I wish I could say more good things about NCL. Unfortunately, the ship was a big disappointment. We’ve been completely spoiled by Celebrity Cruise Line.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Having been in the food service business as a food broker, representing lines such as Tyson, General Mills, etc. I know more than the average person about food costs, etc. The food was absolutely awful. I’m wondering if the food budget was even $5 a day pp. Having been on 50+ cruises, on a number of different lines, I have a very fair comparison and NCL is at the bottom of the barrel.
Trying to get a table in the buffet was a challenge every time. Everyone was in search of a table which was extremely annoying. Why does NCL have such limited seating??? Again, I’ve never incurred this situation.
It didn’t matter if you were eating in a specialty restaurant (with an up charge) the food was still very subpar.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
What on board activities? Very limited unless you went to the gym or hot tub which I did neither.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We went to one stage show which we highly enjoyed. Randon was entertaining as was the piano player.
Karaoke was fun. The only problem was the karaoke idol wasn’t promoted therefore cancelled.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Waitstaff was fine. Benjamin, our room steward was good.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship design was just ok. Seemed clean. Buffet area too small.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Very surprised to read that the Gem was updated in 2022. We had a balcony cabin which was very small. No desk chair. Seemed outdated in decor.
Ship tip
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend NCL. Our experiences with Celebrity highly outshines NCL. Frankly, so much so, there’s really no comparison.
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