Norwegian Gem Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,589 reviews

Great experience

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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deb5217
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Apr 2008
Cabin: Inside
Traveled with children

We were a party of 9, 4 adults 59,58 42,37 and 5 children 10-16. The cruise was a gift from our children and the children are our grandchildren.Myself, husband and grandchildren were first time cruisers. Embarkation: We took a Yankee Trails bus to NYC and enjoyed not having to drive in the city. The terminal wait was a nice people watching time and our excitement grew as we waited for our number to be called. The first sight of the ship took my breath away. It looks big in pictures but I had no idea how big she was! We got on the ship quickly, had champagne and then lunch at the Garden buffet. Again we were all overwhelmed by the ship. Our room, an inside room was small but fine for hubby and me. The room stewart service was great. We discovered our remote to the tv did not change the channels so we found Bella and she tried 4 other remotes that didn't work wither. We told her it was no big deal, we were on a cruise, not there to watch tv. We had dinner in the Garden Cafe and came back to our room to find flowers had been delivered. We questioned what they were for and told they were for us from the ship. Not sure if it was because they didn't have a working remote or the CC sign on the door! Either way it was a nice touch. The room: It was small, but we spent so little time in there it was fine. The bed was extremely comfortable. I have a bad back and I didn't wake up one morning with a back ache so I was a happy camper. I have to fine out what linens they use. I want some! Food: with 5 kids in our group, we promised them they didn't have to dress up much so we had most meals in the Garden buffet. The food was wonderful. We all enjoyed it and I can't imagine wanting to use a pay restaurant with the choices you have at the buffet. The only fault I found at the buffet was not the services or the food but the waste from the passengers! Trying something new, take a small portion, there is always more you can get. Don't take a half a plate then not eat it. The other fault I found was the chocolate buffet. I wish they had done a walk through so we could have taken pictures of all the beautiful displays. I work in the food industry and I don't think some of the people realize the time involved in just setting up all those displays. At one point I felt like I was at mall at 5am on black Friday.. The chefs did a great job and I hope more than just my husband and I thanked them for their hard work. We had one dinner at the Magenta. Very good food and great service, our waitress was a doll and really catered to the kids and made their "dress up" night more enjoyable. Our second "dress-up" night was in the Grand Pacific. Food was good, service not so, but we were 9 of 2400 passengers. We ate, left and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Not a big deal. Kids programs. Our kids decided not to go to any of the activities. With 5 of them they entertained themselves. Florida: The kids went to Cocoa Beach and hubby and I had planned on staying on the ship. We had a surprise when my aunt that lives in florida came to visit us and had a nice lunch with her Nassau: Two different worlds!! Went to the straw market, I've never been to anything like that. It was an experience and the kids were a bit leery of that part of the island. Now Atlantis was a different story. We did the aquarium on our own and had the most enjoyable day. The weather was perfect and we had a great family outing.The water taxi ride was actually fun Freeport: another shopping day, not sure if I would want to go back there or not.The boys went snorkeling and loved it until a very large fish got too close! Entertainment: The shows we saw were fun. Ross was a riot, even the kids loved him. The crew show was great and the 70's show and Colors was very enjoyable. Spa, Hubby, myself, 15 yr old granddaughter and sons fiance did the spa. Very nice. I really like the massage. I've never had one so this trip had many first for me. Prices: I thought the pictures were a bit pricey, but we did get a very nice family picture so i was happy.

Our meet & greet was nice. I just wished I could have gotten to see more of everyone after our meeting. We had good intentions of going to some of the late night activities but I guess we are just getting old! Maybe next cruise.

The rough seas I could have done without but I think that was totally out of the hands of Norwegian!

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