Norwegian Gem Review

Fun for the whole family

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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MicheleCr
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2014
Traveled with children

This cruise was our honeymoon (second wedding for both of us), and so we brought the kids (8 & 11 years old) with us. It was the first time we had been on a cruise, so we have nothing to compare it to. We are both professionals, in our early 40s. Since we live about an hour and a half north of NYC, we had a car service for transportation to the terminal. We arrived at the terminal around 11:30am, and were on the ship by 12:15pm, with minimal waiting on lines. Our room was a family balcony, #10136. Once we were on the ship, we did some exploring and made some additional dinner reservations. I had pre-booked most of our dining reservations and our shore excursions well in advance. It should also be mentioned that we took a cruise during the spring break, so the ship was full, and had a larger-than-usual number of children aboard.

As far as the stateroom went, we were pleased. The four of us were slightly cramped in the room when the beds were pulled out, but during the day it was better. One of the things we learned was that we really over-packed, and next time would bring much less. The service staff were wonderful, and one of the kids' favorite things was to return to the room each evening to see what kind of towel animal we had. One night they took my daughter's "spring break journal" and made a giant frog and positioned the journal so that he was "reading" it. Everyday, both in the morning , and then again in the afternoon, the room would be made-up and freshened up, new towels placed in the room. We never had to ask for anything. We enjoyed the attention to detail.

Children's Club: The kids were eager to check the club out, as were we. We registered them the first night and had planned to make use of the club for a couple of evenings and a day we spent at the spa. This worked out very well, and the kids really enjoyed the staff and club. We were a little worried about the number of children aboard, however the staff accommodated everyone very well.

Cabin Review

As far as the stateroom went, we were pleased. The four of us were slightly cramped in the room when the beds were pulled out, but during the day it was better. One of the things we learned was that we really over-packed, and next time would bring much less. The service staff were wonderful, and one of the kids' favorite things was to return to the room each evening to see what kind of towel animal we had. One night they took my daughter's "spring break journal" and made a giant frog and positioned the journal so that he was "reading" it. Everyday, both in the morning , and then again in the afternoon, the room would be made-up and freshened up, new towels placed in the room. We never had to ask for anything. We enjoyed the attention to detail.

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