We had not traveled on Norwegian for some 12 years simply because the itineraries did not interest me. But during those 12 years we probably did about 15 cruises with the likes of Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Some friends told us about going on the Gem at the end of January and since we live just across the border from the NYC pier in New Jersey, we felt it would be a good time to escape the cold. Since we had been to all the islands many times, I told my wife maybe this would be a good time to really enjoy this new ship and take advantage of things like the pools and hot tubs while everyone else was ashore. We pretty much did just that and enjoyed ourselves. Being experienced cruisers (25+) we could not help but compare the Gem to other ships and cruise lines. This is our opinion. Yes we had a good time, but the ship is very ordinary in style. It did not make my mouth drop open when I boarded it. The atrium, which is usually the centerpiece of a cruise ship is just 2 stories high. It is attractive, but definitely not "WOW." The ship does not have a covered pool for bad weather. While the buffet had a good selection of food, it was all in a row. In the first days I found myself waiting behind someone who was getting food I did not want. They have food stations, but they are all in the same line, not separated from each other. Also something I cannot understand is there are NO trays in the buffet. You must carry plates. If you have a salad plate, a main meal plate and maybe some dessert, and a drink, you will have a tough time dodging the others as you try to maneuver and find a table. On more than one occasion I heard a plate hit the floor. On the plus side, the coffee machine which offers regular,and decaf coffee and cappuccinos was great. They also have regular and soft serve ice creams. Something that really disturbed us was the ultra sexual "Bliss Lounge" which is located just off the atrium. It even has full size beds in it with curtains for privacy. If they want that type of entertainment, it should be put somewhere away from the crowd, like up on the 14th deck. Okay I have expressed my dislikes of the cruise. There were many good points. Twice they had Bavarian food and music in the buffet. We loved that. Also we are the type that play trivia and games like shuffle board and golf putting. They had many activities each day. In the atrium there is a movie size screen which they use for games like Wii. We also saw the Super Bowl on it. (talk about a big screen TV. How about 50x50 feet) So while I have expressed my opinions, I am sure we will do more Norwegian sailings mainly because they have about 5 different ships out of NYC.