We are frequent cruisers (this was #8) and embarked on the Norwegian Gem to the Bahamas on April 12, 2008. We were travelling with two small children (under 3), my parents, my brother, SIL and niece and my brother's ILs. Because of the kids (one of whom is a horrible sleeper), we booked an AB penthouse so that we would have room for everyone to sleep in separate areas. We knew from the description of the cabin that it would be spacious and entitled us to certain "VIP" perks, but we had no idea how indispensable those perks would prove to be, especially when travelling with small children.

Embarkation: We drove to the pier and found ample parking available, even with the QE2 in dock that same day. VIP passengers (generally, those who book a Garden Villa, Courtyard Villa, Owner's Suite or Penthouse) have a separate line where you are ushered past the longer line of general guests. We didn't have to wait at all and were promptly given our room cards (pink ones) and escorted into the VIP waiting area where refreshments were served. Lisa, the Concierge, met us at the line and was very kind and informative. She was an excellent resource throughout the week. We were delayed in boarding due to the prior cruise's late return to the pier, but once we got on the boat, we received the standard glass of champagne and the card instructing everyone to go to either the Garden Buffet or the Grand Pacific dining room. After reading some posts on CC, we decided to head up to Cagney's for the VIP lunch. Perfect!!!! No-one was there and we were able to dine with our family and let the kids run around a bit. It was a little slow service that day. Cabin: Wow. The AB penthouses are impressive for ship accommodations! You enter the room into a foyer. To the left is the children's bedroom. Not that large, but has a tv a pull-out couch and a Pullman bed. With the couch closed, it can also fit a crib with the Pullman down. The one thing we didn't like about the children's bedroom was that, if you closed to door, you needed your keycard to open it. It was never a problem, but I kept envisioning the kids locking themselves in and our cards were inside. Of course, we NEVER put our keycards in there. Beyond the children's bedroom is a doorway (also lockable with a keycard—we never closed this door) which leads to the main sitting area. There is a bar area with a cappuccino/espresso machine, glassware and a portable phone. This phone worked throughout the ship and, therefore, if you carry it with you, your party can call you from any phone on the ship and it would ring to you. Next to the bar was a small dining room table and 4 chairs. The room also had a flatscreen tv, a couch and two chairs. Off this room was the standard sized balcony. The televisions in the main room and the master bedroom had dvd players and VIP guests have access to free "movie rentals"—a selection of 100 movies. Off to the left of the main room is a sliding doorway that leads to the "Master Suite". To the left is the master bedroom—just a queen-sized bed and sidetables with curtains to separate the room. To the right is the bathroom. Our tub had a TV over it and a view of the ocean. There were double sinks, as well. I had thought it was supposed to be a whirlpool tub, but it was not. Still, it was big enough to sit in while bathing the children, so that was nice. The toilet is behind a glass door (not very private, especially if you have guests in the sitting area and your kids keep opening the sliding door!!!) The most impressive part of the whole suite was the shower. It had a rainforest shower head, a detachable handheld sprayer and six body jets! Plus, the pretty long shower had a floor to ceiling window overlooking the ocean (or the ports—but it also had a shade for those port days). The shower was fantastic. We all miss it.

Concierge/Butler: Lisa, the Concierge, was very helpful. She made all of our dinner reservations for us so we never had to wait on line. She was able to do them for the whole week (and not only 48 hrs in advance, as was the case on our last NCL cruise when we were not VIPs). Additionally, we were able to make some at the last minute and never had a problem with availability. Lisa was also helpful in securing priority debarkation on port days. We saw her every morning at Cagney's for breakfast (another VIP perk) and she always had helpful information. Maxi was out butler and he definitely had a big hand in making our vacation special. On the first day, he came by and introduced himself and asked if there was anything we needed. He got our crib and, per our request, made sure that our mini-fridge always had at least 5 cartons of whole milk for the baby. He also brought appetizers and chocolates to the room each night. Additionally, we were able to select a variety of fruits for our room's fruit basket and he refilled them frequently throughout the cruise. The kids loved having the fruit in the room. Additionally, there were a few occasions when we had to leave dinner due to the kids being unruly and tired. On these occasions, the restaurants offered to have our meals delivered to our room for us (I don't' know if this is customary, or part of the VIP treatment, but either way, nice touch). Entertainment: I didn't get to go out much due to my kids' early bedtime (7pm), but the comedian on the second night (Ross Bennett) was pretty funny. I also saw the magician (Duck Cameron). His show was entertaining, but most of his tricks have been done before. I believe he said that was his last night on the cruise. Read more