Never a dull moment

Item: Norwegian Gem
Rating: 4.8
Author: dthiesm

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Bermuda

dthiesm

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 37

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 09, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9554

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

We so enjoyed our Norwegian Gem experience and would love to sail with them again in the future. We have already shared our cruise experience with our extended family and have recommended the cruise to them.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was problematic due to the long wait outside in the cold while waiting for our Travel Authorization pending status from Bermuda to change to approved despite applying as early as was possible due to the COVID test requirement timeline.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We ate at the buffet, one of the main dining rooms and one of the specialty restaurants. The food and service were truly exemplary. It was amazing how much selection there was and every meal we ate was absolutely delicious! The wait staff were unobtrusive, allowing for intimate dinners, and yet very attentive and unfailingly polite and courteous. We were always asked if we had any food allergies.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The salsa lesson and time to dance was our favorite. We enjoyed the line dancing lesson too. We also enjoyed the fitness center and the game Sing It If You Know It. The Spinnaker lounge in the bow with large windows all around with comfortable seating arrangements, stage, dance floor and bar was one of our favorite areas of the ship when the weather was cooler to relax and enjoy. When the weather was warmer, we enjoyed the pool deck (with the band Sonata) and the open air dining/relaxing on the fantail.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The comedian, Heath Harmison was hilarious and I particularly appreciate comedy that is family friendly. We also enjoyed multiple performances of the band Sonata. The live music was excellent although there was a problem with how loud the performances were on the first night of the cruise so we had to leave each of the three areas. That problem was resolved for subsequent days of the cruise. We also very much enjoyed the singing of LM Cancio the last evening of the cruise.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the ship's personnel provided exceptional customer service and were very welcoming and courteous. They made you feel like you were their top priority. We would also like to mention Juan, our room steward, in particular for his help with our questions, running to get our door for us when he saw us coming, greeting us every time by name and solicitously inquiring about our day and wishing us well on our next adventure that we were off to, in addition to, servicing our room multiple times a day and keeping it spotless.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

We really enjoyed all of the different choices of lounges and what each had to offer. The ship was immaculate and the staff immediately cleared any dishes/glasses that were no longer being used. Hand sanitizer was available throughout the ship and a staff member with a spray bottle of sanitizer was at all the entries to the buffet.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The cabin was very comfortable and a nice size. The couch and desk were a great addition to the room. It was nice to be able to store the suitcases under the bed. The bathroom was large and looked new. The tile in the bathroom was a beautiful color. The balcony with its two chairs and table was a high point for us. We loved looking out at the ocean especially at night. The balcony made the cabin feel even bigger than it was. We enjoyed having the navigation channel on the TV to see the ship's track and to learn the weather conditions. We also enjoyed the bow camera channel.

Ship tip

We would recommend that they select a cabin with a balcony, get the COVID test on the earliest date allowed and, if going to Bermuda, immediately apply for travel authorization as soon as they have their negative test.

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Ports of call

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

4 out of 5

We had booked the two tank scuba diving excursion. It was cancelled due to a mechanical problem with the dive boat in Bermuda. We then booked the snorkeling trip to a wreck and reef. The wreck snorkeling was cancelled due to high waves but was replaced by a glass-bottomed tour of a wreck. We were able to snorkel at a reef location. After we returned from the snorkel excursion, we wandered through the various shops in the area.

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