This post is constructed from notes I made while taking this cruise before I planned to start blogging. As a result, it is incomplete, and reflects what I thought of the cruise at the time.
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| Norwegian Gem |
This cruise was taken as cruise lines were beginning to sail again, and few pandemic related safety measures are visible in today's cruising environment. Not everything about the cruise can be listed here, but it should give the reader an idea of what early post-pandemic cruising was like.
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Ground Transit:
Embarkation
Unlike most pre-pandemic cruises, everyone had to take a Covid test no more than 2 days before this cruise. Each cruiser had to show proof of negative test results before getting near the pier.
When I arrived at pier 88 (where the ship was docked), I was directed to the pier next door (pier 90) to show my Covid test documentation and to take a second Covid test. 30 minutes later, my number was called, and I was given a red wristband to wear to show I was safe to board the ship.
Now that I was cleared to cruise, I could begin the embarkation process. So, I walked back to Pier 88, showed people my wristband, and picked up my key card. With the exception of proving that I was Covid-free that day, would be the same experience we had before the pandemic. The only difference would be that we would be required to keep our masks on while in public spaces, as a new Covid variant had just been found that week.
This cruise was a bargain when I chose to take it. It was about 1 month before the cruise, and I knew to jump on a bargain when I saw one. For the normal per person price on a 7-day cruise for an inside cabin, I got a mini-suite (in reality, a large balcony cabin) with a bathtub - without a solo supplement I would have enough room to soak if I wanted it, and still have money left over for a shore excursion,
Great Stirrup Cay
There is one thing wrong with the design of this island's facilities: There was no pier at the island. All passengers would have to take a tender boat to reach the island. Given that I don't like tender boats or beach resorts, I decided to skip getting off the ship here.
This is a nice port to visit, but not one from which to visit on a rainy day. I had booked a shore excursion to visit Fort Sumter, and it was worth the visit. It was a short bus ride to a pier, from which we took a ferry to the port. The Park Service guide at the fort was very knowledgeable, and gave us a good explanation as to why people from the Northern states felt like they had a stake in the Civil War. After we left the fort, we took the ferry back to the bus, and we then had a less than optimal tour of Charleston in the rain,.
Return to Manhattan, NYC
The worst day of any cruise is usually the day one leaves the ship. This would be one of the easiest disembarkation days I've ever had. It was easy to find my luggage at the pier, and I was able to catch a cab back to Grand Central without problems.
Food Venues and Availability
Buffet:
The ship's buffet is located on the lido deck (deck 15). Food offerings were plentiful, and I noticed that buffet staff were making extra sure that cruisers were doing their "washi-washi" before entering the buffet area.
Main Dining Rooms:
I'll treat the two ship main dining rooms as a single unit, as the kitchen sits between the two main dining rooms on the ship's deck 6. I had no complaints with the ship's offerings, as they were rotating menus on a daily basis.
Specialty Dining Areas:
As I had not gained Platinum loyalty status when I took this cruise, I visited these restaurants as the guest of another cruiser sailing alone. I might have chosen the ship's Brazilian Steakhouse, had I been able to reciprocate the favor.
Disembarkation:
This process was relatively straight forward. Both "self-assist" and porter service was available. If one chooses porter service, one would use the luggage tags provided by the cabin attendant and place their suitcases in the hallway the night before disembarkation. On the night before disembarkation, one is expected to have their porter service bags in the hallway between 5 & 10 pm.
Miscellaneous
Prior to the pandemic, most cruisers didn't think twice about sanitary concerns, save that one had to "washi-washi" before entering the buffet to help prevent the spread of Noroviruses that would cause sickness in cruisers. After the pandemic, many little things changed that an experienced cruiser would notice.
The first thing I noticed upon boarding the ship was something was missing. NCL had stations where one could take a branded selfie and send it to people on land. Sadly, for sanitary purposes these stations had to be removed, as they be a contact vector for transmitting diseases.
When I approached my cabin, I noticed new hang tags on the handles of each cabin door. They told the cruiser that the room had been cleaned and sanitized. Sometime after we left port, I noticed that most of these hang tags remained on each door. This would be the one cruise I'd ever see these hang tags on cabin doors.
While in public spaces, all cruisers were required to wear masks due to an outbreak of a new Covid variant. It was strange to be walking around the cruise ship with a mask on, but it was a relief to be able to be on a cruise ship again. When I went to the main dining room, I chose shared tables whenever possible, as it was the one place where people could take off their masks and pretend that we were in a pre-pandemic environment.
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Conclusions:
This cruise was excellent value for the money - but then, we are talking of ta time where cruising was resuming after the pandemic related shutdown. If I had taken this cruise a week later, I'd have had to pay more than twice as much to be on the ship alone celebrating New Year's Eve.
Since this was a cruise that took place during the resumption of cruising, it would be unfair to compare it against cruises taken a year later.
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