We chose the NCL Gem Canadian-NE cruise from NY due to tropical storm activity in the Gulf and Atlantic. After booking, TS Hermine developed and eventually looked that it could impact us in NE and the Noth Atlantic..Fortunately the storm did not overly effect us although we did experiece 11 foot waves sailing from Halifax to St. John...It made for an interesting evening but wasn't awful. We had been on one other NCL cruise in Hawaii years ago and were familiar with freestyle dining etc which we both enjoy. The relaxed nature of NCL is appealing as is the lack of constant drink and photography offers that so many lines provide. Embarkation was very smooth. We arrived at the pier at 10 and boarded just after 11:30. Our stateroom was available around 1:30- 2:00 which was nice. Our balcony room in the far aft section was small but quite comfortable and the bathroom a little more spacious than expected. Gem is a very nice ship though not as ornate as many ships we have been on. Staff was exceptional during our week. Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our time but we did wish there were more onboard shopping options. Additionally the ships layout does seem to impact poolside deck space and the inclusion of only 4 hot-tubs. Regardless we did avail of the 2 main dining rooms which were fine and The Orchid Garden there Chinese dining option. The Orchid Garden was exceptional. We were very impressed with the buffet and Great Outdoors seating area. The entertainment available all week seemed a cut above other cruises we have been on. Cynthia MacLeod a Canadian violinist was exceptional and we very much enjoyed listening to her throughout the week. Our first port was at Halifax where we enjoyed the Harborwalk and later excursion to Peggy's Cove. At our next stop we took a rather long 6 1/2 tour but saw a great deal of the St. John area and St. Martins where we had some outstanding Seafood Chowder. In Portland the weather was foggy and rainy until late afternoon but we were able to wander around Old Portland. Our voyage exiting Casco Bay was exciting as the ship got quite close to Portland Head Light. On our final stop in Newport we had to anchor and tender through the very large port with a great many anchored sailing vessels. I have never cared much for tendering but this is the situation in Newport. We came back on ship early afternoon on a very warm day to take advantage of the pool. Debarkation seemed a bit slow but we were still in our car which we had parked on the pier on on our way home by 10:30.

Overall our experience with the cruise was very good and highly recommended. This was our first cruise from NY which was nice since we only live a little over 2 hours to the south.