We went on the Norwegian Gem from Barcelona, the check in was quick and easy and we embarked within 5 mins of checking in at 2.00pm, there was champagne available the moment you stepped onboard and we were told that our luggage would be delivered to our stateroom ( the down side of this was that the luggage did not turn up until 7.30pm) so on our first night we only had the clothes we stood in and missed the show as we didn't want to go out in the clothes we had been travelling in all day. We managed to have a shower and change of clothes and went out at about 8.30 to our first meal, we went to the Garden Buffet, where the choice of food was excellent there really was something for everyone. We decided as we had a very long day as we left home at 4am to have an early night the first night. The beds were among the most comfortable that I have ever slept in even in 4 and 5 star hotels. The cabins had been turned down and we sat on our balcony having a coffee from the coffee machine provided in the room. We slept really well and spent the next day at Sea, We went bowling, great fun and novel on board, and then had lunch, again we opted for the Buffet as the choice was so good. In the evening we went to the casino and then to a show the magician was excellent. We ended the evening in the Spinnaker lounge. The following day we arrived in Valleta, getting off the ship is made simple no long queues, and everyone got off and headed off to their choice of of tours. We met friends who live in Malta and went around on our own. The boat left around 3pm that day which was a shame as it would have been nice to stay a little longer at this port. That evening, again we went to the show, excellent singers and dancers, to the casino and decided to try one of the restaurants with the service charge, We went to The Bistro. Found the cover charge a little excessive for the menu offered. They tend to charge you around $20.00 per head on all restaurants apart from about 3 of them where there is no charge. In addition to this the wine is very expensive cheapest being around $40 per bottle. What we did not find out until a couple of days later is that if you don't finish your wine, they will label it for you and any other restaurant that you visit they will bring your remaining wine out for you or deliver it to your stateroom for you to enjoy in your cabin. It would have been nice to know this prior to the first couple of bottles which we did not finish. The other additional charges even in the restaurant are the 15% gratuity charge on all the drinks you purchase, this is added in all the restaurants and bars and is in addition to the $10 per day tips that you pay per head. The service on board this ship though is excellent you cannot fault it, everything is catered for, once thing I would have thought would have been nice is to have had dressing robes provided. We had a balcony stateroom and these were not provided, a shame because most decent hotels provide these for you. However you do have towels wash cloths shower gels and shampoos and hand soaps all provided in your stateroom so do not need to pack these prior to going. Each evening we had the local cruise news delivered to our stateroom, this gave you all the information you needed for the next day, which port we would be docking in, embarkation details maps of the local area and also the days activities on the ships and the times. It really was excellent. On board there are a few shops, and also a photography shop, this was only open a couple of hours each day though. There was also a lot of emphasis and pushing on the sale of Gems ( obviously this was because of the name of the ship) I don't think there was one day that went by that there was not a different push on a type of gemstone and the jewelry that you could purchase. The art gallery was novel and there was also art auctions on board which were fun to watch and join in with. I think probably the highlight of the week was our murder mystery dinner evening. It was a shame this was only held once a week with a max of 60 guests, so a lot of people would have missed out here, but it was an excellent way of meeting other guests, as there did not seem to be a lot of emphasis on meeting others. There was a singles meeting each night which seemed a good idea but it would have been a nice touch to have other nights themed towards this perhaps an over 50's couples night, the youngsters were well catered for as they had their own club where they meet others. The ship is so large, that even when full it did not feel crowded there was always a quiet corner to retreat to if you needed it the library and the card game rooms were always nice and quiet. A selection of board games in the cards/games room would have been nice, perhaps scrabble cluedo etc. There is only so much you can eat and drink, and other than sports, jogging, rock climbing, gym, swimming, basket ball and tennis there was not a lot to do. The activities that I did want to do unfortunately coincided with the shore days and excursions, so for example if you really wanted to see the towel folding demo or the sushi demo you would not have been able to go on the shore excursions that day as it started at 1pm and you would not have got back on board until around 5.00. But as they say you cant please all of the people all of the time. However if you want a quiet relaxing holiday this really is the way to go. One more word of warning. If you do go on a shore excursion and purchase local wines etc when you get back on board the ship these are taken off you and you are told that that they will be delivered to your stateroom the day of embarkation on the night prior to it. But as we found out, from others as well, this did not happen, a couple of people we met, as well as ourselves remembered about this only at the airport. So lost our presents that we were bringing home for family members. One couple said they actually remembered it the morning of disembarking but as they only had 15 mins after breakfast until their colors were called thought the queue at reception would not give them time to find their purchases so reluctantly left it there. This is a little disappointing, so my advice would be don't bother buying any wines at the ports, wait until you get back to duty free at your airport and purchase them there instead, at least you will get them back home with you. I would certainly go back again, but this time a little more prepared. A cruise is never a cheap option and if this what you are looking for then it really is not for you. However if you are prepared to pay a little more for a touch of luxury this is well worth it.