Bad Food, Poor Service, Rough Ride
Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 6
7 Night Bahamas & Florida (New York Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 14, 2018
Ship: Norwegian Gem
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 10601
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Though we didn't admit it to each other, my husband and I knew something was off when we sat down to our first meal on the Norwegian Gem in the Grand Pacific shortly after boarding and he bit into a dry cheeseburger, and I forked through mashed potatoes that tasted similar to KFC. I kept my worry to myself and hoped the food would improve. He apparently did the same. Spoiler: the food did not improve and the service would actually get worse too. The next sea day we jetted towards Orlando from NYC and the decks were not usable. The wind created from the ship on deck made the temperature outside something like 50 degrees, and as a result the inside of the ship was cramped and crowded. We were still fairly upbeat though at this point in the trip. The on-board activities left something to be desired but my husband wanted to try his hand at "deal or no deal"- only to get up to the spinnaker lounge and find out it was a $25 buy-in. Bored already, we bought in and lost out. Once we made Port Canaveral we had a great time doing the Airboat Adventure and Alligator Jungle Tour. Admittedly, the Alligator Jungle park is a small park with limited enrichment for the animals- if you are expecting something along the lines of Disney's Animal Kingdom you will be disappointed, but it was a fun day and the employees are knowledgeable and clearly love their jobs and the animals they take care of. Airboat rides are super fun too! The night following Port Canaveral we experienced Tropical Storm force winds. The ship closed all of the decks, the boat was rocking like crazy, you could see lightning, it was hard to walk, and my husband and I didn't get to sleep until almost 3 am. There was no concern or announcement from the staff or crew despite the fact that many of my fellow cruisers also seemed concerned and upset. The rocking was so bad the spa and thermal suite actually drained and closed the pools and spas because the water had poured out into the rooms. Doesn't that at least deserve a "Hey everyone- just some minor turbulence" sort of announcement from the captain? My husband and I thought the whole thing was very unprofessional. The next port was the private island at Great Stirrup Cay. First, the Captain got on the intercom and started to announce that Royal Caribbean had cancelled THEIR private island trip so we might too. 20 minutes later, we were tendering over to the island. He had pissed off 2000 passengers for no reason. Once my husband and I reached the island, I was sorely disappointed. I went on a cruise previously with Carnival and went to Half Moon Cay, where the beach was PRISTINE. I cannot say the same for Great Stirrup Cay. Mostly sharp rocks and seaweed, the private island here was not ideal. We did a quick walk around when we were told our shore excursion (parasailing) was not ready yet (come back in 20 minutes). The private island was honestly a let down- but I didn't even know I had a bigger one coming. We returned to the shore excursion booth where we were greeted by an employee sucking on a lollipop who informed us between licks that our one and only excursion was cancelled. We might be able to go on a waverunner maybe. But we had to ask the other guy- who had a line. We wait in that line. And he tells us nope- all of the shore excursions are sold out except for kayaking (which I could not do due to a shoulder injury). We have a shore excursion credit and I ask where that goes. He says he can't help with that. They have an attitude of total disinterest. These employees do not care if they just ruined your whole day. Which they did. So we decide to go back to the boat and try to go to guest services or the shore excursion desk there to get it fixed. Onboard we are met with the same disinterest- and then we are told no one on the ship can help us. Not a single soul. Everyone you see- is on the island. No one will be available to help us until 7pm- 1 hour after the ship leaves the island- so the day is a wash. We have lost our excursions for the day, there is no salvaging it. At 7pm we had to argue with the shore excursions desk to try to get our $50 shore excursion credit moved to the next port- which they refused to do. I put in a complaint regarding the attitude of the employees on the island and the events of the day and that resulted in a 25% reduction of my shore excursion cost for the next day, but only after I demanded to speak to the manager of the person I was speaking to. Our next port was Nassau. At this point I want to say if you are interested in parasailing- book the "Discover Atlantis" shore excursion in Nassau- Atlantis offers Parasailing for $70pp- $30 pp cheaper than Norwegian, and you are in the air twice as long. Our tour guide for the Discover Atlantis tour- Ranique- was fantastic and knowledgeable. Because of her, we were able to do the parasailing and waverunning that Norwegian couldn't accommodate for us the day before- and we were able to do it for far cheaper! The next two days were Sea Days, and they couldn't have gone by fast enough. The buffets were so crowded that we were told by the staff that if our room was close enough it was better to just take our food and leave. When we did that, our food was ice cold. The decks were freezing wind tunnels and unusable on sea day two. The specialty restaurants were completely booked because the buffet food and dining room food was so bad that you had to buy your way out of it and I think everyone on the cruise realized that. The only two really good meals I had on the ship were at Cagney's and Moderno- and even so I would still only give them a 4/5- Maybe even a 3 for slow service that got slower once they realized you weren't drinking. The slow service was especially pronounced in the main dining rooms. All of that being said- and that isn't even all of it- here are some of the positives: 1: We had the spa thermal pass and it was a wonderful retreat, though at nighttime it was poorly placed under the Spinnaker lounge and the bass beats and pounding dance floor are a little distracting. 2: Our room steward was the nicest guy ever. His name is Emerson, and if after this you somehow choose to cruise on the Gem....I hope he's your room steward. 3: Our cabin was clean and spacious for an inside cabin. 4. We really enjoyed Cagney's and Moderno- we just wish that you didn't have to upcharge yourself to good food. TL:DNR -Bad Customer Service -Shore Excursion Cancellations -Slow Dining Service -Bad Dining Quality (Soggy Food, Temperature, Descriptions, etc) -Rocky Waters -Windy -Ship activities not very entertaining -Best Experiences happened off the ship- just go to Atlantis.Embarkation
Embarkation was smooth and quick and gave an overall great first impression that we wish held true.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Main dining room food SAME AS THE BUFFET, service slow. Takes 40+ minutes, food not arriving as described and cold.
Onboard Activities
Do yourself a favor and get the spa pass. Spend all your time there. There's not much else to do.
Entertainment
Shows are geared toward senior crowd, movies are shown in the atrium- not a great space.
Children's Programs
We did not have any children to participate. We did play the Jurassic park game in the arcade and it was 1.50 per play- which is pretty steep.
Service and Staff
The only good service was my steward. The waiters were slow, one even chastised us for not being ready with our order the second we were seated. Many were not fluent in English and had trouble taking orders.
Ship Quality
The ship felt cramped, the pools being all in one spot meant there was no adult pool or quiet pool, meaning screaming kids was your only option. The decks were wind tunnels any time the ship was in motion. The ship was being re varnished and painted while we were on it with "wet paint" signs everywhere.
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Choose a larger ship with more amenities or a different cruise line.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas
Disembarkation
Long lines, went to breakfast and room steward was in our room before we had left and removed our luggage (we did self assist).
15 Comments
Honeymoose 6 years ago
We were on the Gem Feb/Mar 2018, and this was not our experience at all. The food in the buffet was completely different than the restaurants, and tasty in both. We didn't enjoy the Orchid Garden, but it was a matter of taste preference, not quality. Wait staff was efficient, friendly, and articulate everywhere. We experienced rough seas, as well, but chose to view it as an adventure. It was fun to guage how high the waves would get and to walk against the wind. I agree that movies should be shown in the Stardust Theater, not in the Atrium. I suggest eating at the buffet during non-peak times, and note the extra seating available in La Cuccina and the Great Outdoors. Service was friendly and efficient throughout the ship. Shows were fun and entertaining. Our teens loved the age-appropriate programs for them. A vacation is what you make of it. This was our first cruise, and I, also, was worried after reading reviews like this one. Don't let it spoil the fun of anticipating a great vacation! Expect that there might be a hitch here and there, but know that the staff are there to make your experience a positive one. Enjoy yourself! (Check out my detailed review of the Gem for more info.)
jbynon 6 years ago
While I'm sorry you had a bad time, I feel like some of it could've been avoided with better research. For instance, I've not read a single review that doesn't suggest water shoes and/or flip flops at Great Stirrup Cay. Or that the $50 per port shore excursion creds are non refundable and non transferable. Hopefully the people who are nervous after reading this review understand that most bad vacations can be avoided by doing adequate research and being aware of things such as cruise lines employing very few Americans and therefore communication not always being easy.
viviennepagano 6 years ago
I’ve been on the Gem twice and have never had this experience. We were on in September hit some rough weather and winds it happens that can not be controlled. Cruising is Not for everyone. It’s a shame you had such a bad time. Just very surprised that the Gem would change from our 4star experience in September to this
monica55 6 years ago
Mepcnp: Have to say I find u rood. She explained her disappointment and I have to say I was on the Athem last week and was highly disappointed. Find that customer service is down right rood and lie thru there teeth. After reading I will not go on a Norwegian ship. Have been on 7 cruise and each one has gone down hill. Cruising in my opinion isn’t what it was. I’m going to go back to going to an island and enjoying that island!! Forget the ship
mepcnp 6 years ago
The captain wasn't trying to piss everybody off, he said you might not get to the island to let you know what was happening just in case. No one can predict the weather they have to do what is safe for everyone. You are on a ship, bad weather means rough seas and it will not be smooth. The sea is unpredictable. I am surprised they did not make any announcements, sometimes you can't hear them.