Booked this cruise in late December as a last minute winter getaway. With gratuities, port charges and the Ultimate Beverage Package we spent $1900.00 for two people. We had never sailed Norwegian before (Celebrity, RCL, Holland America) and for a bargain basement fare we kept our expectations low and figured we could at least get out of the New England cold for several days.

We return from this cruise pleasantly surprised to say the least!

Ship - Loved the ship ! This is our favorite size ship to cruise on...not mini, not mega. Gem looks like it came out of drydock refurbishment last week. Everything looks and feels new. We were consistently impressed with the ongoing maintenance in every ship area. When we disembarked in San Juan, we jokingly remarked that there were rust stains on the anchor chute. When we returned a little while later, there were two men on a lift painting that area. The next day, we watched as they scraped, primed and repainted the bow art. This attention to detail is evident throughout the ship. After the first day, the ship is relatively easy to navigate with 3 elevator banks and plenty of ship's maps posted. Hallways and staircases are wide enough to accommodate crowds. Nice pool deck with loads of sun deck privacy/quiet areas even on sea days. NCL was pretty good about not allowing chair hogs and I saw the adults only pool/hot tub rules enforced more than a few times. Read more