It was a cold and rough sailing to and from Bermuda. It was also Easter and spring break for many states. So children that would have been occupied on the pool deck were forced to have cabin fever inside the ship. We wouldn’t do another early season cruise to Bermuda again. Lesson learned. Still a great cruise otherwise and Bonine allows me to enjoy the rough seas!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I really don’t care for the way NCL a la carte prices the specialty restaurants. We paid for premium WiFi and three included dinners. You get one item each of appetizer, mains and dessert with that method. No opportunity to sample other items without paying extra. The food was good but not worth it. We ate in La Cucina, Le Bistro,and Cagney’s. We had the same level or better food in the MDR. The buffet was somewhat limited but pretty tasty for a cruise ship buffet. It always seemed crowded but we never had a problem finding a table and never had long lines either.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We really enjoyed the musicians around the ship. Quite talented and varied.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Sailing on ships of this size are my favorite. Once you get way past 100k tons, I’m not interested anymore. Gem was very clean. A great layout with the exception of the MDR access because of the kitchen in between. Reminded me of Carnival ships. Not a complaint just something to be aware of.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This was a sideways inside. The only negatives were the awkward access to closet space and no toilet legroom for my 6’6” frame. Similar issue on our previous Vision of the Seas cruise. We booked a sideways cabin on a future Koningsdam cruise. I’ve got my fingers crossed! The positives were the best shower I’ve ever had on a cruise, great A/C, quiet, and a very comfortable mattress. We never saw our cabin attendant but he always did a great job. I don’t care for towel animals so I didn’t mind that NCL apparently doesn’t do them.
Ship tip
Don’t bother paying for WiFi. It was almost completely useless.
Ok hear me out. Cruise lines have been doing this for many years and yet still seem to not be able to handle the herd. I include myself in that description btw. We did arrive late and Mass Port seemed to be having some kind of problem. BUT don’t blame the port when you demand everyone vacate their cabins at 8am and somehow try to find a place to sit and or eat onboard a full ship. Don’t close Starbucks either! It was just an unacceptable end to a good cruise.
Thank you for your honest and informative review. We were contemplating buying the premium Wi-Fi but we’ll take your advice and not bother. My husband and I will be sailing on the Gem at the end of August.
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