Norwegian Gem Review

Best Cruise Ever!

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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Kittykath
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Mar 2015
Cabin: Mid-Ship Oceanview Porthole Window

I'm late in writing this so I'll be brief - DH and I cruised with another couple on the Norwegian Gem March 9-18 out of NY. We used a van service from our city in Pennsylvania and the driver got us to the port at around 11:00 a.m. He knew just where to stop so it was most convenient for the ship's porters to load our luggage, and we were off to get in line to board the ship. I can't understand why people complain about the line! What's the hurry? It's VACATION, and just the beginning! Our line moved quickly and before we knew it we were on board the beautiful Gem.

We headed straight for the dining room (the Grand Pacific) for lunch, where I discovered the hands-down BEST scallops gratin I've ever tasted - it was an appetizer, and very small, but SO delicious (it was on the menu the next day, too - and I ordered two of them!!) During lunch we heard over the speaker that our rooms were ready so of course we headed straight for our cabins. DH and I were in cabin no. 5092, having opted for a porthole this time. Our friends had a balcony cabin on deck 9. Our cabin steward, Ardee, met us in the hall and introduced himself. He was DELIGHTFUL, kept our room spotless, filled our ice bucket twice daily, and made wonderful towel animals every night. Our cabin was the best we've had as far as storage, comfortable bed, wonderful shower - even the tv worked perfectly!

We've been on 6 cruises - 4 with Norwegian, 1 Princess and 1 Royal Caribbean. THIS one was our favorite of all. We loved the food, the entertainment, the staff, and especially loved the ultimate beverage pkg., which I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys their cocktails! This was an R&R-type cruise for our friends and us, so we only booked two excursions - a bus tour of St. Maarten and a trip to Magen's Bay beach (both very enjoyable). I indulged DH and ate breakfast every day but one at the buffet - again, like our cabin, this was the BEST buffet I've ever seen - the food was delicious, varied enough, and plentiful. The "washy-washy" girls who greeted us before we went into the buffet were delightful - and what a great idea, to make sure everyone has clean hands! We enjoyed the buffet for lunch a couple of times during the cruise, too, but ate several other lunches in the Irish pub, O'Sheehan's (which is the 24-hour restaurant on the ship). We liked all the food at O'Sheehan's - our friends ate breakfast there, too, and said it was delicious. We ate most of our dinners at the Magenta dining room, and one night at the Grand Pacific - we only ate at one specialty restaurant, La Cucina. We didn't find the food there to be any better than the food in the main dining rooms, and the service was just as good in the main dining rooms as it was at La Cucina. One server, Joseph, in the Magenta was WONDERFUL. Had we known we could have done it, we would have asked for a table for 4 in Joseph's station in the Magenta every night!

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Oceanview Porthole Window

Cabin OF

Our cabin was spotlessly clean, with plenty of storage space. The bed was super comfortable. The bathroom had plenty of space for "stuff", and the shower was wonderful - nice and hot and with great pressure. Our steward, Ardee, was wonderful - he kept our ice bucket full, and made adorable towel animals every night.

Port Reviews

New York (Manhattan)

I thought the Manhattan port was extremely organized and made pre-boarding the ship easy and convenient. Plus, is there anything better than seeing the sights of New York City and the Statue of Liberty at sail-away?!

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