Norwegian Gem Review

NCL Gem

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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TOrjg
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jan 2016
Cabin: Inside

We sailed on the Norwegian Gem out of NYC on January 22, 2016 for 10 days to the Eastern Caribbean. This was our second NCL cruise, our previous cruise was on the Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda. Overall we had a good time on the boat but as others have written the experience was marred by a large group of people who had poor manners that impacted not the experience of others but also the crew who were the recipients of bad behaviour. On our first night we witnessed a group of young men stripping down to their undies and then using the jacuzzi's, which left us understandably feeling queasy. Too often this large group which others have suggested reached 400-500 people simply took over the common areas, including deck chairs and the pools in manner that no one would tolerate in their own home. It was like they had no concern for others or that they had never learned how to behave in public

We always opt for an inside cabin, because we spend so little time inside and are always impressed with the quality of service provided by the ship's crew. Our steward was attentive, working around our schedules and always provided us with anything we needed. Our only issue was that our tv had a sound problem. We also remembered 2 movie stations on the Dawn, while there was only 1 on the Gem.

We availed ourselves of all the complimentary dining options and while we were a little disappointed in the setup for the Garden Cafe in the first couple of days at sea we discovered that the back deck behind the Cafe became our favourite place on the boat. It is hard not compare experiences and while we found the Dawn a smaller boat the layout of the Garden Cafe which had the kitchen down the centre and approaches along both sides allowed for more movement by passengers. On the Gem, which is a larger ship the Garden Cafe seemed smaller making for more congested movement which in turn left frayed tempers among guests and passengers. Others have also mentioned how the menus and items offered seemed more limited in scope, and we found this not only in the Garden Cafe but also in the Grand Pacific and the Magenta. These sit down places offered a more relaxed setting, especially when you had the time to wait, but day to day the menus really didn't change that much. One of our or favourites was the Asian restaurant on deck 7, which had great food, but again only with a fixed menu. We tried O'Callaghan's once for lunch and once for breakfast (breakfast was better) but found again the menu too limited.

Cabin Review

Inside

Port Reviews

New York (Manhattan)

Love the nervous energy of NYC. Walking the city is always an adventure.

San Juan

The ship docks at the base of the old town and it is possible to walk almost everywhere in Old San Juan. We were able to walk from one end of the peninsula to the other discovering a gem of a beach.

St. Thomas

Because we tendered in St.Thomas we spent the day walking through the downtown area. Mostly it is for those interested in shopping. The walk between the town and the new more modern harbour is enjoyable and pleasant.

St. Maarten

Our favourite port for the entire trip. Because of the public transportation offered by the mini buses we were able to explore not only Philipsburg but also Marigot on the French side of the Island. We also made it out to Maho Beach to enjoy the view of planes as they arrived to land on the island airport.

Tortola

The most disappointing of the ports of call, the area around the port has really nothing to offer as it operates more as an administrative port than a destination for tourists. While the port area is being built up, all of this was still under construction when we visited.

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