Norwegian Gem Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,593 reviews

The GOOD & BAD of NYC to Bahamas on the GEM

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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pbnjrockette
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: May 2014

We booked this cruise to celebrate a friend's birthday just ONE week before the ship was to sail! Never have booked last minute before but was able to get a balcony cabin on Deck 10 and our friends an Aft-facing balcony. Nice locations! We had few expectations except to enjoy ourselves and hope for nice weather! We hadn't sailed on NCL in 12 years but had sailed more frequently on RCCL and HAL (as recently as January's Panama Canal cruise). We had heard a lot about "Free-Style" sailing and wanted to see what it was like as well.

I want to say that we DID enjoy our cruise! It was a birthday celebration and we found a way to have fun even though there were a lot of things we did not enjoy on the GEM.

The SHIP

Cabin Review

We were in Room 10530 … A Balcony on the Port side. Close to the elevators but you could never hear any elevator or stair noise. Would describe the room as just "adequate" in size.. with enough storage for a week's "stuff" if you are creative and organized! It was on the small side with little room for 2 people to maneuver (can't imagine how 4 people even 2 adults with 2 children could possibly stay there. Would have liked more drawers and a night stand on the right side of the bed (have to place things on the couch--be careful things can slip between couch and bed). One closet with attached hangers (we bring cheap plastic ones that we can leave behind as they are easier to maneuver and I always need a few extra) Bathrobes are provided.The balcony had 2 deck chairs and a very tiny table. We spent a lot of time on the balcony a really enjoyed having it. The bathroom is another story. VERY small. The shower is adequate but the opening to get into it is barely 18 inches wide. The toilet is placed at an angle making it impossible to sit without your knees touching the sliding door (and I'm only 5'2"!!) That narrow door is also just 18inches. Drying yourself after a shower is impossible with the door closed as there just is no room between the sink and the towel rods on the door. Don't know how anyone who is of a "extra large" frame can easily manage this situation. My husband had a great deal of difficulty with the bathroom and will never book this type of cabin on this ship. The BED…lumpy, too soft…a hard mound in the middle… definitely not something I could have slept on for more than a week! (Have been advised to try a "mini-suite" next time!)The walls are magnetic and this time I brought a small whiteboard with magnetic backing from the dollar store for messages and some large magnetic clips for the "dailies".Hair dryer worked well---there are 2 plug areas --one on each counter for charging.

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