Norwegian Gem Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,589 reviews

Norwegian Gem of a Cruise, Mostly

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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cgal
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Aug 2015
Cabin: Inside

Just back from our 7 day cruise out of NYC to Florida and the Bahamas to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Parking wasn't cheap ($210) but easy to get to and very close to ship. Food-very good but nothing that was outstanding, very difficult to find seating at buffets and slow service at most of the sit down restaurants on board. Still not sure why it's so expensive to consume any soda on board. We brought some of our own when we just wanted a little to avoid the charges. The ship's coffee was not very good and upset my stomach but the specialty coffee, with a charge, was delicious. We had an inside cabin without a coffee maker, next time I would try to get a more expensive room so I can get a coffee maker or bring a small one on board (if possible) to make my own.

Staff and servers were all very pleasant and helpful it just felt like they were all trying to take care of too many passengers which accounted for the slower service. We were always waiting in line for things (not very relaxing for a vacation) like drinks, a table at a restaurant, make purchases, elevators, etc. The pools on deck were nice but almost always crowded as were the hot tubs, we found them easier to access after the sun went down. And many people ignore the 1 hour limit on chairs and would send a family member up to reserve multiple deck chairs with towels as early as 6 am so by 7 it was hard to find any chairs near the pool. This also made it difficult to enjoy the pool side grill as you could get your food but either eat standing up or walk to the very back of the ship to find seats.

This is starting to sound negative so let me go back to the positives which were many: our room was great, very clean, a few signs of age but everything was functioning. Plenty of storage and hangers for clothes. Room steward was outstanding with our requests and quickly attending to it twice a day. He was also friendly and greeted us each day and helped my husband find the room when he would walk past it :) The hallway on 8 was very narrow but manageable. The shower was a good size, had plenty of shampoo and soap and a line for hanging clothes and towels to dry on. The entertainment was fantastic as were the cruise staff activities. We were never bored.

Cabin Review

Inside

Cabin IC

We chose a small inside cabin for just the 2 of us thinking we wouldn't spend a lot of time in it, but we did to avoid the crowds and noise. Everything was great, a little aged (our sink was chipped), and our bed spread had tears in it, but everything functioned. Only wish we had a coffee maker. Our fridge was good though and our steward emptied all the over priced mini bar junk so we could actually use it. Bathroom and shower were great, absolutely served our needs. Beds were very comfortable and I love how dark the inside cabins are so you can sleep very soundly. We would hear music from the Stardust theater below us but shows were done by 10 pm. Only on the last night did we hear the kids next door making noise but not past 11.

Port Reviews

New York (Manhattan)

Parking was a bit pricey ($210) but very convenient so can't complain. Right on top of terminal and easy in and out.

Great Stirrup Cay

The one downside to this port was the tendering process, very time consuming, we couldn't get to the island for two hours. Once there we did enjoy a quick bite to eat and went right to the beach. Found empty chairs quite easily, snorkeled for awhile, never found the "sunken ship items" but lots of fish. Later we went to the straw market, folks were pleasant and not too pushy. Before leaving we explored the rest of the island including the Blue Lagoon-plenty of space there, took a tram back and walked along the canal and spotted a lizard.

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