Just returned from our first ever cruise on board NCL's Norwegian Gem (Barcelona 23 August 09). Initially we were worried by some of the negative reviews we had read on this site but are glad we were persuaded by the good ones which we used to good effect to learn and plan our trip. Let me say at this point that our budget did not allow for top suites or private tours so I believe this review might be helpful to the majority of people considering this cruise. I won't give a day by day account of our holiday here but will try to give an over view of each relevant area. For more daily detail please see our port review. We are a 59/60 British couple travelling without children. EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION - A pretty slick operation all round with minimum delays. When you think that each Sunday the ship has to debark some 2500 passengers and embark the same number in the space of just a few hours whilst making everyone feel unhurried and welcome, respectively, this is quite an accomplishment. CABIN - Yes, if you've got the cash then go for it, butler and all, but if like us you have to settle for a little less then you couldn't do better than a balcony stateroom. We chose 9548, a BB class cabin fairly well forward on the port side. Our first impressions were very good. There was more than ample storage space and our empty cases stored easily under the bed, which was large and very comfortable. The lovely little bathroom was well laid out, with lots of hot water and good pressure to the shower. One could be picky and find dust in high up places but overall cleanliness was good. Whilst not huge, the balcony was more than adequate for two people and was the one thing I would not be without on any future cruise. A great asset. Even on the tightest budget try to avoid a cabin on deck 4. At most ports of call passengers leave and arrive via this deck and it becomes very crowded and noisy. DINING - A really hot topic this one, with extra cover charges applied to more than half of the dining options. We ate at the speciality restaurants on four evenings, buffet style Garden Cafe once, and the ship's two main dining rooms once each. If you are travelling with children the chances are you will be driven more towards the buffet and fast food areas and as you can imagine they are somewhat crowded and not a fine dining experience. We found La Cucina and Orchid Garden to be fine but nothing to exactly rave about. Le Bistro was excellent and we used it to celebrate my wife's birthday. We had to try Cagneys for our last evening because of it's reputation. We are at an age where the dining experince is a large part of our overall cruise experience, but everyone's view will be different. For us, we both felt that our best of the week was actually at the Grand Pacific main dining room, one of the included restaurants. For me the least enjoyable experience was at the most expensive, Cagneys. Just goes to show that throwing money at something does not neccessarily make it any better. Overall though, we felt we ate well. My tip for people wanting to use Grand Pacific or Magenta restaurants would be to dine early if possible as queues form later. ENTERTAINMENT - Any notion we might have had that cruising was done by mainly 'older' people was repidly dispelled. This ship is geared towards and attracts the young in large numbers. Lass than 10 minutes of exploring the ship told us that the pool deck was not for us with its crowds, loud music and constant microphone announcements. Likewise we felt that the Bliss Nightclub and Spinnaker Lounge were also areas our age group should best avoid. But there is space on the ship for everyone and we found the Deck 6 Bar & Lounge areas to be just right for a quieter evening. We were impressed too, by the shows put on in the Stardust Theatre which we found to be very professional and gloriously colourful. Not being gamblers we felt no need to visit the large casino, and anyway its one of the very few areas on board to smell strongly of tobacco smoke. SHORE EXCURSIONS - Potentially a very large part of the budget if you throw yourself at the mercy of NCL. Do your homework and you can do it all for a fraction of what they charge. We left the ship at all ports but only twice with NCL. In Malta you can just walk off the ship and find taxi tours at reasonable cost right outside the terminal or just walk up into Valletta although it is quite a steep climb. In Italy we did each day by train from the ports to Pompeii, Rome and Florence/Pisa. We found every train to run perfectly to time and of course to be wonderfully inexpensive, if a little basic. I could go on forever but all it boils down to is prior research. The information you need is all out there. With great sites like this one and europeanportreviews.com there is no need to be apprehensive about tackling touring yourself. You will see just as much as organised tour members and probably have even more time to enjoy the sights. At the end of the day you can feel so good about what you didn't spend that you can enjoy an extra cocktail before splashing out on the French restaurant. When you talk to other guests you will automatically gain a certain kudos from being an independent traveller. At Cannes we took an NCL tour to Monaco and the village of Eze because it is a short port stop and the French rail system is so notoriously unreliable. At Barcelona following debarkation we had a 5.30pm flight so used the City Highlights tour with transfer to kill some time and it was well worth it. SUMMING UP - To the few poeple we shared taxi and train journeys with we would like to say Hi and thanks for your company and sharing your knowledge with us, especially to Alex and Cheryl (Mathmos cat), whose company we enjoyed very much. Hope everyone had a safe trip home. Would we use NCL again? Well maybe. I think we would be better suited to a more traditional and preferrably adults only environment but if the itinerary was what we wanted then we could be tempted out of school holiday periods for as I said earlier the ship is plenty big enough to find quiet areas away from noise and crowds.