Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Have been on the Gem before and done the itinerary.  The staff (concierge, butler and steward) are so friendly, patient and overall excellent at their jobs.  They anticipated our needs and responded immediately to any request.  I use a small, collapsible wheelchair and they offered to help open, close and even push it to the elevator.  We took the Explorer shore excursion in St. Maarten and it was delightful.  They put the wheelchair on the bus and helped with it to the boat.  They made everything so easy for us.  We tried the Moderno restaurant and loved it.  We also enjoyed our meals at Cagney's and Le Bistro.  I needed a low sodium diet and they made sure to prepare the food salt free.  We received wonderful personal service.  The food in the main dining rooms was good but we missed having salmon as a "regular" on the menu.  Also missed the braised lamb shank.  But we enjoyed all our meals.

10 to 15 foot waves had the ship bouncing around like a rollercoaster.  Of the 10 in our party 8 had to spend a day or more in their cabins.  My wife was sick the whole time and had to go to medical for an IV. The nurse on duty was wonderful....however that cannot be said for some of the crew members especially the waiters and waitresses at the majestic.  My wife attempted to help her clean up the places and was told in a rather snippy tone to "put the plate down".....my cousin asked for extra ice and was told "you'll have to wait"  Very unprofessional.  Another complaint  was the 12 fl Garden Café....very hard to find seats...you had to walk back and forth many times just to find a seat....not only that but WHY NO TRAYS?  You had to walk around trying to balance  a plate and a cup of hot coffee all the while the ship was acting like a roller coaster....needless to say there were many spills...The worst of all was when I asked at the service desk if my  wife could sleep in one of the chairs as she could not go up to the room because the ship was bouncing around so badly.  The girl at the counter went to ask the supervisor who said "she cannot sleep here"  yet people were sleeping there all day.  I saw to supervisor and told her how sick my wife was....one whole day on bathroom floor and IVa but she had no solutions.  I asked wasn't there somewhere she could sleep but the supervisor said there were rooms but they were on the same floor....she showed no compassion at all (unlike the medical nurse who called every day to see how my wife was doing!!!!  Also the internet was horrible, it took forever to log on....couple of times I didn't want to wait so I just logged off.  When I saw an 23 dollar charge for the internet which I know I was not logged on I went to see the manager who quickly agreed to credit the $23 back....Also the balcony was not worth the money, too small and too unappealing...chairs always covered with paint chips from the ceiling which was peeling very badly.Last item is why is there smoking still allowed in the casino...smokers are in the minority but the majority has to put up with it.  I know many non smokers who spent very little time in the casino ...seems like a better ventilation system is in order.  Last yr at about the same time we took a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas...It was magnificent......better food selection, nicer people ...just more enjoyable.  I know Norweigen has no control over the weather but a refund of sorts would be appreciate.

Overall it was a good cruise.  The entertainment was very good.  The cleanliness of the buffet needs some work.  The cloths for cleaning the tables had an objectionable odor which means bacteria is present.  Our cabin steward was very good. The activities for seniors left something to be desired.  We prefer to see movies but there was not one every day.I thought the food in the dining room was quite good.  Overall I would rate the cruise a B-.

This was a cruise of very good parts and very bad parts for us.

The good parts were that the Caribbean was beautiful and we had a great time taking a long break in the warm weather.  The crew was well trained and relentlessly friendly.  They really tried hard to make sure we were happy and satisfied at all times.  We had a suite with "Haven" status, and the Haven area is amazingly nice--totally worth the money for the peace and the ability to avoid the mass of humanity on the rest of the ship.  It makes it feel almost like your own private cruise ship.  Very great and very addictive.  I don't know how we'll ever cruise again without that.  :-)

The bad part was that the trip from NYC to the Caribbean and back--anything north of Miami--was a disaster.  The seas were so rough that the boat was bouncing up and down, crashing loudly through the waves, spray coming up multiple stories over the bow like we were on Deadliest Catch.  I think half the ship was seasick, with people avoiding their cabins and lying on couches in the Atrium and all over the boat, groaning.  On the last day, when the boat was rocking more side to side, it tilted so far over that the dishes and glasses were falling off the tables and a little girl next to our table had her entire chair tip over backwards.  In our suite, the minibar fridge fell open and everything fell out and rolled around all over our room while we were gone, and the mirror and even the drawers fell out of the little dressing table.  It was ridiculous.  In the Captain's daily announcement over the PA on one of the days (mostly weather updates), he said we were about to hit more rough waters, but "this is the North Atlantic in winter--what do you expect?" he said.  Well, we weren't expecting this, and I doubt NCL's marketing department was either.

So, overall I thought NCL did a nice job, and I loved the Haven, but I'll never take a cruise from NYC again in winter.

My husband and i heard great things about norweigian so we were excited to try them out. This was our 5th cruise and it was by far the worst i have ever been on! They did have one great show but everything else was disappointing. The food was not that great, there was hardly any activities going on during the day, everything on the boat costs extra that we wanted to do, and i have never been on a boat that has rocked so much even in the winter. Both princess and surprisingly carnival was better!

Everything was great.  Always something to do.  Wonderful, attentive staff.  All

the islands are beautiful and WARM!  Like the ship's size--very large and yet manageable.

Terrific trip overall.

The Norwegian cruise line is becoming more and more a budget cruise with very limited options.

There are now 3 days at see going and two and a half days at see coming back. The stay in Tortola, a completely waste even if you had one full day is now transformed in a 4 hours stay with no beach access or any possible activities, overall there are 6 wasted days.

The service has been reduced to absolutely minimum acceptable even when you are on an island.

If you return from the beach around 2:30-3PM there is practically no decent food to be had, you have to go to the back of the ship for some prefab sandwiches or fast food in one the few drinking bars.

Goodbye lobster night, seafood buffet or chocolate one!  I do not know if it was my own steward or there were too many rooms assigned to one person , but our cabin was made up only every two days and that "on demand" /

No more cappuccino at diner or any other drinks like orange juice for kids ...

The experience you get now is a budget travel, keeping you on boat as much as possible (probably needing casino profits) with poor service and lots of costs for anything you need.

At dinner we met with a person like us with many cruises, deeply disappointed, and a new customer very impressed with the cruise. So asking different people you will get different answers.

Some aspects poor, some good so I hate to rate it overall poor. This was our 4th NCL cruise and we have been pleased with free-style dining, the smaller sized ships, excellent entertainment and good service for a decent price. However, sailing from NYC in winter is not recommended, too cold, rough Atlantic both directions and WAY too many days at sea...6 of the 10. We had 15 ft. waves on return trip and you could feel it. Bonine pills and sea-bands really work. The Gem is showing its age with tacky decor, there were less free activities than previously, the main dining rooms used to offer different menu items and the food wasn't as good this trip, the drinks were watered down in the Grand Pacific but were excellent in the Magenta so we dined there most evenings. Our room steward was very courteous but oceanview Rm.5622 was pretty dirty, lumpy pillows and a bed cover that was ripped and old. He gave us better pillows but we just flipped the cover top to bottom. My husband and I got sick 4 days into the trip and it may have been from the room. Activities Director Dan Dan was the best host we've seen on NCL and boy, can he sing!

The entertainment was top notch as usual. We had to tender at 2 of 4 ports (cheaper for the cruise line) so it diminished the enjoyment of getting off ship and wandering around town when not on an excursion. Tortola is a beautiful island to see in just a few hours. Last trip on the Gem we had a full day there. Overall, not enough ports, too much ocean.

My sister and brother-in-law were hesitant first-time cruisers but we raved about NCL and convinced them to come with us, as we had done this same trip in 2009. But this was their first and last cruise after this experience and unfortunately we are also done cruising with NCL.

We first time travel with Norwegian cruse line 

Very good service, beautiful intertayment and great food. We enjoyed the cruise and in the sea booked another cruise!

The Gem was a most comfortable ship. The crew was outstanding, and bent over backwards to make all passengers safe and at ease navigating the vessel. There was repeated hand cleanings ('washee-washee') and other events which helped maintain good health, aboard. The visited ports were all the same as one another, but the ship's activities were great for those of us in the older age group.

My only gripe was with the New York Port, where we disembarked. Three monster ships arrived simultaneously, causing bedlam at arrival. It took us nearly four hours to finally make contact with our ground transportation. This had never happened to us before, whether at Bayonne, Ft. Lauderdale or Baltimore. It gave a sour ending to an otherwise great trip.

my husband and I and another couple went on this 10-day cruise in the Gem and what a trip this was!!.  The food was great, the service amazing.  Magenta restaurant was the best! Vanessa and John treated us like kings and queens and always made us smile and wanting to return. I love how they cleaned and disinfected everything including the walls, rails, floors and cabinets at the end of each night.  The latin night was super fun and the Mambo and salsa class was awesome...We would do this cruise all over again and again if possible. The only 2 minor things that we did not like was the fact that we felt that they over advertised their casino, purchases and even alcoholic drinks. The second things is the O'Sheehans restaurant.  For God sake it is always emptied, doesn't that tell you that it's no good?  The food was bad . We went once and never again. Overall this was an amazing cruise and one of the best out of the cruises we have done.  Good job guys and continue with your great energy Dan Dan and all the workers that worked so hard to take care of the guests. Our housekeeper was the best! Go Jeffrey.  He was attentive, friendly, efficient and always left our room clean and with beautiful figures.  We are going to miss Jeffrey.

The food was good. The entertainment was good. The crew was very friendly and professional. Edward Soto was my stewart and he was great. The wait staff learned our names and always had a smile. The Caribbean was awesome! (Tortola's port is under construction, so the only way to enjoy is to go on an excursion) Magens Bay is the most beautiful place ever! St Maarten was fun! My son enjoyed Splash Academy-the kid's program on board. The winter water was rough for the first and last day of the trip but it wasn't too scary. This was my first cruise and I will definitely go on another.

I bought this cruise as a gift for my husband for Christmas.  Being first time NCL cruisers, I was very pleased with the cruise line, the staff, the food, the ship, the ports of call.  It was wonderful.  We are already planning to go back in Jan 2016!!

This was our third cruise on the Gem for the last 3 years.  We loved the staff and comfort of the size.  Though I have been on several other Cruise lines the comfort of the freestyle cruising it what we need.

We are free spirits and go with the wind.

This being our 3rd. NCL cruise, we were expecting the same quality of service as previously experienced. Cabin steward was very forgetful about laundry, coffee and leaving necessary paperwork to leave ship. My wife fell getting off the tender in Tortola scraping her knee pretty good, the deck hand ask our room number, but we never heard another word from anybody from ship. Upon arrival in NYC getting off was a great big fiasco. 

Loved, loved this time on the GEM. My stateroom with the balcony was better than I hoped.  This is the only way to travel.  The make your own perfume was a wonderful and one of the high lights of my trip.  The spa was so refreshing.  Won $1,200 in the casino. I came home to the cold New England winter storms rested, refreshed, and lost 9lbs in nine days.  Looking forward to spring time and planting topical plants in my garden this year...

As I stated before the show room is lacking rails and it is difficult to navigate the aisles.

Not enough activities on board when at sea.

More consideration should be given to guests who can't walk easily when departing for shore excursions.

Left New York with half power, it was very rocky n swaying due to not having full power ! Ended up leaving late which made us two hours late to first port and missed out on out excursion! Food was ok had potential to be good 

This was a wonderful cruise. Relaxing and enjoyable. I don't have time to elaborate. Trying to catch up on my work. All I can say it was a wonderful trip, great weather, smooth except for the day before we entered NY on our return. Great entertainment.

The food was great,the personal was first class,the entertainment was great fun.the only problem was that when you came back inside the ship it was super  cold.