Well the statement "There is no free lunch" applies to the Norweigen Gem. True that cabin prices have come down but extra charges are abound! No more Champagne when you board. No chocolate on the pillow. No more movies in the room(charging 12.95 a film) even Cappuccino has a charge. The big Chocolate feist is barely mentioned and not elaborate at all. The Tex Mex restaurant has a 10.00 each surcharge and the signature dish consists of two small pieces of chicken&Beef(and this is for two) Simply amazing how hard it is to find a salt shaker and packets of salt are at a premium. A fellow passenger showed me their salami sandwich which consisted of a slice of salami cut into 4 and she was given 1/4 of a piece! Amazing! No more big cookies or sandwiches in the Casino in the evening. They have really cut down alot. Its truly a no frills cruise now. This is our 7th Norwegian Cruise. We took the Gem last February also. Sadly the shows were exactly the same. Same improv (Second City) I knew all the skits. Amazing for improv!!!!!!!!!The Chocolate Goddess of Love. Same show. And of course "The Juggler" who could miss that show???????Unless you were into Hypnotist and ventriloquist-NOT!!!!!!The production show were very well done.(3 shows with the same cast). I really think a cruise was a good value BUT the Norwegian Lines are really into nickel&diming the passengers and quite frankly I am tired of it. The best they are offering is leaving from New York in winter and free styling.