Embarkation: We arrived at the port of NY at 12 pm. Check in went smoothly and we were ushered into the suite passengers waiting area. At 12:45 we were escorted to our cabin by our Butler Jose. Although our cabins were not ready, we were able to leave our carry on bags and head off to lunch in Cagney's.

Cabin: We were in a Penthouse Suite (11512) on deck 11 forward right by the elevators. The cabin was very spacious and the bathroom was incredible. Double sink, bathtub with TV and window, separate shower with window as well. Since there were only two of us, my hubby used the second bedroom as his closet and dressing area. The second bathroom and shower was also a plus. Due to the strong breezes, we were rarely able to use the balcony while at sea. There are DVD players in the bedroom and living room, and they did have a DVD library, although most of the videos were old. Coffee machine used pods for both tea and coffee, which was not as good as the fresh bean machine we had on the Jade, but did the trick. It did break down during the week and it took a day to get it fixed

Ship: The Gem was just that. A beautiful and well kept ship, the crew was always cleaning and performing routine maintenance Read more