Norwegian Gem Cruise Reviews - Reviews

All in all the cruise was great . We had a a bit of a rocky ride over to San Juan but that was to be expected sailing from Atlantic waters into the Caribbean ,especially during the winter. Our itinerary was changed twice ....It was supposed to be a a Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos cruise. We went to neither of those islands. We instead went to Antigua instead of T & C ( couldn't meet the Covid testing timeline ) We took a cab to Long Bay so my husband and our friends could snorkel. The beach did not disappoint ! Gorgeous, calm, clear water! We ate lunch at Mama Pasta which believe it or not ,had the best vegetable pizza ! Our cab driver, Barry, was more like a tour guide. He told us all about the island . If you go to Antigua and get the taxi driver Barry, tell him the 2 couples from NYC said Hello. We went to San Juan , PR in place of Puerto Plata, DR ( never did find out why we couldn't go to DR , someone said bad weather ). San Juan, PR was nice but unfortunately the time we docked was 4;30 pm and most vendors were closed or closing shortly after we disembarked . There were only 4 excursions to chose from because the Fort and beaches were closed, too. We took a short walk into the town and over to the Forts . We ate dinner at Raines Restaurant which had good Mofongo. We had to show our vaccination card to enter. It was a short wait to be seated but a long wait for the food but worth it. We were very happy that our sailing was able to get to 5 ports ( St. Thomas, St. Maarten , Tortola which were all on the original itinerary , Antigua and PR ) as the sailing before and after ours unfortunately could not go to all 5 ports . I prefer the smaller ships, Dawn and Gem compared to the larger ships Joy and Breakaway that we've been on in the past. The staff were attentive, friendly , remembered people's names and always happily greeted upon entering restaurants. The coffee servers in the buffet were so cute singing a coffee jingle while pouring your coffee . The one server ,Sunshine, (as I called her) was very sweet, always smiling and made sure you were happy with your service and food. We had a very good time on the Gem and will be looking forward to sailing on it again in the future.

This was our 13th cruise and by far the best cruise ever! Going to start booking more 10 days!

Cruised out if New York to the British Virgin Islands. The ship wasn’t at full capacity which was nice getting lounge chairs and tables etc. The staff was very nice and helpful. We area already planning another cruise!

I believe that NCL tried to give me the best vacation they could!!! They were dealing with both the surge in the pandemic and a horrible storm, but they changed ports and times, doing whatever they could to try and make our vacation even possible, and I'm very appreciative of that!

Fantastic and theres not enough said about customer service when referencing NCL. We absolutely were treated like royalty by all whom we came in contact with. Food and accommodations are by far the best!

We decided this was our last cruise out of New York City in January. Too many bad days weather wise we will be flying in the Florida in the future south.

I was very happy that I was able to go after more than two years of cancellations. Had a wonderful time. The staff was wonderful, the food was excellent and I got to make a few new friends. I can’t wait to do another one.

Had an excellent cruise. Weather was beautiful. Met some really nice people. Regret we did not ask for contact info.

I needed this cruise. It was so much fun, and I really thought that the crew did a great job dealing with all of the covid issues.

We've cruised on many lines, and this was our second time on the Gem. The staff are very kind and courteous, and we had very few concerns about the COVID safety measures in place. They were hard at work every day making sure we had an enjoyable experience. Highly recommend eating at the Magenta, where Michael (special diet staff) will take care of you, along with Budi the Assistant Maitre D. Don't do the Vacation Sensation Disney excursion. Between tickets and transportation, you're looking at spending over $500 for two rushed, half-day tickets at Disney World.

Amazing cruise. First time cruising in 2 years and it was worth coming back. Our 7th time on this ship since easy to the port. Staff was outstanding, shows amazing, and super friendly guests. Less than 1000 guests so never waited for tables or seats.

It was great to cruise again and Norwegian does everything to make you safe. Always something to do and at lower capacity, there were never any lines or crowds to deal with. It was a perfect cruise!

This was wonderful! Weather was great! The ship was not crowded so we could really enjoy the company. By far, our favorite boat to date!

This trip was the best one yet. I so enjoyed the cruise staff. And priceless memories made with our family. My husband, my son, my daughter in law, and my grandson made this trip unforgettable..

Would do this cruise again in a hot New York minute!!!!

I have sailed in the Gem twice before and loved it. This cruise was originally scheduled to visit the places we visited on our first Gem voyage, plus two I had never visited - The Dominican Republic and Grand Turk. Prior to the cruise, the latter two were dropped due to "berthing difficulties". Antigua was added in their place. We were 8 hours late in sailing from NY and were lied to about the reason. This resulted in our taking 3 days, rather than 2, to reach San Juan. We thus wound up visiting several of our ports on different days (and times) than originally scheduled, resulting in the cancellation of numerous excursions. My room steward was wonderful, and the staff at the bars and restaurants were great. Sadly, however, the staff at Guest Services were rather abrupt and the Cruise Consultant was extremely rude. I was extremely disappointed and I'm finished with NCL.

Skipped the private island (again). Otherwise it was great to be back at sea

Please don't treat the staff like they are your servant. I saw this more than I care to describe. The crew works very hard to make sure you have a fabulous vacation. To treat them poorly is completely uncalled for.

it wouldn't let me rate ports of call above. We had only one negative in Roatan. The Ultimate Resort Getaway excursion. DO NOT GO ON IT. Does not match the description given. A ghost town. So bad the group called for the bus to come pick up early.

I know this won’t last long, but cruising at half occupancy is such a treat! Deck chairs, the pools, the gym, the buffet, limited lines other than when you were getting off the ship. Great Stirrup Cay needs a little more to do there.