won't cruise NCL again

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

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

1.6 out of 5
Norwegian Gem

12 Night Canada & New England (Quebec City To New York)

Sail date: October 08, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 9162

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

I will never cruise NCL again. I have sailed on carnival, princess and celebrity and all three were so much better than NCL. Food was very generic and cold. Went to the suite lounge for food and was not impressed at all. Took forever to get my beverage that ordered. Ordered room service twice and both times. cold. and incomplete (no condiments. etc) Fries but not ketchup. fish but no tartar sauce. The room was not as described and much smaller than pictures and description. Very small balcony and no tables to sit at on patio or in room. Pre-ordered items for the room but did not receive them. On board activities very limited and do not keep you busy. No indoor pool/spa for guests (it was rainy most of the trip) so could not relax in spa/pool. Overall, poor value for the money and would never sail with NCL again. Would go back to princess or celebrity in a heartbeat. I did not choose NCL as my family chose it and I went along with them. I think they could have gotten a better deal on another cruise line. Their so-called specials are very limited. hotel (they give you only one choice and you can get better deals plus it is not entirely free, it is discounted). the airfare is booked 90 days out and again, you get a discount. we got cheaper airfare by booking it ourselves. the dinner package gives you 4 specialty dinners. and the unlimited drinks are not truly unlimited we were told $25 shore excursion per person but they only gave us $25 per room. Very misleading ad. When we cruised celebrity they truly treated the suites special. Afternoon tea and sandwiches. treats at night turn down service with chocolates. breakfast in room we sat at a table on the balcony and food was hot and tasty. Never had any issues on the cruise and wish we had taken this trip on celebrity instead. Even princess would have been a great choice. My friend warned me about NCL when she had taken the panama cruise earlier in the year and warned me that she was disappointed, but it was too late to change cruise lines.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Ship tip

don't use NCL

Ports of call

Quebec City, Quebec

3 out of 5

La Baie, Quebec

2 out of 5

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Did not visit port

Sydney, Nova Scotia Did not visit port

Halifax, Nova Scotia Did not visit port

Saint John, New Brunswick Did not visit port

Portland, Maine Did not visit port

Bar Harbor, Maine Did not visit port

Boston, Massachusetts Did not visit port

New York, New York Did not visit port

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 41

10 Comments

DrFager    5 years ago

I recently concluded a 11 day on Gem. 4th on Gem. I agree with a lot of what you said. However most of the Cruise lines are putting there experienced staff and entertainers on big megaliners. It's hard to compare to other ships. Comparing Gem let's say Anthem would not be fair. However Gem had some serious issues, mostly physical and managerial.

SoCalCruiser1    6 years ago

Sailed Princess, celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Prefer NCL they have the best prices.

kathyd193    6 years ago

Sorry you had such a terrible experience Carnival is the party ship and that’s not for me Never felt comfortable on Royal I’ll take NCL every day of the week

lgrimm67    6 years ago

I've been on ncl n carnival I prefer ncl but enjoy any cruise I go on, I love cruising! 19 days till I'm on ncl breakaway woohoo. sorry u had a bad time though

cruiserssandr    6 years ago

For room service you have to check off the condiments you want. Just because you have fries doesn't mean you want ketchup. Hey some people prefer mayo.

cruiserssandr    6 years ago

Excursion credit is $50 per cabin/per port.

nurselife    6 years ago

I have been on the gem and NCl a couple of times and never had any issues. Out of the 3 cruise lines that I have been on I felt NCL bad the best food and best specialty restaurants. Can't wait until June for my 4th NCL cruise. Sorry your cruise wasn't good for you.

BillTeg    6 years ago

Not sure if you read through an the information before cruising. There is an indoor spa but it is an extra charge. I'm not sure how you tell the size of a room by a picture but they list the approximate square footage online of various cabins. NCL is noted for its causal approach to cruisibg which is why I like them. Some are better suited for what they see as more upscale cruising. I wish you the best in future cruising. I recommend anyone sailing on any cruise line thoroughly read as much as possible regarding the cruise line, the accommodations and what to direct. It's clearly laid out.

dreniere    6 years ago

Sounds like OP is very difficult to please, I've been on 16 cruises with 3 more scheduled on NCL, and enjoyed them all, as per usual some people's expectations can never be met. Since you will never cruise NCL again I will have the pleasure of running into you

valerie1205    6 years ago

Sorry you didn't like ncl. This my 9th cruise with them. Never had a bad experience. I'm leaving on the gem for an 11 day nov 15. Cruised with royal 3x and was not impressed with them at all. I guess everyone has a different opinion.

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