Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

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.

staff was awesome and attentive. Did not like extra gratuities made trip an extra 200 plus dollars. The boat was small and not a lot to do in the evening night life is limited. Plus got bit by bugs all over my back and legs from ship.

Overall, this was a great cruise experience.  Entertainment on board was very good.  Cruise Director Dan Dan and his staff are outstanding and very engaged with passengers.  Food, while always subjective, is good; menus had  a good variety of items to appeal to all tastes.  Overall condition of the ship was good - clean, and neatly kept.  Crew members other than in the MDR friendly and professional. Our  Room Steward Ben was excellent.  Bar staff excellent, especially at Shakers and Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar.  Loved the poolside barbeques on sea days.  Wish there was a quiet pool for adults as the 2 main pool areas got a bit crowded and noisy  especially hot tubs which were kiddie pools every sea day.  Overall, we enjoyed this cruise and would do it again. 

Ms. Monique Morris-James,

Hello Monique, good morning

I hope your day is going well.

As you may know we came back Sun. morning and surprisingly, did not not encounter the long line at the pier on the way out.  (Boarding was relatively similar to the other cruise experience we've had).

Before I forget, YOU are good!  no, change that to GREAT for encouraging us to get the cabin with a balcony.

Having a stateroom with a balcony was a new experience for us, which made it even more appealing as we can lay in bed and watch the ocean waves go by. (so romantic isn't it? If it were only a yatch, Our Yatch that is) instead of a cruise ship it would have made that much more difference but peasants that we are...ha ha, I guess we'll just have to accept our reality.

Comparative speaking, Norwegian, despite the higher number of cruisers on board are able to provide a relatively decent customer experience / service although the bfast/ lunch/ dinner menu on the buffet is not as "varied" as the others (HLA-Carnival) and I imagine their architecture has a lot to do with it. (Less space for groceries in order to accommodate more cabins).

More significantly for us (we're from the Philippines originally) the commode seems designed for individuals who are 6 feet plus and above and the small cubbyhole where it is adds to that discomfort. I mean almost standing does not allow for "smooth" you know what.

The dining room chairs were also constructed with those measurements in mind it seems that we had to request pillows to put in the back to make sitting a little bit more normal (comfortable) otherwise our feet would be dangling.  Their marine architects were probably all from villages in Scandinavia who have never come across people who are 5'7" inches tall (short). Ha ha.

But the workers they have (I mean slaves) seem dedicated enough to make it a pleasant experience for all of us. 

Incidentally did you know they work at least 13 hours a day; 7 days a week; 8 months a year with 3 months off but no pay?

And that's the reason I used the word slaves because that realization takes away the pleasant thoughts generated in such an atmosphere and only because you become acutely aware that other than yourselves, the officers (Caucasian types) and the company, everybody else are working their backs off (being exploited) so you can enjoy your day. 

But the worker exploitation is industry wide and OUR government is surely complicit in that arrangement, which begs the question about what one should do next.

Hopefully my characterization provides you with a clearer picture of our experience aboard Norwegian.

By all means please let me know if I can answer any question my observation have raised.

Take care,

Oni & Jocelyn Sioson

*** EDITED 6/12/15 BY COMMUNITY MANAGER TO REMOVE PERSONAL INFORMATION ***

We had a wonderful time on Norwegian Gem out of NY. We cruise with the most economical package. On this trip we received cash to use on board because we booked with . I researched all inclusives with my very helpful travel agent at , but decided the cruise was best for us.  We have traveled on many of the economical cruiselines and were reminded of the nice variety of food available on this ship. Food is good and plenty. Don't expect 5 star food, unless you purchase the restaurant packages for extra money. We like to take dance lessons when we cruise; this ship did not offer dance lessons.  The entertainment was enjoyable, but other ships have spent more money on the spectacular. Getting a lounge chair at the pool is difficult, so get there early.  They had comedy shows and I was relieved that they were mostly PG rated. The ship was booked to full capacity, but we never felt crowded. On other cruise ships we have felt very crowded. They have four hot tubs, but two of them are shared with the kids. My husband likes strong coffee and said that the coffee was pretty much to his liking. We traveled to the Bahamas, but we have visited these islands several times. We have had a great time on excursions in the past, but now we plan our own outings and visit the tourist shops. We felt safe to ride the jitney in Nassau Bahamas. We rented a car for the day in Florida and it gave us a lot of freedom. We love the any time dining.

I really like the Norwegian Gem. At the sip you can find highly professional staff and excellent food. At the Norwegian Gem you can fill yourself very comfortable. Places to eat and relaxation more, than on Carnival Splendor or Norwegian Breakaway. Free style for the dress code gives more flexibility. But show just good (4 points from 5). Gem has no-smoking in the stateroom and balcony policy. It is good, but is not clear, how security can keep control on it. Walls in the staterooms can't protect you from noisy neighbors at night time. But when you have good non-smoking and non-noisy neighbors, you will be really happy. Sanitation condition of Gem is very good. The problem only in drainage system. After the strong rain at decks under 9 light flooding on balconies were possible. In staterooms no USB chargers, TV's were old the same like TV network. Stewards were excellent. Everywhere very clean. Staterooms were very comfortable (4.5 points from 5). I can recommend all restaurants (5from 5). On the base of my experience I can recommend friends to make travel on the Norwegian Gem.

My husband and I and our 2 kids (ages 7 & 9) had a great time on the Gem. NCL is family friendly and has less of a "party" atmosphere than other cruiselines we have traveled. We liked the early show times and the variety of entertainment. The food was wonderful, high quality, and they offered a great variety in the buffet compared Carnival and Royal Caribbean. The kids enjoyed Splash Academy. The only thing that we were disappointed about was the size of the pool area. The pools are too small for the amount of guests and they got extremely crowded. Also, all the chairs around the pool would be reserved with guest's items by 7 am. Many of these chairs remained unused most of the day and the cruise staff did not remove items from these chairs so other guests could use them. This was frustrating for those of us who did not get up early enough to reserve a chair and would have used it. The waterslide could use a good wax or coat of paint to make it slippery. You would only go a few feet and then have to propel yourself down the rest of the way. Overall, we have had wonderful experiences with NCL and plan on cruising again with them in the future.

The cruise was fun. the issues I had were they held many of the family game activities in Magnums, and the cigar bar was right there and the smoke was coming into the room. I also think that in the past they had  more activities in other NCL cruises I went on.  there also wasn't enough chairs by the pool because people were holding them all day. I did have a good time overall the food was good and I met a lot of new people

This was our first experience with taking a cruise.  We thought the staff was very accommodating.  Our bed was very comfortable.  The food was good and the activities were fun.  We would definitely do this again.

This is the fourth cruise we have taken with Norwegian, and the Gem has been the prettiest.  The food in the Garden Café was excellent compared to other Norwegian Cruise Ships and as usual the service is impeccable.  Every need we had was met swiftly and with a smile.  On the down side...as with EVERY Norwegian Cruise we have taken, the desserts are not up to par.  The cakes that have whipped cream are good, but everything else tastes like paste.  Thank goodness for cookies!  But they do have excellent ice cream!!! (not the stuff in the machine, but the hand dipped variety).  The ship is due for an upgrade as the rooms and carpets are getting dated....and our room steward was a pain in the neck.  He kept knocking on the door and disregarded our DO NOT DISTURB sign several times.  Also the Art department is a rip off.  I won a free work of art, but I had to pay $35 to ship it home.....I asked to walk off the ship with it and was told no....so I guess I didn't win anything...LOL.   All in all, it was a good relaxing getaway and we came home content. 

This was my first cruise as well as my boyfriend's so it was a learning experience for us. The food was great, i ate wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much!!!!! Cagney's and Teppanyaki were AMAZING! As far as the food, I am a seafood lover so I do wish they had more seafood options especially at the complimentary dining. The pools were a bit on the chilly side for my liking so I sent more time in the hot tub which were always crowded since there were only 4 on the entire ship. But it was great and very relaxing.   I have already told many family and friends about my experience and they are ready to book a trip.

The reason this review is getting 2 stars instead of one is because the cruise itself was great.  The staff, food, experience was awesome.  With that being said,  KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR MONEY!  This cruise has a way of screwing you out of a deposit if you pay with a debit card with no refund what so ever.  Not only that but I was supposed to receive 50 dollars onboard credit which I never received with no refund of that either.  The experience as I said was great, but because they decided to mess with my money, I will never be sailing with Norwegian again.

The ship, crew, food, and entertainment were very good.  The ports of call were just ok.  I'm not sure Port Canaveral was worth getting off the ship as there was nothing to do.  We hit the beach for a bit and then went into Cocoa Beach Village which was an overpriced artsy town.  Although they had nice things they were just way too over-priced.  Nassau was crowded and felt unsafe.  I would choose a different trip next time but would definitely do Norwegian again.

Norwegian Gem is a well-kept ship with all amenities within easy access to the passengers. Mini-suite not really worth the extra money compared to a balcony except for a slightly larger bathroom. Food was adequate and well presented. The professional theatre company was outstanding but some of the other acts were weak. Destinations in Fla. and the Bahamas are underwhelming but you know that going in. This is strictly a seven day getaway and leaving from New York, the ship was mostly populated with people from the northeast. Surprisingly, there were many children on the ship despite the fact that school was still in session. Would definitely recommend getting the drink package either as a perk if included or purchasing it.

I was very disappointed with this cruise.  Have cruised three other times before and was looking forward to it.  The bartender staff, with the exception of 2 that I encountered, were RUDE!!!!!!!!!  Hard to believe that a bartender in prime space (right in the heart of the lobby of the ship) could be as rude and snappy with all the "officers" right there in the area walking around.  Some of the officers you tried to complain to didnt want to be bothered or hear about it.  Waiters and bus people with the exception of 4, were the same.  I am planning on writing a personal letter to norwegian to speak about the 2 Bartenders, 4 waiters and my stateroom attendant, in a ship that holds what 2,500 people you would think i would be able to write about more than 7 staff members :(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was my first time on NCL and I had an absolute blast. I enjoyed the food, dining choices, entertainment and well everything! I highly recommend this cruise.