Dec. 2023 NCL Gem

Norwegian Gem Cruise Review to Transatlantic

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Gem

15 Night Transatlantic: Italy France & Spain (Rome To New York)

Sail date: December 04, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Gem

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10524

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Glad I went, but wouldn’t choose this ship again. Service was fine. NCL wants passengers to return over and over, but doesn’t really change the onboard experience.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
Very easy & well-organized.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Good service, but menu is far too repetitive.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
The usual: Bingo, Deal or no deal, Officer talks, craft classes…

Entertainment

2 out of 5
Poor.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Cruise Director Isha was terrible. She wasn’t personable, smiled and interacted around passengers ONLY when she was with other officers, very disengaged and appeared uninterested in her job. Unfortunately her CD Team took their lead from her and acted as if they didn’t want to be there.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Good layout and easy to navigate.

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5
Outdated! 2 plugs inconveniently located across the room. Small sofa that was like sitting on a board. Bathroom was okay, small but manageable.

Ship tip

I wouldn’t sail this ship again unless it was an itinerary I couldn’t get elsewhere.

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy Did not visit port

Went straight to ship from airport.

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

4 out of 5
Took ship excursion to Florence. Good mix of guided tour with self-guided time.

Marseille (Provence), France

4 out of 5
Not a lot to do, but did visit the Notre Dame de Guarde Bascillica; very nice.

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
Amazing city! I would have loved an overnight here and a second day. So much to see and do!

Cadiz (Seville), Spain

4 out of 5
Long bus ride to Seville.

Lisbon, Portugal

5 out of 5
Did the tour to Fatima; excellent!

Ponta Delgada, Azores

2 out of 5
Once you’ve been, there isn’t much to see.

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda Did not visit port

Skipped port due to weather conditions

New York, New York

5 out of 5
Came into NYC port 2 days early; great opportunity to enjoy the city.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
NYC is always a congested terminal; need lots of patience!
Was this review helpful? 20

7 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing