I went on the Norwegian gem from May 10-17th and had a great time! We had a Penthouse with Large Balcony & priority embarkation/disembarkation. This was my first time with Norwegian.

Embarkation - We had Priority check in, which I strongly recommend if you can swing it. When we arrived by our town car to the port, we went through security & went to the priority check in line a little before 11. After we checked in, we were escorted to the priority lounge, which had some snacks & things. This is where we were introduced to our concierge & read our first Freestyle Daily newsletter so we knew what was to be expected. We were also given a special invitation to eat at Cagney's (the steakhouse on board) for lunch that day. We were on the ship by 11:30 then had lunch & ate steak & shrimp at Cagney's around 11:45. What a great way to start the trip!

Penthouse - Our room was AMAZING! I strongly recommend getting a Penthouse with Large Balcony if you can! The room was about the size of a standard hotel room, which for a cruise is very large. The tv was a decent size, there was a bed, a couch & a small table in the corner right by the windows by the balcony. Our balcony was large enough for two chairs, two small tables & two chaise lounges. Loved it! The bathroom was also larger than the previous room we had. It had a full tub & a separate space for the toilet. There was also a vanity outside of the bathroom (blowdryer included) and mirrored closet. The mini bar came stocked as well. Read more