Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

- more entertainment for children

-more poolside music and fun games

-there weren't any fruit carvings, ice sculptures, theme dinner nights, 

-food was good

-inconsistent service in dining areas

-maid staff was very good

This cruise is very nice. I had a fun time esp since we had a group of friends with us. The issue I had was the drink package was so expensive. They do not offer a variety of drink packages, if they had something like pay this amount for 20 drinks, or different options, that might be easier. Whoever wants unlimited would get it. 

This was our first time on NCL previously we have done 2 cruises on Princess, 2 Celebrity and 2 Royal Caribbean.   My review:

Food/Drinks:  Very good.  In my opinion slightly better than Princess and Royal Caribbean.  Cagneys was  very good.  We ate there twice.

Itinerary:   Good, no better no worse than other cruises I've taken to Bahamas.  Great Stirrup Cay is not a very nice island.  It’s basically a rock/sandbar.  Coco Cay (the Royal Caribbean private island) next to great stirrup cay is much nicer (greener) and much better snorkeling.    $35 to rent a covered chair on Stirrup Cay  is too much.  Also the bar at Stirrup cay at 3pm had a long line at bar with three guys behind the bar; two cleaning down bottles and only one tending bar.  Had to wait 10 minutes on line to get two sodas.   The day in Stirrup Cay would have been a total bust but what saved the day was the Stingray tour.  That was a great tour!  Also the tender service here is bad.  Having to get a ticket on the pool deck then wait for your number to be called was bad experience that I didn’t have on other cruise lines. 

Cabins were fine.  Cabin steward was friendly and kept us full with clean towels and place was cleaned nicely daily with turn down service as well.  Size was decent and beds comfortable.  Slightly smaller than Princess but slightly bigger than Royal Caribbean.  We had a window but no balcony. 

Ship overall:   was nice.   Lots of things to do.  Pools could have been bigger or more of them (only 2 and they were not big enough for 2900 guests on board) A big downer is they closed the pools with netting every night at 11-11:30pm.  All other cruises I've been on I've enjoyed a late night dip in the pool at 12-1am!  Also no band or DJ playing when we left our last port of call?  All my other cruises we had a party atmosphere when you leave a port...especially the last port.   With the NCL Gem we just pulled out of port and left.  No announcement or anything leaving our last port for home.

Service:   This is probably the one and only reason I would choose Royal  Caribbean, Celebrity or Princess over NCL when I book a future cruise.  While I did like the "Freestyle" experience NCL offers, the service was way and I mean way below the other cruise lines I've been on.   Service was fine in the restaurants at dinner and in the cabins, but at all the bars inside and outside the service was bad.   On our first day out at sea I went to the bar for a drink in the early  afternoon day when I got to the bar I was told by the bartender to "get on the back of the line"   I do not want to wait on a 10-12 people long to get my drink order in on a cruise.   This was the norm for seven days at the bars and Java cafe.  There were some very good bartenders on this ship and others that moved at a snail’s pace.   What was annoying was that they'd have two bartenders working at the pool bar if no one was on the pool deck, same as if 1000 people were on the pool deck.  Clearly not enough bartenders on this boat.   Also the whole process of using your cruise card to pay on NCL is horrible.  The bartenders have to assemble this book of two copies of receipts, one for you and one for them, they put it into a paper folder and give to you to sign and return one copy.   This gums up the whole process of having a moving bar especially on a busy crowded thirsty pool deck.  Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebritry all had a much better  system of using cruise card to pay over NCL.    I’ve  never encountered waits like this on a cruise.

In the end I enjoyed my cruise but NCL just didn’t do things in my mind as well as other lines I've been on.  Food was great, service not so great and the wait to get a soda, drink or coffee is the reason I'd choose another cruise line in the future. 

I have been on several cruises, however, had not traveled on Norwegian. I had heard good things about the cruise line, however, and was excited for the trip. I knew the ship was an older one, but that didn't bother me. The experience started out pleasantly. The NY port was easy to access and maneuver around. I was extremely excited, as was my daughter and the others we were traveling with. As a single mom, I was happy that I was able to bring my daughter on this cruise, and had slowly saved up to pay for it. However, after we got on the ship, the vacation went steadily downhill. Several issues occurred throughout the week that affected our trip in a negative way.

The cabin itself was okay, however, the safe was broken and the TV was not working either. I found the cleaning gentleman fairly quickly. He was friendly. He had to call someone to fix the safe three times in the course of a few hours before it was finally fixed. I called the desk at one point to have the TV fixed and was told that someone would be sent up to the cabin. No one ever came. Fortunately, I ended up being able to fix it myself somehow.

As for the staff service during the week, honestly, the service was horrible. When you book a vacation, especially a cruise vacation, you expect to be catered to as a guest. Although I did encounter some friendly staff over the course of the week, most of the staff I encountered acted like they did not want to be there. They were not friendly at all. One waiter, after hovering over my shoulder, I guess to see if I was going to tip him, when he saw that I did tip him, stated “actually, we prefer to get tipped in cash, or we have to wait until the end of the month to get it”. I thought it was was rude, but I happened to have a couple singles, so I tipped him, effectively giving him a double tip on top of the 18% gratuity, and he did not thank me but seemed mad that he didn't get a bigger tip. Another waitress actually rolled her eyes when I asked her to take my drink order, she didn't ask anyone else at the table if they wanted one and didn't clear away the dirty glasses from the previous guest.

Finding a waiter/waitress was impossible, and if we did manage to find one, we had to wait 20 minutes or more for our drink. I'm used to being on ships where there is constantly someone asking you what they can help you with, with a smile on their face. This cruise was the complete opposite, like there were not enough staff members to accommodate the passengers. The clear-up service, like the buffet for instance, was not great, and tables were usually dirty or had dirty plates, etc., on them when you sat down.

In another on-board experience, I had tried to stop one of the staff to ask him a question on where something was located. This man didn't stop, as a matter of fact didn't make eye contact at all, just kept looking at his watch, mumbled some answer I couldn't understand and kept walking. Another guy from the maintenance department (wearing a white jumpsuit) almost knocked to my mother to the floor and didn't even acknowledge the incident.

The shore experiences were another story. They were very disorganized and it was very frustrating. We actually had to draw a number to tell us when we would be able to disembark We waited over two hours to get off the ship for our second stop. They had limited tender access for the passengers. Had we booked an excursion for this port we would have surely missed it. Two hours of our time was gone due to lack of organization. At our third and final port my daughter and I did an excursion. We were not told what time we would get back or how to get back. We couldn't find a person who knew. We somehow got back to the dock, using another cruise line’s tender.

The worst experience we had on-board was in our cabin. My mother had just come out of the shower. Using a clean towel she dried off. She stated that she felt something cut or scrape her, and all of a sudden there was blood everywhere. The bathroom looked like a crime scene. She feels that there was a small piece of glass in the towel that must have cut her. It took awhile for the bleeding to stop. I called the desk once again, and this time two gentlemen came pretty quickly to clean up and decontaminate the bathroom. I will say that they were very friendly, and concerned, and they also asked if there was something in the towel that could have cut her.

Throughout the week we spoke to several passengers. All but one stated that they were very disappointed in the cruise and the service, and some stated it was the worst cruise they have ever been on.

I also feel that this is the worse cruise I have ever been on, and am extremely disappointed. If I had to base my experience on whether I would ever travel with Norwegian again, I would say absolutely not, and I would tell anyone who asked about my experience. Word of mouth is the most powerful advertisement. I will also be letting www. know about my experience.

Our experience was one to remember for a long time. The staff was fantastic and the entertainment was very appropriate. Even the guests assisted in making the experience a positive one as they greeted each other with smiles and kind words. I look forward to a time when the entire earth will be converted into a paradise under the kingdom (government) of Jesus Christ - Matthew chapter 6 and verse 10. I felt very safe and comfortable on the ship even though among imperfect people who do not necessarily share my faith and I believe that this was so because of the lead set by the staff and administrators on the Gem.

the staff was great that took care of my room.  the staff at the buffett restaurant were excellent and very friendly.  everyone was friendly and had the right answers.  The shows were great a good variety and the cruise director was awesome.  The bans at night kenosis were really good and enjoyed all there shows.  One issue not enough to do on the ship during the day when out at sea for 2 full days

I've cruised with other cruise lines, previously on the Gem and another Norwegian ship.  Hands down, the crew and staff of the Gem are the best.  The ship is large enough to not get bored, small enough to not feel overcrowded and the crew is attentive but not overbearing.  Had an awesome trip

The food was great. very disappointed with the balcony, it was halfway enclosed.    TV Movie channel, same old  repeats.  Casino slots very tight.

The dining staff were very pleasant and professional.

My companion and I fell ill by the second day and every time we thought we had it under control, it would start all over again after drinking anything with the ships water.

Food was generally good. Very friendly staff, although several bartenders seemed to be in their first job. Would have been nice to stay a little longer at the premier stops(Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay). Had to be back on board before 6:00 PM. Could have completely done without the Port Canaveral stop where we didn't have to reboard until 9. Too many unsupervised kids and kid related activities. 

Endless lines to wait in.

We had a person in our group who needed a wheelchair for the amount of walking that would be required on the boat (and on excursions) + had ordered one from the company NCL recommended. This was supposed to be delivered to one of our cabins upon our arrival. It was delivered to us 48 hours later, after multiple requests to Guest Services!!! By then, our family member was incapacitated due to swollen feet + ankles and had to miss the next day's trip to the private island while resting up with ice packs and elevated feet! Inexcusable!We also had children in our party. Do you know where the water and lemon aid is located if you at the pool? On the other side of the Buffet or essentially half the boat away. All 4 adults in our party said they would choose a different cruise line next time (2 asked me how I had chosen NCL in the 1st place...).

Had a great time! Just wish the cruise had a larger population of people over the age of 21. It seemed to be a little bit more on the family oriented side.

We had a wonderful family trip.  I think the crew could have kept the pool areas a little cleaner.  Service in dining rooms was excellent.  Food was good but did have better on previous NCL cruises.  

Age 55-60 yrs

Check in: we arrived around 11am, people outside take your luggage, and it in your room later in day. Pack a carry on if you want to use pool before that. People were very friendly, and the process was very smooth, we were on the ship in 45mins. Looks like lines were getting longer after we arrived, I would suggest 1030-11am

Ship: super clean, all workers very friendly. Gym was nice 

Passengers: I would say 60-70 percent families with most having kids under 12, if you want quiet time go to deck 7 or 12. There are chairs just looking out at the water, quiet and relaxing, deck 12 is the better one.

Ship note: Don't get caught up your first day with the free give always, they are sales pitches for the spa, art gallery, etc. stay away and just enjoy the other stuff

back in NYC: We did self checkout, which is you leave your bags in your room and then leaves between 7-9am when back in ny. People were lining up at 645 as we went to get coffee. They ended up letting people go around 745, we came down the line seemed long in the hall way, but it took only 15 mins and we were off, through customs and outside eating to be picked up, it was out first time doing this, with young children it might be tough, but for us it worked out great.

Pools: around the pool is elbow to elbow in chairs. Not uncommon on most ships. If your in your 20s, or with kids, you won't Mind it, we found two chairs and stayed there 30mins before someone almost took off my toes putting there back down, front to back row chairs are less the a foot. 

Food: We ate at included restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Food was very good, always plenty of seating. For breakfast and lunch it seems most people eat buffet or around pool.

Food note: we ate at the specialty resturant Cagneys twice, and the Italian place once for dinner. Do yourself a favor and book Cagneys online before you go. The food is outstanding, melts in your mouth. They all book up, so do it online before you go. The Italian was also good, to mix it up, but Caseys is a must!

Room: we paid for a guaranteed room, not one we picked specifically, they explained we might get a better on. Well, we got a cove balcony on the 8th floor, room 8540. I was first concerned, but it actually had less wind,more privacy, and it states its a forward cabin, but it is right in middle of ship, and a real smooth ride. Very clean, attendant very nice. I think next time I will pay the extra $30 to pick my room, because I stressed out for a week when we were assigned the room.

Entertainment: shows were 7 and 9 pm, and ok, we actually never made it thru one, as we left. To be honest we travel a lot and have scene many professional Broadway, and Vegas shows, so it not fair for me to judge. Most people really enjoyed them

Entertainment Note: Go see Leo at the margarita/ wine bar. He is fantastic.

Excursions: We did our own thing, but they are all we run, book early.

Drink Package: we chose this, it is marked on your key card. All drinks under $11 are included, except water or soda. You still have to sign the check, every time, but when you get your bill its zero, worked out great for us. For two glasses of wine for my wife and I, including tip, was around $26, so it can add up quickly.

Drink note: pack an extra suitcase and fill it with bottled water, they charge $6 a bottle, we ended up in Florida picking up a few 6 packs of water and they gave us no problems bringing it on board

Suggestions: if your a coffee drinker, brink a large to go cup so in the morning you can fill it up and relax,

the other is the cabins have only one outlet in cabin area, bring a small power strip if you have a lot of things to charge, I had a monster travel power cord.

It was the perfect 1st Anniversary getaway.  It was both my husbands and myself's 1st time and I think we made a great choice going Norwegian. The food was terrific, staff was friendly and helpful (always smiling), and entertainment was  breath-taking. Will definitely reccommend as well as book again (this time with the family).  Thanks for making this occasion a memorable one!!

The only thing I would add to make better is a longer stay in Bahamas.. we could've skipped Florida.

Great time great cruise. The only complaint was hallways very noisy very difficult to sleep. The food and entertainment was very good. Nothing was overcrowded which was nice.

It is probably not an unbiased review because I can see the Gem from my apartment house.  We take the ferry over to the city and then walk a few blocks to the ship.  So very convenient.

The cruise director was very good.  He was very funny and informative.  The ship's appointments were standard and very clean.  It was hard to navigate at times because it could be confusing.  Some stair well did not go through and you had to remember to navigate around that.

Pools were very crowded.  None of the hot tubs were designated for adults only.  

The food was good but not outstanding.

Great time, this was our 2nd time on The Gem, 7 Day Bahamas & Florida.  We loved it had even more fun this time around - can't wait to go back!!  ATLANTIS was the highlight of our cruise for sure!!  We wish we had more time in the Bahamas/Nassau - too much to do before 5:00 pm !!  I would add an extra day there, or change the itinerary around a bit.  You really have to manage your time efficiently if you wish to shop and enjoy your excursions as well.  I mentioned this to the customer service desk staff, and they totally agreed with me......something to consider perhaps for future itinarary updates...??

Although on board for only 7 days, our trip on the Gem felt like twice that long, due to how active we were, and how much fun we had.  There is never a time when you can't find something fun to do - whether gambling, game shows, theater shows, hanging out pool side, relaxing on a lounge chair and feeling the breeze in your hair.  Morning coffee out on deck in The Great Outdoors is a thing of magic.

We ate mostly at the buffet, and loved it.  Food was good, great variety night to night, and let's not even talk about how great the on-board crepe station is.  I mean, come on.  Yes, yes I will have a second helping of crepes, thankyouverymuch.  Should be noted that we are not picky eaters.  We tend to find something tasty wherever we go, so we were good at the 'free' dining halls.  Only reason we didn't do the Churrascurria was we were afraid we wouldn't be able to fit it all!  Food available 24/7, so we were pretty stuffed all the time :-o

Cruise director Dan Dan is worth his weight in gold.  He and assistant cruise director Luz were absolutely amazing.  Their energy, their senses of humor, and also their sweet sweet dance moves made anything they were involved with ten times more fun.  To be honest, I can't imagine cruising again without Dan Dan's adorable infectious giggle filtering through the lounges, haha!

We took it easy with excursions, as we truly wanted to relax.  Did the shuttle to Cocoa Beach & Village (worth it for a nice lunch in town, and some shopping), rented snorkeling equipment on Great Stirrup Cay (so fun! and the rental is for the whole day), and spent our time in Nassau getting our shop on.  It was sweltering that day, so once we made our purchases, we headed back to the ship and took in some entertainment on board.  Tip: Get off the ship early and get your shopping done before noon or 1pm.  This way you can enjoy the Pier Party later on, when everyone from Atlantis is knocked out and heading back to the ship. 

Can't wait to travel on the Gem again.  The crew was absolutely wonderful, and I have been thinking about the trip every moment since we've returned home.  Captain Lars the Swede is the man.  Loved all of his announcements and commentary.

my worst experience! my stateroom was located next to storage room full with boxes and I felt I was in a cargo ship instead of a fun ship and the 4th floor where I was located  is the place where all the crew members  live! So I felt that I was one of them not a guess! Also the hallway has a oder of waste and another oder I can't explain that made me sick and every time I went to any place to eat restaurants...etc. I have to walk thru the ugliness of the ship with tile floor, all the workers in and out of their places, noisy all the time and customer service very poor, asking all the time for toilettes etc. Very, very disappointed! Specially when I paid pretty good money and celebrating our anniversary! In 20 years cruising with differents cruise lines  this is my first one and worst experience I ever had! I really want something to be done for my inconvenience.