Norwegian Gem 12/8/2022: Check in and First Day

 I ordered a taxi from the hotel for 10:30 for my check in time of 11. I went out on my balcony and realized there was a taxi stand directly below me. When i actually checked out, they hadn’t ordered the taxi so I just used a taxi at the taxi stand. The timing was perfect and the fare was less than 10 Euros. That means my total transfer from the airport was 5.90 Euros for the Aerobus to Plaza Catalunya where my hotel was, and another 10 Euros from the hotel to the pier where the ship was.

There was a minimal line waiting outside the terminal where they checked my passport to go in. At first I was concerned that there were a lot of people waiting inside the terminal. These people had already checked in. By the time I waited in the short line to get my room key, they were letting passengers board the ship (around 11:30AM) so I didn’t have to wait.

I did some important things immediately upon boarding the ship before the lines started to form:

*1. I went to the muster station to check in and have them scan my card so i wouldn’t get a nasty letter in my stateroom.

*2. I went to restaurant reservations and made meal reservations for all the sea days for the earliest dining slot available.

The Gem has been in dry dock. As I walk around the ship I definitely notice some changes which I will discuss with you on a sea day. I finally went to my room and was happily pleased at how big it was. These older ships have lots of storage and the bathroom feels huge compared to the last couple cruises I have been on. This is a transatlantic so I didn’t bring my own hammock but I have been on a sister ship and I can show you what a hammock looks like when you bring your own.

After a nice and then a quick unpacking, I was ready for a nice dinner in the main dining room. Dinner was quick and I was done by 7pm. I checked out a raffle for jewelry but didn’t win. They offered free champagne which i declined but other Thrifty Cruisers might enjoy this. 

I grabbed a jacket from my room for the theater because it always seems cold in there. Be prepared as the Boy Scouts say.

The Gem house band is B12 and they were given the main stage for a show Divas and Divos. I had seen them on a previous cruise on the Gem in May and they did not disappoint. The female singer is amazing!

After the show I ran into an old friend from a solo group and we chatted for a while before a crew member joined us in conversation. An hour quickly went passed.

Around 10:30PM I was ready to get some sleep and I went to my room….. I scanned my card and pushed open the door to see the bed turned down and was greeted by a smell of urine. I backed out of the room and did a double take. I checked the room number and rescanned my card. Green flash is good. Back into my room, I looked at the back table and saw my stuff on the table. I said hello and heard a feeble old ladies voice say I’m scared.. That was enough for me, I ran down to guest services to get security involved.

I’ll keep the story short but the lady belonged in the room next door and somehow she had gotten into my room. I was shaken and she was shaken. They gave me an inside cabin for the night and I took only essentials with me so I could sleep (it was 1AM by that point).

Don't despair as this story has a happy ending. Stay tuned.

Happy Cruising!