Just stepped off the gorgeous Norwegian Gem yesterday, and the only way to numb the disappointment of returning to land (and the brutal Midwestern winter) is to relive the memories through a review! :)
Fair warning: I tend to get into great detail, but hopefully it will help you plan your cruise the way other people's reviews have helped me! For those of you who just want the bottom line, this is it: The Gem is the most beautiful ship we've ever been on, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The ambience was spectacular, the food was great, and it was an all-around amazing vacation. The only area where NCL seemed to fall short is service, which I will get into more later.
BACKGROUND A little background, to let you know where I'm coming from. I'm a 28-year-old newspaper reporter from Michigan. This was my fifth cruise with my husband. We're truly addicted; we've cruised every year since we met. We got engaged on a ship in 2005 and took our honeymoon on a ship in 2006. In our opinion, you can't get a better vacation for your money. Our previous cruises have been on Caribbean Princess, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Miracle, and Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas; this was our first NCL cruise. I do not like to fly, so we book cruises out of the East Coast and drive there from Michigan (approximately 10 hours) when possible.
Smaller than on some other lines, but very efficiently laid out. Nice, large window. Plenty of drawer/closet space. Bathroom is nice because it has separate doors for the toilet and shower areas, with the vanity/sink in between. Cabin is perfectly situated between forward and midship elevators.