INTRODUCTION: While it is true that there's alot of hawking going on on this ship, aside from that, I thought everything was great! Yes, the pool deck can be very crowded and yes, the two main dining rooms can get backed up if you dine between 7 and 8:30pm, but overall, everything was smooth and the staff was almost uniformly friendly and happy. My two sons (10 & 13) said it was one of the best vacations they ever had. If you prefer the more traditional and old fashioned "elegant" style cruising, the Gem is probably not for you. But if you like lots of action, activities and options, its a blast! My sons played basketball, dodgeball, shuffle board, climbed the rock climbing wall and bowled, among other things. Also, if you like to "party," you should like this ship as the younger crowd seemed to really be living it up. ENETRTAINMENT: Overall, we thought the entertainment was very good. We liked the comedian Jeff Harms, as well as the Second City show and the Man from Mars production. We loved the comedy hypnotist Tim Triplett. My kids thought his show was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I also went to his late night "adult only show" by myself and thought it was hysterically funny, although it was rather crude and perhaps a bit too racy for some. There was always something going on somewhere and they try to offer something for all age groups. And yes, Bingo is very heavily promoted, but as I've never played, I can't comment on it.FOOD: Although the food may not win any Michelin stars, overall, I thought it was good. I had some very good meals and none that I thought were bad. The buffet was good and I could always find fresh chicken or fish when I wanted to avoid the more caloric offerings. There was also plenty of fresh fruit. I thought the menu offerings in Magenta and Grand Pacific were interesting and I had several appetizers that were superb, even by NYC restaurant standards (I grew up in the city and have been to dozens of the city's "best" restaurants over the past 40 years). We only went to one speciality restaurant and had Sushi and it was "okay" -- not bad, but not great. But my Sushi expecations are pretty high as my idea of really "fresh" fish is eating the tuna I caught earlier that day.SHIP: The Gem is a very colorful, happy and vibrant vessel! The main Dining Room - "Grand Pacific" - is a gorgeous room. If you can snag a table by the rear windows, the view is terrific. While our cabin was a tad tight, the layout is very functional. So despite the close quarters, we were comfortable. The bathroom is also well designed. I found the ship pretty easy to navigate. Its easiest to maneuver from the bow to the stern using the outside walkways on Decks 7 or 13 then on the inside decks where most of the cabins are (8 to 11) which can be a bit of a maze. I do get annoyed when seemingly able bodied people use an elevator for just one floor. It's no wonder America has an obesity epidemic! The theater is large, pretty and functional. Our only complaints were that the pool deck and pools are rather small for the number of people using them and the water slide is TOTALLY lame. My 13 year old did it once and judged it a waste of his time; my ten year old found it worthwhile only if he dove in head first (which is not permitted), but I let him do so after assuring myself, by doing it myself, there was no way he could injure himself.BERMUDA: We did not do any "shore excursions" because they all seemed overpriced, too short and most importantly, because I like to be in control of my own schedule. We bought 3 day bus/ferry passes and that made the question of how to get around easy. If I was just with my wife, we would have rented scooters. We went to Horseshoe Bay on Day 1 by bus (about a 35 to 40 min. ride) Hamilton by ferry on Day 2 in the AM (about 30 mins), then from there to Horseshoe Bay again by bus (about a 20 min. ride) and to Warwick Long Bay on Day 3 (about a 45 min ride). If you like to snorkel, BRING your own equipment!!! We didn't (even though I have multiple sets) and it was a mistake. But even with just their swim goggles, my sons saw PLENTY of fish at both beaches -- especially Parrot Fish which are large, colorful, plentiful and not at all shy! The far end of Horseshoe (all the way to the left when you're facing the beach) is gorgeous; one of the nicest spots Ive ever seen, and Ive been to dozens of famous beaches. At Warwick, just to the right, is Jobson's Cove, a great spot for younger kids. Also, the rocky cliff between Warwick and Jobson's Cove offers an IDEAL vista for picture taking. While there may be other things to see in Bermuda, I am a beach and water lover, so I was content to spend four hours in Hamilton and the rest of our time at the beaches. The snack stand at Horseshoe is near the entry point, far away from the really "nice" part of the beach. If you have a good insulated cooler bag, bring it with you, fill up water bottles on the ship, leave them in your room fridge overnight to cool, and take them with you to the beach. We did and they were still chilled 6 hours later. The last two hours of Day 3 we spent looking around Kings Wharf and frankly, there's not much to see and the shops are absurdly overpriced.SUMMARY: All in all, it was a great, fun trip with the many positives FAR outweighing any negatives. On the last night of our cruise, which was a gorgeous evening, there were Dolphins (common Dolphins I think) chasing along side the ship for a good five minutes and my sons got the biggest kick out of that!I am really surprised by the number of negative reviews. In my estimation, if you can't have a good time on the Gem, you may already have one foot in the grave! The ship was fully occupied on our trip (over 2500 passengers) and yet, for the most part, it never seemed super crowded - other than on the pool deck. We booked the trip VERY late and paid top dollar ($1000 more than if we had booked a month earlier) and it was still worth it!I would highly recommend the ship and this particular itinerary to my friends and my family. I was on a Royal Carribean cruise 18 years ago that stopped in three ports (from about 8am to 5pm) and I found that to be a grind; far too rushed for my tastes.