Norwegian Gem Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was my second cruise in three months and my first in December was on the Jade the sister ship to the Gem. Positives included Lily my room steward and the drink package. Suggestion if you would like good service. Tip a little bit. Not all the time but get to know one bartender and give them a ten or twenty. This goes a long way when there is bunch of people waiting for service. There are less waiters around taking drink orders so this is a way to get better service.
Entertainment was generally good. The comedian was not to my taste and compared to the Jade comedian I was very turned off right from the get go. The first night in the Stardusk they introduced the acts with a small set for each. Corey the comedian turned me off so badly that I did not go to her shows. Embarkation and Dis Embarkation were good. Unfortunately the ship did not arrive on time because of weather but once boarding began it was very smooth. Self assist Disembarkation took literally five minutes.
Now what needs to be improved. Dining room service was really bad. Several times waited for 15 minutes to get water and rolls. Drink service was very spotty and once did not get my drink until desert was served. The service on the jade was the same but I chalked that up to what I was told was a large staff turn over several weeks earlier. That was an excuse. NCL needs to increase service personal significantly very soon or it will affect them badly.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Balcony
Lily did a great job.
Port Reviews
San Juan
There is not a lot to do in San Juan without spending a lot of money. We did the Fort which was OK. We walked back to the Ship and found a free trolley service. Took that and on the second fort stop found a vendor selling Kites. My son had a blast. Seven Bucks for three hours not bad
St. Thomas
Expected the beach and snorkeling to be way better. It is a nice ride out but only at St. Johns for an hour. Food on the way back was very limited and the boat was too crowded. Not worth the money
St. Maarten
Went to the Airport Beach. This was very cool and when the signs say stay away from the jet blast they mean it. The first jet that took off surprised everyone in the Jet wash. A lot of stuff was blown into the ocean and people that got caught in it said it hurt and felt like getting sand blasted. Only negatives were very expensive drinks and was very crowded.
Tortola
We went to the baths. Very cool place. If you go into the caves which most people do it is a hike and be carful if you are way out of shape or old. This is not an easy hike. Also bring your stuff with you or bring some change and rent a locker.