Today we arrived home from our 7 day cruise aboard the magnificent Norwegian Gem. Previous to this, we have sailed a 4 day Disney Cruise and a 7 day Carnival - by far, the Gem was our FAVOURITE cruise. Our family of 5 (including 3 kids ages 7, 5 and almost 3) truly had a "vacation of a lifetime" and we can't wait to hopefully return to this ship one day.

We drove 10 hours from Toronto, Canada do depart from Manhattan, New York - our first time visiting this city but it was stressful and fun all at the same time. We parked our car at the cruise terminal for roughly $35/day but at least knew it would be safe. Last time we parked at our hotel in Baltimore and returned only to find our passenger window was smashed in while we were on our trip. Embarkation was slightly chaotic and slow, we thought our experience on Carnival was faster and more efficient. When we finally got on the boat, we weren't greeted with champagne (like on Carnival, but maybe because it was a New Years cruise?) and no one really directed us where to go. But we figured out we had to take the elevator to the 12 floor which was their lido deck and from there, as expected, it was packed and busy and we could not find a place to sit. But we figured things out and all was well. I was surprised and pleased how fast the Staterooms were ready - even before we could finish our lunch. The luggage also arrived very quickly, within an hour or so of getting on the boat.

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