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Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 16

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Review summary

Nor. Gem 9/4/21 We boarded Gem around 10:45 am, and in this new era of post-covid cruising, NCL has it figured out, no fuss, no angst, and very inconvenience. We were courteously directed to the line for testing, handled extremely professionally by a crew from CVS. The testing process (the attendant handed you a swab, asked you to swab the inside of each nostril, and you handed it back to her, end of process). Afterward you were instructed to wait in the holding area, along with a card similar in size to a post card. When you saw your initials and birthdate on the screen (it was also announced through an audio system, for those with hearing disabilities), you held up your card, and a member of the CVS staff attached a pink armband to your wrist, and you were invited to board. From arriving at the pier to boarding (we're Platinum Latitudes members, so our priority status expedited the boarding somewhat, but only after a negative covid test, no priority status applied in the testing process) was approximately 35 minutes, including the obligatory "welcome aboard" photo, one we always purchase, a visual record of our personal cruise history. The cruise overall was pretty much as expected, albeit perhaps less congested than normal; the story among the passengers was that the ship was at 60% passenger capacity, something I noticed while waiting for my wife seated along one of the corridors on deck 7, noticing that observed at least as many crew members pass by as I did passengers. Needless to say, the reduced capacity made for an exceptional experience compared to normal, though with relaxed restrictions medically the trend will be to add passenger density. Understandable and desirable for committed cruisers like ourselves who miss cruising and have been longing for it's return. Food was its usual excellent quality aboard Gem (our first time aboard her, though we've sailed her sisters Pearl and Jewel in the past), and our Latitude status coupled with the deal most had on boarding enabled us to partake of 4 nights of specialty dining, in Teppanyaki, La Cucina, Le Bistro, and Cagneys. My personal favorite was Cagneys, though Teppanyaki was as much for the show as it was for the food. I personally wasn't impressed with Le Bistro, my tastes tending more toward traditional American cuisine. La Cucina was good, though I've enjoyed their offerings more on other NCL ships. Our sole dinner in the complimentary dining room, Magenta, was fantastic, making me wish we'd indulged more often than just the one night. We found the offerings in the Garden Cafe, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, varied and for the most part, delicious. Our 2 meals, lunch and breakfast, in O'Sheehans were fantastic. So many choices, too many for a 7 day cruise. We did 2 shore tours, both through NCL, and both were enjoyable and for our money, worth the cost. Both were snorkeling excursions, our personal favorite way to spend time on tropical vacations, and the waters were warm and inviting both in the Bahamas as well as the Virgin Islands. Our inside stateroom was smaller than I remember on Jewel class ships, and while it was adequate for our needs, it's got me wondering whether we might start booking balcony staterooms, or at least oceanview. We nearly always book inside staterooms, having had balconies and not finding them worth the extra money, preferring to save money on rooms and cruise more often, but with our upcoming retirement we may have to rethink our cost-saving strategy. Our shower was strange, perhaps something Maintenance could've fixed, but we struggled through. If you set the controls for more water pressure, the hot water was uncomfortably so, so you either had weak pressure and moderate temperature, or lots of scalding water pressure. We did the express self-assist debarkation, walking off with our own bags, Ubered to the airport (cheaper than the transfer busses), and was home in Texas by 5:30pm. All in all, a great trip, much anticipated after all the cancellations, and our personal first in 18 months, and we usually cruise at least twice a year, sometimes 3 times. We're looking forward to more relaxed cruising restrictions, hoping next year to book longer cruises, especially with our upcoming retirement. Cruznuts

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Ports of call

Miami, Florida

Nassau, Bahamas

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Disembarkation

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