Norwegian Gem 12/17/2022 to 12/22/2022:Many Sea Days lead to NYC

Many sea days in a row with an Internet outage and just ok food and repeat shows gives me some time to think. If you plan to do a transatlantic, choose carefully. This ship is just out of drydock and many people have been without hot water off and on. The crew is new and training. The shows really havent geared up yet or maybe they have been cut. In any case, one early show per night makes dinner feel rushed.

I didn't pay extra for the fitness classes. In hindsight perhaps it would have been worth paying for unlimited classes just to have something to do. I really enjoyed that on the Virgin cruise.

Specialty dining is normally great but it is not up to standards on this sailing. That leaves music and dancing but with a time change every night making each day 25 hours, it means I fall asleep prior to the 10:30 music.

So I am rethinking my transatlantic strategy. The TA can be a bargain, but if you need to work, stick to a cruise that goes into.ports regularly to minimize the risk of an outage.

If you dont need to work, consider  buying the fitness bundle for unlimited classes. In addition, a specialty dining package may be worth the price.

For now, i need to be able to work. I'll steer clear of TAs for a while. 

Disembarking was a meaa in NYC and it took quite a while to get through customs. Everyone wanted off the ship. An excursion to the airport is a great way to insure a less chaotic departure and you can use your $50 per port excursion credit.

This time, I was trying to beat the storm. I changed to an earlier flight and despite a two hour delay I beat the storm home. NYC is a mess to travel through. If you can, choose a warmer place to cruise.

I hope these tips help someone. Free free to send me questions or comments.

Happy Cruising!