My uber-Last-Minute Solo Bermuda Cruise! About This Page:

[elbodans]

Ok...all photos uploaded! It is time for the trip report to begin! But first...a few words of explanation...

I wrote most of this whilst actually sailing--I took a half hour or so each night to type up my thoughts and experiences from the day. Now I'm going through for editing purposes (I used to be an English teacher...) and adding parenthetical 'POST CRUISE NOTES'. These are all things added by me here, now--POST CRUISE.

And now, without any further ado, here's 'Gem NYC to Bermuda--Day by Day'!

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Day 1--Embarkation Day

Do you know what is a bad idea? A backless stool on a cruise ship. I’m sitting in my stateroom (I’d call it a ‘cabin’ or even a ‘compartment’, though it isn’t as suffocating as I thought it would be—likely because I’m in here alone!) typing this on my tiny netbook on my tiny desk whilst sitting on afore mentioned backless stool. I’m forced to counter balance the rocking of the ship by leaning slowly from side to side in the opposite direction. I’m not sure if the martini tasting I just attended is helping or hurting this mission. But I really want to write up a trip report for this cruise, and I know that if I don’t do it now, I may never do it—or, more likely, I’ll do it poorly. Details tend to get lost as time goes on. So I’m writing at least every 24 hours…though I’ve been on board for more than 24 hours at this point—so I guess I already broke my own rule!

Which brings me to…yesterday!

Embarkation was super-easy. I understand why people like cruising—you literally don’t have to think (which is ideal when on a vacation!) Going through the check in process was easier than boarding a plane, and then suddenly I was on this ship full of people waiting to entertain me, clean up after me, and feed me—oh, and help take my money. Though honestly, it’s pretty easy to NOT run up a huge bill on board. Everything I need—other than wine (which I have been paying for)—is included. If I feel like a plate of French fries and some chocolate mousse at 2:00 in the afternoon—they have that. And, oddly, those two things are very close to each other.

Despite what I’d read online, all of the staterooms were ready for ‘occupation’ as soon as we boarded—and we boarded promptly at the designated time (noon). So after checking out my stateroom-cabin-compartment and stashing my few carry on belongings, I threw my camera around my neck and headed out to check out the ship.

(POST CRUISE NOTE: I had an inside cabin, as this was a solo trip and I wasn't really planning on spending a lot of time in the room. I found that an inside cabin isn't really that much different from a cabin with a window--the only other kind of cabin I've experienced. Because I can't see my husband and I ever paying for a balcony room, I will likely stick with inside cabins in the future. The room was spotless, my room steward was fantastic, and I even got occasional towel animals! Oh--and the bathroom was more than adequate. I wasn't expecting a full-sized shower, but was pleasantly surprised!)





Like all of the other cruise ship passengers, I decided make christening the buffet my first order of business. Not because I’m a huge pig or someone who feels the need to ‘get the most for my money’ by eating a lot (because, to be fair, this cruise was so cheap I’d only need to enjoy 10 meals aboard to ‘earn’ ALL of my money back) but because, well, I was hungry. I skipped breakfast in fear of having an upset stomach on the bus (because who wants that?) but once safely onboard, I felt I could safely eat. My cabin--#10007--was on deck 10 almost all the way forward. Thus, I discovered that the quickest route to the food was to walk up two flights of stairs, ending at the fitness center and spa, and then turning around to walk through the pool deck to access The Garden Cafe. At this time of day, the pool deck was empty...



And quite pretty, if I do say so myself. And I do. But food was my mission, and after perusing the offerings, I discovered the Indian food on the Asian station at the buffet.





Oh yeah! I love Indian food, and was thrilled to find it as an option in the buffet. It wasn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it was pretty darn good (though the rice left a lot to be desired--oh well!) It had actual spice, which I love and is often lacking in a buffet environment. Honestly, after only one trip to The Garden Café, I can’t understand how anyone wouldn’t find SOMETHING they liked to eat on this ship. There were many options. To be fair, some looked better than others (you couldn’t pay me to eat that pizza—if you even insist on calling it pizza) but there really was a good variety of good-looking food. (POST CRUISE NOTE: After seven days aboard the Gem, I still maintain that the buffet is more than sufficient for breakfast and lunch dining. And I’m a huge food snob.)

By the time I finished my giant plate of surprisingly good lentils and eggplant it was time for the ship tour. It sounded like a good idea—a way to familiarize yourself with the ship. It was, I suppose—but I could have done that on my own without having to follow a giant group of people around whilst trying to understand a crew member with a very thick accent (though he was very lovable and personable, so I can’t complain!) Additionally, we didn’t have time to go everywhere on board—but he did point to many things that I was then able to return to later on. Which is how I spent the rest of the early afternoon, before the mandatory safety drill. Here are some photos from my explorations...

The Great Outdoors...


The jogging track (that I did not utilize )


More of the pools...


My favorite outdoor part of the ship, the adults-only area. Deck 13 all the way forward...


My favorite indoor part of the ship (along with Spinnaker and the Star Bar)...Magnums. Because this is where the trivia is!


The mandatory safety drill was actually not bad, because my muster station was in the (really very pretty) theater. So all I really had to do was sit in a comfortable chair for about twenty minutes before watching a two minute presentation on how to wear a life jacket (which I kind of find silly—trust me, if the ship is going down, I’m absolutely going to figure out how to don a life vest!)

Up next—sail away!

[chezp]

Great start! I like the look of the ship and I love the shots with the city skyline behind.

[disney_duke]

Great start! I'm glad it was so seamless from land to ship. Glad you found some good eats at the buffet!

[lexiemom]

Looks like a great start to your cruise. Your lunch looks really good, I am glad you enjoyed it.

[scrappyjae]

Great beginning...can't wait to hear how you did once you set sail!

[cubfancolleen]

Great start! Lunch looked yummy.

[elbodans]

thanks everyone! installment #2 coming ASAP!

[elbodans]

I’ve secretly always wanted to sail out of New York. Doesn’t it just sound so…old-timey and romantic? No? That’s just me? Oh well. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking by it.

As an added bonus, the Gem was docked right next to the USS Intrepid, which could be viewed easily from the pool deck. This was also exciting to me because my husband and I had been discussing which is larger--a cruise ship or an aircraft carrier. At least in this instance, they seemed pretty tied. You can kind of see how close it is in this photo...




Because I was so excited about sailing out of port, I made sure to find what I’d determined was a good position on deck in preparation for sail away—the highest deck, not even numbered—the sun deck above deck 13. Maybe 100 square feet total, this ‘deck’ offered the ability to walk back and forth from port to starboard side to take photos of both the NYC skyline and, when we passed it, the statue of liberty. It was a great location…until everyone else on the ship realized it was a great location, at which point it got scary crowded and I ceased to be able to move freely from side to side—which explains why I have about thirty photos of the Statue of Liberty but not one single good shot of the city fading away into the skyline. But that’s ok, because I absolutely intend to get up crazy early on Sunday as we sail back into port to watch the city approach in the dark hours of the morning. That should be pretty spectacular, too. (POST CRUISE NOTE: I did. It was.)





Stuck on the NJ side...


And finally, Lady Liberty (I've never actually see the entire Statue of Liberty before-only a part of her hand/torch...)


Onward towards the Verrazano Bridge...

...which I then watched from inside on a comfy chair in Spinnaker Lounge.

Was I pleased with my 'sailing out of NYC experience'? You bet! In fact, I’d almost say the entire cost of the cruise is worth being able to sail out of and then back into NYC on a giant ship. Oh—and I’m also planning on watching Bermuda appear on the horizon, as that sounds lovely as well (yet another thing that will require getting up at an ungodly hour!) (POST CRUISE NOTE: I did. It was.)

The thing I forgot to mention about this magical sun deck during sail away—IT WAS REALLY WINDY! I have that in caps to try to convey the idea that I’d have to actually shout to be heard over the wind. At one point my whole 185 pound self was being blown across the deck. I had to crouch and stagger to remain upright. Now, I don’t claim to have amazingly beautiful or even remotely thick hair—but this wind did a serious job on the hair I do have. Thank god I chose to straighten it that morning—had I allowed it to remain curly I’d NEVER have been able to comb it out. As it was, it took me at least ten minutes to carefully comb it out—and even then many hairs died an early death.

Here's how windy it was...



I changed into clean clothing (because I took a bus from PA to NYC and busses are gross) and headed out to my first organized on board activity—trivia! It seemed that my hair detangling took longer than expected, because I showed up just as they were starting. But no worries about finding a team—as soon as I entered Magnum lounge, I heard my name and saw two smiling faces—my two about-to-be cruise buddies, Laura and her sister Linda. Because Laura is such a good Cruise Critic poster, she clicked on my blog link in my signature and learned all about me (including what I look like) before we even set sail. So suddenly I had two very happy (and smart and funny—and their mother’s favorite) trivia companions. And, best of all—we won!

Laura and Linda were kind enough to invite me to join them for dinner, which we had in the Grand Pacific MDR. You should note that I entered this cruise with absolutely no expectations about the food—I’d read all kinds of things about how it wasn’t that great on NCL. Well, it isn’t that bad, either. My French onion soup was of medium quality—I’ve definitely had better (but then I’m a bit of a French onion soup fanatic!) and I’ve definitely had much, much worse. It looks sadder than it tasted. I'm more of a fan of the broth than the cheese, and the broth was good!



I chose an entrée from the left side of the menu (the side that changes)—poached cod with root vegetables. It was served over a bed of sautéed spinach, surrounded by cubes of celery, carrots, and potatoes, and smothered in some kind of cream sauce sprinkled with herbs.



Honestly, if every meal I have on board is of the same quality, I will be very happy. Yes, it was a bit salty—but I’d rather have salty than bland. Oh—and the dessert was A-mazing. Lemon and ginger custard served in a parfait glass topped with some sort of rich cream, a mint leaf, a shortbread stick, and some preserved lemon peel.



I am so sad that this dessert was on the ‘daily specials’ menu, as this means that I can’t have it again. (POST CRUISE NOTE: This remained the best dessert I had on board—though a few things did come close. Don’t worry, I have photos of those, too!)

While we were at dinner, the wait staff came around and asked us if we’d like to make a reservation at Tequilas, the specialty Mexican restaurant onboard. My dining companions said that yes, yes we would. I was happy to join them—and happy that the low $10 cover charge also included a ‘free’ margarita—which, in my opinion, totally negates the cover charge.

I thought I’d do something fun after dinner—but I ended up ‘stopping’ back in the room. This is almost always a mistake, because I immediately realized how exhausted I was…and so I went to bed.

My first night’s sleep was not sleep at all. It was this awful exhausted wakefulness that I’d never experienced. I blame the fact that I wasn’t used to sleeping on a ship—and that the rocking was accompanied by occasional shaking…which is what continued to wake me up. (POST CRUISE NOTE: This was the only night I experienced this issue. I slept like a baby for the rest of the cruise—though I laid the ‘wrong way’ across my bed, which helped a lot.) I finally fell into a deep sleep—about an hour before my alarm went off. Duh.

Up next--my first 'at sea' day. Will I be bored? Will I be lonely? (POST CRUISE NOTE: No on both counts!)

[KMB733]

Great Start!!! The ship looks really nice, and I love the pictures of you sailing away from NYC! Especially the picture of the Statue of Liberty!

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by KMB733

Great Start!!! The ship looks really nice, and I love the pictures of you sailing away from NYC! Especially the picture of the Statue of Liberty!

thanks! i took 87 photos of just the sailing away part of the trip! i was REALLY excited about sailing out of NYC.

[lexiemom]

I can see why you were excited your photos are amazing! I love the one of the Statue of Liberty.

[mushu22]

Love the sail-away pictures.

[MelissaSue]

You're so funny and awesome. Reading this made me miss you. <3

It cracks me up that you skipped breakfast for fear of upset stomach, and then went straight for the Indian food. If we ever cruise together, I will be avoiding the Indian food.

That adults-only area looks positively heavely ... partially because you can see land. No ... you know I love your photos. Beautiful, as always.

When you say you slept the "wrong way" on the bed, do you mean you slept with your head at the foot? Or that you slept across the bed, short-ways?

[cubfancolleen]

I agree that sailing in and out of NYC has a certain romantic, other-era appeal to it.
I haven't done a cruise ship in/out of NYC, but did sail on a schooner from Greenport, Long Island, through NYC harbor, and then down the coast of NJ eventually to Baltimore. I am proud to say I was at the helm when we went under the Veranzano Bridge.
Love the shot of Lady Liberty! (and now have the Schoolhouse Rock song in my head....Lovely Lady Liberty....sing along everyone!! )

[chezp]

I love the sailaway photos, especially the shot of the Statue of Liberty! Glad dinner on the first night was OK - and hopefully it is for the rest of the cruise.