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Published: November 14th 2010
Date Saturday 30th October 2010
City Venice, Italy
Climate Low 14c – high 22c – fine and sunny
Currency $US dollars on board the ship – paid for by cabin access card =$NZ0.75
Today we boarded the Norwegian Gem for our first transatlantic crossing. We are expecting some cool, rough weather on the crossing itself, but will be hopeful that the first week of our 14 night cruise will bring some calm, mild weather for us to relax and enjoy. We were on board the ship about 1pm and waited for our cabin to be ready while enjoying a light lunch by the pool.
The Norwegian Gem is a lovely ship. We sailed on her sister ship the Norwegian Pearl in January – and we immediately noticed how similar they are. In fact, once we started exploring this 93,000 tonne vessel we really felt right at home – knowing exactly where to find things instead of spending half the cruise getting lost! Our cabin is on deck nine forward and inside, meaning no window or balcony but more money left in our pockets to spend on other necessities! We are situated really well, just 3 decks below the gym and
the pool, with the theatre and spa also at our end of the ship. At the aft there is the main dining room and the garden/outdoor café. We are glad that we have to walk so far to get to the food, and not so far to avail ourselves of the gym, entertainment areas and pools etc. We noticed at reception that the sailing is full and so that means we are sharing our floating hotel with over 2,300 other passengers and 1154 crew. The ship has great facilities on board – which is good, as the sailing will have 9 of the 14 days at sea, rather than being in ports. We typically choose more active cruises with many more ports, but this appealed to us as we were looking forward to a lot of chilling out at this stage in our travels. Also, repositioning cruises tend to be much cheaper as well – due to the lack of stops. We will certainly make good use of the 10 restaurants, 11 bars and lounges, the shopping arcade, swimming pools, spa pools, 4 lane bowling alley, rock climbing wall, theatre and library on board the Gem over the next two
weeks!
Once we’d unpacked we just spent the next few hours exploring the ship and familiarizing ourselves with the facilities. The mandatory boat drill was at 4.30pm where we all had to meet at our designated muster station. Unlike other cruises we didn’t need to wear our life vests for the drill this time – always a fashion highlight! We ate in the Grand Dining Room and were reminded how much we love a great varied menu and being waited on by friendly efficient waiting staff. The show was The Gypsy Kings Tribute Band – not a bad show but nothing to rave about. Exhausted from the last couple of months we went to bed early.
Date Sunday 31th October 2010 – Happy Halloween!
City Adriatic Sea
Climate Low 14c – high 22c – partly cloudy
Today was at sea. Although mild, the weather wasn’t good enough for us to spend by the pool. We slept in, went to the gym, read our books and generally took it easy. After dinner we went to see the show in the Stardust Theatre – Colorz – starring the Gem Production Cast. It was a lively musical featuring songs naming colours
in them and the set and costumes were designed to match. Very entertaining. Being Halloween there was a party in the Spinnaker lounge on level 13 where we were fascinated by some very odd costumes. We didn’t dress up as our luggage restrictions haven’t allowed us to travel with any of our fancy dress stuff this time. After the party we went to watch the movie Eclipse in the theatre. Neither of us had followed this vampire story but we were able to follow it OK and so we now know all about the craze that many people follow.
Date Monday 1st November 2010
City Mediterranean Sea
Climate Low 14c – high 23c – partly cloudy
Today was very much like yesterday. The daily planner delivered to our room offers so many ideas and options to keep busy – but we are happy to select just a few activities. One we chose today was the art auction at 3pm. The free champagne is always a draw card! We also attended the welcome back cocktail party as return guests on the NCL line. While there we purchased a $250 deposit towards our next NCL cruise. As an incentive we
received a $100 credit on our account this sailing. In the evening we ate in Magenta - one of the smaller restaurants on board, rather than going to the large dining room. The show was a juggling, balancing, acrobatic show by Duo Platchkov who used to perform in the Great Moscow Circus – it was great. Following that we went to see what talent would emerge at the first heat of the Karaoke Idol. Not nearly the great talent we have seen on other cruises but it is always quite good entertainment.
Date Tuesday 2nd November 2010
City Mediterranean Sea
Climate Low 12c – high 21c – showers
Today is another sea day before reaching Malaga in Spain tomorrow. Getting used to this relaxed lifestyle we went to the gym, read more of our books, went to an art seminar about Pablo Picasso, went to a cute Disney movie called Bedtime Stories, attended a “Spanish” for dummies course and got organized for dinner. Prior to dinner we listened to some excellent classical music in the stylish, intimate Star Bar – by a very talented string quartet. We sipped on a wonderful cocktail called Going Coco Nuts. It is
a concoction of vodka, coconut rum and pomegranate liqueur; served in a martini glass with coconut rum and shredded coconut decorating the rim. One to remember for making at home – very yummy! We called in to the show after dinner – a woman singer who was doing a Celine Dion tribute. Not really our thing – so we headed for the Spinnaker Lounge to briefly watch the 70s disco groove party. It was pretty quiet, so we called it a night as we wanted to make the most of our port-day tomorrow.
Date Wednesday 3rd November 2010
City Malaga, Spain
Climate Low 16c – high 23c – mostly sunny
Currency $NZ1.00 = 0.54 euro
We arrived into the port of Malaga at 7am. We were up bright and early and disembarked after breakfast to explore the city. It was a lovely sunny day. Just outside the port gate in Plaza De La Marina we paid 16 euro each for a 24 hour pass on the hop-on hop-off double decker bus (open on top), which did a great tour right around the city and provided personal earphones with seven languages to chose from for the informative commentary. We
sat up top to make the most of the views and to soak up the warm weather. There were 16 stops positioned around the city including the 18th Century Gilbrafo Castle perched above Malaga and offering superb panoramic views of the city; the Bullring and Bullfighting museum; Picasso’s birth house; the Picasso museum, housed in the Buena vista Palace and displaying more than 155 of his paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, prints and engravings spanning eight decades of his prolific career.
. We got off at the museum (entry 6 euro) and spent a couple of hours exploring this and the surrounding neighbourhood itself. After absorbing our quota of history, culture and the arts our next stop was the beach of Playa de la Malagueta, located within the city environs. We soaked up the sun for an hour or so and then wandered back to the ship via the leafy promenade of Paseo Del Parque. We departed just before 5pm and the evening activities began. After dinner we saw an English comedian in the Stardust Theatre – Paul Adams, who was entertaining. Around 11pm we went out on deck to see the Rock of Gibraltar. Unfortunately it was not lit up tonight but you could still make out the massive edifice silhouetted by the township and airport at its base. The clear night sky also revealed the close proximity of Africa just across this narrow stretch of water separating the two continents. With another port tomorrow we called it a night shortly after.
Date Thursday 4th November 2010
City Cadiz, Spain
Climate Low 17c – high 24c – mostly sunny
Currency $NZ1.00 = 0.54 euro
Cadiz was only going to be a taste for us as it is only a short port day with the ship leaving at 1.00pm – so we disembarked shortly after arrival into port at 8am.
We could immediately see that it is a lovely quaint town, jutting out into the Bay of Cadiz and almost entirely surrounded by water. Cadiz is Europe’s oldest city with some of its 18th Century walls still protecting the old quarter from the modern world clambering to intrude at its massive fortified entrance. Columbus also sailed from this point to America on two of his voyages. We started by walking to the nearby Tourist information centre by Plaza de San Juan de Dios and picked up some walking tour
guide sheets. We followed a couple of routes and then ended up in the central town by Plaza de Las Flores, where the traditional fresh fish, meat and vegetable market was energetically plying its trade. It was fun to look around and we were impressed at how clean and almost sterile it was. Quite a contrast to the one we visited in Abu Dhabi. We also went to the local Carrefour supermarket to buy some supplies for the ship.
We were due back on board by 1pm and we then lay by the pool and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the sun, swimming and reading our books. As it was so lovely outside we skipped the Portuguese class. After absorbing some UVs we got ready for the evening and made our way to the Spinnaker Lounge at the front of the ship to watch the sunset while listening to an awesome jazz band. What a perfect way to start the evening.
Entertainment tonight was provided by an awesome 4 piece electric string band called ‘String Fever’. This was a family affair of three brothers and a cousin playing funky electric violins and an electric base. They belted out some classics
and rock ballads and entertained us for over an hour.
Date Friday 5th November 2010
City Lisbon, Portugal
Climate Low 18c – high 29c – fine and sunny
Currency $NZ1.00 = 0.54 euro
Today we visited Lisbon, the capital of Portugal since 1147. It has great weather, boasting springtime temperatures in winter and cool summers freshened from breezes off the Atlantic. The buildings are lovely; many with tile facades are situated in medieval cobbled streets. Our approach into Lisbon took us under a bridge that was a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge, designed by the same architect. We used our “hop-on hop-off” ticket from Malaga to take advantage of a discount on the same tour company around Lisbon. We started off using the red route bus and our first views were of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos and the Torre de Belem, both great viewing spots overlooking the harbour entrance, before going back under the Bridge of 25thof April (the sister of San Fran’s Golden Gate bridge). The double decker bus wound its way around the old quarter of Lisbon, with its beautifully preserved buildings and paved pedestrian walkways, before we drove the mile long stretch
of Avenida da Liberdade to the Marques (statue) of Pombal and circled the Campo Pequeno – the amazing Arabian influenced bullfighting ring. We were really enjoying the feeling of this city and we decided to amble back through the tree lined avenues of Parque Eduardo VII to Marques de Pombal so that we could catch a blue route bus back to explore the old quarter. We got off in the old town and walked the cobbled streets, buying the mandatory magnet and grabbing a coffee at Starbucks so that we could make use of their wi-fi and upload the Venice blog and catch up on some emails. We enjoyed meandering back along the 3 kms to the ship in about 29’C heat along the waterfront, where we walked through a film set and had to wait for the scene to be shot. This waterfront area looks like it is being slowly developed into what could be a fantastic area like Sydney’s Darling Harbour or Auckland’s Viaduct. Entertainment in the theatre tonight was the hypnotist Dr. Don White – very disappointing except for one young guy who did provide the audience with a few laughs. Following this there was a “Dancing
with the Stars” competition that we didn’t attend but looked like fun when we watched it on the TV later. We have been missing a lot of activities and game shows on this cruise and we are using it a relaxing time for us and we also know that there will be many other shows and events to attend on the Hawaii cruise we’ll be doing later this month. We must pace ourselves!
Date Saturday 6th November 2010
City At sea
Climate Low 16c – high 24c – mostly sunny
Sea condition Small wavelets up to 1.5m
Good to have a sea day after three great ports. We made the most of the time to sleep in, go to the gym, lie by the pool and relax. Shaun attended the Epic presentation. This showcased the newly launched ship – the largest in NLC fleet. It looks like an excellent ship and it is probably now on our “to do” list for future cruises.
The show was “Get Down Tonight” a 1970’s production by the singers and dancers of the Gem. The psychedelic costumes were great and the music familiar and fun to relive some favorites of that era. The comedian was back to do a late night adult-only session at 11pm tonight – but we couldn’t stay awake long enough.
Date Sunday 7th November 2010
City Ponta Delgada, Azores Archipelago
Climate Low 16c – high 21c – mostly cloudy
Currency $NZ1.00 = 0.54 euro
The Azores Archipelago is made up of a series of 9 islands. Our stop was at the largest island of Sao Miguel, measuring 62km in length, 16km at its widest and just 8km at its narrowest. Ponta Delgada is the largest town on the island but being Sunday the town was virtually deserted. Apart from a few souvenir shops and a supermarket there wasn’t a lot to look at. The waterfront cafes and restaurants were buzzing with activity though. We decided to take a horse and cart ride around the town for 10 euros each. It was fun, with us in the front seat next to the driver and four others in the back of the carriage. He took us around for about 45 minutes and we got a good feel for the town with its Portuguese architecture and cobbled streets echoing under the horses hoof beats. It was cloudy
and a little cooler today but we could see how lovely it would be in the summer time. The isolation of the island from the mainland, about a 2 hour flight from Lisbon, is actually a draw card. The island had a relaxed village feel but has everything you could possibly need on it. We finished our short time on the island relaxing in a waterfront café supping on some ‘Blue Lagoons’ and following up on emails. This would be the last opportunity until we arrived in New York in 6 days time! Tonight’s evening entertainment included a performance in the theatre by a group “Fourever” – consisting of a baritone, two tenors and a soprano. They gave a dynamic singing performance with songs ranging from opera to Queen.
Date Monday 8th – Saturday 13th November 2010
City At Sea – across the Atlantic
Climate Low 9c – high 23c – some warmth but generally cooling down
Sea Condition Mostly moderate waves – up to 3.5m – then a storm with large waves averaging 6.5m and peaking at 10m – very rough!
Having the next six days and nights at sea was a real treat. Some of the
notable events, activities, special memories and observations were……….
• Isolated cases of illness so buffet service is served by dining staff for about 4 days. Includes having them make us a cup of coffee. (Could get used to that!)
• The hypnotist ran seminars on how to shed weight, stop smoking, sleep better, not fall asleep in his shows, etc.
• We enjoyed soaking up the rays in the comfy beds in the Spinnaker lounge and looking at the raging seas.
• No luck with whale watching
• Going to the gym every morning followed by a hot spa was great
• We ate dinner at two specialty restaurants as we had a 50% discount being “Latitude’ members. We loved the Mexican restaurant called Tequila. The Orchid Garden was the other one we tried – Asian fusion – also very good.
• We survived a two day storm with waves the size of small buildings up to 10 metres pushing the ship around. Lots of crashing and smashing coming from the Garden café on deck 12 while we were watching the largest washing machine in the world outside on agitate cycle.
• Watching the waves crash into the windows
in Bar Central and the main dining room as we ate dinner – Deck Six
• Going to the movies in the afternoon in the theatre was good. We enjoyed Love Happens, The Blind Side, Alice in Wonderland, Angels and Demons, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• Dancing in the nightclub at the White Hot Party in 4m swells that made the dance moves look spectacular!
• Listening and grooving to the live bands and solo artists around the ship
• Drinking our left-overs in our cabin on “packing day”! Always a very sad day!
• Arrival into New York at sunrise – breathtaking!
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Mac
non-member comment
Nice Blog
We were on this trip as well...we were looking for something about the storm and found your reports. Thank you for putting this up...very nicely done. I think I will do something like this next trip...I never even considered doing it before. I remember you...it was the day before NY and I was looking for a place to sit with my 2 kids...you offered to share 2 chairs but we needed 3...thanks again for that mate. Mac Boise, ID