Norwegian Gem 12/9/2022: Valencia, Spain

I woke up tired from a lack of sleep because my excursion was to meet at 9:30 in the Stardust theater. I grabbed a quick breakfast in the garden cafe and ate it in La Cucina (this is a great tip because it is always not crowded and quiet in La Cucina at breakfast. Watch where the crew eats as they know the best spots). I grabbed a chocolate milk to go and put it in my pack for the excursion since I was running late. Down in the theater it was packed. They called excursion after excursion and finally called mine around 10:20. This is a major bummer that is part of the whole cruise ship excursion negative column. That said, I had used my $50 credit per port so it didn’t cost me anything.

The excursion tour guide was Alyssa and the excursion was called Easy Valencia. We drove around in a tour bus and stopped for little walks here and there. It was a great excursion. I may have nodded off a little here and there on the bus ride but the stops were beautiful. There was free time here and there also but I didn’t feel trapped in a gift shop. My favorite stop was the City of Science and Technology and if i went to Valencia again I might just grab cheap transportation and spend the day there.

Be aware that free rest rooms are not a thing in Europe and if you have a small bladder you need to be prepared for this. My strategy for this is to use McDonalds or Burger King or small cafes. A quick cup of coffee or a snack gets you use of their bathroom. 2 Euros for a clean restroom is a good deal when you need it.

Back on the ship was a rush to get to the buffet before it closed at 2:30PM. There is food available 24 hours a day on the ship, but the buffet offers the best selection and there are only specific times when it is open. I ate more than I should have and settled in for a nap. I checked in on my old room and although they had cleaned it, i could still smell the odor from the previous evening. YUCK! I spoke to customer service and they promised to do their best and were waiting for a call from Miami about the incident. 

After my nap, I met with their chief security officer from the UK, a nice guy named Phil. He explained that I put on the deadbolt to prop the door open before I left after getting my jacket. (Note that I never use the deadbolt) The customer service guy Jessie was young but promised he was doing his best to get me another stateroom. 

Pro Tip: Double check the door when it shuts. I usually do this and it is a habit, but I can't say for sure if I did it this time.

I grabbed an early dinner in the dining room and went to the show. The show was a world champion Ballroom Dance couple that demonstrated the 10 types of Ballroom Dance. At the opening, the man came out into the audience dressed as a pirate and jumped into the faces of the front row with an argh! It was great and woke everyone up. They did a great job and kept us entertained.

After the show, I stopped in to see Jessie in Guest Services and he was happy to tell me that he had a new stateroom for me on the same deck and he would have a room steward meet me and help me move. This process took about a half hour. The new room was exactly like my old room except it was clean and the beds were apart. I knew that would be an easy fix the next day. It was another late night but I was very happy to be in my new home for the next 13 days.

We moved all my stuff which was pretty easy since I hadn't fully unpacked. I unpacked in my new room and crashed out for the night. I have an early excursion scheduled for tomorrow in Cartegena.

Happy Cruising!