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Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 30

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Norwegian Gem

10 Night Mediterranean: Greece Turkey & Egypt (Istanbul To Athens)

Sail date: November 01, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 10500

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

This was a wonderful Cruise. Unfortunately, Israel was cancelled but so glad we got to Egypt. The employees of NCL on this Cruise were absolutely phenomenal - always smiling and welcoming. We will definitely cruise again with NCL.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
Disorganized - did not meet expectations.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Main dining rooms were wonderful, Garden Cafe buffet food was usually cold.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Pool, hot tubs were great.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Attended a Magic Show/Mentalist and a Singer from Wales - both very good.

Children's Programs

We did not have children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Waiters, Room Stewards, and our Butler were 5 star if not higher - always smiling and went out of their way to make sure we were happy. We were well taken care of.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Very clean ship, layout was convenient for just about everything.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We had a Penthouse Suite, fwrd facing - was absolutely fantastic. The balcony had 2 loungers, 2 chairs, and 2 tables and privacy. The stateroom had a large deep tub/shower combo, pull out sofa, large closets, flat screen TV, and table & 4 chairs for eating in. Balcony was a bit windy but overall a very smooth Cruise.

Ship tip

Relax and have fun. Lots of fun cruisers, and the staff in Norwegian Gem were the best.

Ports of call

Istanbul, Turkey

5 out of 5
We did Istanbul on our own, arriving two days before ship sailed - really enjoyed Istanbul. Visited (2) Mosques, Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, and Dolmabahce Palace - a must see.

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5
We enjoyed our Excursion to Ephesus, Turkey.

Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt

5 out of 5
Cairo Excursion to see the Pyramids & Sphinx was very good - great experience. You need to see them in person to appreciate.

Limassol, Cyprus

5 out of 5
No, we stayed on the ship.

Alanya, Turkey

5 out of 5
We toured Alanya, Turkey on our own. Really enjoyed the coast and this little town.

HERAKLION, CRETE, GREECE

3 out of 5
Crete was a fill in. We did a hop on hop off bus tour - saw remnants of a palace but that’s about it.

Rhodes, Greece

5 out of 5
Loved the Greek Island of Rhodes. It is a walled city but with lots of shops, quaint alleys, ruins, and history.

Mykonos, Greece

4 out of 5
Mykonos was a fill in. A quaint Island with shops, and several churches.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5
Athens we did on our own, stayed over night to see the Acropolis/Parthenon.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Disembarkation went very smoothly.
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