Second time in 3 years on the Norwegian Gem. The first trip was wonderful despite the rough waters. But a lot has changed. My last cruise was on the Celebrity Summit to Bermuda which is hands down my favorite cruise since 2002 regarding the customer service and all of the available amenities. This time around - sailing from NY is a bonus due to not having to fly and being on your vacation within hours of waking up. I had an Aft Facing Mini Suite - the view is beautiful. If I ever cruise again (not on Norwegian), I will be sure to purchase the aft facing balcony. Overall, since the prepaid gratuities have been implemented, the majority of the staff is not as friendly as they used to be. There were a handful of staff members that we greatly appreciated coming into contact with because of the lack of customer service on the ship.

The Grand Pacific dining room is a beautiful dining option - but we stopped going there due to the unfriendly and rushed service. It was also freezing there for breakfast and dinner - the guests were covering with their napkins. We chose to go to Magenta Dining Room where it was night and day. The friendliness and helpfulness of the entire dining room was very impressive. Hats off to Mr. Leslie and his staff.

Traveling with a child - the convenience of being on vacation and having an option to order room service but now being charged for it was very disappointing. Had I known this charge existed, I would not have booked this cruise. They say continental breakfast is free but the options were limited - not even an option for cereal. Only coffee, tea and juice were free of the convenience charge. If my son wanted a chicken noodle soup - $7.95 each time? On top of that, we can no longer take the service charges off of our bill and give tips to the people that actually went above and beyond. I understand all of the cruise lines implement this and for all my years of cruising I have always given my gratuities in envelopes to who it was advised for and more. Now, we do not have a choice but to be charged and fax in a refund request after the cruise. Overall, gratuities are to be given .. not taken. But of course, in international waters, we do not have any rights other than those of the cruise ship. On top of that, as guests that save money and take time off for a family vacation, to be hit with charges in every corner of your vacation on top of what you already spent to get there, is ridiculous. Read more