Overall we had a wonderful time. The ship is amazing and the crew are all so wonderful. I was not happy with the way the immigration screening process in Portland was handled. It was a lot of unnecessary standing, walking, and waiting in line. They need to have more stations onboard the ship for this process, especially for those with mobility or other health issues. Aside from this one disappointment, we had a truly great cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation Day was crowded and busy but ran smoothly. The baggage porters were friendly and very efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
With only a couple of exceptions, the food was very good.
Garden Café
5 out of 5
The food in the Garden Cafe was very good. There was lots of variety to choose from. The place was always very busy but the staff there were very friendly and worked like a well oiled machine in keeping the tables clean and stocked. I especially enjoyed being greeted with “washy washy happy happy”.
Grand Pacific Main Dining Room
2 out of 5
We had breakfast in the Grand Pacific one morning. Although the service was great, the food was not so great. We were served burnt and very hard yet barely warm pancakes.
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
We had dinner our first evening at Cagney’s. The service, the food, and the overall experience were exceptional.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were always plenty of activities going on. Playing trivia games in the Atrium was a lot of fun.
Tahitian Pool
5 out of 5
I enjoyed sitting with a beverage and reading by the pool.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Blazing Boots and the magician were both awesome!
Spinnaker Lounge
5 out of 5
It was so relaxing and comfortable sitting in the Spinnaker Lounge. I played Bingo here a couple of times. It was fun but sadly, I didn’t win.🙁
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Every member of the staff from the officers down to the maintenance crew were friendly and made us feel genuinely welcome.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Gem is beautiful, clean, and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin, albeit small, was clean, quiet, and comfortable. The bathroom was tiny and the toilet area was very tight but the shower was great. The water pressure and temperature were perfect. Rainhard was our cabin steward and he was wonderful. He always greeted us with a smile. He was quick to fix a couple of problems we had and he kept us happy with a new towel animal everyday.
Portland is awesome. We went on a scenic tour of the city and Portland Head Lighthouse. Our driver/guide was very informative but the the passenger van was cramped and uncomfortable. This was not a ship sponsored tour.
We had a non ship sponsored private tour. We were not impressed because not only did we not see anything of real interest, the driver was mostly silent except when we asked him questions.
We took an excursion to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. It was a long and uncomfortable bus ride and the tour guide while trying to be funny, was somewhat annoying. The museum was very nice.
We were on the Coastal Drive to Peggy’s Cove. The bus was clean and comfortable. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area and made the ride interesting. My only complaint is that we were not given enough time at Peggy’s Cove to explore before having to leave.
Embarkation was okay except that they had us line up further away from the gangway off the ship than was necessary. It was not made easy for those of us with mobility issues.
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