Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

first cruise in my life and it was a really good experience for me and my family especially bahamas. stirrup bay is incredible and Nassau fenomenal, even though I didn't like cocoa beach in miami. overall a fantastic experience and I'm dying to repeat it the crew members so friendly and helpful.

My husband and I had a great experience. We enjoyed having the choice of having a sit down meal or going to the buffet. We did both and although there were many people on the ship we never had a problem finding a place to sit. The variety of food was great and offered standard items as well as new things to try. We watched the different shows each evening and especially loved the arealists

We had such a nice time on the Gem....sad it's over!

We got to the pier at around 10:30. Check in was quick and easy. We had a little wait and boarding began at 11:30. Lunch at the buffet was a little crowded but delicious. The cabins were ready at about 12:30. Lifeboat drill was at 2:30 and we set sail at 3 with a nice sail away party with a band and barbecue by the pool.

We found when eating at the buffet if you walk all the way to the back of the ship is another smaller buffet called the great outdoors. It is very nice there. Much quieter and plenty of seats and a view of the beautiful ocean. The food on the Gem was excellent. We ate breakfast everyday at the buffet. They have everything you could think of including made to order omletes and Belgian waffles. We ate just about all dinners at Magentas. Food was excellent and all waiters were so friendly. They have 5 meals that stay the same every night and 5 that change every night. We loved the strip loin steak with an onion ring and fries. We also had short ribs with Cajun fried shrimp, chicken parm with spaghetti, shrimp scampi with linguini, a complete turkey dinner all were excellent and the desserts were very good too. I think they had 5 to choose from the chocolate volcano cake, strawberry napoleons and cherry truffle were a few we had and again all delicious. We also had a couple lunches at O'sheehans. They have bar type food and it was very good. We had the chicken pot pie, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and spinach dip with tortilla chips all very good. The food onboard was very good my only complaint would be that they didn't have lobster tails in the main dining room other than that you won't go hungry.

We had beautiful weather. In port canaveral we did the shuttle to Coco Beach. It was $13 a person and ran every 15 -30 minutes. It was a little too hot to go to the beach so we did some shopping and went back to the ship. We really enjoyed being on the ship while docked because it was like our own private ship. All the hot tubs and pools were empty and plenty of deck chairs. The private island is absolutely beautiful. We basically ate lunch there and did a little shopping again because of the heat. The captain who is very funny said he went to the island for 12 minutes because that's all he could take.  In Nassau we didn't get off the ship. We have been there a couple times and just really enjoyed the ship when everyone  was off. That really changed when we started sailing home. The pools and hot tubs were so crowded. We were very happy to have had them all to ourselves

We did a lot of gambling in the casino. All the dealers and casino staff were so friendly. most of the tables had a $5 limit and lots of penny machines. We had lots of fun but didn't win any money. We also played bingo which was not as good as on other ships. Not because of the staff...they were wonderful but it was expensive. Packages ranged from $39 to $69 and prizes ranged from $100 to $400 they never had a huge jackpot. Wouldn't do that again. 

The captain was very funny. His announcements still have us laughing. We can't wait to go again.

We had a wonderful time,a shout out to Dan Dan and also Ramon he took care of the room.We loved the different towel animal he did for us, we told him it reminder us of our dogs.

First, let me start with saying the cruise ship business is a timed machine.  The ship comes into dock, passengers leave, new passengers get on - and then the ship is off again.  In between the 'swap' of passengers, and the cabin cleaning, there should be a clean scented deodorizer that is not overpowering, sprayed throughout the hallways and carpeted floors.  My first experience into the boat upon arrival, was to smell a faint but present awful stench in the stateroom hallways, similar to a public overused bathroom.  That smell came and went throughout the trip.  I eventually got 'beyond' this and hate to say, i got used to the smell rearing its ugly head now and then.  Our stateroom was kept tidy by us, however the steward did a wonderful job every day cleaning the room. The steward arranged towel animals which were left on the bed, which was very cute to see when entering the room at night.  So, on to the food.  The lines were long at times at both the buffet and ALL bars so patience must be had.  Food was mediocre most days, some meals were good, but never exceptional.  We are not foodies, nor are we cruise experts, but we do appreciate a good meal and we got very few on board the Gem.  

No one from our group of 10 went into the pools once.  The onboard pools were always OVERcrowded.  10-12 kids piled into the jacuzzis, adults and children alike packed into the pools.  top 40 type music was blasting.  The entire experience in the pool area, was terrible.  We just avoided it entirely.  Since the bars were set up outside on each end of the pool area, we had to wait in a crowd to order drinks, which by the way, the waiters take their time.  maybe its the sea air, but i am sure it is a rule on the ship for profit purposes, since most passengers had the ultimate beverage plan as a promotion.  We noticed the pool as drained at least 3 times.  Not sure if that is a regular practice or someone left something gross in the pool.  The ship should really manage that entire area more efficiently and effectively.  We felt as though we were transported back to spring break 1980.

The first port at Cape Canaveral they offered an excursion to CoCo Beach.  DO NOT waste your money going to CoCo Beach.  It was not a very nice beach, the water was filled with jelly type seaweed and there is no bathroom, or restaurant of any kind in the immediate area.  You had to walk to a 7-11 which was 4 blocks away to get a cold drink.  Why the GEM or any ship would offer this excursion is beyond me.  I am sure we should have selected the Cape Canaveral trip, however 7 hours seemed like a very long time to spend in any 1 area.  The 2nd port - Stirrup Bay, was nice.  The 3rd was the best - paradise island.  The Aquadventure is $170 per person which is $100 more than it was worth.  We reluctantly paid for it since we wanted so badly to swim in the crystal clear ocean.  That was lovely.    

I have to tell you the reason we selected a cruise for a vacation is because we were celebrating my mothers retirement after working since she was 16.  She is now 84.  When i told Norwegian that we all selected their cruise for our mom special recognition, we were told something would be in her room to express congratulations.  What was there - ??   A happy anniversary card.  It was pretty deflating in the least.  They should have just not done anything.

I would not recommend leaving from NY to go on a 7 day cruise as it limits the amount of stops you can make for your vacation. I did not feel I this cruise provided the value for the money I spent. Although the food was good and the staff was friendly (with the exception of 1 person) I would not recommend this cruise to anyone. The quality of the activities on the ship was poor and that was very disappointing being that we were at sea for half of the cruise.

Would not take this cruise a second time. I did not like port canaveral and we did not like the cost of excursions on Nassau, we did like the private island, the one thing that was good was the beverage package, I think in the future we will try to find adult only cruises

This is our 13th cruise, and the 1st cruise on NCL.  I have never written a bad review on a cruise, but I have to on this one.  There were a lot of issues of concern for us, but I will touch on several of them.  The staff was the worse I have ever experienced on a cruise.  If there was a problem, they were not willing to fix the problem, and would not help you if needed.  We had a problem with an excurssion and we needed to contact them because they were to pick us up at 2 and we missed them because they were on Canada time and we were told to use ship time.  We had the phone number and wanted ton contact them in Halifax, and we told the NCL excurssion expert that was in port and was told that he could not help us.  We were able to get someone from Halifax to let us use the phone and they came back to get us.  No help from NCL.  This is also the only cruise that we did not get to eat lobster in the main dining room.  When I found this out, I made plans to go to LaBistro for $20, per person.  When we got in the restuarant they told us that lobster was $10 per person more.  We did not get to eat lobster.  On a cruies, the food should be included, but on this one it is not, even though they advertise that it is included.  We wanted to go bowling, in which they have a bowling alley, and we found out that they charge a fee for bowling.  They do not tell you that on the website.  The shows with the exception of the acrobat show, were very poor quality at best.  Worst shows we have ever seen on a cruise.  There is also nothing to do on the ship during the day, that does not cost money.  We sat around for 2 days while as sea with nothing to do, in which has never happened on a cruise before.  The shops are not what I expected and what I have seen on other cruises.  The only shops they had were Jewelry, Perfume, and Alcohol.  If you wanted keep sakes, you were not getting them on the ship.  We went on this cruise thinking that it would be a step up from Carnival but found out that it was a major step down from Carnival.  We have been on 10 Carnival Cruises.  When we got on the bus to go back to the airport, most of the people on the bus had the same experience that we had, and all said that they would not be cruising with NCL in the future.  I have never seen that response from people over one cruise line.  There are other things, but I will not get into all of the problems.

Food is ordinary.  Customer Service was excellent except one lady at the exception.  Entertainment was nice (the Uprizing live band was so good) .  One problem we had was that we were back to back travelers and we could not get anything to eat on the transition day at New York until 3:00 PM as all of the restaurants on the ship were closed for clean up.

Not so good. We liked other ships and itenarary. Too expensive. Didn't get to see nickelodeon characters except first day. Ship was very simple. Not much decoration or fancy things.

Had a great cruise.  Loved the free style dining.  The shore excursion to Peggy's Cove was very informative, and the hike bike & paddle shore excursion was great.

The ship was clean, the staff was always pleasant and had a smile on their face all the time. The entertainmant was wonderful.

This is our third cruise with Norwegian, and we will definately cruise with them again.

The Norwegian Gem is a smaller ship at 2500, which was a good choice when considering shore excursions, dining, etc. The staff is very friendly, if you can understand them and if they understand you. Many times in the dining rooms (specialty and main), waitstaff did not always get what we were trying to say and that was frustrating. When announcements were made, if the speaker had a heavy accent, I could not clearly hear the message. My cabin (single) was perfect for me, I just had a porthole, but might have been a bit much for 2. My traveling companions had a balcony, but I thought their room was also on the small side. Could never have gone for an inside cabin. Food was basically very good, especially the French and Steak House. Chinese restaurant was only fair, but was complimentary. Buffet had many choices, but by the time you got a drink and tried to find seating, it was lukewarm. The Grand Pacific main dining room was lovely for breakfast. There were many activities to choose from, however I felt like I was being nickeled and dimed to death. $39.00 to play 6 cards of Bingo???? Other games also cost money and the spa was quite expensive. Drinks were not cheap either - large bottled water - $4.95! I did not do the drink package, because I knew it would not be worth it for me. Our shore excursions were private as we did not wish to go on a tour bus. They were a great choice, as we could decide on our own itinerary. Decor on the ship was fine, however a bit of upgrading may soon be necessary. The entertainment was especially good with the singers and dancers from the ship itself. Outside acts were OK, except for the acrobats who were exceptional. A final note, going in the summer was nice, because in the fall, their busiest time in NE and Canada, you might be overwhelmed when at shore.

Hello, This was my first time cruising with Norwegian First I have to say that for a family with kids the nick team and the characters where the highlights of the entire vacation there is not enough I can say about them Jasmine knew my kids by there names since day one they are amazing so friendly and even when they were not working they stop to say hello to us. The entertainment dancers are also amazing my 4 year old daughter had never been to a show like that so I didn't know if she was going to seat there and watch the show I was so surprise she did and where we were able to see the dancers around the ship she was so happy they loved my daughter and my daughter really like them too.... Now in regards to my experience with the cruise The food in the garden Café was the same both at sea days it was really hard to feed my kids lets say they eat hot dogs for 4 days at the restaurants there was not much choices but pizza and chicken fingers. The 12.99 per day per person I think is too much we had a budget when we came in the trip and ended up spending more than plan. We had the ultimate dining package we went to the Brazilian restaurant and they charges for the meal later on was void the waiter at the restaurant was not paying attention I think he had too many tables it took him about 25 minutes to brings us dessert. The housing keeping staff always very friendly but u felt they could done a better job the bed skirt was never put on right the bed sheets always had lumps on it never smooth. we went to the sushi restaurant and since we had the dinning package we though all the specialty restaurant was included but we were charge for Sushi I mean Come on you can go the sushi restaurant eat everything else at no charge but have to pay for sushi. Also they did a Pajama party for the kids with the nick characters it was 20 dollars per person including my 2 year old this was not right they told me that they were charging because breakfast was included when we got there was no cereal no milk and no bacon for the kids I had to ask someone to bring me cereal for my kids. not acceptable. I would of given them 5 star but there was a lot of stuff here that I didn't like...

Although I rated this cruise "good", there were some downsides to it. The number one complaint I have is not being able to get a lounge chair by the pool whenever you wanted to. People "reserved" the chairs by putting their towels on them, never to return! We talked to someone about it once, but it did not do us any good. This is my third cruise and I have never run into this problem before. 

Also, the food was quite salty. I was traveling with my family, a group of 8 of us and my Father's legs and ankles swelled up from so much salt in the food.

We had to travel to NY to get to this cruise, and I am very disappointed that Norwegian (or any other cruise line) other than the Dawn, does not send different ships to the Boston location. We already sailed on the Dawn, and are waiting for another ship to come to Boston!! 

Overall, this cruise was ok. But in my opinion, the Dawn was better.

In general, it is a good experience on the Gem.  To me, the foods have lots of rooms for improvement for taste and variety.  The ship is big but somehow you feel not many places you can play or sit inside the ship.  Service  in general is good.

Execellent experience in the Gem... Courteous, friendly and attentive staff.... Check in was fast and stateroom were available ASAP.    Variety of food and beverages was good, specialty restaurants were good.  We hadn't purchased the unlimited dinning package, but highly recommend it.  Entertainment cruise director and his staff were fabulous.  Variety of the day and evening shows were great... But at the end of the cruise, you could tell the cruisers only wanted to attend shows he was in... He treated us to a wonderful surprise during the last show, his wonderful singing voice...

Dan Dan the Cruise Director was superb, his voice was amazing and he's really an asset to Norwegian Cruise Line. We dined at the Grand Pacific every night. Each and every person that helped us was amazing and awesome. Last but not the least Edward from the photography section was outstanding. Kudos to him. The food, the ambience of the different sections was outstanding. Will definitely cruise with Norwegian again.

Lot of activities, plenty of tasty food, neat and clean atmosphere every where on the ship and friendly employees.  All these things make the trip a pleasant and enjoyable one.

Crew was fabulous and the onboard entertainment was excellent. Plenty of options to keep you busy while at sea.  Halifax and St. John's was beautiful.  Cabin size OK but really liked separate sink with the shower and toilet had own doors so two people could use bathroom.  Stayed in balcony rooms next to each other and was disappointed that no longer allowed to open shared balcony door between the two rooms as we had previously had on other cruise lines. 

My biggest wish is that we were provided a first time cruise orientation and a map of the ship.

Overall a nice cruise.  Although not available 24 hours, all of the food was very good.  Most entertainment was enjoyable.

One thing I did not like was all of the additional selling of Raffle Tickets, Bingo, Deal or No Deal, etc.  Prices were way too high.