Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Not a big fan of cruises cause I like to be adventurous but took this cruise with our kids and family members. There were 12 of us. I have to say I really enjoyed the cruise. While it was crowed there was always something to do to get away from the crowds. Love the shows and the after party in Bliss.

Overall the Bahamas cruise on the Gem was good. Gem is a smaller ship having previously sailed on the Breakaway, which is much larger. Gem was clean, food was good and crew was friendly and helpful. Entertainment on the ship was great and the bands/musicians were excellent. Pool area was very crowded. Poolside BBQ was excellent. Would recommend removing the Port Canaveral stop for a 2 day/overnight stay in the Bahamas instead. Limited time to enjoy the ports of call as it felt very rushed. Suggest that excursion staff are waiting when you get off the ship at the various ports to direct you where to go as it was chaotic and disorganized especially at the Bahamas port. Despite some of the minor issues, we had a great time on the Bahamas cruise on the Gem.

It was just me and my child, and I found myself making heavy use of Splash Academy where the children go and play and you can do whatever. The staff was great and she had a lot of fun. I got to eat dinners in peace and go to the casino :). I didn't not realize that Great Stirrup Cay is basically a beach, that is all there is to do there, so people might want to know that. Not thrilled with the choice of tv programming available and $10 to watch a movie is very pricey. I've been on other cruises and this ship before and found out they no longer do the chocolate buffet, which is a shame. Usually the last night, the chefs do a whole bunch of intricate carvings and people line up to see it and take pictures and then they open it up for eating, but no more. :( Overall it was nice, the Duo Aura show was amazing and recommend it to everyone.

An amazing time, missing every moment of it. My girlfriend loved it. We are planning our next cruise right now. The food was good, entertainment really good but the staff and service was excellent. They made you feel like a king.

I won't recommend the Gem nor will I return to the Gem. I have been on several other Norwegian ships, hopefully,this has not ruined me for future sailings on other ships.

It was a great cruise.  Everything was great.  Food was excellent and the service was amazing.  I would definitely recommend this trip to others.  I went with my husband and it was his first cruise and he loved it.  He was impressed by the service and how great the food was.

nice, clean ship, shows were your typical cruise ship shows, nothing special , didn't go to all, you get to a point you can only deal with so much sing and dancing. disappointed only one poolside activity such as pool olympics. I love the hot dog eating contest, mr sexy legs,etc. good offerings for platuim members however, they didn't include my 17yr old son in on them, which is another disappointment, since he is just as much a platuim member as me and my husband traveling with him and when you spend enough to get to that level, your traveling dependants. show reap the benefits as well.  Service good in restaurants and cabin stewart.. was also disappointed they don't allow cases of water being brought on. 

NCL game cost to payout, very poor.  Some bingo game packages sell for $70., but the pay out for 3 games was under $900 with a large crowd.

     Deal or no Deal same way.  poor if any prizes   

     Always selling chances at every show.

This cruise does not have as many stops as others. It has almost 3 days at sea. However, if that's your scene, complete relaxation, this was it. We enjoyed it. Also, make sure you spend an hour or two in the Straw Market in Nassau. It's an experience. Make sure you bargain...a little. The crew was good, the meals great.

So the staff was amazing.  The food was average, just too repetitive.  The boat is really clean and well kept.  The shows were below average.  The alcohol package was a must!  Now onto the arcade:  miserable.  They allow my 11 year old to use his card to swipe the $2 games.  I gave him permission to play 10 games per day=$20.  On day 4 I get a notice on my stateroom door that they need me at the front desk.  I go and find out his total so far on day 4 was $360!!!!!!!  I almost vomited all over them.  My son told me the card wasn't swiping so he kept doing it over and over and over again.  The print out they gave us only showed the DATE not the TIME he swiped so I had no way to prove it.  Needless to say I will never cruise with them again.  I was totally depressed the rest of my stay.  UNFAIR!!!!!

THE WORSE CRUISE EVER.  STAFF NOT FRIENDLY, TOILET PROBLEM FOR FOUR DAYS.  WHAT A NIGHTMARE.  NEED  I GO ON!!  BAD BAD BAD BAD

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD!!!   THE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!!  HE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!!   HE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!! HE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!! HE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!! HE WORSE CRUISE EVER!!!

Loved this cruise, especially the Maine ports. Bar Harbor is fantastic! The Gem is updated and a very manageable sized ship. Typical NCL restaurants but I do think they have done a better job with the buffet.  Love cruising out of NYC. 

Most of the entertainment was good but the food in the main dining rooms left alot to be desir4ed. The menus were limited. This is the first cruise that I have been on that does not have a Captains night, no lobster, no lox in the morning and no donuts. I have been on over 30 cruises in my lifetime and this is the first time I have been so disappointed. I am going back to Royal Caribbean from now on.

I was skeptical about taking a cruise up north, as I've only cruised to the islands (Bermuda, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, etc). However, I was more than pleasantly surprised and the cruise to Canada and New England exceeded all my expectations.  The weather was perfect every day.  The crew and staff on the Norwegian Gem was spectacular.  Thoroughly enjoyed everything. My only suggestion would be to have more live music playing on the pool deck. It's just not the same with low volume overhead music playing.

Food & private island were very good xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cruise was amazing.  Would recommend to anyone wanting to cruise without flying.  The staff are very friendly. The food was excellent. We had 18 in our party and they were very accommodating. My children really enjoyed the kids club.   Well worth the price fora family vacation.  

My family of four ended up taking this cruise because of the great price and extra benefits added with booking with BJ's. Third and Fourth Guest were free and a $50 excursion credit per port. The destinations of Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau were the highlight. The Coco Beach in Florida was very disappointing. The day we were there was Memorial Day so it was very crowded and the water wasn't clear at all. If I didn't know I was in Florida, I could have easily been at the Jersey Shore (and that's not a compliment). The Stingray City excursion at Great Stirrup Cay was the highlight for my family. I would strongly recommend this to anyone. After a brief boat ride (10 minutes max) the Wranglers brought you to an enclosed area, about 4 feet deep. with warm clear water. The Stingrays about 30 females then glide by you as you get to swim, feed and take pictures of them. There were also small fish, starfish and many other fun things to see. Since our tour was the last of the day, we got to spend an extra 30 minutes there. You don't need to book an excursion here though, there are many beach activities to do and if you bring your own snorkel gear, to see. The destination of Nassau is a very typical Island feel. Cute little town with high end stores (Gucci, Cartier) right next to t shirt and tourist shops.  When you get off the ship the townsfolk can be a little intimidating asking if you need a tour, taxi, etc. But Hey, that's their job! A polite "no thanks" is sufficient. Booked the Catamaran Snorkel and had a wonderful time. Nice boat ride through the harbor to clear water with tons of fish. 

Have been on many cruises before on Norwegian but not on the Gem. Nice medium size ship and very clean. Did not try any Specialty Restaurants, only ate in the main dining room. The food was exceptionally good and the service outstanding. The only complaint was the fellow cruisers who feel that they don't need to dress up. In that case, they should stay at the buffet or outdoor food area. The shows were good and the Cruise Director Mark was not annoying at all. Staff was very friendly and hard working especially our room stewardess for our Family Balcony room #10536. Many quiet areas to lounge if you didn't want to be near the pool. Will probably book again with Norwegian because of the great value and convenience with leaving from NYC.

Cabin with the balcony 

No hassle disinbarksion easy going thru custom s

Cabs were waiting to take us to Penn central 

Enjoyed our dinner at cages steak house  for our 50th  anniversary. 

Our cabin was fine up until the 4th day and our bathroom was filled with water and feces.  My husband called at 7am and didn't get anything done until 11am.  He went to the service desk and then I went.  We did get help by Desiree Augustine.  She gave us another room to get dressed.  We also received complimentary wine and chocolate covered strawberries.  We still had an odor from the mess.  It eventually went away.

This was my first time on a cruise. I enjoyed myself but I wish there was better activities during the day. I would have appreciate more shows in the day time.