Our Background: A group of 5 consisting of my mother (50's), my boyfriend and myself (late 20's) and my brother and sister who are in their early 20's. None of us have ever cruised before but we all travel 3 or 4 times a year visiting mainly warm destinations (and escaping the cold Canadian winters).

Pre-cruise: Our cruise departed Barcelona on May 11th and we didn't want to worry about flight delays so we left Calgary on May 9th. We flew with British Airways from Calgary to Heathrow and then flew to Barcelona with Iberia. We didn't arrive at our hotel until 11pm May 10th due to some flight delays and lost luggage. We stayed at the Olivia Plaza hotel in Placa Catalunya at both the beginning and end of our trip. This hotel was very modern, clean and comfortable and had the best possible location for heading out to the lively Las Ramblas area. We stayed out exploring and visiting restaurants until 2am that night. We didn't have to be onboard until the late afternoon on May 11th, so we woke up early and headed to the Las Ramblas. We had some of the best pizza we have ever eaten at a restaurant called Nuria at the tip of Las Ramblas. We really enjoyed the markets and cafes and were sad to have to head over to the ship (but still excited of course!).

Embarkation: When we arrived at the port we were shocked at the size of the Gem. Never having been on a cruise before, we knew the ship would be large, but were still overwhelmed at how big she was. We dropped out bags off with the porters/bellboys around 2:30 or 3:00 and then went to look for the Garden Villa line to check in. At this point, the regular check in lines did not look to be that long either. I had some read some stories about 2 or 3 hour waits in line, but this did not seem to be the case. The Garden Villa and Owner Suite line was at the end of the terminal and we were the last of these guests to arrive, so had no wait. The check in took all of 5 minutes before we were whisked to the "VIP lounge" to meet our concierge, Claudio, and to receive our keys. Claudio very quickly made us feel comfortable and introduced us to Putu, our amazingly competent butler. After a 10 minute introduction to the GV perks by Claudio, Putu took us on a quick tour of the Gem's common areas (where all guests received a glass or two of sparkling wine) and then we finally reached our suite. The Garden Villa was exactly what I thought it would be, and was the perfect suite to accommodate a family of 5. The bedrooms were all large enough for their minimal use (we barely slept at all this trip), and the living room, dining room, balconies and sundecks were fantastic. The private hot tub was great, and definitely well used. We don't typically use public pools and hot tubs, so this was a great perk for us. The suite has both an indoor and outdoor dining area (which we used for almost every meal). When we arrived there were a couple of bottles of Champagne chilling on ice, bottles of still and mineral water, and every type of soda. When we asked Putu about our complimentary 6 bottles of liquor, he informed us that this service had been cancelled and only those guests who inquired about it would be receiving this perk, so I am glad I asked. The bottles were in our room by the next morning. I had asked the ship coordinator previously for a blender to be in our room (to make some fun drinks) and it was also there when we arrived. About an hour after arriving on the ship, Claudio tracked down my Aunt and cousin who were also travelling with us, but staying in an outside cabin on a lower floor. They spent most of their time in our room unless they were sleeping. We went and looked at their room and it was TINY. I would have been claustrophobic in a room that small, and don't know if I would be able to cruise in such a small room. Read more