Great until it was TERRIBLE!

Item: Norwegian Gem
Rating: 3.5
Author: Jeslyn

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Jeslyn

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

Verified Review

11 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 31, 2017

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8048

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

The cruise was great until Tuesday afternoon when we were informed that the ship broke down. From that point on, the carefree, vacation frame of mind quickly dissipated as everyone then became nervous and agitated by the breakdown and possibility of flying home. Ultimately, we did in fact fly home from Barbados on chartered flights. The flights were significantly delayed and resulted in a 15 hour long day of travel. After arriving at the airport you were on your own regarding your trip home. I still have not heard back from NCL in regards to the complaint I submitted a week ago.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Quick!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Great.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Fun. Very interactive.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Fantastic.

Children's Programs

No children

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Passenger relations staff seemed unhappy and bothered (this was the case even BEFORE the breakdown).

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

Make sure you bring your passport. Never assume that because you are cruising, you have eliminated any chance that you may be flying at some point during the duration of your trip.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

3 out of 5

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

Yes, Nevis Sail Away was a fabulous excursion.

Thumbs Up 5

Castries, St. Lucia

1 out of 5

No. Attempted to walk around the area but quickly returned to the ship. Did not feel safe.

Thumbs Up 1

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Yes, Atlantis Submarine was a wonderful experience.

Thumbs Up 0

Fort-De-France, Martinique

4 out of 5

No. We took the ferry over to the beach and had a very pleasant day. $7, round-trip per person, was a fantastic deal.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Did not visit port

Ship engine broke down. Visited Grenada instead (great time on board the Rhum Runner!).

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Terrible!! We were kicked off the ship at 3 am!! It was complete mass chaos. NCL was not forth coming with travel information and quickly disappeared from sight after we exited the ship. We were then crammed tightly into buses like cattle and brought to the airport where we waited 8 hours before boarding our PLANE home.

11 Comments

jleslie48 6 years ago

Wow! that really sucks. It would definitely ruin my vacation. I've been cruising on the Gem for 5 years now with not so much as a backed up toilet. We took some friends once and they thought their bed was a bit saggy, and told our attendant. In a 1/2 hour the maintenance crew was there with a brand new mattress. I'm sailing in March 2018 and I hope all is fixed by then.

Thumbs Up 1

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monkmonk 7 years ago

Booked on GEM april 2018

Thumbs Up 0

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Froggylein 7 years ago

Booked on the GEM September 2018

Thumbs Up 0

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DawnNYC 7 years ago

The gem just back to ny this morning

Thumbs Up 1

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speedy12508 7 years ago

People have to realize...Cruise ships are just like our everyday transportation...Be running fine then break down..Same happens to brand new cars as well...Dont wanna take chances or understand things happen then dont go...

Thumbs Up 1

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lydmccabe 7 years ago

Cost my group $500 more to get home!! Cruise was ruined from Tuesday on..

Thumbs Up 0

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monkmonk 7 years ago

Did you get any money back, how about future cruise discounts.........

Thumbs Up 0

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monkmonk 7 years ago

The ship broke down shit happens, they got you as close to home as they could at no cost to you, i love people like this who dont look at the entire picture, they could have left you in there and made you find your own way home......it might not have been the best situation but im sure they did what they could for you.......

Thumbs Up 2

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Froggylein 7 years ago

Not a good experience, one shouldn't have to deal with.

Thumbs Up 0

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Shell4Bear 7 years ago

Wow, how awful

Thumbs Up 0

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MrsRJ811 7 years ago

That's horrible!

Thumbs Up 0

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