Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

it is good for first time cruise.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

This was my second time on this cruise. The overall ship is decent shape. For the most part the staff is very friendly but make many mistakes. That being said when brought to the attention of management they do the right thing for your inconvenience. The private island is a fun time. The entertainers were great, but the on board activities were lackluster, over all it is a good vacation.

good all around .ship is not to big..easy  to get where

 ever you want to go food was good . entertainment .was very good . captain was always around. stay away from the casino , to much smoke. poor ventilation.

THE GEM IS A WELL-MANAGED SHIP WHICH IS EVIDENCED BY THE

EFFICIENCY, ATTITUDE AND HELPFULNESS OF THE CREW.

THE SMILING AND EVER-PRESENT STAFF OF THE GARDEN CAFE

MADE FOR A VERY PLEASANT VACATION.

This is the 2nd time we cruised on the GEM and the 4th time with NCL. All 4 times were great. NCL does it right. The crew were very professional and friendly. I keep going so I can relax and decompress from a busy life. Very pleased with the whole experience.

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Do explain "why" you liked or disliked this cruise. Do compare to other cruise and travel experiences you've had. Be specific: Your review should focus on specific features of the cruise and your experience. Be honest: Other people will rely on your review to decide on their next cruise. Don't include promotional content of any kind or reviews written in exchange for compensation. Don't use profanity, obscene or other objectional content.

Tips on writing a great cruise review:

Do explain "why" you liked or disliked this cruise. Do compare to other cruise and travel experiences you've had. Be specific: Your review should focus on specific features of the cruise and your experience. Be honest: Other people will rely on your review to decide on their next cruise. Don't include promotional content of any kind or reviews written in exchange for compensation. Don't use profanity, obscene or other objectional content.

Had a great time.  The crew was very helpful and friendly, the ship and stateroom was clean.  I know some people said it needed updating but I didn't see that. Went on the Breakaway last year and didn't like that as much as the Gem.  The Gem was laid out better and had much better shows.  The weather wasn't that great, but found enough to do on board to keep us busy.  Can't wait for the next cruise

 

It was a good experience. I have to say that by far, Royal Caribbean was better in quality of people, service, food and entertainment. The best parts of the cruise were exploring the islands and Gio. Gio was an outstanding cruise director. 

Overall this is a very good cruise but talking to many of the passengers, we feel that it would be better to eliminate Puerto Rico and especially Tortola and spend two day in each of the other ports.  There is so much to do in both St. Maarten and St. Thomas that you could spend a lot of time there and still not get to do or see everything; both have endless shopping, beautiful beaches and rich history.  The time spent in the other to ports was too short and personally Tortolla was like visiting a depressed neighborhood.  A stop at NCL's island would have been a much better day. 

The ship itself was as always excellent with a great staff and very good food.  If there were a drawback , there could be a better variety of entertainment throughout the day; ie. they had a few movies but late at night and not a very great selection; they could have provided movies during the day with a family theme for example.  

Things I didn't like: Service in the Magenta dining room was very slow - it took 2 hours for dinner several times we ate there. NCL provided additional perks after I had made a deposit. Others in our group were told about these perks and signed up for them. didn't let me know about them. The time for our return to New York was changed from 10:00AM to 8:00AM. As a result we had to wait 2 hours in a very cold area - with no seating - for the chartered bus we had hired. The wait staff wasn't consistently friendly - some were - but this was noticeably different from previous cruises. I suspect because on the other cruises we had the same wait staff every night and that tended to develop a friendliness throughout the trip. It was annoying to have to pay for and sign for a soda for lunch and dinner.  

Things I liked - the food was good - not as good as the other cruise lines we had been on. Entertainment was good. Handling of the excursions was good. 

Many good things to be said about this cruise like the great staff, decent food and good shows.   Never felt crowded on the boat.   The only cons would be that the ship could use some updating which I believe is scheduled.   There can be a better method to prevent saving chairs around the pool also but these are minor complaints.  Overall, it was very relaxing and enjoyable.

There was nothing about the cruise I disliked. I didn't like that Orient Beach is full of sea weed! You would have to walk towards the nude part of the beach in order to escape the sea weed. But the beach itself is beautiful!

I also have a small suggestion regarding the main dining room, I think as long as the men have dress shorts they should be allowed in at dinner time. After all it is free style cruising!

A good selection of ports of call and shore excursions.  But there was not enough time in port and too much time at sea.  It would have been better departing from Miami rather than New York (and it would have had smoother seas and warmer weather also).  Great food and service.  Onboard entertainment could have been better.  The comedian and acrobatic team were great, but the others should have stayed in New York.

My daughter(16) and I (46) really enjoyed our second time on the Gem.  All of the staff was nice and very professional.  My housekeeper Joseph was really great with keeping our cabin clean, and was very attentive to our needs.  The dining room, casino, and guest services staff were very nice. 

Based on the price, I expected much less than I got. Each aspect of the trip was pleasant, well organized and superior. The crew made us feel as if they really cared, a rare occurrence  this was my 12th cruise so I feel competent to judge.

 

 

 

Ship was good.  Food not as good as should have been and the service in the dining rooms was not as good.  Thirsty due to not filling water glasses?  was a surprise.  Main dining foom was better than the Magenta Dining area.  Activities are not as good on the ship as others.  I like Royal Carab.  do to other activities that they have for adults and for kids and my children notice this too.  Playing dodge ball was not possible do the the crowed conditions.  Iwould like to see more active activities available,  Alot of your "games "  are for the sendentary.

The trip was very bad: 1-entertainment program is very bad 2-regulation is not excellent

3. ships like MSC  have been offered water in the room

4- the ship Very boring

i will never recommend these cruise line      

Ship tired but ok.  Needs refurbishment.  Been on several cruses with NCL.  Entertainment OLD same as when I went 2 years ago.  Food ok .... focused attention in speciality  restaurants.  First stop Puerto  Rico,  1PM to 5 PM ..... WHAT CAN YOU DO IN 4 HOURS in the afternoon ???? St Martin/ St Thomas nice full days. TORTOLA  .... LAST DAY  Sunday 7AM TILL 12PM ..... WHAT A WASTE.... evertthing shut down because it was Sunday!!!!   Disembarking  ... ship arrived in NYC @ 8AM ...WAITED 2.5 HOURS TO ACTUALLY LEAVE THE SHIP ..... LINE TO DISEMBARK WRAPPED AROUND 4'TH DECK 3 TIMES  ..... LITERALLY 1500 people waiting to walk off till after 10 AM.

I loved NCL until now!!

food was flavorless and no options.

vegetables were limited and poor.

I was shocked by all the little extras on my final bill. It was outrageous!

I had trouble with my bill, extra charges and it took over "five" hours of 

wasted time to correct it!!!!

THe photographers took terrible pictures. 

The worst part of the trip was the lack of Passover food and no holiday service or chance to have a small seder. To add to my disgust of the lack of celebration to Passover was the unending celebration of Easter.

I was fine with no religious  participation but it should have been for all religious holidays!!!!!

What hypocrites NCL is!!!!

We really enjoyed our cruise to the Caribbean.  The Gem was a manageable size, we had the restaurant package and really used it although we find the Grand Pacific restaurant to be of high quality and service.  The Steward worked hard, kept the room neat and clean.  Used the Mandarin spa every day- a welcome retreat from the crowds.   I really resent the high price of internet access.  I think Norwegian would benefit from more people talking about good experiences on social media but cost is prohibitive.  I was sort of appalled at the drink package for kids.  Unlimited soda is unhealthy and should not be pushed by anyone.  The entertainment was subpar but we know it and don't take part.  We used the library and game room.