Disappointed With Some Stops, Happy with the Gem

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

ceholster

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 92

Overall rating:

2.7 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Eastern Canada & Quebec (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 21, 2017

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9146

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We took off from NYC for a ten-day cruise that included Halifax Ca., Quebec Ca., Cornerbrook Ca., and Sydney Ca. We were told that we would have two days in Quebec, but it turned into 24 hours because, we were told, the Whale migration in the Saint Lawrence had the ship slow down the length of this seaway both ways. No whales were sighted and we lost half a day of time in Quebec City. The port was a joke! It was next to a dump and grain silos. The gangway was build with two ramps by a portable crane on shipping containers and was extremely hazardous to traverse. We were a distance from the city, while another ship (Princess Line) was right across from the main area with an open berth behind it. We had to traverse unsafe terrain and cross a river lock to get to the city! The ship offered transportation for a fee of $30.00. I have been on 32 cruises and when a ship is this far out of town the shuttle was free! We left early the next day at 5:00 PM instead of 10PM from the original itinerary. We arrived at Cornerbrook, which was a waste of time. There was nothing to see unless you took an expensive excursion inland. The town had a City Hall, VFW and a library. Not even picturesque. When we left this stop the Captain told us we would not be going to Sydney due to a storm coming up the east coast. We headed out to sea to avoid it. For over a day we were in 21-foot swells and had a rough trip home. We arrived in NYC on time to a calm bay. We expected the stops to be memorable and safe. The berthing in Quebec was unacceptable, and the choice of Cornerbrook was very poor. We were disappointed and feel that Norwegian took advantage of an older group of passengers.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

The experience was unorganized and took long.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The food was good, but the Cruise line decided to cut out Lobster! We had two cruises on the Breakaway and Lobster on both! Cutting corners on an expensive cruise unacceptable! The specialty dinning and main dinnering were very good as was the beverage package. The service was good to excellent.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Uninteresting!

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The shows were few and far between. Needs more variety, cutting corners!

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Friendly and attentive.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship was spotless, but were hard to get from one front to back.. The elevators listed everything that was on the deck even if you could not get there from here! Poor signage!

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5

The bathroom was very hard to use. The cabin was kept very clear.

Ship tip

Norwegian has much better ships! I would not travel on the Gem again.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

2 out of 5

Halifax, Nova Scotia

3 out of 5

We took an excision the Peggy's Cove.

Thumbs Up 3

Quebec City, Quebec

1 out of 5

Worst place I have ever see a ship docked. We were told that we would have two days in Quebec, but it turned into 24 hours because, we were told, the Whale migration in the Saint Lawrence had the ship slow down the length of this seaway both ways. No whales were sighted and we lost half a day of time in Quebec City. The port was a joke! It was next to a dump and grain silos. The gangway was build with two ramps by a portable crane on shipping containers and was extremely hazardous to traverse. We were a distance from the city, while another ship (Princess Line) was right across from the main area with an open berth behind it. We had to traverse unsafe terrain and cross a river lock to get to the city! The ship offered transportation for a fee of $30.00. I have been on 32 cruises and when a ship is this far out of town the shuttle was free! We left early the next day at 5:00 PM instead of 10PM from the original itinerary.

Thumbs Up 1

Corner Brook, Newfoundland

1 out of 5

We arrived at Cornerbrook, which was a waste of time. There was nothing to see unless you took an expensive excursion inland. The town had a City Hall, VFW and a library. Not even picturesque.

Thumbs Up 0

Sydney, Nova Scotia Did not visit port

When we left this stop the Captain told us we would not be going to Sydney due to a storm coming up the east coast. We headed out to sea to avoid it. For over a day we were in 21-foot swells and had a rough trip home. We arrived in NYC on time to a calm bay.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

We expected the stops to be memorable and safe. The berthing in Quebec was unacceptable, and the choice of Cornerbrook was very poor. We were disappointed and feel that Norwegian took advantage of an older group of passengers.

4 Comments

bevkt 7 years ago

I thought Cornerbrook was amazing. The trail in town had some of the most beautiful scenery- the water was crystal clear. The people there were the friendliest people I’ve ever encountered. Cars stopped for you to cross the road even if you weren’t in a crosswalk and one even rolled their window down and wished us a pleasant stay in Cornerbrook. We also saw whales and dolphins along side the ship on different days. The scenery alongside the river was just like you see on jigsaw puzzles. It was a very relaxing cruise - not all the hubbub you get on some cruises. Must say, we felt totally safe on all of our stops - yet on the day we arrived back in NYC - not far from the port a man ran over bicyclist and runners killing them. Just sad...

Thumbs Up 1

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tomyoung 7 years ago

I would agree with most of what was said. Where I Disagree is Quebec was Beautiful. Port was filthy but it's Canada and it's old. Seems This ship lost it's grasp on Details. I saw no purpose to skipping Sydney but no big deal. Seas were rough. Coffee Bar lost 30 or so cups and Saucers. Le Bistro is one of the Finest Restaurants I have eaten in and do so on Every NCL Cruise. Overall this Cruise was a Flat B. It was my 20th Cruise and I put it in the 18th spot. I only compare Cruises to ones I have been on and not some dream Vacation in ya ya land.

Thumbs Up 0

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Ketelonequeen 7 years ago

I️ totally disagree with everything here except for embarkation where we waited over an hour to get on the ship! Not all ports are beautiful and the walk to Quebec City was 15 min. Yes the gangway was a little steep but in no way unsafe. And yes, we would have liked to spend more time there , but as you know being on 32 cruises, that things can change. My husband and I️ and a few other passengers saw whales on one of the days while we were at sea. Cornerbrook did have very little to do, but we walked around and enjoyed the weather and the change of seasons. I️ don’t think Norwegian took advantage of anyone. There was nothing unsafe anywhere on the cruise. Yes. Rough trip home but considering that time of the year and it’s also hurricane season that should be expected. As for getting around on the ship.... probably one of the easiest I’ve been on and I’ve been on some of the biggest! Just nit picking is all ya got

Thumbs Up 2

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DerekMire 7 years ago

That's why u don't to canada

Thumbs Up 2

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