Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Day two of the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Gem inaugural began with a fabulous breakfast in the Garden Cafe. I love omelettes, and theirs was excellent. Then it was off to tour the ship. Starting at deck 13, I found the Spinnaker Lounge. This turned out to be a really all inclusive, do anything venue. Flat screen TVs everywhere, bar, shuffleboard, darts, pool, air hockey, and dance floor, plus a fabulous panorama view out the front of the ship. The night before, one of NCL’s biggest travel partners held a nice cocktail private party in here. Plenty of room for any large group function. It was a great chance to me to see many old friends and co-workers in the cruise industry.

Next stop was deck 12 and the Yin & Yang Spa. Absolutely breathtaking. I think what was the most amazing besides the sheer beauty, was the size of the spa area. It was enormous. The Spa Thermal sanctuary was very passive, complete with indoor thaloso therapy pool, sauna and steam room. It was made that much better by offering ocean views during any sessions in this area. They offer some wonderful weekly packages in here for under $100.
From there, it was out to the pool area and one of the funnier sites of my cruise career. Deck hands were push-brooming snow off the decks while steam came off the pool and hot tubs, wearing gloves, jackets and knit caps. . There is a multi-level slide overlooking everything, and plenty of deck chairs and space to lounge on both levels. It appears rushing out early to find a deck chair won’t be necessary, but trust me, not many folks were out there sunbathing. There were plenty of bars outside as well, so pool side refreshments should be easy and fast to get. Near the slide is a large covered gazebo for bands and other on-deck activities. Continuing further back, I ventured upon La Cucina Italian Restaurant, and promptly had an expresso to warm up from the pool visit. Decks 11, 10, 9 and 8 were all residential decks except deck 8 had two restaurants on it. Blue Lagoon is a 24 hour coffeehouse specializing in hamburgers, fish and chips and wok style dishes. On the other side, is Tequila Latin/Tapas Restaurant. This is where I stopped for lunch, and it was delightful. A wonderful Mexican decor, accented by a rather large wall of wine. Eating here was a treat, beginning with salsa and chips that were spicy, spicy, spicy with chilis. I also sampled the southwestern rolls before moving on the the sizzling fajita presentation they brought me. Good thing I’m on this diet! I finished the meal off by engaging a small piece of flan smothered in caramel sauce, and thinking how good it was that dinner was going to be late this evening.
From here it was back down to deck 7, and off to the Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub. This room, by any stretch of the imagination, is the most unique nightclub at sea. When you enter this room, the lights are definitely dim, but you can see clearly due to the lights from the first of two sets of bowling lanes. Yes, I said bowling lanes. Off to the right, which is the middle as I came in, is the large bar for serving all the occupants that would be here later in the day for White Hot! As I ventured further in and to the back of the room, I came across the first of three double beds in the room. This was definitely a first for me, and I had to chuckle at what must be an effort to remove folks who I’m sure sooner or later will have had too much to drink, and need to be carried off the beds sleeping. The furtherest one back was probably the most exotic. This one had large overstuffed pillows atop an exotic bedspread, and suggestive wall hanging over the headboard. A real den of ……whatever.
Just below is the Grand Pacific Main Dining Room. I as arrived for dinner, I was taken by the sheer elegance of this enormous room. The detail in the wood columns and wall art was a reminder of the old days of cruising, an era when dressing up and fine dining went together. The staff as all attired in theme outfits, and the service was outstanding. The menu choices are varied, and range from the fanciest lamb to a simple creole pie that was the best I had eaten in a long while. The wine selection was very complete, and not over priced. This is an opportunity to dress up for dinner if you like, because remember on NCL, it’s whatever.
Tomorrow, I will finish the trip with some room descriptions, and the kids and teen areas which make this an excellent family opportunity.