GEM Mediterranean Review - May 31

[olechka]

I guess I'm the first one to post a review from our group :-) We had an awesome cruise on the Gem, after reading some of the posts on this board I expected horrible service and nasty food. This was not the case at ALL. I'll try to make the review to the point but if you would like more specifics, just ask.

 

*Room was 8562 obstructed view, we had a ton of light and saw the land/sea from the window, very happy with the room. I have pic if someone wants.

 

* Stateroom service was great, room always clean, steward very nice and polite and got us everything within minutes

 

* Embarkation and disembarkation were flawless. We took our bags off the ship ourselves at 7am, by 7:25am we were already checked in on our flight.

 

* Barcelona - Stayed in Barcelona for 2.5 days prior to the cruise. We did the HOHO bus, really enjoyed it although shouldn't have booked 2 day ticket, we slept in the day of embarkation and wouldn't have time to make a full circle which takes 2 hours. We stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar, very nice hotel but far from the center, stayed there because of points and would do that again in a heartbeat. It was nice to get away from the noise and craziness and it was 15 minute metro ride from Las Ramblas and 5 minute walk from the HOHO stop. Also went to see the Monjuc Fountains on Saturday night, enjoyed it very much.

 

* Meet & Greet - I organized the Meet & Greet for our rollcall which turned out to be 50 people. Officers attended and we all got a free bottle of wine note sent to our rooms later in the week. We met so many great people, we really enjoyed having familiar faces on the ship and hanging out with people everywhere we went.

 

* Food - we only ate the the Grand Pacific and Magenta for dinner and enjoyed the food. It was great some days and ok others, but we never left the table on the empty stomach. Defintely a different dining experience then traditional cruises we've been on but with such port intensive itinerary, it worked out great. The deserts (even low fat ones) were so good! Favorite dish was beef-wellington. 2for1 wasn't offered unfortunately, at least we didn't catch it.

 

* Entertainment - we only saw the flamingo show the first day and Second City shows - we are big Second City fans and loved their shows as well as improv workshop. We also participated in various trivia events which were pretty fun. Quest (adult only) game was hilarious, definitely unexpected. We went to the Bliss Club a few times, it was quieter than expected, even during the White Night Party until the crew came and it was a blast watching them.

 

* Ports:

- Malta - very cute country, we didn't book a tour there, got off the ship, took the bus for 1EUR and walked around Valleta.

 

- Naples - booked RomeinLimo.com with people we met on the rollcall boards. Driver met us promptly and took us to Pompeii where we pre-arranged a guide through RIL; the guide was great, so knowledgeable, really made the place come alive. Then we drove through the crazy hills and mountain to Sorrento. We walked around there and shopped and driver arranged for a pizza place for us, excellent and affordable. Next was a scenic drive through the mountain with breathtaking views to Positano, another very cute city where we walked around and shopped. We got back on the ship by 5-5:30 to make sure we didn't get stuck in traffic.

 

- Rome (our favorite) - we were met by RomeinLimo again, Mauro was our guide and he was excellent, with over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry including 18 years in US. He told us everything about Rome and specific sites we were seeing, we really loved him. Mauro walked us right through the line in the Coliseum and picked us up when were done, then drove us through the back alleys to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and others. We had lunch and gelato and he tooks us to the Vatican were we were greeted by Duman (owner of RIL) and our guide Julia was waiting for us. Julia was awesome, she was art history major and so passionate and knowledgeable, she told us stories and pointed out things we would never note on our own. Note: make sure you insist that the guide takes you to St. Peter's Basilica, one of the other tours didn't make it inside, it's really unfortunate. After the Vatican, Mauro got us back on the ship by 5-5:30 again.

Overall, we learned that some drivers are better than others so I recommend researching the boards for recommendations and requesting specific ones.

 

- Livorno - we had a mishap with the driver (due to breakdown of RIL van the night before, another company was sent) but RIL has been very responsive by dealing with the situation, so I'll withhold further comments at this time. We went to Pisa first, took the obligatory pics with the leaning tower (didn't climb it) and proceeded to Florence. I wish I did more research for Florence to figure out what we wanted to do there. We had RiL make the reservation for us for the Accademia but not the Uffizi gallery, the lines there were so long we had no chance of getting in. The lines to the Duomo were very long too. We did discover a place that tourists probably don't know about - the Prince's Palace - Palazzo Vecchio, it was only 6 EUR, no line and absolutely amazing inside. Accademia was very small and the only thing worth seeing there is David; if I'd do it again, I wouldn't bother going inside but maybe went to Uffizi instead. Got back on the ship by 5:30 again with no problems.

 

- Cannes - were we excursioned out by the time Cannes came along so we slept in and went to the beach once we got on the shore. It was very windy that day and on the way back to the ship we were pretty much on a rollacoaster, good thing the ride was fairly quick and noone around us got sick.

 

Overall we had an amazing although tireing trip and loved our experience on the GEM.

 

Any questions?

[jpcdds6]

glad you had a nice time. we will be on her july 12th and can't wait! will be using romeinlimo as well.

[mickeysgal]

Glad to hear you had a good time. My regret at this time is that we did not get a guide for the Vatican. Even with the Sistine Chapel closed, it would have benefited for us to have a guide for St. Peter's.

 

Wow - you all got wine from your Meet and Greet? How nice is that! We didn't but NCL did put out a very nice spread for us. Well worth attending. Best part was meeting some very nice roll call people. Loved it.

 

We also met Duman at the beginning of our Rome tour. He wasn't our driver but what a personality! I'd love to have him for our driver next time. Not to say we didn't truly appreciate our driver as he was great as well.

[1greencar]

Thanks so much for the review. I am loving the opportunity to see the reviews before my trip. So very helpful.

I will be staying at that Hilton as well. I will be there for 3 nights pre cruise and one night post cruise.

[rowlady]

Thanks for the review! We will be in Cannes on July 4 and were thinking of visiting the beach and maybe walking around the town a bit. Can you tell me more detail about the beach you visited - was it free - did it have any amenities - was it within walking distance to port? If it was private what were the costs involved? Would you return if given the choice? Thanks so much for any advice.........

 

Debbie

[olechka]

Thanks for the review! We will be in Cannes on July 4 and were thinking of visiting the beach and maybe walking around the town a bit. Can you tell me more detail about the beach you visited - was it free - did it have any amenities - was it within walking distance to port? If it was private what were the costs involved? Would you return if given the choice? Thanks so much for any advice.........

 

Debbie

 

There were a lot of free public beaches as soon as you get off the tender boat to the left, no need to pay. We just walked along the road and picked one that wasn't crowded. Not sure about amenities but we did see portable bathrooms type of structures nearby but didn't use them since I was too cold to swim (very windy day).

[redlef]

....Overall we had an amazing although tireing trip and loved our experience on the GEM.

 

Any questions?

 

Thanks for taking the time to write about your cruise. Do you remember which night they did the Chocohalic Buffet?

[olechka]

Thanks for taking the time to write about your cruise. Do you remember which night they did the Chocohalic Buffet?

Yep it was the night of my birthday I was stuffed with bday cake so didn't try anything from the buffet. It was Friday Florence Day.

[auducky2]

Thanks for the review! In Naples, what time did you get off the ship to start your tour? We're doing the same places (different company) in September and we're hoping to be back at the ship around the same time.

[cruisin' judi]

* Barcelona - Stayed in Barcelona for 2.5 days prior to the cruise. We did the HOHO bus, really enjoyed it although shouldn't have booked 2 day ticket, we slept in the day of embarkation and wouldn't have time to make a full circle which takes 2 hours. We stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar, very nice hotel but far from the center, stayed there because of points and would do that again in a heartbeat. It was nice to get away from the noise and craziness and it was 15 minute metro ride from Las Ramblas and 5 minute walk from the HOHO stop. Also went to see the Monjuc Fountains on Saturday night, enjoyed it very much.

 

* Meet & Greet - I organized the Meet & Greet for our rollcall which turned out to be 50 people. Officers attended and we all got a free bottle of wine note sent to our rooms later in the week. We met so many great people, we really enjoyed having familiar faces on the ship and hanging out with people everywhere we went.

 

- Naples - booked RomeinLimo.com with people we met on the rollcall boards. Driver met us promptly and took us to Pompeii where we pre-arranged a guide through RIL; the guide was great, so knowledgeable, really made the place come alive. Then we drove through the crazy hills and mountain to Sorrento. We walked around there and shopped and driver arranged for a pizza place for us, excellent and affordable. Next was a scenic drive through the mountain with breathtaking views to Positano, another very cute city where we walked around and shopped. We got back on the ship by 5-5:30 to make sure we didn't get stuck in traffic.

 

- Rome (our favorite) - we were met by RomeinLimo again, Mauro was our guide and he was excellent, with over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry including 18 years in US. He told us everything about Rome and specific sites we were seeing, we really loved him. Mauro walked us right through the line in the Coliseum and picked us up when were done, then drove us through the back alleys to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and others. We had lunch and gelato and he tooks us to the Vatican were we were greeted by Duman (owner of RIL) and our guide Julia was waiting for us. Julia was awesome, she was art history major and so passionate and knowledgeable, she told us stories and pointed out things we would never note on our own. Note: make sure you insist that the guide takes you to St. Peter's Basilica, one of the other tours didn't make it inside, it's really unfortunate. After the Vatican, Mauro got us back on the ship by 5-5:30 again.

Overall, we learned that some drivers are better than others so I recommend researching the boards for recommendations and requesting specific ones.

 

- Livorno - we had a mishap with the driver (due to breakdown of RIL van the night before, another company was sent) but RIL has been very responsive by dealing with the situation, so I'll withhold further comments at this time. We went to Pisa first, took the obligatory pics with the leaning tower (didn't climb it) and proceeded to Florence. I wish I did more research for Florence to figure out what we wanted to do there. We had RiL make the reservation for us for the Accademia but not the Uffizi gallery, the lines there were so long we had no chance of getting in. The lines to the Duomo were very long too. We did discover a place that tourists probably don't know about - the Prince's Palace - Palazzo Vecchio, it was only 6 EUR, no line and absolutely amazing inside. Accademia was very small and the only thing worth seeing there is David; if I'd do it again, I wouldn't bother going inside but maybe went to Uffizi instead. Got back on the ship by 5:30 again with no problems.

 

- Cannes - were we excursioned out by the time Cannes came along so we slept in and went to the beach once we got on the shore. It was very windy that day and on the way back to the ship we were pretty much on a roller coaster, good thing the ride was fairly quick and noone around us got sick.

 

Overall we had an amazing although tireing trip and loved our experience on the GEM.

 

Any questions?

 

What can you tell me about your meet and greet? How many people were there? Did you anything special to break the ice? Any other information that might help us?

 

Did you do any shopping? What did you find to be the best values?

 

Judi

[madison_ct_cruisers]

Hi,

We just booked cabin 8562 on the GEM. Would you please send us any photos you have of the cabin and view.

Thank you very much.

Mel

olinskym@cbsnews.com

[barbl123]

We did that cruise Oct 2008 and pretty much did the same in ports -using RIL -Mario and I think even the same Vatican guide! LOVED it LOVED it LOVED it -can't say enough about the ship, the ports, everything! Even the 2 days in Barcelona & the HOHO! I would love to do the same cruise again and see different spots at each port -Getting on the Jewel tomorrow for Western Caribbean -relaxing cruise!