style." Also, I am getting a much better deal with NCL, leaving me lots of $$$ for the new grandbaby!

 

I hope I've helped you with some of your concerns, I tried to share some of my thought processes with these same concerns. Bottom line, a vacation, like life, is a lot of what you make of it. If you expect to be disappointed, you will be. If you expect to have the time of your life, I can see that happening, too! Whatever you decide, have a ball!

[cruzinaway]

We did this cruise last year in May - probably our best cruise to date. The pricing is anyone's guess. Actually, after looking at your sail date I think the prices are actually less than what we paid last year. Of course the airfare is higher this year, so I guess you'll make up for it there.

 

I can't say enough good things about the Gem. She's a lovely ship and the crew is fantastic. We thought the food was very good. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

 

I think you'll find all the ports will be somewhat rushed. Each city has amazing history and there is no way you'll be able to see everything in a day. Just take the time you have and enjoy yourself. You'll be fine.

 

Happy cruising.

[Whippets]

We did this cruise on the Gem in November. I too, think it was the best vacation I have ever had. The sights were truly breathtaking. We maximized our time in ports with private tours. The guides know just where to take you and how to get their efficently. By getting a group together from our roll call it was much less expensive and we were able to see all that we wanted to see.

We thought the food on the ship was fine and always found many things to suit our tastes. The staff was wonderful, room was always clean and the stewards called us by name with a friendly smile.

I shopped long and hard for airfare prices. As you are probably aware there are many, many discounted airfare sites. I was able to finally get a $660. fare from NC to Barcelona but it did include a layover. As fewer people travel due to the economy you will probably be able to find some good airfare deals.

My advice is........take very comfortable walking shoes as the surfaces are not always smooth like our sidewalks and watch out for pickpockets. You should purchase a money belt to go under your clothes. And have the time of your life.

Any questions?

[cynbar]

 

We did this cruise last June, and we absolutely loved it. As far as the 2 shorter days in port, it really wasn't a problem---- the days in Italy are so long that you will likely welcome those shorter days. IN Valletta, be sure to be either on your balcony or up on deck when the ship enters the harbor -- it was just lovely.

 

 

There is a city bus in Valletta right at the exit from the pier, it will take you into the town and back for 1 euro each. We did this and explored for awhile, then went back to the ship.

 

 

In Villefranche, we would have liked more time, but it was still fun. We did the ship's tour of Nice and Eze because we worried about missing the ship, but there is plenty of info available to do that on your own.

 

 

As far as eating in the main DRs, I do have to agree thast the food wasn't as good as some other cruises we have had. I think we ate 3 nights in the specialty restaurants -- the other nights it was fine but not spectacular. Overall, it didn't detract from our cruise.

 

PS _ The first 3 pictures are from Valletta, the last one is from Nice.

[Mississippi1]

Awesome pictures, cynbar! The more I see, the more I excited I am! Thanks so much for sharing.

[SallyUK]

Can I say thanks too cynbar? They have really got me in the mood!

[cynbar]

Thanks, guys!! Here's a link to my webshots if you want to see more, I have 2 full albums from that cruise:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cynbar101

 

We spent a night pre-cruise and another post-cruise in Barcelona, so those pictures bookend the albums. I didn't label them because I originally thought they would just be for us, but you can do a pretty good job of figuring out what is where.

 

One thing I want to recommend: on Monday night, after Valletta, book a late dinner (around 8:00 pm) in Le Bistro, or go to the Grand Pacific MDR and ask for a port-side table (there are beautiful large windows in Grand Pacific.) You will be sailing by Sicily with a lovely view of that island and also Mount Etna--- just spectacular!

[Mississippi1]

Thanks, guys!! Here's a link to my webshots if you want to see more, I have 2 full albums from that cruise:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cynbar101

 

We spent a night pre-cruise and another post-cruise in Barcelona, so those pictures bookend the albums. I didn't label them because I originally thought they would just be for us, but you can do a pretty good job of figuring out what is where.

 

One thing I want to recommend: on Monday night, after Valletta, book a late dinner (around 8:00 pm) in Le Bistro, or go to the Grand Pacific MDR and ask for a port-side table (there are beautiful large windows in Grand Pacific.) You will be sailing by Sicily with a lovely view of that island and also Mount Etna--- just spectacular!

 

 

Cynbar, people like you are the very reason I come to cruise critic! :D Thanks for the tip about Monday night...or is it Tuesday? I think Monday is a sea day...I will do just exactly that! I didn't realize I would be able to see Sicily, and I will think of you while enjoying the view. Okay, I'm off to your webshots albums. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.

[olechka]

Thank you so much everyone! This makes me feel better about taking this cruise. Thanks for the tip about the Grand Prix, I'll look into that.

[ocdb8r]

we are planning on doing this cruise in november.

 

the only thing holding us back is the airfare.

 

the airfare for 4 is more then the cruise price.

 

do you think the air may come down, we do have a wahile before final payment .

 

Assuming you aren't going Thanksgiving week, the air will come WAY down closer to that date. Mid summer they'll start to release the fall specials and it's usually VERY reasonable to get to Europe as tourism dips a lot that time of year.

 

Oh, I would DEFINITELY go a night or two early. Barcelona is one of my FAVORITE European cities!

[SallyUK]

Thanks for letting us share your photo albums cynbar, and my thanks too for the tip on Sicily. The pics are cool, and we were quite smitten with Lindy...

[steviek49]

Hello

 

We are thinking of booking 7 days cruise from Barcelona on the GEM.

 

- Do you think it's worth waiting for price to go down, cruise is May 24th

 

- Food in the main dining room - is it really that bad that you want to eat at the specialty restaurants? On Holland and Celebrity the food in the main dining room is so good you'd be crazy to eat anywhere else. Why do you eat at specialty restaurants, are there not enough choices?

 

- at 2 stops: Valleta and Cannes are only in port until 3pm, has anyone been on this cruise and did you feel that was way too short

 

Thank you!

 

We are booked on the Gem for Aug 23rd,2009 and we booked it last August, 2008. The price has come down several times and altogether the price of my AF Mini-Suite for 4 is down $600.00 from the original booking plus we've been able to add (first) $150 OBC, then another $150 OBC and then another $100 for switching the deposit from MC to Visa.

So altogether we are paying $1000.00 less than originally booked at + I believe the prices are still dropping.

As for the food, this will be our 4th NCL cruise (Crown, Dawn and Spirit) and we feel that the food in the MDR are about equal to Princess/HAL/and Carnival. We did feel that the MDR service was bit more polished on Princess and HAL than NCL and Carnival but food wasn't so different. We've tried Le Bistro, Tex Mex and Italian alternative restaurants on Dawn and found only Le Bistro to have a superior dining experience. We did enjoy Tex Mex and Italian but did not notice a difference in service or food quality-at least this was our impression.

 

Finally, we are also hoping we have enough time in port in Cannes and Valetta. The port time of approx 7-3 vs Royal Caribbean's Voyager 7am-7pm in another port in France or Italy (rather than Malta) was a reason we considerd switching our cruise to Voyager.

BUT a price difference on Voyager (Jr Suite for 4) vs Gem (mini-suite for 4) was over $2000.00- so for that kind of money I'll be happy with 7-3pm.

[cynbar]

Thanks for the tip about Monday night...or is it Tuesday? I think Monday is a sea day...I will do just exactly that! I didn't realize I would be able to see Sicily, and I will think of you while enjoying the view. .

 

OOPs,you're right!! Yes, it will be Tuesday evening that you sail by Sicily, on your way to Naples after Malta. We are just off another cruise that sailed Saturday to Saturday, I temporarily forgot that the Gem was a Sunday-Sunday trip.

[cynbar]

Thanks for letting us share your photo albums cynbar, and my thanks too for the tip on Sicily. The pics are cool, and we were quite smitten with Lindy...

 

Thanks, I'll tell LIndy you said hello! This started off as a family joke --- we used to always travel with our children., but they are young adults now so sometimes we go just the two of us. They were teasing us about being lonely, so we started taking Lindy so that wouldn't happen. And I must say, he's become quite the star around the 2 ships we've had him on.

 

Le me also say something more about the food on NCL. My perception (very subjective, of course) is that the choice and quality in the MDRs doesn;t equal Princess or Celebrity. For instance, one night the only beef offered was a beef stir fry -- I had that and it was actually pretty good, but I have always seen fancier choices on the other lines. The food in the specialty restaurants was a cut above --- we enjoyed Cagney's, teppanyaki and of course Le Bistro on Tuesday evening and I would recommend them all.

[cynbar]

Here's LIndy enjoying the Colosseum, for those of you who wonder what we're talking about

 

[mickeysgal]

One thing I want to recommend: on Monday night, after Valletta, book a late dinner (around 8:00 pm) in Le Bistro, or go to the Grand Pacific MDR and ask for a port-side table (there are beautiful large windows in Grand Pacific.) You will be sailing by Sicily with a lovely view of that island and also Mount Etna--- just spectacular!

 

Oh wow...what a great tip. Thank you! We're on the June 14th sailing and we will certainly take your advice.

[cynbar]

Oh wow...what a great tip. Thank you! We're on the June 14th sailing and we will certainly take your advice.

 

It is a lot of fun -- but I made a mistake, it's Tuesday evening you want to be looking for Sicily on the port side.

[pandi77]

Most of what i've read is true from my experience since I booked almost a year ago. We booked an AE penthouse and I didn't pay in full per the great advice on this cc board- it paid off big time!

In the past 3 months i've called each time the price lowered and have knocked off close to $2,000 dollars off the original price. I am now paying just slightly more for my room than what i've heard other posters are paying for mini-suites -and we get an onboard credit of $200 each!

I would reccomend to anyone to book early and get the room you want, then just keep checking prices because they will go down.

Great to see post from cc members who have gone on this cruise last year..we are way excited as the wait has flown by! We got rt open ended airfare tampa to Munich and Barcelon back to Tampa for $800 rt. We figured we kick around in Germany to kill the jet lag for a few days and then booked $49 one way tickets on Air Belin to Barcelona the day before the cruise...

Can't wait and good luck!