Norwegian Gem Review
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I went on the one-night Cruise to Nowhere sailing from New York City in November. I live in Manhattan, so it was fairly simple to get to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, though it's far from the subway if you are taking public transportation. The embarkation process was very smooth and the staff I talked to were all very nice, which helped me to get more excited for the cruise. Aside from a cruise of the Greek islands I went on as a teenager, it was my first cruise, and definitely my first cruise where the ship and the entertainment were the major focus. On a Cruise to Nowhere, the ship is everything, since there are no ports of call. We did have beautiful sunset views of Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty, but at night the ship provided all the entertainment you need.
There wasn't time to do everything, but I was happy with what I decided to do. I used my copy of the Freestyle Daily, NCL's daily newsletter that lists the day's available activities, to plan my schedule. First I had dinner at the Grand Pacific dining room. I loved the ambiance of the dining room—very grand—but I wasn't wowed by the food. Next I went to the 70s-inspired show, "Get Down Tonight," which was high-energy and a lot of fun. Finally, I went to the Bliss Lounge for open mic karaoke, which was my favorite activity of the night. I met some amazing people there who were on the cruise with a huge group of family and friends, and we all had fun performing, singing along, and cheering for each other up on stage. I walked around the deck before returning to my cabin, but it was a bit cold and dark to really enjoy to the fullest. I slept well in my cabin.
The next morning, I woke up early with the idea that I could make the most of a one-night cruise by going up on deck to watch the sunrise over the ocean, but I emerged on the deck to find that it was raining and we were already docked back in Manhattan. I grabbed breakfast at the buffet and disembarked early to beat the rush. There wasn't much left to do at that point anyway.
Cabin Review
The room was nice—hardly any view (hence "obstructed oceanview") because a lifeboat was in the way, but that didn't really matter on a one-night cruise. The room was clean and neat and I slept comfortably in the bed. No amenities in the bathroom, but the bathroom did have cute turquoise tiles.