I am a middle age,middle income, single mom living in Manhattan. No need to explore the departure city. I brought my 15 yr old daughter and her best friend and I rarely saw them on the ship.

This was my first cruise and I was worried about going after reading some of these reviews (some people are very difficult, I guess!). I have done a lot of traveling in my life from camping and motel 6 to Relais & Chateaux and 3 star Michelin restaurants and this experience was up there!

The rep through NCL was excellent, he did his job really well and was super informative. I think we were on the phone for close to 2 hours (no joke). The embarkation was easy - had to go through what one does for a flight but it went quickly. Once on the Gem, all my worries were a thing of the past. Since this is the first cruise I've been on I cannot compare the ship. I loved it. For me it was the perfect size. I stayed in the "quiet" zones and ate alone a few times and felt very comfortable. You can do your own thing and feel fine while others are howling, having fun and drinking. The food was excellent and I mean excellent. I ate in both dining rooms - my preference was The Magenta - just preferred the decor more. I did not eat in the Asian restaurant (Orchid??) you can get the best Chinese cuisine in Manhattan why bother? I like the "freestyling" from what I've heard other cruises you are assigned tables, it's not like that on the Gem (and I was very happy about that). Service was fine. I brought a couple of bottles of wine to save on that cost and did not feel weird about pulling my bottle out of my bag and on to the table. Somehow I managed to bypass the corkage fee but was willing to pay it. I also just had the "drink of the day" to save on a few $ as this is cheaper. All of them were tasty. Read more