Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I was disappointed in the food service in the regular dining rooms - food good but not excellent as it is in the specialty restaurants. They had two cruise staff members who had trouble being understand their English was so poor and they frequently were assigned to run trivia contests. As always, the majority of the crew is cheerful, helpful, and solicitous. Free style cruising is the way to go. This is the first time I have not given NCL a 5 star rating.

Hi had a good time on my cruise on the Norwegian Gem. Gerry my steward was great and keep my room perfect. Also, he made us feel welcome, always greeting us by name. I had a a blast with Jon and Philip at the jewelry store. Jake the shopping consultant was a gem and his help was tremendous.

I will say I got a little bored after a few days. Since it was my goal to relax, I didn't mind. However, had I been there to be entertained, I might have been disappointed.

Great cruise. Very relaxing. Starting with our agent AURIEL ROOF, she was great and very helpful.  7 days total at sea, 3.5 total at ports.  Ship staff is tops. Helpful, kind and courteous.  Smoking sections are small and not enough, but they have a wonderful cigar lounge which is usually very peaceful if you want some quiet time other than your stateroom. NCL representatives are also very helpful at getting you answers to your questions.  

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Gem!! The ship size is great not to mention impeccably maintained and clean (which is important to me,I did not experience this on Breakaway when brand new) We went during kids vacation and the  ship was full however the service was excellent and the crew very polite.You can tell they have their systems well in place to make a sold out ship happy. Loved the drink package. Top shelf liquor and excellent wine. Specialty restaurants were very good and the two main dining rooms excellent(especially Grand Pacific!) The shows in Stardust theater were excellent. The dancers top notch!! We really  enjoyed ourselves :)

our best part of the cruise was the staff,they were gentle and helpful,nice to talk to and showed respect for others, the exact opposite of the 900 kids that were on board. Captain and engineer were great to get to know We never got to eat in the specialty restaurants, they booked up so fast, so we had to eat basically the same thing  for 10 days, that got boring. We never got in a hot tub or swimming pool because of the extreme noise of all the kids and also the entertainment staff, They kept screaming out :"I WANT TO HEAR SOME NOISE". that was ridiculous.It has been 3 years since our last vacation and all we needed was some peace and quite Great ship Great ports of call

had a good time, except the White Party was a huge disapointment, they were a lot of adults that wanted to dance and it looked like a teenager party.

THE CREW NEEDS A DAY OFF.  ALMOST LIKE SLAVERY!!!!!!  WHO WORKS 7 DAYS A WEEK DOUBLE SHIFTS FOR 6 MONTHS??????

There were several things we liked. First was the convenience of leaving from NY, and we were fortunate to have had good weather conditions. Secondly, Even though we had 5 days at Sea, there was plenty to do and our 8 year old Twin Boys spent much time in the Splash Academy because they had great activities. Thirdly,The restaurants were very good, and we enjoyed eating breakfast and sometimes lunch on the ships open back deck. Last the destinations were excellent!

Everything was great!!

Good friends, great places.

Great Time!!!

Planning is important.

Staff is nice, cabin was OK, and service was good.

Food could have been a little better.

food was excellent, service the same, was the best cruise I have ever taken hope to be back for more, everyone made me feel at home knew what I wanted served me the exact product not a same as good cabin service nice quiet sleeping area can't ask for nothing more.

#1:  The dining package was not worth it - Food just average at best - Dining in the 2 Main Dining Rooms was as good, if not better than, the specialty dining

#2:  The golf driving nets were in poor repair - Golf bag that holds the clubs looked like it was 100 years old - Faded and torn - 3 irons all of which were rusted with grips that were falling apart - I have photo's

#3:  We had several separate issues with solvent smell in our room and on several decks, especially in the hallways - We were told it was from the maintenance painting be done - The smell was so bad we could not be in our room without coughing and getting headaches - Nothing was done about this condition - The fumes were quite serious - I have extensive personal and work experience with paint and painting operations - If this condition was taking place on the main land in the USA dual charcoal cartridge respirators would be required - What about the babies on board?  What about the young adults on board?  What about the older people on board that may have breathing issues?  WHAT ABOUT THE CREW MEMBERS WHO WORK IN THIS ENVIRONMENT EVERY DAY?  The paint being applied was epoxy and urethane materials containing xylene, methyl ethyl ketone and isocyanates all of which can cause health issues (breathing/brain) - They are more concerned with smoking than with the hazardous and explosive solvent fumes

Overall I loved the cruise. The shows were fantastic and the staff were great. Made a few lasting relationships with several of the staff. All were very nice. The food in the restaurants were really good however the food in the buffet was not so good. I was disappointed that all the hot food was always cold. Also very hard to find a seat. The food out at the grill by the pool did not offer a veggie burger or turkey burger so I was always forced to go inside while enjoying the poolside. Not a happy camper. Also I feel you should offer more vegan options since there are a lot of vegans in the world today and they should be labeled. Vegans love to cruise too. I did purchase the 500.00 credit towards another cruise. I would recommend this cruise to others. Alvin the cruise director was awesome.

Could not use the balcony. Paint fumes in the rooms through the duct work. The vent above the bed kept dripping water onto the bed. Unacceptable response from staff.

Both my husband and I agreed that this was the best vacation we ever took! Everything was perfect, from the food to the entertainment to the port calls. We can't wait to go on another cruise!

Our cruises with Norwegian have been fine over the years, but this one made it to the top of the list.  The ship was laid out so you could find your way quickly and without effort.  There was lots of room for whatever you wanted to attend.  The buffet had such a great variety of food for each meal and it was so good.  The entertainment was the best.  Even the captain entertained twice and he was just a great entertainer.  The ship was so spotless and the room stewards cared and worked so hard and worked well together.  It was a lot of fun to be on.  Everyone was so kind.   

The ship was recently refurbished and lovely. Food upgraded and excellent. Service always outstanding. Our 7th trip on the Gem. Didn't realize the size problem from the deck plan and suffered the consequences. We are both six footers but had no issues before. (See below.)

Other than that, it was a great trip, as usual.

Cabin and bathroom is too small. You feel like you are in a closet.   Too many straight days at sea before getting to the first port.  Instead of 3 and one half days going to Puerto Rico, should consider another port.

ten days was just perfect. The crew on the Gem were wonderfully attentive to our needs.  Only downside is that the Gem has no accessible rooms in the Haven, which we wanted to book for future travel.  The accessible aft balcony suite had plenty of room and easily accessible, but we would have preferred the Haven.

Loved doing a 10 day cruise. Took our 17 year old and she was bored. Not many under 18 on board. Great cruise for couples and older folks. Food as good but desserts not so great. Staff were friendly but have done cruise on another cruise line and staff were nicer on the other cruise line.

I cannot recommend the Norwegian Gem!  The ship is recently refurbished but HVAC brought on asthma/bronchitis.  Maybe mold circulating?  We expected an inclusive experience, instead we felt extra costs were at every turn. 

We had prepaid a dining package for the specialty restaurants but were horrified to find menus in the main included restaurants with choices that would cost $20 or more extra. Norwegian even charged for taking a tour of the ship. Included in main dining-room were cheaper choices like spaghetti.  Food must be a big draw though for we (as longtime cruisers) have never seen so many obese people on one ship. Buffet gave good choices but when husband got sick & I had to take 3 meals per day, I had to cram a plate with all choices for no trays available. Best specialty restaurant was Chinese.  Japanese very noisy with good show.  Italian had gristly veal.  Brazilian rushed food at us when we wanted to dine.

Nightlife and Daytime life?

1.       Ship has loud music throughout bars, lounges, restaurants. Socializing difficult.  Husband hard of hearing but hearing aids forced off to deal with high ambient noise.  We had to take tables of 2. We could not share larger tables for he was not able to talk & listen.  We were together 24/7 without meeting new companions.

2.       Entertainment in Stardust Theater was very good but theater so cool some days we needed sweater, jacket and winter coat, plus hats.

Best experiences?

1.       Wait staff everywhere.  Especially kind was a St Lucian waitress in the Brazilian Restaurant!

2.       Internet Café Manager Anna D’cunha gave kind and excellent advice & help with wi-fi on everyone’s equipment and listened politely and tirelessly to problems which were out of her control due to the nature of ship wi-fi!

3.       Excursion to Virgin Gorda Baths & Snorkel with boat ride, crawling under & over rocks & snorkeling sights.

very relaxing , everything was as expected.. the italian  restaraunt  was excellant service and food. we also liked the chinnese restaraunt. leo the guitar player was entertaining and talented, very enjoyable to listen to. we enjoyed TIM the comedian he was very friendly and he talked to you like he knew you.   The only complaint was on the last night of the cruise they had a lot good things to do late at night where as the could have had it more during the week where you did"nt have to get up early the next day. we would do this ittinery again  nice job