In 18 more hours we will be off on the new Gem!
We are so excited to be going on this great new ship-we waited 13.5 months for this cruise-It was far too long-after 55 years of cruising-it is still as exciting as ever but I shall never go sooooo long between cruises again. This was, a real strain! Mother Ocean never looked sooo goood! Will give you all a good cruise review upon return-but since this is twelve days before we get back-you will have to wait-will miss you all and your friendly chat!

BillyBuzzy

BON VOYAGE, Billy!

Between your cruise on N. Gem and Bob's on N. Pearl, I am sitting here in a state of jealousy! I know you'll have a great time. You'll be missed... but I hope the time onboard passes slowly for you.

LisaP-Thank You for your best wishes! This is our fifth day aboard the Gem and she is every bit as unique as advertised. Things are changing in freestyle cruising (as if you can make a great idea better)-NCL is calling it freestyle phase 2. More on this when we come ashore-rest assurred (no pun intended)! The Gem is the queen of the fleet-a prize ship with a prize crew!!

BillyBuzzy-right now a BusyBuzzy

Have a wonderful cruise!!

Have a great cruise....we look forward to your comments and review of the newest ship on the high seas.....ENJOY

Billy, my husband and I are considering the Gem for 2009, so we can't wait to hear all about it when you get back! Hope you are having a blast!

So, how was the Gem???

Cortney-Sorry for taking sooo long to get back to cruise chat-
The Gem is a great ship-she offers all the amenities of her sister ships with flair! Dining in all venues is first class,especially improved are :Coffee worth having multiple refills,hamburgers soo good you almost forget all the other choices,nice and super comfy pillowtop beds,absolutely fabulous entertainment,a nice cushy ride through rough seas (we were forward),unbelievable bowling if the ship is rolling,great shipmates and a prize crew!
Problems:With a sold out ship dining in some venues can become more than a little frustrating-Freeestyle at times became reservations needed-NCL definitely needs to correct this problem fast,Lobster was not offered as a solitary entree during the entire 11 night voyage in any of the prime dining venues-It could be obtained in the specialty restaurants for a fee/it was offered as part of a seafood combo with shrimp and scallops 1 nite in the main dining venues!
NCL discouraged booking on board and is not offering any special pricing to passengers for future cruises-preferring instead to encourage passengers to seek out their own TAs or to use the NCL website for future cruise planning.
Still, all in all IT WAS A GREAT CRUISE ON A GREAT SHIP-must have been so -as
WE ARE BOOKED FOR TWO MORE NCL CRUISES THIS FALL-RESERVATIONS MADE POST GEM CRUISE!

Bon Voyage,

BillyBuzzy

Glad to hear it!!!!