A Winter Cruise Adventure

Item: Norwegian Gem
Rating: 4
Author: PegP

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Cruise to Nowhere

PegP

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

2 Night Cruise To Nowhere (Boston Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 15, 2007

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 14 years ago

Review summary

The Gem is new, clean and ultra-luxurious. I loved the theatre set up with its comfortable excellent viewing seats from any area and its great entertainment. Our state room was an inside cabin but well designed for maximum efficiency and included very comfortable, well padded beds. I slept like "a rock" even with the huge 12-foot swells caused by the northeaster the area was undergoing. The food in the dining rooms was excellent, although the crew sometimes seemed new to the job. I got the "wrong" dessert one time but it tasted great. Wine service at dinner, however, is lacking. One evening the wine was delivered with the meal instead of before it and one party received the wrong wine. Another time the wine never came at all. Apparently, the wine stewards come from too far away to service properly. Overall, I loved the ship and its accommodations plus the fact that it left from BOSTON. Would go on the GEM again without question. Taking it in the winter during a storm was quite an adventure. The crew who usually serve tropical drinks on a warm water trip were out shovelling snow on the top deck and building snowmen! What FUN! I actually saw two people in the jacuzzi on the icy deck and would have enjoyed that experience myselfl. The Thermal Bath offered by the onboard Fitness Center would have "topped off" my trip, unfortunately, it was too popular overall to accept any more reservations. Maybe next time I'll plan better and have that experience as well! Great job, GEM crew. A good holiday time was had by all. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Very good. I liked the flexible dining idea and the speciality options. Steward wine service at dinner needs attention. Too slow - not happening properly.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

A few more "lecture" events would be nice. One ship offered tours of the kitchen and a wine tasting event. Given the two-day nature of this trip, what was offered was adequate.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Very friendly and helpful. Got lost one time and a crew person actually "brought" us to where we needed to be.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Wonderful holiday decorations were everywhere. The ship was clean. Only negative thing is that where the auction happens, there is a bar and some people rudely talked while the auctioneer/presenter was on stage, making it difficult to focus on the event.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Superb. Laid out well and everything made as accessible as possible and comfortable for such small areas. Actually, the rooms seem "bigger" than they are on most ships (perhaps due to efficient layout).

Ports of call

Boston, Massachusetts

5 out of 5

The Thermal Spa was a surprise to me. A must DO for next trip. The biggest time wasters were the "waits" in line to board and to disembark. We didn't get to try that many restaurants as the cruise was only a two-night one, however, the ones we went to had excellent food, well-prepared and well served.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: We boarded in Boston and were able to take public transportation to get there and back.

Boston, Massachusetts

5 out of 5

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: We boarded in Boston and were able to take public transportation to get there and back.

Pros: The Unusualness of a "Winter" Cruise and to NoWhere!

Cons: Waiting in line to board when one of the x-ray machines broke down.

Recommends Norwegian Gem? Yes!

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