Norwegian Gem Review
4.0 / 5.0
jennyct10
10+ Cruises • Age 60s
Rating by category
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Additional details
Sail Date: Mar 2016
Cabin: Family Penthouse with Balcony
Traveled with children
Lately, we prefer paying for the Haven 2 bedroom, especially because we have 3 teens and we dislike fighting for deck chairs (the Haven has its own deck and pool). Plus we don't have to deal with the crazy overstuffed hot tubs.
For this trip, we got a very good deal for ten days, so I had no qualms about booking it. One negative is leaving from NYC. Sometimes we go from Boston, and I find it to be less frustrating getting through check-in. We have foreign family members and NYC TSA agents retained us for more than an hour over paperwork - whereas Boston let us on within minutes with the same papers. We paid for priority embarkation, only to be left standing, waiting for approval. Thankfully, they allowed us to board after all the other passengers had embarked.
First thing we did was get something to eat before Cagney's closed, since we hadn't eaten all day.
Cabin Review
Family Penthouse with Balcony
The room, a 2 bedroom family suite, was beautiful. I found this to be exactly like the NCL Dawn layout, only the Gem was refurbished with new carpeting and linens in October of 2015. It is beautifully laid out with a jet tub and glass shower overlooking the ocean. The sleeping area is very large, while the children's area is much smaller, yet very practical with 2 bunks - a full and a twin. The sitting area contains a table with four chairs and a sofa, as well as a coffee pod machine and a refrigerator.
Port Reviews
St. Thomas
Cruise sponsored beach transportation - wonderful snorkeling Coki beach.
St. Thomas
Very patient and generous with his time. Toured island.
Tortola
Nice beach but no snorkeling and not much time for anything else. Ride circling mountain was very scary.
San Juan
Wonderful excursion, great food and nice people. Not good for people with walking difficulty and intolerance to heat.
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