Norwegian Gem Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,589 reviews

Great Cruise ... But Those Kids

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Gem
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dshefter
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

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Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2016
Cabin: Balcony

My wife and 12-year-old daughter sailed 10 nights on the Norwegian Gem from Jan. 22-Feb. 1. We booked this cruise last February when NCL came out with its promotions, offering either the Ultimate Dining Package, Ultimate Beverage Package, OBC or gratuities paid if you reserved an Oceanview or higher cabin. We had sailed NCL once before in 2008 on the Pearl and had a great experience, so we decided to choose the Gem out of New York City. We live in New Jersey and thought it would be nice to do a cruise where we could drive to the port instead of flying.

The Gem, by the way, is just like the Pearl in terms of its deck plans, although some upgrades have been made, including the addition of Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse.

For starters, this was my 12th cruise and my wife’s 11th. It was the fifth cruise for our daughter. We are not loyal to any particular line, having cruised on Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess and Carnival. All lines have their pros and cons. We look for a great itinerary and value first before choosing the line.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BC

Cabin was small, but we had ample room to store our belongings. Location was great.

Port Reviews

New York (Manhattan)

We live in NJ, so we've been to NYC plenty of times. No need to do an excursion.

San Juan

This was our second time in San Juan in the last couple of years. Went to Marriott Hotel to enjoy Resort for the Day. Would prefer NCL skip this port or only spend a half-day there.

St. Thomas

Catamaran arrived 20 minutes late. Then we had to go pick up passengers from Carnival Sunshine and wait another 40-45 minutes. Never got to see the shipwreck, which was in the itinerary. Crew very friendly aboard the catamaran and the snorkel site near Buck Island was terrific. Saw sea turtles, tropical fish and coral.

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