By way of introduction, my wife and I have been on 21 cruises including three on Norwegian Cruise Line. Prior to this trip we had not been terribly impressed with NCL. This cruise changed our mind.
Let me start with the two negative aspects of the trip; both of which had been identified previously by Cruise Critics members. The first is a safety issue and concerns the dark color of the main stairways. The carpeting is dark blue, the same color as the landings. It is quite difficult to tell where the landing ends and the stairs begin. This problem is further exacerbated by the dim lighting on the stairs (ambiance, of course). We saw a number of passengers lose their balance. The second deficiency is the lack of seating in the Garden Cafe, the primary buffet. Unlike most ships, the Gem only has seating on one side of the ship and it was almost impossible to find a seat. You did have the option of going outside to the pool area, but when the weather is cool or rainy, this isn't much of an alternative.
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