We chose this cruise as it departed from New York (so we didn't have to fly), and the cost of it was quite reasonable (compared to a 10 day cruise on another cruise line). We had sailed on the Breakaway a year ago with our kids, but this time we sailed alone. The Gem is a smaller ship, so it doesn't have as many amenities, but if you are looking for a quieter vacation, with less children around, ...
Fabulous cruise from start to finish! Staff is amazing! Very friendly & helpful. Couldn’t ask for better.
Sonata band was awesome every time they played. Great dance parties, games and entertainment.
This ship is the perfect size to be cozy, but still offer lots of daily options for all ages.
St Thomas - lots of shopping right in the port. Too windy to do tram to top, but heard ...
We have been on the Gem 7 times previously, and were never disappointed. The ship is very well kept, the cabin is adequate, the food was above average, the service was spectacular, The only reason I don't give an overall excellent is that we missed one port due to a winter storm in the Atlantic that required the Captain to decide to take an extra sea day to get home safely. No gripe there ...
We chose this cruise based on the only time we had available. On this 10day Cruise, we were scheduled to stop at 4 islands. In Antiqua and St. Lucia we booked excursions on our own. In St. Thomas we booked the Turtle Cove catamaran trip. The trip out and back were a lot of fun. The crew was very safety concious. The Cove however, took a beating during the last hurricane. The turtles are just ...
This was a mother daughter cruise for some well needed getaway from a long winter. We loved that it left from New York since we live in New England so no flights or parking etc.
Embarkation went smooth with no issues. We had a few small hiccups the first day or so but that is to be expected.
The problem was when we went to the kids club for the first day and since there was not many ...
Loved the Gem! Has a nice smaller ship feel. Met so many nice people and the crew was very attentive! Entertainment was fabulous! Specialty dining was nice and loved the perks we got with this cruise. Our shore excursions were great..did the beach break in Antigua; in St. Lucia we did the Soufriere Land and Sea tour and in St. Thomas, we did Snorkling and swimming with the turtles. We were ...
The embarkation was very smooth. Disembarkation, not so much, but plan to take your time. The ship was very clean. The staff is pleasant. Sonata is one of the bands on the ship and they were excellent! Having the departure port of NYC, there was a nice variety of passengers. A bonus, the fitness center offers some free classes. I recommend taking advantage of this offer since the trainers were ...
We sailed to the Eastern Caribbean, departing on Feb 24th. This was our first cruise, and it was awesome! It was everything we expected. We'd sail the Gem again, for sure. We stayed in a family oceanview cabin, which was surprisingly roomy for a family of 4. Junmar, our cabin steward, was attentive and thorough, as well as entertaining. The food on board was delicious. We had the specialty dining ...
We always book online and check out the various cruiseline websites for their special deals. This one came up with NCL and the airfare from Ottawa to NY was half of that to Florida. So we decided on the NCL Gem. First time cruising 'Freestyle'. Not sure if we'd like it but we did. We also like the time on the ocean and it was three days sailing down to E. Caribbean and two days back with four ...
With every cruise, you have the good with the bad. I've cruised many times before on different lines. My cruise rankings thus far: Disney, Royal, NCL/Carnival (tie). I will not be cruising Norwegian or Carnival again.
-Service. This may be due to the freestyle dining and the fact that you never have the same server twice, but the service is just like any restaurant it would be anywhere. ...