Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was my 5th cruise, the 2nd one on Norwegian.  This ship had a lot of hiding fees.  This was the first time that I had to pay for room services $7.95 per order.  The rooms on the Gem were very small and we had a suite with a balcony.  Not a lot to do on the ship.  The gift shop was not fully stock.  We were not happy at all with the Gem.   

Overall it was worth it. Could have done without the Port Canaveral excursion. It was pointless. My room # 5110 was very spacious with a nice view out the window. The air conditioning system wasn't working good. My daughters room TV screen went blank on 3 separate occasions and had to wait for electrician to fix it. The ship itself needed some upgrades but they are dry docking it next month for upgrades. I was not aware that the lowest part of the pool was over 4 feet, not good for little kids aged 3-7 who cant swim. Bring swimmies or life jacket.  Pool deck is very slippery when wet. I saw a few people fall. All the workers were very good at what they assigned to do. Of course Great Stirrup Cay was the highlight, especially with all the new upgrades that happened over the last few years.  Nassau was good. Too pricey to go to atlantis and the private beaches that are near it were beautiful but be prepared to be annoyed constantly by the locals trying to rent out their services like parasailing, snorkeling, banana float rides, jet skiing. This all happens even when you're swimming. It's non stop. I heard Senor Frogs and Fat Tuesday were the place to go. Its a 10 minute walk from the ship. The ship was pretty good with all the activities going on.  

Overall great food, courteous service, great shows and great variety of things to do.  Two major critiques:  eliminate the Port Canaveral stop and spend 3 days in Bahamas.  Universal and Disneyworld too far away to fully enjoy.  Expedited ticket did no good.  Travel time ate up the day.  Even Coco beach people felt the day was a waste.

Your cigar room is not being maintained properly.  A classy environment that is not attended to. 1000's of $$ of cigars left to go stale due to lack of proper humidification.  Ash trays left filthy and ashes left all ocer furniture. Cigar clib should be limited ti Cigar smoking only.  Cigar smokers are there to enjoy a great smoke.  Cigarette smokers are feeding a habit.  All cigars other than tube cigars were stale.  If you can't maintain the humidification, just offer tube cigars.  And keep the place clean and some service too.  What a disgrace.

TUVE UN CONTRATIEMPO EN EL MOMENTO DEL ABORDAJE AL COMETER  EL PERSONAL DE LA LINEA UN ERROR EN EL REGISTRO Y NEGARSE A CORREGIRLO Y NO ATENDER ME SOLICITUD PARA HABLAR CON UNA PERSONA DE HABLA HISPANA.

fUERA DE ESE PERCANCE, TODA LA TRAVESIA FUE MUY BUENA AUN CUANDO EL CAMARISTA QUE CORRESPONDIO A LA HABITACION NO FUE LO COMPETENTE QUE HUBIERAMOS DESEADO.

The cruise was nice, but there were to many children on the boat.  There was no where for adults to go.  Even late at night the children were in the casino and on the dance floor.

Other than the fights and lack of security to control these fights my wife and I enjoyed ourselves. This is our 3rd time on Norwegian Gem. And the commotion that occurred was really was bad and made us think twice about taking a future cruise.

This cruise is too short.  Had a great time at sea.  Need clear instructions for the shore excursions (we missed our meeting time).

always read the fine print for the additional 13.50 per day, per person. Otherwise a great trip!

Our itinerary was going to be changed due to a Tropical Storm headed to the Bahamas, but at the last minute, we were able to keep the same itinerary.  The weather was perfect for the entire trip and calm seas.  The GEM has a variety of different types of entertainment to keep you busy all day and night. 

Their private island in Bahamas is a very relaxing experience.  Food and music was provided along with games and water sports.  There are always plenty of lounge chairs for everyone, which is a plus. 

Nassau can be quite overwhelming with vendors, but I took the Blue Lagoon  Beach excursion which was terrific.  You board a small boat and they show you a few of the local attractions on the way to the beach.  There is a lovely beach with chairs under the palm trees, lunch was provided along with dolphins and sea lions to observe at your leisure.  It is a very relaxing excursion and well worth it.

If you are a single/solo cruiser, I recommend attending the gathering every evening lead by a cruise staff member.  It is really a great place to meet others who are traveling alone and would enjoy dining with someone.  I hooked up with a few and we hung out the entire cruise. 

The only unpleasant observation I noticed at times was in the main dining room.  Without assigned seating, it appears that the waiters/waitresses are so overwhelmed with serving table after table, that they do forget to bring you what you requested.  I will always prefer assigned seating where you can enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere each night. 

All in all, Norwegian does a great job and would recommend it to anyone.

this was by far th best vacation of my life. My family and I were in a penthouse suite with concierge and butler service. We had the luxury of having all the perks of haven passengers including cagneys steakhouse for breakfast and lunch and we had special hors d'overs and cocktails with the captain just for our group. 

Again the most wonderful vacation of my entire life 

It was overall a great experience and one that went by super quickly. The food was awesome! Only downsides were that the days at sea were a little boring, the singing/dance shows were not as entertaining as the magic/acrobatics/comedy shows. And also the times at port weren't really long enough. But still those are the only downsides, everything else was pretty great! The week went by super quick and I was pretty sad when I had to leave the cruise.

The Norwegian Gem is an amazing cruise line. The room and the bathroom were always kept clean and clean towels were always exchanged daily. The beds were always made and we ESPECIALLY loved the towel animals ♥♥♥

One of the BEST aspects of the cruise vacation was the food. The food was absolutely PHENOMENAL. There was such an enormous variety at the buffet every single day and everything tasted delicious. Not only that, the restaurants were also very high quality.

The staff members were so incredibly kind and always ready to service us. Almost all the staff members seemed genuinely happy and conversed with the passengers in a friendly manner.

WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME

WISHED WE PLANNED IT BETTER, THERE WAS 31 OF US IN A GROUP AND ALL BOOKED SEPERATELY

BOOKED TWO MORE WEEKS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE VACATIONS WITH NORWEIGAN CRUISE LINES

Ok this was my first cruise and it was amazing in all areas! We were a family of 30 adults and children, there was umlimited food and also lots of food choices. Everyone working on the cruises did a very good job at making sure we were ok and had everything we needed. They called you by your first name and if they didn't know it they would get to know it. the entertainment was on point, there was something to do all day everyday, never a dull moment. I would def recommend the GEM.

One day one after boarding, there was one bartender at the outdoor cafe. A few of the others had no idea how to mix a martini. So if it is a family ship, where are the pools for the smaller kids? NONE!!!! we were very disappointed in that particular aspect. Entertainment was superb!!! Food was very good, but not enough activities. 

While the ship is beautiful, this cruise was not as expected.This cruise is advertised as having 3 ports of call, but it really isn't. Port Canaveral is a waste!!! Unless you pay for an excursion (which are approx 45 rides each way) there is nothing to do!!! All there is once you disembark is the depot where taxis pick up and drop off....very disappointing! Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay are beautiful, but could be that much better if you skip Port Canaveral and give more time at the other two ports.

Dan Dan the cruise director was great and funny. The room was always very clean and service from all the staff was fantastic. The only downfall were all the kids running around the ship all hours of the day and night. Also need more activities around the ship to avoid overcrowding. Overall everything was good.  

I booked my trip back in May for August had 12people going and pre paid everything wanted rooms a certain location and thought thing were food but about a month before trip foind out everything was a lie, room locations was lied to, never got a call back from a manager just a message.

we got billed left and right  our pre pay stuff was never right, on board credit not given  it was awful

I was a little skeptical about cruises but thought it would be a different family experience allowing us to show our children another part of the world.  I enjoyed it more than I expected! The ship was kept very clean, entertainment was fantastic (comedy, illusionist, and acrobats show), and food was excellent!  I wasn't a fan of the center of the boat which was very crowded with people, children, and way more chairs than the area could fit but there were plenty of other spaces on which to hang out.  The staff was very friendly and the other passengers, for the most part, were fine (expect some inconsiderate behavior but nothing more than you would see anywhere else you go).  We especially appreciated the "freestyle cruising" aspect and being able to eat when and where we wanted - that works very well for a family (our kids are 9, 12, 16).  My 16 y.o. loved the youth center as did my 9 y.o. but my 12 y.o. was bored out of her mind so the kids services are OK.  The gym equipment is so-so but unless you plan on working out every day, not a big deal.  My room wasn't as clean as I would have liked when I first arrived but was fine after that.  Cruise worked for our family:  40's+ non-drinking couple, children 9-16, like variety and flexibility and not schedule oriented on vacation.

Went on the Norwegian Gem for a week. Cruising is not for me. The ship has it's issue and I got "the room" where something went wrong every night for the first three nights. The remote to the tv was missing. The phone didnt work. The safe failed to work. The toilet didnt flush properly. And the diarrhea! The food absolutely sucked. All the desserts looked good but lacked any flavor. I ate so little, I lost 5 lbs! I had diarrhea the first two nights and constipated on the third and fourth. They had the worst toilet paper. Best move I ever made was bringing 6 rolls of 2 ply Cottonelle from home. I nearly disembarked in Port Canaveral. My bags were packed and ready to go. The only reason i left my cabin was the entertainment staff onboard. Dana, Kevin and Shreta were the only reasons why i came out of the room. They deserve a lot of credit for keeping me entertained. With limited roaming data and cell, 4 channels of tv and being deprived of my Mets I was bored most of the time. Our cabin steward Jorge was the most polite and hardest working guy. Honestly, getting to know the staff and crew, you realize they work long hours, 7 days a week. They work harder than I ever have and live in cramp quarters. So, I appreciate the people & the work they do but the ship, food and amenities were lacking.

The Norwegian Gem is such a fun ship with many activities for the children to do.

The entertainment was fantastic! Food was tasty and facilities were very clean.

We had a great time!