My wife and I headed off to Venice on June 10th for our seventh cruise, and our third on NCL (07 Pearl Alaska and 08 Gem Barcelona). We enjoyed both of those on NCL so much we opted for another go on the Gem. To make a long story short, it's our opinion that any bugs we read about with this new itinerary have been worked out. The crew was fantastic, always smiling and helpful. Embarkation and debarkation was very easy. Here is a synopsis on hints and thoughts of the best ways to enjoy this trip.

Roll Call Join the Roll Call! You'll meet instant friends; have people to talk to on the ship, plan excursions and fun activities. We had a very active roll call on this trip, and many thanks to all those wonderful people. We had both informal and formal Meet and Greets. Plus you get to meet the ship's officers, who let you know how to contact them if you have problems or need assistance.

Fly in the day before We flew into Venice Friday morning, which worked out great as my luggage never made the connecting flight. So had a fitful day wondering how the next 10 days would go wearing the same outfit. Luckily it arrived on Saturday morning, but still entailed another trip to the airport and the hassles associated with that. If you fly US Airways, make sure you have a good cell phone and their US Lost Luggage number. Read more