Every time I write a cruise review, I swear I'm going to keep it brief. Maybe this will be the first time I actually succeed.

As background, this was our fifth NCL cruise in a row, and our ninth cruise overall; we've also sailed on Carnival (twice), Royal Caribbean and Princess. My husband and I are in our early 30s, no kids, total cruise addicts. This was our second time on the Norwegian Gem, after sailing on her in March 2009.

As with every cruise review, I should start off by saying that I do make critiques about things that went awry or could have been done better, but these little things never ruin a vacation for us. This cruise, and all of our others, have been wonderful. It's just a habit to compare, it seems, and I'm skeptical of any review that's either completely dissatisfied or all sunshine and rainbows. There is good and bad on any cruise, but any day on a ship is better than a day at work! Read more