This was my first time cruising with NCL... I have been on Carnival 2 times.
The Gem was gorgeous and clean. Getting on the ship in New York was easy and our stateroom was available immediately (which was around 12pm). All of the crew members were always super nice and willing to help you. Our room steward was so sweet and introduced herself the first day. She remembered our names for the week, which was nice. The entertainment on board was great, although not as good as Carnival. Sinan, the cruise director was absolutely fabulous!!! He took the vacation to the next level. His humor was fantastic and he really works hard to entertain everyone on board!! The white hot party was super fun and entertaining!
Bermuda was beautiful and relaxing. We hit up all the major beaches and we did a shore excursion one morning. The Rising Son Snorkle and Catamaran. It was really worth the money and in my opinion, it is the best shore excursion you could do. In Bermuda, you can totally navigate the island yourself, with some help from the locals. Do not fall for the traps that NCL sets up for you with the trips to the beaches and stuff. We bough 3 day bus/ferry passes and were set to go!