Very relaxing

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 0
Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Gem

9 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 18, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9069

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

My brother and niece, who live in South America planned this trip, and invited me and my husband to join them. We had cruised once before (on Carnival) and were not sure we wanted to go on any more cruises, but thought it would be a good opportunity to have a family reunion. We are also celebrating our 65th birthdays this year and wanted to do something special, so we tried NCL--it was much better than we expected. Even though our cabin was small, we had no problems (put our empty suicases under the bed). Bed was comfortable, everthing was clean. The food was better than we expected, but I was surprised that there was no mango or avocado. We really enjoyed the evening entertainment, but didn't participate in the daily activites since we just wanted to hang out together. Did use the walking track and got lots of exercise, so didn't gain any weight! I tend to suffer from motion sickness, and dealt with the rough 1st and last days by taking Dramamine. The only other issue was that the stop at Tortola was not accessible for my brother who is in a wheelchair, but there is major construction going on at the dock and it looks like maybe it will be accessible by the end of 2015. We're thinking about taking the NCL cruise to Alaska sometime....would upgrade to a window or balcony room, since our interior cabin was very dark--great for sleeping!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
We eat mostly salads, veggies and a little protein, but there were plenty of options. The desserts were a little bland, so we mostly had fruit.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
We didn't do much of the daily activities, just wanted to hang out and did a lot of reading. The shio is a bout a 1/4 mile long, so we got lots of exercise going back and forth to meals and the few activites we did go to. Also, used the stairs a lot.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The shows we went to were highly entertaining.

Children's Programs

N/A

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone was helpful and professional, as well as fun. Our steward, Noel was fabulous.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Much better than Carnival!

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
Inside room had no windows--good thing we're not claustrophobic! Would pay extra for window or balcony next time. Everything was clean, bed comfortable, loved the towel animals!

Ship tip

Found the main buffet in the Garden Cafe exceeded our expectations, but usually crowded--go early or late. They do serve a limited buffet outdoors between meals, and at the pool. We only went to the dining rooms 2 times and enjoyed it. Orchid Garden Asian restaurant was delicious.

Ports of call

New York, New York Did not visit port

No time to explore, as we arrived the night before departure, and it was very cold.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5
Wish we had more time in San Juan.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5
Had lots of time to shop in the morning, then went snorkeling in the afternoon (private hire).

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5
Hired a taxi to take us to the Butterfly Farm, then went to a local's restaurant in Grande Case for a yummy seafood lunch.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

3 out of 5
Lots of construction at the pier--it will be great when it's done. Till then, no handicap access to the island, as there are many stairs to get on the little tenders that take you to the dock and back. 'wish there was more time on this island.
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1 Comment

glomarrone    9 years ago

I have cruised Alaska and had a marvelous time.  I highly recommend it. 

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