Cruise was a Gem

Item: Norwegian Gem
Rating: 4.1
Author: Brenda3264

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Brenda3264

Contributor Level: Purser

126 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 22

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

10 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 28, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9508

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

All in all the cruise was great . We had a a bit of a rocky ride over to San Juan but that was to be expected sailing from Atlantic waters into the Caribbean ,especially during the winter. Our itinerary was changed twice ....It was supposed to be a a Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos cruise. We went to neither of those islands. We instead went to Antigua instead of T & C ( couldn't meet the Covid testing timeline ) We took a cab to Long Bay so my husband and our friends could snorkel. The beach did not disappoint ! Gorgeous, calm, clear water! We ate lunch at Mama Pasta which believe it or not ,had the best vegetable pizza ! Our cab driver, Barry, was more like a tour guide. He told us all about the island . If you go to Antigua and get the taxi driver Barry, tell him the 2 couples from NYC said Hello. We went to San Juan , PR in place of Puerto Plata, DR ( never did find out why we couldn't go to DR , someone said bad weather ). San Juan, PR was nice but unfortunately the time we docked was 4;30 pm and most vendors were closed or closing shortly after we disembarked . There were only 4 excursions to chose from because the Fort and beaches were closed, too. We took a short walk into the town and over to the Forts . We ate dinner at Raines Restaurant which had good Mofongo. We had to show our vaccination card to enter. It was a short wait to be seated but a long wait for the food but worth it. We were very happy that our sailing was able to get to 5 ports ( St. Thomas, St. Maarten , Tortola which were all on the original itinerary , Antigua and PR ) as the sailing before and after ours unfortunately could not go to all 5 ports . I prefer the smaller ships, Dawn and Gem compared to the larger ships Joy and Breakaway that we've been on in the past. The staff were attentive, friendly , remembered people's names and always happily greeted upon entering restaurants. The coffee servers in the buffet were so cute singing a coffee jingle while pouring your coffee . The one server ,Sunshine, (as I called her) was very sweet, always smiling and made sure you were happy with your service and food. We had a very good time on the Gem and will be looking forward to sailing on it again in the future.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Quick , efficient and smooth

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The Grand Pacific had good food but we had better service ( fantastic waiter Sherman ) and better food at the Magenta Dining Room

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We didn't use the pool as we paid for the Thermal Spa Pass for the duration of the cruise.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We truly enjoyed the piano Man and the band Sonata . We saw the Ventriloquist and comedian who were good. Unfortunately due to covid there were no shows ( Blazing Boots, Get Down Tonight and Swing The musical were not performing )

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The service and staff were fantastic! The waiter Sherman in Magenta was knowledgeable in how the dishes were prepared. He would recommend dishes according to a person's likes or dislikes . We requested him each night we went to that restaurant. The bartender Jonnie and Yad-Z in the Sugarcane Mojito Bar were fantastic! Yad-Z was full of jokes and fun to be around ! He was going home the day our cruise ended and said he will be on Epic cruise ship when he is back from his break. The bartenders in Magnum's were also very good at recommending good drinks and service was on spot. Our room Stewart was attentive....brought us an iron and ironing board when we asked , our room was always tidy and clean .

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The Bathrooms were always clean . The pool deck had workers constantly cleaning and picking up towels and empty cups .

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The cabin size was a normal size for a balcony room . The bed was comfortable and there were plenty of hooks to hang clothes on even thought we brought our own magnetic hooks . I would , however , not book another balcony room so close to the front of the ship . We felt every little movement of the ship . I was sea sick the second day out to sea and didn't want to stay in the room knowing that I would feel more movement in our room . I, instead, went to Magnums to listen to music and relax.

Ship tip

Book rooms centrally located on ship as this is a smaller ship and you feel more movement on it . Be flexible as your itinerary can change especially during these times of the pandemic , conflict over seas and weather .

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

3 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4 out of 5

We took a cab to the ferry station and took ferry over to St John's . In St John we took an open aired bus to Trunk Bay .

Thumbs Up 1

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5

Not many shops at the Port . We took a cab to the French side to Orient Beach . Very beautiful beachfront but is on the Atlantic Ocean side so there can be high ocean waves.

Thumbs Up 0

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

4 out of 5

We did an excursion through the cruise ship to The Virgin Gorda Baths. You take a ferry that is at the port to another island in Tortola . Once there you get onto an open air bus to the entrance to the caves and baths . You walk a paved trail to the water front and see the rock formations aka caves . Absolutely beautiful . When we got back from the tour we shopped at the port but many stores were closed because it was on Holiday on that Monday. If you don't do an excursion in Tortola there isn't much to do at the port especially with the time constraint. 6am until 12;30pm .

Thumbs Up 0