Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We love the Norwegian Gem. We've been on the ship with our friends, 4 years in a row. Service is excellent. Crew members are happy, friendly and caring. Ports are great, food is very good and entertainment gets better every year! There's lots of activities on the onboard and the best part is the size of the ship. Easy to find your way around and it never feels crowded. 

My only complaint is beware of "run of the ship cabins".  Our experience has been, they assign the worst cabin to those choosing run of the ship. This year we booked a run of the ship mini suite. Usually we book a balcony cabin. This year we upgraded to mini suite (run of the ship). Huge mistake! You'd think NCL would appreciate loyal repeat cruisers? Nope! They assigned us the WORST cabin. All night long and early morning (before 5am) we heard college kids playing basketball on the courts above us. My husband even video taped them. After a few nights (3) of NO sleep we complained. Security was sent to stop them and guest services was wonderful. They changed our cabin on day 4 when someone left the ship for a family emergency. From then on our cruise was wonderful. The crew members are hard working, friendly and will do whatever they can to make your vacation wonderful. It's definitely not the crew on board NCL should be concerned about, but the SUPERVISIORS who WORK outside the ship in their offices who are rude and nasty. 

The Norwegian Gem is a great ship and we highly recommend it!

This was my girlfriend and my first ever cruise.  We had a very good time for the 10 days but learned many things for our next cruise.  While it is a good value for the money, there are many extra fees and costs that come with it.  I didn't like that if you ever wanted a soda you had to pay extra and the alcoholic drinks were pretty expensive.  We learned that if you book at certain times they may include the "ultimate drink package" which is definitely the way to go.  By the end we had almost an extra $1000 in fees including 2 excursions and hospitality charges ($13.50 per day per person).  I also made the mistake of going to the hospital on board when I felt a bit sick on the second day.  The doctor seemed like he did not know what he was doing and they wanted to run expensive tests when it was nothing serious.  They do not take insurance and I had to pay $200 for a whole lot of nothing.  

Besides these few downsides we had an excellent time and would definitely do it again.  All four ports were very fun the highlight of the trip.

Service was great, staff was excellent, just minor details, drinks to high price....restaurant were really excellent....abiss club great...great food!!! Just book for March 27th

I went with my family of six.  We all had a great time.  The balcony stateroom  was very clean and fresh.  Beautiful view every morning and night. The food was really delicious.  The staff were very nice and respectful.  The entertainment was super excellent, especially the dancers!!  The excursions were great.  First time snorkeling and I loved it.  The ocean shore in the carribbean has a very strong undertow so be careful.  Go to the Virgin Gorda Baths excursion and bring your own snorkel equipment if you have it.  It was a beautiful vacation for all of us.  I am saving to go again asap.

One of the main thing you look forward to on a cruse is the dinning. The main complementary restaurants were very slow to serve waiting sometimes 45 min. before your order is taken, Dinner always took at least 2 hours. The portions were on the small side and the quality was way below the standard you expect. The menu also had 3 meals that had a charge, never say this before,seems to me you already payed for the meals and now they want you to pay again.

The specialty restaurant also have change with  a la carte menu however the quality was far superior to the complementary restaurant. All the other aspects of the cruise were what you would expect.

ship is clean. Mini suite was large with a big balcony. Had the beverage package and was never charged for my top shelf liquor in my drinks. Nothing to complain about. That is why we have taken this cruise many times. 

Everything about our cruise was outstanding. The quality of food was amazing, the freestyle cruising was liberating and the service by all employees was exceptional. We highly recommend the ultimate beverage package which was "free" just pay taxes as it paid for itself with just one drink a day. The decor on the ship was elegant and modern and the ports of call were interesting and beautiful.

Pros

- friendly staff

- good nightly shows

Cons

- room was in terrible condition

1. dresser light was hanging down with exposed electric wiring

2. main mirror in living area was broken and chipped on the bottom left, broken glass on the floor. On a floating ship this is exceptionally dangerous

3. bed was caved in, mattress is in obvious need of replacement

My wife, 2 children and I took your cruise on the above dates.

The cleanness was good and food service was wonderful.  However, The entertainment was questionable for the following reasons;

1. As I understand the ship did not have a DJ until arrival to island of ST, Martenee and in the Bliss lounge, they had an Ipod playing random music furthermore, this was a Caribbean trip on the entire trip they provided 80 minutes or less of Spanish music even thus they had a reggae band.  The cruise had a lot of Spanish speaking people.  My wife and I found it frustrating, we were expecting something totally different.

2. The first day, I was personally offended by a bartender in which I had to called his supervisor and I waited for over 45 minutes to see him. He proceeded to make excuses of his subordinate behavior which truly irritated me and I walked away.    I witnessed at least three other similar incidents.

I recommend employee receive training in customer service 101.

*** EDITED 1/8/15 BY CRUISELINE.COM TO REMOVE PERSONAL INFORMAION ***

the room was perfect it was in the best place easy to reach from any place.

the room was perfect it was very large.  my granddaughters first cruise and she was in love with the staff splash academy. everything was perfect until I realized that the ship did not bring all my alcohol to the room.   I did reach out to guest services and is awaiting reply.

i

This was my first 10-day cruise.  I loved the food that was offered from the buffet to the speciality restaurants.  However, this is not the cruise you want to be on if you're prone to going stir crazy like I am.  Three days at sea going and coming back was a bit too much for me.  I would prefer a cruise that spends more time at the ports, which was unfortunately not the case for this particular journey.  In addition, the holidays (Christmas and New Year's Eve) were spent at sea, which was a bummer.  The stewards on the ship were great and very helpful, but the general staff in other locations were not as welcoming or friendly, which was unfortunate.  Overall, the ports were great - Tortola is amazing! 

I would give this cruise 5 stars  for food, service, entertainment, cleanliness, staff. 

All were excellent.  The down side of the cruise was the money making portion.  NCL  has upped the cost of "specialty restaurants" to $30 pp plus 18% gratuity.  Why charge a gratuity when ncl is now charging $13.50 pp per day gratuity for waiters, stewards and all other staff, then charging again for food you already paid for and again charging gratuity they  already charged  for ?

Entertainment was great but many smaller shows were held in their "Spinnaker LOUNGE "  which conveniently has a huge bar.  Of course the drinks average $10 each plus gratuity as well. 

Excursions were well overpriced as usual  but guarantee that the boat won't leave without you.

Shopping at ports was constantly pushed especially diamonds, gems and expensive watches.

The trade winds shops onboard give good value compared to home, are tax and duty free. They held raffles but would not give anyone a free ticket.  You had to purchase something to get a raffle ticket.  They would match prices at the ports if lower which most are for liquor but only if you show proof ie a receipt..

But then why would I buy from the ship?

Entertainment was great but in my opinion lowered its ratings when all the performers tried to sell cd's at the end of the show in the hallway.

Activities during the day was awash in money making activities such as bingo, wine tasting, beer tasting, sale items, port shopping, etc.

Smoking can be bothersome as they allow it in the casino and at the bars near the outdoor pool.

In spite of the above I would recommend NCL but just keep in mind that they make the most money not from your cruise fares but from excursions, liquor and casino gambling.

Was promised $50 back for each booked excursion.. did get back only 25 and nobody gave me reasonable explanation why. After they get your money... they do not care...This is not right!! Keep your promises to keep your customers!!The cruise overall was good but .... next time I will go with different company , where people will be honest. 

There is nothing I really liked on this cruise.Food is ordinary, shows are awful , embarkation and disembarkation in New York was a torture(we have been waiting for check-in for 2 hours in line ! The "City Tour " in San Juan was just OK.It does not worth $46 we paid pp.But the diving excursion in St.Maarten was excellent ! The cabin(inside) was really small .But we liked the bathroom.The restaurants with fee were not impressive too(except Teppanyaki).This cruise was very low key,more on the cheap side.You know the difference between 5 stars and 3 stars hotels.So this was 3* Hotel vacation. I tried really hard to like it,but....no.I don't recommend it . Spend your money better on different cruise line

This is the food in buffet on New Year Eve .And plus they prepared pizza.Common NCL ! This is not even funny!!!!

I HAVE TAKEN APPROXIMATELY 8 OR 9 CRUISES WITH NORWEGIAN WITH MOST BEING PRIMARILY ON THE GEM, BOTH TO THE CARIBBEAN & CANADA. I PREFER THE FREE STYLE DINING AND EASE OF LEAVING OUT OF MANHATTAN WHICH ON THIS PARTICULAR CRUISE WAS A BREEZE. PURCHASING THE UBP PROMOTION THIS TIME WAS EXCELLENT AS WAS THE SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE CREW, WHO COULDN'T BE ACCOMODATING. QUALITY OF FOOD WAS EXCELLENT AND GETTING A DRINK WAS NO PROBLEM. CLEANLINESS ALSO EXCELLENT. THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS I HAVE ARE (A). THE PORTS OF CALL. TORTOLA ON A SUNDAY IS A WASTE OF TIME. WHY GO THERE IF YOU KNOW THE PLACE IS BASICALLY CLOSED. HAVE DONE THIS TWICE ON THE GEM WON'T DO IT A 3RD TIME. SAN JUAN,PR  ALSO HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF THE ISLAND, TIME TO GO ELSEWHERE! SAINT MAARTEN NEVER DISAPPOINTS AND ST. THOMAS IS A  CLOSE 2ND.(B) ENTERTAINMENT. BANDS ON THE OUTDOOR DECK DID NOT COME ON TIL 2 O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON YET THE WEATHER WAS PARTICULARLY NICE AND GUESTS WERE UP THERE FROM 10 O'CLOCK AM. TIME TO GET STARTED EARLIER. I MUST SAY THE FEMALE SINGER FROM "PRISM" HAD A GREAT VOICE. ALSO REMOVAL OF THE BOWLING ALLEY. WHY? I WOULD BOWL AT LEAST 2X TO 3X ON EVERY TRIP. LASTLY WAS THE WALKOFF DISEMBARKATION WHICH WAS HAPHAZARD THIS TIME AROUND. ITS TIME TO ROPEOFF THE LINE AND HAVE SECURITY PERSONNEL SUPERVISE, NOT CUSTOMER REPS. SAW SEVERAL "ADULTS" CUTTING THE LINE INSIDE THE SHIP AND STOPPED BY CUSTOMER REPS ONLY TO DO THE SAME ONCE THE LINE MOVED TO THE OUTSIDE DECK CAUSING FRICTION. MAY AS WELL CUT IT IN THE BUD I ALWAYS SAY. OTHER THAN THESE 3 POINTS I WOULD SAY I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A NORWEGIAN CUSTOMER...

Fabulous cruise.The staff was very attentive and the food was good. We really enjoyed the pub as an alternative to the buffet or dining.  It was a little busy doing four port days in a row, with the last being only a half day at port didn't leave much time to sight see.

This was my 4th NWG cruise, the quality has become lower, some fellow passengers were impolite, some with improper attires. Food is so-so at Garden Cafe. Chinese foods at Orchid Garden were terrible, many dishes did not taste Chinese. Seafood Udon had no sea food excepted three pieces of fake crab meat and udon was not udon noodle, it's a lo-mein. Chow-fen doodle was not chow-fen noodle, a cellophane noodle and taste like noodle just flavored with soy sauce and too sweet. The complimentary dinners at Grand Pacific and Magenta were good. Evening shows were OK. MOST of all, NWG committed a very grave mistake: I was told a wrong pier number, GEM was at #90, NWG rep told me over the phone, it was #88. In fact, #88 was for Breakaway. At pier 90 we dropped off luggage with porter, and they send them through conveyer right away, and the luggage became a needle in the hay stock. By the time we found out it's the wrong pier, we had very hard time retrieving our luggage. It took three hours to find our luggages and one was sent to wrong room. How could NWG rep not know the pier number, it's so important to be correct.

The 10 day getaway was awesome for relaxing but there were a few disappointments. The slide was not open for use so my daughter was not too happy with that. Bathroom door knob came off in my brother in law hand trapping him in the bathroom in the suite for over half an hour. Came back from excursion and multiple guests keys were demagnetized. Some specialty dining too expensive. Food, drink, Spa and Caribbean band was good. 7th cruise but I don't think I would sail that vessel again.

Embarking was an Odyssey in itself.It took from 8:30 to 1:00 P.M. waiting seating down in sort of kitchen chairs inside a huge pier with over 25 seats per rows facing and staring at each others for hours.

Over a 5 hours ordeal with some orange juice and soda offered about 1 hour before departure.A couple of thousand people with rowdy unruly noisy poorly behaved children that would be 24/7 running around the ship corridors at all hours of the day and night.No parental supervision ever! Hallways and corridors should have HUGE signs:NO RUNNING OR SHOUTING !!

Four days at sea to Puerto Rico! Why?Oh,I know.To sell you all sort of overpriced crap and services!!

Loud noise would be the theme for this cruise unluckily.

You will be shouted at with loud speakers and microphones constantly around the pool,theater,bars lounges and all decks always demanding you"put your hands together" or "give it up for.." Geeezzz!!!

It seems LOUD sells more raffle tickets,drinks,diamonds,watches,on shore excursions,emeralds,ugly "art",spa services etc..etc...etc.

If you want to relax and unwind THIS IS NOT THAT KIND OF A CRUISE !!You'll be hard pressed to find a place to read a book,doze off while sun bathing,chat or socialize without having to shout at each other.The only little piece of heaven is the library,a small 25' by 30' room next to the game room but alas! it is always full with people not just reading but napping or even eating!!..Woww!! those people ate and drank even in the elevators,theater ( drinks and raffles or bingo cards are hawked here too) hallways,walkways stairs and lounges!

If you want a relaxing cruise you must make sure school is IN SESSION!!.May be you'll have less kids and obnoxious careless uneducated parents.

We waited for our room for almost 1 hour after boarding.

Room was clean,neat and small but comfy.

Mr. Denis Fernandez our cabin housekeeping attendant was AWESOME . Bathroom was good except the toilet was so close to the wall that made it hard to seat down and I'm only 5'2" so if you are 5'8" to 6'3" you better use the communal toilets around the elevators areas ;-)

The food: Buffet was OK,just a lot average to average quality of food well served and presented.I must mention as very good the smoked salmon,roast beef sliced to order,pork roast,shrimp cocktail,good salad items,sugar free strawberry napoleons,fresh fruits,croissants and danishes as well as assorted breads.

Pool barbecue:Forget it!. Cold,hard and tasteless cuts of meat,pieces of chicken hard poorly cooked corn and a hideous "paella" that was more like Uncle Ben's poorly cooked rice with some okra and tiny pieces of onion thrown in but no meats or sausages anywhere in sight.

Burgers and hot dogs greasy and overcooked seating there for hours.

Pizza tasted and looked like the frozen kind good only for kids.

Grand Pacific dinning:great service,well appointed and better food just like a good catering service.To be noted were the beef Wellington,skirt steak with chimichurri,fried fish,eggplant lasagna,fried calamari southern fried chicken,and shrimp over penne pasta.

Breakfast at Grand pacific : Lox with cream cheese and bagel,omelets,eggs Benedict or eggs any stile.Forget the beacon! 97% fat,little meat to eat.Good sausages and the Grand pacific is the  only place to find tomato juice.

During this cruise you'll be penny pinched to death,almost everything is extra from sodas to canned drinks or specialty restaurants.BTW avoid the Chinese restaurant! awful food poorly cooked and seasoned for someone used to China cooking  Town in NYC.

Puerto Rico was a waste of time .Everything closed at 11 a.m. and no place to have a drink or eat local cooking.The tour by trolley car was painful due to the cobble stoned streets ( I might have lost a few molar fillings and a kidney in the tour to see and old fortress? and a few colonial buildings? ) I would avoid it at all cost .

Ports of call like Saint Maarten and Saint Thomas should have been an overnight stay: too much to see and do in just a few hours!

Tortola: arrived a Sunday morning for just 5 hours to see a deserted tiny town with wild chickens running around and no one in sight after walking over a mile we found $2 tee shirts sold by $10!!

Not enough time to visit Virgin Gorda which is a gorgeous area.

Return voyage was uneventful with theater shows and lounge acts that left a lot to be desired ( EXCEPT the comedian Kaminski and the ventriloquist with puppets were AWESOME! earlier on the trip)

Disembarking was another ordeal ,over 1.5 hours walking around and around the ship returning twice to the starting point.

If you think carrying your own luggage out would save you time THINK AGAIN!!

Bring enough cash with you to buy on shore,ATM's charge $3.75 to $7.50 per transaction and the ship has no ATM!!!

In general I give 4 stars because the crew is amazing,polite,well groomed,friendly,willing to help,very knowledgeable and classy.

I'll always remember: "washy washy!! happy happy!!

I would probably do it again...when school is IN SESSION!!

Having cruised several times in the past, including on the Gem we noticed a difference in amenities.  There were more things with extra charges then before.