We needed a winter getaway and love the flexibility of driving to NY so we chose the GEM with her Florida/Bahamas itinerary as our winter escape.

Embarkation: We have done 2 other trips out of NYC, once on the Dawn and once on the Spirit we were prepared for the chaotic check in that we had previously experienced and was delighted to find the check in lines almost non existent ( we arrived around 11:15 am) after checking in we were directed to the waiting area and was told that we should begin boarding at around 12:15. Boarding was right on time and we were greeted with very enthusiastic welcomes and was offered champagne. Our first stop was to go have some lunch so we headed to the main dining room and had our first of many great meals. Rating 10

Cabin: We were in a BB Cabin and found the size to be perfect for 2. Having the nice floor to ceiling glass made the room feel larger. The closet, drawers and storage shelves were plenty adequate to unpack all our outfits with room to spare. The bathrooms are nice as they are separated with glass doors so one can shower and the other can still use the sink or toilet area. The upgraded bedding as part of 2.0 was a 5 star experience, we both slept in almost every morning and found the bed itself to be more comfy than home. Our stewards kept our room spotless and 4 of the seven nights we had the traditional towel animals to greet us. We did get 4 cookies one night which I think was part of the Gold latitudes perks. Rating 10 Read more