Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The Norwegian Gem is a smaller ship, but seemed more difficult to find my way around. The biggest thing that I would ask is that they make available a small map of the ship to carry around. The signs by the elevators are helpful with which deck things are on, but it doesn't say whether it's fore or aft or midships so I still felt confused most of the time. The buffet was great, roomy, with lots of good selections with good food. I have to say that I am not a fan of "Freestyle Cruising"---I would rather have a set time for dinner in the dining room with the same table-mates and the same wait staff. I so enjoy getting to know everybody and the wait staff getting to know us and what we'd like (e.g. my husband always gets 2 escargots if it's on the menu, and I always have coffee with dessert and our wait staff would know that and bring it automatically.) It just feels more special. The dining rooms on the Gem felt like very high end restaurants, with that kind of good service, but not the intimacy of other ships' scheduled dining. Just my opinion. Our steward was exceptional, the bar tender that we got to know was excellent. All in all, a very good cruise.

The food was great (once we got it) service on board was great, shows were great, overall experience great BUT rooms too small as 3rd and 4th bed overhung making the room smaller and the king size bed was superb but no room to get off or on. The other complaint was that the service for dinner service was horrible and very slow (even though I would try to go after show when there were less people and servers were in slow motion

cruise pleasant, however, staterooms too small and difficult  to move about.  Shower the size of a phonebooth.   Departure long wait.  Food was wonderful   Dining was great.   The steward assigned to our room was so professional and nice.  When leaving i had difficulty walking one of the crew supplied a wheelchair and escorted me to  my car.thank you very much.   Grace Peterson

the dining in the main dining room was top rated from service to quality of food. best of all our cruises  including a few trips on the GEM great menue diversity.the LE'BISTRO was disappointing  the BRAZILIAN experience was worth going back . perfect both times. our cabin was dirty apone  arrival, never was dusted in 9 days. empty can under bed was still there when we left. also cut back on breakfast room service.  little luxuries we where use too no longer applied. we just cruised 3 months ago on the BREAKAWAY we cruise 3-4 times a year all in all we would go back but we will be more selective in the ship  still love NCL

A little chilly the first days out of NY but better then being at home. Stops in San Juan and Tortola are too short to really do any thing on the islands. Food and entertainment were good. The crew was very good and the captain's announcements were informative and funny. Been on the Gem 3 different times. Much better ship then the Breakaway.

great time, met great people which i now call friends! awesome food great activities great time, met great people which i now call friends! awesome food great activities 

This was my first cruise which I took with my twin sister and two aunts.  There was never a time that we were without anything to do.  From the moment we got on the boat - it was smooth sailing all the way from the stewards to the entertainment crew, the hospitality staff, food and beverage staff.  If there was something you needed - all you had to do was ask and Norwegian made it happen!!!  The cruise director DanDan was FABULOUS!!!!  Loved "The Quest" - I never laughed so hard!!!!!  We dined in Cagney's, Le Bistro and Moderno the specialty restaurants and also the Magenta, O'Shennigan's and Grand Pacific - all top notch - the food was fab in all!!  Took a tour in St Maartens - Da Party Bus - what a blast....loads of fun!!!   Will definitely do this again and I signed up for a future cruise!!!!

This was our first Norwegian cruise. The food on the ship was not more than okay (at best) any day. There are a lot of fun activities for people of all ages, but there is something they are trying to sell you almost everywhere on-board. The staff was pretty rude for the most part—with a few exceptions... The exceptions were very kind and helpful!

Embarkation and disembarkation from New York were a breeze when you get to the pier after 1:30 p.m.  The ports of San Juan and Tortola were the greatest.  Of course Tortola is a tendering port and unless you can walk, one cannot get off the ship.  The couple of hours in San Juan were a waste of time.  The ship itself needs a lot to be done to make it up to par. Carpets are old, there was a smell of sewer in my cabin and hallway on the 8th deck, entertainments for 4 days at sea were lacking although the Cruise Director, DanDan was fantastic. Cabin steward and the dining room Maitre d's were very helpful in accommodating our party of 10, especially Karina in the Pacific Dining Room. The rock climbing wall is still not in use.  The food was MOSTLY SALTY and one could barely eat some of the dishes, because of the excess of salt, being witnessed by more than us. This is not my first time in Norwegian, certainly my last.

I will return to RCL and Princess definitely and soon.

The 9 day cruise was gear more towards the older crowd. Although I had fun because I was with my family I wish that they would have told us that this particular cruise was about 60%-70% over 65 years of age. I viewed a passenger go down and "faint" or was having some kind of cardiac issue and as a nurse I could not just walk away so I stayed with the patient and the dermatologist until help came. I asked the Spa people (incident happened outside the Spa) if they had a code cart because clearly the passenger needed oxygen. And also if they had called a code. A code was called and then I saw personnel running to help the patient. I did not hear any code being called prior. There should be some kind of procedure in case something like this happens (ex: Don't think twice call a code right away!) especially in a cruise with so many older people. You need more medical assistance with a cruise that has as many older people as this one had. Otherwise, I had a good time and enjoyed myself but not like the past cruise I had taken with Norweigen.

My husband and I took this cruise as our honeymoon and it was affordable, and the staff was mostly friendly and attentive. We felt that the entertainment was more geared toward an older crowd. The food was very much like a cafeteria, though. There was alot of rocking and we got pretty seasick. I would not recommend an interior stateroom. The excursions were great, it was a great time in all

I enjoyed getting away to the warm Caribbean.  Adian, in the spa was fantastic - she made me feel like royalty.  Dan Dan the cruise director was hilarious.  The North Atlantic was a bit choppy and the day we came back was colder than the day we left so it was harsh.

Enjoyed weather, ship, crew, food, entertainment, etc., not necessarily in that order.

Wud recommend the trip to others.

Just an enjoyable 9 days , a very nice getting away from the weather here.

Don't recommend Best of Tortola shore excursion.

Unfortunately haVing been on other cruise lines this one fell extremely short of my expectations. The food was sub-par and never felt like "fine dining". The service for the most part was horrible... the only thing included for drinks for meals was water or iced tea.... The activities on the boat were very repetitive and definitely cheesy, I found myself bored when other cruises there's been too much to do. Overall Norwegian just didn't ddo it for me the boat was small and everything felt on top of each other. I think there are def. Better cruises out there.

Everything was great other than first night dinner with a rude server. Entertainment was great, mini suite nice and roomy. Excursion not too well organized.

Crew was very friendly other than person above.

Let me say first of all that we loved the ship, and found the entire crew to be kind, polite, and accommodating.  

The weather was great--I heard that the trip the week before us was very rough, and there were at least two days where most of the passengers stayed in their rooms.  Not so on our trip.  (Of course, that wouldn't be their fault, anyway.)  

Food was excellent, but we only had dinner in the specialty restaurants.  Whenever we cruise, we always purchase the beverage and dining packages--we'd prefer to pay up front, rather than having to worry about what will be charged to our stateroom by the end of the week!  

I love the beverage package!  This year, they changed it--instead of having different price points for wine, beer, and liquor, they had a flat $10 level under which every alcoholic beverage was included.  It was easier to remember, and included more things.  The downside: the wine selection and the drink menus weren't as varied as other times we've cruised.  Before, there were different drink menus in each restaurant--this time, it was the same in every restaurant and bar throughout the ship. I preferred the variety, especially where wine was concerned.  I had a hard time finding a wine I really wanted to drink all the time.

The dining package is a great value.  We calculated it all at the end of the trip, and found that we saved about $140 per person by purchasing the dining package--and also ate a lot more steak, lobster, and fancy dessert (I love tiramasu and creme brulee) than we would have had without the package.  Highly recommend it!

If I have an (in my opinion) BIG criticism, it's that there are no where near enough healthy options in the buffet and free restaurants.  I wanted yogurt, granola, and better fresh fruit (the fruit on board was pretty lackluster)--but all they had was yogurt in little cups.  I'd prefer a plain Greek or vanilla--and I'm sure I'm not the only one!  There was oatmeal and eggs, so that was good--but a few more healthy options would be nice.  At lunchtime, the salad bar was pretty boring--needed more protein options, fruits, nuts, seeds, and varied veggie toppings.  It was pretty basic.

I always found things to eat, of course, but I would prefer more healthy options.  I know, I know--most people aren't trying to eat healthy on vacation.  Still, I love my yogurt and salads, and I doubt I'm the only one.  

We had a great time, and we'll definitely cruise Norwegian again.  The ship was great, the amenities were nice, and the onboard entertainment was pretty stellar.  Loved it!

The ship is smaller than others we have been on. Less things to do compared to Royal Carribean  The staterooms were kept exceptionally clean.  Excellent stateroom attendant. The service at the bars and the Grand Pacific restaurant were average to poor.  Extremely slow. We really enjoyed the ports of call though. That is why we chose this cruise.  Overall I would rate it 3 out of 5

My experience on the gem was ok. I feel like they should have more upbeat activities and more variety of food, while on Royal Carribean last year they had plenty of jacuzzis, Great food and plenty of fun for all ages.

We booked a 9-day cruise to relax and to feel no pressure to explore and/or sightsee... in fact we got off the ship exactly once, in Tortola. Overall, we were quite happy with our experience. We had no expectations of an epicurean experience, but overall our dining expectations were more than met. Staff were unfailingly friendly and polite; it was virtually impossible to encounter one without being greeted! We were addressed several times by Capt. Benigssen, I believed that we his name, where he introduced his staff, and displayed a wry sense of humor. The seas were disgustingly calm, I personally enjoy a bit of rolling and pitching, just to remind me that we're at sea, however I am aware that my sentiments are not universally shared! On-board entertainment was especially good, there was a world-class juggler, a couple who had performed with Cirque de Soleil, a Second-City troupe, a stand-up comedian, as well as the regular ship production company. Aside from on-and off rain showers in St. Thomas, weather was quite nice. All in all, the cruise was relaxing and we consider it money well-spent!

It was very enjoyable cruise most of all because we did't have to fly.  All activities during the sea days are excellent.  I will recommend to our friends.