Norwegian Gem Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,593 reviews

Norwegian Gem NYC to Bermuda 5/15-5/22 (Very long)

Review for Bermuda Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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kwombough
First Time Cruiser • Age 30s

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Sail Date: May 2011
Cabin: Inside

Overview: I took this cruise as a graduation gift to myself and my mom came along with me. As a first time cruiser I was very excited with nothing to compare my cruise to. My mom's 4Th cruise her fist 3 with RCL. Stateroom: I chose an inside cabin to save money, I thought it was a fine room, they keep the beds apart for me and my mom. The closet was big enough for us two girls and LOTS of hangers for us. Lots of shelves and storage for things. Only thing lacking was drawers. Only three small drawers where we keep our underwear and other things that did not want to world to see. The bathroom was nice size lots of shelves to put things away and shower was a full size with a glass door so very easy to shower in without feeling cramped or shower curtain touching us. If you like to sleep in, inside cabins are the way to go...they are so DARK. We would wake up and have no idea what time it was or what the weather was like outside. If you are person who likes to wake up with the sun then do NOT book a room inside. Our room steward was Roberto and was a nice man but not excellent he. He did give us towel animals the first 3 night and then never again after that, even though I left tips out early so he would know he would be compensated for his extra work. Entrainment: The shows on the ship were EXCELLENT. The singers and dancers were very good and fun to watch, the comedian Dave Heenan was just okay but the Second City group was funny. The best show and a sure not to miss is the Man from Mars. Its a little like Cirque du Soleil with a bit of comedy. Both mom and me loved him. And of course can't miss the final variety show were the staff performs fountains. The cruise director and her staff were just okay. The cruse director Jill was involved and was funny but I would say she was amazing. Her staff was around at the late-night parties and did a good job getting people to participate and dance. Except on the first and last night the where there was a kick-off dance and a farewell dance. Both were a dud. The kickoff dance no dancers showed but the Next Stage band was very good. And the farewell dance was the biggest bust I have ever seen. It was held in two locations, one was COMPLETELY empty so we headed over to the other one where still very little people showed up and the cruise staff were all standing around a table sucking Helium out of the balloons that were up as decorations. We were disappointed and shocked and went to bed. The best party the ship holds is the Hot White Party which was super fun and is a do not miss event. Dinning: My least favorite part of the cruise. The food was almost always bland only found 2 dishes that were better than the rest but they were still nothing to brag about. We ate in the Main Dining rooms for dinner and sometimes lunch and breakfast that were included in the price of the cruise. It seemed that they kept the food sub-par in the dining room so guest would want to eat in the up-charge dinning options. This does not make much sense to me. I am already paying for the food on the ship why should I have to pay again. We did get soo bored of the food that one night and gave up and went to one of the cheapest up-charge restaurants for $10 a person. It was called tequila and was Mexican food. It was better but still nothing to yell about from the rooftops. We were never asked if we wanted to join another table, not that we would have objected to it. It did get boring only having one other table mate, my mom lol. And the service is okay again nothing to really comment on. Since having a different server every night I do not think they try extra hard for extra tips because I would have given it if they did extra work. We did enjoy the anytime seating though never having to worry what time it was or if we had to cut time in Bermuda to make it back to the ship for a dinner reservation. The Dress-up or not night doesn't really work on Norwegian. Me and mom were ALWAYS over dressed for dinner. I understand not having a dress requirement for some of those who do not want to dress up on their vacation but since the two restaurants serve the exact same menu I think one of the dinning rooms should be reserved for those who do want to dress up for dinner. And not have a mix of people in dresses and other in jeans. There were 2 "formal night" and again the majority of people did not dress up and those who did ended up in the up-charged restaurants. Overall: It was a good cruise and I had a lot of fun but I think I will try another cruise line and see if I like it more. Also unsure if I would sail to Bermuda again. The island was incredible but it takes 2.5 days to get there and only 1 day to return. I wish we would get there a little faster. Bermuda: It was fabulous, it was my first time out of the country and I absolutely loved the country. The people are SOOOO nice and friendly they do not hassle you to buy anything random people say hi to you. Day 1: The weather was a little cloudy so the beach really wasn't an option. So we signed up for a Segway tour that took us around historic British Naval Dockyard and 4-5 miles up the road to see other sites. Eugene was an excellent tour guide. He explained everything very well and pointed out plants for us to smell and taste and explained what different plants that could be natural remedies. Highly recommend tour for anyone. After going back to the ship for lunch we bought our 3day bus/ferry pass and jump on the #7 bus and took it over the smallest draw bridge, we got off at the Gibson Light house and climbed to the top where we had a fantastic view of the island. Then got back on another bus which took us past horseshoe bay and into Hamilton. From Hamiliton we took the ferry back to Dockyard for dinner. Since it was Wednesday after dinner we went back to Hamilton on the ferry for Harbour nights where there is food, shops and stand open and sealing things. Day 2: We started of with an excursion booked through the ship called, Famous Homes and Hideaways. Mom really wanted to do this one but I found it boring. One of the guys who worked on the boat was cute though and kept me company during the 2 hour tour, also got the most delicious rum swizzle on the boat. After lunch we headed over to horseshoe bay where we enjoyed the beaches pink sand. The water was beautiful and warm, (I only put my toes in since I was scared of the jellyfish). I did see jellyfish up on the beach and I heard others got stung. We headed back to dockyard and enjoyed the night on the ship. Day 3: The morning was JET SKIING. It was a blast and might be one of the more scary things that I have every done. It was a guided tour by a very cute local named Josh. Since there coral reefs are so abundant in Bermuda you have to go out with a tour guide so you do not bottom out and can avoid the reefs. It is called a high-speed tour and the minimum speed you go out in open waters ins 35 miles an hour but most of time we were about 50 miles an hour. It was fun and very scary. lol Josh took us to see a ship wreck and then to a private beach where we could get off and swim in the warm water. The plan was to go to crystal caves after lunch but we decided against not knowing if we had enough time to get there and back before we need to be on the ship at 430 for sail away. So we went enjoyed the sun on the empty, quiet pool deck. I absolutely plan on going back to the beautiful island of Bermuda.

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