A long few days at sea...
Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
10 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 29, 2016
Ship: Norwegian Gem
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8020
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
We just returned from our honeymoon cruise on the Norwegian Gem, which was a little like the State of Ohio, all the highs were in the middle, and the sea was round and rolling on both ends. The ship is beautiful, and the staff were amazing in their knowledge, helpful attitudes, and attention. The food in the main dining rooms was just average, and bordered on unsatisfactory. Not in quantity, but everything was a little bland in taste. The specialty restaurants, in comparison, were paragons of flavor and service! We LOVED all three we had dinner with, those being La Cucina, where the chef was accomodating to my Italian tastes, and prepared off-the-menu items per my request. Le Bistro was simply divine, the food was outstanding and the service magnifique! Cagneys was equal in every way as well.
The problems were with the weather, the waves and wind, and the fact that the onboard ship announcements were overall too short, too long on navigational info (who needs latitude and longitude numbers?) and short on useful and timely notifications as to the roughness we could expect, especially on our return leg to NYC.
Having said that, we enjoyed our port days, and the first sea day of the return was fun as well. The barbecues each day at the pool were great, the entertainment, both by marimba band outdoors, and the truly amazing talents of the stage shows in the Stardust Theatre, made the long days nights eventful, and going to bed was never easy, since we were enjoying ourselves so much.
By all means, sail the Gem and experience this cruise... just be aware that the sea days might be tough to take for those who get motion sickness!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
For some peace and quiet, use the Starlight Lounge during the day. And by all means, go to the Spinnaker for the adult games, they're a lot of mature fun!
Ports of call
Tortola, British Virgin Islands