Our family of four just sailed on a two-night "Weekend Cruise" to nowhere on the new Norwegian Gem from December 15th through 17th. We're in our 40's and we have one in high school and one in college. This cruise sailed from Boston, which is about an hour's drive from our home. A cruise in our neck of the woods is rare this time of year; combine that with a chance to sail on NCL's heavily-promoted 'It" Girl and you have the recipe for a great getaway. Or so I thought.

We arrived at the pier at about 12:20 PM to find a very long line and a huge crowd anxious to board. The line moved quickly, though, and soon we had our cruise cards in hand. Next there was another long queue for the security screening. This line moved extremely slowly. It was slowed even further by the obligatory embarkation photo. After a little more than an hour in these lines, we were aboard.

The ship is beautiful. I liked the ambience of the Gem. I had wondered if I'd find the color scheme too tacky, but plenty of cherry wood accents make the result feel warm and sophisticated, with a few exceptions. The Crystal Atrium is a bit garish - the "gems" protruding from the ceiling look like cheap plastic stalactites and the Bliss Ultra Lounge was probably designed by Austin Powers... "Yeah, baby! Shagadeleic!" I found the lighting throughout the public spaces to be too dim, especially as we were sailing in stormy weather. Read more