We had arranged a Meet and Greet in Magenta on Monday, and that turned out very well, with about 40 people attending, and representatives from the ship introducing themselves, as well. We've been on more than 14 cruises, mostly with NCL, but the Gem was the nicest ship we've been on.We had a fantastic cruise on the Gem, and look forward to sailing on it again.
As usual, we enjoyed the freedom and options available to us on NCL. The atmosphere was very upbeat, and everyone was very helpful. We ate at Cagney's one night, and the steaks are great, as are the varied appetizers you can choose. The other nights, we enjoyed Magenta and the Grand Pacific restaurants. We even found the buffet restaurant to be better than those on other ships. We ate breakfast at the Grand Pacific, and Cagney's, and they were excellent. We chose an obstructed oceanview cabin that faced sidewards, and it seemed roomier than the others.
We did private tours of Italy with a group of 8 people from CC, with romeinlimo, and it was great. They always got us back in ample time. We also went on private tours that others from CC had arranged in Malta and Cannes. I don't know the companies, but they were also excellent tours, although we only had a half day for each. So, we recommend the ship and private tours; although we had to get up at 6 AM to leave at 8 AM for each tour, it was well worth it.
The shows and entertainment were varied and we enjoyed them, too. Our favorites were the Andy Buenger Show, the Newlywed Game, the Kwane Remy Show, and the Second City, Improv and Comedy.
Our only criticism was that the chocoholic buffet was poorly organized for crowd control. We spoke to someone about it the next day, and hope that it will be corrected for future cruises. We were also concerned about the long lines waiting for taxis at the pier in Barcelona. In Barcelona, we stayed at the Acta Atrium Palace for 3 nights, and the room, facilities, and staff were excellent. We got a discount by booking well ahead of time.
