A Wonderful Time on a fun ship with something for every taste

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

vuretty

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 47

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

9 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 13, 2013

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9530

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 11 years ago

Review summary

Years ago, we took our two high school age boys on a cruise for three days with NCL. They were treated royally and were amazed with the food , the fun and the freedom to roam the ship with kids their own age. My younger son never followed his curfew but we found him and brought him back to our cabin in record time. This ship was tiny in comparison to our trip on the Gem. Because so many years had past , and because this was our first experience with Free style cruising we lowered our expectations. Were we wrong. The food was top notch . Yes, some days at the two main dining areas we were handed a beeper but only long enough to order a drink right next door. Our waiters were pleasant and always attentive . It was a joy to eat there. We tried one specialty restaurant with mixed results because the dish did not agree with me . No fault of the chef. The entertainment was the best in the business. We have traveled on three other cruise lines but this week was the best. The in house performers, The Gem performers were absolutely delightful in their gleaming costumes and top notch dancing . They also offered skits for the little ones. Aaron Shaw 's voice was so special we bought his CD to enjoy at home. A former marine , his voice is a cross between the three great tenors and Josh Groban and Michael Bueble. The grand finale for the food was the Chocoholics night out and was presented in the Garden Cafe amid chocolate dragons, a bust of King Tut and an amazing chocolate tree; along side spun sugar sculptures of swans , circles , animals and amazing artistic shapes and colors. I thought this night would be gone because of the poor economy and was delighted at this wonderful presentation . All guests were too! Few people complained , yet some did . I watched them complain to an officer walking by. We had art sales, a hypnotist who offered seminars besides a popular comedian, the Nickolodean players and plenty of jewelry , perfume and purse sales as well as liquor sales to attend. The service was always attentive and tables were always bussed as quickly as people left the area. I would say that I am happy that I did not listen to the reviews of a few disgruntled guests . I am happy that we tried free style cruising and would most certainly go again in the future.