steviek49 Posted February 15, 2009 #1 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Does anyone know which restautants and which days the Gem normally offers 2-1 specialty dining? I seem to remember someone on CC mentioning 1st night at Cagney's. I also recall being on the Dawn and she had 2-1 1st night and other restuarants had it early-bird times. Thanks for any/all help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviek49 Posted February 17, 2009 Author #2 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Does anyone know which restautants and which days the Gem normally offers 2-1 specialty dining?I seem to remember someone on CC mentioning 1st night at Cagney's. I also recall being on the Dawn and she had 2-1 1st night and other restuarants had it early-bird times. Thanks for any/all help Are there 2 for the price of 1 alternative restaurant specials on the Gem? If so, can anyone give me an idea of which restarants on which days. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2cruise1 Posted February 17, 2009 #3 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I can not speak for the current 7 day Gem cruises that started this week but I am just back from the 10 day. Checking each Freestyle they only had one night with a 2 for 1 offer and it was only for La Cucina, Tequila, and Orchid Garden. No day one specials at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saleandsail Posted February 17, 2009 #4 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I think it probably depends on how well the restaurants are doing. On the 1/4/09 cruise on the Gem, they had the 2 for 1 the last three nights at La Cucina, Tequila and Orchid Garden between 5:30 and 7:30. The night before the first 2 for, I went to make reservations at Orchid Garden and had remarked to my wife how empty the place looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booklady26 Posted February 17, 2009 #5 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I just came off the 2/4 ten night Caribbean cruise. La Cucina, Orchid Garden and Tequila were 2 for 1's every night between 5:30-7:30. Le Bistro was 2 for 1 on the 2 "lobster nights", also between 5:30-7:30. On the 10 day cruise, the "lobster nights" were the first full sea day out and the first full sea day back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #6 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Can you tell me about the quality of food on any of those three restaurants.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iluvmypuggle Posted February 17, 2009 #7 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I've read on these boards that the specials change weekly, pending whether they want to offer them or not. So it's not a guarantee. As far as quality, I think the quality in the specialty restaurants is decent; our steaks in Cagney's weren't great on our last trip, but we will try Cagney's again since the reviews are great. Maybe we went on an off night? I think the sushi is a great deal because for $20/person, you can try as many things as you want. I didn't really like the food in Orchid Garden, but thats just my opinion. I tried those 3 restaurants on the Gem last year just fyi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #8 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Definetely not a sushi eater..lol..then again I'm getting ticked at all the extra charge restaurants on cruise ships, especially NCL..Just read in a travel article today that prices are dropping on cruises and are "dirt cheap", but to watch out for all the extras.. and that is the truth..gambling, pictures, drinks, alternative restaurants, etc. But,I'm anxious to try the Gem because of all the raves.. about the service and food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iluvmypuggle Posted February 17, 2009 #9 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Parrot Mom, the gem is a beautiful ship! But i agree- all the extra charges get annoying.. At the same time, as long as you plan for them, you won't be in for a shock when you get your bar bill. lol. I thought the quality of food in the main dining rooms was great though.. So it's totally up to you whether you want to try the specialty restaurants. Some of them don't seem worth it. For instance, the hibachi restaurant is $25/person. That's about how much it costs for a meal at a hibachi restaurant on land. When are you traveling on the Gem? Have you booked yet? I did the Florida & Bahamas trip on the Gem last April.. it was such a great time to travel as far as weather. I loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booklady26 Posted February 17, 2009 #10 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Can you tell me about the quality of food on any of those three restaurants.. La Cucina was very good. Both my husband & I had the osso bucco which was delicious. We also shared a plate of the penne marinara. The sauce was quite good. The 2=1 price was $10 for both of us. Tequila was pretty good too, although not "authentic" mexican, but good nonethless. For $10 for the 2 of us, it was worth it. I was a bit disappointed in the Orchid Garden. The appetizers and soup were very good, but the entrees were below average. I had the szchewan beef and hubby ahd the orange beef. The beef in both was on the tough side and there was far too much sauce. Neither tasted like what you would get in a chinese restaurant at home. In fact, they both tasted pretty similar and they are really very different dishes. The 2=1 price here was $15. We didn't go to Le Bistro as we wanted to try the lobster in the main DR's. I would bypass the first lobster night and go the Le Bistro. That lobster was nothing special IMHO. The second lobster night was the "surf and more surf" which was a combination of seafood including a small lobster tail served with a scampi type sauce over spaghetti. Yummy. I think the 2=1 price in the Bistro was $15 or $20. We also went to Cagney's for full price ($20 each). Don't order the crab cake appetizer. I didn't care for it, but the rest of the meal was excellent. Hubby had the oysters rockefeller for starters. I had the lobster bisque and he had the clam chowder. I had the rib eye and he had the t-bone. Both were cooked exactly the way we ordered them (med rare). If you like chocolate, don't pass up the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. It doesn't ooze chocolate, but it's warm and very rich. The price for the teppanyaki was $25 per person and we felt it was overpriced, so we skipped it. In general, we thought the menus in the main DR's were somewhat limited compared to other cruises we've taken. I guess they try to steer you towards the specialty restaurants. But what we had was seasoned, cooked and presented very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #11 Share Posted February 17, 2009 La Cucina was very good. Both my husband & I had the osso bucco which was delicious. We also shared a plate of the penne marinara. The sauce was quite good. The 2=1 price was $10 for both of us. Tequila was pretty good too, although not "authentic" mexican, but good nonethless. For $10 for the 2 of us, it was worth it. I was a bit disappointed in the Orchid Garden. The appetizers and soup were very good, but the entrees were below average. I had the szchewan beef and hubby ahd the orange beef. The beef in both was on the tough side and there was far too much sauce. Neither tasted like what you would get in a chinese restaurant at home. In fact, they both tasted pretty similar and they are really very different dishes. The 2=1 price here was $15. We didn't go to Le Bistro as we wanted to try the lobster in the main DR's. I would bypass the first lobster night and go the Le Bistro. That lobster was nothing special IMHO. The second lobster night was the "surf and more surf" which was a combination of seafood including a small lobster tail served with a scampi type sauce over spaghetti. Yummy. I think the 2=1 price in the Bistro was $15 or $20. We also went to Cagney's for full price ($20 each). Don't order the crab cake appetizer. I didn't care for it, but the rest of the meal was excellent. Hubby had the oysters rockefeller for starters. I had the lobster bisque and he had the clam chowder. I had the rib eye and he had the t-bone. Both were cooked exactly the way we ordered them (med rare). If you like chocolate, don't pass up the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. It doesn't ooze chocolate, but it's warm and very rich. The price for the teppanyaki was $25 per person and we felt it was overpriced, so we skipped it. In general, we thought the menus in the main DR's were somewhat limited compared to other cruises we've taken. I guess they try to steer you towards the specialty restaurants. But what we had was seasoned, cooked and presented very well. SORRY, but if it isn't N.E. lobster I can leave it.. The Bistro was known for the chocolate fondue.... Guess I won't starve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #12 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Parrot Mom, the gem is a beautiful ship! But i agree- all the extra charges get annoying.. At the same time, as long as you plan for them, you won't be in for a shock when you get your bar bill. lol. I thought the quality of food in the main dining rooms was great though.. So it's totally up to you whether you want to try the specialty restaurants. Some of them don't seem worth it. For instance, the hibachi restaurant is $25/person. That's about how much it costs for a meal at a hibachi restaurant on land. When are you traveling on the Gem? Have you booked yet? I did the Florida & Bahamas trip on the Gem last April.. it was such a great time to travel as far as weather. I loved it. Would you believe I cancelled my Equinox last week and booked the Gem..a mini suite..price was amazing.. We love trans-atlantics and the Gem has some wonderful ports.. ports we want to go back to and new ones.. We are leaving from Barcelona on November 29th.. and sailing to NYC.. I am really excited about t his cruise...Cannes and Florence are new.. in Rome we already have two private tours planned..Malaga is a joy.. this will be our third time.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iluvmypuggle Posted February 17, 2009 #13 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Would you believe I cancelled my Equinox last week and booked the Gem..a mini suite..price was amazing.. We love trans-atlantics and the Gem has some wonderful ports.. ports we want to go back to and new ones.. We are leaving from Barcelona on November 29th.. and sailing to NYC.. I am really excited about t his cruise...Cannes and Florence are new.. in Rome we already have two private tours planned..Malaga is a joy.. this will be our third time.. That sounds amazing. I have not yet done a trans-atlantic but one day.. Enjoy the mini-suite!!! BTW, another thing I really liked about the Gem that most people don't mention is the lounge chairs at the pool. They're big and luxurious with squishy pads on top! haha.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #14 Share Posted February 17, 2009 That sounds amazing. I have not yet done a trans-atlantic but one day.. Enjoy the mini-suite!!! BTW, another thing I really liked about the Gem that most people don't mention is the lounge chairs at the pool. They're big and luxurious with squishy pads on top! haha.. I take that back.. this will be our 5th trans-atlantic and add a repo for the Princess.. Cant wait to sit by the pool or jacuzzi and read... and sun..considering we are having snow tomorrow night outside of Boston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booklady26 Posted February 17, 2009 #15 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I'll post my Gem review later this week. I was very pleasantly surprised at the service and quality of the food. The friendliness if the entire staff was comparable to HAL. If you've ever sailed HAL, you'll know what a huge compliment that is. The ship itself was beautiful too. You will love it. My biggest complaint was the smoking in the casino. The casino was the only public room, outside of the cigar bar, where people could smoke. So the casino and it's bar were used as more of a smoking lounge for the smokers. Many people would just stand around or sit at the slots and smoke but not gamble. While the casino is large, it has a low ceiling so the smoke gets trapped. If you're walking forward on deck 6 from aft or midship you have to walk through the casino. So even if you don't want to gamble, you still have to walk through the haze. All this being said, I don't want to turn this into a non-smoker vs smoker's thread but as a non-smoker I found the casino really horrible. (I don't mean my luck or lack thereof). I do NOT fault the smokers. As long as NCL allows smoking on it's ships, they have to accomodate those who choose to smoke. Many of the lounges were large enough so that one area could be designated as a smoking area. HAL does it and there ships are much smaller than the Gem. Maybe NCL would consider having smoke free nights in the casino at least once or twice during a 7-10 night cruise. Princess does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 17, 2009 #16 Share Posted February 17, 2009 At t his point I believe ALL Celebrity ships are non-smoking..even in your cabin or balcony.. I hate the smell of smoke on my clothes..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted February 17, 2009 #17 Share Posted February 17, 2009 2 for 1 question comes up every week. And, as always the answer is elusive. the actual days will depend on many factors and changes often at the decision of the restaurant mgmt. Do not try to figure it out as you will be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeysgal Posted February 17, 2009 #18 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I'll post my Gem review later this week. I was very pleasantly surprised at the service and quality of the food. The friendliness if the entire staff was comparable to HAL. If you've ever sailed HAL, you'll know what a huge compliment that is. The ship itself was beautiful too. You will love it. That IS a huge complement. Glad to hear this. We're booked on the Gem and I've been very, very nervous about this booking. It's our first on NCL and the reviews lately of NCL haven't been exactly complementary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booklady26 Posted February 18, 2009 #19 Share Posted February 18, 2009 That IS a huge complement. Glad to hear this. We're booked on the Gem and I've been very, very nervous about this booking. It's our first on NCL and the reviews lately of NCL haven't been exactly complementary. I believe the uptick in service on the Gem starts with the captain, his senior officers and the cruise director and trickles down to every crew member. I have never been on a cruise where they were so visible. Most of the time you never even know who the hotel and food & beverage managers are unless you register a complaint and even then their subordinates usually take care of it. On some cruises about the only time you even see the cruise director is when he/she introduces the show. We saw Captain Mike, Prem, the hotel manager, and Mirsad, the food and beverage manager every day in the Garden Cafe. They were observing, not eating. They also very friendly and wanted to hear passengers comments, both positive and negative. The Captain was always walking around the ship and would smile and say hello to anyone with whom he made eye contact. We saw Prem &/or Mirsad every night at dinner no matter where we dined. I started to kid that they were following us around. Ray, the cruise director, was always around to answer questions or just chat with passengers. On the last sea day, you know how long the lines are at the passenger services desk when people have all sorts of questions about disembarkation. He (yes the cruise director) went up and down the line to ask people what their questions were to see if he could help rather than have them wait on line. The cruise staff walked around the Garden Cafe during breakfast and lunch just to say hello to the passengers. I really felt that the senior staff led by example and that made the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Mom Posted February 18, 2009 #20 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Everybody including my cruising friend who adores NCL and barge tours.. is going back on the Gem for the third time. Her cruising friend has a relationship with the Chef.. It seems somebody on that ship is doing something positive.. and I like the sounds of it.. We have a chain of resorts in the D.R. that we love and I spoke the first time to the guru behind their philosophy.. and it's aimed at Americans.. Management from the Head of the Resort is always walking around..I've seen them clean coffee tables, move furniture and more important read all the reviews on different boards and take action. Europeans I've spoken to say "if it's good enough for Americans..it's good enough for us"..lol..and they flock to this chain..´ Every employee is especially trained the "American Way".,,lol.. and nothing is impossible in this resort.. it's not their way.. I really look forward to cruising on the Gem..one because of the people on this board compared to what I am experiencing on our other cruise board...and this seems like it's going to be a fun group.. Parrot Pop has already designed our shirts...something that keeps him busy on the computer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinEurope Posted February 18, 2009 #21 Share Posted February 18, 2009 That IS a huge complement. Glad to hear this. We're booked on the Gem and I've been very, very nervous about this booking. It's our first on NCL and the reviews lately of NCL haven't been exactly complementary. If it helps, I'm a "lately" reviewer of the NCL Jade (sister ship to the Gem) and we had a GREAT TIME! (review is in my siggy). We're doing the Gem next just to try out a sister ship (and have the bowling & rock climbing! WHOOO HOOO) I bet you'll have a great time! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msg12188 Posted February 19, 2009 #22 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Does anyone know which restautants and which days the Gem normally offers 2-1 specialty dining?I seem to remember someone on CC mentioning 1st night at Cagney's. I also recall being on the Dawn and she had 2-1 1st night and other restuarants had it early-bird times. Thanks for any/all help My neighbor just returned on Saturday from the 10 day cruise & brought me all her dailies. Everyday the 2 for 1 dinners were for LaCucina and the Orchid Garden only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted February 19, 2009 #23 Share Posted February 19, 2009 As many others have mentioned., the actual days change often due to food supply, current schedule, mix of people and whims of the mgmt staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviek49 Posted February 19, 2009 Author #24 Share Posted February 19, 2009 As many others have mentioned., the actual days change often due to food supply, current schedule, mix of people and whims of the mgmt staff. Thank you everyone. Since I have $400 OBC, I can wait to get onboard before deciding which alternative restaurants to dine at. It might very well depend on which ones are running specials. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msg12188 Posted February 20, 2009 #25 Share Posted February 20, 2009 My neighbor just returned on Saturday from the 10 day cruise & brought me all her dailies. Everyday the 2 for 1 dinners were for LaCucina and the Orchid Garden only. Looked at the dailies again and Tequila was also a 2 for 1 everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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