Norwegian Gem Review
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Since this was our first cruise we have nothing to compare to and we did not try to economize (hence the suite) as we were celebrating a birthday and anniversary and that's the way we like to travel.
Embarkation -- the first suite perk we experienced was at embarkation. After driving into the city, parking the car (very easy), dropping off the luggage and having brunch in the city with our daughter and son-in-law we got back to the terminal about 12:30. The regular line looked incredibly long, but I have no idea how quickly it moved. Going through the check in line took about 15 minutes then we were delivered to the waiting area to be escorted on board. 15 minutes later we were in Cagney's having lunch, which was also our first experience with the theme of food wherever you turned. During the embarkation phase the crew was extremely friendly, but they definitely knew where they wanted you to go. Freestyling didn't kick in until later.
The concierge Ryan was the person who escorted us to Cagney's and he was great the whole cruise -- reservations, questions, directing us to tenders, etc. I don't think we took full advantage of having a butler and Randito was not assertive at all but any request was taken care of immediately. The entire crew was genuinely friendly and helpful through the whole week. My husband asked a hotel officer a question about the equipment on the forecastle. The officer didn't know the answer but called the bridge to find out. Sinan the cruise director was very high energy and very funny.Our room was ready very shortly after lunch was done so we found our way to the room (slightly surprised they left us to find it on our own rather than being escorted) and enjoyed the view of the city from our balcony/deck. The room had plenty of storage space and was nicely laid out. During the course of the week we didn't hear any of the neighbors, the forward view was delightful, our steward was fabulous, the room temperature controls took the room from warm to cold and back again very easily (which was great for sleeping), the bed was very comfortable and we slept great from the start. There were several electrical outlets so a power strip was not needed. A nightlight was very nice to have and we wished we had brought a small flashlight for checking for lost items in dark places. The balcony was incredible. Since it faced forward there is a bulkhead door that is pretty ugly, but there is also a very nice interior door. Even when we were underway we had the bulkhead door open all day and could sit out on the balcony. Heading south we were moving at about 23 knots and it was very windy standing up, lightly breezy sitting down. When we headed north we were moving at about 15 knots and it was very nice sitting or standing and watching the ocean pass by. We will definitely book a forward room again.
Cabin Review
Penthouse with Large Balcony
Cabin was reasonably roomy with lots of storage space. The room is located forward with a very large balcony that faces forward. There was room for 2 lounge chairs, a small table, a storage bench and 3 chairs with plenty of room to walk around. The view was great! It was very breezy on the way south when we were moving at 23 knots, but the chairs were out of the wind most of the time. It was really nice on the way north when we were going about 15 knots. There is a bulkhead door that was closed at night but it was easy enough to open and go out on the balcony anytime. Being forward it was a hike all the way down the ship to get to the aft locations, but the forward stairs & elevators were pretty close. We would book this cabin again!